♥♥ Ruslie ♥♥

Recipe #6 - Skillet Bow Tie Lasagna

2012-02-05T19:01:00.005-06:00

YUMMY!! Rusty and I really like lasagna. It just makes so much and takes quite a bit of effort. I think it'll be a pretty big battle to see if my traditional lasagna recipe holds up versus this one. This recipe was so easy to make! I was also left with just enough for a small leftover portion, rather than 2/3 of an entire lasagna! (This is yet another recipe I got out of The Best of Country Cooking 2001.)

Ingredients:
*1 lb of ground beef or turkey
*1 small onion, chopped
*1 garlic clove, minced
*1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
*1.5 cups water
*1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
*1 tblsp dried parsley flakes
*2 tsp dried oregano
*1 tsp salt
*2.5 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
*3/4 cup small curd cottage cheese
*1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, cook the beef or turkey, onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Add the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, parsley, oregano and salt. Mix well. Stir in pasta and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover for 18-20 minutes, or until pasta is tender, stirring once about half way through. Mix the cheeses together in a separate bowl and set aside. Once the pasta is tender, stir once more. Drop cheese mixture on top of pasta/meat mixture by the spoonful - do not stir. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

My variations:
I did not use an onion - Rusty and I don't prefer them. :) On the diced tomatoes, I actually used the food processor to grind them up. Our preference is for a smoother sauce (rather than chunky).

What I'll change next time:
I think I'll use a little more pasta than it calls for... probably 2.75 to 3 cups. It was VERY meaty/saucy and I would've liked the pasta to stand out just a little bit more. I'll also use just a slightly less amount of water, since I grind up the diced tomatoes.

Overall, I was VERY impressed with this recipe, and I'll definitely be making it again!!

TTFN!

Recipe #5 - Pecan Chicken with Seasoned Potatoes

2012-02-02T19:02:00.004-06:00

This one is a two-fer!! The chicken was ok - Rusty LOVED it! Plus, it was really easy. I LOVED the potatoes - they were my favorite part! Several years ago, my mom cleaned out a lot of her cookbooks and I ended up with them... This one is from the Best of Country Cooking, 2001. (I will add - one thing that kind of stinks about going through cookbooks that are 10+ years old is that they don't have a lot of our current day mentalities of "light" or healthy. I've had a pretty hard time of using old fashion cookbooks yet still finding a nice meal that isn't an overload on the calories.)

The Main Course - Pecan Chicken
Ingredients:
*1/3 c finely chopped pecans
*1/3 c dry bread crumbs
*1/2 tsp dried thyme
*1/2 tsp paprika
*1/2 tsp salt
*4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
*3 tblsp dijon mustard

Combine the pecans, bread crumbs, thyme, paprika and salt in a bowl. Coat chicken with mustard, then dip into pecan mixture. Place the coated chicken pieces in a greased baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 30-40 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about the mustard flavor, but to be honest, it wasn't very strong. It gave it almost a sweet taste once it was done. The pecan mixture didn't stick very well to the chicken (not sure if I should've used more mustard??). After I coated the chickens and placed them in the baking dish, I dumped what was left of the pecan mixture on top of the chickens, just to give them a little thicker top coat.

Seasoned Potatoes
First of all, this recipe is only for 2 people. If you're cooking for more, you'll definitely need to increase the size. Second, I've NEVER used canned potatoes to cook with before, and I completely felt like I was cheating by using them. I will use them again though - they were so good!!

Ingredients:
*1 tblsp butter
*1 can (15 oz) small whole potatoes, drained
*1/4 tsp of any seasonings/spices you prefer

In a skillet, melt the butter of medium heat. Add the potatoes and sprinkle the seasonings over potatoes. I used just a little bit of garlic powder along with all purpose seasoning salt. Cook and stir for 15-18 minutes over low-medium heat until the potatoes are golden brown and soft. **Note - if the potatoes start to pop at all, lower the heat.**

Enjoy! TTFN

Recipe #4 - Special Lemony Chicken

2012-01-26T19:09:00.004-06:00

The name is funny, huh? At least I thought it was. Anywho... I forgot to take a picture of this one, so I don't have anything to pin!! I even tried finding one online, but no such luck. I got this out of a cookbook I've had for a few years - it's called "Great American Favorite Brand Name Cookbook".

Over the past few weeks, I learned how much we (I) like pasta. It's so easy and versatile, plus Rylan will eat it. I'm really trying to find some non-pasta recipes, just to be different. It is tough since Rusty is such a picky eater. (It's not fair if I don't recognize that I can be picky, too - but Rusty is a LOT pickier than I am.) This was my first attempt at really branching out and trying something a little out of our "norm".

Ingredients:
*1/4 c unsifted flour
*1 tsp salt
*1/4 tsp pepper
*6 skinned boneless chicken breast halves
*1/4 c butter
*1/4 c lemon juice from concentrate
*8 oz freshly sliced mushrooms

In a plastic bag, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time. Shake to coat. (That's always my favorite part... especially after a long day at work!!) In a large skillet, let the butter just melt. Add the chicken and cook until it's brown on both sides. Add the lemon juice and mushrooms. Cover and reduce the heat. Allow this to cook until mushrooms are tender and chicken is fully cooked (about 15 minutes).

I actually also tried a lemon rice recipe to serve the chicken over. I didn't like it. It was way too dry. The rice got pretty sticky - it reminded me of the rice I was served from a large ice cream looking scoop in elementary school... you know when the rice never moved after the server would plop it on your plate? Yeah... I think just some plain, buttered rice would be perfect for this dish!

Rusty and I don't eat mushrooms, so I didn't cook with any. As for the chicken, it was quite lemony. Special, though? No, not really. I'm not dying to make this recipe again anytime soon, but I certainly will keep it on hand for a random day that I want something different. One other plus - the chicken was SOOO tender and juicy. I'll definitely try cooking the chicken this way again, and try some fun marinades and spices for different flavors.

Good luck! TTFN!

Recipe #3 - Cheesy Chicken Rotini

2012-01-14T14:07:00.006-06:00

So this week, I actually tried 2 new recipes! I didn't like the first one (but the boys really did!) so I tried again with a 2nd recipe. I'll post the other one, eventually, but wanted to start with this one because it was SOOO good!!

I got the original recipe from www.kraftfoods.com. It really was very easy, and quite delicious! It makes a very large portion, so I would probably only make half of the recipe in the future. (We only ate about half the first night, which made for yummy leftovers!)

Ingredients:
*2 large chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
*2 cups of water
*3 cups rotini pasta, uncooked
*16 oz frozen veggies
*1 can (10oz) Rotel, undrained
*8oz of Velveeta (half of a small brick)

Variations:
*The original recipe calls for a broccoli, cauliflower and carrot blend. I used all broccoli, because that's what I prefer. I think use your favorite frozen vegetables. :)
*I used the original Rotel flavor. I really wanted to use Hot or Extra Hot, but I didn't think Rylan would eat it if it was too spicy. I bet some of the other Rotel flavors could give it a nice taste twist, too!
*Rather than leaving the Rotel chunky, I actually used a food processor to liquefy mine. The end result was a thinner, runnier sauce, rather than being thick, like Velveeta can often be.

One more note - if you're making the full recipe, use a very large skillet... maybe even a stock pot. (Make sure you have a lid to fit it!!) I found that my batch was almost overflowing from mine.

Spray the skillet or stock pot with a cooking spray, like Pam. Add chicken pieces. Cook over medium-high heat until the chicken is no longer pink (about 6-7 minutes). Add water to chicken. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and stir well. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 12 minutes until pasta is tender. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cook covered until Velveeta is completely melted (about 8-10 minutes) stirring every couple of minutes.

I served it with some crescent rolls, and it was good eatin'! :) TTFN!

Recipe #2 - Buffalo Chicken Bites

2012-01-08T11:47:00.004-06:00

Last night, we tried new recipe #2 of the year... Buffalo Chicken Bites. Here is where I originally got the recipe from: http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2011/09/24/buffalo-chicken-bites/. I did make a few adjustments, to better suit our preferences (and what I had). As a warning, this recipe is a little more labor intensive that I would've guessed... and it's pretty messy.

Ingredients (according to how I made them):
*4 cups of chicken, cooked and shredded (approx 2 large chicken breasts)
*2/3 c Frank's buffalo hot sauce (use less, for less "kick")
*4 2/3 reduced fat cream cheese, softened
*2 c sharp cheddar cheese, grated
*1 c all purpose flour
*4 eggs lightly beaten
*4 cups Corn Flakes, crushed

First, preheat the oven to 375. Bake the 2 large chicken breasts for approx 25 minutes (until no longer pink). Allow them to cool for approximately 10-15 minutes. Use two forks to separate/shred the chicken.

Line a large cookie sheet with either parchment paper or foil, and set it aside. Combine shredded chicken, hot sauce, cream cheese and cheddar cheese in a large bowl. Mix until all ingredients are well blended. (To help soften the cream cheese, I stuck it in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds, and it was perfect for mixing.) Put flour, eggs and corn flakes into their own separate bowls.

Get a spoonful of the chicken mixture and roll into about 1 to 2 inch balls. I recommend making all of the balls first, and setting them aside on plate or platter until all of them are made and ready to be coated. After forming the balls, dip each of them first into the flour, followed by the egg, and finally the crushed corn flakes. Set each coated ball onto the lined cookie sheet. **Note: For my batch yesterday, 4 cups of corn flakes was not enough, but that will really depend on your preference. I was hoping for a very crunchy final product, which I didn't quite achieve.** Preheat the oven to 350. Bake for 20-25 minutes (until golden brown). Serve with ranch or blue cheese (if you like).

A few personal notes:
1. Prep time: 60 minutes total - 15 minutes to shred chicken, 45 minutes to make the bites
Cook time: 50 minutes total - 25 minutes for chicken breasts, 25 minutes for final product

2. The recipe, as stated above, could easily serve 6-8 people (I think). I will make only half of it for a small group of 2-4.

3. In the future, I'll probably try the less healthy alternative of battering and deep frying these, just to achieve a little crunchier final product. If I do, I'll follow up with how they turned out. :)

Happy Cooking! TTFN

Recipe #1 - BEPs

2012-01-07T13:11:00.005-06:00

It seems fitting that the first recipe of the year is Black Eyed Peas, served over rice, with corn bread. :) I'll spare everyone the details of the rice and corn bread and just dive straight into the Black Eyed Peas.

Before I do, though, I'll be very honest up front. Rusty and I are not huge fans of BEPs (the food, that is - we both like the music group). In order for this meal to come off as a success, I really needed to make sure and find a way to spice them up a bit.

First things first - we had some left over ham still in the freezer from Thanksgiving, so I thawed this a few days before, knowing I'd want to use it all up in this recipe.

Ingredients:
*1 bag of black eyed peas
*6 strips of uncooked bacon, cut into pieces
*3 cups of ham, sliced or diced
*1 tsp of black pepper
*1 tsp of cayenne pepper (Rusty and I do like our food a little spicy)
*just a bit of garlic powder

I first soaked the BEPs overnight in water. All in all, they probably ended up soaking for about 10 hours. Next, drain the BEPs. Return them to the pot, and cover with water. **Note - for soupier BEPs, use more water. While cooking, do keep an eye on the water level to make sure the BEPs are covered. If too much water is lost, they could burn pretty easily.** Add remaining ingredients to pot, cover. Bring BEPs to a boil over medium-high heat, before reducing heat to low. I allowed the beans to cook all afternoon, over simmer. They took about 5-6 hours to get to the consistency I desire. To cook them more quickly, use a higher heat setting.

Most of the bacon, and the smaller pieces of ham will cook away into the water, providing nothing more than flavor for the BEPs. Any kind of meats can be used, if you don't prefer bacon or ham.

I enjoy serving the BEPs over some rice and just a little bit of butter. To add even more starch, a few pieces of corn bread are the perfect thing to soak up the juices of the BEPs. :) Enjoy!!

New Adventures in the Kitchen

2012-01-07T13:03:00.003-06:00

Several weeks ago, I realized I hardly ever cook any more. I mean, I "cook" dinner every night, but it's not the fun kind...

After work, I have the responsibility of picking up Rylan from daycare (Rusty has drop off duty in the mornings). Usually as soon as his sweet little bum cheeks hit the carseat, he starts saying "More!" and doing the sign for it. Rusty usually gets home about 10 minutes before we do, and will begin getting everything out that we'll need from dinner. Once Rylan and I make our grand entrance, he goes immediately to his high chair, and I to the kitchen to begin (or take over) making dinner.

Anything we make in the evenings usually has to be a pretty quick meal, or else we'll have to deal with a whining, starving little boy. What can I say?! Rusty and I do our best to avoid his meltdowns, only because it sets the entire house into a funk for the rest of the night.

I've set out to try at least one new recipe a week. I thought that there has to be at least one meal that I can take over and make cooking "fun" for again. As I try my new recipes, I plan to use this as my tool to share the good (and not so good) adventures... Wish us luck!! :)

TTFN

Hello, Out There!!??!!??

2011-11-15T08:12:00.001-06:00

OMG it's been like 15 months since I wrote. I doubt anyone reads this anymore... :)

Oh well, I'm going to try and start writing again soon...

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Back to Work I Go

2010-08-11T20:23:00.005-05:00

I officially went back to work yesterday. It was... weird. I don't have any better description of the whole day, other than it was weird. It was kind of like I was a high school student on summer break - most people were the same when I returned, but I did have a few new faces to learn. I got to catch up with everyone by talking about what they did over the summer, and what's new with Rusty and me. Just weird.

The most common question of the day was, "How is Rylan?" followed by, "How are you?" and concluded with, "How is daycare going?" Rylan is wonderful. I'm as good as I can be, all things considered, and daycare is going great.

We started daycare a week ago, Tuesday, so that both Rylan and I would have the opportunity to adjust rather than suffering an abrupt jump into the cold waters of reality. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Rylan went to daycare for half days. He did great, and I did better than expected. On Thursday and Friday, he went most of the day. This past Monday was his first full day. I have to say I've done so much better than I thought I would, but not perfect.

