26 weeks - Baby in Motion

Today, I am 26 weeks pregnant.  That means little Levi Bryan (yes, our baby boy's name has officially been decided) has been in there cookin' for 24 weeks! 

My lovely husband took these belly pictures of me today and cracked me up with his "photographer" lingo.  I don't know what kind of photo-shoot he thought this was, but let's just say that the language was more risque than I expect to hear from our actual photographer during our maternity shoot in March...

The second trimester is nearly over and I must say, I loved every minute of it!  During this trimester, my acne symptoms disappeared, and I returned to a normal energy level.  I did have a few nights around the 23/24 week mark where I thought heartburn was going to be my new plight, but thankfully that quickly subsided and I've breezed through the remainder of the trimester with no complaints.

Around 23 weeks, my midwife recommended that I cool it on the classes at the gym, specifically Zumba and Kickboxing.  I was really bummed because these had become my FAVORITE classes and I looked forward to them.  I had explained to her in my appointment that I had some round ligament pain (the ligaments that strain to support that ever-growing uterus) after my kickboxing class so I had to duck out of class early a couple times.  She said it was good that I was listening to my body, but that I should probably cut out any classes that involved excessive pelvic movements.  No more rump-shakin' and rump-kickin'??  NOOOOooooOOOooo!  She suggested walking, spinning or swimming as suitable replacements.  I am not a fan of walking.  As a runner, I tend to get bored with just walking.  Spinning has always been a difficult work-out for me.  It makes me feel like an uber-wimp and reminds me of the days when I worked out with a trainer and he consistently MURDERED my legs on the bike.  Swimming, sadly, is not an option since I do not have access to a pool and my tub is merely average size (lame.) 

After pouting and not doing ANY exercise for the week following that appointment, I finally sucked it up and decided to check out the spin class at my gym.  I had been to the class once before with my husband and really couldn't remember what all the fuss was about or why I never went back.  I simply remembered that I didn't particularly enjoy it.  I was quickly reminded about ten minutes into class.  My tush can't handle it!  My "sit-bones" (as my friend and work-out buddy, Amanda, calls them) were bruised for DAYS after that first spin class!  It is a great work-out.  There is no denying that.  My legs burn, I get a good sweat going, but nothing compares to the abuse on my derrière!  After the second class with mind-numbing "sit" pain, I went to Academy and bought a gel-padded seat in hopes that it would make the class more comfortable.  Some kind gentleman in my last class recommended it.  While I found it disgusting that he kept insisting I "feel" his gel-padded seat that he'd just ass-sweated on for an hour... I appreciated that there may be a solution to this problem!  If I can't overcome the tush-abuse issue, I may be walking daily while listening to books on tape.  *Snore*

I have also been doing THIS prenatal workout video by Lindsay Brin a couple times a week.  I had never heard of Lindsay Brin before I found her pregnancy fitness DVD set at Target early in my pregnancy.  I read up on her and once I found out she had three kids and 6-pack abs, I figured I could benefit from using her video.  While the cardio segment is light and can get become monotonous after repeating the same video for weeks, the toning has been great and you can always increase the weight to get more results.  She tends to focus on a full body toning and functional work-outs that will benefit you during pregnancy, child-birth, and post-baby.  I feel like it's helped a lot to keep my weight gain strictly in my front belly region.  I'm happy with the DVD set and it's been nice to have when I can't or don't feel like making it to the gym.

At this point, I have gained about 13 pounds since the day I found out I was pregnant.  I think that puts me on pace to gain a total of 30, as long as I don't go hog wild with my diet.  In the past two weeks, I have become extremely motivated to eat better.  I suppose I finally had the realization that I need to be a better example for my child, in regards to my diet.

Levi's movements have become much more obvious and consistent.  In the past week, I've started seeing his movements externally and this is by far my favorite pregnancy development!  I get the biggest kick out of seeing him moving through my belly.  It's such a bizarre feeling.  It's like there's a little alien in there trying to escape his flesh prison.  It makes me laugh and wonder what, exactly, he is doing in there moving around like that!  He is incredibly active now, mostly in the mornings when I'm trying to get those delicious last 10 minutes of sleep before starting my day, or at night when I'm reading in bed and trying to wind down.  Soon, I will need to start tracking his movements with a kick-counter.

The only real pregnancy downer I've had this trimester was not getting to ride the Zipper, YET AGAIN.  The Zipper is my favorite carnival ride.  I LOVE carnivals.  What I love MOST about carnivals are the Zipper, and candied apples.  Candied apples have been a challenge lately since I have had braces, but I found a solution to that problem.  The situation with the Zipper is more complicated.  Before I got pregnant, it seemed that every carnival or fair I went to had replaced the Zipper with some other sub-par (in my opinion) yet similar ride.  I tried the bad replacement rides, but nothing will ever replace the Zipper in my heart!  Since I have been pregnant, I have seen the Zipper at least 3 times.  THREE TIMES.  That's more than I had seen the Zipper in an entire YEAR pre-pregnancy and in the past six months, when it's forbidden, it haunts me constantly.  Ohhhhh, Zipper.  We will meet again!  

