Taking One Day At A Time...

February Photo A Day Challenge

2012-02-02T12:39:00.001-06:00

I have decided to do the February photo a day challenge due to watching so many do the January challenge on Facebook and blogs. Please feel free to join in. I'm also doing the challenge on my Instagram account.

Feb. 1st: my view today. I see my feet and TV a lot while feeding this little one. Sometimes I feel like I'm making a permanent indention in the couch.

Feb 2nd: Words. Here is the book I started before Cora was born and I long to finish right now. I know I'll have time (and hands!) again some day:).

Let me know if you are doing the challenge. I'd love to see your pictures...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Travel...

2012-01-30T21:29:00.002-06:00

I am tired. The kind of tired you feel deep down in your bones. These first six weeks have been a mixture of joy, tears, unbelievable experiences, and a longing for sleep. Some days are better then others, I guess that is to be expected. Last night was hard and so was the night before that and maybe the night before that... Cora has gotten some congestion in her throat which has lead to some unrestful nights. Poor baby- she sounds the worst at night and it breaks my heart to hear her struggle to get that junk out. We went to the doctor last Thursday and she says it is a cold right now and we are to keep a close eye on it. Today has been better and I hope we are on the up swing. I really have no idea how the congestion set in- I have followed the six week rule pretty strictly. But guess what- little bit turns 6 weeks tomorrow!!! I can and can't believe it all at the same time.

So in honor of her 6 week birthday we are traveling- by plane. Yes, I know I am crazy, but there are some things we need to go do in February. We have 3 trips planned this up coming month- 2 by car and one by plane. So here is where you come in: please share any advice you have about traveling with an infant. The doctor has cleared us and we are making a VERY quick trip to Midland (more on that later). Please share what to pack, what not to pack, how to get around the airport with a baby, etc. Also, any tips for car travel will be helpful as well. Cora still sleeps a lot so I hope she sleeps these trips away! Now that I said that she will scream the whole time:). I have already started packing and we do not even leave until Thursday- oh how travel has changed for this girl who always packs the night before...

What I Have Been Watching...

2012-01-25T16:10:00.004-06:00

I have to admit, since having Cora I have had very few opportunities to read. I just do not have enough hands to hold her and a book. Then on top of that, to give tons of concentration to a book is nearly impossible. I knew this was coming and I know it will not be like this forever, but I do miss reading. So in place of reading I have become pretty attached to Netflix. No hands required AND I can watch and do so many other things at once. Below are some of the shows/movies Steve and I have been enjoying recently.

The Wonder Years- just releases on Netflix!! I loved this show growing up and it has been a treat to go back through the episodes in order. I have great childhood memories watching this show with my family. Plus the episodes are short and sweet. Steve and I can watch a quick show between feedings and naps.
Parenthood- Oh my! I am totally obsessed with this show now- again a new show released on Netflix. Great writing, funny acting, and (for the most part) I like the message this show sends about family. I have already watched all Netflix has to offer- looking forward to season 3 being released next fall.
Babies- This documentary has been on my 'to watch list' for a long time- since before we got pregnant. I am glad we waited to watch it after having a baby. I think I appreciate this film so much more now. Plus it was fun to watch and see Cora in some of these babies. It also normalizes things all parents go through- no matter the culture. But I was reminded of how easy I have it raising a baby with so many modern tools at my finger tips.
Phoebe in Wonderland- Steve has wanted to watch this for a while. We watched this when Cora was brand, brand new and she slept through the whole film (that was nice). I loved this movie. It is real. It is authentic. It is eye opening to Tourette's Syndrome. Very much worth your time.
Life in a Day- Steve stumbled upon this documentary on Netflix and we took a chance on it the other night. Totally worth our time. The film makers asked anyone who wanted to to send in video of their life on July 25, 2010. Then they took all the footage and made a documentary from morning until night of peoples lives. They captures the mundane, everyday life to the extrodanary. Again, worth your time to watch. There are a couple disturbing scene, but over all I really liked it. (One scene involved a cow- I am remind why I do not eat too much meat).
Downton Abbey- I discovered this series through blogs and Facebook. So many people have been talking about it. So Steve and I checked it out a couple nights ago. And now it is my new obsession. LOVE the costuming and writing and acting. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong era. I could totally be Mary (but maybe a little nicer).
Brothers and Sisters- And last, but not least, Brothers and Sisters. I have always been curious about this show. After I finished Parenthood Netflix suggested this show to me. So I tried it last night and now I am hooked. (I totally sound like a TV junkie in this post). It has some similarities to Parenthood and I like the positive spin it puts on family togetherness- in good times and hard times. Plus, who does not love Sally Field?!

Feel free to share your current watchings- I am always looking for shows and movies to add to my list.

Cora June at One Month...

2012-01-20T20:21:00.002-06:00

I have a one month old, what?!? I am going to say what every mother says- time is going by super fast right now. I really do not know how we are already at the one month mark. But as I type those word I also feel like I have lived every second of the last month. I am not going to lie, the last month has been hard. Caring for a small baby is one of the most challenging tasks I have undertaken. I knew it was going to be hard, people loved telling us before we had Cora how hard the first three months or so were with a newborn. I knew they were not lying, but I knew it was something I was going to have to live before I totally understood. But more on those thoughts in another post. Now on to the awesomeness that is Cora June at one month!

Cora is a great baby. I really have nothing to compare her to since this is my first born and all, but for the most part she has a pretty chill personality. She fusses around her meal times and of course she has her moments during the day when she cries, but over all she is pretty even tempered.

When she does get fussy the following things calm her- the dry, riding in her car seat (we have defiantly been those parents out riding around in the car just to sooth our baby), her paci sometimes, rocking, and swaddling.

She nurses 10 to 12 times a day (maybe more on certain days). Right now I feel like that is all my life consists of- feeding Cora. But I know it will not always be this much so I am trying to soak this stage in and be patient. Netflix and my iPhone are my day time companions right now.

Right now she sleeps a lot during the day and for the most part does pretty well at night (although we have had a couple rough nights!). During the night she can go 2 to 3 1/2 hours between feedings. On the rare times we have reached 3 1/2 hours I feel like I have slept days when she wakes me up- it is great. I am really ready for these feeding stretches to get longer- especially at night.

Cora already has several nicknames. Steve likes to call her his little frog due to her scrunching up on his chest when she lays on him. He has also taken to calling her pumpkin which kinda makes my heart melt every time he says it. I still call her sweet pea and I also call her little bit and bitty. Other names we use randomly are Cora-bear, Cora-girl, and Beautiful. Who knows which ones are going to stick long term.

She is still in newborn diapers and is quickly growing out of her newborn clothes. I have no idea how much she currently weights or how long she is, but I know she is defiantly growing. She is getting these awesome rolls on her arms and legs.

Cora LOVES her bath. We have gotten into a routine of bath time each night, this helps with her going to bed. And I have to admit, that is one of the highlights of my day. I hope Cora loves the water. I want to get her into swimming as soon as possible.

Cora has brownish/blond hair and dark blue eyes. As the month has worn on her hair has gotten lighter and curls are starting to show up- yes! We think she has Steve's nose and my lips. Right now I think she looks a lot like her daddy, but as time goes on more and more people are starting to say she looks like me.

I started seeing clients again last week. Cora took to a bottle like a champ and this has allowed for some flexibility with me going up to the office for short amounts of time. I am still trying to juggle nursing, pumping, and bottles, but I know we will get into a routine before long. I am just thankful her daddy has a day off during the week so I can work.

Cora had her first voluntary smile on Tuesday. I missed it- she was with her daddy when it happened. But Steve got a great picture of the beautiful smile. It has only happened once, looking forward to more in the future. Cora is SO strong. She loves tummy time and has been lifting her head up since day one of life. She can spontaneously roll from back to tummy, but she has only done it a couple times. Steve was walking by nine months- makes me wonder if Cora will be the same. She can already push herself up into a stand when she is in our laps.

She is also starting to focus more on objects and is turning her head toward voices and noise. This really just started happening this week so I am assuming this will only increase in the weeks to come.

We have tried a couple outings and it is 50/50 shot if she will not have a melt down while we are out. She has been to Target (of course), Hobby Lobby, Half Price Books, Sam's, the pediatricians office, the Container Store, La Madaline's, and Dillards. In about half of those stores she ended up having a melt down- but I should get credit for at least trying. I am soooo ready to be back into the world.

So there you have it, Cora at one month. Can't wait to see what this next month brings- more sleep maybe (wink, wink!).

The Good Stuff...

2012-01-15T10:07:00.003-06:00

My life pretty much consists of three things right now- nursing, changing diapers, and loving on this tiny person named Cora. Since becoming a mom I have found that there are some products out there that I currently could not live with out (well maybe I could live with out, but with the following products my life is a lot easier.) Before I had a baby I always struggled with what to get people for a baby shower. I have a pretty unique/cool/sentimental wedding gift I always give and I have always wanted the same for baby shower gifts. I think I am on my way to knowing what that gift is going to be (and it may just be a combo of any of the products listed below).

Organic Chamomile Tea- I am not a big tea drinker, but since I have started nursing I wanted to start consuming other things beside water (which, by the way, I could drink water for the rest of my life and be a happy, happy girl). So in search of a soothing drink I came across this tea at Target last week. I love it. It has a great flavor, its organic, and I read some where that chamomile is great a component for nursing babies to ingest. I try to have a cup a day. On a side note, since I am not pregnant any more my desire for coffee has come back, this tea helps curb the want for a large caffeinated cup of Joe.
Ugg Slippers- How I did life before these little guys I do not know. These were a Christmas gift from my parents, meant for the hospital stay with Cora. Since she came 2 weeks early I did not have them until I got home. I think I have worn them every day since her birth. They are wonderful to wear around the house and they are totally made to wear outdoors as well. They are so comfortable and have kept my feet nice and warm in the cool weather. When I slip these on on my way to Cora's nursery for the 3am feeding I almost smile- they are that good. Bet you will never guess what is on my feet right now...

The Peanut Shell Sling- this has been wonderful while carting Cora around the house. She loves to be close to me right now so when I need to get things done around the house I just tuck her in this and we can go do laundry, dishes, go on short walks, and the list could go on. She is actually tucked in it as I sit here and type. I have the small new born sling and I am pretty sure it makes her feel womb like, she looks pretty cozy.

My Blankee- My good friend Jenny gave me one of these- a nice, soft pink one. We got the 14x17 size and it is a perfect size for a newborn- perfect. In almost every Cora picture you can see this little pink blanket. It fits her body just right and it feels so nice on my hands as I hold her. Plus there are hundred of designs to choose from on the website, so I am sure you can find one to match your theme or color scheme.
Lansinoh Cream- I will not go into details on this product but there is no way I could have gotten through the last (almost) 4 weeks without this cream. Again, thank you J for giving this to me before Cora arrived and thank you St. Luke's for providing this lovely tube in the hospital. This is a must have product if you plan on nursing- MUST HAVE.
Boppy Pillow- Another thing you can see in almost every Cora picture. And that is the exact slip cover I have- owls:). Goes great with the nursery and I have not gotten tired of looking at it and let me tell you, I look at it a lot. It allows me to nurse is many places around the house and with out the support it provides, nursing would have been a lot more chappenging. Thanks to all who encouraged me to take it to the hospital- 100% worth carting to and from St. Luke's.
Rock and Play Sleeper- This is where Cora sleeps at night, right next to my side of the bed. The first couple nights at home she would not sleep any where but on either Steve or I and I was totally freaking out that she would have to sleep with us the rest of her life (it is amazing the things your mind makes up at 3 in the morning and you have not slept in what feels like years!). Around the fourth night she took to this and it has been good ever since. Please put this on your registry if you are currently expecting a little one. It folds up nicely for travel and holds the baby at an angle which helps with sleep. I had no clue this thing existed until my friend Linds sent it to my for a baby gift. Its good to have almost every friend I have already have a baby- I have gotten so much great advice:)!
Miracle Blanket- I have saved the best for last. I swear this little creation has added an hour or two to our sleep at night. As many of you know, swaddling is great for (most) babies in the first couple months of life. Well, Cora had a very hard time with swaddling. She is SUPER strong and busted out of every swaddle we tried, the pediatrician tried, and the nurses in the hospital tried. In fact in the hospital they would swaddle her in two swaddle blankets, that worked for about a week. I had received one of these as a gift at my shower so Steve and I gave it a whirl a week or so into life with Cora (I kinda forgot I had it). It has been a game changer at night. I want to give every new mom 10 of these- we currently have 3 and it is the perfect amount in case she poops, pees or spits up on one during the night. Steve is the master swaddler in our house. He and Cora have their routine down with this blanket. She still fights us on it at times but over all this is probably the most used and favorite product in our house right now.

Feel free to share your favorites with me. I am sure there is so much out there that I do not know about and will need to know about as this little one grows...

Embrace...

2012-01-11T16:40:00.002-06:00

I do not make New Year Resolutions. I never have and considering New Years Day is my wedding anniversary I am usually focused on other things. Steve and I use that day to celebrate us, reflect on where we have been, and dream about want we want in the New Year. However, I do usually choose a word I want to encorperate throughout the year. This year my word is Embrace.

I want to embrace life this year because I have a feeling I am going to have a lot to embrace. I want to embrace my relationship with God out of wonder and curiosity, not a know it all spirit. I want to embrace my marriage with a steadfast love and not a selfish attitude. I want to embrace parenthood with hope and not parent out of fear and 'what ifs.' I want to embrace my private practice with renewed passion for helping people and not left over energy. I want to embrace friends and family with authenticity and not shallow, meaningless connections. I want to embrace the stranger with love and compassion and not a hurried sprit. I want to embrace 2012 for all it is worth.

Now I know these are big words and there will be days I will fall terribly short of these goals. But I also know there will be days I totally exceed my expectations. I hope I embrace both kinds of days and every thing inbetween.

What is your word for 2012?

Cora's Birth Story...

2012-01-07T16:01:00.003-06:00

My due date was January 2, 2012 and to be honest, I thought I was going to be one of those people that went way past their due date. My mom had me over a week late and I know most first time pregnant ladies go past the due date. I had everything ready to go by December 1st, and I am so glad I did. December was a great month. I rested, I worked, I savored the holiday season, I spent good time with Steve. And on December 20th I became a mom. Here is my story...

I woke up around 6:30am on the 20th to make the 500th trip to the restroom of the morning. Steve and I had been sleeping in the living room for the previous week due to me not being able to get in and out of our high, four poster bed. When I came back to lay down I had two contractions back to back. They were not painful but they did feel different then the Braxton Hicks contractions I had been having for the last 4 weeks. Then about 15 minutes later I began to feel lots of fluid being release from my body. My first thought was there is NO WAY my water just broke. My second thought was to get off the couch! As soon as I stood up I was sure my water broke. At this point I calmly informed my sleeping husband that I think my water just broke. He shot out of bed- really?!

I made it to the bathroom before water got anywhere- everyone keeps asking if it broke on the couch. No- my couch is safe to sit on:). As soon as I could, I called the doctor on call. I knew I was not going to get my doctor because she was taking the whole week off before Christmas. Dr. Vyas was on call and let me say now- she was amazing AND 37 weeks pregnant herself. She asked me a bunch of questions then asked if I was sure my water broke. When I told her I filled up 4 pads she laughed and said great, you're having a baby today. She said to come in when ever we were ready- so we kind of took our time. We ate breakfast together, I took a shower, and Steve finished packing his bags. We were both super calm and it was a perfect morning to have a baby. It was cool and rainy outside. We even had time to stop by the bank (drive thru of course!) on the way to St. Luke's so I could make a last minute work deposit. As you can probably tell I was having zero contractions so I was not in pain. I just felt calm and peaceful, a feeling that has stayed with me as I have moved into this new role as a mother.

We got checked into our room around 9:30 and I got changed and situated into the room. The doctor checked me around 10am and I was only dilated to a one, which is exactly what I was the day before at my 38 week appointment. So we decided to take some meds to see if we could speed things up. I wish I could remember the name of the drug, but I can not. It was a small little pill that had BIG effects on me. I started having contractions about 30 minutes later and I labored for several hours rocking in the rocking chair. I was able to labor for 8 hours before I knew it was time for me to get the epidural.

Before I got the epidural I wanted to know how far along I was. When they came in to check me the doctor kept saying 'now do not get your hopes up, you are probably not very far along.' When she check I was at a 4 and she was actually pretty surprised. I still did not get the epidural for another hour and half. By the time the anesthesiologist came in I was in some serious PAIN, who knows how far along I was by then. They did make Steve leave the room while they gave me the epidural. Some new policy due to a man passing out in California when his wife got the epidural and hitting his head and dying- that's kind of scary (I'm also amazed I can remember the nurse telling me that story with how much pain I was in at the time). I was sad he was not going to be there but really I just wanted the pain to stop. The whole process was easy and short and Steve was back with me in no time. Over all the epidural was very light. I could still feel every one of the contractions, but they were not nearly as strong.

About the time the epidural kicked in I started to feel lots of pressure. I kept telling my nurse (who I loved- I'm so glad I had a good L&D nurse) and she kept saying 'really? Because it would be pretty early to already be at a 10.' But around the 5th time I said I'm feeling a lot of pressure she started advocating for the doctor to come back and check me. At this point it was around 5pm and the doctor and nurse were about to go through the shift change. Which we were all sad about, at this point I really wanted them both to help me deliver this baby. The resident was actually sent in to check me- I really do not think anyone thought I was going to be at a 10, but I knew something was going on. As soon as she checked me things moved in to high gear.

Not only was I at a 10, I was also plus 2 meaning the baby's head was started to descend. As soon as she said that my nurse left and got the 'team'. There were 10 people in my room in no time. My doctor came in and before I knew it it was time to push. It was exciting, it was scary, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Steve was on my right, my nurse was on my left and the doctor and resident guided the pushing. Everyone was so encouraging and excited that they were going to deliver this baby before the shift change. I pushed for about 45 minutes- maybe 12-15 good pushes and before I knew it Cora June Sargent arrived at 6:09pm. Steve cut the cord and she was put on my chest. I wish I could capture this moment in words, but I could not if I tried. It was incredible. Steve was amazing and going through this with him has made me love him in ways I can not describe. As they cleaned Cora off on my chest I was amazed that something so perfect had been given to me. The next hour passed in a blur. Cora was weighed and cleaned and had her foot prints taken. I got to see Steve hold her for the first time and the doctors took their time caring for me- for that I am grateful.

And soon it was just me and Cora and Steve in the room. I got to nurse her for the first time and then it was time to move to our room for the next 2 days. As soon as we got to our new room Cora got a real bath and I got to eat- best hospital food I had ever had or maybe that was the no meal since breakfast talking:)! And then our families came in and we got to introduce Cora June to everyone for the first time. It was so cool to get to speak her name out loud for the first time and everyone fell in love with this new life. Cora is an old name from Steve's family that we have always liked and June is Steve's grandmother's name. Everyone left around 10pm and the 3 of us spent our first night together.

I know this post does not do this story justice, but I tried. I could not have asked for a better experience and December 20th, 2011 will be a day I treasure forever.

Welcome to the world Cora June- we have greatly anticipated your arrival and look forward to journeying through life with you. Love, Mom

A Post of Firsts...

2012-01-05T14:58:00.004-06:00

Every thing is a first for Cora right now and I want to capture it all, but I can't, there are just too many. Thank goodness for my iPhone- it has been attached to my hip since this babe was born and has captures several great 'firsts' for me. You know, before Cora I had around 25 pictures on my phone. When I put them on my computer today I had over 100- oh how things change. So for your viewing pleasure, here are a couple firsts for our little girl...

First time for this new Mamma to hold Cora- seriously one of the most amazing moments in my life.
First time for Daddy to hold Cora- I am in love with the look on Steve's face in this picture.
First time to wear real clothes. Her coming home outfit- big pink bow and a sweet pea onesie with pink ruffles on her butt- the cuteness is almost too much for me!

First bath at home. Two brand new parents bathing a three day old- lots of laughing. Well, laughing from us, Cora was screaming:).
First doctors apartment on Christmas Eve and her first outing. She did so good and we discovered she loves riding in the car and listening to music play. Must be all that music I listened to in the car with her in my belly...
First Christmas Eve at home, so of course we had to put a pink tutu on. Love her dimples in this picture.
First Christmas dinner. I really like the angle in this photo- way to go Catherine for capturing this moment.
First smile caught on camera. This is Cora after a really good feeding. My Dad thinks this picture looks a lot like me when I was this little. This is one of my favorite pictures right now.
Cora's first walk around the block. The weather here in Houston has not been too terribly cold so we have ventured out a couple times. Cora loves her peanut sling. It is the perfect size for a newborn. Next we will move up to the Moby wrap and Baby Bjorn.

We are still doing well here in the Sargent household. Feedings continue to get better and better, which I am thankful for. We have had great help, which will be leaving tomorrow. Next week will be interesting- just the two of us during the day. I'm looking forward to getting into a 'routine' with this little one. But I know I have been spoiled with so much help- I have gotten a great nap every afternoon. We will see if I can do that when I am solo during the day:).

Rambling Thoughts From A New Mom...

2012-01-03T15:02:00.004-06:00

It is 2012 already, what?! Steve and I brought in the New Year celebrating 7 years of marriage. We spent the day at home loving on little Cora. Steve brought home Thai food for dinner and we enjoyed a dinner for two at the kitchen table with a baby fast asleep in a bassinet in the living room. It was a great way to bring in the New Year and I'm sure an anniversary we will not soon forget. Other than that we are doing all the million and one things you do with a newborn, or maybe just two things- feeding and changing diapers:).

We are doing really well here in the Sargent household. I feel so much better then I thought I was going to. My body is healing nicely and over all I feel really well. In fact, Steve and I have been able to go on walks almost every night this last week.

