This One's For You, Babe

Yesterday marked 4 years that Matt and I have been married. Were you there that day? If you're reading this there may be a good chance that you were. Gosh, what a day. Everything was exactly the way I wanted it to be and at the end of it all I left with a partner for life. Last night we watched our wedding video like we do every year. I cry every time. Every year on our anniversary I get a bottle of wine from whatever event we are attending and we drink it the next year. Last year I got a bottle from the hotel we stayed at in the Dominican Republic. I don't think it was their policy to give away bottles of wine, but I argued that we had an all inclusive package... so what did it matter if it was open or not? 

When I think about the Dominican Republic trip I am reminded that it was the final step in our baby bucket list... the opportunity to surf one more time (although I intend to surf plenty in my future). And now here we are, parents! My husband is now the father to my baby and it's like I love him twice now. He is sitting in the chair holding her while she is sleeping right now and it's just beautiful. When I think of where we started...hanging out at the Delt house thinking of anything to spend time together. We would study and do homework together all the time. I got a 3.8 taking 18 hours the spring we started dating because we worked on schoolwork so much. But if doing homework meant I could hang out with him, fine! Now we still are always thinking of things to do to spend time together. Yesterday we went to the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur so we could look at the Dugout Canoes exhibit. What on earth? But it was a beautiful day and I got to hang out with him... so alright...

When we were watching our wedding video I realized that when we watched our personalized vows he took the approach of stating the reasons why he loved me and how he was looking forward to our marriage. I took the approach of making promises for our marriage. It sure was nice hearing him say such sweet things about me. Sometimes I think my feelings for Matt go without saying. I mean, he has to know how much I admire him, right? How incredibly intelligent he is amazes me all the time. His capability to do things that other people would have to learn, he just already knows. When I want him to build something he just figures it out and all of a sudden there it is. Well, maybe it's not sudden. All of eventually, there it is! On the way down to the lake he's just telling me all these facts about the area. HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS STUFF?? 

And my goodness, to have someone to laugh with like we do. I always intend to make a list of the hilarious things Matt says in one day. His perspective on life is completely amusing to me. I often picture Cline when she is older riding in the back seat just yelling "YOU GUYS ARE NOT AS FUNNY AS YOU THINK YOU ARE!!" And then we will laugh at her and tell her she's cute. 

I'll never be able to really express what Matt's support for my school has meant for me. I think a lot of husbands would complain that I have to work a full-time job hours but I get paid like part time. I think most husbands would have been pretty intolerant to all the travel I had to do for school. Considering that our fields are so different, many husbands would not have seen the value in what I am trying to achieve. But he didn't. I wouldn't blame him if he thought those things from time to time (I know I would have) but he didn't say discouraging things to me. Now that I am so close to being done, I really appreciate that support. 

I feel like on social media people post things in a way that they want people to be jealous of their relationship. To that I just say, That's great for you, but I wouldn't have any part of this life any other way. I am so grateful to God for pairing me with someone I never would have had the good sense to pick for myself. It all just came together perfectly. I am looking forward to this wonderful life with this man, even when we're sitting in rocking chairs on the porch watching our grandkids play and telling stories of "our day." Yeah, I'd say the best is yet to come. 

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My First Mother's Day... and Other Things

Well as you can tell, this post is a little late. That's just the story of my life these days and for the most part, I am okay with it. I was making plans for my mom and Matt's mom for Mother's Day and I totally forgot that I was going to be celebrated this year too. I mean, Mother's Day is for moms. Mom moms. Ladies of an age.... older than me. Oh no, I am in that category now. Officially a mommy. Rather, a Momma. I want her to call me Momma. If feels so southern. I picture myself as a southern Momma. Home cooked meals. Means what she says and says what she means. Give you the shirt off her back but don't you dare cross her. I hope that all plays out in this modern world. I hope I have the strength to say no to the iPhone 38 when she is 9. I hope I am the sort of mom that only has to say "no" once. I hope a lot of things for her and our family. I guess I am just going to have to enjoy this ride we're on and see how it all plays out.