Sunday night was my breakdown. I was feeding Rylan at bedtime, and afterwards I just rocked with him for a few minutes. I explained to him that I had to go back to work this week, and that it wasn't because I didn't love him or anything goofy like that. In fact, I told him it was so that he could have a bigger and brighter future. I told him how much I love him, and how much of a joy he has been in these short 12 weeks. (This is where my tears started...)

Rylan and I haven't been apart, you see, in about 50 weeks. When you consider the approximate 38 weeks I was pregnant, plus the past 12 weeks of my leave, we've been partners in crime. Knowing that his starting daycare and my going back to work was the point at which that changed broke my heart. What I realized shortly after all of this, though, is that it broke my heart for the happier. I fell in an even deeper love with my sweet little boy. Each day, I'm so thankful for my little miracle, and I hug him a little tighter and a little longer.

I can't help but compare all of this to the Texas Giant. After waiting for so long, it was finally time for Rylan to arrive. These first few weeks were a rough, uphill battle as we learned how to be parents and survived the sleepless nights (and initial health concerns). It's also been a mixture of emotions (excitement, fear, angst) for not knowing what's over the hill. Right now, we're sitting just at the peak of the hill, and I know we're about to begin the most thrilling part as Rylan really starts developing and coming into his personality. Along the way, there will be twists, turns, bumps and headaches, but these will be so far outweighed by the laughs, thrills, shrills and memories we make. The one thing that is a million times better than the Texas Giant is that there will be one of those little cameras capturing everything we do, rather than at just one spot. When the day comes that certain memories start to fade, or when we want to have fun looking at the past, we'll be able to quickly pull out our photos to remember where we've been. Even as I sit here writing this, I'm just grinning from ear to ear, overflowing with love for Rylan and thinking about all that's yet to come.

I'm so excited for the journey ahead, which I know includes my being at work and Rylan in daycare right now. We're constantly praying that if this isn't what's meant to be for us, God will show us the way to what is. I know 100% that we'll be where we need to be, when we need to be there. Let the journey begin!

TTFN

Training: Weeks 4 and 5

2010-08-06T13:49:00.006-05:00

I'm so happy to report that Rusty and I have made it this far, and are nearly done with week 5. Looking back, 5 weeks doesn't sound like a whole heck of a lot, but I'll be the first to say I'm very proud of what we've accomplished!

The "routine" of the training has finally settled in, and it's not so bad. Sure, there are several days a week that I dread it, because I just get so bored with running. I'm really hoping that this whole experience might help me get over that, but I'm not sure its possible. While the "routine" is getting easier, the actually training isn't. This Sunday we have to run 3.25 miles. If you asked me to do that 5 weeks ago, I would have laughed in your face and walked away. Now, it doesn't seem so terrible.

Our Sunday run is always the longest. Everything else during the week is just varied intervals and different paces. I told Rusty that during the week is my "push" time - it's when I really try to run better than the last time I did the similar exercise or distance. Sunday is my "finish" day - I'm not concerned with my time. All I want to do is successfully finish the distance. I know that if I work hard to get better during the weeks, the Sunday runs will improve on their own.

My mile time is improving ever so slightly. I think I've shaved between 5 and 10 seconds off of it. I honestly wish that number was a little bit higher right now, but I am going to give myself a little bit of a break considering how stinkin' hot it is outside, the fact that I HAVE improved, and that it's only the 5th week. As far as the weight is concerned... HA! I haven't budged! Oh well. Maybe one day!

Next week will present a whole new bag of obstacles for me - I'm finally through my entire maternity leave, and will be starting back to work on Tuesday. It'll be interesting to see how I do. I know next week will be extremely challenging for me on so many levels, and in the grand scheme of things, this training isn't my most important priority. I just hope everything goes well enough that this is something I can still take on and handle in stride.

As for Rusty - he is doing wonderful with the training as well! I'm so proud of him for sticking with it this long also, only because he absolutely hates running... I think even more than I hate it! We're hoping to run our first 5k some time this month, but we'll see. I know we can do it whenever we want at home, but being surrounding by other runners is always motivation for me to work harder, so I really hope we get the opportunity.

Until next time! (And be wishing for cooler weather in the meantime - we'll both appreciate it immensely!!!)

TTFN

Training: Weeks 2 and 3

2010-07-23T20:27:00.002-05:00

I'm happy to report in that Rusty and I completed Week 2 and are nearly done with Week 3! Woo Hoo!!!

We didn't stick exactly to the training schedule for Week 2 (we made some exercise substitutions) so for that, we did NOT treat ourselves to ice cream. It's probably for the best, anyway. Week 3 has been a little different, also, so I don't see that ice cream is in my near future... oh well.

Now I know excuses don't matter, but we've had something unexpected come up that's hindered our plans. When Rusty worked at 24 Hour, we had free memberships, as one of his benefits. Well, he's not worked there in over a year and a half, but our memberships were never cancelled. I went to the gym a couple of weeks ago, and got in to workout without a problem. (You see, Rusty and I always joke that one day we'll walk in to work out, only to be told our memberships were cancelled, and it's like playing Russian Roulette - we just never know when it's going to happen.) Well, last week, during Week 2, the bullet came out. I went up to the gym for my non-running workout and sure enough, I was denied access.

On my way home, I was actually a little upset, thinking, "How dare they cut us off?!?" Of course it's something that should've happened a LONG time ago, so I had no right to be upset, but I was TOTALLY bummed! So anyway, we've had to kind of improvise for that workout because let's face it - there's not an *insert your favorite cardio machine here* just sitting on every street corner. I've still been logging the time, but it's been spent doing activities that I know aren't as productive as what I would've done at the gym.

We have done all of our running though. It's getting easier, that's for sure, but it doesn't get any more fun. I forgot about that part. We are still no where near where we need to be, but we will get there. I'm honestly so thrilled that we've stuck with it for this long. We have a short weekend getaway trip coming up soon, so it'll be interesting to see how that affects us. Hopefully the little adjustments we'll have to make in our schedule will be good in that they are just something different to do for a couple of weeks.

Keep sending motivational thoughts our way - I know we could use them, and they've been helpful thus far!! :)

TTFN!

Training: Week 1 Update

2010-07-11T07:16:00.003-05:00

Well... I successfully completed my first week of training! Woo Hoo!!! I think I'm more excited about the ice cream I'll treat myself to tonight, rather than the huge accomplishment. Honestly, though, I'm really proud of what I did. It's probably been close to a year since I've really run. This week was NOT easy, and the runs weren't even that long or hard. It'll be interesting to see how I handle the next 15 weeks. **GASP**

I will go on to say that running is only a small part of the training. There's a good bit of walking and power walking up front, along with other forms of cardio, like cycling or the elliptical, as well as some strengthening. Of the 7.5 miles I logged this week, only 2.5 of them were actually spent running. The other 5 were all walking/power walking. This morning was just a run - 1 mile. I ran it in 11:50. Not great, but it's the first full mile I've ran all at once in I don't know how long. I'm elated I actually finished it without stopping! I think I'm most excited to see how this particular stat changes over the coming weeks.

Rusty's done very well also! He's done everything except today's run, which I know is on the docket for him at some point. (I know he'd hate to sit there and watch me eat ice cream all by myself. That wouldn't be very fair to him...) I like that we're doing this together, because we can help motivate each other. It's also a little bit of healthy competition. At least when he comes out doing better than me at the end of all this I can blame it on the life-changing, body-altering surgery I had. He he! :)

On a side note, most of our motivation in this is to lose some of our baby weight. I know weight is just a number, but right now it's the only point of comparison I have for how I'm doing. I had 9 pounds to lose when I started this journey last week. I will go on to say that I honestly don't care if I lose all 9 pounds - I just want my old clothes (pants...) to fit again. I like it when my pants button comfortably. :) As of this morning, I'm up 2 pounds, which I'm SO EXCITED about, so that brings the grand total to 11. As we get further along in this process, I'll start having better stats that I can compare. I'll also add that Rusty's gone up a pound or two this week, which makes me feel better. (You know that joke "Lord, if you can't make me skinny, then please make my friends fat!" ??) The ice cream tonight will also help with that...

Well, here's to a successful first week, and what I hope will be a successful second week!

TTFN

Training: Week 1

2010-07-06T17:24:00.007-05:00

So yesterday Rusty and I (really just "I" but he agreed...) decided its time for us to get back to our pre-baby weights. We started a new exercise plan yesterday - we are training for a half marathon. (And yes, I said so WE can get back to OUR pre-baby weights...)

I had an old magazine sitting around that talked about training for a half marathon in just 8 weeks. Now I'll say up front that is a little too ambitious for me. I'm still working on just getting around normally again, since the c-section. It's going to be a slower ride for me, that's for sure. We've come up with a 16 week plan... starts off nice and slow, which will hopefully be the start we (I) need.

I read through the training plan yesterday, which is broken out day by day for 8 weeks, starting with a Monday. I was very excited to see that Monday was a "rest" day. Woo hoo! Day 1 down, but does it really count?? Rusty and I both agreed to our modified (aka less intense) training plan... and we both successfully started today! It'll be exciting to see how we do, how far we make it, etc. I'd love to be writing in 16ish weeks to say that Rusty and both successfully completely our training and RAN a half marathon. How cool would that be?!

I have two short term goals to get through this week. They are:
1.) To complete today's exercise. **NOTE** I did! That was the first time I've ran in over 10 months... note to self - wear at least one extra sports bra.
2.) Do Day 3's exercise no matter how bad I want to die from being ridiculously sore after Tuesday's run...
I think if I can get these 2 done, I'll be able to make it through the rest of the week. Assuming I make it through all the exercises on Sunday, I'm going to treat myself to ice cream.

I'll be sure to keep you posted on our progress... I'm sure we could use your support and motivation to keep up our efforts and good work!

TTFN!

Mastitis: It Sucks!

2010-06-21T23:23:00.006-05:00

If you've ever had Mastitis, I'm sorry. I would never wish this upon anyone - it's awful!!

This past weekend I had my first (and hopefully only) bout with the nasty infection. I feel one hundred times better, but still not 100%. Mastitis is a breast infection, caused by the spread of bacteria into my milk ducts either because my milk wasn't entirely drained each session or from a bacteria that entered my breast while I was pumping. Either way, I hope that bacteria never finds me AGAIN!!

Last week was kind of a rough week. On Wednesday and Thursday, Rylan was particularly fussy both days, and wasn't sleeping just a ton. These 2 days were rather stressful for me, unfortunately. On Friday, I got up early and headed to a Father's Day breakfast with my dad's side of the family, and had a short shopping stint with my mom and dad afterwards, before heading home for the rest of the day. I felt fine all day - maybe just a bit tired from getting up earlier than normal to make breakfast on time. Rusty had a softball game Friday night, which I skipped out on, to stay at home and take it easy.

At about 1:15 or so early Saturday AM, we woke up for a feeding. I woke up feeling a little funny - the backs of my arms were sore and I had a really hard time making fists, or doing much else with my arms/hands, besides just generically moving them. It was almost as if my muscles were diluted. I commented to Rusty how weird it felt, but that was that. At nearly 3a, Rylan still hadn't gone to sleep and was getting all the more fussy, so I got up and fed him a little more. By now, my whole body had been overwhelmed with the sore feeling that started in my arms. My back stiffened up and my neck was KILLING me.

Rylan was still a little fussy, but I couldn't stand the soreness and aches any longer. I grabbed his swing, and plopped him in it right next to my side of the bed, and I crawled back into bed. This is when the chills started. At first I didn't think a ton of it. I assumed everything was a mixture of exhaustion and fatigue from the prior week finally catching up with me, so just tried to relax it all away. The chills, though, started getting worse, along with the aches and pains. After laying there for about 30 minutes, I finally woke Rusty up and asked him to get a thermometer. Yep... I had a low fever at 99.2*. I'd briefly remembered reading about breast infections and how they felt flu like when they were severe enough, so I had Rusty break out the books to re-read and see what else they said.

Rusty got me some Tylenol to help break the fever and dull the aches. He also finished taking care of Rylan and finally got him back to sleep. Several hours later, I woke up to find that my fever finally broke. I was laying in a bed of my own sweat (literally!!). **PS - I HIGHLY recommend getting a water proof mattress cover for all pregnant women/new moms. I can't count the times it's already saved our mattress between me being hot/sweaty during the end of my pregnancy, baby spit up, and now this.** I was so relieved (and hot). I fell back asleep and woke up an hour or two later only to find I had even worse chills than I did earlier that morning. The aches and pains had dulled a bit, thankfully. I quickly took my temperature to find it had gone up to 101.2*. WHAT?!

At this point, I felt certain that I had a breast infection. The only missing ingredient, though, was that I didn't have one specific spot in either breast that fit the rest of the symptoms for Mastitis. I had generic soreness in both, but that didn't seem quite right. I read a little bit more online about home remedies to try. I popped some more Tylenol, along with hot compresses and more sleep. The Tylenol temporarily worked each time, but then when I'd wake up again about 4 hours later, the chills were increasingly worse.

At about 1p, we reached the breaking point and finally called my OB/GYN. I woke up with a fever of 102.8* and felt like I was near death. Side note - I was really frustrated because no where did any of the readings say what doctor I should call. I didn't know if breast infections fell into my GYN's bucket or someone else's. I just decided to call her anyway... So I called. Since it was the weekend, I got rolled over to the after hours service. Within a few minutes, the nurse practioner at the office called me back and confirmed it sounded like a breast infection. She called in a prescription for me right away and said it would take about 24 hours for me to finally start feeling better. In the meantime, she recommended I stick with the Tylenol to help break the fever and to battle the aches and pains.

Rusty picked up my prescription and some soup for me a little while later. By Saturday evening, I was feeling quite a bit better, but still not great. With each passing hour as the antibiotics pumped through my system, I felt better and better.

