The Great Ice of '11

Last year at this time, Sam kept referring to the weather as the "Great Snow of '10" because we hadn't seen that much snow in our area in years, and the snow just kept coming and going every couple of weeks throughout the winter. It was the most beautiful snow - coating the tiniest of tree limbs and making our neighborhood such a winter wonderland. We only missed one day of work last year - and it happened to be on a staff development day, so only the staff in the district had to make-up those hours. Snow is way different than ice, though, and this year, we've gotten ICE. So, we're calling this year's winter weather the "Great Ice of '11." (And, you have to say it with a deep, deliberate voice to make it sound as important as it is!)

So far, we've missed four school days in a row due to road conditions (and I suspect there may be some heating and power costs taken into consideration when deciding to cancel school or not given the extremely low temperatures). While I hate that we have to make up these days later on - during a hectic late spring as children are losing their minds, parents are losing their minds, and therefore teachers are losing their minds - I am trying to make the most of being stuck at home:

-Day 1: I slept in. I napped throughout the day. I did not get out of my pajamas except to shower. I spent a lot of time online looking up baby names. I made lists of things I needed to do once I got back to my office. I talked to my sister on the phone for a while - which happens too little! When Sam got home from work (yes, he had to go in), I watched him try to get up the driveway to the garage over and over, trying not to laugh too much. (Finally, he put sand down on his side of the driveway to make his way up, which worked wonderfully!) I found out there was no school for the next day, getting slightly upset that we'll have to make up that day after what is technically the last day of school. I started thinking this baby might be here before school's out. We made dinner and had some deep, amazing discussions before watching some TV. Then, we made s'mores!

-Day 2: Sam found out he didn't have to go in to work because the office power was out. Yea! We had a great day together... we nested a little and cleaned out the kitchen cabinets and started making room for Baby. We now know where bottles, bowls, etc will go once he's here! We sat in front of the amazing fire that Sam built. Sam did a little bit of work, while I watched some TV. Then, we did a little research as we started thinking about what we want to register for and buy for Little Man. I talked to my best friend, who told me she accepted a new job that starts next week! Again, I stayed in my pj's all day. I did shower, but once I knew school was called off the next day, I refused to dry my hair. That was actually more of a treat than most of you will ever know! I talked to my dad (an OB/GYN) who reassured me that Baby will not, in fact, fall out of me or open my cervix from all the pounding I'm feeling inside. When I told him that I feel like I just don't understand what all is happening in there because it would seem that the baby moving so powerfully would make my uterus contract or something, he made me feel so reassured when he said, "I've been doing this for 35 years, and I still don't understand that!" He said everything I'm feeling is completely normal for this stage of pregnancy, and that made Sam and me feel awesome! In fact, what was even better - while I was talking to my best friend in Houston about our pregnancies, Sam felt the baby move for the first time! It was amazing!

-Day 3: (and the first day of Week 22!) Sam slept in just a little, then he got up to go to the office... leaving me at home alone, totally bummed after our fun day together on Day 2! :( So sad - being completely isolated just the two of us with no plans, no obligations, and no where to go - it kind of felt like a mini-moon all over again! We had even commented that it's a good thing we actually really LIKE each other and don't get sick of each other! We also realize it's one of the rare last times we would have weekdays off without a baby in the mix... so we're just soaking it up for now. Before he left for work, he excitedly brought me the cup of water-turned-ice that he had set outside last night for his little science experiment. He was like a little kid, excited that he had "made ice" in a plastic cup overnight...all grinning and proud of himself. The rest of the day was spent trying to find things to occupy my mind & time: making mac 'n cheese to go with my orange for lunch (yes, it's weird... no big cravings at this point, but I notice that I coincidentally totally enjoy orange-colored foods), watching Oprah, reading friends' blogs, talking to my mom, talking to my mother-in-law, ordering childcare books on Amazon, making a grocery list, and ultimately, waiting to see if school would be canceled for a fourth day in a row. Of course, my school district took its sweet time in announcing it, but lo and behold: School's Canceled! Sam stopped at the grocery store on his way home, we ate dinner, watched our Thursday night shows, and then began downloading some Beatles lullaby iTunes for Baby J's playlist! Around midnight, it started snowing again, so we stood in the dining room looking out the window watching the beautiful snowfall. Then, it was bedtime!