It is nice to have had family in town to help out with Cora. I have not had to clean or cook or do laundry in two weeks, a girl could get use to this! Steve's mom is here right now. My mom left last Friday, and then Steve's brother and sister-in-law plan to come in the next couple weeks. The help has been wonderful.

Breastfeeding has been hard, I'm not going to lie. And it is not just the time consuming task, it is everything else. The soreness, the learning curve, the thoughts of 'is my baby getting enough to eat?' or feeling the pressure of being the sole provider of food for another living thing. We have had some difficulties, but we are pushing through. We went to the doctor today and Cora has gained over a pound and has grown 3/4 of an inch. The doctor was pleased and said the nursing is working and she is right on target with her growth. I wanted to start crying when she told me this- the nursing is working! But my hormones and I refrained. Feedings are starting to go much better and the last day and half have been great. I think Cora and I are getting into a rhythm, which feels nice.

Dressing a baby girl is SO MUCH FUN! I have loved dressing her each morning and Steve has really gotten into it. He has done great each time he has dressed her all by himself:). And I may be a little obsessed with putting bows on her...

I am LOVING being a mom. Loving it. It is definitely one of the most challenging things I have done and I know there is lots more to come with parenting a little person, but I am truly loving this more then I could have fathomed.

I have a couple postes brewing. I really want to share Cora's birth story and I have a post filled with pictures of some of her 'firsts.' But these will have to wait for now, its now time to go feed a hungry baby. And just to throw this - it has taken me four hours to complete this post- oh how my time management skills have changed in the last 14 days!

Cora's Newborn Photo Shoot...

2011-12-31T21:20:00.003-06:00

Thursday we had Cora's newborn photo session at our house. It was so much fun and much more relaxing then I thought it was going to be. We found our photographer through Groupon and we could not have been more pleased with her and the pictures, they are exactly what I was looking for- simple, sweet, and some good close ups of our girl. Below you will find a smattering of some of my favorites.

There are SOOOO many more to look at and I am having hard time choosing which ones to put up in the nursery and house- I want them all:)! The picture with the books and glasses is pretty special. The glasses are Cora's great-great grandfathers from my Dad's side. My dad loved the picture. I love the books in the background, I hope Cora is a lover of reading and books someday. I also really like the ones with the owl hat and then the picture of Steve's hands holding Cora (that one is going in a frame in his office soon!). A big thank you to Sassy MasseyPhotograghy- hope to use you again in the future!

Christmas 2011...

2011-12-29T16:58:00.005-06:00

We had a great Christmas here in Houston- spent with a new life in the house. We got home from the hospital on Thursday and spent Thursday and Friday around the house with my family. They were all going to be here anyways due to me not being able to leave Houston for the holidays. In some ways, Cora's arrival could not have been more perfect time wise.

My family always opens all our gifts on Christmas Eve. Saturday morning I gave Steve his gift- a new iPhone 4GS. Cora, Steve, and I had our first outing to get the phone hooked up and we went to her first doctors appointment (pictures coming soon). We spent the rest of the day at home. My sister Catherine cooked an amazing meal Saturday night and after dinner we opened gifts.

Our family right before the opening of gifts. It was sweet to open gifts with a sleeping baby on my chest.
Cora even got a few things, including this pink and brown football. Her main gift- a play mat which I am sure she will start using very soon. Overall Cora slept through most of the evening, next year will be much different, I am sure!
Sunday morning Steve and I woke up (or at least got up, we were already awake) and had our own Christmas. We opened gifts from his parents and exchanged gifts with one another. I was once again reminded how blessed and even spoiled we are during this time of year. Everyone was so generous. Sunday morning we all opened our stockings- no pictures of that, sorry! This is a big tradition in our family, we kind of go overboard on the stockings- I love it!
Here is our Christmas day family picture. I looked exhausted, which I am, but not just from sleep deprivation. At around 3am Christmas morning I started running a fever. Long story short, my doctor thinks it was an early breast infection. Steve ran to Walgreens that morning around 4am for meds called in by the on call doctor and my fever broke around 4pm Christmas day. I am not totally convinced that is what it was, as I had no other symptoms, but I am almost finished with the meds and other then that day I have felt great (more about all of that in a post to come).

I hope everyone has had a good holiday and gearing up to welcome the New Year. I know we are. Not only are we introducing a baby to the New Year, Steve and I will be celebrating 7 years of marriage on Sunday. Not sure what or how we will celebrate, but I do know it will be special and memorable. I hope to write out the birth story soon. It is a pretty amazing story and I want to capture all the details, just trying to get it all out of my heart and head and onto paper right now. Plus I have a million and one pictures to share with you, so stay tuned!

Picture Update of Cora June

2011-12-23T16:57:00.001-06:00

We got home yesterday a little before lunch. Our time at St. Luke's hospital was great, but we were ready to be home. The last couple days have been sacred. I can't get enough of this little girl!

Our coming home outfit, wish it was a better picture. It had sweet peas all over it:).

What I was looking at at 4am this morning. Can he get any more attractive then this?!

After our morning feeding. Love all the newborn gowns...

Getting some love at 3 am in the hospital.

Admiring...

The Sargent clan. Cora looks so much like Steve in this picture.

My Dad and his first grandbaby.

Showing her off to my Mom for the first time.

Loved seeing my parents with her.

Like I said, these last couple days have been sacred, almost indescribable. We are gearing up for Christmas in our part of the world. My whole family is here and it has been fun to sit around, share a super cute baby, eat homemade goodness from my Mom, and just be. Hope you have some great things planned for the next couple days. If you are wondering what Steve and I are doing this Christmas, please refer to the above picture. Much love...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Look Who Has Arrived...

2011-12-21T15:42:00.001-06:00

CORA JUNE SARGENT
Born Dec. 20, 2011
Weighs 7pds and 3 ounces
19 1/2 inches long

It was a great labor and delivery, can't wait to share the whole story. Everyone is happy, healthy, and we are totally in love with this new little person. More coming soon, until then enjoy a couple iPhone pics (this first one is my absolutely favorite).

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

What I Have Been Reading...

2011-12-17T10:05:00.007-06:00

It has been awhile since I updated my reading list and I thought this morning would be a perfect time. Reading has been interesting for me over the last couple months. Some days all I want to do is curl up on the couch and read and other days it takes everything I have to get focused to read a chapter- lots on my mind I guess. I read an article the other day from a new mom who loves to read. She talked about all the amazing ways being a mother has changed her life, but she was also please how some things stayed exactly the same- like reading. It was an encouraging article to read. That is everyones favorite thing to talk to me about right now during this season- how much my life is about to change. And I get that. This article offered hope and shed light on the fact that there are some things that will and can stay the same, and I hope reading is one of those things for me.

We are starting off our little one early with reading. I desperately want Sweetpea to have a great love for reading. Since about mid-summer Steve and I have been taking turns reading to my belly. At first we were reading lots of her baby/children's books to her, but then we thought, hey we are going to read these books A LOT to her once she arrives, why not read her something right now we can really get into as well. So Steve picked the above book, 'James and the Giant Peach.' It was one of his favorites growing up and I had never read it. The chapters are short so it was not time consuming each night. Steve had great voices for the characters- especially when they broke out in song:).
Now we are reading Kay Ryan's 'The Best of It' to her each night. Poetry is neither of our strong suits, but we like the writer. In fact, this was the writer Steve took me to see/hear on my birthday back in April. Some poems we understand and love and spend several minutes talking about after the reading. Others we read, stare blankly at each other and move on. Poetry is like that for me- sometimes it is all absorbing, other times it hits me like a blank wall- nothing. Wonder what Sweetpea thinks?
So I finally gave in and read the Hunger Game Trilogy. There were a couple reasons I was putting it off. 1) I knew it was going to be consuming, as in once I started I would not want to stop, so I wanted to give myself enough time and space to read them. 2) In some ways its a little like Twilight to me, it was all the rage among the teens. Sometimes I have to give myself some time before I jump on a band wagon. Or I could just say I am doing it for work. I work with teens on a daily basis and I need ways to relate. (I justify some of the music I listen to with this excuse too.) Overall, I loved the series. Book three was pretty dark and gory in parts, but I enjoyed each book and fell in love with all the characters. Looking forward to the movie coming out in late March.
And here is the fluffy, mindless book in the bunch. I usually read one of these books every couple months. They are easy, indifferent, and a quick read. The story line has little substance and it was kinda sad. I would not recommend 'Happiness Sold Separately' to a friend, but I am not sad I read it. I did like this author's previous book, 'Good Grief', but it too was sad.

'Evolving in Monkey Town' by Rachel Held Evans has been talked about here on this blog several times this year. She was one of keynote speakers at Summit in Abilene this past September and I got my book signed by her. It was great. This is one of my favorite books right now. I highly recommend it to anyone who has grown up in the church, especially a conservative one- I felt as if I related to her on so many levels, like it was my story being written out. It has been the number one gift for the season in our house and I still have copies stashed away waiting to go out for gifts in the upcoming year. That is how good I think it is.
I joined a book club in September. This is something that has been on my bucket list for years. You think it would be an easy one due to me loving books and all, but I never made the time. I am making the time now and I hope to keep up with the habit once this little one arrives. It meets once a month early on Saturday mornings. It's all women and some are my age and but most are not. Some go to my church and some do not. Some share my same beliefs and others do not. I am really liking this group. It is stretching me and making me think and exposing me to new writers and writings. I wish I had done this years ago. The above book it what we are currently picking through. I have just discovered Dorothy Day in the last 5 or so years. This is a great book to start out with if you are wanting to know about this saint-like women.
Have I ever told my absolute favorite story in the Bible is the prodigal son? Well it is. I usually cry every time I hear a sermon on this parable. And I can't hear enough teachings on this story, I feel like I learn something new each time I read or hear it. Steve brought me his copy of Henri Nouwen's 'The Return of the Prodigal Son' back in September. I have been slowly reading it ever since. It is a small book, one I could probably finish in a couple hours if I sat down and went through the whole thing, but I am savoring it every now and then. Nouwen takes you through each characters story- first the youngest son, then the oldest son (who I identify with), and finally the father, who Nouwen believes is what everyone should strive to be like. I would now like a print of Rembrandt's painting of the prodigal son in home someday.
For the flop book of the bunch- 'Edgar Sawtelle' by David Wroblewski. And I would like to start out by saying it's not him, it's me. I tried and tried and tried but could not get into this book. Usually when I can not get into a book I will do one of two things- read it anyways (I am stubborn like that) or stop within in a couple chapters- max. You want to know what I did with this book? I read more then 3/4 of the thing then put it down. That was kind of silly, I should have just read the whole dang thing, but it just was not doing anything for me. In fact, I really do not even care how it ended, which is why I stopped. There is no real criticism for the book other then it was just not for me. I have talked to a good handful of people who loved it, just look on Amazon- overall people liked it. You may too, so do not take my opinion of it, try it for yourself.

Well, technically I had two fluffy books this round. I also read 'Throwaway' by Heather Huffman back on our babymoon in October. I had finished all the Hunger Game books on the trip and needed another book to read. This one was free on iBooks on my iPad so I downloaded it and enjoyed the simple, fluffy story. It read like a Nicolas Sparks book, so I liked it:). If you find it free on your iPad or at a used book store it is worth the read, if not pass it up.

And I leave you with this article. This is 100% worth your read. I posted it on Facebook last night but I wanted to share it on here too. I am one of these girls and I hope to raise one just like it:). Just click on any of the highlighted words. Enjoy your Saturday- I am about to go curl up on the couch with some hot chocolate and a good book. Until next time- happy reading. (PS- feel free to share your current readings, I am always looking for a good book to get lost in.)

Youth Christmas Party 2011...

2011-12-14T11:42:00.004-06:00

Friday we had our annual Christmas party with the teens at our church. We had six kids come this year and we had a blast. We did things I little different this year due to me being so pregnant and all. We usually have it at our house, but this year we opted for dinner and a movie. It was perfect.

Me and the kids. I was super tired this day and in a lot of pain, but over all it was great to hang out with everyone for the night. I know I will be taking a break from youth stuff in the New Year, so I am soaking up this time right now.
We ate at Pei Wei, yummy. Most of kids had never been there so it was fun to watch them try new things. And as you can tell we cleaned our plates.
After dinner we headed to the movies. The kids had no idea what we were doing all evening. Steve likes to be sneaky like that. The movie was a real treat. We saw Arthur Christmas, which was super cute. I was kind of skeptical about the movie, but it was great. Very funny and creative, I would recommend this to anyone for a great, light Christmas movie.
Here is our group after the show. And guess what- I had no clean up after the party, that was nice. We have one more Christmas party with our small group and then Christmas is here- amazing. Hope you are enjoying this fun party season as well...

Full Term, Baby...

2011-12-13T13:43:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I hit 37 weeks. I did it, I have kept this baby inside me for the 'full term!' My doctor wants me to make it at least to 38 weeks, but 37 weeks have been a big mental goal for myself. And I am feeling every bit of this 37 week old baby in my belly!

We had our 37 week doctors appointment yesterday. I am still not dilated but she is very pleased with how my body is preparing for labor and the baby is very low. I can definitely tell things are starting to change as my body gets ready to have this little one, I will spare you the details:). Every day I get a little more uncomfortable and it makes me want to have a baby already, but at the same time I want her to come when she wants to and stay in as long as she needs to. I can be uncomfortable for as long as she needs.

My hip pain has gotten worse over the last week. It is more of a throbbing, aching pain now, but I guess I am more use to it at this point so I am managing just fine. Sleep is not difficult, it is the getting up and out of bed that is the hassle- I knew having a high four poster bed was going to be tough in the end. Once I am in bed and comfortable I usually fall right to sleep. For the most part I do not feel sluggish throughout the day and I am enjoying my energy level. It is nice to be able to take the occasional afternoon nap- a perk of owning my own business.

And everything is done as far as preparing for baby. Steve and I are installing the car seat tonight, hospital bags were packed past night, and I am trying to make last arrangements for baby announcements (an email is coming soon Ash!!). Oh, and a trip to Sam's is planned for this week to stock up on some things before she gets here. It is a strange feeling to wake up each day and think, 'hey, I could have a baby today.' No big deal, just this life altering things that could literally happen at any minute...

Sunflowers...

2011-12-09T14:25:00.002-06:00

This was waiting for me when I got home from work today: sunflowers and a sweet note from my husband. Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers, why you might ask? They were my Granddad's favorite flower and we had a special connection through sunflowers when I was growing up. I would spend summers with my grandparents in Goodland, KS and we would plant sunflowers. He would send pictures as they made progress and took over his garden in the backyard. (On a complete random side note: I went through a stage where all I wore were sunflowers- shirts, hair clips, socks, I even had sunflower perfume- trendy, I know. Most of this sunflower paraphernalia was gifted by my grandmother.)

This time last year Steve and I were driving to Midland because my Granddad was being taken off life support. We made it to Midland at 6:30pm and he was gone by 7:30 that evening. It was an experience I will never forget and one I feel honored to be apart of. There is something sacred about being with a person as they pass from this life to the next. December 9, 2010 was a hard day and my Granddad has been heavy on my heart today was I look back over the year it has been. I would have loved for him to have met my daughter- she would have been the first great-granddaughter for him, just like I was the first granddaughter for him. It has been good to remember today. The thing I miss the most are the letters. I use to write him a letter once a week, I miss that weekly habit.
Love and miss you, Granddad...

Maternity Pictures...

2011-12-08T17:32:00.005-06:00

I debated long and hard whether or not to get maternity pictures. I wanted them very badly, but I also knew they were going to require money. Money I knew that could be spent else where- like on child birth classes, a car seat, or the actual hospital stay. In case you have not heard, preparing for a human and having a human is expensive:).

I loved the idea of having maternity, newborn, and then family pictures when she was a little older and there are SO many cool packages out there for just this and I know several people who had done it and have amazing pictures. And for those who know me I am a picture nut. In fact, a couple Christmas' back Steve gave me a photo shoot with the wonderful Lisa Woods in Austin. I treasure the pictures we have in our home from that shoot. And I know I would have treasured professional maternity pictures. But things were a bit different for us this year. I quit my full time job, giving up a full time salary, opened up a private practice, and got pregnant- all in the same month:). So we choose to be creative with a couple things, one of those things being maternity pictures. (PS- we did get a great Groupon for newborn pictures that will be taken in our house- yes, and my sister and Molly gifted us with a professional photography shoot for when Sweetpea is bit older, so really there are no complaints here!)

We decided while on vacation to take our own maternity pictures. Really, I only wanted a few and Steve did an amazing job- let me show you...

Here are a couple from our morning in Pagosa Springs. This is a little pond outside the place we stayed the first night.
Steve was so excited when he found this place. You should have seen me getting on the rocks- we should have taken pictures of that!
I like this one- especially with the waterfall in the back ground. This is Sweetpea and I after the hike up to Treasure Falls.
The above picture is Steve's current screen saver on his computer. I love it. We are at an over look right before we arrived in Crested Butte.
We found this super unique wall in Crested Butte covered in old license plates, it made for some great pictures.
I love the colors in this picture.
And this one is probably our favorite of the maternity picture. Steve has it framed in his office and this one is also in the nursery. I think it captures so much- plus I love my hair in it- just sayin'.
This one may not be a real maternity pic but I love the playfulness of the photo- the big bear, the pregnant tummy, the togetherness. Another favorite picture from the trip.I like the way Steve did this picture. Unique coloring. This one was taken at the White Sanding National Monument in New Mexico. We were heading to the airport in El Paso and stopped for one last adventure. The picture with my blog title also comes from this stop. The time of day and the pure white sands made the pictures perfect.
And here we are wrapping up our pictures and babymoon- the last picture taken of the trip. I like our kissing shadows and how my belly pushes up against Steve. Like I said in my vacation post, this last stop was pretty emotional for me. We are getting ready to close one chapter of our life and begin a whole new chapter that is exciting and scary and involves a lot of change.

As I walked away from the white sands with tears running down my face I had two feelings running through my heart. One was sadness for what is about to change because part of me could go on with just Steve and be happy and content and the other part filled with joy because we are about to bring into this world a person who is made of both of us and that miracle is almost too much for my mind to handle. And I get to be a mom and a parent with Steve- what an amazing gift.

And I share this because I think these maternity pictures capture, for us, more then anything any photographer would have taken in their picures. And when I look at them in the years to come I will remember what it felt like to be pregnant for the first time, I will remember the immense joy I felt during this season in my life and I will remember what I looked like pregnant. Pictures are special and I plan on treasuring these.

36 Weeks and A Nursery...

2011-12-07T09:15:00.003-06:00

Monday marked the beginning of our 36 week and we started the week with a great visit to the doctor. It was the first appointment they checked to see if I had dilated and I had the last of the blood work and tests run. No dilation BUT Sweet Pea is head down and in position. This is why my hip pain got so bad last week- she dropped, who knew?:) The doctor was pleased with how my body is preparing for labor/birth and she said everything looked right on track and healthy. The baby is measuring at 35 1/2 weeks and she is around 6 pounds give or take some. It was an exciting visit to the doctor and made everything even more real (if that is possible).

Steve and I are as ready as we are going to be. Right now we are just waiting and enjoying this fun month. I have very little anxiety about what is to comes, really just excitement. Which is good, I really did not know how I was going to feel once December rolled around. The pain in my hip has gotten better over the week. I mainly attribute this to my heating pad and taking it easy. I am still taking walks around the block, but I have decided to give up the gym for now. This is pretty hard for me, but the relief of pain in the hip has made it worth it. I am still sleeping pretty good and since it has gotten cold (praise, praise!) I have had minimal swelling.
And now on to the nursery. It is about as done as it is going to get so I thought I would share some pictures. There are a couple things we are still working on but over all it is ready for a baby. Above is what you see when you walk in and look to the left. A bookshelf we got from IKEA back in 2009, her diaper corner, and the changing table. Remember we got the changing table at Salvation Army in September and Steve refinished it. The 'diaper corner' is kind of a catch all right now. There are lots of diapers that I know are going to go fast, her humidifier, the boppy pillow, the diaper champ, and her hamper (which is FULLL of diapers, thank you Beverly!). I am sure we will clear it out soon enough.
Another view of the book shelf. Hope she has enough books:). The dress on the wall was mine when I was a little girl, my great-grandmother made it for me. The shelf of the wall has my old baby shoes, an old Paddington Bear book, and some owls my good friend Libby sent me from Africa. The flowers on the wall were bought from a store here in town called 10,000 Villages. The store supports people in lower income countries and sells their goods and then all the proceeds go back to them. The store is run by volunteers. The flowers were made in India and the middle is made of their news paper, I bought these the week before we found out we were having a girl on a whim she just might be a girl:).
The changing table and family wall. I love the wall of pictures. It is all the grandparents and great-grandparents when they were young. Then baby pictures and grown up pictures of Steve and I. The quote is about family and I love how the middle picture ties in the owl them. Thank you Pinterest for the idea:).
The rocker and a bed for Hope. I know I'll be spending good time in that chair and Hope likes to be in the same room as me, so naturally she got a spot too. The art work above the chair is Kelly Rae Roberts, of course. It says 'Brave Girl' and the color scheme matched perfectly.
Of course there are some fun details in the room. Here is the switch plate cover for the light- thank you, Etsy. There are still a couple things I am looking for, but they will come when they come. I would like to get some owl pulls for the fan and then my mom is going to help me make a curtain for the closet over Christmas. I think this requires a trip to High Fashion Fabric very soon! We did have sliding doors on there but 1) I hate sliding doors and 2) they were old and would not stay in the tracks, probably not the safest for a baby. I'll post pictures of the final product when we get around to it.

