Barrett's Easter Baseball Game

Easter weekend coincided with the last weekend that I could travel, per doctor's orders. Grant & I took the opportunity to drive up to DFW to spend Easter with my family. My brother, Ryan, had the idea to get the whole family together to go to a Texas Rangers game on Easter Sunday. Though slightly humid, we had an awesome time cheering on America's team and enjoyed our final holiday before Barrett arrives.

Shower #4- Women of Austin

Last weekend, two of my closest friends here in Austin threw me Barrett's fourth shower. I met Katie & Lacey in the church small-group that we joined several months after moving back to Texas. They have truly become family to Grant & I so I was very excited to let them "shower" us.

Katie & Lacey did a brunch-themed shower and the food was so good! I'm afraid these showers are helping put on some extra pounds because I can't stop eating the food. There is always some type of cake or sweet, which I will never pass up. Then up add in all the extra goodies like chicken salad, doughnut holes, etc. and I am one happy (and slightly heavier) girl. Sending me home with left-over shower food isn't the best idea, but I never seem to say no!


Here I am with my beautiful hostesses...Katie on the left and Lacey on the right. You'll notice in this picture I still have my little necklace for the "baby game". (You're not supposed to say the word baby and the person who hears you say it can call you on it and take your necklace.) I lost it less than 15 minutes after this picture was taken.
My little travelers! Susan came in from Dallas and Lindsey came in from Houston. My shower felt complete with representatives from my "Fam girls". We are always there, one way or another, for each other's big adventures in life! You can tell that we are go-to girls for each other. Susan and Linds were my little team as I opened presents and they organized the "system".

I also invited some of my favorite friends from work. Brittany, Carly, and Sara may not exactly be to the baby-stage of life, but they helped me celebrate and made us laugh a lot. Since they work around kids, they were able to relate a little bit...even though Sara is quite terrified of my belly. (I actually chased her with it and she looked slightly sick.)

I also had several moms from my work who were sweet enough to come party with us. (The shower food seemed to show in my face more heavily in the pictures I took with them. Yes, I'm that shallow.) They brought their little ones--one who kept asking when we were going to sing "Happy Birthday" around the cake.

Thank you to those women who came to celebrate with me and who make my life here in Austin SO wonderful and a place that makes raising a child something to look forward to.

Shower #3-It's all in the family

Grant's aunt Marcia lives in Georgetown and was gracious enough to host a family baby shower for Grant & I last weekend. Grant's entire family showed up for the party and my parents came into town. Marcia's daughter Besty & husband Bill came and Grant's aunt Brenda and cousin Claire arrived for the fun. The food was amazing, the games made us laugh a lot, and Barrett got a ton of goodies. Just when Grant & I feel like we couldn't possibly be any more blessed, there are more people waiting to shower our firstborn with all kinds of treasures and memories.

Puppy Love

This morning, I woke up to one very snuggly labrador in bed with me. Tex absolutely loves morning-time and the minute I open my eyes, his tail starts thumping. He tries to get as close to me as possible and will start "talking" to me. This morning was no different. However, before I opened my eyes, I put my hand on my belly to greet Barrett. The little guy must have been sleeping because he didn't move an inch. I tried a couple of times to jiggle him awake, but got no response. I looked over at Tex and quietly said "hey buddy". That's all it took for the lab-tail to begin thumping. At that moment, Barrett seemed to wake up and started kicking happily. I stopped talking to Tex, which meant his tail quieted down. At that moment, Barrett stopped kicking. I looked over at Tex and got his little booty wagging again. And again, Barrett started kicking. This could all be conincidence, of course. But I like to think that Barrett and Big Tex are already forming a relationship as boy & dog. It was definitely a cute moment!

The sweetest of showers...

My sister asked me a while back if she could throw me a baby shower and my answer was "definitely!". Erin knows me like a sister should and has always been quick to help me celebrate life's milestones. She threw me a bachelorette party and was my maid of honor back in 2006. Learning she would soon become an aunt was all she needed to throw her party-planning back into gear. And "boy", did she deliver! The morning of the shower, Erin sent me out to get a pedicure. When I returned, I walked in to the cutest-themed baby shower. Erin planned a candy-bar to celebrate my sweet boy. It was so elaborate and well-planned! It was both pretty and delicious! Baby Barrett had a friend at the shower! Cari, one of my best friends, is expecting any day now. I was so touched that she made the trip out to celebrate with me and it was fun to bump bellies with Barrett's soon-to-be best friend.