It took until Sunday evening/Monday for me to finally "find" where the infection is. The rest of the symptoms that the books all talk about manifested. It's amazing to me how quickly my immune system responded to the infection, before I even could tell where it was.

Going back to early Saturday morning, Rusty was an absolute lifesaver all weekend long. He so selflessly helped Rylan and me out all weekend without complaining once. I stayed in bed almost the entire day Saturday, unless I got up to use the restroom or pump. He was so sweet and stayed in there with me most of the day taking care of Rylan and making sure I had everything I needed at every moment. This all overlapped to Sunday, his first Father's Day. I felt so awful that he had to spend HIS first Father's Day taking care of me. That's not the way it was supposed to be... At least it leaves plenty of room for improvement for next year!!

Take it from me - Mastitis sucks and you NEVER want to get it. If you ever think you have it, I really would recommend calling your GYN right away. Better safe than sorry!!!

TTFN!

Happy First Father's Day!

2010-06-21T16:05:00.003-05:00

One of the hardest lessons I'm learning about being a new parent is that nothing goes by my schedule or plan anymore. Boy is that tough for me sometimes... I guess it's the analistic mindset I've been hard wired with, but for me, most everything is at least planned well enough so that there is some general idea of what's going on - even if the plan is there's no plan at all. I can't help it.

Well, this Father's Day weekend was no different!! On Friday evening, I asked Rusty if I could have a "Mommy's Morning Out" on Saturday morning just to get out of the house for a few hours by myself. I was going to use this for some "me" time but I also had a few things I wanted to do to help make Rusty's first Father's Day more special and memorable. I know it's going to be special and memorable because it was the first one, but still...

Because of some unforeseen circumstances, THAT didn't happen. Instead of the weekend being all about Rusty, it ended up being mostly about me and what I needed. Believe me when I say that this is NOT what I wanted. All it did was make me further realize how lucky Rylan and I are to have Rusty in our lives. Granted, without Rusty in my life, Rylan wouldn't be here, but still. Rusty is such an amazing husband, and is already a wonderful father. I can't wait to see how much he flourishes in the years to come - I already know he was made to be a daddy. :)

Below is a wonderful picture of Rusty and Rylan on Rusty's first (albeit lame...) Father's Day. Happy (late) Father's Day to all of you wonderful fathers out there! I hope it was a wonderful day/weekend!!!

Baby Rylan is Born

2010-06-07T17:24:00.004-05:00

So I'm officially 3 weeks late... sue me! Spending hours at the computer uploading pictures and updating the blog hasn't been high on my priority list, unfortunately. I finally had took the time this after noon.

While we have hundreds of more pictures, from the past 2 weeks, I just wanted to start from the beginning, and just the first 5 days of my baby boy's life are accounted for here.

On the morning of Tuesday, May 18, 2010, Rusty and I woke up, knowing that our lives would forever change that day. I was scheduled to arrive at the hospital at 7:30 for admission that morning. When my alarm when off, I made the comment to Rusty that it was the alarm to the beginning of the rest of our lives. How true that was. My external version wasn't scheduled until 9:30, so we had a little bit of time after admission. During those first few hours, I was on monitors, started getting my drugs, etc. Ask Rusty - I was surprisingly calm all morning. I actually even slept well the night before.

They started my IV right away since I was to get my epidural before anything started. Of course they had problems with my veins rolling over (go figure...) so I had to be stuck a few times before the nurse got it in correctly. After this little "issue" getting the IV going is when the nerves set in - and believe me that they set in. The anesthesiologist was next up. This was my official cue to freak out. I did. I cried and just internally panicked. It was so easy. It wasn't bad at all - getting my IV was worse. The worst part for me is that I had nothing going on to justify any of this happening yet. I wasn't in labor, I had no pain, and I hadn't had any contractions. I was just getting poked all over for no reason.

After the IV and epidural were both in and running, I got 3 shots of what I remember to be Demerol. (I could be completely wrong, and I have no idea how to spell it.) Whatever it is, it's a medicine used on arthritis patients to help relax the muscles. In this case, it was used to help relax my uterus to hopefully make the version work better. The first two shots were in my arms, and they hurt. They were "smart" on the 3rd one and gave it to me in my leg since I couldn't feel anything below my chest. Woo hoo!

My doc didn't have high hopes that my version would work. I remember looking down at her and the other doc while the were doing it. I could feel my body moving and that is about all. To see the strain on their faces only indicated they were trying to push a stalled out car out from the middle of the road. I even looked over at Rusty once and his mouth was hanging wide open, in shock of how hard they were working on my stomach. After a few minutes, my doc threw in the towel and said, "Let's go have a baby." Rusty threw on his scrubs and they began wheeling me away to the OR.

Once in the OR, it was all very Hollywood-ish. It was a bright white and silver room with metal things all over the place and a big operating table right in the middle. They wheeled my bed right up beside the table and even used one of those board things to transport from one to the other. Once on the table, I kept wondering what the commotion was about. Come to find out, one of my legs kept falling off of the Op table. I couldn't feel a thing, and had no idea. Looking back now, it was pretty funny. Apparently they couldn't get it on the table and strapped in fast enough before it would fall again.

To my surprise, Rusty watched the entire process. I couldn't watch his face, because I knew that if he saw something bad or gross, and his face showed it, I'd freak out and start panicking. I watch the nurse that was holding my other hand the whole time.

Here are the things I most vividly remember from my C-Section:
1.) When we were in there, right before the procedure started, the song that was on the radio was "Hurt So Good." How ironic. I even pointed this out to everyone else and we all just laughed.
2.) My doc's voice was the most soothing sound in the room. She talked during the whole procedure about what was going on. I wasn't listening at all, but just hearing her upbeat, happy tone the whole time let me know it was all ok.
3.) The most awful smell filled the room throughout the procedure. I asked what it was, to which my doc said, "I don't think you want to know!" and to which I replied, "OK!" Rusty later told me what it was. OH. MY.
4.) When my doc started saying the baby was coming out, I looked to Rusty to see his expression, since everything was "numb" for me and I couldn't see a thing. His face was my window to the baby. This is when I cried happy tears for the first time. I'll never forget the love/excitement/joy written all over Rusty's face the first time he saw Rylan.

When they were putting me back together, my doc pointed out my mal-shaped uterus to Rusty. This is a big part of the reason Rylan didn't turn. Instead of being completely round, my uterus was flat on top, making it more like a triangle, and preventing our little baby from turning like he needed. The disturbing part is that she literally pulled my uterus out of my tummy and held it up for Rusty to see before jamming it back inside where it belonged. AWESOME.

The rest of Tuesday and into Wednesday were all a blur. To be honest, I don't remember much from these 2 days. The recovery was a lot rougher than I expected it to be upfront. I didn't get feeling back in my legs until the next day because my epidural was in for 24 hours as pain management. That was just odd. Also, my stomach was incredibly sore from the version, since they were working so hard on it. Never having had surgery or anything like that before, I didn't know what to expect from the c-section recovery. It was tough, but manageable. There were times I was in a lot of pain, but it was nothing the pain medicine didn't help with. 3 weeks later, I still have random soreness, but nothing terrible at all.

We had so many wonderful visitors while in the hospital... thank you to each and everyone of you that came out - it was wonderful to see and visit with you all (even if I barely remember it!!!).

Thursday through Saturday were rough days for us in the hospital. On Thursday morning, our pediatrician filled us in on some concerns they had for Rylan. And all day long this kind of news just kept pouring in. It was terrible. On top of dealing with all of the emotions and stress from the birth alone, I couldn't handle this. I cried so many times on Thursday. I can't even count them. This day brought Rusty and I so much closer, as we leaned on each other for everything that day. Thursday night was our celebration steak and lobster dinner. That was the worst celebration dinner we've ever had. It was hard to enjoy the evening when they had taken Rylan away from us for special testing and monitoring due to the previously expressed concerns.

In the end, everything is "ok" and all of the testing and monitoring was a precaution. I know that I wouldn't have had it any other way, looking back, but it was so difficult to deal with in the hospital. We're happy to say that Rylan is doing wonderful, and all of the concerning issues have nearly worked themselves out, thank goodness. Most of it was attributed to how he was in my uterus - he was just jammed so tightly in there and had no room to move, which made his adjustment into the new world a little more difficult than anyone expected it to be.

On Saturday, we finally got to go home!!! I was so sick of the hospital room! It was wonderful to be back in the comfort and privacy of our own home, but I will admit I missed the 3 meals a day, cooked, delivered bedside, and cleaned up all by someone that wasn't me. :)

To see pictures from the hospital and our trip home, click here. Enjoy!!

Prayer Requests

2010-05-26T16:21:00.002-05:00

Hello, all!!

Well it's definitely been a crazy week and a half for Rusty and I... but here and now is not where I'd like to start.

There are two families that are near and dear to my heart, that I'd like to ask you all to say an extra prayer for, if you don't mind.

The first is for a family whose first born son (now 5, I believe) was recently diagnosed with cancer. He has a very rare tumor, but a lot of the early tests show he's otherwise healthy and that the cancer hasn't spread. He's been through one round of chemo already, and will be starting his second soon.

The second is for a family that recently learned they both conceived and lost their first baby. Nothing brought more joy to this family than knowing a baby was on the way. All too soon, the baby was taken from them for reasons none of us can understand right now. I know that this family will one day have their turn, and that they will be truly blessed with an amazing family.

Thank you in advance!! :)

TTFN!

Just a question...

2010-05-05T06:30:00.002-05:00

Now I'll admit straight up that I'm a Dr. Pepper girl. I don't mind Coke and Pepsi, but hands down, DP is my fave. Yesterday I went to lunch at bakery who will not be named, and got a cup for my soft drink. Remember now... I'm "limited" to 1 serving of caffeine per day, so I like putting it to good use, and what's better than a good fountain DP, right?? Well I get up there and was extremely sad to see all they offered was Mr. Pibb. UGH! It is SO not the same! But this isn't even the worst part! They still offered Diet Dr. Pepper!!!!! Who offers Mr. Pibb and diet DP, but not the delicious 23 flavors of regular DP??? I was so bummed and ended up "wasting" my caffeine on a flat coke. So sad. :(

My Melons are Growing!!!

2010-04-28T19:57:00.005-05:00

Week 35 brings lots of fun stuff!! We had our 3rd shower (post to come later) which was a huge success! Thanks to everyone who contributed! We had a sonogram yesterday, which was the first we've had since our 20 week appointment. Last but not least, I learned that we have a honey dew melon this week! (More on this debate later...)

Our latest email did specify we have about a 5 1/2 pound honey dew melon growing ever so larger inside the womb. Woo hoo! I think about the size, and it's so trivial to me, but then I realize that this represents the size of the person growing INSIDE MY BELLY and I'm a little more amazed. :) It's definitely been a fun ride.

To follow up on last week's post and doctor's appointment, we had a sonogram on Tuesday. The purpose of the sono was to determine exactly how little Rylan is situated. Last week my doc thought his head was down, his rear up in my left ribs and his feet pushed out in my right side. She wasn't 100% certain, though, so we went ahead with the sono. I knew going into it that if we found out Rylan wasn't head down, I'd start to get anxious about him turning. I know there's technically plenty of time, but still - anything could happen at just about any time now, so time is of the essence. (Ok, my apologies, but I just had a total FRIENDS moment by using the word essence... Chandler: "The cushions are the essence of the chair!" Joey: "That's right! I'm taking the essence!")

ANYWAY! We go in, and I don't know what to expect. I'm excited about seeing Rylan, but I wasn't sure what we'd see. Sure enough, it was "hard" to see much because he's so much bigger now. One body part would take up the whole screen, which kind of diluted the image, if you can believe that. She tried to get us some fun shots, but his head was facing in towards my body, so we couldn't get his profile or anything. We did see that he has hair though!! That's exciting! We did also determine he is still a boy. I'll tell ya - this little stinker has absolutely no problem showing his stuff off for us. Ugh! For the news - I have a butthead baby!! :( That thing I've thought was his butt all along is actually his head. Poor Rylan. What this translates to is that his head is up in my left ribs. No bueno, in my opinion. Like I said, I know there is plenty of time left, but STILL!!! Nothing is a guarantee at this point.

The sonogram tech is not the same lady as my doctor. She mentioned that my doc will probably either schedule me for another sono, or do one herself when we go back next Wednesday, just to check again. She measured Rylan's femur (which she indicated is the best measurement she can get of his "age") and he was measuring spot on, which is good news. She took a few other measurements including his head and his belly. When she got to his belly, she said, "Whoa! Look at that belly! You have a buddha baby!" Towards the end of the appointment, she casually mentioned, "Well based on the measurements I took, he's measuring about 7 pounds."

I'm sorry, say what? My email 3 DAYS AGO said 5.5 pounds! **Insert breathing sounds learned at child birth class.** I would've loved to see my reaction to her saying that. It didn't take too long before I remembered my doc saying the week before that any size estimates the sonogram makes could be off by up to 20%. Once in the car, we quickly did the math and were relieved this potentially puts Rylan down to the "normal" 5.5 pounds... or up to 8.5! Again, WHAT?! Rusty and I were both pretty average babies at 7 lbs, 14 oz and 7 lbs 15.5 oz, respectively. I really hope her estimate was wrong. I guess if it's correct, though, I'm closer to having a small watermelon, rather than a honey dew melon. :)

I'll keep you updated, of course, after we learn more next week. New pic below!

34 weeks:

35 weeks:

TTFN!

food food food

2010-04-26T11:46:00.002-05:00

*BIG SIGH*

I'm so hungry. These past few weeks of pregnancy have really been a test for me. I'm hungrier (more hungry? I can't remember...) than I've been in a while, and the great part is that I don't get full quite as fast most days. I've really tried to battle the hunger by making smart food decisions. Some days it's easy to do. Today, not so much.

