What am I doing?

I went to Babies R Us with my mom today to register for baby items.  I've been excited so far about being pregnant, bringing a new life into the world, being a mom but today reality set in.  I have no idea what I have signed up for.  I'm not even sure I know what I registered for.  You would think that after all the years of studying child development in college I would feel a little more confident than the average expectant mother but that is just not the case.  Why does this mom thing seem so overwhelming...probably because it is.  Keep me in your prayers because I will need all the help I can get.

Lett-Uce help you with that

Ok, we all know when we are hungry and use the word "starvation" that we are not in any real danger of starving to death but feel the use of the word helps get our point across of how hungry we really are. To keep from this happening too often I plan my meals everyday to be eaten on the hour, every 3 hours.  I've been doing this for years and it works for me.  I usually eat breakfast at 7am, snack at 9:30am, lunch at 12:30pm, afternoon snack at 3:30pm and dinner at 6pm.  I keep this schedule everyday.

It so happens I made a doctors appointment this morning for 11:30am.  I work downtown and my doctors office is about a good 30 minute drive with no traffic so I had to leave my office at 10:50am to be there on time.  I figured I would get to the doctor at 11:30am, have my 15-20 minute appointment and head back to work to be there by 12:30pm.  I get to the office 10 minutes early and check in and have a seat in the waiting room.  And I waited and waited and waited.  At 12:45pm someone finally called me back to see the doctor.   At this point I'm not only mad for having to wait but it's past my lunch time and I'm getting very grumpy.  I sit in the exam room for another 25 minutes before the doctor comes in.  My doctor is very sweet and very pregnant so I feel like I can't lash out at her for making me wait.  I turn on my happy face and make it through the appointment. 

I walk out of the office at 1:30 and am now ravenous.  I'm not sure if I can even drive my car back to the office.  I'm almost in tears because I'm so hungry.  I see a Sonic drive thru and said bite me to my spaghetti leftovers waiting for me at the office and drove up.  I ordered the biggest hamburger on the menu with tator tots and a cranberry limeade.  After one bite of my delicious hamburger I immediately started to feel better.  I scarfed down the hamburger all the way down the highway, licking my fingers as I pulled into the office parking lot.  I walk in and notice people in the lobby looking at me funny.  I think nothing of it and proceed onto the elevator.  I walk onto my floor and notice more strange looks from men in the office.  After downing a large limeade in the car I had to relieve myself and went straight to the bathroom.  As I'm washing my hands I glance up for a second and look down to turn off the water and paused.  I looked back up and noticed right between my ever enlarging breasts that I had safely secured a wade of lettuce.  I'm not talking a small leaf but a small handful of lettuce.  How I didn't feel it I have no idea.  I guess I had food on the mind that I just ignored all other senses.  I'm embarrassed that I walked around with lettuce popping out of my shirt and irritated that no one said anything.  Someone easily could have said, "Lett-us get that for you." 

Note to self: No more doctors appointments around feeding times.

Second times a charm

Well it has happened again, Spencer got me knocked up.  YEAH!  We are expecting a little girl next spring.  We are very excited.  After our painful experience this past summer God has blessed us with a miracle.  I can't wait to meet her.  I'm 18 weeks along with 22 weeks to go.  Our estimated due date is April 26th.  We'll just have to wait and see if she surprises us early or makes us wait. 

It has been hard keeping this a secret for so many weeks.  We were hesitant on telling anyone too early based on past experience.  During this secrecy it was brought to my attention what a drinker I have been over the years.  Anytime I went out and didn't order a drink or pour myself a glass of wine everyone became suspicious and asked questions.  FYI: If you have a friend who has had a miscarriage and doesn't order a drink when you go out, don't call them out in front of everyone.  It is embarrassing first of all if they aren't pregnant (it's a sensitive subject) and it just makes you look like an ass.  They will let you know when they want you to know.  It ain't your business till they make it your business. 

With that said,  we are really excited and are looking forward to meeting our little angel.

Doggy Car Seats

So my sister posted an article on Facebook regarding doggy safety in cars and securing your pets while driving.  Apparently people are all up in arms about dogs riding freely in cars and not being properly secured to seat belts.  That is great if you want to strap your pooch in a device like this:

I think I am going to pass.  Meadow would look ridiculous in this thing.  The government has already told us that our children must be in a car seat until they are 18 (slight exaggeration).  I do think children should be in a car seat but do we really need the government telling us to do so?  Some may say yes, we need to the tell morons what we expect of them but I vote no.  That's just my opinion.

This article did not state that this was going to become a law but I wouldn't doubt pet lovers lobbying for it to become one.  Because, you know, we need more laws telling us what we can and can't do. Give me your feedback.

~Salsa~

Salsa is now the number one condiment in America. You know why? Because people like to say "salsa." "Excuse me, do you have salsa?" "We need more salsa." "Where is the salsa? No salsa?"