-Day 4: Around 6AM, Baby Boy must have been excited for another snow day because he started "jumping" up and down. This kept me up, and therefore Sam, until we all fell back to sleep watching the news. Due to the accumulation of snow, Sam got to work from home again! Yahoo! I slept in before getting on the treadmill for a bit - desperately in need of some activity! Next, Sam and I headed out to play in the 6+ inches of snow! Like big kids, we wrote our names in the snow, and we might have written a few possible baby names in the snow as well. :) You won't find those pictures here, though! We also were mesmerized as we caught snowflakes and had such an epiphany: snowflakes really do look like snowflakes! They are so beautifully crafted. We took a few pictures of them, you'll see one below that Sam took of my hair with perfect little snowflakes! Anyway, frozen fingered, we headed back in for hot chocolate and some lunch. Then, it was time to get out the old bread machine! We decided to make some home-made cinnamon rolls. Although they took a long time to make (which we certainly had plenty of time for!), we thoroughly enjoyed them at the end of the evening! By the time we finished these sweet treats, our "snow day" had officially ended. Sam touched up Baby Boy's Bachelor Pad, and I posted this entry! The only thing left to do this evening is let Baby Boy listen to our playlist we started last night - for his first official jam session - or music appreciation lesson, whichever you want to call it! Here are some pics from Day 4:

And, this last snow picture I included just for Sam - he wrote the "numbers" from Lost - gee, how surprising!

Cinnamon Roll Dough

Ready to go in the oven

And, then, ready to be ICEd!

What a "Great Ice of '11" - laying low and having lots of "me" time, no make-up for about a week, not having to dry my hair!, hot chocolate, catching up with friends and family on the phone, nesting, spending time with Sam, sleeping in, staying in comfy pjs, and playing in the snow! Even when so many of us in my area have been itching to get out of the house, it's been nice to just stop and relax! Here's to the "Great Ice of '11" and an extra "spring" break this semester!

Baby Boy's Bachelor Pad

When I first moved in to my new home over 4 years ago, my sister was my roommate, and we chose to paint her room a beautiful shade of purple/blue that went well with her bedspread and could be a great color for a child's room years later. I love this shade, and I thought it would look great with furniture for a girl or a boy. However, as the reality of a baby living in this room really hit Sam and me, we decided the shade was a bit too feminine for our boy, and the furniture we've selected would look better with a brighter, lighter hue. So, the daunting task of painting the room became more of a reality. Lucky for me, I didn't have to lift a finger during this process - other than heading the color-selection-committee since my husband is colorblind. I think we did pretty good, though, given Sam's handicapping blindness to color! Sam and his dad took charge of getting this paint job done, while I stayed at my mom's house for 2 nights to escape the process and the fumes. This bachelor pad will be a work in progress for Baby Boy - even though his furniture has already been ordered! - but here are a few pictures of before and after!

Thank you, Sam and Richard! You guys did a fabulous job!

BEFORE: (Kind of hard to see how purple it is, really.)

DURING:
AFTER: (a lighter, calmer, cooler shade!)


And, one other fun picture - while I was at my mom's, my niece got to hear her cousin's heartbeat while in his CURRENT bachelor pad. We laughed when we could hear him moving around in there, too. Of course, that made me laugh, which made the speaker go crazy with loud, monstrous sounds! :)

Worrying about Parental Worry

20 weeks pregnant, and I've never worried like I've worried for the past 16 weeks or so. I'm not exactly sure when most people would say you've become a "parent." Is it when you first lay eyes on your baby? Is it when you find out there's a baby on the way? Is it when you are taking care of ANYTHING - dog, cat, baby? What really defines the beginning of parenthood? I'm really not sure - and the purpose of this post is not to define that for anyone or even myself. It's just to reflect on how "parental" I already feel just knowing there's a baby on the way. And, I'm a little worried about this "parental" feeling given that it consists of so much WORRY!

