Throwback Thursday

Here's another entry from my e-journal during my pregnancy...

May 9^th (9 weeks pregnant)

Mother’s Day.  We had Michael’s family & my family over for lunch & to view our Europe pictures.  We had thought about telling them our news (I had a vision of putting the ultrasound picture as the last slide), but Michael wanted to wait until after the next doctor appointment.  Then he decided I was stressing him out too much being anxious that people would guess the news so he said, “Let’s just do it Sunday.”  We both had reservations (fear that I would still miscarry), but decided to do it.  We took a picture of the ultrasound & put it at the end.  We also put a picture of Sadie dog that we had on the camera before the ultrasound picture to give us some warning & also show our “first baby”.  We ate lunch (Michael smoked brisket & pulled pork) & then started the slide show.  People in attendance – my mom, my dad, my sister, Michael’s mom, Michael’s grandma, Michael’s sister & brother-in-law & their two kids & Michael’s little brother.  I sat next to Michael on the fireplace to help narrate the pictures.  I started having major anxiety somewhere in the middle of the pictures.  I got very nervous & wanted to change my mind & wait to tell them.  I was feeling very much on display & worried we were making a mistake.  If I miscarried, I felt like I would be fine.  We now know we’re fertile & could try again.  But I knew it would be more upsetting if we told people (for us & them).  Now I’m glad we did tell them because if I had miscarried, I probably would have wanted my mom!  But I was having cold sweats during the slide show.  When we got towards the end, I was super jumpy.  It was going to be real!  When Michael clicked on the Sadie slide, everyone laughed (I think I had put my running visor on her because it makes me laugh & she tolerates me when I have a treat).  I told Michael, “We can stop” because I was so nervous.  He looked at me & probably tried to figure out what was wrong with me.  I’m sure I had crazy eyes.  Then he said, “This actually isn’t the last slide.”  And then he showed the ultrasound.  It all became a little bit of a blur after that.  My mom jumped up & started crying & ran to hug me.  My sister did, too.  Michael’s mom was tickled by my family's reaction & was really excited.  My dad just sat there kind of stunned.  I told my mom & sister to stop crying because it was making me tear up.  All my anxiety went away & it turned into excitement to tell everyone the details.  Everyone was super excited & gave us lots of hugs.  The moms agreed it was a great Mother’s Day surprise.  We told everyone not to tell anyone for two & a half weeks (until my next appointment) since I was not out of the woods yet.  Especially Facebook!  Michael’s dad was in Lubbock visiting Michael’s brother, sister-in-law & their kids.  Michael called his dad & had him put it on speaker phone to give them the news.  Then we made sure they knew to keep it quiet.  Everyone asked how I’d been feeling (crappy still).  My mom said she never threw up & felt similar to how I’d been feeling, so I was thinking I took after her & wouldn’t get sick.  I told my sister this was the reason I wasn’t playing kickball & asked if she had been able to tell.  She had no idea!  I must be a good actress.  Have decided that I would prefer growing my baby in a pod rather than in me.  Not a test tube baby.  A pod that I can keep in the backyard or in the guest bedroom.  That way I can still go & spend time with it & “bond”, but I don’t have to give up wine or certain foods or feel bad or get fat.  I think it’s a great idea.  Pregnancy isn’t my favorite & I think this is a great alternative.  It would still be my genetic child & it could hear my voice & get used to me.  I share my thoughts with our families.  They think I’m funny & tell me I’ll change my mind as the pregnancy goes on.  I don’t doubt them but I also think the pod idea is pretty dang good.  It was so nice to be able to tell a few people & get it off my chest.  AHHHH…

Michael & I in front of the Spanish Steps in Rome

 The castle in Tossa de Mar, Spain (one of our favorite places!)

The picture of Sadie we put in the slide show

 The nugget!

Favorite Things

Having a baby has definitely been a learning process!  I have to admit I was pretty clueless.  I used to babysit when I was younger, but I didn't have a lot of newborn experience...  Plus, I'm pretty sure all the rules have changed since then anyway!  Luckily, I had friends & family members to offer advice.  There are several items that I attribute to my survival over the last ten weeks.

The Happiest Baby on the Block book

I have to admit, I haven't read the entire book but the pointers on the five "S's" definitely helped with Alex.

Summer Infant SwaddleMe Cotton Knit

Speaking of the five "S's", we used regular blankets to swaddle Alex at first, but he was able to easily break out of them within a week or two.  This velcro contraption does a much better job at keeping him contained.  When he gets tired, we just have to wrap him up & he usually falls asleep right away.  He stays asleep longer, too!