Mother's Day was really nice. I could totally get used to this. We went to brunch at a nearby restaurant. I just love brunch. I wasn't sure it was going to work out because little lady was losing it on the way there and we refuse to be those parents who disregard other humans trying to enjoy their meal with a crying baby. We all universally agree on that right? If your baby is crying in a restaurant you need to either soothe them immediately, and if that can't be done.... you must exit. Some times as a parent we are going to have to miss out on some things and we just have to live with that. Our decision to procreate is not the problem of strangers.
After brunch we hung out as a family and then Matt and I went to a play while his cousin watched Cline. It was a beautiful afternoon and nice to spend some one on one time with Matt (although I would have preferred the tickets had been not on Mother's Day but it just landed that way). Cline and Dad also got me some pretty great gifts. I could get used to this Mother's Day stuff! Matt mentioned that he forgot to take into consideration that our anniversary is 2 weeks later. Bummer dude. Better luck next year!

Last weekend we went to see my parents. We don't get over to northeast Oklahoma often enough which is a shame because I love it over there. It's my home. My parents also have spent the last year remodeling their home so that put a damper on things. After seeing it this weekend, it looks great. It's like a house for grown-ups. No longer a place taken over by kids. I took Joe's Sean Sutton poster off Joe's ceiling. The real question is, why, at any point, would anyone ever have a Sean Sutton poster hanging? Let alone in a hard to reach place. Dork. ;)
I went to the Zoo with Danielle. She has a 5 year old and a baby that's 3 weeks older than Cline. We have been best friends for 15 years and it was very surreal to be walking around the zoo with our strollers with our kids. It was a great time and so good to catch up with her. There was an experience at the end that was to say the least... an experience. To protect her on the internet from embarrassment when she is older I'll spare you the details. I just proved that I loved her unconditionally.

Remember the tornado story I told you two years ago? Well this was worse in terms of fear and overreaction. At about 11:45 I was sound asleep at my parent's house. Matt was next to me and Cline was in the pack and play bassinet. I woke up to very loud wind and I thought I was crazy because... was I hearing tornado sirens??? WHAT?? I woke up everyone. Well, I woke up Matt and then I told my mom we needed to get in their walk-in closet (we gotta get them a shelter). I went in the living room and Joe and Dad didn't go to bed as early as we did to they were on the up and up and NOT CONCERNED ENOUGH. I went back to my mom's room and turned on the TV since the satellite was out. I then I started clearing out the closet. My dad must hold some sort of record for the number of exact same Wrangler jeans. I just kept pulling them out and getting everything out of the closet and replacing it with pillows. I kept running through my mind how I could hold Cline is such a way that I could protect her with my body should the tornado hit. And then it was gone and headed northeast. Needless to say, my heart rate was through the roof for about 8 minutes.

Cline is 9 weeks now. Time sure has flown. Every night when we go to bed I think, "How did we get here so fast??"  She is a lot of fun. She will smile at me when I smile at her and man... that's the good stuff. It's adorable. She is sleeping more which is a life changer. The first few weeks are tough. If some how you have a kid that sleeps all night from day one... you should just keep that story to yourself. She eats a little less which is also helpful. You can tell she is getting more control of her hands and it being a little more intentional about what she does with them.

Overall, I can't really ask for more from motherhood. This is much like I thought it was going to be. Before too long, I'd like to start blogging about other things. I don't really know where I am going to find the time to blog more often... but when I do I would like to keep up a variety of topics. This is definitely not a mom blog. That just seems like a good way to get in trouble. You'll either over share or you'll offend people.. or both. And I don't really want any part of that. Plus, I refuse to be a person who is incapable of conversation outside of kids. There's just more to me than that. Not much more these days... but eventually.

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We Had a Baby

Cline turned 1 month old on Sunday. This is the first realistic moment I have had to write this blog post and I need to do it quickly because I have grading to do. I was given some help with some of my grading due to the new baby and I don't want to take advantage of their kindness by not meeting the deadline.

So let's do a brief third trimester wrap-up.

Symptoms:
I got tired again. Not like the first trimester, but certainly more tired than the second. Sleeping got really difficult. I had a carefully constructed pillow fortress to help support my body. It was really uncomfortable. I was more grouchy but I don't think it was so much a hormone thing as being really uncomfortable and lacking in sleep. I gained some weight in the third trimester but most of my weight gain was in the second even though I grew and grew in the third. I'm not sure how that works but that's what the scale said.

The Baby:
The third trimester is nice for lots of reasons. You get to have your shower(s) and it's just incredible the kind and generous things that people will do for you. Her room was finished and that was a relief. You can feel your baby every day and that's reassuring as well as just neat. You also get the reassurance that if for some reason your baby needed to be born, the odds of your baby living increase more and more with each passing day. Not that it's a guarantee, but crossing that 27 week threshold just feels better. I worried all the time that something would happen to her and it was a small piece of torture. I guess those are just momma instincts at work. I asked my friend if she felt the same way when she was pregnant. She said yes... and it only gets worse after they are born. I'll never sleep again!