I know I sound naive, and obviously, I've never done this before so it comes with the territory. But, I knew this was coming. I may be new at this, but it doesn't take a genius to know parents worry - to know that I will have lots of sleepless nights freaking out about my baby's health, my child's future, my decisions as a parent, etc. And none of my concern or worry for my baby surprises me or Sam - it's just so deep and so immediate!

So, what AM I worried about? (The better question might be what am I NOT worried about?!) Well, first and foremost, I'm worried about the health and survival of our little one. My biggest frustration (other than the indigestion/reflux that taunts me every minute of every day even before I've eaten anything!) is the fact that there is a human being inside of me that I cannot check in on at all until the doctor decides it's time for a sonogram that never lasts long enough! I've been told by family members that I need to try to relax and not worry about this feeling - but that's so much easier said than done. Those that say this are concerned that when the baby is actually here, I will continue to worry and want to check in on the baby all the time if I'm already feeling that way. Well, who knows how I'll be when the baby is actually here - I won't know until he is here. However, even knowing that a quick peek or a listen to the monitor will reassure me makes me believe that I'll be okay. The problem with the womb is that there is no window! I have no idea if the baby is growing okay, no signals on a daily basis that development is on track. And, if you've read any of my previous posts or know me already, you would know that I don't do well with the unknown. So, welcome to parenthood, right? The world of the unknown. This must be nature/God's way of helping parents dive right into the scary waters of uncontrollable unknowing!

Because I worry about the health and development of our baby, and because I'm the sole care-taker of him right now, I worry that the decisions I make might adversely affect him. I worry about the foods I eat, the medicines I take (to control this damn reflux!), the activities I do, the stress I experience, etc. Anything from dancing too much at my best friend's wedding to having to slam on my breaks in a near auto collision (which makes my heart pound as my adrenaline soars) can worry me. In reality, I know that women have babies all the time, that many of them don't even know they are pregnant until way later in the pregnancy, that babies have been born to women since the beginning of time. And, that all of these women had days of stress, days of bad eating, days of sickness, days of scares and adrenaline rushes. So, I recognize that my fears and concerns are (somewhat) silly and uncalled for. But, again, this is new, and I'm entitled to feel the way I feel.

Those two issues are probably the biggest, most concerning at this point. Of course there are other worries - will delivery be safe, will I be a good parent, will Sam & I be on the same page about most of our decisions, will we pick the safest car seat (or stroller, or tub, or mattress, or crib, or bottle, etc!!) how will we manage our personal, couple, family, and friend times, will we afford everything we need/want for our child, will my body recover well or EVER look remotely like it did before, will nursing go well, should I be a stay-at-home mom or a working-outside-the-home mom, will he like his name - heck, will I ever pick a name and stop worrying about the possible nicknames or playground taunts!!...etc. But, another concern is the mere question of - will I ever stop worrying? And, I know from my professional life that the answer is NO! I just don't want to be like so many of the mothers I see in my career - helicopter moms, moms who live only through their children, moms who won't let their children mess up or make mistakes, moms who have to control everything from their child's friendships to their child's teachers! I want my child to know that I believe in him, that I trust him, that I can relax a little. . . yes, I CAN relax (a little!).

To sum it up, I'm a worrier. I'm worried. I'm going to continue to worry. There's no way around it - even with logical thinking and reasoning. I am an intelligent woman; I know the statistics, I know the realities of most everything I'm concerned about. But, maybe that's what being a "parent" is all about - knowing and understanding logically but still worrying about the well-being of your own child. It's just so hard to love someone so much so fast without ever having met this person before and not having any knowledge of him except for his mere existence. I can only imagine how much more the love grows once you have met. The parental instinct to nurture and protect this creature you've never met is more than I could have ever known. It's both exciting and scary, and I'm sure it will get exponentially more intense in the coming weeks, months, and years. In the meantime, I'll just have to hope I can stop worrying, and stop worrying about being worried.

(NOTE: No, I'm not in need of psychiatric help, medical attention, or community intervention. I'm merely stating what so many parents feel and don't say. I AM able to sleep, eat, work, take care of myself, and otherwise function. Whatever you do - please don't worry about me!)

It's A.... Surprise!