And last, but not least, her crib. Not the best picture, but it will do. I LOVE the bedding. We had it made by a little shop in Mississippi. The coral and aqua set the color scheme for the room. The mobile I got off Etsy and I have to admit it is my first disappointing purchase off Etsy. It is was not well made and has been slowing falling apart. The color is perfect and the owls are great, but the mobile itself was not well made. Live and learn and moving on. The quote of the crib was one of the first things I got for the room- even before we knew if we were having a girl or boy. It is perfect for the owl theme.

Over all the room is exactly what I wanted- not too babyish, but feminine and inviting, and a place I will enjoy as well. I know we will be spending lots of time in there too. The main word people say when they walk in the room is calming- that is one of the best compliments for me. Now all we need is a baby to put in it...

35 Weeks...

2011-11-30T09:00:00.003-06:00

This week has been interesting to say the least. I have developed some excruciating pain in my left hip. Remember how it was in my right hip during the middle/end of the second trimester?Well, it has moved. And it is 10 times worse in this hip. This week has been pretty rough as far as being able to move around and do things. It has been a humbling experience.

It started mid-last week and was pretty minor. Then while working out Saturday I could really feel it. Took me awhile to get down the stairs at the gym to go home. (notice I took the stairs even though there was an elevator right there- I may be a little stubborn.) Sunday I took it easy, skipped class at church and made it to service, and then the rest of Sunday I laid low. Sunday night I felt good so Steve and I went for a quick walk around the block. By the time we got home I was in a lot of pain. So I thought hey- let's stretch things out for awhile. Worst-idea-ever. Let's just say Sunday night ended in lots of tears, the inability to walk or dress myself, and a long night of Steve having to get up with me every time I needed to use the bathroom. Now it was not all drama and tears- there was one time Steve was helping me wobble to the bathroom and we are both laughing so hard it took us several minutes to get to the bathroom. It made my hip hurt worse so we had to stop and regain control- a couple times:).

Monday, I made a phone call to the doctor because I had half-convinced myself I had fractured or broken my hip- oh the pain! Long story short- they said this was pretty normal. Although I love hearing how 'normal' I am, this still did not help the pain. The nurse checked on me four times throughout the day- very sweet (she said she had the same thing after she fell into the splits in her kitchen while 8 months pregnant- what!?!). Monday I rested, saw one client, and rested. Tuesday I rested, saw 2 clients, and rested. This morning I am resting then I will wobble into my office for a client later this afternoon. Steve got me a heating pad- it is my best friend right now. Oh, and hot showers, this has helped a lot too. And the Big Bang Theory Season 4 I bought on Black Friday- this has help tremendously too:). But in the words of my good friend B- what I really want is some ibuprofen and a good glass of wine:).

Things I have learned from this- the last month of pregnancy is rough, rough I tell you! There are also some other uncomfortable things I am dealing and I am ready for these things to go away. But before they go away I know I need to have this sweet baby. Soon come- we are in the home stretch. Friday is a month to a our due date:)!!!

Now on to some great things- Steve and I have been working really hard on Sweet Pea's room. The room is mainly done but we have been going through shower gifts, unpacking boxes, and assembling things like strollers, swings, and bouncer seating. Our house is slowly turning from an adult house into a baby wonder land. We will never be the same again...

Other then my hip I really am feeling great and in good spirits. Steve and I have gotten to spend good time together and we are cooking fun meals together and savoring this holiday season. Sweet Pea moves ALL the time and ALL over the place in my belly. She even responds to our voices when we talk to her. I love watching Steve's face when his hands are on my belly. Pregnancy has been such an amazing experience with Steve by my side.

Packing Our Bags...

2011-11-28T09:41:00.003-06:00

The time has come for Steve and I to pack our bags for the hospital. I have a good idea of what needs to go in each of our bags, but I want to ask all of you too. I plan on having a bag for myself, one for Steve, and another for Sweet Pea. So please share what you put in each of the bags as you prepared to go to the hospital to have a baby. Even if you have never had a baby but your sister or friend or you heard of something great and useful someone packed for the hospital stay please feel free to leave a comment. Even if we do not know each other well, but you have a really great idea, please leave a comment, I want to know your input. (Part of me cannot believe I am writing this post- I imagined myself writing this months ago but thought the time was way too far away- now here we are!)

Thanks in advance. I love packing, this will be fun:).

Thanksgiving 2011...

2011-11-27T17:21:00.007-06:00

This year Steve and I celebrated Thanksgiving a little different from years past- we stayed home and spent the week just the two of us. It was our year with the Sargent family and they were heading to Arkansas. Being 34 1/2 weeks pregnant we decided staying near Houston was the best plan for us. And I can not tell you how meaningful and great our week was. It was our first holiday to spend just the 2 of us and I think it came at a perfect time. As we have been busy preparing and planning on meeting our new addition in a couple weeks, this was the perfect time to stop and spend time resting, cooking good food, and connecting with one another.

Tuesday night we grocery shopped for our big Thanksgiving feast at Central Market. Both of us had Wednesday off. I enjoyed breakfast with friends and a wonderful massage. Steve enjoyed time to read, be alone, and then played video games with some kids in our youth group. Wednesday night we made breakfast for dinner and then did a little bit of prep for the meal the next day. Above you will see Steve making our cheesecake pumpkin pie- so yummy.
Thursday morning we got up really early and headed out to the George R. Brown Convention Center to serve before we began our personal Thanksgiving celebrations. It was an interesting experience. Over 5000 people were to be served, fed, and clothed and there had to be at least that many volunteers there. Above you can see all the volunteers behind us. It was overwhelming and somewhat disorganized. We got there about 7:30am and it took us about 45 minutes to check in and figure out what we were suppose to be doing. We ended up sorting through the donation clothes and folding into sizes, etc. We left around 9am. It was a neat thing to see and be apart of, but wish there had been more organization. I could tell many volunteers were frustrated- especially those who brought their children and wanted to serve alongside their families. I am glad we went, but I may look for a small venue in the future.
The rest of the day was dedicated to rest, food prep, eating, and football. Above is Sweet Pea and I enjoying a quick break between serving and cooking.
This year we tried all new recipes. Since it was our first time to cook a whole meal alone we took some family favorites and put some foodie twists on the recipes. Above I am preparing the green bean casserole- which we cooked in the crock pot. It has lots of mushrooms and red peppers and Gouda cheese.
Nothing like chopping and prepping fresh green beans...
I love the way veggies look with a good blanching...
And Thanksgiving is not Thanksgiving with out French Onions on something...
All the oven goodness. We also made Sweet Potatoes with Ginger Snaps on tops, a traditional broccoli and cheese casserole (this is my all time favorite holiday dish), my mom's deviled eggs (another favorite), a Vegan Turkey made of apples, squash, and mushrooms, and of course rolls.
Here is our set table. We had a man from our church, Alan, join us for the meal. He did not have any family to eat with so he was part of our family for the day- wish I had gotten a picture.
We enjoyed sparkling grape juice with frozen cranberries for our 'fancy' drink since I can not enjoy a glass of wine this year (soon come!). Over all it was the perfect meal. The vegan meat was a bit of a stretch for me, but it was fun to try. I am not a huge turkey fan and cooking a bunch of meat for just 3 people was not high on my list. Steve very much enjoyed it, I think if we try it again I will make some gravy to accompany.

Friday and Saturday were days of rest and fun. We had some friends from Abilene spend the night with us Thursday so Friday morning we enjoyed an early breakfast at La Madeleine's before they headed out. Steve and I did a bit of Black Friday shopping and we got a killer deal on new bedding at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. We also picked up a couple doorbusters at Target then headed home for the day.

Saturday we worked out, rested, watched some good college football, and went to see 'The Way.' I HIGHLY recommend this movie to any one and everyone. It was sooooo good. As in I hope to own it when it comes out and watch it again and again. Such a powerful message. Plus I'm a hugh Martin Sheen fan- hello, 'The West Wing.' Saturday night we decorated our house for Christmas.
Our lovely tree. I love putting the ornaments on each year because we get to reminisce about all our trips from years past.
This year we added the above pelican from our 6th anniversary stay at the Pelican B&B in Palacios, TX.
Here is the official 2011 White House Christmas Ornament from our May trip to DC/Philly.
And out most recent addition is a handmade dove from Santa Fe, NM from our Babymoon. It was fun to think and dream about what Christmas decorating will be like in the years to come. This time next year we will have an almost one year old- what!?

I hope everyone enjoyed their week as much as we did. Now bring on Christmas!!!

34 Weeks...

2011-11-23T12:52:00.003-06:00

I look a bit tired in the above picture. I can feel my energy waning as I enter into this homestretch of pregnancy. Plus this is after a full day of seeing clients and doctors appointments. And it was ridiculously humid in Houston that day- ridiculous I tell you!

We had our 34 week appointment on Monday and everything is still looking great and healthy and right on track. For this we give thanks! She is still laying diagonal in my belly. I had to see a different MD in the practice due to mine being out for the week and he spent lots of time feeling around on my belly and telling me were all her body parts were. I very much appreciated this and I like the time he spent with us even though I am technically not this patient. I can't say enough great things about Baylor OBGYN and Texas Children's/St. Luke's. So far our experience has been wonderful and I feel so comfortable with the labor and delivery that is about to come.

This week I have had lots of back/hip/butt pain. All of this had been better over the last month and half and now it is back. I am guessing the only way to get rid of it this time is to have a baby. In some ways I have viewed this pregnancy like a marathon and now I am at the end- the toughest stretch. And by that I mean all the aches and pains. Really I have nothing too big to complain about- I have had an easy pregnancy by most standards.

SweetPea really is getting soooo big. I literally feel her in different places in my belly every day stretching and growing. The swelling in my feet have been better this week but I can still let they are a bit bigger then normal. I think having a baby is the only way to make this go away too:).

I enjoyed another prenatal massage this morning gifted by my wonderful brother and sister in laws. Seriously- one of the best gifts EVER to a pregnant lady. My aches and pains are much better as I sit here typing.

And last- I would like to thank all of you for your sweet comments, emails, and texts about the last post. It feels good and confronting that so many other people can relate and sympathize. It felt good to vent and it was good (and funny) to here your stories and expereinces. Really all I can do is laugh and try to move on. But really, please do not ever tell a pregnant lady she is huge- she already feels that way, no need to remind:).

Things I am Tired Of...

2011-11-22T09:31:00.003-06:00

This is not a complaining post. This is a post stating the facts of things I am tired of random people telling me when I am out and about.

"You look HUGE"- Really, you are going to say that to a pregnant lady. Of course I am big and round I am carrying a BABY, a HUMAN and last I checked you do get pretty big. (But alas, I do not say this, I just smile and try to walk away quickly)

"You must be having one BIG baby"- I think women forget just how big they get during the last month or two during pregnancy. No doctor I have talked to has mentioned I am carrying a larger then usual baby.

"You are not due until January! You look ready to pop right now!"- Ummm, Thanks? I really do not know what to say to these kinds of comments.

"Oh my gosh, you're pregnant!"- This one did not annoy me, it just makes we want to laugh. A young teenager checking me out at the grocery store said this to me yesterday. It was almost like my belly scared her when she saw it:). She was actually very sweet to me and went out of her way to help me get all the groceries in my cart.

"You know, when I was pregnant I....."- Oh the stories people feel free to tell you as you are trying to pick out a carton of milk and leave the store. And you want to know the ironic part? They usually tell some scary, unpleasant story about their pregnancy- thanks.

And the list could go on and on.

Here are the things I have learned thus far: 1) I will not offer advice/comments to a complete stranger- ever. 2) I profusely apologize to anyone and everyone if I have ever said anything remotely close to the above comments. 3) I do believe people mean the best, but they really should keep their comments to themselves. And 4) overall these comments came from women, most of the men have been sweet to me- holding doors, helping me with bags when I am out shopping, etc. I even had one older man come up to me and say- 'you look just like my wife did when she was pregnant- beautiful.' I almost started crying and hugging him. But my hormones and I refrained.

Pregnancy is a wonderful, wild, amazing, and tough experience. An experience I am grateful for, an experience I have loved. I was telling Steve last night there are so many things I am going to miss about being pregnant (and several things I am ready to be done with!). And if I sat here and listed all the wonderful things random people have said to me over the last 8 months, this blog post would be way too long.

And now I am going to go change into my work out clothes and head up to the YMCA to workout. And when I walk through the doors there will be a man sitting there who will welcome me to the Y by saying: 'Welcome to the Y, you two enjoy your workout.' And I will smile and be grateful for the kind words and the gentle reminder I am two people walking around for the next 6 weeks. Because really, no matter how 'big' I look I would not change this time for anything.

33 Weeks...

2011-11-19T18:39:00.002-06:00

This week we celebrated 33 weeks with our little Sweetpea by working really hard on getting all of her essentials. As you know from the last post her baby shower was Sunday. This week we dedicated a lot of time to getting things she will need like car seats, baby monitors, swings, strollers and the list could go on and on. Aren't gift cards the best:). I think we have been to Target 4 out of the last 6 days. Good thing I really like that place. The nursery looks like a baby lovin' tornado hit it. I plan on working in there over the course of the next week and hopefully I can do a formal nursery post sometime around the beginning of December.

This week has been good, nothing too exciting going on other then I literally feel bigger each morning. I can not tell you have ready I am for it to get FREEZING cold. I think I may be living in the wrong region of the country for that. I have a whole new respect for my friends who have delivered babies in July, August, and September- especially in HUMID Houston. The humidity has not been my friend this week. Over all I have not swollen (only one night in Abilene back in September), but Wednesday of this week was really bad humidity wise and my ankles were none existent for the day. They are back now and I have not had much swelling since then. Maybe I should move to Alaska for the next 6 weeks?

Sweetpea is still not head down which concerns me but everyone else, including my doctor, are not too worried. As I type this she is laying perfectly side ways in my tummy. Her head is on my left and her cute little bottom is on the right. It is wild to watch my belly when she moves. You can actually make out body parts. One of her favorite things to do is put her arms in my belly button and push out- it makes me laugh. Most nights Steve and I can sit and watch my belly for hours- it is fun to 'see' her and makes the anticipation of getting to hold her all the more real.

My clothes are starting to become too small- really just some of my shirts. I'm curious to know how much longer I can wear the black shirt above before the bottom of my ever expanding belly sticks out of the bottom:). I was warned this would happen, I am sure by Christmas I will be wearing the same 3 things over and over and over.

We finished our last lamaze class Thursday night and I guess we are as 'prepared' as we are going to be for the birth of this little one. Words can not express how much we loved our 5 week class at Texas Childrens. It was such a positive, life giving experience. I highly recommend this class to anyone looking for education on birth and labor. I love their policies and encouragement to make the birth experience as much yours as possible. In some ways I am sad it is over- haha!

Happy Turkey week to everyone. We have some fun things planned here in Houston- stories and pictures to follow soon.

SweetPea's Baby Shower...

2011-11-17T08:42:00.008-06:00

Sunday was our church baby shower hosted by the lovely ladies below. It was a beautiful day and Steve and I felt showered with love for us and our baby girl.

I love showers. I love hosting them, planning them, going to them, and celebrating people through them. It was different being on the receiving end- it was fun. Steve and I were overwhelmed with peoples generosity and love.
Isn't my husband handsome...
My whole family came in for the shower. My Dad got in Thursday and my Mom and sisters got here Friday morning. I loved having them in town. We got to shop (Nutcracker Market), eat great food, laughed a lot, and enjoyed being together.
Steve's family came in Saturday night. His brother, sister in law and nephew stayed with us. It was fun to having them in the house. I am thankful both our family's could join us on this special weekend.
And of course the food was fabulous...
I think these were my favorite. No excuse me, the baby's favorite. We ate a chocolate one... or two.
Did I mention how wonderful my hostesses were?! Everything was super cute and decked out in owls.. wish I had gotten more pictures of that...
It was fun to see so many people from our church coming together to celebrate this new life we will be welcoming in few weeks.
Plus a couple people came from other areas in our life. Here is my good friend Rachel. We are due 3 days apart, she is expecting a boy. I hope our children are good friends.
About to open all the gifts...
Lots of laughing and connecting...
And of course there were other babies there. This is Carter. SweetPea will be good friends with Carter.
The Dad's. I am glad they both got to be here for the shower. I love that our church hosts showers were all can attend, not just the ladies:).
Opening gifts. So many people were super generous.
My good friend Molly came for the weekend too. I have no idea how she came and I did not get a single picture with her! She had the fun task of writing all the baby gifts down. It was such a gift to have her here for this weekend.
Steve was pretty cute to watch as I opened all the gifts. His favorite part were the clothes- especially all the tutu's she got...
And oh did she get clothes. I am having the best time sorting through everything right now.
Cute, cute stuff. I should do a post with just some of the outfits she received...
And at the end of day we left grateful, loved, and well taken care of...

I can't believe the shower has come and gone. We have about 6 1/2 weeks to go until her due date. Tonight we go to our last lamaze class and really all there is left is a couple small things and the holidays. A huge thanks to all those who made this shower possible, it was a special time for our families.

Today...

2011-11-14T16:55:00.003-06:00

This was waiting for me today when I got home from seeing clients. I am a lucky girl... we both are lucky girls. I am so glad my daughter gets to have a dad like Steve.

We had a great weekend full of family, friends, a baby shower, good food, lots of laughing, and tons of memory making. I can't wait to share pictures and stories with you, but it may have to wait a day or two. My client books are full this week and it is time for me to play catch up on a few life things:). Happy Monday...

Saying Goodbye...

2011-11-10T09:12:00.002-06:00

We said goodbye to one of our own this weekend. And by saying goodbye I mean we hesitantly sent off a friend, brother in Christ, and fellow journeyer in life. It was hard, it was emotional, it was something I had been dreading for weeks. Like most people I hate goodbyes, but I really hate goodbyes when to comes to seeing some leave our church family. I feel like we have said goodbye to a lot of people in my 4 1/2 years at SWC and I believe this is pretty normal. We are located near the medical center. Lots of students come though then get jobs and residencies elsewhere and so goes life. I use to think I thrived in change, but the older I get I am not too sure about that. Sometimes I just want things to stay the same. (Which is actually kind of humorous if you think about my life this year- new job and getting pregnant, those are pretty BIG changes.)

So Sunday we said goodbye to our friend James. He headed out to California at the beginning of the week. I selfishly am praying for a chaplain job to open up soon and for him to head back to us, but ultimately I want what God wants for his life. We miss you James- blessings on this next chapter in your life.

After church Sunday Steve, James, and I took the youth bowling for the 5th year in a row- have we really been here that long?! It was a smaller group this year so we were all able to be pretty competitive with one another. I ended up just laughing the whole game- bowling while pregnant is humorous:)!
All of us together. No, that is not a bowling ball stuffed under my shirt:). It was fun to expose Sweetpea to her first bowling game- we both did great. It has been a blessing that I have been able to be active during this pregnancy.
I like the above shot. I had just rolled a granny ball here- that is what felt the most comfortable:). I bowled terrible games- we laughed a lot every time I got up to bowl. Steve on the other hand tore it up. And you want to know why that is so amazing- since he can not lift more then 5 pounds with his right hand due to the surgery, he sure did bowl left handed. He beat us all, it was impressive.
My bowling team- Elizabeth, Ashley, me, and Steve
The other team- James, Elvis, Steven, and Gregory. I love all these kids and always look forward to this afternoon each year.

Catch Up on The Belly...

2011-11-08T14:24:00.004-06:00

With the craziness of life and schedules and work (which is going great) and growing a baby, I have gotten way behind on my belly posts since our vacation. So here is the catch up since then...

Week 28- This is the week we were on our vacation. The above picture is taken at our bed and breakfast in Crested Butte. Like I have said before, this was such an easy week of travel and pregnancy. Hardly any hip/back/leg pain and I was able to hike a bit, walk a lot, and enjoy traveling with a baby in my belly. Sweet, sweet memories were made during this week with our baby.
Week 29- Nothing too big happened this week. But I will say this is the week all the kicking turned into feeling more of her body parts moving. Like I could tell what was a head or bottom or hand or knee. Pretty wild feeling. No more sweet 'little' wiggles- we have moved into full on kicks, punches, turn overs, etc. Some times I think she is doing some weird yoga move in there- the girl is getting long!
30 Weeks- Started going to the doctor every other week by this point. She get good reports at all of her appointments. This also about the time I started using pre-natal massages regularly. I think this has helped me tremendously with all the hip/back/leg pains- so far it has kept me out of physical therapy which is where my doctor wanted to send me at first. And this week marks the week of me just starting to get really uncomfortable. I knew this was coming and I feel lucky to have made it a whole 30 weeks with few complaints, but man, I really do FEEL pregnant now!
31 Weeks- Still about the same as 30 weeks. I feel like most days I wake up with her one size and I swear she has doubled in size by the end of the day! She moves ALL the time (I love it) and they are big movements. I have also noticed I am more emotional- all those fun hormones:). I feel like I cry very easily right now. Steve and I are also in the middle of our 5 week lamaze classes. Have I mentioned how great these classes have been?! We love going to them each Thursday night. It is fun to sit and dream and talk about the birth of our little girl. I feel we both have very realistic expectations about the whole process and these classes have helped us feel more prepared. And Steve has been WONDERFUL through this whole process. I am glad he is going to be with me as we bring this new life into the world- no one else I would rather have by my side:).
32 Weeks- And this brings us up to the current week! Wow, I really was behind! This week has been, well, uncomfortable. I feel huge and judging by the above picture I am huge:). Steve and I had our 32 week appointment yesterday in the brand new Texas Children's Maternity Hospital. It is going to be sooooo nice. We are missing the maternity ward opening by about 2 months. Again, everything checked out great and Sweetpea is growing great according the doctor. She measured about 30 weeks, but the doctor said that is due to her being curled in a little ball and a little ball she is! She loves the left side of my tummy right now- that is where I feel most of her movements. And did I mention she moves ALL the time:). I have also noticed a drop in my energy level, not too bad, but I have been able to take a couple really good naps. Sleep comes and goes right now, but I still sleep most nights. I can also tell she is growing because I can not breathes most days. I feel like I am noisiest breather right now. We also found our pediatrician this week- had a meeting with her today. We are pleased and she is less then 5 miles from our house (right next to the Y we work out at).