I had my slightly larger-than-normal bowl of cereal this morning. My mid morning snack was a normal cup of yogurt and handful of almonds. I usually hold out until about noon to eat lunch, but it's 11:55 and lunch is gone. This morning I did "good" and packed a peanut butter sandwich, strawberries and a 100 calorie back of chocolate covered pretzels. That lasted me all of about 7 or 8 minutes and I'm still starving. :(

If my hunger stays this way for the next 4-5 weeks, we might have some issues. I've done so good on my weight gain and I really hate to spoil it now. Any suggestions??? (As I ask, I think about the secretly stashed half of a Nestle Crunch bar that I've avoided for about 6 days now. Today might just be the last day of it's sad little life.)

TTFN!!

Covey Family Shower

2010-04-24T07:15:00.009-05:00

Last Sunday, Rusty's family through a shower for us. Once again - so many great people that love us and everyone was so generous! We got some really wonderful things for Rylan... now if Rylan would just get here, we'd be set!! Pushing the cats around in the stroller isn't much fun - for them. Haha, just kidding... We haven't taken the stroller out of the box yet.

I'd just like to say, "Thank you!" once again to everyone that was a part of it and those that made it happen. Rusty and I were so very appreciative! Below are some pictures!

When it came time to open what ended up being our stroller, I asked my niece Emma if she wanted to help. (I know little kids love opening big presents!) So she helped me get the ribbons untied and she opened the bag. She had the cutest/funniest expression as she looked at the gift and then at me. It was the "everything goes oval" look... Her jaw dropped, her mouth formed an "O" and her eyes got really wide. I think she was just as excited about getting the stroller as we were!!!

The next two pictures were just unfortunate on my part. As I was looking through all of the pictures, I discovered that wearing blue wasn't the best idea... I looked like Veronica after she blew up into a blueberry on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. To top it off, I blended in/looked similar to two particular gifts. While the gifts are fantastic, the comparison... not so much...

Last but not least, here's a look at all of our wonderful goodies.

34 weeks

2010-04-21T08:08:00.008-05:00

Since I started receiving weekly emails that contained some kind of a reference to how big Rylan is, Rusty told me he'd be impressed the day he was the size of a canteloupe or something. Well, DH, that day has come. Last Saturday, when I got my 34 week email, a baby's size (weight, really) is guessed to be about that of a canteloupe... almost 5 lbs and a long 17 inches.

We had our 34 week appointment on Wednesday. Once again, everything seemed good. I'm measuring perfectly and the baby's heartbeat was just beating away like crazy. Since we're drawing closer to the end, my doc is becoming more in tune with how Rylan is positioned. After feeling around a bit, she thinks his head might be down, his buttox up in my ribs on the left, and his legs/feet piked out to my right side. She's not 100%, though, so I'm scheduled for a sonogram next Tuesday so we can see exactly what this little stinker is up to inside of me.

I'm not really worried, yet. To be honest, worst case scenario is that he won't turn. No. Big. Deal. Yes, I'll have to have a C-section if he's breach, which I'm not crazy about, but there are worse things in life. He still has time to turn, and my doc said if he's not turned, there are some things we can do to help aide the process.

The one GREAT thing about this little situation is that we get another sonogram. I haven't had one since our 20 week appointment... that'll be 15 weeks by the time we go!!! I really am excited to get another look at him. :)

I think that's all for now. Pictures below:

31 Weeks:

34 Weeks:

Really Not That Different...

2010-04-20T20:34:00.005-05:00

One could say we have an active household... and we don't even have a child - yet. Due to the sheer number of inhabitants we have in our house, something is always going on. I'd be lying if I said we all got along perfectly every day. The biggest conflict is that between Satie and Roxie.

Satie has a pretty outgoing personality considering she's a cat. She likes to be out and about, but don't mistake that as her being friendly and social. Satie likes 2 beings in this world - Luci (occasionally) and me. Where I go, she goes. She sleeps right next to me every night. She's laying next to my leg as I type.

Roxie is also extremely outgoing. Duh, she's a dog. She'd play with a rock, if it would play back. Rusty is her big playmate. I just don't have the energy to keep up with her right now. The cats don't like to play the way she does. Rusty's not home right now, so I'm her play pal. As I sit here typing (mind you Satie is laying by my leg), Roxie whines for my attention. She's individually brought me 4 toys. (I guess she thinks each previous toy isn't good enough, so she brings another hoping it will interest me. Let's note 3 of these 4 toys are socks. Slobber covered socks at that. Eww.)

Before Roxie came along, Satie was the young, active being. Roxie took over that role upon her arrival, and I don't think Satie is a big fan. Let's just see how things go once Rylan arrives - THAT should be fun... (PS - Toy #5 just arrived.) Anyway, the point of all this is that I finally found a common interest between Satie and Roxie - something they can use to grow their relationship on: the innocent bunny rabbit outside the dining room window they'd both like to hunt down.

Editor's note - I've recently discovered that the true toy count is only 4. What I thought was the third sock was actually half of the second sock that she successfully tore apart. Sweet dog. :)

TTFN!

Couples Shower

2010-04-13T19:50:00.013-05:00

Rusty and I officially had our first shower over the weekend... and it was a BLAST!! We have so many wonderful friends that made this so much fun for both of us!

The shower was baseball themed (obviously it fits for a boy, and makes it more enticing for a couples shower). Everything about the shower turned out fantastic. Aunt Chrissy did a great job. :) All of the foods were ballpark related - we had hot dogs, cotton candy, cracker jacks and of course, beer. Our team was the Covey Critters because we have so many critters... a dog, 2 cats, a turtle and a baby on the way. (Anyone interested in a turtle, please inquire within.)

The one organized game we had was the "Diaper Dot Race." Everyone got a depends that had a "dot" on it. (We have some softball fields behind our house where the game was supposed to be played, but it was occupied by some kids that later came over and joined our game. One of the little boys ran over, pointed at everyone and said, "Look! They're on their periods!" It was HILARIOUS!)

The object of the game was to finish the race first, after successfully completing all of the obstacles. Everyone started at home plate and had to run the bases. At first base, there was a baby bottle full of beer that had to be chugged.

At second base, the dots had to successfully put a diaper on the baby doll. Once completed, the baby had to run the rest of the race with the person...

At third base, there were plastic bats that everyone had to do the "forehead on the bat and spin" thing. They all had to spin 9 times - 1 rotation for each month I'm pregnant. :) As far as I know we only had one stray runner after spinning...

The game was a blast to watch and I know everyone had a good time playing!! After the game, and a little bit of food, it was finally time to open presents. I was so excited to see all of the fun stuff we were destined to get, and our friends didn't disappoint! We got so much GREAT and ADORABLE stuff! I can't wait to use most of it (butt wipes excluded) and play dress up with little man! He'll be so handsome, I know!

Below is a look at all of the fun stuff we got! Again, I can't say "THANK YOU!" enough to everyone who was there and who made the shower happen. We really are so lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives! :)

Weeks 30 & 31

2010-03-31T20:41:00.005-05:00

Sorry to disappoint, but no fun new foods!!

Rylan is about 3 lbs 5 oz right now (porker!!!) and growing fatter every day. My most recent email said he's about to hit a big growth spurt, so that should be fun. When I went in last week for my 30 week appointment, I asked how big he was. Dr. Welborne just said he should be about 3 lbs, and even if they did a sonogram there'd be no way of knowing 100%. She did mention, though, that I'm measuring perfectly, which is good news.

There wasn't anything too exciting revealed at the appointment. I asked when Rylan will turn to get ready for birth, and she said he should be turned by 35 weeks. Of course she said they'll make sure he's "ready" and have some things they can do to get him there, in the event he doesn't do it on his own.

Rusty and I get closer and closer every day with the nursery! All of our furniture finally came in, which was SOO exciting! We're working on getting everything organized and pretty enough so we can take and post some pictures. Please know that as soon as it's camera ready, pictures will be up for all to adore! :) Just to make you all a little more anxious, it really is looking good, and the furniture looks great in the room!

Well, I took a new picture. I know I'm supposed to keep growing until little man gets here, but I'm starting to get more creeped out by my own pictures. Don't ask why. I'm fortunate for the fact that about 95% of my weight gain has been in my belly, and I'm fortunate that all I look is pregnant. Still, there's something to just not feeling "cute" like everyone says I look. (Maybe you are all liars... hehe)

Here is 29 weeks:

Here is 31 weeks:

My Non Birthday

2010-03-22T10:33:00.005-05:00

To be quite honest, I couldn't have asked for much better of a birthday.

Leading up to the event, I'll be honest and admit I wasn't in the "birthday spirit." There are 2 things I do EVERY YEAR and I couldn't do either one of them this year. I ALWAYS go shopping, usually with my mom, and I ALWAYS get a nice sangria swirl margarita from On The Border, usually with friends. Seeing as how I have this medicine ball of a baby hanging off the front of my body, shopping for cute, spring clothes was out of the question. (Shopping in general is kind of off the tables during my pregnancy - I think it's dumb to spend a lot of money on clothes that I won't wear that often.) Again, seeing as how I have this medicine ball of a baby IN my body, margaritas are out of the question.

I worked hard to come up with a few alternative selections for birthday ideas, since shopping/drinks weren't options. I thought of a movie and several books I wanted, and kindly relayed those to my sweet husband.

Friday morning started off good. I was just a little mopey, but generally accepting of the day. During the hustle and bustle of getting ready, Rusty brought me a birthday gift. I opened it to find one of the books I most wanted - The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. I'm a huge fan of his so I was really pumped about getting this book!!

After I opened it, Rusty told me this was the first present of the day, and that more would come, but that is all he would say. First of all, I didn't want much for my birthday, so I would've been just fine with this! But then to leave me in suspense like that!!! What the hey!

I got in my car to go to work, and looked over in the passenger seat, and sure enough, there was another gift. I opened it and found two movies I wanted to get on DVD for a while now - Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride II. AWWWW! I called him to say thank you so much, and to tell him I loved the gifts, to which he said there's more later... WHAT?! I was fine with the book and movies already!!

(More to come about my birthday lunch in a later post...)

When I got home from work, I brought in the bag that had my movies, and I set them and my new book aside and left the bags just sitting on the bar. A few moments later I walked back through the living room and noticed a new bag sitting with the group of bags... A little black one that quickly caught my attention - it said "Zales" on it. I just kind of looked back at Rusty with that, "Is it really?" and "You shouldn't have!" face. I went ahead and opened it. To answer the questions, yes, it really was, and yes, he really did. I got a beautiful pair of diamond earrings!!! He did SUCH a good job!! I love them, and they really are beautiful!

We went to dinner at Grimaldi's, which is a little pizza place in Watter's Creek. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good pizza. It was wonderful! Our night ended there, as preggers here gets quite tired rather early in the evening, plus I had to get up early Saturday morning to head to Tyler for the day.

On Saturday evening, I'll just admit it - I was POOPED from all of the day's activities. After getting home from Tyler, I got to relax for about an hour before it was time to head back out for birthday dinner with my parents. Seafood was on the agenda, as it sounded good all week, so we went to Dodie's in Rockwall on the lake. It was SO good! Definitely satisfied my desire. Our waitress did look at me quite crazily when I ordered, though... I ordered "The Big Dodie" - over 2 lbs of boiled crab legs and shrimp. HOLY MOLY, though! I did a pretty good job at finishing it off, I'll say. I left 2 little shrimp (I think 3 were eaten by others) and of the three sets of crab legs I got, I ate 2 of them. (I donated the other one to my dad.) I was in and out of sleep the whole way home, but by the time I came to, it looked like Rusty had driven into Colorado or something with all the snow falling like it was!!

Sunday evening, we had dinner planned with Rusty's mom and sister's family. On the way to dinner, MIL (mother-in-law) texted Rusty saying we had a reservation for 20. WHAT?!? In about 3 or 4 hours notice, 18 other people were able to make plans to join us for my birthday dinner. How awesome is that! It was such a pleasant surprise! (And thank you to everyone that could make it out! I really appreciated it!)

As you can see, I have no reason to be mopey for this year's non-birthday - it turned out to be a wonderful event! I will say this though... next year I'll just have to shop and drink twice as much to make up for what I missed this year. Sound like a plan???

TTFN!

Roxie's Tail - Pillow Talk

2010-03-16T20:04:00.005-05:00

Roxie and Belle (my parents' dog) get to see each other quite a bit. After a stay several months back, I think Roxie got a hint of how spoiled Belle is, so we of course had to live up to the new expectations. Belle has a pillow in her kennel, and gets covered up each night. Ridiculous, I know.

Well, before we started letting Roxie sleep out at nights, we decided to put a pillow in her kennel, to make things a little more cozy. It lasted for quite a while. We soon discovered nights aren't her problem. On nasty, rainy days, she has to stay inside locked up. (I know, it makes me sad, too, but it's for the best...) Well, apparently she got really bored one day, because we got home from work to find the pillow no longer in tact.

We let a week or two go by, and decided to try one more time with the whole pillow idea. Yeah, that didn't work. A couple of days later, after yet another cold, nasty day, we came home to this:

Squatternut Baush

2010-03-16T18:48:00.005-05:00

A few of you might actually get this right away... For those of you that do, you rock. For those of you that don't, here you go...

We're in the middle of week 29 this week. According to my weekly email, little man is approximately 2.5 pounds and a little over 15 inches long. It compares him to a butternut squash, thus squatternut baush. :) Hopefully you all appreciated that as much as I did when I read it.

Last week, at 28 weeks, I had my last 4 week appointment. From now until 36 weeks I go every two weeks, and then at 36 weeks, I'll start going every week until Rylan graces us with his arrival.

I was a little apprehensive of my 28 week appointment, but over all, I did a good job, if I do say so myself. I rewarded myself with 2 pieces of chocolate that day. First of all, it was the much feared glucose screening. I'd heard horror stories about how terrible the fluid was I had to drink. Let me say this - it was NOT that bad at all. I was expecting to drink something along the lines of battery acid, so I was very pleasantly surprised with the nice orange drink. The worst part was the hour after the drink. I don't think I've ever had such a sugar high. It was terrible! On the way in to the Doc's office, Rusty asked me a question, and I actually was stuttering over my words because I couldn't talk fast enough to answer him. Then, once we were in the office, I couldn't sit still. Of course all of the sugar made Rylan just go crazy in my tummy, too. Glad to know it wasn't just me struggling.