A big thank-you to my sister, Erin, for showing me how much she loves me and my growing family through this shower. She put in a lot of hard work and I will never forget Aunt Erin's shower for Barrett. Though we know each other like sisters do, she can still surprise me!

Advice Needed on Feedings/Sleep-Training

I am three months away from bringing a baby home from the hospital. A BABY! The reality of it all is starting to sink in...as is the rush to formulate my "plan" of attack. Will I practice Parent-Directed Feedings or feed Barrett whenever he seems to be hungry? Will I try to create a sleep schedule or trust him to be a good baby and know when it's time to nap? (Yeah right)

All this to say, I'd love some advice. One of my best friends uses the Babywise method for her sweet one and I'm very interested in this system. However, I want to be a well-informed, well-researched mom. What other methods are out there? What has worked or NOT worked for you? (I do realize every baby is different.) The more I know, the more confident I can be in my decision on how to feed and sleep-train Barrett.

But let's be honest, I'm entering the life of a parent and am already way in over my head...no matter how much research I do!

27-Week Ultrasound & Glucose-Testing

Yesterday I went in for the glucose-test with great fear and trembling. I hadn't given much thought to it until some moms at work, a few days earlier, decided to dump their horror stories on me. One mom actually had gestational diabetes and was forced to check her blood sugar four times a day and give herself insulin shots. Another mom failed the test and had to re-take the test, using the 3-hour method where her blood was tested once an hour for three hours. As an excellent test-taker, I was not ready to fail a test that I obviously needed to prepare for.

I changed my appointment from the afternoon to the morning (after being told I'd be less likely to fail the test if I did it in the morning) and groveled for a sub at work. I then made sure that everyone (co-workers, gal-pals, husband, mom, sister) knew that I had fallen victim to "mommy war-wound" stories. Then I began the tedious task of regulating my protein, carbs, and sugar for my Wednesday appointment (so maybe I should have been doing that part all along). Needless to say, I found myself a bit snappy on Tuesday without the sugar I so dearly love.

Wednesday morning came and I was sure to fast until after the test. I drank my orange glucose drink (I'm ashamed to admit I didn't hate it) and then headed to the doctor earlier than needed, like a good test-taker does. I patiently waited an hour to have my blood drawn and, afterwards, ripped into a Fiber One bar that I had packed...like a well-prepared student does, of course. I then waited another hour for the test results and to see my doctor.

The nurse called me back and casually informed me on the walk to the exam room that I had passed the test and not to give it a second thought. Aced another one! I knew all of my preparation had paid off handsomely. She continued to tell me that my numbers all looked quite good and that they were pleased with my iron levels, blood pressure, weight, etc. I was beaming.

While beginning my ultra-sound, the nurse told me about a woman, the previous day, who had actually passed out after the test. I laughed heartily at the poor girl and gave myself a mental pat on the back for being on top of my game. While we looked at Barrett (who I must mention the nurse cooed over and called "cute" several times...more pats on the back for me), I began to feel very hot. I tried to ignore it, but I knew the old familiar feeling. Soon I was feeling sick to my stomach and sweating. I notified the nurse who sat me up to see if getting off of my back would help. Nope..."don't roll off the table" played over and over in my mind. Then the nurse instructed me to roll to my left side, while she got me a wet washcloth and crackers. As I slowly started to feel better, I shivered from the sweat-mustache I'd developed during my little episode. After recovering, I had to wait almost another hour before the nurse would let me leave. I sheepishly made some joke about not being as tough as I thought. I then proceeded to the closest Wendy's and inhaled a hamburger and spent the rest of the day napping.

Not my finest moment, but a memorable pregnant-moment, nonethless. What I've learned from this experience: 1) I will not let mommies scare me with their war-stories 2) I will never assume I'm tougher than the next pregger or mommy 3) a pack of crackers in the purse doesn't hurt.

Below is an ultrasound of Barrett Ryan. It's a close-up of his face, laying sideways. His eyes are dark (it looks like he's wearing a superhero mask) but you can see his little nose, mouth, and chin. I was told he was sucking in this particular photo so his lips are slightly parted. I have a feeling he's just laughing at me.