Nesting:
I kind of thought that one morning I would just wake up and I would be on a cleaning rampage. That's not quite what nesting was like for me. I try to keep a pretty clean home as it is, so preparedness was more of my nesting approach. I did go through and sterilize all of our toothbrushes one day because that felt critical. And I also discovered I have an inordinate number of toothbrushes. I also ruined Matt's Sonicare toothbrush head. Those are apparently not supposed to go in boiling water... it just sort of wilted and the bristles fell out. My mistake.
I felt the extreme urge to consume all of our food. Not at one time or anything but it was important to me that our pantry was empty. I wanted to only have fresh food in the house when she got here so that made for some interesting dinners for a while as I tried to use up ingredients.
I was convinced that we needed to be completely stocked up on household and toiletry items. So we went to Sam's Club. We wont have to buy toothpaste again until 2018.

A really pregnant person:
The end of the third trimester is rough. Matt and I were both born early so I was convinced that Cline was coming early. So around 36 weeks I was ready for go time at any moment. I caused myself unnecessary anxiousness. It didn't help that I was having LOTS of Braxton Hicks that would last for hours and would get to a few minutes apart. I had to learn to just ignore them.
Let me tell you something for your own good. Do not tell a 36+ week pregnant person anything about her pregnancy. Just leave her alone. AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT say anything about that baby needing "more time to cook." The reality is, the baby is in most cases better off staying cozy inside of momma and developing. The pregnant woman knows this. But there comes a point when you get past 37 weeks and you know that statistically your baby should be fine and this long (nearly a YEAR!) experience could be over any day now and you can meet that precious creation of yours. Plus at the end you just hurt (or I did). My body ached. I felt so heavy. I wasn't sleeping very well. I wasn't accomplishing much except strange tasks. Telling a very pregnant person to stay pregnant is like saying "I don't love you. I want you to be tortured. Deal with it!" Obviously that's not what the person means. The person is coming from a kind place wanting the baby to be nice and healthy. But that's just not a helpful comment because then you feel like a really selfish mom for wanting the baby to come out. All you really can say to someone in that position is that you're sorry they're uncomfortable and you're really looking forward to meeting their baby too.

The Big Day:

We had an ultrasound that morning. My doctor wanted to see how big the baby was. My belly was pretty big towards the end. I didn't think I needed another ultrasound because she would have had to be north of 10 lbs before I would have been willing to have a c-section conversation and hearing she was 9.5 lbs would have just scared me. But we went and I looked forward to seeing her face one more time before she was born. They said she was 8lbs 3 oz which was a number I could deal with, and was right on track based on previous ultrasounds. Matt and I had a big lunch and then I went to get my nails done. In my anticipation I was trying all kinds of things to get that baby to come out and so after my nails I walked around the neighborhood. And then I called Matt. It was "go time." He rushed home and after laboring at home for about an hour we went to the hospital. I'll spare you my whole birthing story because I am just not the kind of girl to put that stuff on the internet. If you ever have questions I'll more than likely be happy to answer them. I don't intend to force my birthing storing on every pregnant person from here until the end of time because I have respect for the fact that every one is different and I HATED when people told me how my birth was going to go based on their experience. I don't have a scary story though so I don't have to worry about offending any future women with frightening them with an awful experience. What I can say is that when they say it's all worth it, it's true.