I knew that I would be getting a RHogam shot at my appointment, also. I was a little nervous about it, as well, because I'd heard several different things. Some people had it in their arms, others in their rears. Everyone, though, said the worst part was how cold the fluid was when it was injected, so you could actually feel it spreading. I reallllly don't like needles and shots. To be honest, I can't remember the last shot I had - that's how much I dislike needles. So we go into one of the rooms for my shot to be administered. The assistant walks in and immediately says, "So this goes in your backside." I looked at Rusty and said, "Nooo!!" To make it worse, I was wearing a dress and just kind of had to hike it up and bend over. (Sorry for any terrible mental image you might've just had.) Of course I freaked out the whole time, but in the end, it really wasn't bad at all. The needle was small enough that I barely felt it, and I didn't feel a single drop of the fluid going in. When we walked out of the room, I kindly asked the nurse to not talk about me or laugh at me until I was well out of the office. :)

Well, I go back next week, already, so maybe I'll have some more fun stories after that visit. Hopefully none of them are bad enough to provide gruesome mental images again... HA! No promises to be made.

I missed a few weeks on pictures. Anyway, here is my growth since the last picture at 24 weeks. I had to go for the official wardrobe change. To make myself feel better, I find it necessary to tell you that the other clothes technically still fit, but since they aren't maternity, they don't hug my shape the right way, showing you how big I actually am.

Here is 24 weeks:

Here is 29 weeks:

24 weeks

2010-02-10T18:58:00.006-06:00

I'm officially over the hill!!!... the pregnancy hill, that is. :) I swear I say this every time, but it is always true! I can't believe I'm already at 24 weeks. Where does the time go??

Everything is going well... We had a doctor's appointment this morning, in which she said everything is progressing wonderfully. We got to hear his heart beat, and she measured my belly for the first time. I guess we'll be sure to know whether this little guy is growing too quickly or too slowly before long!!

I don't really have any news to report since last time. I started taking in more water, and that's really helped out with some of the discomfort I experienced. It's also helped out with some of the dizziness/weariness I've felt, so that is a huge plus. I'm honestly wondering if maybe I was a bit dehydrated, but that's who knows!! All I know now is that the more water I drink, the better I seem to feel.

The biggest struggle I've had lately has been the weight gain part. From the very beginning, I told Rusty that I was going to just not care about it. I'm a fairly healthy person - we exercise and eat pretty good, most of the time - so I wasn't at all worried about gaining too much. I honestly didn't think my eating habits would change that dramatically, and for the most part, they haven't.

In the beginning, roughly my first trimester, I had an aversion to sweets. They didn't gross me out, rather I just found that I never wanted them. Let me tell you - I love sweets and I do indulge a little every day. The fact that I never wanted to partake in these little indulgences was surprising to me, but I went with it. Have no fears, though!! After the first trimester, my normal sweet tooth came back. The world is right once again...

Much to my surprise, my appetite hasn't been so large that I just eat all the time. I heard stories about some women that did, so I just assumed it was part of it. The hardest part has been making myself eat, sometimes. I've often been told (by that voice in my own little head), "If you're not hungry, don't eat!!" Pregnancy is not the time nor place for that. It's hard to overcome that idea and eat on a regular schedule, regardless of if I'm hungry or not.

Other than the early sweet aversion and struggling with the whole eating when I'm not hungry thing, my appetite has remained relatively the same. I still eat everything I used to - I don't have any cravings, nor do I avoid any specific foods. All things considered, I'd say I'm doing pretty well on my weight gain. I'm on track to fall in the normal range, as I should. I'm also extremely fortunate in that most of my weight has been in my chest and belly. My gluteous is a little more maximus, and I can hear some distant rumbles of thunder in my thighs, but it is nothing like I feared it would be... yet... :) I just pray that I'm able to keep this up and keep the storms at bay.

As far as my post-baby weight attitude... I keep telling myself, "It's a process!!" It's taking me 9 months to put this weight on - I can't expect it to fall off overnight. (If only, right??) I'm telling my self that I need to plan on losing the weight at the same rate I gained it. (It's discouraging up front, but in the long run, I think it will really be beneficial for my "goals" to approach it with a slow come/slow go mentality.) Besides... how great will it feel if/when I lose the weight quicker than expected?? (Hey - just because my goals are lower, doesn't mean my dreams have to be!!!)

My next appointment is my last 4 week appointment... yikes!!! That means it is time for the glucose test and my RHogam shot (boooooo!!!!). Oh well...

Here I am at 22 weeks:

Here I am at 24 weeks:

TTFN!

Jazzercise, anyone??

2010-01-27T18:56:00.010-06:00

The title seems highly inappropriate as I sit here eating ice cream straight out of the carton... eh, who cares? In case anyone cares, it's chocolate chip cookie dough, only the best there is.

I'm 22 weeks now, but quickly enough knocking on 23's door. Just last night Rusty asked me if I feel like it's going by quickly or slowly. My answer to him was neither. The first half seemed to be over before I knew it, but we had so much going on in that time frame - anniversary, holidays, etc. I never found myself thinking, "This is going by too quickly!" though. Even now, time is just sort of going.

I know Rylan will be here before we know it, but I think we will have a mix of, "It's going too quickly!" when it comes to taking care of pre-baby business and, "Oh my gosh, will this ever end?" when it comes to the last few miserable weeks and what I'm assuming will only be an everlasting labor. Oh well...

Over the past week or two, Rylan has started moving SO MUCH! I seriously feel like he's hosting an aerobics class in my uterus, at least 3 times a day. And MAN! When he gets going, he means business. I think with every move, I'm 10 times more excited than the last time I felt him move. It's nothing that can be described to someone who has never been pregnant. I'd have never imagined it was this... cool.

I'll admit though - my favorite part isn't feeling Rylan move internally. It's being able to feel him move from both the inside and out. I love putting my hand where ever he's kicking/aquirming and getting both perspectives. Feeling the movement from the outside makes me realize it's NOT my imagination and that this really is happening. Another favorite part has been watching others' reactions when they feel him move for their first time. It's fun to see how differently everyone reacts initially.

Just today, I had my first wave of "blues" hit me about being pregnant. Let me hedge the following statement by saying I really do enjoy being pregnant, and I cherish each day that I get to wake up and experience the miracle growing inside of me. There are little things I'm starting to miss about not being pregnant, though. Mostly, I miss being a little more active than I am right now. Pregnancy has definitely slowed me down, and that's just not something I expected, at least not to the magnitude it has affected me. (The devil on one shoulder is telling me to get over it and enjoy the "excuse" I have for the next 4 months...)

The "fun" events we've experienced lately include cleaning out bedrooms and closets, and registering. I'll let you guess which one was more fun! :) I will say that both are equally exhausting. We spent about 2 and a half hours at one store, going through every little thing... By the end, I thought Rusty was going to have to pick me up and carry me out, I was so whipped. (By the way... I sure hope once we start buying these things there is a hidden set of instructions somewhere on how and why to use the item. I'm so absolutely clueless.)

We do have kind of a funny story from registering... We were going down a "recommended" list provided to us upon setting up the registry. We did so good and studied lots of important things before actually going to the store. When we got to the store, we didn't bother with the list. Instead, we just walked from area to area making decisions on how we felt about any given item. We got towards the receiving blanket area, and registered for a couple of cute sets. Rusty asked what a receiving blanket is for, and why it's different from a regular blanket. [Insert blank stare here.] I said, "I don't know, you swaddle the kid and then he gets received." There was an employee standing near by and we started chatting with her about just random things. She asked if we were first time parents, to which we said, "Yes, is it that obvious?" She laughed, politely said no and told us that if we have any questions just to ask - she was once as clueless as we are now, and that's why she's there. So Rusty asked, "How many receiving blankets do we need?" (This question was a lot safer than, "What exactly is a receiving blanket?") She said, "Oh, probably 2 to 4." We both looked at her very straight-faced and Rusty went on to say, "So the 16 we just registered for is too many, then?" I said, "I guess we'll be editing THAT when we get home..." She looked at us hesitantly for a few seconds, laughed nervously and then just kept on with some other conversation. **Sigh** There really should be classes to teach you these things.

Anyway, enough rambling for now. Below are two pictures, for your entertainment. :)

This is at 19 weeks:

This is at 22 weeks:

20 weeks

2010-01-12T12:44:00.003-06:00

It's crazy to think this bun in my oven only has 20 weeks left to bake! 20 weeks doesn't sound like that much, but I know it will fly by. Time always does, regardless of whether you want it to or not.

The past week has been super fun and exciting - Rusty got to feel Rylan kick for the first time, which he loved. It was fun for me to feel Rylan move and watch Rusty's facial expressions. I was laying on the couch with my legs across his lap, and we happened to be watching TV so his attention was turned away from me. His hand, though, was in prime position to feel a kick. When I felt the kick, I looked at Rusty's face and just saw his mouth kind of drop and his eyes cut in my general direction. Those were the only moves he made until little man kicked again then Rusty turned to me asking if that was him. He was so excited to feel him, and I was so happy that he was finally able to.

Well we had our big 20 week sonogram this morning... and it's still a boy. Might I add that he seemed very proud of his "manhood" as he wasn't afraid to show it. Oh dear. Other than that, everything looked wonderful. (Thanks for all of your prayers!!) In one of our pictures, his little hand was up on his chin and in the next both hands were up right over his chest. Can you hear my heart melting?? We also got to hear his heart beat, which was fantastic.

One of the neat things from the sonogram (aside from all of the good news) was I got to figure out how he is situated in my belly - or at least how he was as of this morning. Every morning I can feel this really hard spot just to the left and under my belly button. Turns out to be Rylan's little bum. His feet are down closer to my right hip and his little head is up towards the top of my stomach, just below my ribcage. It's fun to at least sort of know where everything is.

One thing that I was NOT aware of, until yesterday when I got my reminder phone call, was that I had to drink 24 ounces of water 30 minutes prior to my appointment. Umm - they do realize I'm pregnant right? I run to the bathroom nearly every hour for what seems like 2 ounces of liquid to dribble out... I swear - you'd expect for me to have the world's longest bathroom breaks, for as bad as I feel like I always need to go. Anyway, so this morning was torture having to not pee until permission was granted. She's lucky I didn't go right there on the examination bed while she was pushing the thingy all around my stomach looking at Rylan.

According to my weekly emails and the book I'm currently reading, he should be about 10 inches long, head to heel (roughly the length of a banana). The books also say that he should be about 10-11 ounces, but my sonographer this morning measured him a little bit larger, at about 12 ounces. She also said based on the measurements, she shows me to be with in 24 hours of my original due date of May 30th. I already have a few people thinking I'll come early. I guess only time will tell.

Everything seems to be going fine. I need to drink more water, but that's about it. I can handle that. I need to be doing it anyway. One thing that is on the horizon... a shot. BOOOO!!! I don't like shots. I'm alright with all of the blood draws that they do now - I've learned to accept those and know what to expect. Shots, though. Not so much. At 28 weeks, I have to get a RHogam (I think that is how it's spelled...) shot since I'm a "negative" blood type. From the sounds of it, that day will just be filled with fun, as that's the day I get to do my glucose testing as well. Oh well... At least it's still 8 weeks away. As I sit here and count the weeks, I realize that is right around my birthday. Happy birthday to me.

Anyway, no new picture this week. (Actually, I'm doing this at work during lunch, so I don't have access to anything.) I'll be sure to post a couple next week though!

TTFN!

Tomato, Tomato

2010-01-04T20:27:00.005-06:00

First of all, I'd like to apologize to anyone who has been checking in only to find nothing. We were without internet at home for almost at week, and it's too difficult to concentrate and write from work...

Second of all, Happy New Year to everyone! But more on that later...

I'm right about 19 weeks along now. HOLY COW! To think that next week is the unoffical half way point. (I say unofficial because so many things can happen between now and then. We could have an early arrival, or a stubborn little booger that decides to make my tummy his cozy home for longer than necessary.)

This week I learned that I have something about the size of an heirloom tomato growing within. He's about 6 inches from head to bottom, and weighs around 8 to 9 ounces. (I'll tell you when I read how much they approximately weigh, it sure dampens the day for how much I've gained. I know, I know, it's all part of it, and so much of it is for his protection and nutrition and all. But still...)

I still feel great. I'm starting to slow down a little bit, and I find it harder to bend down and do things like put on shoes and socks, or pick something up. I still manage for now though. I joke with Rusty about when will be the last time I'm able to tie my own shoes. He recommended I buy some slip ons for when I can't reach anymore. So sweet. :) Maybe it will be warm enough for flip flops by then.

We go back to the doctor next Tuesday for our big 20 week appointment. I'm excited, albeit a little anxious, about the sonogram. This is the one where they check that all of the vital organs are accounted for, functioning properly and healthy. I'm sure everything will be just fine, but I feel like we should always be prepared for something to not be okay. (Keep us in your prayers in the mean time.)

The weeks sure seem to be going by faster now. Maybe it was just the hustle and bustle of the holidays, but it seems like we were just in for our 16 week appointment like a week ago. I'm sure this second half will go by faster than the first, as we're really starting to plan and make things happen, like the nursery. We've picked out our furniture, and we know our colors and theme now. Lucky Rusty gets to start painting sometime soon. He's SOO thrilled. Little by little, things are falling into place.

That's about it for now... We'll be sure to post an update after next week's appointment. Below are a couple of pictures of my progress over the last 3 weeks. The first is my picture from when I was 16 weeks. The latter is my picture from 19 weeks. I can tell a difference... can you??

Hamburger or Hot Dog???