At 19 weeks and 4 days along, we were able to get a second trimester screening sonogram which included the ability to tell if we were having a little Miss or a little Mr. More importantly, this sonogram would be able to show us more about our baby so we knew if he/she was healthy and growing okay. I was most interested in this part of the sonogram, of course, but because the beginning started off with quite a little shock, the rest of the appointment seems to be a bit hazy! As long as I kept hearing the sonographer and then the doctor continue to say that everything was measuring okay with statements of "Good," "Looks good," "Nice," "That's good," etc, I was still trying to take in the news that caused quite a perspective shift for us.

Remember how I said in an earlier post that we had a gender prediction at 12 weeks during our first trimester screening? Well, it wasn't just a prediction, it was a prediction with a 95% accuracy rate from a sonographer technician and 2 different doctors. Pretty impressive, if you ask me, but I still didn't trust this prediction given that I know a couple of people who had a similar prediction that was later found to be incorrect. So, Sam and I decided not to share this news, but we took it as nothing more than a prediction... a guess, really. We thought we'd just take this prediction the same way we took my mom's prediction or my colleagues' guesses, etc. We merely had a suggestion that the doctors thought. . . . . Yes, hard to really put that one out of your mind since it came with more background knowledge than the other "I have a feeling it's a ...," but we took the prediction lightly and moved on just glad that our baby was healthy.

Move forward 8 weeks, and here we are at our second trimester sono, waiting to know "for sure" what sex our baby is. 8 weeks of listening to most everyone we know tell us their uninformed, uneducated best guesses that we were having a girl - a prediction that our doctors also felt was 95% accurate. So, we kinda started believing that a little, thinking more about girl names, looking more seriously at girl decor than boy nursery styles, etc. That was 8 weeks of trying not to convince ourselves that there was a little girl inside - with an occasional usage of the pronouns "she" or "her" only with each other. I had come to bond with this baby girl, pretty sure we knew what her name was, too.

And, yesterday, at our sonogram, the sonographer placed the probe on my belly and lo and behold, we see a turtle-like structure and knew right away, without needing to be taught how to interpret that shape, that we had a little boy! In complete denial and shock, I tried hard to bring myself to understand that the doctors had been wrong, all of our friends and most of our family had been wrong. We had been wrong. I had a bonding feeling with a little girl who did not exist! I was trying so hard to really listen to what the sonographer was saying to us, but Sam and I were still taking in that we were going to have a son, not a daughter. All of a sudden, I had no idea who was in there when earlier I thought I knew. I had a sense of loss at first, even though that little girl only existed in our heads. The mind is a pretty powerful thing, we all know. It's amazing how I felt a sense of bonding to a girl that never existed. But, I do still feel a bond with this BABY... and now my gender stereotypes that I fought so much in college and graduate school are creeping in, and I am revamping my thinking from bows, dolls, princesses, and pink to Legos, trains, Batman, and blue! Lord knows I hate those stereotypes, but, sheesh, are they powerful! The other things that have seeped in and out of my head are the typical issues that affect girls and boys - you know, I won't be taking this child bra shopping, but I might help him know how to ask a girl (or boy, if that's his orientation!) out. As a parent-to-be, I've started worrying about how the world will treat my boy as opposed to a girl. How can I help this baby boy be a successful man, husband, father, brother(?), worker, etc?

So, needless to say, we were a bit caught-off-guard by the "fifth limb" we saw in the sonogram. I've mourned that baby girl a little, which at first disappointed me - that I was not more excited for a baby boy. I have felt horrible for my initial reaction for over a day now, but like I said before, the mind is a powerful thing, and I'm allowed to have a raw reaction. I have decided to be patient with myself until I can say goodbye to those fantasies in my head so I can more fully bond with Baby Boy and embrace all that having a boy means. After all, we already love this baby so much, want what is best for him, want him so desperately, and are so glad that he's healthy and growing stronger every day!

I saw myself as the mother of a daughter for months - at least with this first child, so now we have a bit of a paradigm shift and I'll be the mother of a son. And, I know boys are amazing. I married an amazing one; my nephews are all super sweet; my favorite little campers years ago were all boys; I taught/teach some of the most wonderful boys. And, I have been told that little boys adore and love their mommies so much! I already know the feeling will be mutual!