As soon as I'm fully recovered from child-birth, I am going to plan an entire day of pregnancy-taboo activities.  I'll start by having my favorite over-caffeinated beverage, the triple-grande-non-fat-no-whip-marble-mocha from Starbucks.  Maybe I'll have two.  I'll then enjoy a big breakfast of nothing but runny eggs. For lunch, I'll have all the raw sushi & sashimi I can stomach.  I'll eat sushi until my chopstick wielding hand cramps!  I'll then drink copious amounts of every alcoholic beverage I've craved over my 9 months of baby-growing.  Dark, seasonal ales, mimosas, champagne toasts, a nice Cabernet Sauvignon, shots of tequila... (wait... who is going to take care of the baby while I do this?)  I'll enjoy all these drinks while devouring a buffet of unpasteurized, soft cheeses.  Bring on the BRIE!  Then I'm going to a carnival and riding the Zipper.  I'm going to ride it until I puke (which likely won't be much after the alcohol binge and cheese combo.)  If I can find it of course.  I'm sure the moment I am no longer pregnant and not at risk of scrambling my baby, the Zipper will become elusive once again.  Darn you, universe!  It will be a glorious day of reckoning... or I will just make myself ABSOLUTELY miserable and sick.  :)  We shall see.

Here is a quick VIDEO of Levi moving in my belly while I was laying in bed.

Gender Reveal Party - IT's A BOY!!

Before we even found out we were pregnant, Tyler and I were thinking of ideas for our gender reveal party.  This bonus party for the baby has recently become all the rage among expectant mothers.  I had never heard of it until idea boards for "gender reveals" started blowing up on Pinterest.  I LOVE parties so I loved the idea of having ANOTHER baby-themed party, however, in the back of my mind I was thinking... "Okay, is this completely narcissistic of us to throw yet ANOTHER party for our poor friends and family to drag themselves to?"  I did not want people to think we were fishing for more gifts or that I in any way EXPECTED them to show up to EVERY baby event.  I have been the "unmarried friend with-out kids" to some of my friends for many years and I know that while I love to be there to celebrate milestones and accomplishments with my friends, all the parties can be exhausting and the gifts for said parties can get expensive!

I finally decided to go ahead with the party, but I was sure to communicate to our friends and family that this was casual, we did not want gifts, and that they were not to feel guilty if they couldn't make it!  We simply wanted to celebrate finding out the gender of our first born child with some crazy antics and lots of family & friends! 

Planning the Party

I am notorious for spoiling surprises or secrets.  I got my Christmas gift from my husband on December 18th, because I couldn't stand to wait, and the infamous story of Tyler's wedding proposal to me is one of me basically SPOILING it by begging him incessantly to give me my birthday present a day early, which he did.  Obviously, he is equally bad at waiting to GIVE me surprises.  We make a great team. :)   That being said, he was adamant that I would not ruin THIS surprise for the gender reveal. 

We went to our 20 week ultrasound on the Friday before Christmas.  I was a little nervous because I knew the results of this ultrasound would tell us whether our baby was developing on pace and was healthy.  I was afraid of negative results, but I remained positive because I knew the statistics for a healthy baby were on my side.  Also, I had to remain positive for my own sanity.  Thinking of every little thing that could go wrong will drive a woman mad.

We explained to the ultrasound tech that we were going to have a gender reveal party, so when it came to the portion of the exam where she would determine the sex of the baby, we needed to be looking the other direction and clueless about what she found.  She loved the idea so she happily made us look the other way when it was time.  She turned the monitor and watched us like hawks to make sure we weren't looking.  After she had determined the sex, she printed pictures of that "region" with the gender typed on them as proof, stuffed the pictures in an envelope, and handed them to us before we left.  She did an excellent job.  I especially liked when she griped at my husband that he wasn't facing the wall and she thought he was cheating. :)  Atta-girl! 

Aside from determining the gender, we enjoyed the appointment and getting to see our baby, very much!  It took a lot of fighting but I managed to not cry.  I do not like to cry in front of strangers, even when it would be socially acceptable.  I thought I had felt the baby moving at week 18, but then I wasn't sure if what I was feeling since then was the baby or not.  It was really nice to SEE our baby moving around and punching on the screen while feeling those sensations so that I could know without a doubt, that was my baby beating up on mom from the inside.  Our baby was VERY active during the ultrasound and gave the tech fits while she was trying to take her pictures.  Someone told me to eat chocolate to make the baby active, so I happily complied.  I don't have to have much of a reason to eat chocolate.  The only downside to the appointment was having to drink the massive amount of water beforehand, and then subsequently laying there with a full bladder for the duration.  It helps them to more easily see the cervix for their measurements, so the sole purpose is not to torture pregnant women, though it will feel that way.

Off topic... back to the party.

I scheduled the party to take place at Cecil's Cajun Kitchen in DeRidder, where most of my mom's huge family lives.  I thought it would be a reasonable 1.5 hour drive for Nederland friends and not too far for our family in other parts of Louisiana.  I knew the drive would likely be too much for Houston friends and family, but I had to weigh the options and since it seems just about EVERY other life event we've celebrated has been in Houston, it was fair enough to switch it up this time.  I chose to schedule the party for the first available Saturday after Christmas and New Years had past.  It was going to KILL me to have to wait that long, but I knew we'd have more luck of getting everyone together after the holidays.  Besides, Tyler had hidden the envelope, so I had no way of finding out ahead of time, and the holidays kept me very well distracted from trying to find it anyway.

Cecil's had a party room that would fit way more than we needed and did not charge for it's use as long as at least half the guests ate or drank.  I didn't anticipate that being a problem.  We like to eat and the food there is good; it's a winning combination.

I spent most of the "planning" time pinning ideas from Pinterest.  The hardest part was finally sitting down and focusing on committing to the ideas I really wanted to use.  Once I had a plan, I spent about 2 hours in Hobby Lobby shopping for party supplies and getting more ideas, then another hour in Walmart finding less expensive versions of some of the items I'd already bought at Hobby Lobby.  I may have gone a little overboard with the party supplies from Hobby Lobby.  After the party had passed, I ended up returning about $50 worth of unopened supplies.  Which, I then turned around and spent on baby room decor... but I digress.