2009-12-16T11:46:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago when Rusty and I heard that we might find out boy or girl at our 12 week screening, I got some good advice from a dear friend... He said, "Remember, if you see a hamburger on the screen, you know it's a girl." Thanks Jeremy. You're a STAR.

This morning when we went to the appointment, I had this overwhelming feeling that we were NOT going to find out. I was sad, but, I could deal with it. There are worse things in the world. After the nurse called us back, and I got weighed (yay.), she walked us to our room. Unfortunately, she kept walking right past the big room that has the ultrasound machine thingy it it. This was clue #2. (Clue #1 was my gut feeling.)

Rusty and I sat in there and waited for the doctor to come in. She came in and we chatted about all the fun stuff... she finally asked us, "Well would you like me to take a peek to maybe tell boy or girl?" I don't think I could have said yes any faster than I did. I might have even scared her a little. Oh well... so we got the ultrasound machine rolled in to our room and she got us all taken care of. The first 5 minutes were spent by her telling us what a little stinker we're going to have because the baby would not be still for ANYTHING. (Refer back to previous postings about why we couldn't tell boy or girl at our 12 week appointment...)

I started laughing because I thought about what Jeremy had told us, and I told the doc. I said, "I had a friend tell us - you want to look for the hamburger or the hot dog... that will tell you all you need to know." She laughed, and quickly agreed how TRUE that is.

After some prodding, a little shaking and head twisting, we finally got a glimpse of it... we're having a hot dog... I mean a boy!!! We got some great "proof" and have a little picture of what is either a little weenie or a 3rd foot. Once we saw it, I heard this little "Yes!" come from the corner of the room where Rusty sat. I turned to see him pumping his fist in the air. Awww, he's so cute...

As we were leaving, our quote of the day rolled off the lips of my sweet husband. He said, "I never thought I'd be so excited to see a weenie!"

Anyway, we are so thrilled to be having a boy! I guess we'll be closing the polls early, for all you cheaters out there. Haha, just kidding.

TTFN!

What's Your Opinion??

2009-12-14T12:24:00.002-06:00

I added a poll for all of you that might be interested in contributing... Do you think Baby Covey will be a boy or a girl??

My gut instinct all along is that we're having a boy, but I've been dreaming that we will have a girl, so who knows. I guess one of them has to be right!!! :)

We'd love to know what you all think!

TTFN!

The First 16 Weeks

2009-12-13T18:40:00.008-06:00

I'll apologize now for the length of this entry... I have 16 weeks worth of information to catch up on. :)

Before we jump right in to Week 16, let's back up a little bit. I've been SOOO LUCKY in that I've had such an easy pregnancy so far. I had no nausea or sickness what so ever. WHEW! The worst part has been the exhaustion. There are some days that I get home from work, or after a long day of chores on the weekend, that I can barely function. To make the exhaustion worse, I have to get up and pee like a million times a night. (I guess this actually lends to me being tired in the mornings...)

After the infamous "pee on a stick" (like 3 times... I won't lie), we had to decide who to tell, and how to tell them. We decided to only tell the immediate family until we got the results of the first sonogram at 8 weeks. Our way wasn't overly creative, but it worked out for us. With each of our parents and Rusty's sister, we had them pose for a picture, and as we were preparing to snap away, we told them, so we could capture their first reaction on camera. It worked out, kind of. I think everyone was so shocked, and because of it, their reactions were extremely delayed in coming out. No doubt what we captured was great, though.

Our first sonogram was at 8 weeks. It was really neat to see, but weird at the same time. At this appointment we got to see our little bean for the first time, complete with heart beat. We were given a due date of May 30th based on the measurement of the little bean. Our doctor told us a few things to expect and so on.

At 12 weeks we went in for a genetic screening appointment. We got another sonogram. Going in to it, we were told the doctor would likely be able to make an accurate prediction of boy or girl. (This excited us, obviously.) The sonogram was so neat because we could actually see a baby... a head, a body, 2 arms and 2 legs. While we were in there, the baby was moving so much - it was so cool to see! One of the sonogram pictures actually captured the baby kicking it's legs up and it's arms extended. Because the baby was moving so much, the doctor couldn't get an accurate "read" of anything in the private regions... BOOO!

Immediately following the genetic screening, I had an appointment with my regular OB/GYN. (She's the best by the way... her name is Leslie...) She asked if the doctor was able to see anything, and we told her no. She told us we weren't scheduled for another sonogram until 20 weeks, but that if she wasn't busy when we came in at 16 weeks, she'd do a quick sonogram to see if we could tell anything. We're trying not to get our hopes up, but we really want to sneak a peek this week. :)

This brings us to current day. I've (approximately) entered my 16th week... that's 40% of my pregnancy. It's crazy to think I'm nearly half way through, but anyway... I get an email every week letting me know what's new, what's going on, what to expect, etc. This week, the email informed us that our little baby is about the size of an avocado. I was also informed that over the next few weeks the baby should nearly double in size, and that I could possibly start feeling the baby move...

We go to the doctor this coming Wednesday. As previously mentioned, if our doctor isn't busy, she might do a quick sonogram to find the sex of the baby. I don't want to wait 4 more weeks, but I guess we may have no choice. We're mostly ready to start doing some planning, finally. We are ready to start working on the nursery, but obviously need to know boy or girl...

We do have names picked out, for all those that are curious. If it's a girl, she'll be Caylee Marie. If it's a boy, he'll be Rylan Ray. As far as the first names, we've had them for longer than we've thought about having a baby.

When the time comes, hopefully naturally at the end of May :), we'll be delivering at Frisco Baylor. (Assuming everything goes according to plan, that is.) I've heard nothing but wonderful things about this hospital, and am so excited that we'll be delivering there.

We'll be sure to keep the updates coming, as we get new information. Also, below are a few pictures of my "progress" through these first 16 weeks. (One of the other OK things is I'm not gaining too much weight too quickly. I've only gained about 5 pounds, thus far. I'm pretty sure most of that is in my chest, but based on the pics, you can see some other growth, too.)

Here I am at 4 weeks:

Here I am at 8 weeks:

Here I am at 16 weeks:

The Holiday Season

2009-12-03T18:48:00.004-06:00

I don't know what it is about the Holiday season, but I sometimes feel like a completely different person - almost like a child again, but with more compassion. :)

As we sit watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" I just think about why we're doing it. Because we want to? Maybe partly. Because we just have to? Absolutely. I can't imagine going a single Christmas season without seeing those staple shows/movies...

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas
2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
3. Frosty the Snowman
4. A Garfield Christmas
5. Home Alone 1
6. Home Alone 2
7. Elf
8. Christmas Vacation
9. White Christmas

I'm sure I left one or two off the list, but you get the idea. I will state, for the record, that I do NOT enjoy any of the old clay-mation shows like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It creeps me out. It's not natural.

Happy Holidays to all, and enjoy your holiday favorites!

TTFN

2 out of 4...

2009-07-31T20:23:00.003-05:00

Roxie has successfully managed to injure herself. Not once, but twice. A leg each time, and a different leg at that.

For anyone that really knows me, you know that I'll laugh at most things before stopping to realize the severity of a situation. Not all of the time, but most of the time. I've been fortunate enough to never see truly terrible things, and have grown up with a goofy set of friends and family that allow laughter to come so easily. Not that any of this is an excuse, but still...

Last Sunday night, Rusty and I were on the way home from the grocery store and saw some storms to our east, so we hurried to get home and let Roxie out before they moved in. The lightening and thunder were pretty bad, but it never really rained here. Well, as Roxie and I were outside, and before she went potty, a bolt of lightening struck near by (I swear it was at the park/field area right behind our house). It scared me half to death, so you can only imagine how terrified poor little Roxie was. She took off running for the back door, only to run right smack into.

Of course my heart was sad for her being so scared, but I managed to get out a good chuckle before finally reaching her to calm her down. I picked her up to let her know it would be ok, as Rusty was coming outside to look for the cause of the commotion. I set her back down, and we noticed she was limping pretty badly and wouldn't put any weight on her back leg. Fortunately, it was nothing more than maybe a little puppy bruise (or maybe just a good jarring of her leg as she hit the door) but thankfully within 24 hours she started to use her leg fully again.

Four days later, Roxie was chasing after Satie (this is quite normal for them now, in case you are wondering) around the kitchen and entry hallway. (Our house is set up nicely for the animals/Rusty to chase each other in circles up the entry hallway, to the kitchen, back to the entry hallway, etc.) I was only halfway paying attention when I heard something strange, and then saw only Satie come trotting around the corner into the kitchen with Roxie nowhere in sight. I went around to find Roxie and sure enough she was just sitting there. Immediately I knew something wasn't right, because this is not in her nature. This time, I don't know what she did, but she did something to her front left leg. She didn't recover from this one quite as quickly, but she's working it out quite nicely and is resuming her normal regimen of Rusty/Satie chasing.

Hopefully we won't make it to 3 or 4 out of 4... I'd be happy with just the 2. Only time will tell.

The pup is doing wonderfully, though, other than that. She is in full puppy mode, which gets tiresome, but its also fun. We've learned the secret to really wearing her out is to take her over to my parents and let her and Belle play together for the day. She slept for almost a day and a half afterwards!!! It was great! :)

TTFN!

Roxie's Tail

2009-07-18T15:02:00.004-05:00

Things I've learned from owning a dog:
1. Everything is edible
2. Sleep is a luxury
3. I'm not ready for children.

Roxie is the first puppy (or dog for that matter) that Rusty or I have ever owned. (Rusty claims his mom's old dog, Sugar, doesn't count because he said that dog hated everyone except his mom...) Needless to say, the last two weeks have definitely been an adventure for us.

We got her the Thursday before July 4th, so we had all day Friday through Sunday with her. She got to make her first visit to One Oak on that Saturday, as that is where we spent our 4th of July with a few friends. Our first weekend was surreal, in that we were both just having so much fun. The middle of the night poo breaks weren't that bad (we got to take naps during the day) and the daytime was fun because we got to play all of the time.

Then came Monday... that was when I realized (although deep down I always knew) that I require 8-9 hours of sleep a night. It's not an option. Period. As Rusty and I were trying to adjust to owning one dog, my dad calls and arranges picking up another pup from the same litter so he can surprise my mom with a puppy for their anniversary. Rusty and I picked her up and kept her for the longest 3 days of my life. The breeder we got them from said, "Having 2 puppies is no different than having 1." He seems like a nice guy. I trusted him, until we got home that is.

Everything that we worked with Roxie on for the 4 days prior to "the other one" joining us was undone by the unexpected arrival. (Not to mention, the cats were TICKED.) They were both always in a "pedal to the metal" mode when they were awake, which was very exhausting. The first night of having Belle I only got 3 hours of sleep. Please refer to the prior paragraph to understand why this was a problem. All in all, having both pups was an adventure, although I was happy when my parents came to pick her up. My mom was super surprised and loves her little Belle.

The afternoon after Belle left, Rusty, Roxie and I slept and laid around all afternoon. Of the three of us, I'm not sure who was the most tired. The next morning we started working with Roxie again to rid her of the bad habits her sister made her pick up. She does really good about not pooping in her kennel, which is a huge plus to me. I can deal with the pee. The poop, not so much. I've actually thrown up a little bit in my mouth from having to pick some up once. Not a fan... So not ready for kids.

Roxie is growing alarmingly fast, but she's so adorable. She's pretty good with the cats, although they aren't fond of her. She likes to chase them, but won't actually bug them. She knows where "home" is. On her walks, once around the block is enough for her. As soon as we get to the corner across the street, she plants her little bottom down and pulls her leash the direction of home. I try everytime but there is no fighting this. It's really annoying, but actually really cute.

The good news is that nothing valuable has been destroyed yet. She's found some "weak corners" of the carpet and has managed to pull those up. Everything else is going really well with her though. She knows how to sit, and she knows her name (when she wants to that is). Rusty and I adore her, and can't wait for you all to meet her and to share more "tails" with you.

Here are some pictures of her...

TTFN!

Ever herd of spel chek?

2009-06-01T19:16:00.005-05:00

I will be the first to tell you I'm not the world's best when it comes to spelling, punctuation and even grammar. I do use my resources when it matters, though. That's more than I can say for some...

There is a CVS near our house (I know, it's a shocker...) and it has one of those LED advertisement signs where they promote their current specials. It has turned into a ritual that whenever I'm sitting at the light at that intersection, I always watch the ads as they come and go. (I sit at that light at least 5 times a week, so I have a fairly large sample...)

I can count at least 3 times from memory over the past 6-8 weeks that a word has been misspelled on the board. Seriously? We have several options to choose from here, so let's start using our resources. First, there is always spell check. I would find it hard to believe that there isn't a computer with some sort of word processing program that could run a spell check for you. Second, there are more than just two people that work there. Have a co-worker run through it. Third, find a dictionary. Yes, it seems old fashion, but hey - I bet you sell them...

The most recent word I found incorrectly spelled was "gratuation." I would think this one would be a no brainer because I can only imagine how many promotion and special items are all throughout the store, considering it's June and everyone is "gratuating" right now... **Sigh**

Oh well. I guess it takes all kinds to make the world go round. I'll keep you posted as I find more. :) It's like a scavenger hunt now for me.

TTFN!

Date Night Catch Up

2009-05-22T11:27:00.002-05:00

Something new that Rusty and I are doing is going on a date night every week. We've gone twice, thus far. Both times we made the short drive down 121 to Lewisville for some good ol' Raising Cane's chicken and a not-so-new movie at the dollar theater. Cane's is right by our old apartment, and we've missed not being able to go there whenever we want. We also miss the dollar theater... (ok, $1.50 theater) but still! We went to AMC by our house now and a movie cost us almost $30 after tickets and a drink!!!!! Ridiculous!

Anyway, going during the week is nice, because there are not a ton of people out everywhere. It also breaks us of our boring nightly routines of house work, dinner and bed.