As you can see things are really starting to come together. Really the only things I have left are my baby shower (yeah), finishing touches on the nursery, and packing our hospital bags. I have finished Christmas shopping, picked out the Christmas cards, have a plan for my work load, and plan on putting Christmas decorations up the day after Thanksgiving. December I want to be a month to be with family and friends and wait on her arrival- how exciting. It is fun to be pregnant around the holidays.

Vacation Part 4- The Finale

2011-11-06T21:48:00.006-06:00

Here the final post to our Babymoon vacation. After leaving Durango Saturday morning we made our way to Mesa Verde National Park. This park was a bit more crowded and had a distinct Southwest feel to it. It also required a little bit more waking then I was comfortable doing so we only saw one of the dwellings.

But the dwelling we did see was pretty amazing. See the picture below- I sure did hike down and back up. Everyone around us was pretty impressed as I was hiking back up- I will not tell you how long it took me to get back up:).
It was so neat to see all these dwellings from the 9th century to the 13th century. And all of it was nestled it gorgeous mountains. The cherry on top- all the colors were changing on the trees. It was a great day to be at the park.
We got to walk all around the dwelling- we went to the Spruce Tree House area.
Here is Steve going down in one of the old water cisterns. As you can tell from the picture above he loved it.
All 3 of us enjoying Spruce Tree House. After our accent back to our car I was done for the morning. We really did not have palns for the day so we randomly headed to the Four Corners. Neither one of us had been there- so why not?
Steve in four states at once...
Baby and I in four states at once...
We even braved the local food for lunch- Navajo Frybread out of a small trailer. Steve and I love frybread- it is so unhealthy, but fun to do once in a blue moon:). After our treat we got on the road and sure did drive straight to Ruidoso, NM where my parents have their cabin. We got in around 8:30 that night. We were beat and basically went straight to bed.
We mainly stayed around the cabin all Sunday and Monday. Steve did go an another solo hike (above) and we made one trip to the store. Other then that we cooked at the cabin, watched lots of movies/football, napped, and enjoyed sitting out on the deck. It was perfect.
Monday was our last night on vacation so we indulged in a fancy dinner at the above restaurant- Willmon's Prime Grille. If you are ever in the area and looking for a VERY nice place to eat- this is the perfect choice. Too bad I can not have wine- they make their own and it is wonderful. Before dinner we went to see 50/50 in the local movie theater- we both enjoyed the movie.
Tuesday we got up, cleaned the cabin, then headed to El Paso to fly home. We made one last stop at the White Sands National Monument.
We really had to hurry so we only walked around for about 30 minutes. It was beautiful and the time of day we were there made for some great pictures (I'll share more in a later post).
Shadow pictures in the sand...
It was bitter sweet leaving, I actually got pretty emotional. This is the last vacation Steve and I will take children free. I know we will have trips with out kids in the future, but we are getting ready to close this chapter of our lives. We are going from 2 to 3. I have loved having Steve to myself for the last 8 years and now I can honestly say- I am ready. Ready to welcome this new baby into our life, ready to grow with Steve as parents, ready to let my heart expand as I become a mother, I am ready for our next adventure.

We soaked every second up on this trip and I am thankful we got to have this 'babymoon'. So the next trip post you will see will be a whole new kind of travel and sight seeing and being together. We are ready...

Vacation Part 3- Durango

2011-11-04T09:17:00.006-05:00

Okay, here we go- part 3 from our babymoon. We left Crested Butte on Thursday morning after another fabulous breakfast at our B&B and made our way (slowly) to Durango. Along the way we did many cool things- things I wish we could have spent more time enjoying and seeing, but hey, there is a lot to see out there and we wanted to make sure we saw as MUCH as we could!

Our first stop was outside of Gunnison, Co- Black Canyon National Park. Steve and I are trying to go to every National Park in the USA. We have a pretty good start and on this trip we got to mark off 2. This NP totally took me by surprise. We have been to the Grand Canyon so when they talked about the Canyons I thought there was no way this could compete. I was wrong. It was breathtaking and not near as crowded at the Grand Canyon.
We took our time driving from scenic point to scenic point. Took lots of pictures and mainly stayed around the rim of the canyon. There was no way me and my belly were hiking in this place.
Steve loved being there- he was like a kid on Christmas morning. Both of us kept looking at each other and saying things like "Wow" or "Can you believe this is out here?" or "How amazing is this that we get to see this today."
We did climb all over the rocks and tried to get some good pictures. You know, sometimes I wish we just had a photographer follow us around on our trips. It's hard to get pictures just the two of us when there is just the two of us:). After we pulled ourselves away from the beauty of Black Canyon we grabbed a quick bit to eat at the near town of Montrose then made our way down to Durango. We did stop in Ouray, Co to enjoy the Box Canyon Falls.
Many of our friends at church love Ouray and now I can totally see why. I only wish we had some time to spend there. It was a sleepy little town with much to walk around and see. We really only made a stop at the Falls, and it was well worth it. We love finding random things hidden on the side of the road when we travel.
Again, I sure did climb lots of stairs, but the workout was good and the view was totally worth the labored breathing. It was hard to capture the beauty of the falls in a picture, guess you just need to go there yourself. It literally looks like there is water shooting straight out of rock. It is powerful and noisy and reminds me of the awesome ways God makes and designs the earth.
Our drive to Durgano was full of snow:). I really could not believe how much snow we saw in early October. I was the silly Texan running around in the snow amazed the whole trip. Guess that is what you get coming off a summer like we had here in Texas!!!
We got to Durango is jut enough time to check into our B&B, change, grab a bit to eat at the local favorite Randy's, then head to a concert at the local college. We saw Hadestown by Anais Mitchell. We were blown away and loved every second of the concert. Steve came across the venue about a month before we left and we took a gamble on the tickets. It was worth our time and money, and now we own the album. Check them out by clicking on Anais name above and read about how they tour- so cool.
Friday we spent the day taking in Durango. I have only been there to ski so it was fun to walk about the town when it is not covered in snow. We shopped, ate good local pizza for lunch (pictured above), and enjoyed the cool weather.
We even stopped for the dessert at the local Chocolate shop- baby and I were very happy.
That night we enjoyed a slow, 3 course meal at Mutus- an Italian kitchen near the main street. It was yummy and a great way to end our time in Durango.
On our 2 night stay in Durango we stayed at the Lighter Creek Inn. We gave it a 7 out of 10. The food was very typical bed and breakfast stuff and the owners were not a personal as other places we have stayed. But we really enjoyed our room and the privacy of the property. It is worth the stay if you are looking for out in the country and private. We spent lots of time relaxing around the grounds.

Next up- the final part of our babymoon, stay tuned!

Vacation Part 2- Crested Butte

2011-11-02T09:50:00.004-05:00

See, I promised I would get back to our babymoon vacation and here I am. Better late then never! After our one night in Pagosa Springs we loaded up the cool blue car and headed out to slowly make our way to Crested Butte. There were a couple things we knew we wanted to stop and see along the route.

Our first stop was at Treasure Falls right outside Pagosa. I sure did hike my 6 month pregnant self up to see those beautiful falls. It was an easy trail but we took it VERY slow. Lots of stops and I am may have been breathing super hard by the top, but I made it! And it was worth the hike. It was such a surprise to see these lovely falls so close to the highway. Colorado is so beautiful.
Next we made our way to the Continental Divide. We had a picture taken here when we were dating that we wanted to recreate (this picture hangs in our house and was on our wedding program, it is one of Steve's favorites), but since it snowed FOUR FEET the weekend before the road was closed up to the spot where we took the picture, so we settles for the above picture- look at all the snow. It was pretty amazing.
The snow was so deep in places this was as close as we could get to the sign. Steve actually stepped in a couple spots where he sunk thigh deep into snow drifts. I steered clear of the deep snow. No need getting baby and I stuck in cold, wet snow:).
Next we headed over to South Fork and Creede. Both of these places are very special for Steve. He use to go up here to camp every year as a child with his parents and grandparents. When we were dating we went up 2 summers to camp with his family. Those are good memories for us. Above is the local grocery in Southfork. We had to stop and buy a snack and remember.
Then we made our way to Creede. Such a neat little mountain town. Here Steve bought me my new wedding ring for the time being. I can still wear my wedding rings, but I can tell they are starting to become a little snug, so I have decided to stop wearing them until after Sweetpea arrives. Steve picked out a locally made ring that is simple, dainty, and perfect. It is so comfy to wear and I look forward to wearing this ring the next couple months as we welcome this new person into our lives. We had lunch in Creede then headed to Crested Butte.
Along the way we did stop and take a couple pictures at some scenic over looks...
After getting to CB and checking into out bed and breakfast, we enjoyed a Thai dinner at the Ginger Cafe then spent the rest of the night watching movies at our B&B. It was a lovely, full day.
Wednesday morning we enjoyed an AMAZING breakfast at the b&b and had a slow morning getting ready and then headed out into the town. I had never been to Crested Butte- I love it. As in this was my favorite place we stayed on the trip. It really is Colorado's secret ski town. It is not so touristy yet and it is very small. Steve and I both think we could live here.
We enjoyed a late lunch at the Sunflower Cafe then headed back to the B&B for rest.
Well, I rested and napped and Steve headed out for a good solo hike. He did this several times on the trip and always came back looking so refreshed and happy. It makes my heart happy to see him out in the mountains- this is his happy place.
Wednesday night we enjoyed a vegetarian sushi dinner at Lil's then went to the movies. We saw The Help. I can't believe it took me so long to see this movie. I liked the book better (of course) but the movie was pretty fantastic too. Going to movies while we are on our trips is always a treat for us. Of course we snuck in lots of candy- it was a perfect way to end out time in Crested Butte.
Okay- if you are ever in Crested Butte and you need a place to stay you HAVE to stay at this Bed and Breakfast: The Ruby of Crested Butte. It is defiantly in the top one or two b&b's we have stayed at. Yummy food, comfy rooms, and wonderful hospitality. The first night after dinner we walked into our room to find chocolate covered strawberries with a note congratulating us on our new baby. So sweet and thoughtful. The house was so cozy and the owners were young and friendly. I would 100% stay here if we are very in the area again.

Next up- part 3, Durango!

iPhone Apps...

2011-11-01T14:01:00.003-05:00

Steve, Hope, and I were iPhone Apps for Halloween this year. I have to admit, I had a pretty hard time coming up with what to be. Being pregnant and all I did not have the same kind of excitement about getting into a costume as years past. This costume was easy, cheap, and did not require much for me other then one of my maternity black shirts. I found the idea on the internet and I thought it fit our little Apple family pretty well. We love all things Mac around our house, plus with the recent passing of Steve Jobs I thought this was perfect.

Hope was the Message App. She was pretty cute I have to say and like always, she was a huge hit with the kiddos. We flat wore her out by the time we got home- she went right to bed last night.
Here we are right before they let the kids in. I was the Facebook App. I tried to pick some of the more recognizable apps so people who were not too familiar with the iPhone could pick it out. I would say 90% of the people who saw us knew exactly who we were. You can't see it in any of the picture but we also had the Apple icon on our backs just like the iPhones.

And here are a couple of the professional pics. I look super tired in both of these pictures, but what is new:)! As you can see, Steve is the Map App. He loves maps, so I thought this app fit him well.
And here is our family of 4. Next year we will have a little baby in this picture with us. I can hardly wait- I already have costume ideas for us next year. Over all, it was a fabulous night. I wish I got more pictures, but due to my 7 month pregnant belly I stayed in my seat most of the night, it was just more comfortable that way. Hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween- now bring on Christmas!!!!

Update: Steve got great results at the doctor today and his arm is healing nicely. He got his stitches out this morning and got all good results on his pathology reports. He does not even have to go back for physical therapy. Now he is just regaining strength back in his arm. Thanks for all your emails, calls, and texts.

Pumpkins and San Antonio...

2011-10-31T15:38:00.006-05:00

We have been busy here at the Sargent household. It has been a crazy 2 weeks since getting home from our vacation. Some good stuff going on and some not so fun stuff going on. Steve is still healing from his surgery and it has been a lot hard then anticipated. We go back to the doctor tomorrow to get the pathology reports and to see the incinsion. I am ready to have that appointment behind us. I also had a crown fall off last week which caused some sort of infection in my mouth. Needless to say by the end of the week I will have gone to the dentist 3 times in less then 7 days- yeah for me. Nothing like having awful mouth pain 7 months pregnant. Plus I have a high tolerance to med killers/meds. They had to numb my mouth 6 times before they could start working on it last Thursday. Just so you know healing after 6 shots in your mouth hurts like the dickens. That was fun. And I had a flat on my car last week so I got to buy new tires.

BUT, enough of the un-fun and on to the fun. In between pain, doctor visits, car dealerships, and the like, we did find time to have a bit of fun.

Friday night we had a couple of the kids at our church over for some pumpkin fun and dinner.
We had a blast painting and decorating pumpkins. I did not want to carve pumpkins this year, so we let the kids paint the pumpkins then we had fun Mr. Potato like things to decorate the pumpkins with.
It really does look like I am smuggling a pumpkin this year- man, I'm starting to feel sooooo big:)
Painting and creating...
It thought they came out pretty cute- here is Gregory and his bat.
Another bat- this one is green:)
Helping the kids out...
The finished line up. We have 2 bats, a Frankenstein face, 3 witches, and an owl. (The owl was my favorite for obvious reasons!)
Everyone and there creations. We have a blast hanging out with the kids and a HUGE thanks to James for hanging out with us for the night.

Saturday Steve and I headed to San Antonio for a quick 24 hour trip. We went to see one of our elder's daughter get married. It was a beautiful wedding at the Don Strange Ranch. Sorry, no pictures, I was having too much fun to stop and take a few shots!
But I did get a couple pics of other fun stuff we did on our 24 hour get away. We got to stop and see the Alamo.
We took our baby to her first pumpkin patch.
See- she really does look like a pumpkin right now:).
Sunday we slept in the enjoyed a couple hours at the Mission San Jose in San Antonio. If you have never been here it is worth your time.
We enjoyed our time walking about the National Historical Park, it was beautiful day.
They still hold Mass on Sundays. It was a fascinating place to learn about. Most people only focus on the Alamo, but there are 4 other missions to visit when in San Antonio. After our visit he enjoyed a yummy Mexican lunch then headed back to Houston.

Now I must run, I have to get my pregnant self into my Halloween costume and head to the church for treats from the tables. Pictures to follow and I promise will get back to our trip pictures and adventures soon! Happy Halloween!!!

Roommate Weekend 2011...

2011-10-24T08:46:00.003-05:00

I had all my roomies from college in town for the weekend:). We had such a good time hanging out and talking and getting our toes/nails done and eating and talking and resting and well, you get the idea. It was a very low key weekend. We spent lots of time around the house, ate out at some fun Houston places (Seco's and Little Bigs), and caught up on life. I usually get together with these ladies twice a year, but this year we had to make do with one time due to pregnancies and babies:).

Linds and Jamie waiting to get their toes fixed up.
After dinner Crave Cupcakes- yummy.
Hanging around the house in our pj's talking, laughing, and sharing life. It is good for my soul to be around people who have known and loved me for so long. I have been through a lot with these ladies over the years. (We missed you Libby!)
Everyone giving love to Baby S. It is always fun to see my friends pregnant and with their babies. This weekend we got to have a baby free weekend- well except for me I guess:). Looking forward to the time we get to have all your kiddos in the same place for our girls weekend.
Enjoying Crave Cupcakes at the house.
Nothing better then sitting around with girls I love eating sweets and talking about life.
Lyd drove in and Linds and Jamie flew. This is us right before they were flying out Sunday morning. Everyone got to feel Baby S move and wiggle around all weekend- I loved it:).
And the traditional Jamie and Chelsie picture- we must have hundreds of pictures just like this ranging from when we were in elementary school to now pregnant. I have know this lady since I was born. I love that I have someone in my life that has known me through so many seasons of life.

It was a great time together that always goes by too fast. I look forward to the next time I get to see them and introduce them to my girl. Thanks for making the trek down to Houston ladies- loved having you here!! Next post will be back to vacation goodness!

Vacation Part 1 and A Rough Return...

2011-10-23T13:53:00.006-05:00

Tuesday night we walked into our house after a wonderful vacation around 8pm. We can not say enough great things about our 8 days vacation. It was beautiful, it was needed, it was perfect. I am excited to share some of the pictures and stories from the last vacation before we have this sweet baby girl. I'm not going to do posts by the day of our vacation, I am going to post in clumps of places we stayed. This first part is from our first day.

Monday, October 10th we flew into Albuquerque, NM. After renting our way cool car (pic below), we headed to the yummy Artichoke Restaurant for lunch before heading to Pagosa Springs. Our favorite way to vacation is to fly into one place, drive and see as much as we can before we have to return our rent car and fly out of another location. After our great lunch we looked at the map to see what was between us and Pagosa. We decided to head up to Santa Fe. I had not been there in years and Steve had never been.

I love Santa Fe. I have great memories of visiting there on family vacation- this is a special place to my parents due to it being their honeymoon location. Above is the famous Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis that sits at the end of the square area in Santa Fe. It is beautiful and well worth your time if you are ever in the area.
We walked around the square shopping, eating locally made chocolate, and taking in the beautiful weather. I could go on and on about the weather and I probably will- let's just say, coming back to Houston Tuesday was a rude awakening. Above is Baby S and I shopping the local goods on the square. We bought our trip Christmas ornament here- a handmade dove made by a local Native American. It was fun to meet all the vendors and hear all about things they make.
After a couple hours we hopped back in the car and made out way slowly to Pagosa Springs. We did stop for a couple photo opportunities. Above is me and my belly. Again, baby and I did so good on this trip. And me and my pregnant body loved the feeling of being in the cool mountain air.
And here is our ultra bright rent car- thank you, Avis:). We joked all week about how bright our car was. Let's just say we never lost it in a parking lot. Steve thinks the above picture looks like a car advertisment. We are contemplating sending it into Ford:).
Along the way we randomly came across Echo Amphitheater and of course we had to stop. It was a pretty cool place. We took a couple pictures to prove we were there, walked up and did a bit of echoing, then got back on the road. We drove straight to Pagosa Springs from there- we pulled in around 7pm. We checked into the High Country Lodge. It was a cheap, cozy place to stay for our one night in Pagosa. I would totally recommend this place if you are in the area and need affordable, family friendly space to lay your head. And the breakfast was fabulous- homemade waffles, fruit, eggs, local coffee, and a great variety of juices and muffins.
Before we turned in for the night was headed out for dinner. We really did not know where to eat, guess we should have done our homework before we got there. We ended up at a quirky place called the 'Chivalrous Shark'. We were pretty skeptical, but it was almost 8pm Colorado time and this pregnant lady was hungry. We were pleasantly suprised. We both ordered the vegetarian curry and it was amazing. Super spicy and cooked in savory coconut milk. All 3 of us left very happy.

On the way home we stopped at a malt shop that came highly recommend by our friends Betty and Earl. It was the prefect close to a full day of travel and sight seeing. Nothing like a thick chocolate shake to help sooth the heartburn I had from the way spicy curry:). So that concludes our first day of vacation. Next post: days 2 and 3.

We have had a rough transition back into 'normal' life after the trip. Wednesday morning we were up at the Kirby Surgical Center at 5:45am so Steve could have surgery on his arm. The surgery itself was not a surprise, but the recovery has been pretty hard. Steve has been dealing with a lot of pain and some un-fun side effects from the pain meds, etc. Here's to hoping this week brings no pain and lots of recovery. Happy Sunday...

In the Middle of a Vacation...

2011-10-16T16:23:00.001-05:00

Greetings from Ruidoso, New Mexico! Steve and I are in the middle of enjoying our yearly October vacation. For the last four years we have taken our big vacation sometime in October. 2008: Hawaii, 2009: New England, 2010: Italy, and 2011: Road trip through New Mexico and Colorado.

We have been having a great time and done a TON of fun stuff like: stayed at some amazing B&B's, visited two National Parks, played in the snow, saw a great concert in Durango, eaten some amazing food, hiked, saw a couple movies, slept in, went to the Four Corners, and the list could go on and on.

Now we are at my parents cabin in Ruidoso enjoying a couple days of doing absolutely nothing except sleeping, eating, and watching football/movies. I will have my regular vacation posts when I get back but I wanted to give a quick teaser now. I have lots of places to review and recommend for those who find themselves in this area in the near future. In the meantime enjoy a couple iPhone shots:

We discovered TONS of snow in Colorado- such a treat for these Houstonians. We could not have asked for better weather- we have seen it all: snow, sleet, rain, sunshine. And most mornings we have woken up to temps in the 30's and the temps never got above the low 70's. Above is baby girl and I at the Continental Divide.

Here is Steve and I at Treasure Falls right outside of Pagosa Springs Tuesday morning. Beautiful place to visit if you are in the area and an easy hike for this pregnant lady.

And here I am at Mesa Verde National Park sporting my 28 week belly bump. I guess I really do not have a bump at this point- I have a fully blown belly:). Sweet pea and I have done great on this trip. Over all I have had good energy and not too much back/hip pain.

Week 28 has been great. I feel like my belly is really starting to get big and round. She is getting so big and I feel her move ALL the time! I love it. I can tell she is starting to get short on space in my belly which will make these last couple months fun:). Like I said, I have had very little back and hip pain and absolutely no swelling in my legs, ankles, or feet (I was pretty worried about both of those things before we left).