She has been here a month now. The first couple of weeks were tough. We were so tired. We had the great fortune of people coming by and bringing us meals. We still get a couple a week which has been really helpful. I also made several freezer meals before she was born so I have barely cooked anything since she has been born. She is a good baby. She is sweet and curious. I can totally see myself being one of those "I have the best baby that ever existed and if you say otherwise you're nuts" moms. I'll try not to be that person.. even if I think it to myself. I think everyone just thinks they have the greatest kid.
Getting up to feed her in the middle of the night isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I mean, it's not fun but I was really nervous I was going to be resentful of the experience because I know that I really do not like to be woken up. I guess you just get over it and do what needs to be done when it's your kid. If I don't provide her nourishment and comfort, who will? I can't just let her suffer. If you're asking "Where's Matt?" in all this the answer is he is right along with me. There are some things that a dad just can't do, but for the things he can he does. I'll say, watching your husband love your child does offer another opportunity to fall even more in love. This little girl is so ridiculously blessed.
She changes so much from day to day. I am looking forward to every moment of watching her grow. Not only does she have parents that love her, but this whole experience has proven that we have an incredible support system and she has family and our friends to support her throughout her life. I am so grateful to everyone who has helped us during the pregnancy, since she has been born, and the future.
Now that I am getting used to her and better understanding her needs, know that if you come over it's entirely possible that I'll give you a job to help out. It's really hard in the beginning because people tell you that they are willing to help if you need anything and I really do think they mean it. But I had no idea what I needed help with. Also, you might say okay I am coming over at 2:00 but she may be asleep or eating at that time and it would stress me out if I knew you were giving me your time and I wasn't prepared for you. Well now if you come over you're probably gonna get handed a baby while I go take a shower or work on my work or something with a list of instructions. Just hold her. If that doesn't work stand up and bounce. Pat her bottom. Then go outside, she likes to look around. If that doesn't work try singing to her. For the next 10 minutes you're on your own pal.
My friend Meredith came over last week. She got about 6 steps into the house and I handed her the baby. I might not have let her put her purse down. Looking back she very well may have been holding her purse for the 3 hours she held Cline. There was this mountain of laundry in the chair I had been staring at all day and I just could not let the day go by without accomplishing folding that stupid laundry. It was eating at me. It was completely therapeutic to fold that laundry. I felt like a whole new woman after she left.

It's safe to say that my whole life is going to be different. I think that is what I signed up for though. I am still going to work even if I have to do it with her on my lap. I even got one of those wrap things that she likes half the time. I am still going to go on dates with my husband. I even hired a baby sitter yesterday and next week we are going to go a whole half a mile away from the house and have dinner alone. We will still travel even if we have to amend our strategy. I like to think of Cline as "in addition to" rather than taking from any part of my life. She is pretty great. Let me know when you want to come over and meet her. Just be prepared to potentially be given a task while you're here. It takes a village!

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A Toast to my Grandy

On Thursday I woke up and said to myself, today is going to be a great day. I had gotten the best night of sleep I had had in a while and I am really learning to cherish good sleep. I even thought, today would be a great day to have a baby. Today is just going to be nice and I am looking forward to it. I had no idea how wrong I was.

Matt came in and laid down next to me and with his softest voice said "Honey, your Grandy passed away last night." My mom had sent him a message over night so he could tell me and I wouldn't find out on Facebook. That would have been horrific.
My mom had just returned from Reno where she went to be with my Grandy for heart valve repair. She came through the surgery great and several times it was noted what great health she was in. She had been home a couple of days and doing well and suddenly she went into cardiac arrest and passed away. It's just one of those terrible things that happens in life.

If I only had one word to describe my Grandy, I think I would choose: "English."
My Grandy was born and grew up in England. She married my grandpa when he was in the Airforce. They spent time in the states when my mom was young (she has two older brothers) and they all went to high school in England while my grandpa was stationed there. They came back to the states and my Grandy for as long as I have known her has lived in Reno, Nevada.
I was her only granddaughter. I have three male cousins (and of course there is Joe), but I am the only girl. We had a special relationship. When I was growing up she would send us these boxes of stuff. It was the most random box of stuff but it was always the absolute best day when one would come in. I think she worked at a gift shop for a while and would send us stuff from there. One time she sent us one of these:

I thought it was absolutely fascinating. I probably took it to show and tell 6 times that year. 

I can't find the most recent picture of us, but it is from my college graduation when she and my step-grandpa Don came down to celebrate my achievement. In the last several months we have spent a lot of time on the phone together. I was going to Stillwater every week for a while to do research and I would call Grandy on my way home and we would visit for about 45 minutes. She was really excited about Cline and it breaks my heart that all four generations of the women in our family will not be alive at the same time. 

It also breaks my heart that I am unable to attend her services because my doctor says (and has been saying for 2 weeks) that this baby could be born any minute. So in between my tears on Thursday I helped my mom book her ticket back to Reno to be there with her brothers (and my aunt and cousins and step-grandpa) for the services. Knowing my baby is coming is the single thing that could keep me from being there. It's hard to know that I wont be there the day of the services to hold my mom's hand while she experiences one of the more difficult things that life has to offer. 

I still wanted to celebrate my Grandy. I wanted to reflect on her memory. I told you that if I described her in one word, it would be English. I should note that she still, after over 30 years living in the States, very much had her accent the day she passed. So what is a girl to do that can't do very much? 

I cooked. 