For our first date night, we saw Taken. We both really enjoyed this movie - and I recommend it. Both Rusty agreed while it was definitely worth our $3, we probably wouldn't buy it to add to our collection. I do, however, think it would be worth any rental fee from say Pay-Per-View, the video store or Netflix. It's a pretty violent movie - definitely not for the kiddos. It's not bloody or gory, but there is a lot of violence, and the subject matter is definitely mature.

This week, we saw Knowing with Nicolas Cage. It was alright. We both enjoy Nicolas Cage, as he usually does a brilliant job in whatever he is in. He again did a good job in this movie, but the movie itself was kind of out there. I don't like what the story line developed into. I think they could've gone a different route and had a more suspenseful, thrilling movie. Again, not a bad movie, but not the best. I don't think I'd care to ever see it again.

Not sure what's on tap for next week yet... we'll just have to wait and see!! :)

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day Weekend!

TTFN!

Where Does Time Go?

2009-05-14T12:02:00.002-05:00

I know, I know... It's been over a month since I last posted. I guess since Rusty and I got back from vacation (umm, three weeks ago...) I still just haven't gotten back into a normal routine.

I blame it on the weather. No, I really do! While we were away, we had the MOST awesome weather... 80-85 and perfectly sunny everyday. When we got back in the big D, until this week, we have seriously had no sunshine. Even this week, the sun barely makes an appearance before ducking away behind the clouds again or setting for the evening. All the gloomy greyness has just put me in a rut.

I'm trying hard to get back into a normal routine... I should be considering 3 weeks have come and nearly gone. Oh well... maybe this weekend. :)

TTFN!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T07:58:00.005-05:00

Good morning, all! I want to start by wishing everyone a Happy Easter! Yes, of course we could have more beautiful weather, but I really think God gave us what we needed with this rain... hopefully it will help to contain the near by wildfires.

This week has been an interesting week in the Covey family for some of the "firsts" that we've encountered.

Earlier this week, on Monday, my cousin Melinda delivered baby Abigail Patsy into the world. Both are healthy and doing well. This is the first great grandchild on my mom's side of the family, so everyone has been very excited about it. If you could, please keep Melinda and Abby in your thoughts and prayers over the next few weeks. Congrats Melinda and Aaron!!

Rusty and I tried a new church last night. It is the second church we've tried since moving to Frisco. I don't think we have specific expectations for a church, outside of making sure we are at a church that follows our beliefs. That being said, the first church we tried was lovely, but just didn't do it for us.

Last night's church is very different from any we've been to in the past, but Rusty and I left intrigued, wondering more about it. The first song of worship for the night featured two artists that shocked me... a rapper and a guy on two turntables (I don't know what they are called, but they wear the headphones and like scratch the records around??).

I don't remember much about the first song, for just kind of staring at these two the whole time. After the first song, the church's worship leader came forward with more traditional worship - he did really well. He had one of those voices that makes you wish you could sing, ya know??

Next came the sermon. The Senior Pastor who delivered it did a good job. Rusty and I both really liked the message. I most enjoy listening to Pastors who can make me laugh, but also draw me into their sermon. I also enjoy those messages where I can specifically take something out of it, and think about it/use it in my life.

Last night I heard a Bible verse that I want to share with all of you, as it stood out to me during his sermon more than anything else I heard.

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:27

It reminds me of a movie quote from Van Wilder (yes, very different from a Pastor's Easter Sermon...) where Van Wilder says, "Worrying is like a rocking chair - it gives you something to do, but doesn't get you anywhere."

The service ended with the rapper singing an entire song, featuring the record scratcher guy again... The whole time I'm sitting there wondering all sorts of things like if this is an every week occurrence and how the members of the congregation react to his performances. I will say that when he finished, the roof was nearly blown off of the church by all of the applause he received. I guess I was so shocked by never having seen a rapper in a church, that I was so surprised at this. I won't lie - he did a really good job and deserved the praise - I was just so shocked!!!

I think Rusty and I are going to give more of our time to this church to see if it is somewhere that we could attend long term. Hopefully so!

Anyway, as we begin this Easter Sunday, I look forward to the family fun later this afternoon! I hope everyone has a great Easter, and even better week!!! :)

TTFN!

Setting Boundaries

2009-03-27T16:45:00.007-05:00

One of the most rewarding aspects of owning a home is to be able to take on the miniature projects that come up without calling the local handyman. Rusty and I have been very open minded and tried a lot of things on our own. Luckily, we've had a lot of success thus far (knock on wood)!!

Our biggest adventure yet has been tearing down the old fence and building a new one in it's place. I will not lie - it has not been easy, but we are so pleased with the final result! We knew when we bought the house that we needed a new fence. Prior to us, it just wasn't taken care of like it should have been, unfortunately. Oh well though - right???

Anyway, thank goodness my parents have built a few fences in their day. They were able to help get us started and more than half way through with the project over the course of 2 weekends. Rusty and I were on our own for the third weekend. We did have his dad come over and help us with some stuff the third weekend, just because we needed an extra pair of hands. Chuck was a great help to us also!!!

Anyway, here are some before and after pictures of the new fence. Enjoy!! And no, we will not build a fence for any of you now. :) We are all fenced out.

TTFN!

Free Time?

2009-03-24T12:12:00.005-05:00

I know many people, especially married couples, and those with children, typically have their weekends planned weeks, if not months in advance. Rusty and I are no exception to this rule.

Four of our last five weekends were cram packed with just stuff. The first three of the five were time that Rusty and I spent building our new fence. We didn't expect for it to take quite as long as it did, and I will admit we have a few little things still to finish, but we are more or less done. The fourth weekend was designated my birthday weekend, as that is when we had a little get together. Of course our entire Saturday was consumed with getting ready for the party, and then Sunday was spent cleaning up after the party. (It's amazing how much we worry about cleaning for something to get dirty.)

This past weekend, though, was our "exception." We did not have a single thing planned for the entire weekend - it was the strangest thing!!! Rusty ended up having to work Saturday morning for a few hours, so I ran some errands and cleaned up while he was gone. Once he was home, we got outside for a little while and did some yard work. At about 3p, we found ourselves just kind of looking around for something to do - we had no idea what to do with the free time!!! Rusty ended up playing his new Wii Baseball game, while I watched (aka napped) on the couch.

Because we could, we went to an early dinner at On The Border Saturday evening and sat out on the patio for about 2 hours while we had a couple of drinks and just enjoyed the beautiful weather. It was only about 7:30 when we left, and we weren't ready to head home yet, so we decided to go walk around the Shops at Legacy, just for something different. We ended up stopping in Fox Sports Grill, just to grab a quick beverage and to check the place out - it was a really neat bar with about a gillion TVs. They seriously had probably 30 TVs, most of which were showing the Duke - Texas basketball game. (insert gagging noise here.) After that we decided we to head home, as it was cooling off, and most places that weren't restaurants/bars were closing.

Rusty and I have been committed to getting a little healthier lately, so on Sunday morning, we bit the bullet and got up kind of early to head to the gym. High five team Ruslie! After that, we did a little more yard work, and then decided to clean up and head out to the Allen Outlets. We ended our day trying to get a little bit of sun in the back yard so we aren't so pastely white on our cruise in a few weeks.

I have to say, it was so relaxing with no where to be. We just went and did as we pleased (or in some cases didn't go and didn't do!!). Please understand I'm not complaining in the slightest - it was just so strange to not have plans. I'll have to remember how great this weekend was, as we do have plans the next six weekends in a row... so much for Saturday afternoon naps, and Sunday shopping strolls...

TTFN!

Busy, Busy, BUSY

2009-03-12T08:31:00.002-05:00

Rusty and I have been SOOO incredibly busy lately!!! There are so many fun (and not so fun) things I've wanted to post about, but just haven't had the time. :( Things are finally starting to slow down though, so hopefully I'll be able to catch back up again soon!!

Hope all is well with you!

TTFN!

Rusty: The Handyman

2009-02-09T13:08:00.006-06:00

With each new project Rusty and I take on throughout the house, I have to say I'm so pleasantly surprised with how handy Rusty has been, and that he's done a really good job on everything!

Let me first preface this by saying it's not that I didn't think he could do it, it's just I didn't expect him to be so open to trying things himself. I know most of it isn't Rocket Science, but it darn sure does take some willingness and effort to give it a go.

Since our house was built in 1996, there are a lot of "originals" left in the house that are just a touch antiquated (in our opinion.) Not to offend anyone out there, but I'm not a fan at all of two-toned metals. I like silvers and bronzes (no gold, no brass, yuck!). In our bathroom, almost all of the metals (faucets, hardware, etc.) is either two-toned or gold. About this time last year, we bought new towel holders, toilet paper holder, and sink faucets. With the exception of the sink faucets, all of it was installed soon after buying.

Rusty finally bit the bullet and installed the sink faucets last night! He did a really good job, and they look SOOO much better!! It's amazing how small cosmetic "face lifts" really can make a difference in a room.

An Unexpected Ending

2009-02-07T22:44:00.002-06:00

So we have a turtle... his name is TO (Turtle Owens...). He's a Stink Pot turtle. And he stinks. All. The. Time.

Rusty and I bought him a new tank recently so we could get him out of the kitchen. We also decided to get him a tank mate - one of those apocalypse fish that eat the algae. We purposely picked out the biggest one we could find, because we knew there was a chance it would be eaten. Well, everything went well at first. TO saw Spike and started snapping his mouth bigger than we've ever seen him do.

We sat around and watched for a while to make sure everything was A-OK before heading out for dinner. We didn't really know what to expect when we got home. We were really thinking everything would be alright. Well, when we walked in the door, there sat TO, next to a half of the apocalypse fish. The other half was NO WHERE to be found. :( TO ate him. :(

Sad. So sad. Anyone want a turtle???

TTFN

Has Anyone Seen My Big-Girl Panties?

2009-01-22T12:08:00.000-06:00

Everyone has fears, and everyone comes to a point in their life where they must face their fears. My moment of glory is upon me, well, at least one of them anyway...

I'm scheduled to get my wisdom teeth out tomorrow - in 22 hours to be exact - and I'm slightly freaking out... Last night I actually "dreamt" about it all night long. (I don't know if you call that a dream??) The good news is I won't be going to a chop shop south of the border to get this done, as my dream portrayed...

I've always been such a healthy person - I've never broken anything, I've never had major surgery, etc. so I don't know what it's like to go through something like this. Of course, something of this magnitude starts with a needle.

I despise needles for a few reasons, but mostly due to bad experiences I've had at the doctor. It's no fun being a pin cushion while the doctors are looking for a vein actually strong enough to accept an IV. 7 pokes later, they finally found one, in case any of you are curious. I'm also the type whose blood pressure rises at the thought of the tiny little finger prick thing they do at the special girl doctor. I have to fan myself while taking very deep breaths, and it never fails that I break out into a sweat.

Rusty's done such a good job of trying to comfort me (key word there is trying). He's tried talking me through my fears, and he's probably told me at least 50 times that everything is going to be ok. My comeback? How does HE know? And then we start all over...

Deep down, I know everything will probably be ok. I mean, the chances of me being allergic to the anesthetic, or waking up as they yank a tooth, are both slim to none, but it's still possible!!! As the great Lloyd Christmas once said, "So you're telling me there's a chance?"

10:30 tomorrow morning will come and go before I know it, regardless of if I want it to or not. I guess I may as well embrace it, so it's time to put on my big girl panties, and just deal with it. :(

TTFN

What's worse?

2009-01-14T12:11:00.000-06:00

OK, so I'm sure there are those of you out there like me - it NEVER fails that the millisecond you're in bed and your head hits the pillow, you instantly remember something you didn't do that you meant to, or that needs to be done. This seems like a nightly occurrence for me.

Sometimes I'm lucky enough that Rusty won't be in bed yet, so he can take care of whatever it is, or vice versa. The other night, though, we were both in bed when I suddenly remembered something (of course...). I laid there for a good 5 minutes talking about how terrible it was that I had to get up and walk not even 10 feet across the room. (I know - it's just awful, isn't it?) After sulking, I finally gave in. Rusty was even sweet enough to get up and walk with me so I didn't have to be miserable alone. :)

Then we started our discussion - what is the MOST annoying thing like this that can happen? I think that remembering something the instant you've laid down is the clear winner. I usually wake up in the mornings looking forward for night time so I can go back to sleep (am I alone in this, or are there others like me?), so you can only imagine how excited I am about finally getting back in bed to sleep some more!! Talk about rain on your parade... Neither Rusty or I could think of anything more annoying... anything valid that is.

Rusty did make the suggestion that forgetting to pull down your pants before going to the bathroom would be pretty annoying, but I instantly vetoed this with the "Are you serious?" look before having a good laugh about it. I don't think it qualifies, as I've never met anyone who actually forgot to pull down their pants before using the restroom. At least I don't think I have... I mean I know sometimes we all REALLY have to go, but really??

Thoughts??

TTFN

2009 - The Year of ???

2009-01-05T16:34:00.000-06:00

I'd like to start out by saying that I CANNOT believe 2008 has already come and gone! It seems like only yesterday we were tearing down inappropriate wall paper after the 2007/2008 New Year's Eve party, and now we are left alone in the wake of the 2008/2009 party. So sad...

Every year, be it big or small, is filed in our brains' files according to those events that most influenced our lives. For instance, 2000 will always be the beginning of the end for Rusty and I, as that is when our Senior year began. 2001 is earmarked by finally graduating from high school, and heading off to college (after 4 years of planning throughout high school). Now I know these specific years will change as the people do, but everyone can recognize their significance in a teenager's life.

For me, one of the most significant years in my life was 2003. 2003 was a sad culmination of many things, but was also the bright beginning of many others - I turned over many leaves in my life that year, some of which were great, some not so great, some fun, some sad. I graduated from Tyler JC, and spent what I know as the best summer ever at home in Rowlett before moving off to Denton to start North Texas that fall.