Steve and I have treasured every moment of this trip knowing our traveling will be pretty different in the years to come. We have already started dreaming about our trip next year. I know it will be a complete 180 from past trips, but I am super excited about all the new adventures to come with seeing new places through a child's eyes.

More details and pictures to come soon, happy Sunday.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Week of Pinterest...

2011-10-09T21:21:00.002-05:00

This week I decided to cook a meal (almost) each day from my recipe board on Pintrest. It was fun and made my menu making for the week super easy:). So tonight I thought I would give you a run down of all the meals I tried and how I rated my findings.

Monday we tried a yummy pasta recipe from this great website. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars. It was super easy and prefect for this fall weather coming. My one alteration for the next time we make it would be for a little bit more creamy-ness. I believe I put in too many pine nuts which made the sauce a little too mealy. Over all we really enjoyed this and I plan to add the recipe to my box.

Tuesday I made one of our staple vegetarian meals- bulgur wheat tossed with feta cheese, onion, mushrooms, and red peppers. I can provide the recipe for this one if you are interested:).

Wednesday was church and we ate our yummy meal at Cafe Grace- thanks Michael and Luci for my great meal that night! 5 out of 5 stars!!

Thursday we made this goat cheese and asparagus pasta. We gave it 1 out of 5 stars. It really was not our cup of tea. I like goat cheese in small quantities and this meal was a little too goat cheesy for me. If you are a lover of goat cheese, this is probably a good recipe for you (this is you Catherine). Again, it was easy to assemble, but we will not be making it again. On a goat cheese note: My friend Luci introduced me to honey goat cheese that can be found at Central Market. It is a fabulous spread on crackers.

Friday we made this slow cooker recipe. My friend Brandy had tried it and suggested I pin it and try it for myself, so I did. I am pretty good at doing what I am told when it comes to food:). We gave it 5 out of 5 stars and I defiantly plan on adding this to my personal recipe box. My one suggestion is to make sure you have one of the larger crock pots. Mine is smaller and the enchiladas did not come out too pretty- still tasted great, just did not look like a traditional enchilada:). We made homemade guacamole to go with this dish.

Saturday I tried two of my pinned recipes. Saturday morning I got up and made these great pumpkin flavored cinnamon rolls. We gave it 3 out of 5 stars. Easy to make for a homemade cinnamon rolls recipe. If I make them again I would make more filled and use less of the frosting. I would even go as far as to go ahead and use traditional cinnamon roll frosting. For a breakfast meal, Steve and I both agreed this recipe's frosting was a bit too strong- not bad, just strong for the morning. Saturday evening we made this great gnocchi bake. We gave it a 5 out of 5 stars. Once again, a very easy recipe to throw together and the fresh basil gave it great flavor. Another meal that I hope to use several times throughout the winter and I will be adding it to my recipe box.

Tonight we enjoyed our left overs from the week. So there you have it- a week of eating Pinterest. Here are couple other recipes I have tried over the last month or so:

Homemade sweet potato fries. 5 out of 5 stars for us. I will never do sweet potato fries the same.

Loved these cookies. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. My one suggestion- put as little of the batter around the Rolo as possible. I put too much and the cookies were pretty spread out- still yummy!

I still have several more recipes on my Pinterest board to try out and hope to get to those soon. Plus, I add to the number of ideas on there weekly. The way I like to do recipes is find them, see if I like them, then if the recipe is worthy enough I will write it down on my recipe card and add it to my box. I know many people keep digital recipe files, but I am old school in this way. I really like having my recipes written down. And my recipe box goes everywhere with me during the holiday season- just in case I need a recipe at a family members house.

Remember, you can also find all these recipes on my Pinterest- feel free to follow me:). Happy pinning.

PS- As you can tell Steve and I eat 90% vegetarian. I am sure there are great recipes on Pinterest with meat- we just do not eat too much of that in our house:).

27 Weeks and Expanding...

2011-10-08T17:25:00.003-05:00

Monday began my 27th week of pregnancy and ushered in the beginning of my third trimester. We celebrated the milestone by going to the doctor for my glucose test and regular check up. Everything checked out normal and right on track- for that we are thankful. Other then that it has been a pretty uneventful week of pregnancy- no complaints here:).

Tuesday we went to our breastfeeding class. It was a good class, we learned a lot, and got to ask all our questions on the topic at hand. Nothing like sitting around a room full of 10 other couples 'pretending' to nurse a baby doll:). Totally worth our time and made me feel a tiny bit more confident of what is to come.

Monday I got my first prenatal massage. It made my life that day- and this is not an exaggeration. It really did help with all the hip/leg pain I have been having. Already scheduled my next one...

Now it is on to make dinner. As I type rain is falling on the roof and college football plays on the TV- what a cozy feeling. Stay tuned for a post tomorrow. We have had a week long experiment going on the Sargent household that I am excited to share with you.

What I Have Been Watching...

2011-10-05T09:04:00.004-05:00

I have been watching some great things as of late- when I do choose to watch Netflix or a movie. Right now I am mainly reading, but since I do have more time on my hands I have been finding time indulging in the sweet nothingness of laying on the couch and vegging out. As many of you know or have heard Netflix change its live-stream and DVD package to just one or the other. Although this made me sad, I did not throw a fit about it (it is amazing how many people choose to complain about the changes Facebook, Netflix, etc. make- come on people, change is inevitable!) Steve and I decided to drop our DVD delivery, but keep the live-stream. I guess if we miss DVD's we can always add it back to our plan. Before we dropped our DVD plan we wanted to get the most out of Netflix and tried to get all the movies that had been on our Queue for a long time. Hence the reason we got this first movie:

Oh my... I wish I had done a bit of research on this movie before I watched it. First, it is TOTALLY worth your time. Well made, superb acting, beautiful story line- AND it will rip your heart out. I think there should be a disclaimer for pregnant ladies on movies that warn you if the movie will pull at your already fragile heart strings. I loved the movie, I am not sad I watched it, but I sure did end up sobbing when the credits started rolling. It took me hours to recover, then I made Steve take me to get ice-cream at 10pm so I would feel better:).
Super cute movie, great meaning, kid and adult humor. I watched this on one of my lazy Monday afternoons. Steve saw it in the theater with my Mom and sister (I went to Scream 4) and he loved it. This was our last Netflix mailed DVD. If you have not watched Rio you should. I loved the way the creators captured the culture of Brazil.
Thanks to live-streaming on Netflix, we have been indulging in American Pickers- thank you Molly for this new addiction. This is my kind of show. Many of know Steve and I have a hobby of going to garage sales, estate sale, and junktique/antique stores. This reality show is based around 2 guys how go to peoples house and dig around for 'treasures.' It is amazing what they find- amazing. Better yet, it is amazing the kind of people they find...
Steve and I do not go to the movies too often. We enjoy the movies, but rarely go, we would rather spend our money on a trip:). I really do not feel like I miss out on much. But when we do go to the movies we usually go to a Saturday morning movie- they are only 6 bucks:). Last month we went to see 'Contagion'. Mainly we went to see it because it had so many huge names in it and it looked entertaining. It was, but the movie is also a good renter. It also made me a bit paranoid of those who coughed or blew their nose around me or stated they were not feeling well. I got over that after a couple days- mostly.
Steve's brother has introduced us to "Fringe'. It is like X-Files, Lost, and Alias all wrapped into one. I loved all three of those shows so for the most part I am enjoying this show. It is kind of gory and freaky weird, but for now I am going to keep plowing through the series. If you are a sci-fi kind of person you will probably really like this. I am also in the middle of the third book of the Hunger Games. Between that book series and this DVD series, my dreams at night are a little out there. I will spare you the details.
And last I have been slowing picking through this mini series HBO released last year. You can find it on your live-stream from Netflix. There are 8 shows, one hour each, and I have found the series pretty intersting. I knew a good amount about JFK politically, but did not know too much about his personal life. I have found this show rather insightful and sad. I am about half way through the series- like I said, I am going slow.

What have you been watching?

Week 26 Ramblings...

2011-10-01T16:43:00.002-05:00

I am nearing the end of my 26th week. Monday I will begin my third trimester- what?! In some ways I am amazed I am entering into the last stretch of pregnancy, in other ways I feel like I have been in my second trimester for a long time. I have loved my second trimester and parts of me are sad to be leaving this phase- I have felt great, my belly has not been too cumbersome, and I have had very little worries or anxiety during the past couple months. But time is doing what it does best right now- going on and I guess my body and I have to follow suit.

Thoughts from my last week of the second trimester: this week I am so thankful for maternity jeans- especially the ones that have the band that expands all the way up the belly. One word of advice I have for newly pregnant ladies- buying a good pair of maternity jeans that you feel good in and feel comfy is totally worth a little splurge. I got a couple pair- my favorite being from Pea in the Pod. I know maternity clothes can be expensive, but it sure is nice to have a couple pieces I feel comfortable or sexy or confident wearing.

Pain in the lower back, right hip, and right leg is getting worse. This makes me sad to report, but it is so true. When I am home I am either icing my back down, doing wild looking stretches or begging Steve to rub my aching limbs. Monday I have my first prenatal massage, to say I am excited would be an understatement. Friday I did try prenatal yoga- it was nice and helped a bit with my hip pain. I plan to partake in this activity a couple times a week.

Steve and I went to our Child Care Class Tuesday night. It was fun to be in room with 10 other first time parents- so much excitement in the room. We learned all sorts of useful things- what the first 14 days will be like, how to bath a new born, cord care, swaddling, SIDS prevention, dressing a baby, how to burp, what to expect in the hospital. Overall it was a good class, we did not learn anything ground breaking, but it was TOTALLY worth our time.

I am still enjoying the wiggling and movements of our baby girl. She was pretty quite the beginning of the week, but the last 3 days she has been all over the place. I am guess she had her legs and arms facing inside my body earlier in the week, now is feels like she has all her limbs facing outside. I can see her little punches and kicks all over my tummy. It makes me laugh and as she gets stronger it takes my breath away- some of those kicks are pretty hard!

We finished the nursery this last weekend and it looks great. Often during the day I go in there, sit in the glider, and read. I will post pictures later, probably after my baby shower. There are a couple things I am waiting on to make the room complete. Overall I love it. The colors are perfect and it has just the right amount of owl goodness.

I hope I have more time to blog this week, many things I want to write, babble on about, and update on that is not baby related. One thing I am looking forward to- in 9 days we leave on an 8 day bed and breakfast tour through New Mexico and Colorado. Cool weather, beautiful scenery, scrumptious breakfasts- oh, yes.

Summit, A Shower, and A Belly..

2011-09-26T15:46:00.006-05:00

This has been a whirl-wind of a week. I feel like Steve and I have had something going on every hour of the day. But I'm not complaining. It has been a great 9 days. Last Sunday we left for Abilene. Have I ever told you how much I love going back there?! I think I like going back to visit more then living there. It is such a safe, welcoming, and restful place for me to be. We enjoyed 4 full days of Summit activities on the campus of ACU. I heard great speakers (like Rachel Help Evans) and attended wonderful classes (like "Dark Night of the Soul" by Jackie Halstead). We shared yummy meals with friends (the McCollum's, and Bob and Jan). I got to spend a good chunk of time with Molly (this always makes my life better). And we even got to see both of our families (how great is that!).

It was fun being in Abilene and getting to show off my baby bump to friends and family. I look forward to the day we get to bring a wiggly little girl to Abilene and introduce her to all our friends there:). I think Summit just gets better every year. Like I have said before, I really look forward to this week each year. As my friend Bobbie put it- 'What a feast we got to experience this year.' I left with so many wonderful things to think about and chew on; much I am still processing. Steve and I both left with arms full of books and new ways of thinking about certain things. If you have a chance, iTunes will have some of the lectures in the near future, it is worth the look up.

While in Abilene we stayed at Steve's brother's house. It was nice to be around family, share good meals, and relax.

We even decorated pumpkins with candy one afternoon. Above is our baby and her first pumpkin- they kind of resemble each other, don't you think?
I had never seen anything like this art project. My sister-in-law, Sommer, found the idea in a book. Instead of carving up a pumpkin, you hot glue yummy candy on it to make faces. What a kid friendly project (and super satisfying for a snacking pregnant lady).
Here is my nephew Maddox with the finally project. We had the tall skinny one and Maddox and his daddy created the long skinny pumpkin. It was a fun and delicious time (except for the peeps- who really likes peeps anyways?).

We got back to Houston Thursday afternoon in time to meet with our monthly dinner group and start preparing for a garage sale. Saturday we had a garage sale at our house with a couple friends. It went very well, but man, those things are a lot of work to set up and tear down. We made some good slush money for our upcoming vacation, but I sure was tired at the end of the day.

Saturday night we enjoyed the smooth voice of Mindy Smith at the Mucky Duck. I always consider it a real treat to see a concert at The Duck.

She was a great performer, but I do not care for her stage presence. She needs to just stick to singing and not speak too much in between her sets. But that is just one person's opinion. We go back this Friday night to see The Greencards- yeah!

Sunday I had the complete honor of helping out with a wedding shower at my good friend Sara's house. It had a vintage, tea party theme feel. Everything was just lovely.
I love being apart of hosting showers. I feel like I am good at being a hostess, kind of like it is one of my spiritual gifts. I did not do the main planning in this shower, but it was still fun to see all the special details and love put into celebrating this special lady.
How cute are these flowers in the tea pot?! What a great idea- I will probably be stealing this for future showers. The bride to be was not able to join us due to unexpected circumstances. But we took lots of pictures and sent her family home with car loads of goodies. It was good to love on the Tucker family Sunday.

Last week was my 25th week of pregnancy. The majority of the week was spent in Abilene, so my picture is taken at Chris and Sommer's house. Overall, this was another great week of pregnancy. My feet did start to swell this week, but I am guessing this was due from lots of walking around ACU and travel. Since I have been back to Houston I have been just fine. My lower back has really started to hurt the last 4-5 days. I knew this might happen- lots of friends have talked about the back pain in later pregnancy. One day last week it was quite debilitating, but since then I have found many stretches that have helped and it has not gotten that bad again. Ice packs are my best friends right now and I have a call into a massage therapist. I'm still working out everyday, but having to take it a bit slower. As I get close to my third trimester I am realizing the slower pace I am about to start engaging in. This is pretty hard for me, I like to be able to do what I want to do when I want to do- how first born does that sounds:). But I am trying to listen to my body more. Today I have been focusing on rest, ice packs, stretching, and reflecting. This is just the beginning of all the ways I am about to have to surrender to things outside of my control. Once again, I am totally thankful for these 9 months and I'm working on soaking them up- pain and all.

Have a mentioned how much I like my Mondays? They are my Sabbath days. I have enjoyed this one so much I would not mind tomorrow being Monday too- who says that?! I have many blog posts rolling around in my head, I hope to get them out soon. Until then, Happy Monday.

Pinterest...

2011-09-16T09:25:00.003-05:00

I am totally digging Pinterest right now. And not just because I get to look at pretty things (which I do) or because I can stalk people I barely know and find out their interests (which I do), but because I am finding so many great ideas!!

So far I have used 5 of my pins to create, cook, or get ideas from. I debated long and hard whether or not to get an account, but I decided in the end to go for it- as long as I did not spend gobs of hours on the thing. One of the things I have been pleasantly surprised about it how much I actually utilize what I find. I have baked a couple treats/dinners from pins, made burp clothes with a tutorial off a pin and even got my nursery colors off a picture I found (the website that pin brought me to has literally be my inspiration for our baby's nursery).

I really like how you can separate out your finds into boards named by you. This way when you are trying to relocate a pin it is easy to find. I have especially found it useful when planning the weekly grocery shopping list and menu. Steve and I are trying lots of new recipes right now and I like I can go on Pinterest and find a yummy recipe I have saved on my board entitled 'Recipes I Want To Try.'

Now before I sound too crafty-ish and go getter-ish, I should also confess I am using it many times just to drool over things and items I will never own, wear, or do:). I also have a board dedicated purely to pictures, quotes, and cartoons that make me laugh. One night I found a pin that made Steve and I laugh until we cried. And I have a holiday board. Mainly I will just look at this one and long for cooler weather...

So without sounding too dramatic, Pinterest has kind of changed my life- at least the way I find things on the internet and store the cool ideas I run across. I like having a place to keep all the neat ideas I stumble upon- even the ideas I never plan on using:).

And now for the weekly belly picture: 24 Weeks...

This has been another great week of pregnancy. I went to the doctor on Monday and she stated everything checked out perfectly. We got to hear the heartbeat (155 bpm) and I was measuring right at 24 weeks which is what I was Monday. Even though I have felt like I have looked pregnant for weeks, many people are really starting to comment that I finally look pregnant. Strangers in public seem pretty confident when they start talking to me in public about my due date and what I am having. I even told a complete stranger this week the name of our baby. Steve and I have decided to keep the name of our little girl to ourselves until she is born. We LOVE her name and can't wait to share it with the world, but we wanted to keep a little piece to ourselves until she makes her debut. Steve and I were in Target registering and a lady began talking to us about our baby- she had a 7 months old with her. She asked us the name and it kind of just came out. It was the first time we had spoken her name out loud to any one other then ourselves. As she walked away Steve turned to me and we both smiled- it felt wonderful saying her name out loud. I look forward to sharing it with the world soon, it is a beautiful name. Until then people have given her all sorts of cute nicknames. Steve's parents call her Honey, I have taken to calling her Sweetpea, many still refer to her as Baby S. I love them all and I sure some of these might even stick once she arrives...

Updates may be spotty over the next week or so due to Steve and I being in Abilene for Summit starting Sunday. I look forward to this week every year. We both are in need of being fed for a week. It is nice to go to a place and just be and listen and soak in. Each year I walk away with so many great things, can't wait to see what I learn this year. Plus Rachel Held Evans is one of the keynotes this year. I already have my book out and ready to take so I can get her autograph. I may be just a little excited I get to met her...

Enjoy the weekend ahead of you- we are praying for rain and cooler weather down here!!

10 Years Ago Today...

2011-09-11T15:07:00.003-05:00

I never went to New York before 9/11, I went on my honeymoon four years after that date. Below are two pictures from Ground Zero the first week of January 2005:

Where the two towers once stood.

The memorial set up as of 2005.

I am sure there is much more there now, as of 2005 they were still clearing out debris and doing damage control of the whole area. It was surreal to walk around Ground Zero that cold January day, I can not even begin to fathom what it was like on the morning of 9-11-01.

But I can remember were I was that morning. I was a freshman in college at ACU and I had just walked out of my 8am class. We had been watching a movie in class so when we were walking out everyone in class was oblivious to any world events. I remember seeing several students hurrying to the campus center and I was not sure what the rush was- but I went with the crowd. I walked into the campus just in time to see the second plane hit the second tower- live on TV. I could not believe my eyes and it took me a minute to get a complete story from those around me. We had been attacked and as I stood there hundreds of people were dying- live on TV. I remember going to Chapel in Moody and gathering with what seemed like the entire student body. No one knew what to say. Dr. Money (the president of ACU) got up and gave as much of an update on the situation as he had at the time. Classes were cancelled for the rest of the day and school administrators encouraged us all to call home (if possible) and we prayed.

I spent the rest of the day in my dorm room with my roommate and friends watching the news. Those images are forever in my mind. It's been interesting today to bring those images to the forefront of my mind. But it is good to remember. Where were you on Tuesday morning of 9/11/01?

Baby On The Brain...

2011-09-05T20:45:00.005-05:00

We have had a great Labor Day Weekend with lots of rest, food, togetherness, and baby, baby, baby! We dedicated this weekend to getting lots of stuff done for the baby since we both has no plans or agenda for the 3 days off. The first big thing we did- REGISTERED!!! I can not tell you how glad I am to have this task behind us. I had tons of help from lots of experienced friends on what to register for, so over all the process was easy and Steve and I had a lot of fun scanning bar codes and dreaming about what we will be using for this little one once she arrives. We registered at Babies R Us, Target, and Baby's 1st Furniture and did all 3 in a matter of 24 hours. I was one tired pregnant lady by the end on Saturday. But no worries- we took lots of food and drink breaks:).

Another task we had before us this weekend was finding a changing table/dresser for the baby's room. I wanted vintage and/or used. We looked all over Houston and on our very last stop (of course) we found an old beat up changing table at the Salvation Army on Bissonnet. It was light laminate board, heavy, and very loved by the family who used it before. It is not vintage but I love the shape. Below is the before shot:

We found all shorts of goodies inside- baby boy clothing, a Thomas the Train lego, some pampers bags- you know baby stuff:). After wrestling it home and a few trips to Home Depot and Lowes, Steve and I began to refinish this sucker.

After disassembling, much sanding (thank goodness for hand sanders!) and several wipe downs we began the painting process. You know, you never really think about how big a project is when you first start. Refinishing furniture is a BIG undertaking. But it was all totally worth it.