First, I made lemon blueberry scones. I have never made scones but it turns out they are really simple and have much less sugar compared to something like a cookie. I also had tea, specifically the Earl Grey tea my Grandy had sent me when my mom had told her that I tend to have Earl Grey tea in the afternoon when I am working. So I had my treat and sipped my tea. I turned everything off and just thought about my Grandy and how much I am going to miss her. 

And then I made a roast and Yorkshire Puddings. I have never made them in my life but I have eaten them lots of times when my mom makes them. Yorkshire puddings are a sort of roll that you pour gravy into. My mom makes them in muffin pans, but Betty Crocker said to make them in a big square and since this is new territory I went with the woman. So if you're in my family and saying this doesn't look right, I did the best I could. And the macaroni was a convenience thing--nothing British about it. Matt and I had dinner and we said a prayer asking God to be with my family during this difficult time, and they may find strength in all being there together. 

Then I took the left over roast and made a sort of pot pie with a pie dough I had in the freezer (recommended by the Pioneer Woman). I made a freezer meal for after the baby is here. The entire recipe is completely made up based on ingredients I had on hand so it will either turn out great or horrible. I took the remaining pie crust and did what my mom always did when I was a little girl. I spread it out really thin and put a very thin layer of butter and then sprinkled a cinnamon and sugar mixture over the top and put it in the oven. It tasted like my childhood. 

There's really no moral to the story. No light at the end of the tunnel. It's just really sad. I feel good knowing that the last time I talked to her we talked for quite a while and she told me I had a good outlook on life when discussing a few issues. The last words she said to me were that she loved me and I said the same to her.

My hope is that my mom can grow closer to her brothers while they are all together and lean on each other for support. I know my Grandy knows why I can't be there. Because of her I will always be an etiquette guru. I hope to instill that in my daughter. Not long ago my Grandy told me that my mom had told her about my blog and then she read the entire thing. As of today, that's 234 posts, so by then it was probably more like 225. Holy Moly. 

So Grandy if you're reading this, I love you. I am going to miss you so much. Thank you for all the treasures you made and sent for Cline, they will go in her hope chest. Bysie Bye. 

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The Evolution of Cline's Room

I am taking some time today to update odds and ends. Upload pictures from our baby shower in Duncan this weekend, clean up my office, sew together some headbands I am going to make for Cline (2 for $0.65!), and blog. Outside of the baby shower I spent the entire weekend grading for the online course I work for. It's not really a hard job, just time consuming and it's tough to grade such a variety of answers that you get when you ask undergraduates what they "think" about a topic that they don't think at all about (most of 'em). 

Cline's room is now 99% finished so I thought I would depart from all the serious work and update you on the room. Remodeling an entire room from start to finish is quite the endeavor. Originally the room was grey and to save time, energy, and money I decided no matter the gender it would stay grey. I thought I had a picture of when it was a guestroom but I can't find it. It was our OSU room. So shortly after we found out the baby I first cleared out the closet which was a catch-all for everything from my wedding dress to wrapping paper. Finding homes for all that stuff was an adventure in itself. 

So we started with a blank room. We had to find out the gender before we could really get started. If she would have been a he, then he would have had an OSU/western room. But instead we went with a theme I had been planning a long time. See below for the construction of a nursery based on an impulse buy. 

And then Matt started making my vision come to life. 

 And his vision. He added crown molding. Totally practical.
To be fair, it was an inexpensive project because he did it all by himself... but crown molding?? For some reason that makes me laugh.
And more stripes.

 I tell you, painting straight lines isn't for everyone. I would have given up a long time ago.

And things got really real when the crib came in. Like, we were totally going to have a baby.

And Pistol helped. 

And then the room looked like this for a long time. 

And then we added vinyl letters for her name. We used this company, New York Vinyl on etsy. I thought their prices were totally fair. We even got a 10% discount for liking them on Facebook and they applied it retroactively. She sent me a couple of different proofs. I was really impressed with the work and it all came in a single sheet so we didn't have to worry about it coming out on the wall straight (applying individual letters would have created a lot of opportunity for error). 

I also ordered custom bedding on Etsy. I rarely splurge on things but I had a vision of what I wanted and after endless searching I just could not get what I wanted so my mom was so sweet and bought it for us. It was completely perfect and worth the splurge. I am sure for baby no 2 I'll be much more practical about basically everything. I think we are definitely your typical first time parents. Suckers. 

But speaking of furniture, we have done a good job of searching the internet for good materials but at great prices. We have used wayfair.com and they have free shipping and 10% off if you join their email. Her book case is from Target and insanely heavy. She can keep it forever. They had some furniture sale and free shipping. It was tough to put together but a good purchase overall. 