Reflecting on A Crazy Year

Last year at this time, I remember not wanting to welcome 2010. One major reason that I recall is that I'd be saying goodbye to my wedding year. 2009 was such a great year of planning and excitement getting ready for my wedding and settling into married life. But, as time will not stand still, 2010 had to come eventually. And, did it ever make it's impact! I don't really know the best way to describe this year as it had some major ups and some major downs. I remember eating a black-eyed pea on New Year's Day last year - participating for the first time in a superstitious tradition that my aunt has always encouraged us to choose. Well, I listened this year, and I'm not sure if it was a good thing or not. I'm a little torn on whether to partake in the black-eyed pea eating again this year. So, let me take this opportunity to reflect on my year and make a good, well-thought out decision.

This year:

• Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She endured numerous surgeries, biopsies, and recoveries along with chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She lost her breasts, she lost her hair, she lost her energy. But, she fought with courage and bravery. And, she's cancer-free and she's won so much more than she lost!
• I met my youngest nephew, Colby, this year. He's precious, and it's fun to get to know his personality and to watch Colby's big brother, Miles, become just that - a big brother.
• I watched my oldest nephew, Caden, walk across the stage to get his Kindergarten diploma after a year of being his school counselor - a treat not many aunts get! And, then, I welcomed my niece, Mara, to her Kindergarten year as her school counselor as well.
• We said goodbye to some of our dear friends - Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Sun, Jin, Sayid, Claire, and the possibility that Charlie really didn't die! We will miss Lost dearly.
• Sam survived the scariest moment in both of our lives on the last day of school last spring. His car turned over 3 times, and he was able to go home from the ER after only 7 hours of being monitored for internal injuries. Miraculously, he was able to walk away from an accident that could have drastically injured or killed him.
• My little brother graduated from high school the day after Sam's accident. His DVD highlighting the past four years of high school was presented to the entire graduating class and commencement audience. He did a great job!
• 2 weeks after Sam's accident, we spent 2 weeks in Europe and on the Mediterranean! We went to Spain, France, England, and Italy in a matter of a few days of each other. We ventured to places we'd only ever heard about, ate amazing foods, relaxed on an unforgettable cruise, and saw more statues than we could have imagined.
• We celebrated my 30th birthday in a way I would never want to change. I was surprised by my friends and family before the actual day, then we were at sea on my actual birthday, and we celebrated in a very romantic, emotional evening just glad that we were both together and alive.
• I got to pick out a car of my choosing when we got back from our honeymoon. And, I still love it!
• Although I had surgery right when the school year was starting, I was finally able to put an end to some troublesome issues, and I healed easily and quickly.
• We celebrated our first anniversary by staying at the same hotel in which we got married, exchanged some of the best gifts ever, and ate year-old cake that tasted better a year later than it did on our wedding night.
• I helped to co-captain a team in honor of my mother's survival and to help raise money for Race for the Cure in Dallas. Our team, Saving Second Base, not only had some of the cutest shirts the morning of the race, but we also raised over $10,000 with help from family and friends!
• My best friend allowed me the opportunity to be a matron-of-honor in her wedding. She was the last of my close friends to get married, and we went "all out" that weekend! We had a blast both that night and during all the events (showers, bachelorette parties, dinners) beforehand.
• We were introduced to our newest cousin, Marin! Only a couple months after she was adopted, her parents announced that Marin would be a big sister in June!
• In October, we found out we had finally conceived! After months of trying, we were elated to find out we had a baby on the way. We also got to share our news this calendar year, and we have so much to be thankful for.

So, if I look back at my list and think of all the things that have happened, even the horribly scary things - everything turned out well in the end! Maybe I will eat another black-eyed pea this year. Here's to 2011 being filled with only amazing events and blessings!

The Post I've Been Waiting to Post!!!

I'll cut right to the chase and announce our big news:

We're Pregnant!