Who ever put this changing table together did a pretty poor job so Steve had to do some clean up work when we were putting the thing back together after painting it.
And here is the final product after reassembling and new hardware. Over all we could not be more happy with the project. We spent under $150 dollars and got to 'create' a piece of furniture for our little girl. It looks great in our aqua color nursery- very soothing.
And now for a few more items we have picked up here and there for this owl themed nursery. Above you will see a little brass owl I got at an antique shop on our bed and breakfast getaway last weekend. I already have a special place picked out on some shelving my grandad built when he was in high school.
Oh does this little one already have a TON of clothes:)! Grandma's and aunt's have already started to clothe her and she is not even here yet (I love it)! Little girl clothing kills me- she is going to be so stinkin' cute!
I went ahead and got the diaper bag I wanted a couple weeks back. Diaper bags are such a personal choice, or at least that is what everyone keeps telling me. After much looking (I have been looking since May!) and debating I decided on a Vera Bradley diaper bag. It is machine washable, has lots of pockets inside and out, came with a changing pad, and I like the way it looks. We will see if I made a good choice once the New Year rolls around:). Right now I like the way it looks hanging on the nursery door.
Here are some sweet flowers I bought at 10,000 Villages before we knew we were even having a girl. They are made in India- if you look closely you can see the middle of the flowers are from one of their newspapers. 10,000 Villages is a shop full of handmade products made by people from around the world. All the people that work in the shop are volunteers and much of the profit goes back to the people who made the products. It is a pretty cool place to support. I do a good chunk of my gift shopping there. Right now these beauties are hanging on the window in the nursery, not sure where they will end up.

And would you look at that wonderful jogging stroller in the corner! Some neighbors were moving last month and they were trying to get rid of their one seater stroller (they just had baby #2 and purchased a two seat jogger). We scored this great, gently used item for $40 bucks!! It is in perfect condition and will be perfect for our walks/jogs around the neighborhood. Steve and I spend lots of time outside (when it is not a thousand degrees in Houston!).

And happy 23rd week to us! Today marks the beginning of 23 weeks. I feel I am getting rather large in the tummy area- I love it:)! Bending over and fast movements are becoming kind of hard. My right leg is starting to have pretty awful cramps every couple days. I am still working out most days so I think this is helping the cramps, plus I have a fabulous husband who massages my tired feet and legs at the end of the day. I can feel her starting to move higher in my tummy as my uterus is growing and expanding. This morning I felt her kicking up past my belly button- that was new:). Over all, things are still going great and to make things even better- Houston has cooled off a bit this week- praise, praise!

Thoughts About Week 22...

2011-09-01T13:41:00.002-05:00

I'm smack dab in the middle of week 22. This week has been pretty uneventful and easy- two things that do not bother me one bit! Our little sweet pea gets bigger and stronger by the day- or at least that is what I am feeling most days:). I know I have said it a hundred times and I will probably say it a hundred more times- I LOVE feeling her move. Not too many pregnancy symptoms have bothered me this week- yea! My touchy stomach has had some issues, but what else is new? Our girl has gotten several packages in the mail recently and she already has her first tea set and Madam Alexander doll:). I had one of those dolls when I was a little girl that I carried everywhere with me- I like that it is going to have one for herself:).

This has been a good week for my private practice. I got 4 new clients alone this week- WOW!! Just when I start getting discouraged or worried about my client numbers, I am totally provided for. Funny how that happens..... Right now I am up to around 8 cleints. Some of dropped off or did not show for the first sessions- overall I have had 12-15 clients come through my practice since May. I am getting a little anxious about how work and baby will go together once the end of the year gets here, but I know (like from the example above), I will be provided for- faith is a daily thing I have to work on:)!

I am very much looking forward to this weekend. Mainly because Steve and I have no plans- music to my ears. We plan on looking for a dresser for the baby's room- we are looking for vintage and cheap. We will be hitting up garage sells, Goodwills, and junk-tique stores Saturday, again, music to my ears. I'm really for all the baby furniture to be in so I can start assembling the room- I have just about all I need for it. Which, if we want to talk about meeting goals, that was my goal for August: to have all the of baby's room painted, furniture picked out and ordered, and the all the art/decals/owl goodness ready to put up as soon as the furniture get in. By the end of September or beginning of October that room should be done- whoohoo!!

We also signed up for the parenting/birthing/breastfeeding classes this week. That was a little overwhelming and made this whole new baby thing that much more real. I am excited to do these classes with Steve- we have MUCH to learn. And we scheduled our tour of the maternity ward at St. Lukes where we can also preregister for the birth. I like that I am delivering in the medical center, not sure why, I just like it.

Enough rambling for now- enjoy the loooong weekend ahead of you!

A Surprise Get Away...

2011-08-28T16:51:00.002-05:00

Steve totally surprised me this weekend and took me on a mystery get away. I love it when he does things like this. Wednesday I got a packing list which included departure time the following day at 3pm.

I had no clue where we were going until he pulled up to this farm themed bed and breakfast out in the middle of no where- literally. It was wonderful! The Farm included 21 acres of pure East Texas beauty. It was also an active fruit picking farm. People could pay to come pick what ever fruit they had in season. We did not do any picking but all the growing fruit was beautiful to observe.

There was a pond on the property that Hope and Steve walked to each morning (baby and I enjoyed sleeping in both mornings).

Our room was in the old barn. We had the whole space to ourselves, each room was secluded to offer lots of privacy. It was perfect and soooo relaxing.

Friday we enjoyed driving around to a couple of the small towns around the area and went to antique shops and even got to go to a Trades Days in the one of the small towns. My favorite part- holding the puppies:). The baby Boston's almost did me in- Hope needs a friend right?! Don't worry- I left empty handed.

Here we are in front on our 'Barn' before we left Saturday. Pretty rustic and perfect for our little growing family. Huge king size bed and full satellite TV for lots of good movie watching:).
And speaking of our growing family- my belly is growing by the day. This was the perfect get away to celebrate the end of the summer (youth minsters wives every where rejoice!) and to enjoy every second Steve and I have just the two of us for the next couple months.

I am finishing up my 21st week of pregnancy. Over all I am still feeling good. But I will tell you something that needs to change fast- THIS HEAT!!!! It is really starting to get to me- my fingers and toes are pretty swollen by the end of the day- nothing too extreme, just very uncomfortable. Heartburn has set in this week- any helpful hints to deal with this during pregnancy are more then welcome:). Our little one gets stronger and stronger everyday. Steve felt her kick really hard this weekend. Every now and then I can see my stomach move from a kick- wild:)! I think above is my last picture in that shirt- next week I'll be switching to a maternity black tank- I think it is time.

Now it is time to get ready for small group and church. I have two huge pots of potato soup going in the kitchen and our house smells great. Making soup is my way of begging fall to make an appearance soon!!!

Fun Things About Growing a Baby...

2011-08-23T09:40:00.005-05:00

I am loving being pregnant right- loving it. I feel great and have loved planning for the arrival of this little one over the last week. She gets more and more wiggly as the days go on and I love that too. I'm starting to feel more connected to her and really like that feeling. I feel good about my body, even though I am expanding and growing. And Steve and I have been showered with love and support from both family and friends. It is just a fun place to be right now. So I am soaking it up. Below you will see some fun shirts my middle sister sent me...

This shirt is so fun to wear in public. So many people giggle as I walk by and it makes me laugh every time I see myself in the mirror. It is just fun to wear during this time of where I am sure people think I'm pregnant, but are afraid to ask:).
And this one makes Steve laugh- he loves this shirt. Tons of people stop and comment about this shirt- especially women who have baby girls in tow with them. It is fun to let everyone know I am growing a baby girl without even having to open my mouth. Plus, I think these shirts are just one more way to celebrate this fun time. Can't wait of the day I show my daughter these pictures and she rolls her eyes and says 'How embarrassing, Mom!' Thanks Christin- I LOVE the fun shirts!

My mom was here Thursday through Sunday and we got a TON done. My parents gifted Steve and I with a crib and glider- how wonderful it that?! So Thursday night the 3 of us went to Baby's First Furniture to pick out the items. I love them both and can not wait to set them up in the nursery. Steve and a couple of his friends painted the nursery Saturday. I decided on a light, soothing aqua color. It is beautiful. I think I am going to enjoy spending time in there and I know baby girl will. Other than that, my mom and I just went and looked at all things girl- it was fun and a great memory to share with my Mom.
Saturday night we whipped out the sewing machine and made some burp clothes. I am totally a novice when it comes to sewing, but my mom is a pro. She taught me a couple tricks and we were whipping this little guys out in no time. I plan on making more in the future and I think I have a fun baby gift for friends in the future!
We went to High Fashion to get the fat quaters. I had heard a lot about this place and it did not disappoint- it was massive and had the best selections in all things fabric- except for fat quaters. I did get a couple cute fabrics as you can see above, but they had a pitiful collection to sort through. I hope to hit a couple quilting stores soon... I am already wanting to make more:).

Now my sister and her boyfriend are spending a couple days with us. Tucker and Christin got in last night and will be here until Thursday morning. It is fun to have her here. She brought baby stuff galore with her- hope our little one like pink fluffy things;)!

Half Baked...

2011-08-17T20:02:00.002-05:00

Monday marked the half way mark- really!?!? In some ways I feel like I have lived every second of this pregnancy, in other ways it is slipping through my fingers. I am trying my hardest to enjoy all of this experience. This belly shot was taken the first day I started recovering from that awful stomach bug. Today is the first day I have really started to feel normal. The last couple days I have had some morning sickness again but it is light and goes away quickly. Other then that I feel pretty great. Baby girl has started to move a ton, which I love. It is like a private conversation she and I have throughout the day- something just between the two of us. I love that. I lost some weight due to not being able to eat for about 2 days, so right now I feel smaller, which is a relative term I guess being 20 weeks pregnant and all:). I am not sleeping all that great right now, which makes me sad. I have to get up to make that wonderful pilgrimage to the bathroom a couple times a night and then I sometimes stay awake for an hour or two in between. Can't wait to see how sleep is effected in the months is come...

Right now we are in baby mode here at the house. My Mom comes into town tomorrow to help out with the nursery. And Steve and friends are painting the nursery Saturday. I have been ordering a couple owl things off Esty- can I just say how much I love that place. For awhile I almost dreaded getting the nursery together, but now I can't get enough. I love this kind of stuff:).

One of the most popular questions people ask me- do you have any cravings? My answer- not really, everything sounds good:)!! If I had to pick 'cravings' I am totally digging half a glass of sparkling water and the other half raspberry lemonade every couple days. It has made the hot afternoons a little easier. I am loving my frozen grapes as my afternoon snacks. And anything cheese sounds great. Pasta always sounds good too, but I thought that before I got pregnant so I am not sure that is a pregnancy craving. I just feel lucky to have felt so well and have all food sound good. Things I am missing right now: WINE (Steve and I have a special bottle waiting come January), a good ol' sandwich, and really, really hot baths. Not that baths are a food item, but I still miss them all the same!

Highlights for me right now- feeling my daughter move and get stronger everyday, having my own practice and working at a slower pace, planning and dreaming about my October vacation with Steve (a B&B tour through Colorado and New Mexico!), creating space for our girl, Blue Bell mint chocolate fudge-cicles after dinner, and evening walks with Steve.

I Do Not Like Bugs...

2011-08-15T08:50:00.004-05:00

I do not like bugs, I never have. I have a traumatizing story about crickets from college, which is one of the many reasons I do not like bugs. Another reason- here in Houston we have these huge tree cockroaches that can fly- yes fly. They are nasty and scare me. They have been a little better this summer due to us not having rain, but I still hate them. I really do not even care for the 'pretty' bugs- lady bugs, butterfly, bubblebees. I like looking at them but I do not want them on me. But do you want to know my least favorite bugs of all- STOMACH BUGS.

I have had a stomach bug all weekend. It has been miserable. Like curl up in a ball, groan, and moan miserable. It started around 3am Saturday morning. Saturday was pretty bad, but managable. Since I have a funny tummy anyways I thought it was just my normal stomach stuff, which usually makes me uncomfortable then goes away within 12 to 24 hours. No such luck this time. 3am Sunday morning I was sent running to the bathroom to hug the toilet- I will spare you the details. Steve was wonderful. Rubbed my back, got me cold water, cleaned up after me. It was one of those for better or worse moments.

Luckily I only got really sick the once. The rest of Sunday I was curled in a ball on the couch nibbling crackers and trying to consume as much liquid as I could. The worst part for me was being almost 20 weeks pregnant and not being able to eat. It bothered me to know my daughter has not been getting the nutrients she needed over the last 2 days. And she was letting me know it. Starting Saturday morning my little one found her feet- or something like that. She has begun to really move and kick and wiggle. It is amazing but has felt very interesting in the midst of having a stomach bug.

I have no clue how I got it. I thought maybe it was food poisoning, but for the life of me can not figure out what I ate that would have set it off. It is not contagious- Steve is feeling great and there was no fever. And this was 3x worse that any of my normal stomach stuff, so I guess all I can come to is it is a bug of some sorts. I hate bugs.

On a happier note, the week up until then had been fabulous. Friday night we had friends over and grilled out portobello mushroom fajitas. I love having friends in our home, more then that I love that Steve and I have such a great community here in Houston. It is nice to know I have people in my life I can call anytime of day for anything.
Look what came in the mail Saturday! This is my first purchase for our baby girl- month stickers for her onsies so we can keep track of her growth each month. There are 12 in all- gotta love Etsy.
Here is a product I have been enjoying the last couple weeks. Now, I know most people say you can not really do anything about stretch marks during pregnancy, but my skin specialist sister has tried to connivence me other wise. She said the more moist you keep your skin, the better it is for the skin itself- especially while it is stretching so much. I am not sure what I think about my odds, but it does feel good on my expanding belly.
And last but not least, I ordered my bedding this weekend!! We have decided on coral and aqua for the colors of our baby girl's room. I order everything above- except for the monograming. I am in love with the material and color scheme. My mom is coming into town later in the week to help out with all things nursery. I can't wait to see how it is going to turn out! I have a couple more ideas I'll share soon- let's just say Pinterest is my best friend right now...

I think that is all for now. So far today I am feeling better. I still have that weird-after-stomach bug-hangover were I feel better, but not great. I hope to be able to eat a little more today. I did not get a 19 week belly shot this week- sickness took that plan away, but my 20 week picture will follow soon- I am half way though with this pregnancy today- wow!!! Blessings on the week ahead of you...

A Good Life...

2011-08-10T08:04:00.004-05:00

Deciding to have a baby was a very hard decision for me. A decision I wrestled with long and hard. As women in our world today there is a lot to think about when having a baby- when to get pregnant or when to wait or to even have children at all, to tell people at 5 weeks or wait until 12 weeks to share you are pregnant, to work or not to work, to breast feed or formula feed, to find out the sex or let it be a surprise, to go natural or use an epidural, to be open about your experience as a pregnant lady and mother or to be private and the list could go on and on and on and on, well you get the idea. (And for the record, I really do not think there are right or wrong answers the above questions)

I have to admit, one of the reasons this was a hard fought decision to come to was fear, it was running my life. I love my career and very much enjoy going to work. Can I be a mom and have a career? I LOVE my marriage and am very satisfied with just Steve. Is this selfish? I really like my life right now and the flexibility I have. How much is that going to change? Bringing kids into today's society is scary- I mean come on, look at what I do! How will I handle those big moments in parenting? And the list goes on and on as I am sure many of you know and have thought about yourself. But there was also some deeper fears, fears that took me several years to work through to get to the point where I am today.

So I made a decision late last fall- no more fear. No more fear making my decisions, no more fear running my life, and no more fear being my story. Deep down I knew I wanted a baby with Steve. I knew I wanted to raise a child. And I knew this was a desire of my heart. So in letting my fear go a couple things happened- I opened up my private practice and I decided to take the steps necessary to become pregnant. It was big, it was scary, and it has been one of the most rewarding years of my life thus far, not easy, but rewarding. I feel like I have put myself out there and made some bold steps. I had no clue if I was going to be able to run my own business and get clients but I pushed the fear aside and went forward. There were some big things to think about when giving up a salary but I pushed the fear aside and went forward. I did not know how long it was going to take to get pregnant or the timing of it all, but I pushes the fear aside and went forward. And I did not and still do not know what my pregnancy will bring but I pushed the fear aside and went forward. It has been scary but I feel braver and I like my story better this way.

Monday was a big day. It was the day of our full anatomy scan for our baby. It is where they check all the bones and organs and head and spine and make sure everything is growing like it should. I was scared about the appointment. Only a couple people knew how scared, but I was scared. There are so many uncertainties when you choose to let fear stop running your story and you begin to step out there. So I woke up Monday and I told myself once again- fear will not win today. It was a long day leading up to our ultrasound and then they were running over an hour late which made the anticipation that much more. But all that dissolved the second the sonogram tech put the doppler on my belly because there on the screen was one of the most beautiful imagines I have every scene- a head, body, legs, and arms- inside me! It was amazing, breathtaking actually. We did not even know if everything was healthy and normal but in that moment I knew it was going to be okay because I saw that little body and I thought, 'No matter what is to come Steve and I can offer this little one a good life. Not a perfect life, but we can offer a really good, good life.' Fear did not win that day. I got to enjoy the scan and soak in the moments of seeing the baby's feet and hands and wiggling body.

So without further ado I would like to introduce you to our DAUGHTER...

She is beautiful. We got 2D and 3D images, and it is wild to be able to see the ways she is already formed and forming. The scan went great and the doctor could not have been more pleased with her health and measurments. His exact quote was 'This baby is beautiful, I could scan her all day long.' I am sure I was beaming with pride through my tears! It was an amazing experience to share with Steve- he is going to be a wonderful Daddy to a daughter.

Steve and I celebrated Monday night with a date to Half Price Books, Swirl Yogurt, and Baby Gap:). This is going to be one cute little girl (if I say so myself). We are still smiling and it feels good to have Monday behind us. But like I said before, this is a daily relinquishing of the fear and choosing to live a different story. I know there is so much more to come and I do not know what it all is, but here is what I do know: fear no longer wins, I feel like my life is fuller because of this daily surrender, and I like my story better now.

And a quick word to my daughter- get ready Baby Girl for a good, good life!

Shooting Out...

2011-08-08T08:49:00.002-05:00

I really feel like I am growing a ton right now- like by the minute! I think I have heard every pregnant lady say that and now I totally know what they feel like. Each day I'm a little rounder and each day the baby's moves get a little stronger.

Above you will see me at 18 weeks- after a good, long work out so excuse the hair:). This has been a rough week and an amazing week all at the same time. The hard part- hormones. Over all I have absolutely nothing to complain about. I have been in a good mood, felt great, and had little to no anxiety about this whole process. Week 5 I remember having mood swings and then Thursday of this week was pretty rough. And it was just one day- even weirder. Whatever it was it was not fun and I feel so not my self, which I hate. I just tried to sleep that day and lay low at home, then it passed. I have also not felt well a couple days this week- some of my old stomach stuff mixed in with pregnancy stuff I am sure. But again, it only last a couple days and I have felt relatively normal since. My dreams are also becoming so vivid and totally weird. Last night I dreamt me and two of my college roommates (Libby and Jamie) went to a toga party then had to leave to go fight off giant octopuses in our togas. We won of course, but who dreams of stuff like that?! Now the amazing stuff- Steve felt the baby move this week!!! I wish I could have had a picture of his face to share with all of you. It was like Christmas had come early. It was a very sweet moment to share with him and it makes me so excited to share so many more sweet moments with him in the future. Also, I am feeling the baby move more and more each day. This really has been my favorite part of being pregnant so far. And we have really started to work on picking things out for the nursery, getting paint colors together for the wall, and dreaming about creating this space for our new family member. That has been fun.

So over all I am glad week 18 is behind me and look forward to what this week will bring. Can you believe I am almost half way done?! Blessings on the week ahead of you...

My Loves...

2011-08-05T11:16:00.001-05:00

This is the scene I left when I walked out the door on my way work this morning. It melted my heart and made me want to throw on my lounge clothes and stay at home with my loves. BUT- I did have to go to work. I got 3 new clients this week!! This is right, I am up to 6 clients in my private practice. I would like to be seeing around 10 per week, I am more then half way there. I feel immensely blessed with the 6 that have found their way to my office. Slowly but surely this owning my own business thing is growing- woohoo!! Happy Friday...

Coming Together...

2011-08-01T11:36:00.003-05:00

This is the view I am currently enjoying. I am enjoying frozen grapes while I get caught up on work stuff, blog stuff, and household stuff. Have you ever had frozen grapes? If not, you should try it. Just get some fresh grapes and throw them in the freezer when you get home from the store. They keep for a while and make a nice, cool treat in between meals. This has been a perfect snack for this pregnant lady during these hot, hot summer months. Plus it is a good childhood memory, my mom use to have this treat waiting for us when we got home from school.

Today I am feeling really good. I have energy, Steve is home, and I am 18 weeks pregnant. This morning I woke up and I thought to myself- hey I have motivation! It was like a switch. Not sure how long it will be here, but I am taking advantage of it this morning. And you wanna hear one thing I am getting ready to launch with this returned motivation- a work blog. Not sure what will come of this, but it will be a counseling blog. A blog about culture, teenagers, dating violence, mental health issues, real life situations our world faces, and how we live within this time we find ourselves. I am excited and nervous about starting it. I will be putting myself out there, sharing views, opinions, and information. This is going to be very good for me, it will make be braver. And maybe one day I will combine my personal blog with my professional blog- we will see. The first thing I need to do it just start the dang thing...

This morning I finished the complete Grey's Anatomy series through season 6- Netflix has not released season 7 on live streaming yet, but when they do- watch out! I use to be a faithful watcher, but fell off about a year and half ago due to rearranging priorities and time. Since I have had a little more time on my hands I decided to go through episodes 1-126. I was reminded over again how much I love that show- I really do. Also, for anyone interested, Netflix just released Mad Men (all 4 seasons) on live stream. It is one of my favorite shows, you may like it too or you may totally hate it, just thought I would let you know.

Another thing I am currently doing? Listening to Chris Tomlin's newest album 'If Our God Is For Us.' It is a great album. I do not listen too much Christian music, but when I do, he is always at the top of the list. Another album I am totally enjoying- 'The Belle Brigade.' It is great background music when I am cooking or writing or doing money stuff for work. Thanks MB for the referral.