And since she is named after Patsy Cline, I went to a local thrift shop and found 3 vinyl albums. I went to Hobby Lobby and got some black record frames for much cheaper than I could find on the internet and painted them all. Well, Matt painted them, and I assembled them. 

And another testimony to marrying an engineer who watched a whole lot of "This Old House" growing up. I asked Matt if he could make a dresser like this for her closet. I wanted something with good storage potential and could use up the free space since baby clothes are... well... short. 

And a few days later I got this! It is awesome! We saved so much money and he just drew out the plans himself and put it together. He also added a shelf at the bottom with a door that opens up for storage. There's a lot of diapers down there now. 

So here's the big reveal of the room. 

Lisa made a metal letter for her door. 

And this is the distance view. 

We added the music notes to her name. The vinyl company included them for free. 

And we added a chair and ottoman (another splurge after scouring the internet and the usage of several coupons. This thing is going to stay around for many years to come. MANY). 

 And then we have this project. I asked several friends and family to make a canvas with lyrics that would be appropriate for a nursery and songs that meant something to us. I gave each person the lyrics and canvas and said, "Do whatever you want. Just use any shade of pink, grey, and white." The project could not have turned out more perfectly (we have one more coming any day now). The creativity of each individual has just been awesome. I so appreciate the individuals that have worked on these for me. I have felt bad because I think everyone felt a lot of pressure to be perfect--but I knew the whole time that their personal touch was all the project needed. I love it. It is perhaps the best decorative idea I have ever had. I hope Cline knows how much love went into these.

Now for the impulse buy story. See the pink violin on the right? Well, once upon a time in college I got the great idea to buy a pink violin... on eBay. It was $50 and $35 for shipping. Do you know how much a real violin costs? The answer is a lot. Like... a lot a lot. So what the heck was I going to do with a $50 violin? Could it possibly be quality (completely ignoring that it is pink). The answer is no. Good grief no, ya nut. In college I did not have an extra $85 in my life. What was I thinking? This purchase has haunted me for years. Several years ago I decided, well I will just have a pink music theme if I ever have a daughter so I can redeem some peace of mind about wasting that kind of money. Then, it just so happens that a couple of years ago I fell in love with the name Cline...and too much time went by before I realized that it all came together as the perfect theme for us. 

I love her room. Matt did such a good job making everything come together. It's not often that you take on a project and it comes out just the way that you wanted it to. Now I am ready to put my sweet little baby in there! 

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My OKC Shower- All the Feels

Several months ago I was talking to Krissy (my big in Alpha Delta Pi) on the phone and at the end of the conversation (which included the usage of the Chinese Gender Predictor) she told me that she wanted to throw me a baby shower. I was pretty excited to know that someone wanted to host an event for me to welcome our child (no gender yet) into the world. Not long after Anna (my little in the sorority) lets me know that she and Hasley want to throw me a shower. And very shortly after that Lo says something like "So what's going on with your shower? How do I get involved?"
Anna also mentioned when she offered that I needed to butt out of the whole thing because I tend to want to plan and know what's going on. So after an email to help them collaborate and a spreadsheet for the guest list, I left them to plan what turned out to be one of the most special weekends of my life. Maybe it's the hormones talking but to have the fact that I have incredible friends play itself out in the form of so much love over a weekend, I barely have the words. Well, really, I always have words. So here they are.

On Friday afternoon Hasley showed up to my house with the cake and shortly thereafter Krissy came in the door from her flight. We went to lunch at The Mule for some local OKC fare. Then we went shopping and Krissy bought me a top for my shower. We ran around and picked up a few things for the shower because there were so many sweet details. We had a calm evening and then all of the festivities began the next day.

We had a light lunch at our house for those who were already in town and my parents and Matt's got to spend some time together. Then we were off to the shower.

The Wonderful Women that Threw My Shower

The shower embraced the colors of Cline's room (pink, white and grey) and sprinkled in little legacy themes. Of course my mom made the cake and she did a great job. 

We have a Motto? Theme? Saying? in Alpha Delta Pi which is First. Finest. Forever. Therefore this inclusion on the cake made me a little weepy.

 And so we did the whole gift unwrapping thing which was interlaced with games which really helped pace the party and offer some variety. Good thinking!

 Is this not the cutest little bathing suit you have ever seen? And it came with sunglasses. And she got a pink one. I hope Cline swims like her mom... Maybe not this year. Or next, but eventually.

 And there were some winners of the party games. It's only appropriate that pink champagne would be a prize at my shower.