Exercise Ball

Not your normal baby product, but it's been a real lifesaver!  Alex loves to be held while you bounce on the ball.  It calms him, puts him to sleep & is pretty much baby magic.  My friend Alisa told me her daughter loved bouncing on the ball, so I tried it one day when Alex was the Crankiest Baby on the Block.  Bam - success!  My back felt like it had been attacked by a jackhammer by the end of the first day, but it was worth it.  And I'm happy to report I can now bounce on the ball for hours without much pain.  :)  One downside is not being able to take it with me wherever I go.  There have been several times at restaurants, stores & the doctor's office where I needed the magic ball!

Baby 411 book

I've had this book at my reach since Alex came home - it has been extremely helpful!  It's exactly what it says it is - clear answers & smart advice for your baby's first year.  It's easy to find information & I've only whipped it out about a million times to look up something.

Mommy's Time Out

Since I'm not able to put Alex in time out yet for not doing what I want, I sometimes have to send myself...  Again, not your typical baby product but a necessity for my sanity!  :)  And remember people - if Mom's not happy, no one's happy!

I still may be fairly clueless, but I think we've done pretty good so far.  What do you think, Alex?

Throwback Thursday

While I was pregnant, I kept an electronic journal to document the experience.  I didn't usually have time to write something each day, so I'd sit down every few weeks & type what I could remember from the previous days.  Luckily, I have a pretty good memory!

I've decided that on Thursdays, I'm going to try to post a day out of the journal aka Throwback Thursday!  I can't promise I'll do it every Thursday, but I'll try my best.
 

April 28^th

Had appointment with OBGYN.  Michael came to this one.  She did a full exam & then did a ultrasound.  The doctor said, “Let’s see how many are in there.”  Hadn’t even thought of twins until this point & felt a little panicked.  She moved the ultrasound around a lot & Michael thought it was because she didn’t see anything.  Later he realized she was just trying to see if there was more than one.  Then she pointed out a blob on the screen & said it was our baby.  Looked like a chicken nugget to me.  Then she turned on the sound & I wondered why my heart was beating so fast.  Then I actually realized it was the baby’s heartbeat.  I think the doctor was looking for a bigger reaction from Michael & me, but we were stunned.  Michael said I couldn’t stop grinning but I remember it being a nervous smile.  I was just thinking – this is so weird!  Then she measured the baby & estimated I was 7 & a half weeks along.  She changed my due date to Dec. 14^th.  This means I got pregnant right before our trip to Europe.  I thought maybe it was a Europe baby, but I guess the little thing wanted to come on our trip with us.  We asked the doctor when she thought it would be ok to tell people & she recommended after the next appointment (in a month).  My thyroid condition makes my risk of miscarriage higher & we wanted to be safe.  I started calling the baby “chicken nugget” because it freaked me out less than referring to it as a baby.  I wasn’t ready for the B-A-B-Y word yet!  Michael started doing it, too, and eventually it just became the nugget...

On a side note, Alex wanted to send 

this special message to his Grammy today.

 (The paper apparently looked delicious!)

Happy Thursday everyone!

The Elusive Smile...

Alex started smiling & laughing around six weeks old.  Each week he gets more expressive.  But every time I pull out the camera, he either freezes up or the camera doesn't snap the picture in time.  Today I tried once again to catch his smile in action...

Too focused on the camera

Getting closer...

SUCCESS!

TEN Years!

I met Michael ten years ago today!  Yes, we met on Valentine's Day...  Funny because I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day.  It just seems to be a day to make all the single people feel bad about themselves.  Ten years ago, OSU played OU in basketball at home (we beat OU - Go Pokes!!).  One of my friends had invited Michael to come to the game & she introduced us.  We went to Michael's apartment after the game to hang out with some of his friends.  I pulled my friend aside to ask her a) if Michael was single (yes) and b) if she was interested in him (no).  Michael & I hit it off & he called me the next day to invite me over to watch Gladiator.  There was some confusion about his name.  Everyone (and I mean everyone) called him Cliff, but he called himself Michael when he left a voicemail on my phone.  I asked my friends what I should call him.  One of my friends said, "Well, do you see him as boyfriend material?  If you think it's going to be casual, call him Cliff.  If you think it could turn into something, call him Michael."  I went with Michael & I guess it was good advice!