A little Seinfeld humor for you but I must agree, salsa is the best.  I use it all the time.  I love it in the morning on my eggs, I love it on grilled chicken and of course my favorite, I love it with chips.  I could eat chips and salsa at every meal if I could justify it being healthy for me.  But why is it I have no self control with them?  I love chocolate too but know when to put the fork down and walk away.  If you keep bringing out more chips, I'll keep eating them.  Which brings me to where I am at this moment.  After eating two bowls of chips for lunch I am now in a semi-comatose state.  My zipper on my skirt is about to rip and I think there is a ultimate fighting tournament happening in my bowels.  This happens every time but for some reason I continue to binge on chips and salsa anytime you put them in front of me.  There must be a cure for this. 

Happy 4th of July

What a great weekend I had with Spencer, family and friends.  I feel so lucky to know so many wonderful people.  After lounging on the couch all day Saturday, Spencer and I decided to head to Lake Texoma for the rest of the weekend.  I have never been to Lake Texoma.  I know, I know some of you are gasping at the moment but I have just never been a huge fan of lakes, well water in general.  I did however have an amazing trip.  We stayed at Melissa's parents house on the lake, who by the way have a beautiful home and graciously invited us to stay with them.  On Sunday we headed out on the lake on their sailboat.  I was scared at first being that my last trip on a sailboat was not the most memorable experience.  I had a blast.  Melissa's dad has been sailing for years and I felt so comfortable with him on board.  I was a little nervous when Spencer took the wheel but was so proud of how well he steered us.  That night we grilled out and hung out on their porch and watched fireworks. 

Monday morning Spencer and I set out on their seadoo.  I haven't been on a seadoo since my senior year of high school so I was little nervous at first.  I was so afraid of being thrown in the water but Spencer did a good job of keeping me on board.  Plus I had my arms wrapped so tight around him I wasn't going anywhere without him!  We came back and grabbed lunch and then floated in the cove for the rest of the afternoon.  It was such a fun, relaxing weekend that was very much needed. 

Back to a 3 Legged Household

Most everyone knows by now that I lost my baby on Monday.  This isn't something easy to talk or write about so I will make it brief. No one gets pregnant hoping to lose their unborn child so there is no way to prepare for it.  It sucks, hurts, frightens, aches and angers every inch of your body.  I keep trying to figure out what went wrong when I know deep down there is nothing I could have done to prevent it.  I guess that is what hurts the most.  I have so many friends with beautiful healthy babies and I wonder, why did this happen to me?  Why did I draw the short straw?  On the other side, if this had to happen to someone in my life I'd rather take the pain than give it to someone else.  I would never want anyone I know or love have to go through this.  I know I can handle this and that this experience will only make me stronger.  Spencer has been an amazing rock in my life and I'm so thankful to have him in my life.  To my family and friends, thank you for your encouraging words and prayers.  I love you all very much.

 I guess I'm meant to be a mommy to only one baby right now, my little 3 legged love, Meadow.

Hair Hell

This first trimester has been hair hell.  I shave my legs and 5 minutes later I feel the need to shave again.  I'm assuming it's the prenatal vitamins but I'm really ready for this to stop.  I can cut my finger nails and two weeks later they are a quarter of an inch long.  Granted, my nails have always grown long fast but not this fast.  I'm having to clip them every other day.  I'm just waiting for dark facial hair to start growing which I hear can happen.  The one positive is my hair on my head is growing fast as well.  I haven't had a haircut since the beginning of February and I'm curious how long it will get by December.  My hair hasn't been this long since I was little.  I'm thinking I might grow it out and cut it once the baby is born and donate it to charity. We'll see if I can go that long without a haircut. 

I wish I had cravings

I have always heard people say that they get wild cravings when they are pregnant.  I can't say that I have acquired any particular "cravings" but I have found foods that the near thought of eating them makes my stomach turn.  Chicken, beef, fish, fried food, pasta sauce, onions, peppers, tomato's, eggs...you know, the basic ingredients to ALL cuisines.  I have, however, found a renewed love for peanut butter and jelly.  I don't know what I would eat without pb&j by my side.  I went through a period of time in college when I despised peanut butter.  I don't know if I ate so much of it as a kid that I grew to hate it (similar to meatloaf which I still despise) but fortunately it was just a phase.  I'm hoping this is just a phase and my love for meat returns...soon.

Baby What?

So, it's official now, I'm having a baby.  I wasn't sure at first I believed the at home test I took when it read, "pregnant".  Reason number 1 being that I drank like a fish the day before I found out and took my baby to a NASCAR event (can't get anymore white trash than that) and reason number 2 I couldn't believe this could really be happening.  Spencer and I had decided that we would start trying to have babies after our 1 year anniversary, I didn't think I would get pregnant ON our 1 year anniversary.  Funny how things work out.  So our 1 year anniversary present to ourselves will turn into another big present on Christmas because our due date is December 27th.  This will truly be the best gift ever. 