There were so many sweet gifts full of personalization, practicality, and creativity. These are onesies and socks shaped into cupcakes. Adorable.

This is my adeepi family.

 You may remember them from this other very special event. They mean so much to me and to go through these seasons of life with them makes me realize even more how important these relationships are to me.

 And the women of Alpha Delta Pi. I pledged the sorority in 2005. Nearly 10 years later I say this was the most incredible investment. The fact that I am more than willing to share in their joys throughout our lives as they have in mine says a great deal about the staying power of sorority life.  #foreverismyfavoritepart

 And my roommate Lauren came to Oklahoma for the very first time to celebrate Cline. She didn't get to stay long so I didn't get to introduce her to as many Oklahoma things as I would have wanted to, but every moment she was here meant so much. She is getting married in May and I am a bridesmaid so we have even more celebration of life events to do!

 And of course my mom. She has been great with this baby business. She is so excited I fear she may forget who I am after March. But if I can get in a few naps, I'll let her have her fun.

Note: Somehow I didn't get a picture with Matt's mom but it was special to have her there as well. She got us a diaper bag which was more like a Mary Poppins bag with all the sweet items that were in there.

After the shower several of us went back to my house and ate and hung out and I laughed so hard I nearly cried. I certainly did not have much of a voice the next day. Below are the remnants of a great time... with only 6 eligible drinkers. I say good for them.

The next morning we had brunch and said our goodbyes. Obviously I had an incredible weekend. We are much more prepared for Cline's arrival now. Also during this wonderful celebration I acquired a sinus infection because I am the idiot that mentioned last week I haven't been sick this entire pregnancy. And  now have been on my death bed. I used my last shred of energy on the weekend. At this moment I am rekindling my relationship with the Gilmore Girls, my hand is cramped from writing Thank You cards, and wrapping up this blog while it's fresh on my mind. I am just grateful for the whole experience.

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Update: Maternity Photos, Garth, 2 Showers, Cirque, Extreme Makeovers, and Life in General

A lot can happen in a couple of weeks, especially leading up to having a baby. So let's knock out a few things first:

How do I feel? 
Pretty good overall. About 2 days a week I am too tired to do much of anything. Laying in bed all day is also uncomfortable and makes me feel so lazy because there's so much to get done but I really can't complain.
Am I ready to have the baby?
Yes. If I could have her today and she would be fully developed and perfectly healthy, I would happily admit myself. But she still has some cooking to do so I'm just gonna let the good Lord do his magic and be grateful (yet sleepy and big) for the experience.
Is the nursery finished?
The nursery is about 90% finished. We have some canvasses that some friends and family are working on that will finish the decorations and I think I should probably buy a lamp but other than that we are done with that project. When it's done I'll do a blog post.
Cravings?
Not really. Protein and milk shakes always sound good. I try to be reasonable because I don't want to spend the rest of my life trying to lose this weight. Nursing is only going to take me so far.

Everything with the baby is going well. We had our last ultrasound last week. She is weighing 5lbs 5 oz which is supposed to be right on track. They didn't have any concerns and wished us a happy delivery (where we get our ultrasounds is different than my normal OB). She moves all the time and we can see her from the outside which is fun. I started back in pre-natal yoga. I wish I knew as much about any topic as that woman knows about babies and pregnant ladies. I'm still not necessarily "nesting"... I don't think. I am determined to get everything out of our pantry so everything is fresh when she comes. That has made for some interesting dinners... I also plan to have a huge cooking party (of one) to make a bunch of frozen crock-pot meals and then I can just send Matt out to get the fresh items with a list I will have already prepared. That sounds right up my alley... I also feel really compelled to stock up on shampoo and toothpaste and such so if you have any coupons send em my way! So I don't think that's nesting... just preparedness. I think when I am nesting Matt will know it. Look out.


The weekend of Jan 17 was a busy one for sure.
On Jan 16 we took our maternity pictures. I wasn't really convinced I wanted to do them just because this isn't my favorite version of myself and I am vain. But I was afraid I would regret it. Tiger Photography did our pictures. The prices were very fair and she did a great job. She is also really nice and easy to work with.

^^^ This picture reminds me of the picture below. How things have changed!

And I think this picture basically sums up our pregnancy. 

We made a pact with two other couples to all try and get Garth Brooks tickets in Tulsa. We were all on a group text ready to click the moment they went on sale. I am so glad we made the pact because I was immediately put into a long line but our other friend got the tickets! I mean, it's Garth. GARTH. So we went to Inola after the maternity pictures and stayed the night with my parents.