That evening, after I had explained to my husband why our living room was covered with Hobby Lobby shopping bags and attempted to rationalize my insane shopping spree, I made a list of all the projects I needed to complete, any items I still needed to complete those projects, and all the things I had asked my mom to take care of and/or bring for the party.  I do better with lists.  Once I had the list, I was a woman on a mission.  I knocked out all the projects the next day.  When everything was done and we were simply waiting for the day of the party, I then made a mock setup of what I wanted the center table to look like.  Our kitchen table then stayed in that state the rest of the week.

Tyler and I debated for some time about how we wanted to do the big reveal.  Did we want a cake or cupcakes or balloons or ... ? There were so many options!  The week before Christmas, we met our friends, who own Daviss Donuts in Nederland, for dinner and when we told them about the upcoming reveal party, they offered to make reveal donuts for us!  It was different and I loved the idea of all of our party guests participating and biting into the donuts together at once to reveal either blue or pink filling!  Besides, who doesn't like DONUTS??  The next day, our friend made us a couple samples and they were DELICIOUS.  I love food that is tasty AND functional!

The morning of the party, we stopped by Daviss Donuts to pick up our fresh reveal donuts and a couple kolaches for the road, and we headed out to DeRidder.  We got to Cecil's early to set up.  It was raining all over Louisiana and southeast Texas that day so I thought everyone would cancel or show up late, but I was pleasantly surprised with the turn out!  We had over 40 guests come to the party and most were early.  I guess everyone was as excited as we were to find out what we are having!

As we welcomed each guest, I had them choose their "team" by choosing to wear either a blue or a pink lei.  It was obvious the room was heavily weighted with team BOY because the blue leis disappeared quickly.  I also asked each person to write their name on a slip of paper and put it in a blue or pink jar.  After the reveal, I would draw a name from the correct jar and that guest would win a door prize (a bag of chocolate goodies - themed after my cravings - and a gift card to Subway.) 

We encouraged everyone to eat lunch, have a couple beverages, and visit.  After lunch, we passed out the donuts and I reminded the entire room about 100x that NO ONE COULD BITE YET!!  Before it was time to take the big bite, I stood at the front of the room and thanked everyone for coming.  I then had a little surprise for my husband!  His 30th birthday was only a few days away, and while we had a room full of our closest friends and family, I wanted everyone to sing and acknowledge this milestone.  I had secretly asked his mom to pick up his favorite cake from a local baker in Nederland and bring it with her that morning.  As I asked the room to sing to him, my mom lit the candles and walked the cake in.  He was very surprised and it warmed my heart.  He blew out the candles, said thank you, and then immediately said "OKAY, lets find out what we're having!"  We had successfully built up the suspense and it was time for the big show...

I gave the instructions to bite on the count of 3, Tyler did the countdown, and.... IT'S A BOY!!

I thought Tyler was going to spike his donut and do a victory dance, he was so excited!  Most of our guests had voted boy and were very excited, and those who were team pink immediately started telling us we'll have to have another... haha.  Shortly after the reveal, we drew a name out of the blue jar for the door prize.  My step-sister and her husband took home a bag of goodies!

Was it worth it?

I didn't know if the time and expense would be worth it going into the planning, but the entire drive home, all Tyler and I could talk about was how AWESOME the party was.  We both had a wonderful time and were happy to see that so many people came out to celebrate with us and they all seemed to enjoy themselves, too.  I hope it was worth it for those that had to make a long drive to be there.  I know I appreciated seeing every single person that was there.

In total, I think we spent about $250 on this party.  That includes all the decorations, 4 dozen reveal donuts, appetizers for 40+ guests, my great-grandma's lunch, Tyler's birthday cake, and a hefty tip for the awesome waitress that took care of our group.  In my opinion, it was well spent and worth every penny.  The build-up of anticipation, mingling with great family and friends, delicious food, the excitement of a huge group finding out simultaneously with a countdown and big unveiling, all made for a WONDERFUL experience.

If you're debating whether or not you want to have a gender reveal party, my suggestion is to GO FOR IT!  Even if it ends up just being a handful of close friends and family, the surprise is worth it!

Highlight Reel

The main party table.  The final result looked a little different then it did on my kitchen table, but I was happy with it...

Write your name on a slip of paper & make your guess!  Someone's name would later be pulled from the "correct" jar for a door prize!

Team BLUE or Team PINK?  Team Blue was dominating...

Boxes of Daviss Donuts reveal donuts!!

My mother-in-law, me, and my mom.  I was out-numbered... the expectant grandmas wanted a boy!

My Maw-maw - the great, great grandmother-to-be! She wanted a girl, but said she would still "accept" a boy.

You can see my growing bump here. 5 months pregnant.  We are two very excited parents-to-be!

What'll it be?? Daviss Donuts did a great job of plugging these up so the colored filling couldn't be seen!  No cheating!

Everyone loved these rubber duckies on the table and played with them throughout lunch.  Most of them disappeared after the party.  I guess they all wanted their very own rubber ducky!

My aunt, my mom, and a family friend - flaunting their teams!

Another Pinterest idea, stolen!  This list of Old Wives Tale predictions was fun in helping people to decide how to vote...

My brother-in-law and his girlfriend, enjoying some beer and hoping for a boy!