Going into it all, I knew this would be the last time that I could call Rowlett "home." In its place, I got Houston. My mom would argue that Houston was never considered "home" for our little family, but I have to disagree. I learned that year that "home" really is where the heart is. I never knew I would miss my parents so much when I realized they were more than 45 minutes away.

2003 was also the summer I found myself in my friends. Its amazing the people you thought would never change and would always be there. They were the ones that changed so much I hardly knew them anymore. Those friends that I expected less from, turned out to be the ones who helped define my life and make me the person I am today. As summer faded, Lindsay, Jennifer and I got to carry our friendships and time shared forward, as we were all at North Texas. The 3 of us, though, had to say goodbye to Chrissy as she left once again for Aggie Land.

My new journey in Denton, though, was the most life-changing of all. Rusty and I met that fall, as we shared several classes together. As we got to know each other through classes, we found out so many fun things about each other, like where each of us grew up (10 minutes apart, might I add!!) and all of the mutual friends we shared. Times like these - when proof of fate exists - are always the most fun. It always leaves me in awe of how truly spectacular God's plan for each of us is.

As 2009 is upon us all, I just can't help but wonder what miraculous journeys are ahead! I wish everyone a safe, prosperous and blessed 2009!! :) Happy New Year to you all!

TTFN

Turkey Day, but no Turkey please

2008-12-09T07:15:00.000-06:00

As some of you will know, but most of you will not, Rusty and I were fortunate enough to spend Thanksgiving Day at Texas Stadium with OUR Dallas Cowboys!! While we missed seeing family, and absolutely hated not having Turkey with all the trimmings, our day was one we won't forget.

Rusty got the tickets as a birthday present, as it was a reasonable excuse to for us to kind of splurge for a game. I know in years to come we would have kicked ourselves for not making it to one last game at historic Texas Stadium.

Our experience was fun - we got out there pretty early on Thanksgiving Day and tailgated, along with thousands of others. I have to say our moment of arrival was the least fun part all day... They stole $30 from us JUST FOR PARKING!!! Seriously?!?!? After dropping my jaw and giving the evil eye to the parking attendant, I reluctantly forked over the money. Rusty found us a quaint little spot and called it home for the rest of the afternoon.

I don't think we could have asked for better weather (except maybe a little more sun/a few less clouds) but all in all, everything about the day was fantastic. We watched a great game, we were there with each other, and we had the most gourmet Thanksgiving Day Feast anyone could think of - Ballpark Nachos.... and beer... :)

Knowing we will never get to go back, Rusty and I savored every minute of the game, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It's a Thanksgiving neither of us will soon forget!!!

Two Years

2008-11-23T09:01:00.000-06:00

As we approach our second anniversary, Rusty and I cannot believe everything that we have accomplished in this short span of time. We are so blessed with great friends and families, which makes the journey even better. Not only are we building lives and memories together, but our loved ones as well.

Last night we celebrated our two years with dinner at Ruth's Chris. At dinner, we talked about everything we've done in the past two years, and how different our lives could be in the next two years.

"If I know what love is, it is because of you."
--Herman Hesse

TTFN

Why Today is the Best Day of the Year

2008-11-17T09:04:00.000-06:00

On each Monday for the last two weeks, I developed a new morning routine once getting in my car. I had a hunch about today, that it would all finally pay off. It did - and that is what makes today the best day of the year.

Out of habit while still living under my parents roof, there were several things my dad always asked of me when getting out (or in, in the case of #4) of a car - 1.) Turn off the AC/heat, depending on the season; 2.) Turn the radio almost all the way down, or off completely; 3.) Set the parking brake, and; 4.) Let the car warm up on cool/cold mornings. As I've aged, I finally understand the importance of two of these, as Rusty can confirm. I always turn the radio (almost) all the way down. I can't stand to get in the car and have it blaring - especially first thing in the morning. The second is letting the car warm up on cool/cold mornings.

I have to hand it to whoever thought of seat warmers. I'm very grateful for that person. Now that the weather is cooling off, I have a very set routine in the mornings when getting in my car. As soon as I crank her up, I immediately turn on my seat warmer, followed by the rear defrost (JIC - sometimes it's too dark to tell if it's fogged up), and then the floor/front defrost heat. Only then will I reach to adjust the radio to a suitable "first thing in the morning" volume. Depending on how cold the morning is, I'll wait at least long enough until my buns are toasted. Please know that if Rusty was the last person to drive my car, my routine is disrupted for having to turn down the radio from the "afternoon/evening" volume the day before.

I'm usually in no hurry to go through my routine, as it just means I'll be at work that much sooner, but the last three Monday mornings, this morning included, I couldn't get in and through my routine fast enough. This morning, I opened the car door, and didn't immediately sit down, knowing how cold the leather would be. I started the car, turned on the seat warmer, and that's when it hit me - that maybe today was the day! My eyes went immediately to the radio and noticed the volume was turned down all the way and I realized the need to hurry through my morning routine. I couldn't get the heat turned on fast enough, because all I was thinking about was the radio. I kept hitting the wrong buttons on the heater for staring at the radio, thinking, "OMG! I don't have a free hand, and I keep messing up the heater! I'm missing it!"

I finally got in, heat was on, both hands were free, and I flipped through all my radio settings only to pass the two FM channels completely. Crap! I had to flip all the way back through! I'm OCD enough that I don't have my FM channels set by favorites first - they are set in order of the radio stations, so most of the "90" radio stations are on my FM 1, and all "100" radio stations are on my FM 2. Don't ask... Now's not the time... I wasn't patient enough to make it all the way to FM 2 again (hello! that was an extra button to push!), so as soon as the FM 1 came up, I stopped and started scanning for the channel. Then I found it...

The Holidays are upon us my friends. How do I know so - by the chill in the air? No. By the never-ending Christmas decorations that are up before Thanksgiving? No. I know so, because 103.7 Lite FM has officially switched to their Holiday format. All Christmas music. All the time. Today is the best day of the year. I'm sure the people that sit around me at work are none too pleased about the music they will be hearing until the end of the year. Oh well...

http://www.1037litefm.com/

TTFN!

The Most Difficult Decision

2008-10-23T12:19:00.001-05:00

So that time of year is upon us when it is necessary for Rusty and me to make one of the most difficult decisions of the year... what will we be for Halloween?

As some of you may or may not know, I ventured out last year, and made our costumes. That's right - I said made. Along side with Chrissy, we strategized about what our Halloween costumes should be, and I must admit I think we made a fine choice, given the situation. Rusty and I went as Fred and Wilma Flintstone, while Chrissy and Jeff went as Betty and Barney Rubble. We even downloaded the theme song to prance around to... :)

We got the idea at a Halloween Costume store - you know the ones that are ridiculously overpriced? I told Rusty how easy it would be to make those costumes, and that we could save a lot of money. Little did I know...

You might be thinking to yourself, "Oh that's cute!" and I'll admit, it was. You might also be thinking to yourself, "That wouldn't be so hard to make." I'm here to correct you though. For those of you that might be creatively challenged (as I am when it comes to sewing), this is no easy feat.

Rusty's was the most involved - apparently they don't just sell orange material with black dots already on it. No! I had to buy solid orange, and then cut out like a gazillion black dots to sew on to this outfit. Mind you, I don't own a sewing machine. I actually brought it up to work the entire week of Halloween, just to sew the stupid things on, and I barely finished it in time for the party. Chrissy can attest to this because she was there one of the days. After we ate lunch, I pulled the costume out of my little bag and started sewing, and she said I looked like a little old lady that always has a knitting project in her purse.

I assumed mine would be the easiest - a simple, one shoulder white dress. Ha! A.) it was white, so it needed lining. B.) I don't remember Wilma wearing a potato sack of a dress, so it had to be somewhat form fitting. I didn't have a pattern for this, so short of being able to lay myself down and outline my body with chalk (where are the cops when you need them?) I had to take measurements at different points along my body in order to get the dress the right size.

I assumed sewing Rusty's black dots on would not take long, so I vowed to finish his before I did mine. That was a mistake... there were literally people at our party, and I was still sewing my dress. I finally finished and tried putting it on... and then the horror sank in. My little method of what we'll call "measuring" didn't work out so well. The dress was too tight to wear certain necessities with. Talk about uncomfortable...

Everyone laughed, thought the idea was cute, and no one could believe we (I) made the costumes. We took some pictures, had a few drinks and called it a night. The next day, I vowed I would never sew a costume again. Had I just spent the $20 dollars, I would not have dedicated my lunch for 5 days, I would have actually been there for the first part of our Halloween party, but I wouldn't have made the memories I did from working on the costumes with Chrissy, Rusty and Jeff.

So now the challenge is on for this year... what to do?? I guess you will just have to wait and see.

TTFN!

North Texas Tailgating

2008-10-07T16:18:00.000-05:00

Like previously mentioned, football season is in full swing, which means that tailgating is also in full swing. A lot of sun, a lot of food, a lot of people, and maybe a beer or two... :)

If you don't already know, North Texas isn't doing so hot this year... It's been a pretty dismal year, but that doesn't make the tailgating any less enjoyable. We always have a decent crowd, and a really good time, regardless of who comes out!!!

There are a few regulars we are missing this year (Liz, Jeremy, etc.) but we are off to a good start!! We have 3 games left - 2 of those are this month and encompass Family Day and Homecoming!! Saturday Oct 11th is Family Day, and Saturday Oct 25th is Homecoming. Both of these days always have really fun events and the larger than normal crowd, so if you aren't too busy, I highly encourage you to come out and enjoy the day, even if it is for a few hours.

Below are a few pictures from the first two games... ENJOY!!!

TTFN!

Three North Texas grads - my dad, Rusty then me!

Rusty and his football - he never leaves home without it...

The group huddle around the tailgates/grill. Isn't this what it is all about????

From when I was young, to now, I always have a way of coming between my parents. I guess since I didn't have siblings to pester, I took it out on them. :)

Another One Bites the Dust...

2008-09-30T17:56:00.000-05:00

As you know, Rusty turned 26 on Saturday!!

We had a whole weekend of fun (with the exception of brutal losses by our teams, North Texas and THE Dallas Cowboys...)!!!

On Friday night we met up with about 20 friends and parked it on the patio of Jake's Hamburgers while listening to Josh Goode Band. If you have never tried Jake's I highly recommend it. There are several in the area. It was a REALLY great time - we got to see some friends we haven't seen in a several weeks, even months. Rusty just kept going on and on that night and even on Saturday about how much fun he had, so I want to personally thank you if you came out - it was a blast!

On Saturday, we did some more work out in the garage on Rusty's workbench... it's almost there!!! We plan to finish it up this weekend... After a long hard day of work (for those of you who know me, you know I didn't do much work) and after listening to NT get stomped, we headed up to Hooter's for Rusty's birthday dinner. The waitresses had him do the hula - grass skirt, mop wig and all!!!

On Sunday, we had lunch at Babe's with his Dad and Lisa, which was good. :) We always love Babe's!! The food that is... They made him flap like a chicken while they sang "Happy Birthday" to him! Sadly, I don't have a picture, but you could imagine what it would be like if I did...

While 25 quickly came to an end, Rusty had a great time bringing in number 26 - the second quarter-of-a-century in his hopefully long-lived life!

TTFN!

Belles Dedication

2008-09-03T09:32:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, after high school, I went straight to Tyler Junior College to continue my dancing career as an Apache Belle. Since my graduation from there, I have remained very fond of my time invested there. My memories as a Belle are irreplaceable, and those 2 years will always have a special place in my heart.

When I attended TJC, dorm life was optional for Belles. While many incoming freshmen stayed, most sophomores got apartments. While adequate, the dorms were definitely nothing to write home about. In fact, I found myself escaping to Rowlett at every chance I had to get away from the dorms.

The campus recently built a new residential complex. With this complex came the now mandatory dorm life for Belles. Both freshmen and sophomores are now required to live on campus in this dorm while a member of the Belles organization. With this mandation came a very rare opportunity for Belle Gold - a chance to sponsor a room, a lounge or the entire dorm floor that is dedicated to the current members.

When I first heard of the opportunity last fall, I thought to myself, "That would be neat to do." It wasn't until this spring that I realized how doable something like this would be, and that I would regret it tremendously if I didn't become a part of this. This summer, I went for it. I sponsored a dorm room for the Belles.

Because of the sponsorship, I was able to be a part of a historic weekend in Belle history. I was there to witness the ribbon cutting and dedication ceremonies of the new complex and the Belle floor. I met the 2 young ladies that will reside in my room for this year. Most importantly, though, I was able to be a part of Apache Belle history. All of the young ladies to come will have something special - a place to call their own. I'm so envious that I did not have this opportunity as a Belle, but I was so elated to be able to give this opportunity to someone else.

The complex is absolutely beautiful, and I am so happy for the organization and the school that they now have this wonderful resource at their fingertips.

TTFN!

What September Means

2008-09-02T12:52:00.000-05:00

As we embark into this new month, Rusty and I realized that what is probably our favorite portion of the year is once again upon us. This month marks the beginning of many fun things - football and tailgating, just to name a few. We also celebrate quite a few occasions in the next 4 months - Rusty's birthday, Halloween, Turkey Day, what will be our 2nd anniversary, and of course, Christmas and New Years. Besides the afore mentioned, we also have so many exciting little things along the way that will make the next 4 months fly by, but everything will be so much fun!!

This Saturday is the first North Texas home game vs. Tulsa. We are always proud supporters of our Mean Green, and are hoping that this season won't be quite as depressing as last season, but never the less, good times will be had by all.

To follow Saturday with a bang, Sunday brings us our first regular season Cowboys game. I'm sure most of you can only imagine the anticipation building in our house, as Rusty gets so giddy when football season comes around. It's all I can do to keep up with him, as he gets so excited!!

While this weekend's festivities are hardly a drop in the bucket for what is to come, it signifies the beginning of a great 4 months ahead. As 2008 quickly comes to an end, we wish all of you a Happy Fall, and hope that you will enjoy what's left of this year as much as we will.

TTFN