We met up with Bryan and Jessica and went to dinner with Love and Sarah. Then we took the obligatory couple selfie at the concert.

 This is Sarah. She is married to the lucky securer of tickets. She knew far too few Garth songs. I hope this experience has changed her forever. And by changed her, I mean inspired her to buy the boxed set. That sounds like an archaic statement but that man's music is too hard to get electronically.

Twas a GREAT concert. I was getting a little uncomfortable because well...  I just get restless at events these days but it was totally worth it. He played all the great songs. He put on an awesome show. Way to go Love!

And then we had our first shower in Inola. This was a shower for the NE Oklahoma/NW Arkansas family and friends. My mom and Danielle threw this shower. It was really cute with a Patsy Cline/Music theme.

Of course my mom made an incredible cake. 

We got a lot of really nice and thoughtful gifts from handmade items to practical items to adorable clothes to put her in. All things that will come in very handy. We quickly realized we are so blessed to have people love on us and our daughter.

And here's mom and dad after the shower

The next weekend Matt and I needed to get away. I had a lot on my mind and some stress that a pregnant person probably shouldn't take on and I wanted to spend some time with my husband before our life gets nuts. The weekend before was a lot of fun but it's also hard to go go go. We had also promised Matt's parents that we would watch their dogs when they went to an event in Dallas which is only fair since they watch our dog pretty often.  So Friday night after Matt got off of work we headed to the lake house. 

We rented a Redbox and got some snacks and I brought some "Fre" wine which is basically white grape juice in a glass bottle. We had chocolate fondue in what is essentially a scentsy for fondue. This was one of our infamous impulse buys. We tend to do that. Keep us away from home and garden shows. And fairs. 

The weather was so nice that we took the boat out. 

And on Sunday before we left Matt and I ate at a barbecue restaurant in Durant and went to some antique stores. There was this place I believe called the "Junk Junction". We wanted a little end table for next to the glider in Cline's room and sure enough they had 2 about the size we were looking for. One was pink and one was blue. Of course the one I wanted more based on structure and design was the blue one. After some negotiation it was mine for $22. We got in the car and Matt looks at me and says "You're the most generous person I know until you're negotiating with someone." What can I say?
So we brought it home and Matt primed it and then painted it with left over paint from the nursery. I went to Home Depot and picked out a new door handle and bada bing we had a $26 end table. I love it. Now all I need to do is get a little lamp and I am totally done with the nursery. Unless I find a pink rug... and THEN I'll be done. But rugs seem to be expensive so I am willing to wait on that.

Here's the table positioned in the room

As one of my Christmas presents Matt got us tickets to the Cirque du Soleil show Varekai. We went to dinner before at Sushi Neko (yes, it was cooked) and enjoyed the show. It was a little too family friendly for me... and by that I mean there was a lot of silly humor that children 4-12 would be really into but I really like to just watch people do life-threatening acts like hanging from their foot from a trapeze bar. I wonder if it ever stops being an adrenaline rush? That's probably when you get hurt...

Anyway, overall a night out with my husband is always okay by me so it was a win. 

And then we had another shower this past weekend.

This is Andrew and Sarah. Not only are they able to score awesome Garth tickets, they have also been extremely gracious ever since the moment they found out we were having a baby. They have a little boy so they know what all of this is like and have been an awesome support to us. In addition to all of the nice things they have already done, they threw us a "B is for Baby, Beer and Barbecue" diaper shower which happened to also stand for Bedlam Basketball.

 Matt is still close to several of his Delt fraternity brothers so they and their wives came over and brought packs of diapers. It's a very "boy friendly" shower because there's no opening of gifts or anything, just hanging out and having a good time--with the supremely helpful benefit of a stock of diapers to get you started. Matt and I brought them all in and counted 'em up. 1,005 diapers were given to us at this party. 1,005. I wish I had any idea how long that will last, but surely a few months. Right? Right?

Sarah had asked me if I had anything I was particularly liking. I said root beer and macaroni and cheese. Abita beer is really good (go ahead, try it, if you're able). She found Abita root beer. I kid you not, I had the best root beer float of my life. They also made brisket, beans, and macaroni and cheese. The Mac and Cheese was to die for, and I consider myself quite the mac-n-cheese critic. 

And here's a picture with Joe because what blog post would be complete without him?

 It's been a whirlwind but also incredibly awesome. We have more to look forward to this weekend when many of my girlfriends come into town!

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