My Mamo (grandma) and her boyfriend enjoying lunch before the big reveal.

A really great iron-on I found at Hobby Lobby and could NOT pass up!

My Meme and Papa.  Meme has the best quote from the party.  After finding out it was a boy she exclaimed, "I'm SOOO disappointed!"  Haha... I think she's accepted that we won't have a 5th generation GIRL this time... maybe next time!

Flowers and duckies.

My mother-in-law and her husband were both team BOY! They already have 2 granddaughters and are excited to welcome a grandson!

Tyler blowing out his big 3-0 candles!  I think a BOY is the very best gift I could have given him...

2012 - A Year in Review

I am past due for an obligatory 2012 review and 2013 resolutions post!

I went through Facebook pictures last night for a quick review of 2012 and I've decided it's been another very good year!  2011 was very hard to beat (wedding, Maui, move to a new town, new job, etc), but I think 2012 definitely one-upped it!

2012 Highlights

 I started the year off by completing my 3rd Half Marathon in January  (Aramco Houston 1/2 Marathon).  This was Tyler's first half marathon.  We crossed the finish line with our hands clasped together and held victoriously over our heads!This was also my Mom and my Aunt Terri's first half marathon.  I am so proud of all of them and excited they joined me for this one!  It's so much more fun to run with / compete against family! ;)

Look at that awesome goal-setting and goal-busting couple!

I was baptized at Fellowship Baptist Church in Nederland, where we are now members.  I had never been baptized and as an adult I struggled with making this symbolic commitment, but this was my year!  I was finally in a place in my life where I felt I could turn this corner, and I am very happy with my decision.

Thank you, Pastor Frank Hodges, for baptizing me in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ!

We paid off my car, my College Access Loan (student loan), and Tyler's Perkins Loan (student loan), totaling about $43,000 in debt -- GONE FOREVER!  Thank you, Dave Ramsey!

This is my super-nerdy debt payoff thermometer for our car loan!

We went zip-lining in Denham Springs, Louisiana, with my Mamo (grandma), my cousins, and my Aunt Sue!  My Mamo is a super-cool grandma and loves to do crazy things with me.  So far, we have gotten tattoos together, gone sky-diving together, and now zip-lined together!  Next item on the list for 2013 (and my 30 Before 30 list) - hot air balloon ride!

One super-cool Mamo, right there!

We celebrated 5 weddings with very close friends and family:

Alex and Justin (my step-sister) in Cleveland, TX
Nikki and Josh (my step-sister) in Centerville, TX
Lauren and Chris (my friend - I got to be a bridesmaid!) in Richardson, TX
Traci and John Paul (my friend) in Rockport, TX
Emily and Justin (Tyler's friend - Tyler was an usher!) in Nederland, T

Lauren was a BEAUTIFUL bride and this was probably one of the most fun wedding receptions I've ever been to!

We celebrated 3 births:
Caleb Thomas (my best friend, Katie's, 2nd child)

Jayden Matthew (my cousin, Amanda's, 2nd child)
Adrienne Lanell (my step-sister, Alex's, 3rd child)

Holding my best friend's little boy, Caleb, the day after he was born.  He is such a happy baby!

We celebrated our 1 year anniversary in style!  We stayed at The Caroline House in Montgomery, TX, which is the same B&B where we spent our wedding night.  I highly recommend this place to anyone looking to check out the wine trails in the region just NW of Houston.  Ms. Mary is the most amazing inn-keeper and always makes our stay special!  The Bluebonnet Wine Trail was a great way for us to enjoy a weekend relaxing, making new friends out of complete strangers, and spending some romantic alone time dreaming of the many years of blissful marriage ahead of us!  We then attended church that Sunday at the very church we made those everlasting vows and got to visit with the pastor that officiated our wedding.

Here we are in front of our wedding church in Plantersville, TX on our 1 year anniversary!

We joined our community in welcoming a recently disabled marine home from deployment.  This event was a huge shift for me in my view on living in a small town.  I was so moved by the number of people that came out to support this veteran and his homecoming.  It made me proud to see a community come together to show respect and gratitude to this individual and his family for their service to our country and for their sacrifices.  I think this is the very moment that I fell in love with my new town!  You rock, Nederland, TX!

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I went on an exciting week-long trip with my Aunt Terri and my great-Aunt Kaye to Panama City Beach, FL.  You may have seen in my previous post that I described the women in my family as a "collective hot mess."  This trip was no exception!  We had one hell of a good time, though! :)

Craaaaazy women having too much fun in Florida!

My husband gave me braces!  One of the bonuses of being a dentists wife is getting to be his guinea pig and get free dental work.  This could be a blessing OR a curse, depending on how you view "going to the dentist."  I, personally, never had a problem with the dentist and now that I'm married to one, I take the free work readily!  My teeth weren't bad, but there were a few teeth that had gone rogue and were starting to get way out of line.  They were more an annoyance to me than anything anyone else would ever notice.  Also, being married to a dentist, in my opinion, means I should be a model of his good work!  He wanted to practice some orthodontics and I was an eager volunteer!  By the time the braces come off, I will have only had to wear them 9 or 10 months and I will have a removable retainer to ensure they never get out of line again!

Brace face!

 AND OF COURSE, the biggest highlight of the year for my husband and I both was finding out that we were pregnant!  We are big time "planners" so we knew we wanted to start trying to get pregnant in July.  I also knew that, on average, it can take couples a year to get pregnant, so I tried going into this whole "trying" phase with an open mind and some patience.  Thankfully, after just 2 months, we nailed it!  These results are not typical, so other couples should not get discouraged if it does not happen as quickly for them.  I will regurgitate some of the advise I got from my doctor, though, because it likely helped us. 