Right now I am on a totally non-fication book kick right now. I plan to do a whole post about this, but I will give you a little spoiler now. I just finished Rachel Held Evans book 'Evolving in Monkey Town.' It is now in my top 10 books. This book put into words so many thoughts I have had a hard time expressing verbally recently. I will share more later. But in the mean time you can go check out her blog by clicking on her highlighted name above.

I plan to really tackling the baby's room this month. I want to get it painted and all the furniture picked out by the end of the month- I have 30 days after today. Then I can just work on details for the next couple months. This baby is going to have no choice but to like owls:). I have some really cute decals picked out at Etsy and I have been waiting for Steve to slow down with camps and such so we can work on it together. I want to create this space for this new little person together. I like the idea of creating space in our life and home for this new member of our family. I believe creating a nursery of sorts is important. Not because it is important to buy lots of nice, fancy things or have the perfect paint color or see how full you can get the room of stuff, but to say- 'Here little one, we are making space in our life for you and we want to you to feel welcome.' Whether this 'space' is in a room shared by another sibling or in a parents room for a short time or in a house full of extend family or in a home in far off Sudan (love ya, Lib) or in a house with two other people who have never had anyone else live with them, it is important to create space. So I am working on creating space this month- along with about a million other things:).

Blessings on the week ahead of you...

Week 17...

2011-07-31T12:20:00.002-05:00

I have braved week 17 on my own, well partly on my own at least. Steve had been at Crosstraining in New Mexico all week. He left last Saturday and will be getting back sometime with in the hour. To say I am excited would be a totally understatement. I have missed him a lot this week- being pregnant and not having him here has made me into a sappy lady (not that I need much help with that). But in a lot of ways this has been a good week for me. First, this may very well be the last time I get this many days in a row all to myself. I have read a couple books. I worked on the baby's room. I worked out everyday. I got to have a couple breakfasts and dinners with friends. And my baby sister came to spend this weekend with me.

And of course I got to have Hope with me all week. She is such a good companion to have when I am living solo. She does not even know how her life is about to change in the months to come, so I am trying to give her lots of attention right now. All I can think of when I think about having a dog then having a baby is Lady and the Tramp:) but we will not be getting another dog or having more puppies!
And for the weekly update- here is my week 17 picture. I really think I look WAY bigger then I really am. One, I just ate lunch and two, this picture was take closer to 18 weeks then 17 weeks. But oh will, this is what the camera captured. And my sister did remind I am growing a human and all and I am going to get bigger every week- so that was good to reminded of:). So far all the growth has still been in my tummy and I am still in the weird in between stage were I am wearing half normal, half maternity clothes. The baby continues to wiggle and wiggle and the movements keep getting stronger. It kind of feels like the baby learned to do summersaults in my tummy this week. It really is the coolest feeling. I am feeling great and still loving all food. I have also started to notice I am eating more at meals, I am more hungry. Guess that is what happens when you are feeding two. This week salads have sounded really good at meal times. Catherine has been great to have in town this weekend. She has helped me get some super cute maternity clothes and helped me with make-up shopping. I can not believe I am about to be half way done with this pregnancy!

Now it is time to go I think I just heard the garage door open- Steve is home!!

What I Have Been Reading...

2011-07-27T16:13:00.002-05:00

I get so behind on these posts and then have a hard time even remembering what I have been reading! Books that are not included in the post involve start up business books and a book on how to get paperwork ready for a private practice- I thought I would spare you the boring parts:). Now on to more enjoyable reading over the last couple months...

Show Me the Way by Henri Nouwen. This was my Lent reading for this year and I think I will be making this a yearly discipline during the Lent season. There is a reading, prayer, and contemplation for each for the 40 days during Lent. This little book was a great guide for me this year and it really helped get my thoughts going in the right direction daily.
The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine. This was an okay book for me. It was the first book I got when I found out I was pregnant and I read it in a day and a half. Most of the information I already knew and the material is pretty out dated, but there were a couple things I picked up from it and she is pretty honest about pregnancy experience. Don't know if I would highly recommend it, but I I do not regret reading it. I have a couple books I want to read before Baby S gets here in January, but I want to wait until we get closer to that time so the information can be some what fresh.
Megan's Secrets by Mike Cope. This book is a MUST read. I loved it and cried through it and laugh through it and remember through it. One of the main reasons I loved this book so much is that I knew all the people he talked about in the book from his own personal story, to the Highland van accident, to the story about the Brown family (I babysat the kids in that family growing up). It was a hard book to read. In fact I read it on the plane ride from Houston to Midland last month- I cried the whole plane ride and the lady sitting next to me even asked if I was okay. I guess the snot and tears running down my face were disturbing to fellow travelers. Lessoned learned: be careful what you read on a plane 14 weeks pregnant. Please read this book, you will not be disappointed. It is about loss, hope, and the love of God.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett. One of the best books I have read in a while. I know I am a little late to the game on reading the book, but I kept putting it off. Then my friend Molly gave it to me for my birthday, so the excuses were gone. I am sad I waited so long to read this important story. If you have not already read it, I encourage you to do so. I plan on going to the movies next month to see this book turned movie with some ladies from my church. This movie has a lot to live up to...
Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks. Really, the only reason I read this book is because I read all his books. I have been reading his books since high school- I can't help myself. Really, nothing to special about this book- the theme is the same as the rest of this books (except for the Notebook- that is his BEST book EVER). But I enjoyed the read and will read the new one he releases in the months to come.
Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares. Again, I read all her books. I usually like her books. This one, I did not care for too much. I felt like it was a stretch from the previous series of 4. It was as if she was having to go to some pretty extreme measures to shock and awe the audience. I hope this is the last one she chooses to to write about the Sisterhood- it is now time for her to move on to other endeavors.

And I am sure there are other books that I can not remember at this time. So until next time- happy reading. Please feel free to share any books you are currently chewing on- I am always looking for new goodies to add to my book list. (PS- I am reading some really cool books right now that I can't wait to talk about!)

Stars and Dots...

2011-07-25T12:43:00.002-05:00

Above you will the see the 4 children's books I keep on hand in my office. The 'Hug Therapy" book is mainly just for show and cuteness, but the other three I use often.

"Hope for the Flowers" is a book from the 70's and is a beautiful illustration of how we sometimes get caught up in our own plans. Plans we have devised for ourself, not the plans intended by God. I will let you read it and see what it means to you. I got my copy from an old library going out of business up North. I am pretty sure it is out of print now but Amazon has several used copies. I like reading it over my clients when we have reached a place in counseling where they feel hopeless or discouraged with the path of their life. It does not matter what age you are, it is always good to have a story read to you.

"Oh the Places You Will Go" was given to me when I graduated from graduate school in 2007. I have always loved this book, it is a great sending off story. And that is exactly what I use it for. With my clients, especially my younger ones, I read this book to them on their last session. The session where we say goodbye and celebrate all the growth they have accomplished in therapy. Those sessions are always mixed with tears, laughter, and joy. This book helps add to the joy of that last session. I mean, come on, who does not love a good Dr. Seuss book!

"You Are Special." This book is one of Max Lucado's children's books. I may not be the biggest fan of his adult books, but I LOVE his children's book, especially this one. I have used this book in session several times, especially when a client is struggle with self esteem. But this book took on a whole new meaning to me a couple weeks ago at Kadesh. (If you have not read the book, some things I talk about may not make sense. This is a great book to own, I HIGHLY recommend it!)

As I am sure you remember from a couple posts ago, we immersed ourselves in learning what Freedom means for Christian's in todays world at Kadesh this year. One of the things we have to free ourselves from is what other people say and believe about us. I think this a power exercise for anyone to go through- what are the things we believe about ourselves and have become slaves to? At camp we did a very hands on activity to make this a little more tangable. One of the evening actives included use dividing into our small groups and having this story read over us. After the reader finished, each group received a basket full of star sticky notes and dot stickers. From there, while music played, each member of the group was to write out their own starts and dots. It was a silent activity, an individual activity. After about 15-20 minutes we discussed in our group what some our stars and dots meant. Many of the stars included things like: kind, good athlete, nice, does well in school, happy, funny, smart, etc. The dots were a bit harder to talk about. They included words/phrases like: not good enough, whore, dumb, unloved, fat, ugly, not athletic enough, judgmental, secret keeper, etc.

Many things happened inside me as I watched our group of 12 talk about and share their dots and stars. One, I wanted to run around the room and ripe off all the stars and dots of each and everyone of those precious children. I want to yell 'none of you are these things, the world does not say how good you get to be or how awful you should feel! Your self worth should come from God!' But then I looked down at my own shirt and saw all the stars and dots I believe about myself everyday. Then I looked even further down and examined the bump growing in my belly and my eyes filled with tears. Not only do I not want any of those kids in that room to feel the pain of stars and dots and do not every want my OWN child to have stars and dots. As I looked at my tummy I took solace in the fact there is a child growing in me who is star and dot free- for now. But I know one day he or she will have stars and dots too and this thought breaks my heart.

After group discussion there was a huge piece of black butcher paper for each group to go to and stick all their stars and dots on. It was sobering to see how many stars and dots filled that wall- hundreds if not thousands- and they were all lies. You see, I believes stars can be just as dangerous as dots. We can start relying too much on our stars and need too much reassurance from our stars to think we have succeeded in life. I strive everyday to be the Whimick with no stars or dots. Most days I fail, but each day that is my goal. And now I have a new goal: to help this little human forming inside me strive for the same thing. I hope I never give this little person stars or dots, but I know I probably will. I hope they learn from a young age to look to their Creator for identification, not this world, but I know at times they will seek worldly approval. I hope Steve and I can facilitate discussion and open communication in our home were we can talk about such things, but I know we will fall short at times. But still, I hope. Steve and I have had many good, deep discussion about how we can do this as we start raising a family of our own. These discussion have been good for me, they make this little baby inside of me feel more real.

I feel more aware now and my prayers over my expanding tummy have changed, like my prayers do each day I get closer to holding this new little one in my arms. So today my prayer is this:

Lord, my I find myself in you.

May I look to you for comfort, peace, and self worth.

I want your love to fill me from head to toe.

Give me strength to turn away from worldly standards and know I am perfect in you.

Wash me clean of stars and dots today, tomorrow, and every day after that.

And may I be a light in this world for you.

Amen.

I pray this over me, my little baby, and anyone who might be reading this blog post. May you be star and dot free today. And today, like everyday from here on out, I will be reading this story to my belly, so even now this baby can hear the story of living a life star and dot free.

Opening of the Mind...

2011-07-23T09:50:00.002-05:00

In some ways I feel like my mind is just starting to wake up, well kind of. One of the hardest parts of pregnancy for me has been loss of motivation and brain foggy-ness. I have been so tired that somedays all I can do is see a couple clients, work out, and take a nap. I am tired of being tired. The other big struggle has been the fog I feel engulfing my brain- also known as pregnancy brain. This has been unfortunate because I got pregnant the same time I decided to open my own counseling practice, I feel like I have been robbed of some of my creative juices and energy. All that to say it has been hard and at time discouraging. The second trimester for me has not been a burst of energy and so forth, in some ways it has been more tiring. Now, I am very aware I feel pretty good most the time, have no food aversions, and I am getting good reports every time I go to the doctor- all things I am grateful for during this time.

This week I have plans- plans to fight back on the lethargic state and I am setting goals- 5 goals in fact. Steve will be at his last camp of the summer and I am going to have a whole 8 days to myself- so I am setting goals. Goals that included reading, self care, starting to tackle the study-fixing-to-be-turned-baby-room, working out, and starting a new blog for work. I thought 5 was doable- we will see. I also hope to share some posts based around my thoughts about life right now because lots of things are changing in me and I want to capture some of that during this time.

And to wrap up this post here is the belly short for week 16. Still growing and expanding. More little movements going on this week, but no BIG kicks as of yet. I love being taken off guard when one of these little 'flutters' happens, it makes me smile. Still stuck in the awkward clothing stage. I wore a pair of by biggest, normal pants the other night- I was kicks myself my the end of the night. Let's just say it was not the most comfortable clothing decision I have made recently. All food still tastes good and sounds good. No aversions, no weird food cravings, and no gagging. People are really starting to notice when we are out in public which is fun and some what annoying all at the same time. Gotta love the perfect stranger sharing their birth story (in every detail) while you are trying to enjoy dinner and a concert with your husband:) and I know there is only more to come of that! We have decided on an Owl Themed nursery, it is going to pretty dang cute! And I think that is all from this week- still able to work out regularly, still napping daily, and still taking one day at a time...

Kadesh 2011...

2011-07-18T16:55:00.003-05:00

Words can not even come close to describing the Kadesh experience- I am totally not exaggerating. Those of you who have done Kadesh know exactly that I am talking about. It is so much more then just a week at a summer camp. The relationships made, the yearly themes, the speakers listened to, the worship... it is all so wonderful and refreshing for my soul. Really, Kadesh is unlike any summer camp I have heard of or been to. This is also a special place for us because ACU Leadership Camps is how Steve and I met, where we became friends, where the beginning parts of our relationship grew. And how cool is it that we got to bring your baby in the womb this year:). We can literally tell our baby- "you have been going to camp since before you were born..."

This year the theme was FREEDOM and it could not have been more appropriate for me and where I am at in life right now. During a time when I do not feel like my body is my own, in a time of great change and anticipation, in a time of bring a little soul into this world, it was good to be reminded of the FREEDOM I have in Christ. It was also good to reflect on the things I need released from each day. We spent a good majority of the week talking about the things we are enslaved to and how those things rule our lives. My main ones were fear, the need to be in control, and self righteousness. These are all things I have to die to daily and ask God each day to set me free from- and it is a daily thing. Thursday night we took communion together and cut off our 'chains' to symbolize the continual FREEDOM God is providing for us. There are so many things I want to say, express, write, but words currently fail me and I am afraid it would come out trite and corny- like somethings do when you try to described a 'mountain top experience.' But I will leave you with this- it was a soul changing week and I'm thankful I got to go- my year is always better when I get to experience Kadesh. AND I got to cross something off my bucket list while there- I got to speak at camp Wednesday night. Pretty cool to feel our baby kick while I spoke to 100+ campers on FREEDOM. (I do hope to share more thoughts on some of the specific experiences while at camp- especially stars and dots.)

Out little, growing family on that last night in the amphitheater. I LOVE this picture right now, it captures so many important things in my life.
The youth we took from our church. What a blessing to see this ladies walk through the week and learn about true FREEDOM.
The Kadesh group Steve and I led- Group 11- graduated seniors. This we my first year to have the oldest kids group and I loved it.
And for a couple belly shots. Here I am at 14 weeks. This was the week I REALLY started feeling better, but more tired. Ironically I have felt more tired during the second trimester. We also went to the doctor this week and got to hear the heart beat- 159 per minute and my doctor said everything looked great and all my levels and blood work was 'beautiful' that makes me feel really good:).
Here is 15 weeks at camp in Barret dorm and I am exhausted! Pregnancy and camp is rough, but so worth it. Nothing unusually this week other then being VERY tired, but I was up from 7 in the morning until after midnight- and I may have skipped the service project in the afternoon to nap. And really started feeling more movement from the baby this week. Actually, I have been feeling little movements since week 12, but this week it became more defined. Still no big kicks yet, but I know that coming....

Hope everyone is staying cool and out of heat- blessings on your week...

We Have Been Busy...

2011-07-07T08:55:00.003-05:00

In some ways I feeling like the last 3 weeks have been a blur- a good blur- but a blur none the less. I went to the Logotherapy conference a couple weeks back and that was great. Learned many things and was once again inspired and encouraged to possible become fully trained in logotherapy (to learn more about logotherapy click on any of the highlighted words). Plus is was good to hang out with my good friend Molly all week. As fun as it was, it wore me out. We went from 9 in the morning until around 9 every night. I got back late Sunday afternoon and I may have slept all that next Monday:).

Here is the belly shot from last week when I was 13 weeks. The belly is really starting to push out and stay out- no more come and go belly. I can no longer lay on my tummy, which is very sad for me- I am a tummy sleeper. I got my first body pillow. I should take a picture of it- it is a wild looking thing but I am sure the longer I am pregnant, the more comfy it is going to get. Right now I am just experimenting with new sleeping positions and I know this is just the beginning. For the most part the nausea has gone away. I can still get sick around meal times if I have waited too long to eat, but snacking has helped with that. My stomach started to get pretty sore in the 13th week- guess that is due to my stomach muscles growing and stretching slowly. Over all things are pretty good- I can still work out, eat what I want, and people in public have started to notice I am pregnant.
Last week on one of my days off I went with Steve and the youth to Impact Church in Houston. They had been helping out with a a reading camp for the last two weeks. It was fun to sit in the room and see all the fun things the kids have been learning and growing in while at camp. It is a pretty cool thing Impact offers for the neighborhood kids each summer. And I am glad our kids got to experience the camp.
Last Tuesday night the Rangers were in town playing the Astros. Steve and I went to the game and sat in the 10 dollar seats that came with a hotdog, chips, and drink. It was a good night and the Rangers won. There were so many Ranger's fans there it was hard to tell if people came to support the Astros or the away team. Our little one has already been to 3 MLB games in his/her short 14 week life. Just think of all the baseball that is to come, Little One:)
Last Thursday morning I hopped on a plane to Midland to met up with my family and head out to the Cabin in New Mexico. My good friend Molly met me in Midland and came with the family to the mountains. It was a great week in the cool weather. Above you will see the deer my Mom, Molly, and I fed from the deck on Friday morning. My parents have deer feeders out on the land, but all the feeders were empty so the deer sure did walk right up to us wanting a snack.
Friday night we also enjoyed dinner out at the Flying 'J' which is an authentic chuck wagon dinner and signing group. They even had this little corny shoot out right before the dinner and show.
Here is Molly, me, my middle sister Christin, and her friend Tucker. Our cousin Matt was also there but he did not get into the picture- sorry Matt. It was a fun night out.
Saturday we took in the horse races at the Ruidoso Downs. I have never been to a horse race, it was pretty fascinating to watch. I only bet on one horse named She's Our Hope (I just really liked the name)- she came in fifth so no win for me, but cousin Matt and Molly did pretty well.
This is a picture of all 3 of Molly's horses winning the race she bet on- all 3! She even had them in them in the right order winning- pretty impressive. We stayed in the mountains until Monday afternoon then headed back to Midland. We all hung out in town (eating at all my favorite Midland places) until Tuesday night then I got on a plane to come home. It was so good to see Steve's face at the airport Tuesday night. I feel like we have been apart a lot- oh wait- it is the summer, what was a I thinking, we HAVE been apart a lot lately:).

Since Tuesday I have been seeing cleints and trying to get my head oriented to what date and week it is- I know this is not going to get better. Sunday we leave for Abilene to help out with Kadesh 3- we are totally pumped about getting to go to camp together. I have a feeling it is going to be a good week. Plus, it is never too early to start our baby going to Leadership Camps- I hope there are many more years of that in our future:). AND, because camp isn't exciting enough, we are going to the Civil Wars concert on Saturday night. Remember how we were suppose to go in March, but JP (one of the lead singers) got sick, well Saturday night is the rescheduled date and I am soooooo glad we are in town to attend- I have been waiting for this since January!

I think that is all for now. I have a couple posts brewing in my headed that I hope to get out soon- less pictures and updates and more thoughts and observations. We will see if that gets done... happy almost weekend.

Happy Second Trimester To Me...

2011-06-20T22:01:00.002-05:00

Today I begin my second trimester- yeah! I very excited about this part of being pregnant- I really start to show, I (hopefully) feel much better, and I just get to enjoy this time, right now. I am still far enough away from the end to really do tons of preparation and I am far enough into the pregnancy to start planning and dreaming.

Steve got back from camp Friday and it has been good to have him home- even if it is just for a bit. I am leaving for Dallas on Wednesday for a 4/5 day Logotherapy conference, which I hear is jam packed full of lecture, leaving room for little rest. But I get all my CEU's for the next 2 years and I get to room with one of my favorite people, Molly. I am also looking forward to being in the academic world for a good chunk of time. I am a nerd at heart, I get giddy just thinking about all the new things I get to learn, people I get to meet, and ideas I get to take home.

We had fun Sunday celebrating Steve's first Father's (to be) Day. Baby S and I gave him a beautiful bird feeder, which I think he really likes. We have had it up for about 36 hours now and we already have tons of birds descending on our yard. It was a good day. On a side note, we got to celebrate Mother's Day last month privately due to no one knowing we were pregnant- that was pretty fun. I got a gift certificate to a B&B we plan to use before our little one arrives in January.
Saturday we had the honor of attending our friend, M's, first birthday party. That was pretty neat and made me excited about all the birthday parties that are in our future. I like the idea that Steve and I get to start planning and incorporating new traditions into our family with holiday's and birthday's. We already have a couple and I know they are going to grow as we add to our number.
Also, Saturday morning we got up early (5am!) and headed out to the REI garage sale. We never know what we are going to find at these sales, but we usually walk away with a treasure or two. This trip we hit the jackpot- we got a baby backpack so our future babies can got on hikes with us. Steve looked rather handsome in the baby backpack, in my pregnant opinion:).
And to wrap up this update- here is my 12 week belly shot. I think I will be carrying this baby pretty high (which my mom said she carries all of us high too). And in this picture I am wearing my first pair of maternity jeans from Pea in the Pod. I love them- they fit great, look super cute, AND they are LONG. There was much rejoicing in the fitting room when I found these. Also, I would like to send a big shout out to my wonderful Mom who made these jeans (and a couple other cute preggo clothes) possible with a generous gift card. I almost cried when I got it in the mail- it has been fun getting a few new things that feel so good wearing.

Blessings on the hot, hot week ahead of you...

And Life Goes On...