We are thrilled...elated...beyond excited to finally share our news with the world! I've been waiting to "blog" about my pregnancy for quite a while - trying to hold off on the writing that comes as a natural outlet for me, which has been exceptionally difficult given that this is the most exciting thing that has happened to me in my entire life and I couldn't share it with people close to me! It's been hard to keep my baby a secret when I am so excited about him/her, yet it's been kind of nice to savor being one of a few people who knew about my little one... at one time, I was the only one who knew about him/her! So, here's how it's been for the past 3+ months...I'll cut to the chase and be quick about my descriptions:

HOW I TOLD MYSELF:
After awaiting my monthly "pal" and not seeing any signs of her any time soon, I woke up very early one Saturday morning after Sam left to go to the dentist. I decided to go ahead and take a test and either go back to bed or begin preparing my "tell plan" if it was positive. So, after a minute or so of staring at a pee stick, there it was, the word I'd been waiting to see: PREGNANT! I just stared at it, elated but in disbelief. I smiled to myself, then climbed back in bed to stare at the stick a little longer. Then, after a few minutes of getting my heart to stop pounding, I got my act together and headed to the store to pick up a few items.

HOW I TOLD SAM:
After running some errands, taking one more pregnancy test, and getting my plan together, Sam met me back at the house to prepare some TX/OU treats for our friends' watching party that afternoon. After what seemed to be the longest (and quite disappointing!) game, it was finally time to implement my long-thought-out plan. I told Sam I needed to run over to my mom's house because I "forgot something there yesterday." He was fine with that since we were so close to her house already. As we got out of the car, I said, "Can I ask you a question?" which was the same question he asked me nearly 2 years ago at the exact same location. "Yeah," he said. "Isn't this where you first told me you loved me?" which was the same question he asked me 2 years ago. "Yeah?" he said with a grin... knowing now what was probably coming. "Isn't this where you asked me to be your wife?" I asked. "Uh huh," he replied. "Well, then, this is where I wanted to be when I asked you if you would be a daddy to our baby," I said as I opened a jewelry box with the two positive pregnancy tests. "Seriously?!" he replied. I nodded, still waiting for a response! :) He just hugged me with small tears in his eyes and the biggest grin ever! Later that evening, we spent hours just talking about our excitement, what it was like to find out this information, how we would share our news, who we would tell, what our fears were, what names we liked, etc. It was quite a night for us!

WHAT THE DOCTOR SAID:
A couple weeks later, we were able to confirm the pregnancy with blood work and 2 different sonograms! We got to see that everything was going well internally and by week 7, we got to see a flickering heartbeat, and we were given a due date, too. By week 12, we got to see how big our baby had grown in a few weeks, got to hear a heartbeat, got to see that everything was measuring well, and got a gender prediction that the doctor says is 95% accurate! No, sorry, not telling that part yet though! We have known some predictions to be wrong, so we're waiting to share that information until later in the pregnancy.

HOW WE TOLD EVERYONE:
Sam and I wanted to wait until we were 12 weeks along before disclosing the baby's existence to everyone. It just so happened, perfectly, that I was 12 weeks on Thanksgiving! At both of our family meals, we went around the table to say what everyone was thankful for. I said I was thankful for my mother's health and my husband's safety (which I am beyond thankful for both!!), and Sam also said something similar - thankful for being alive! After everyone shared their thoughts, we announced! At my mom's house, I said, "I am also thankful that 12 years ago today, Sam and I went on our first date, and 12 is an important number because it's also how many weeks pregnant I am today." At Sam's house, he said, "I am also thankful that we will be adding another summer birthday to our family," (since everyone except his brother-in-law has a summer birthday!). Both families took a few seconds to digest the information before getting so excited and loud! Hugs and kisses were shared, smiles, tears, and questions, too!

Later that evening, we went to my dad's family's meal to join them for dessert and to make our announcement. Dad already knew (I had told him 2 weeks before - he's an OB/GYN, and it was hard not to tell him when I had questions!), and he said he had a plan for how to tell. So, his brilliant plan was to ding his water glass and shout out, "Sammy has an announcement!" Well, if that didn't give it away, nothing else could - but Sam stood up and let everyone know I was pregnant. After that, I invited one of my best friends over to my mom's house "for dessert" - there WAS a lot left over. When she got there, I told her I had a video I wanted her to see. I played the DVD of our sonogram from 2 days before (yes, a DVD of the sonogram...how cool!), and she stared at the baby image on the screen saying, "What's that?... Whose is that? Is that yours?!" I replied, "That's my baby!!" Her response was something like, "Shut up! Really!?" We hugged, we talked, we were so excited!