I am so far from being an expert that it's not even funny, but I wanted to share a few things I learned from the doc, from friends who have spent a lot of time trying, and from reading articles on the topic:

1. Get off your birth control at least 3 months before you plan to start trying so that your cycle can get back to normal and you can start tracking them (I used the Period Tracker app).  I got off mine in March to start trying in July.
2. Start taking prenatal vitamins as soon as you get off the birth control so that you can start building up those vitamin stores for the baby,
3. Get to a healthy weight - it can be harder to conceive when you're over or under weight.
4. De-STRESS your life!  Nothing throws your body off more than STRESS!  I thankfully had just left a very stressful work environment when we started trying, otherwise, that may have delayed things quite a bit.  Stress does all kinds of crazy things to your hormones and will not make your body a happy baby-making environment!  Besides, who needs the wrinkles??  Wooosaaahhhh!
5. DO NOT make it into WORK!  Taking something fun like sex and making it into work sucks all the joy out of the experience and can lead to unnecessary stress.  See #4.  Find anything you need to just keep it light, relaxed, and to foster the illusion that it's still "spontaneous!"

 2012 - Not all rainbows...

No year is without it's disappointments.  While we were blessed this year in so many ways, we did endure heartache, stress, and fear at varying times throughout the year.  It's a good thing we joined a good church this year, because I've needed to do a LOT of praying!

 Sadly, this year we had to lay my Uncle Marty to rest.  My Meme had to bury her son, and my Mom had to bury her brother.  I was not particularly close to my Uncle Marty.  Most of my life, he lived up north, but in the years prior to his death, he was living in Louisiana, up the road from my Meme.  I didn't see him often enough to foster a close relationship by that time, but I loved him just the same.  He had his special sense of humor and it was a joy to see his sideways smile.  He fought his own demons throughout his life and I'd say in the end he won, because though he may have left us too soon, he left this earth knowing exactly where he was going.  There's comfort in knowing that he's in the arms of his maker, in heaven.  

Rest in Peace, Uncle Marty!  I know they have fishin' and four-wheelers in heaven!

2012 Take Away

I like to think that every year we get a little bit wiser.  Sometimes we learn more trivial facts, sometimes we gain more experience, and sometimes we get to know and understand ourselves just a little bit better.  I think the latter is the most beneficial of what I will take away from 2012.  

I learned this year that I have chosen to look through rose colored glasses.  This is not naivety, because I could easily remove those glasses at any time and I'm completely aware that they are there.  This is a conscious decision to remain positive, hopeful, and maybe just a little too trusting at times.  It may open me up to disappointments and a little extra heartache, but my hope is that my attitude will give others the opportunity to live up to my positive expectations for them and that it might even rub off on a few people who have forgotten that happiness is a CHOICE.

 

Life is flux.  Bad times fall on us all.  The only difference is how we react, which is based solely on our attitudes.  Learn to appreciate those precious fleeting moments in life when you are completely filled with joy, and push on through the bad times, knowing that there is good ahead, because there is ALWAYS good ahead...

 

I choose to look for the good in life and in others.  I choose to see the positive side.  I choose to be happy.  

 

Bring it on, 2013. 

#24 - Interview Maw-maw about her life

I selected this item for my 30 Before 30 list because I am very fortunate to have a living and relatively young great-grandma.  My maw-maw is 87 years old and still lives by herself up the road from my Meme (my grandma).  She gets around fine and takes care of herself.  To me, she has always looked the same, except that her once graphite colored hair has turned all white over the years.  She wears her hair in a bun on her head and a sweet smile on her face and is probably the sweetest lady ever.  At holiday parties and family get-togethers, she sits quietly in a chair someplace off to the side and watches as the rest of us act crazy, always with that sweet smile!

 

 

Isn't that the sweetest lady you've ever seen?? Easter 2006

Maw-maw sitting quietly with her bun & a smile!  Thanksgiving 2011

I have always wondered what Maw-maw was like as a young woman.  Women in our family are not known for being sweet and innocent.  We are generally very stubborn, head-strong, opinionated, and vivacious.  All kinder words for saying we're a collective hot mess!  I was always curious to know if she, too, was a wild one!  ALSO, if Tyler and I have a little girl, she will be named Madison Elisabeth.  My Maw-maw's name is Melverie Elisabeth.  I'd like to someday be able to tell my little girl a thing or two about the namesake for her middle name.  If we're really lucky, she might be old enough someday to remember her great-great-grandma herself.

The Interview

On Christmas Eve, my cousin Misti and I walked up the road from our Meme's to Maw-maw's house to interview her.  Misti had made a great list of questions and I brought along my "Story of a Lifetime" book which has tons of interview questions designed for this purpose (I'd highly recommend this as a gift!)  We knocked on her door and she excitedly welcomed us in.  She was wearing a long dress robe, her bun on her head, and that sweet little smile!  She sat in her chair by the window (and by the phone - she loves to make phone calls) and welcomed our many questions!  We explained that we wanted to interview her and learn about her life.  She was surprisingly forth-coming and answered every question in detail!

Unfortunately, I had forgotten the video camera, so I was frantically scribbling notes from the interview in my book and we don't have any of it on tape, but it was still really fun to hear her tell about her younger days.  Here are a few things we learned:

Favorite Food - Meatballs and spaghetti, pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy
Favorite Dessert - Cheesecake
Favorite Color - Green

She did not go to high school.  She finished the 7th grade at Rosepine.  In those days, a lot of kids didn't finish school.  She used to walk to school every day and had to cross Flat Creek on a foot-log (a tree/log that had fallen across the creek & was wide enough to cross on foot) to get to school and back.