So today I just want to give a shout out to my man.  Love you!!  I'm so blessed to have you in my life.  I didn't know I could love you more than I already do, but seeing you as a father is incredible.  I thought the sleepless nights would cause more friction between us (and we definitely have our moments) but we've found ways to support each other through the rough parts.  I look forward to the next 10 years - the ups & even the downs.

In closing, I'll leave you with this picture in honor of 10 years with Michael & Wayne Rooney's awesome goal over the weekend (Manchester United is Michael's favorite soccer team). 

Check it out -
http://soccer-portal.org/goal-of-the-day/5691-wayne-rooney-goal-v-man-city.html
Seriously amazing bicycle kick goal to win the game!

Oh & I still don't really like Valentine's Day.  We don't do much - especially since we have our wedding anniversary to celebrate in April.  I stayed true to my sarcastic self & didn't become a V-Day enthusiast just because I found a man.  :)

Hello, Blog World

Well now that I am the proud mother of this little guy,

I decided to join the masses & start a blog to keep family & friends updated.  Deciding to start a blog was easy.  Thinking of a blog name & domain name was the hard part!!  I had no idea where to start, so I asked my mom, my sister & some friends to brainstorm.  My mom suggested something to do with shoes & I knew she was on the right track for several reasons.

1)  I love shoes.  I usually pick my shoes before picking my outfit.  I like to start with the shoes & work my way up.  Do other people do this?

2)  I'm lucky I had a pretty easy pregnancy (and I am very thankful for this) but my feet got bigger toward the end & I developed cankles.  It was a traumatic experience for me!  I read that sometimes your feet will change in size & not go back to their original size after pregnancy.  Oh, the horror!  I was very worried about this but I'm glad to report my shoes still fit.  I think God was hoping to convince me to have another baby in the future - ha!

3)  My first post-baby purchase for myself was a pair of Nine West brown boots.  Love them!  I didn't buy a lot of shoes during the pregnancy (other than a boring pair of black wedge shoes for work) & it sure felt good to break that streak.  One good thing about having a baby in December - lots of online sales to shop during those sleepless nights...

4)  Speaking of online shopping, I came across a pair of fabulous high heels a few weeks ago.  I emailed the link to my friend Ashley (we support each others' shoe addictions, right or wrong) & I jokingly commented on how perfect they would be for taking Alex to the playground.  But I pointed out that I could wear them to work - I'd just have to have Michael pick Alex up from daycare since I'm not sure it would be safe to tote him around in these babies.  She responded that she'd love to hear the conversation between Michael & I where I explain to him that he has daycare duty due to the height of my shoes - ha!  Here's a picture, so you can get the idea.

5)  We decided to buy a breast pump since nursing was going well (I had originally rented one from the hospital).  I went online to find the best deal & was ready to checkout but I just didn't want to push the "purchase" button.  I said out loud, "Man, I just hate to spend so much money..."  Michael made a comment back, "You wouldn't be saying that if it was a pair of shoes."  He sure called me out on that one!  I couldn't help but laugh - he knows me too well.

6)  Shortly after adopting our Australian Cattle Dog, Sadie, about five years ago, we had an incident with one of my flip flops.  Sadie liked to chew on things for the first year we had her & she just happened to destroy my perfectly worn in flip flop.  They were only $3 flip flops from Old Navy but like I already said - they were perfectly worn in.  There was no yelling or screaming.  I simply sat her down & had a frank conversation with her.  I explained that I would overlook this behavior once, but if she ever touched another of my shoes, she would find herself without a home very quickly.  Once Alex gets old enough, I will have the same conversation with him.  :)  Sadie took the message to heart & has left my shoes alone since that day.

After much consideration, I came up with the title "If the Shoe Fits?"  The design is still a work in progress - I have a friend working on some better graphics, so stay tuned.  This blog will chronicle my journey as I learn how to find balance between my old self (shoe loving, wine drinking, slightly self absorbed girl) & my new self (shoe loving, wine drinking, slightly less self absorbed mom).  I sure love my little man but I'm glad I haven't morphed into a Stepford Wife.

I'll leave you with a few of my favorite pictures of Alex.

I love this outfit!  The shirt says "I'm new here".  Thanks, Aunt Amanda!

He's not that big on pacifiers right now, but he loves his hand!

Little Red Sox fan!

This picture cracks me up!  I must have caught him in between expressions because this doesn't even look like him.  It's the goofiest picture.  My mom & I just about cry from laughing so hard every time we look at it.

Oh & by the way...  I bought the black heels pictured above.  Yay!  Can't wait to wear them on a date night once all the snow melts!  :)