In the coming days, we emailed our friends and told more family. The following week, I was able to share my news with my coworkers at an after-school faculty meeting. After some routine announcements about work-related items, I said, "I have another exciting announcement! Ms. ___ is expecting twins!" - telling my coworkers about the other pregnant person at my school. Ms. ____ stood up among all the clapping and cheers. She said, "Yes. I'm due in June, on the same day that Amber's baby is due!" Louder cheering followed, as people were not expecting that to be the next announcement! It was a cool idea to be able to share the news for each other and not have to be in the spotlight while saying our own news - both of us are a little shy! :)

OTHER EXCITING NEWS:
When I was about 8 weeks along, my cousin called me at work with some exciting news. She and her husband had been waiting to adopt - waiting to be a match for a birth family. This phone call was to announce that they had finally become the parents they had wanted to be. They had a daughter, a newborn baby girl that they were on their way to go meet! I was thrilled for them! I was so, so happy for their news, and I couldn't wait to meet my newest cousin!! Because the baby was in the NICU for a few weeks, it would take a little while before I would get to meet her. However, she got to come home this past weekend!

The day after my newborn baby cousin got to come home, our family had a Hanukkah party, where the first gift given was from the new mom to her parents. My aunt & uncle opened their gift, a photo album of their new granddaughter's first few weeks of life in the hospital. The last picture was of the baby girl and my cousin holding two signs. One sign displayed how old the baby was that day. The second sign said, "Mommy is 12 weeks today!" Although it took a second to click, I realized what they were telling me/us was that she was pregnant - and only one week behind my due date! Given that this cousin and I are the same age, same grade, went through the same college, same Sunday school, same sorority, etc. together - it was only fitting that we will deliver our babies in the same month! I spent all night trying to wrap my head around the fact that she's going to have an 8 month old baby AND a newborn this summer! So cool!

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Needless to say, this new development in our lives will give me PLENTY to write about! I already have so much to say about the whole pregnancy thing - how others react, how I feel, how different it is to actually experience pregnancy, feeling like a mother already, saying goodbye to my own childhood and my own selfishness, going to the doctor, my changing body, connecting with my baby, maternity clothes, and all that comes with this whole new world! Oh Blog, it's time to unleash more feelings, more insight about the world, more uncensored perspectives!! How fun, right?! Obviously, I will have a LOT more to say in the posts that follow this one... there's so much to finally share, I'm just giving the facts right now. But, for some more emotional reflection, read on:

It's been an interesting past 3+ months - to say the least! Shortly after we knew were were pregnant, we realized a few ironic things about the timing of our little one: we were technically pregnant on our first anniversary, we conceived within the week of the Jewish new year, and we conceived within the same week that Mom finished her cancer treatments. Our baby's due date is within the same week as the anniversary of Sam's "terrifying miracle" accident.

Sam and I are more in love than ever - watching my belly grow, hearing our baby's heartbeat, watching sonograms, planning for our baby's arrival and for our future, being there for each other during mood swings, morning sickness, and worry-sessions, loving each other and what we've created. We can't wait to be parents together, and we are already feeling very parental - worrying about our baby's health and safety and thinking about what we want for him/her. I'm 16 weeks pregnant today, and I pray for a safe, strong, healthy, happy, growing baby! I pray that my body will take care of my baby and know what to do in the coming months. I pray for a healthy pregnancy and a speedy, painless (ha!) delivery! I cannot wait to meet my baby, to get to know him/her, and to share in his/her life!