She has 1 sister and 2 brothers.  She has 6 children, born in the following order:  Faye (my Meme), Trish, George, Tanya, Kaye and Curt Jr.

She was born at Anacoco Creek in Louisiana (not far from where she lives now.)  They lived with their grandma in a log shotgun house.  Her grandma was a midwife and actually delivered several of her children! They moved back and forth between Anacoco Creek and Griffin Place when she was a kid (I still have to look up Griffin Place).  Her daddy bought the property that she and my Meme and many other family members now live on when she was a teenager, before my Meme (her eldest) was born.

She worked very hard!  She told us about her first job at DeRidder Steam Laundry where she says she did just about everything, including checking clothes in and out and dry cleaning.  She worked there for 13 years.  She also worked at Jim's Coffee Shop that was across the street from the DeRidder court house.  She would work from 7am to 4pm at the Laundry, then change in the bathroom into her uniform and walk to Jim's Coffee Shop and work until midnight.  She also said that Jim's Coffee Shop didn't have a restroom, so they had to walk across the street to use the restroom at the courthouse.  I found that very odd for a Coffee Shop not to have a restroom!  Coffee is a diuretic... hello?  She also said that Jim's was right next to a bus stop for Fort Polk (which was Camp Polk in those days, before it became a "fort") and there were always military men coming into town!

She lived in Rosepine with her family and moved into DeRidder with her cousin Eloise.  When we asked her why she moved, she explained that she worked in DeRidder, and there weren't any good roads from their property in Rosepine to the highway to DeRidder, only wagon roads.  She would have to walk through mud to get to the highway, then catch a ride with whomever to get to DeRidder.  She named off a lot of family members and other people that used to give her rides to work, but she also said that she used to catch a ride with "a man who drove a bread truck."

We asked if her places of work were segregated when she worked there.  She didn't seem to recall any segregation.  She said that "a lotta colored people run them presses" at the laundry and that "there were black cooks but no black waitresses" at Jim's.  She does not recall many black people coming into the coffee shop as patrons, though. 

Her love stories were the most interesting!  First of all, it's well known among family that my great-grandpa, Bill, was arrested for bigamy.  He was a truck driver and was found to be married to 5 or 6 different women at the same time.  The story I've always heard is that my Maw-maw found out he had been arrested in California when one of his wives there sent her a newspaper clipping of the arrest.  What a scandal!  I don't know much else about him.  After he was arrested, incarcerated and released, I believe he stayed in California.  He is buried there and Maw-maw says he died of some kind of stomach cancer.  I've found some information about him on Ancestry.com and have actually gotten in contact with some of my Meme's half-siblings.  

A newspaper clipping about Bill's arrest.  This could have been the one my unsuspecting Maw-maw got in the mail!

I learned that, sadly, Bill was the love of her life and he broke her heart.  I asked her how long it took her to get over him and what happened and her response was, "I guess you don't ever get over a thing like that."  I'd assumed it was a terrible experience for her, but it made me sad to think of my sweet Maw-maw enduring that kind of heartache as she was telling her story.  She met Bill at her Aunt Martha's.  She and the other girls were there playing "Please and Displease" (if anyone knows what this game is, please tell me!) and he was a mail carrier for the military.  He stopped at Aunt Marthas and apparently started playing this game with them.  They were married January 7th of 1943 (according to her, but records show they were married in 1944.)  My Meme was born a little over a year later, followed by my Aunt Trish.

After Bill was arrested and I guess their marriage was dissolved, she said that she met my Uncle George's dad, Edward.  She wasn't over Bill yet, so Edward was a rebound.  She then told us that Edward was SHOT AND KILLED in 1949 while she was pregnant with his son!  Another heart-break!  This is the first I'd learned that Uncle George never got to meet his father. :(

After Edward, she met my Aunt Tanya's father, Don, who was a military man.  I didn't get much information on this guy, so I'm not really sure how she met him or what happened to him!  I know after Don, she met Henry, my Aunt Kaye's father.  He worked on an oil rig and they lived together in Lake Charles for a while.  He did get to be a part of Aunt Kaye's life, but he, too, was SHOT AND KILLED!  I just can't believe the awful luck!  Some man in Lake Charles killed him.  Eventually, I'll have to go investigate these stories more and get the scoop.

The last man in her life was Curt, my Uncle Curt Jr's father.  They met at Oaks Restaurant when she was working there.  They were married in 1964 and were together until he died in 1998.

WHEW!  Let me just take a minute to catch my breath after recounting all that...

What a tumultuous love life!  Can you believe how much she has endured with this whirl-wind of lovers being arrested, shot & killed, and dying?  It amazes me that she still has the ability to hold that sweet, sweet smile for us!  I'm going to squeeze her really tight next time I see her.  I was overwhelmed as she told me these stories, but writing it all out now has made it really sink in just how much she has been through. 

Our interview was cut short because it was almost time for the Christmas Eve party to begin, but I would very much like to sit down with her again, this time with a video camera, and find out even more.  For example, it is rumored that Maw-maw dips snuff!  EWWWWW!  While we interviewed her, she was spitting into a bottle, so its highly likely she was dipping!  I've heard that she usually carries around a film canister of snuff with her.  I want to get to the bottom of this!  I also want to ask her more about what it was like growing up during the Great Depression.  I want to find out what she feels are the most valuable lessons she's learned in her life.  There's so much more to find out! 