2011-06-14T15:02:00.004-05:00

There has been lots of stuff going on in my life other then growing a baby and all:). So I thought I would share. First- I want to announce I am up to four clients in my practice. This is such a huge blessing and answer to prayer. I would like to grow it bigger, but I look at my going from 0 to 4 and I am proud of the progress made thus far. I still have doubts and fears, but I am trying to focus on 0 to 4. My main prayer is still God's timing, not my own.

Steve and I had a date day Saturday and spent some time at the Houston Zoo. It was fun and crowded and hot- we had a blast.

The elephants were one of our favorite parts. There were 2 babies out there (which is a big deal if you know about the trouble Houston has had with baby elephants). One of the 'teenage' elephants even put on a show and swam with a huge tire around his neck while we all watched and clapped and laughed. It was pretty cute.
Remember how I said it was hot? Well, all the monkeys thought it was too hot to be out in the sun. Above you will see them all lined up in the shade taking a nap- it was pretty funny.
And of course we made a trip to the petting zoo. We made sure all the goats were pretty and brushed before we left.
Steve even got a closer look at the ground squirrels from the observation tunnel. He did not stay in there long- remember how I said it was hot?
And one of our favorite parts- taking our baby to the zoo for the first time. I am just positive he or she had a blast. Maybe we will take them back in a year or two....

Me, Hope, and Baby S are braving it by ourselves this week while Steve is out on the first youth trip of the summer. He took all the children and junior higher kids to ACU camps for the week. I have to admit, I am pretty jealous he is in Abilene at camp with out me. If you know us, you know camp is a big part of 'us'. But no worries, I do get to go to K3 and for this I am grateful. Technically I could have gone being my own business owner and all but I guess I have to show discipline some where, right?!
Steve's M.Div diploma come in the mail yesterday. I totally opened it with out him, I could not help myself. I am just so proud of him and his big accomplishment I had to see it and send him a picture via text. Steve's uncle owns his own professional framing studio in San Angelo and Uncle Brad said that every time anyone in the family graduates he will always frame the diploma. This is a nice service to have in the family. Plus, he always says- you paid for the whole degree, I think I can at least frame it for free:).
Remember how I said I tried on maternity clothes Friday, well I got the outfit pictured above and the couple other items below.
I can not even believe I am in maternity clothes already. Well, some, for the most part I can still wear my own clothing. I thought being so tall and all I would be one of those women just begging for something to show as the months rolled on. So far I have only gained 2 pounds- which I know is about to really change as I enter into my second trimester on Monday. All this to say- I LOVE my maternity shorts. I think I have worn them everyday since Friday.
And here is my week 11 picture. I had to do this one by myself this week due to Steve being at camp having a blast. I wish you could have seen me last night trying to get the camera situated and the timer right. It was pretty funny- but I am 100% dedicated to this picture every week thing, it is just not as good as Steve's picture taking abilities. So far my 11th week has been pretty good. The nausea is pretty much under control unless I am getting too close to a meal time and I have tried to spread the wait time out- then I start gagging. Like in church Sunday- I had to go get Cheese-Its to munch on during the sermon. I felt kinda rude, but it was better then throwing up ever where I guess. I am also starting to get leg cramps at night and I have to get up a ridiculous amount of times during the night to go to the bathroom. This morning I laid in bed from 3:30am to 6am wide awake- that was pretty frustrating. Right now, other then that I feel pretty darn good. You know, another thing I have not had much experience with in this pregnancy is the extreme fatigue some women talk about. Sure, I am tired, but over all I do pretty good during the day. I also attribute this to having a very flexible schedule right now that allows me to sleep in if I want to and take it easy during the day if I feel kind of crummy. This has been nice.

Now I am about to eat an early dinner and get ready to head out to the University of Saint Thomas to present to a college class on teen violence. I am pumped about this opportunity. It has been since March since I have had a speaking gig. I have missed it, plus I get to introduce the baby to public speaking:). Blessings on the week ahead of you...

A Lot Of Belly...

2011-06-10T18:14:00.002-05:00

I debated long and hard on how I was going to do the belly pictures for my first pregnancy. I knew I was going to take one every week- but I was not sure if I was going to share. In the end, I decided to. Mainly for my own record (and I have lots of family who are interested in this stuff). After the first two pictures Steve suggested wearing the same thing, which I thought was a good idea- so from here on out I hope to have jeans and a black tank top on- we will see if I can do this the whole 9 months:).

Here I am at 6 weeks- no belly yet. My sixth week was great- not too many pregnancy symptoms and not a soul knew we were pregnant but me and Steve. It was fun having this 'secret' that only we knew. I think if I had to pick a couple things that I was feeling that week it would have been the sore chest and some cramping from the growth that was beginning to happen. I was also a bit more emotional this week. So far I have not been too hormonal- at least nothing I have noticed.
Here is week 7. Again, not much change but many pregnancy symptoms were starting. Still sore and cramping, but also starting to get nauseous. I was not necessarily throwing up, but I gagged all the time. (Brushing my teeth are not my favorite parts of the day). I started to learn the 'tricks' to keep from throwing up. One was eating EVERY hour. Strawberries were consumed by the cartons this week and I ate lots of clementine oranges. This is also the week we flew to DC. To be honest I was pretty nervous about that trip. I had convinced myself I was going to be sick the whole trip. I gagged a lot, but there was no throwing up and for the most part I did everything I wanted to while on the trip.
And here is week 8. Still not too much change. I could still button up my jeans and wear all my shirts, but I could tell my waist was starting to become thicker. This week I had the feeling of the constant nausea come over me- like the feeling of always getting off an amusement park ride. This week was also the only week smells really bothered me. I remember sitting in a clinical meeting next to a co-worker who was eating Vietnamese food. The only thing I remember that meeting was praying I did not have to leave the room running for a trash can. Other than that week, smells have not been too bad- and for that I am thankful.
Week 9 I began to be pretty uncomfortable with the buttons on my jeans. In the above picture I have on a belly band. Still no one could tell and it was more of a come and go belly- mainly from bloating and all that wonderful pregnancy stuff. Still pretty nauseous this week but felt I had it more under control with knowing when to eat and what to eat. This is the week I did throw up. I will spare you the details other then I may want to think twice about trying to consume a whole personal watermelon by myself- just saying:).
And the wrap up of where we are now- here is 10 weeks. I think I kind of look bigger in this picture then I actually am, but this is what the picture captured. Like I said in the previous post, I feel like I am showing a lot sooner that I was expecting to. This was taken the day before we started to tell everyone and I can not tell you how glad I am the news is out- I think I may have been wearing the same 4 dresses every week. One of our friends came up to Steve after we started telling everyone and said they had been wondering why I had been wearing so many dresses- they were wondering if I was pregnant. Some people are so observant! The only thing that really has grown so far is my belly- everything else has stayed the same size. I did go out and buy some of my first maternity clothes today- which was pretty fun. I got a pair of shorts and 3 tank tops. I think my dresses and skirts (like above) will last me a long time before I have to really start buying some things. I am totally open for suggestions and tricks any of you used during this time of a growing belly.

I have to admit, the first time I saw my belly start to poke out I kind of had a freak out moment and a rush of anxiety of what my body is about to go through. I have gotten better but it still takes me by surprise at times. I am liking the bump more and more- even better is what is growing inside that bump:)! I am so thankful for 9 months to get ready for this huge change. I have a feeling I am going to need every second of the coming months. Also, I really like the time of year I am going to big and pregnant- not hot and humid, but also not too terrible cold (which is not a problem Houston really struggles with).

So there you have it- all the fun belly details. Again, probably more for my memory purposes and my Mom's viewing pleasure- but still:). Happy weekend!

A Time and A Season for Everything...

2011-06-07T16:20:00.003-05:00

I believe people go through seasons in their lives. Seasons of great joy, seasons of celebration, seasons of sorrow, seasons of change, seasons of transition, seasons of great anticipation. And I am sure the list could go on and on. In many ways I view my life as a never ending roll into one season after another seasons- especially the last 10 years...

10 years ago I graduated from high school (wow!) and entered into a great season of change. I moved out of the house and into a dorm room at ACU. The next 4 years were some of the best in my life.

6 years ago I graduated from college. I was engaged to the best man in the world and entering into a great season of transition. Transition from single to married. Transition from college student to who knows what! Transition into living out on my own- no support from parents. It was fun and scary and a time I will never forget.

4 years ago Steve and I moved to Houston. This was a great season of joy and excitement. I had just graduated with my Master in Counseling, we were going to live in the BIG city, and we were both starting our 'careers.' I still smile when I think of how exciting it was to move into our first house (no more boys dorms!) or finding places like Central Market and Whole Foods or becoming apart of the family at Southwest Central. It was a joyful time filled with a bunch of 'firsts.' But also during these 4 years we have had seasons of sorrow- my sisters accident, my granddad's death, friends moving away, and other things in our lives that have been hard and challenging.

And you want to know the really cool thing about seasons- they always change and bring on new seasons. This year has been a whole new season for Steve and I. For one, I quit my full time job and opened up my own private practice- that alone has just been huge for me and Steve. Steve accomplished a long time goal and graduated with his M.Div in May. And now, probably the most exciting new season we are currently entering into is... parenthood. Yep, we are PREGNANT!!!

We found out April 25th that was are expecting a BABY on January 2, 2012. It was been a great 10 weeks. I don't think anything will prepare you for seeing that little plus sign come up, but there was great celebration in our house that morning it did. We had been trying for about 4 months and honestly I thought this test was going to be negative- all the others had. I wish you could of seen the smile on my face the moment the plus sign emerged, better yet, I wish you could have seen Steve's face- it is a moment I will cherish forever.
Since then things have been going good, and for that I am grateful. Over all I have felt pretty good. I do feel like I just got off the teacups at Disney World all the time, but I have only thrown up once- and that was about as fun as it sounds. Some days are better then others and I did have a pretty big scare last week which resulted in a trip to the ER- but everything was great and after pushing LOTS of fluid through me I was sent home with assurance the baby looked great. Above you will see our first purchase for our new baby- we got this on our trip to DC/Philly. And speaking of that trip- the baby and I did great that week which was such a blessing.
And today we had our 10 week appointment. We got to see Baby Sargent move all over the place. He/she has a strong heartbeat and looks very healthy on the sonogram. There you can see the head, body, and the umbilical cord. I can't even describe how amazing it was to see the little arms and legs move all over the place. And what a sweet moment to share with Steve. Speaking of Steve- he has been AMAZING!!! Words can not even describe his wonderfulness over the last 10 weeks. I fall more and more in love with him each day. It has been a great experience to share with him.

As of today I am 10 weeks, one day. I start my second trimester in June 20 and I am already starting to show. I am glad people know now so I can stop wearing such baggy clothes or sucking in:). I am showing a lot earlier that I thought, but my Mom said she is pretty sure she started showing early too. Really, when I am out in public, I am sure no one else can tell, but it has been so fun for Steve and I. So far it is all in the tummy- nothing else has changed, which I know is really about to change in the months to come. Dresses and belly bands of my good friends.

Right now we are just soaking up this great season of anticipation. It has been so fun to dream of whats to come with Steve and wonder what the years to follow will hold. I have no idea what seasons/feelings/experiences will follow in the months and years to follow, so right now, more then ever I am trying to take one day at a time and be grateful of this exciting season. And I end with a quote from Steve's grandmother when we told her our news: 'Oh how exciting, people are a blessing from God.' We look forward to welcoming this new blessing into our arms in January!

I have much more to share in posts to come including the obligatory belly pictures:)... stay tuned!

DC/Philly Trip: Part 2

2011-06-01T14:20:00.009-05:00

So here is the second half of our trip up North. Sunday morning we got up and Kelly took us to Union Station and we took an Amtrak to Philadelphia. Neither one of us had been to that city so it was fun to experience it together. Below you will find my top 10 from the 3 days we spent there. I know I should probably going from 10 to 1, but it was easier to do it this way:).

#1 The Amish Country. This was my favorite, favorite part of the whole week. I LOVED going out to Lancaster County and seeing the beautiful country side, the horses pulling buggies, the unique way of living- it was a great day. We got to shop around at a couple Amish homemade goods stores, we took a buggy ride through the Amish farms, and even ate at an authentic Mennonite smorgasbord (it was like Golden Corral on steroids). It was neat to be in our car right behind a whole family in a buggy coming home from the store. I also enjoyed watching all the farmers out in their fields pulling the plow with 8 horses- it was kind of magical out there.
#2 Our Bed and Breakfast. We stayed at a lovely B&B in the university area of the city called Spruce Manor. We stayed in the Library Room- very fitting for us:). The house was old and quaint and the neighborhood could not have been more perfect. We spent a couple afternoons/evenings reading on the front porch. Over all the weather was wonderful for our stay there.
#3 Central Market. We went to the original Central Market in Lancaster. It was built in the late 1800's and is the longest running farmers market in America. We savored our time there- walking up and down the aisles slowly, lamenting over the food items we could not smuggle back on the plane. We each got a food item: me, a big chocolate chip cookie (fresh from the oven) and Steve, homemade Amish blueberry jelly.
#4 Valley Forge. This was a total surprise for us both. The night we got to Philly Steve was looking at all the things to do and we discovered how close Valley Forge was to Philly- so we immediately started making plans to drive out there. It was just gorgeous and so peaceful. There was hardly anyone there so it was like we had the whole park to ourselves. We did the 10 mile driving tour and stopped at all the 'hotspots' to look. Above is the house George Washington spent the winter in- they have done a great job of preserving the inside. If you are ever in the area it is totally worth your time. And there is a huge jogging trail around the park- I can't even imagine living in a place that beautiful to go work out in!
#5 Phillies vs. Rangers baseball game. What great timing we had with the Texas Rangers being in town to play the Phillies. As soon as our Amtrak got in we rented a car and drove straight to the game. I felt like we were the ONLY Rangers fans there, but we sure did sport our Rangers gear proudly. The best part- they won:).
#6 Walking Philly. Monday morning we walked around Philly and took in all the sights. Above you will see the oldest, continuously lived in neighborhood in America. The homes we amazing- one was even for sale. I may have started to beg Steve to buy it for me- I would do well in a house like that.
#7 The Philly Cheesesteak. And of course we HAD to get an authentic Philly's cheesesteak while we were in town. We did not have the energy to find the dueling cheesesteak restaurants, so we 'settled' on Campo's. They were great! Something I can only eat about every 10 years- but great!
#8 The Liberty Bell. I am glad we got to see it, but it was not too terrible thrilling. We had to wait in a pretty long line (that moved quickly) and it was just a bell. But the building it is in is pretty cool and did a great job explaining the long history behind this very large bell. Glad we can say we have seen it in person.
#9 Union Station. Now I know this one is technically in DC, but it was part of the process of getting to Philly. It was fun to ride the Amtrak. We don't get to travel by train much here in Texas so this was a fun thing to add to our list in Philly.
#10 Love Park. The last night we were in Philly we walked out to Love Park, mainly to see the famous LOVE sign. It was a pretty neat place and we enjoyed a walk around the fountain and savored our last couple hours of vacation. I really like this picture.

Other things we enjoyed in Philly- a nice, slow dinner at the Fig (thanks for the recommendation L!), great Thai food at a place right around the corner from our B&B, discovering old bookstores in Philly, going in my first Trader Joes, seeing the graves of many of the men who signed the Constitution, standing on the steps of the Art Museum impersonating Rocky, and most importantly- getting to spend the whole time with Steve. I love the memories we make on these trips.

So there you have it- our DC/Philly experience. We loved our time up there and hope we get to go back soon. And now, guess what- we get to plan the next trip!! I love how one trip ends and we are already brain storming our next adventure:)!

DC/Philly Trip: Part 1

2011-05-31T09:42:00.006-05:00

I'm here, I promise! It has been a whirlwind of a month. With Steve graduating, getting ready to start the summer (a youth minister's busiest time), and taking a week-long vacation to the east, I have had little time for blogging:). Steve and I got back last Wednesday day from a 7 day trip to Washington DC and Philadelphia. It was a wonderful trip full of good food, family, good food, rest, LOTS of sight seeing and did I mention good food! I know I usually go day by day when we vacation but Steve gave me another idea for this trip. It is going to be done in 2 parts and it will consist of a top 10 list from each city we visited. So here we go in DC:

#1 The American History Smithsonian. We got in on a Thursday and wasted no time at all taking in all the wonderful things in the city. My number one favorite thing we did in DC- the museums. They are free and full of interesting things. Above is Kelly and I looking at the red ruby shoes from the Wizard of Oz in the American History Smithsonian. SOOOOO many cool things to see in that museum- Lincoln's top hat, Julia Child's kitchen, the first American flag, all the original Muppets, and the list could go on and on.
#2 The Natural History Museum. The first museum we went to was the Natural History Smithsonian. They had an amazing photo exhibit on display there- just breath taking. Plus we got to see so many things from the 'Night at the Museum' movies- like the elephant pictured above.
#3 The City Life: So many exciting things go on in DC all the time. We got to see the motorcade and Marine One while we were there. President Obama was having a pretty important meeting with some foreign dignitaries so there was extra activity (and security) going on. We even got to see Senator Bob Dole outside the WW2 memorial. He was taking pictures with some WW2 veterans- it was sweet to watch.

#4 FDR Memorial- I LOVED this presidential memorial. It was so peaceful and you felt like you were secluded from the rest of the city. This memorial was not there when I visted back in 1997. Great water falls, beautiful statues, and lots of FDR's famous quotes all over the walls. Steve and I both loved it.
#5 The Lincoln Memorial. I have loved this place since the first time I saw it in high school. Lincoln is so HUGE and the memorial looks over all of DC. The one sad part- the Reflection Pool was under construction. I was sad Steve did not get to see that! We loved walking around to all the memorials and we sure did see every.single.one of the them in our short 3 days there!
#6 The Eastern Market- Oh how I love outdoor market places. This one was full of fruit, veggies, flowers, handmade goodness, antiques, food, furniture, clothing, art, photography, and the list could go on and on. If we lived in DC I would be there every Saturday morning.
#7 Ben's Chili Bowl- All the travel books and my sister-in-law insisted on eating here. And it was totally worth it. Apparently it usually has a very long line to stand in to get a hotdog, but we lucked out and did not have to wait at all. So many famous people have been here and their pictures cover the walls. I sure did love my chili dog.
#8 Arlington National Cemetery- Just breathtaking to walk through this place. We saw Lincoln's son's grave and the Kennedy's graves. I probably could have put this higher on the list, but I had already seen it on a previous trip.
#9 Georgetown University. This is were Kelly works. It was fun to see her office and have her show us around. We also got to see one of the graduations taking place. They have their graduations outside up there- something I could NEVER imagine doing in Texas in May/June. Above is a picture of the 'Exorcist' stairs at Georgetown. We also got cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes which has it's own TV show on TLC- they were super yummy.
#10- Old Town Alexandria. We ended out time in the DC area going to Old Town Alexandria, which was just fabulous: as in I want to live there some day. That is the problem with all the traveling Steve and I do- I want to move to all the place we go:). We ate at a little restaurant called Bilbo Baggins and it was one of our favorite meals. Each night we ate with Kelly and her boyfriend Marcus (who we really liked!). It was great to share a meal with both of them each night. We also ate at: Good Eatery, Chop't, and The Quarterdeck (great seafood). All places I would highly recommend if you visit the area. Food is one of my favorite parts about our trips.

Things not mentions but great as well: Visiting Lincoln's Cottage, The Holocaust Museum (so powerful), eating soft pretzels from street vendors, riding the subways, visiting Roosevelt Island, getting all of Steve's stamps (you will have to ask him about time one), and visiting the White House at night- so pretty.

So there you have it- our 3 1/2 days in DC. Kelly was a fabulous host and it was great hanging out with her the whole time. It is great to have a sister-in-law I get to call a friend as well. We are already looking forward to the next time we get to visit Kelly up there. Next post will have my top 10 from our time in Philly.

And 7 Years Later...

2011-05-18T15:23:00.005-05:00

Steve graduated with his MASTERS OF DIVINITY on Saturday!!! It was a great day of celebration in Abilene. I am so proud of him and all the hard work he put into this degree. When he started, we were dating- a lot has happened since then: we soon became engaged, then got married and lived in boys dorms for the next 3 years, then moved to Houston, started a new job, and with all of that going on- he kept working on the degree. He has never been able to work on his Masters full time. In fact, for the last 4 years he has taken one class a semester. And then this semester he actually had to drive to Abilene every Sunday. But now we can say it has ALL been worth it! We were able to spend 2 days in Abilene and both of our families came in for the day Saturday to honor Steve and all of his accomplishments.

Here he is getting hooded on stage- he looked so handsome in his cap, gown, and hood.
Giving Jack Reese a big hug- he has been an importantl part of Steve's development during this program.
Both of our families after the ceremony- gotta love a good graduation ceremony. I can not even begin to count the number of graduations I have sat through- and I know the number will only grow as I get older.
Big smiles after- it is done! No more driving to Abilene every...single...week!
I am so glad my middle sister got to come. My baby sister would have been there but she has been in Cambodia the last two weeks- she gets back tomorrow. More on that later, I am so proud of all the cool things she is doing right now.

But there was no rest of the weary. We drove back from Abilene Saturday night and Steve preached on Sunday morning. We also had our annual cookout at the apartments across the street that same night.
It was a lovely evening in Houston and the cookout was a great success. We met new friends, hung out with old ones, and feed lots of people. We even did a bit of face painting:).
Nothing like a good ol' hotdog or hamburger to get you ready of the summer months a head. And speaking of summer months- Houston has felt great the last couple weeks. It has been so nice in the evenings- but I know what is about to come...

So there you have it- our jam packed weekend of fun. But no worries, the fun does not stop here. Steve and I board a plane in the morning for Washington DC and Philly. We are looking forward to good time with Steve's sister Kelly, yummy food, good sight seeing, and REST!!