I want to end this post that I've been waiting to post with this LOUD shout out to my husband. He's taken such good care of me during this time. He's cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, bringing me breakfast in bed so I don't get out of bed with an empty, nauseous tummy, understanding my concerns and worries, allowing me my nap times, complimenting my rounding belly with excitement and sensitivity, helping me pick out new clothes and not complaining about the money, rubbing my back, picking up meals, listening to my complaints, coming to every single doctor's appointment to date, and not rolling his eyes when he hears "Will you do me a favor?" for the 100th time each day! Sam is an amazing man, and he's already an amazing dad! He cares so much for our baby, he's so excited about him/her! He doesn't want to miss a thing - and I don't want him to! THANK YOU, SAM, for everything- but most importantly, for the opportunity to be pregnant and to be expecting a baby that is both yours and mine! I love you!

Saving Second Base - Quite a Success!

A couple weeks ago, our team, Saving Second Base, participated in the Komen Race for the Cure. It was quite a success, and our team raised over $10,000!! Here are a few pictures from the event!

FINISH LINE!

Mastectomy, lymph node removal, chemo, radiation - all complete for Mom! We are so proud of her and are thankful that she is doing so well! Her last radiation treatment was this past Tuesday, and we surprised her by showing up to her last appointment after she walked out from her final treatment! What a nice morning it was! Here are some pictures from that morning - and that evening when we took her out to celebrate as a family:

Happy Anniversary to Us!

We did it - we made it a full year! And, what a year it's been! We had many ways of celebrating our anniversary this weekend, and I'd like to document how we "rang in" Year One!

On Friday afternoon, I treated myself to a manicure and pedicure with my favorite little girl. Mara and I relaxed after two full weeks of back to school, getting our feet and hands massaged and beautified. Then, Sam and I joined our cousins/friends for a nice dinner on the restaurant patio in the perfect September air.

On Saturday, we slept in before packing up to go back to "the scene of the crime" where we got married. We checked in to the Marriott hotel around 3:00, watched the Texas/Rice game, then got ready to walk around the area. We ate dinner at a nice Italian restaurant, again sitting on the patio enjoying the beautiful weather. Then, we got an ice cream treat and walked around the pond, stopping on benches to talk and reminisce. Finally, we returned back to the hotel where we played Scrabble and hung out watching movies.

Our suite
Before dinner in our hotel room
Out enjoying the night air!

On Sunday, we slept in again before we got ready to check out of the hotel. We walked around the lobby, looking into the rooms where we made our vows and where we partied, took a few pictures, then left for a breakfast at Original Pancake House. We came home to relax a little before heading to a childhood friend's wedding.

A year ago, there would have been a chuppah here and we would have been standing under it with friends and family all around us!

Reception Room: first dance, cake-cutting, toasts, serenade, etc!

On Monday, our actual anniversary, we slept in before we cleaned the entire house, worked in the yard, and picked up groceries for the week. After a brief Labor Day visit to Sam's parents' house for family time, we cooked dinner for just the two of us and ate while we watched our wedding video. It was kind of fun to see things we had forgotten about or even to notice things we had never been made aware of before. We teared up at certain parts, while in others we were laughing hysterically.

Around 8:00pm, our parents came over with last year's cake to taste. Although we were all expecting the cake to be horrible and completely freezer-burned, it was actually pretty delicious! We all agreed it certainly didn't taste like it had been in a freezer for a year. Thanks to Mom's amazing wrapping skills to keep it well insulated and to our baker, Lauren, for baking a sweet, delicious cake, we were able to enjoy it again with all of our parents.




After our parents left, we exchanged gifts. For this, our "paper anniversary," Sam gave me a beautiful card and a very generous gift certificate for a long massage! I don't know who was happier - me for getting the massage or him for not having to be the one to give it to me! :) I gave him a card and a "virtual photo book" - a DVD documenting our first year together week by week. He was completely surprised by the video, and he was emotional through most of it. I have been working on this project all year - literally starting the second week after we got married - so it was nice to see that he appreciated it so much. While working on the DVD, I noticed several things that I included in writing at the end of the video: We are surrounded by so many amazing people in our lives. Our friends and family truly love us. With every upset, there has been a blessing. With every frustration, there is some kind of peace. In every scary moment, we were there with each other. In every celebration, we smiled with each other.

To my husband: I love you more than you could possibly know. I am grateful for you, for us, and for our marriage. Happy 1st Anniversary! I cannot wait to see what Year 2 holds for us!