Maw-maw as a young lady... What other mysteries hide behind those cat-eyed glasses?

Stand by for a Maw-maw interview, part 2! ;)

Christmas 2012

I must start by apologizing for my 3 week hiatus!  I feel like life has been a whirl-wind of Christmas shopping, parties, wrapping, decorating, and traveling since this month began.  I absolutely adore Christmas and everything this season entails, however, I am very much looking forward to getting back onto a normal schedule and a normal DIET!  Holy, calories, Batman!  This fat kid LOVES her some grub, so I have been on a binge with all this delicious holiday food.  I need some veggies back in my life and fewer cookies and pies and carbs!

I'm not sure how I got off on the food tangent, but... moving along...

This Christmas was one of the best I've had in a many years.  To start, last year was the WORST, so in contrast this one HAD to be better.  Last year, I had a few too many drinks and at one point I found myself crying, alone, in my aunt's guest room because my sentimental (and tipsy) heart could not handle that so many of my favorite family members were absent that year.  I couldn't tell you what I got for Christmas last year, but I could list the names of everyone I did NOT get to see at the annual Christmas party.  So... that being said... as long as I didn't end up having my own personal pity party this year, it was expected to be an improvement.

We kicked off Christmas this year with one big surprise gift for my husband the Sunday before Christmas!  In early November, I bought Texans tickets to surprise him with as a Christmas/Birthday gift.  I had some money secretly saved from much earlier in the year that I had kept under wraps with the intention of doing something special for his 30th birthday (coming up in January.)  He has been whining for months that we needed to go to a couple games this season, and I was constantly shooting the idea down because of the cost.  We haven't been to a game in 2 years, and I could see he wanted to go badly, so I thought tickets would be an ideal gift.  I got us 2 middle-of-the-road tickets (not nosebleeds, but still within the budget) to the Vikings vs Texans game.

On the Sunday before Christmas, Tyler was NOT a happy camper because he did not understand why we had to get there so early and he especially did NOT like that I was being such a mean wife and making him MISS watching the TEXANS game!  I, knowing the tickets to the game that day were secretly wrapped up in a box in the back seat of the car, was loving every moment of his crankiness and doing my best bluffing to keep him in the dark.  Driving from Nederland, we can either take the exit to I-10 E to Louisiana or to I-10 W to Houston.  I took the "wrong" exit towards Houston.  Tyler, knowing that I am often an easily distracted driver and not at all surprised with my mistake, calmly (but clearly annoyed) pointed out that I was heading us in the wrong direction.  At that time, I handed him a small wrapped box and instructed him to open his Christmas present.  He gave me a weird look and started to comply as he was also pointing out that I needed to exit and make a u-turn.  As he more excitedly kept pointing out that I needed to "catch that exit... you're going to pass that exit... Babe!! You needed to take that exit!!  What are you doing??!!," I could not stop my laughter and kept telling him to open the gift!  FINALLY, he opened it to reveal the tickets and he was very excited, and no longer yelling at me to exit.  I then handed him another gift from my Mom, which was a J.J. Watt t-shirt for him to wear to the game to which we were now headed.  I was very pleased with myself for pulling off the surprise!  I have such a hard time keeping secrets like that and I had been anticipating that moment for months.  Unfortunately, the Texans went on to a disappointing loss that day, but we very much enjoyed being among fellow fans.  There's just something about the atmosphere at a game.  The smells, sounds, and company of the other fans all make the experience worthwhile.  Despite the loss, we had a great time!


After the game, we made the drive to Louisiana for the family festivities.  This year the annual Christmas Eve party with my family in DeRidder was held at my Meme's (my grandma).  We had spent the past several years at my aunt's because my Meme wasn't feeling up to entertaining, gave up on decorating, and the house is a "smoking" household (put nicely.)  This year we were back at Meme's.  As an added bonus, my cousin that lives in San Francisco was visiting this year so I was looking forward to spending some time with her and her husband for the first time in over a year and a half.  She and I spent nearly every summer together growing up, so for a long time she was the closest thing I had to a sister (until, of course, I became a step-sister) and it's safe to say that her presence at the Christmas party was the highlight of the holiday for me!

On Christmas Eve, I got up early to go to the grocery store as soon as it opened.  I DESPISE grocery shopping, especially before big holidays, so I wanted to get a jump on it before the crowds.  Luckily, there were no crowds at all and I got my shopping and cooking done early.  I had a nap when my cooking was done because I didn't want to be the lame pregnant girl that passed out after dinner, and afterwards headed out to my Meme's to help with the decorating.  Misti was already there so she and I put on our Santa hats and decorated the small tree my Mom had brought for the party and put up a few extra lights and trinkets around the house to make it more festive.  After decorating, we walked up the road to interview Maw-maw (my great-grandma) and complete one of the items on my 30 Before 30 list.  My maw-maw is 87 years old.  She lives alone, still gets along great, and is still very sharp!  She is quieter than I imagine she was in her youth, but she still doesn't miss a thing.  She was very forth-coming with our questions and I really enjoyed the short time we got to interview her before heading to the party.  I'll have a separate post about the interview and completing that item on my list.  After the interview, we walked back down to Meme's and family started arriving.  We spent the rest of the evening eating, visiting, exchanging gifts, and playing board games.  My cousins, Tyler, and I all started out playing Risk and then we played Quelf until 2am.  I love, love LOVE family time and had a blast.  When we finally went back to my aunt's house to retire for the night, around 2:30am, the baby started kicking more than ever before as soon as I laid down!  The little stinker now seems to have gotten in the habit of being very active between 1-3am.  We have a night-owl of a child growing here!