We are 8 1/2 weeks along with 31 1/2 weeks to go.  I went to the doctor on Tuesday and she said we are right on track to having a healthy baby this winter.  Here is little britches first photoshoot.  I'm sure you will be glad to know that my baby has a head and butt.  We'll worry about the kneecaps another day.

Bobcat Retreat

I drove Saturday morning to Waco to spend time with my fellow bobcats, Kristi and Jen.  Jen moved into a new home so we got a grand tour of her new residence.  Her daughter Harper is as cute as can be with just bundles of energy.  Kristi's son is as sweet as can be and has an adorable smile.  I couldn't believe that it has been 12 years since we met at Falls Hall our freshman year.  I have some of the best memories with these girls and couldn't imagine life without them.  Love you!

The Laundry room

I forgot to add photos of the laundry room.

Floor Rejuvenation

We finally have new flooring in our living room and hallway.  Two weekends ago Grant and I busted our tails removing the flooring in the hallway to the bedrooms while Spencer tiled the laundry room.  We got the laundry room finished the past Sunday and the new flooring installed yesterday.  Goodbye carpet, hello hardwood!

Rain Delay

So after much pulling, scrapping, sanding and cursing we finally removed the laminate flooring in our hallway.  I swear ten gallons of glue were used to seal about 60 square feet of flooring.  It was ridiculous.  We are getting new flooring in our living room and I wanted the new flooring to match the hallway so it had to be removed.  We could have paid the installers to remove it but we are cheap and thought we could save a few bucks by doing it ourselves.  And when I say ourselves, it was Grant and myself doing all the manual labor.  Don't worry Spence, I have my eye on you.

A week ago we planned to do house work on Saturday and then relax on Sunday at the NASCAR races.  I never thought I would be as sore as I was on Sunday morning nor did I think it was going to be below 60 degrees and raining.  Had I known all the variables before hand, I would have thrown in the towel and stayed home.  After five hours of tailgating, which consisted of me complaining and sitting in the car, the race was called off due to unfavorable driving conditions until Monday.  Spencer asked if I wanted to call into work and head to the races but I prefer having my toes nice and toasty by my floor heater.

Heaven on Earth

Spencer and I had a wonderful time in Austin this weekend celebrating our 1 year anniversary.  We left Friday afternoon and headed straight to our hotel in downtown.  We changed and went down to the warehouse district for some drinks.  We stood on the rooftop of some bar and listened to live music.  It was a perfect night to be outside.  Saturday we drove to San Marcos to visit the outlet mall and to have my favorite hamburger in the whole world from the Tap Room...I can still taste sweet bun on my lips.  We headed back to Austin and changed to get ready for the Final Four games. Apparently I thought I was a baller too that night and went drink for drink with Spencer. Boy was that a big mistake. 

I woke up Sunday morning around 7am feeling surprisingly well and went for a run around Town Lake. Five miles later I no longer felt surprisingly well and wanted to pump everything out of my stomach.  After hours of (self inflicted) agonizing pain we had our massages and went to dinner at Roys.  They had a special table set up for us when we arrived with a special message inserted inside our menu.  The food was amazing and so was the service.  After dinner we went back to our hotel room and pulled out our 1 year anniversary cake and polished it off. 

It was a great weekend and I couldn't imagine spending it with anyone else (mainly because I married Spencer so it would be weird to celebrate with someone else).  I still can't believe it has been a whole year but I guess time flys when you're having fun.

On a side note, Sunday morning when we were getting into the elevator a girl was stepping out with her friends and said "this hotel is so amazing, it's like heaven on earth". We chuckled to ourselves and I thought, that will be my next blog title.

Almost 1 Year and Counting

Welcome all to my blog. I figured in between episodes of The Office I could find time to update everyone on my life. I can't promise you that I will post riveting stories of my daily activities but I can guarantee to be honest which I'm sure will scare and worry most of you.

So this Sunday will be Spencer's and my 1 year anniversary. This morning we were talking about how nervous, excited, overwhelmed and happy we were feeling the days before our vows. I couldn't sleep, lying in bed worrying if I had ordered my cake for delivery for the right date or if I had booked our plane tickets to the wrong destination. In the end, everything turned out beautiful and we couldn't have asked for a better day.

This first year has had it's ups and downs. Spencer was laid off a month before our wedding so we had six loooong months of a spending freeze which wasn't easy with Meadow's leg amputation after her car accident, our washing machine and A/C breaking and numerous issues with my car. We both also lost our grandmothers in the last 12 months but somehow we came out stronger than ever. Spencer now has a new job which has some added perks for me (Neiman's here I come). We have the best three legged dog in the world and a beautiful home for us all to spend time together. And I turned 30 and don't feel a day older than 21. This year hasn't been easy but I couldn't imagine it any other way.

We are looking forward to celebrating our 1 year in Austin, the city we started dating in almost 5 years ago. I'm looking forward to shopping, dining and spending a relaxing weekend with my best friend. I feel truly blessed and hope the next 50 years are as exciting as this one.