Christmas morning, like a little kid, I woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to open presents!  I woke up Tyler and started texting my Mom to get herself and everyone else up.  We drove to Meme's and opened presents with my Mom, her boyfriend, and my step-sister.  One of my favorite gifts I gave this year was a personalized glass frame for my Mom.  It has "Gigi's Baby" etched on it and I put a picture of the ultrasound in the frame for now.  This will be her first grand-child and to say she is excited is the understatement of the century.  Our child will be spoiled rotten, and much of it will be her doing.  I'm trying to accept this as fact now so that I'll be less combative about it later.  After presents, a huge storm rolled in and knocked down trees in the area and the power went out as a result.  It was not a white Christmas, but it was a WET one!  When the storm had past, we went back to my aunts and spent the rest of the day being lazy, followed by more board games.

The day after Christmas we drove home to Nederland, played with some of our new "toys," unpacked, and then went to do Christmas dinner and presents with Tyler's family.  After eating a delicious dinner and opening tons of presents, we put together a gingerbread house with our nieces and then played our new board games (Quelf and Cranium.) We were so spoiled this year!!  We got just about everything we could have wanted and more and had so much fun with family.  This unborn and already spoiled child of ours even got a few gifts.  Baby already has it's first Texans gear, first bath toy, and first booties!

So, again, I'd like to reiterate that this was one of the best Christmases I've had in a while, not because of the gifts received (though, those were awesome too), but because of the quality time spent with family and the many laughs that were had.  I'm so very thankful for the family that we have in our lives.  In all the areas of my life that I have been blessed, they are the most cherished blessing of all.

Christmas Highlight Reel

Tyler and I at a Christmas party for our business networking group. 

The perfect gift from my husband.  My very first piece of "mommy" jewelry!

Our view of the field at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

The two of us VERY EXCITED for the game to begin...

Misti and I posing in our Santa hats after decorating the little tree.  She does not like babies and wouldn't touch the belly.  Haha...

Misti contemplating world domination during our game of Risk.

My Meme and Papa at the Christmas Eve party.

The 5th generation is on the way!  I LOVE this picture & Meme holding the belly!

Our niece, Ceriah, helping assemble the gingerbread house.

18 Weeks - Quickening

As of Wednesday, December 5th, I am 18 weeks pregnant!  At this point the baby is the size of a sweet potato, so he or she is my sweet tator-tot this week!  This is my first pregnancy post for a few reasons:

1. I have been blessed with the easiest pregnancy on the planet so far.  I have very few complaints and the pregnancy has been generally very uneventful (now, I'll just say a little prayer that it continues this way!)
2. I was slacking on taking belly pictures, until this week, when I finally admitted that I'm not just bloated anymore and that this baby is showing!
3. I have been keeping a hand-written pregnancy journal and felt blog updates about the pregnancy were redundant.  The purpose of the journal is so that baby can someday read all about how I was feeling and what I was thinking while they were growing into a tiny human, and/or so that I can compare notes with any subsequent pregnancies!  Tyler enjoys the journal as well because he likes to read about what I'm REALLY thinking.  I'd like to eventually have him write a couple entries himself. 

Yep, there's a baby in there! 18 weeks

Tyler swaddled a sweet potato.  He is already trying to win Father of the Year!

This week's biggest pregnancy highlight is that I got to feel the baby moving!!  I have heard him/her kicking like crazy at the heart monitor during my midwife appointments, but until two nights ago, I had not yet been able to feel the movement (at least not that I could discern.)  I don't know how else to describe how it felt, except that it felt much like it sounded on the monitor, "WOOSH!"

Two nights ago, I awoke around 3am to incredible hunger pangs.  This is also a first in the pregnancy.  I have felt unexpectedly and ravenously hungry at several moments throughout the pregnancy, but never in the middle of the night.  The hunger comes on STRONG and FAST!  I'll be fine one minute, then the next I can think of nothing else but eating ANYTHING that instant!  When the hunger started at 3am I was exhausted and annoyed that my stomach DARE wake me up, so I tried to ignore it and laid in bed miserably trying to go back to sleep.  Finally, at 4am, I conceded that it was not going away and I got up to get a bite to eat.  I am TRYING to eat healthily, so I went for trail mix and some pecans.  I also had a tall glass of water, (which I later came to regret as I woke up every 30 minutes to use the bathroom for the rest of the night!) 

When I went back to bed, I could not fall asleep.  I was exhausted, getting really frustrated, and for the first time I was thinking negatively about this pregnancy... but at that moment, I felt the "woosh, woosh, flutter, woosh."  It's as if he or she knew in that moment that I needed a reminder of the little miracle happening inside me.  I teared up a little.  I had been waiting very impatiently to feel the baby move, but times before when I thought MAYBE I was feeling the baby, it wasn't obvious enough and could have been ruled out as gas.  I was so excited and enjoying every tiny flutter, THEN, baby suddenly stopped moving.  SO, I poked at the baby a few times in hopes that the movements would start again.  Hahaha... I'm going to be an awesome Mom.  The poking didn't work, so I guess baby was done with his/her performance for the night.  It was a great feeling, though, and I can't wait to feel it again!
 

Pregnancy Bonus:  Re-discovering "virgin" daiquiris! Who knew "virgin" drinks come with sprinkles??

Pregnancy Downer:  Not enjoying FREE cocktails at weddings! Here we are, all smiles, nonetheless!