Santa Visits Christmas Eve

Each year, Santa Claus makes a special trip to our holiday gathering. My cousin took some better pictures than what I had the other day (thanks Ben!)

Sam's 1st Christmas

As you can see below, we have had a great Christmas! As you can imagine, Sam was the hit of the holiday. At only 6 weeks old, I have a feeling that he won't remember too much of this major first in his life. Next year should be a great adventure to say the least! We did a little traveling between both our families and both Chris and I are exhausted. We are both ready to enjoy the rest of our vacation till we have to go back to work.

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas from all of us to you! Click here for a special greeting!

Bath Time

I figured that given our past experiences in giving Sam a sponge bath, he would automatically love a real bath. Boy, was I wrong. Chris and I gave it a valiant effort a few nights ago and as you can see below, Sam was none to happy with mommy and daddy. He pretty much screamed the entire time...except for the finishing touch. When we washed his hair, Chris ran his head under the running water. That has some kind of crazy soothing effect on Sam. It was the first moment where he was actually quiet enough for Chris and I to regroup from the ordeal. Since the first night, I have taken on the duty of bath time in which Sam really seems to enjoy now. I hope that continues! 

Sam's Stats

We went to the pediatrician for the first time yesterday. Sam was definitely the hit of the office. Here are his two week stats...

Weight 11 pounds 5 ounces (97%)

Height 22.5 inches (96%)

I think we have a big boy on our hands. He is already trying to eat us out of house and home!

My little hunter(s)

Chris and my dad went on their first official deer hunting outing last week. On Chris' first time out, he shot two bucks! He is definitely spoiled at this point. Hopefully, he won't let it go to his head that this is what happens each and every time you go out hunting! Next stop is the elusive turkey...

Our son poses on the opening day of deer hunting season.

Thankful for...

This Thanksgiving, we have so much to be thankful for. My family from Indiana was able to visit for the holiday. Sam spent most of the holiday in the arms of great grandma being spoiled rotten. Between her, grandma and all the other family, it gave Chris and I a good opportunity to catch up on some sleep! It was a busy couple of days, but it was great to see our family and visit with them.

Our little pilgrim

Sam is sure not to be happy with his mom one day when he sees this picture!

All dressed up for his first day at church.

Baby Beaz Alert

We are proud to announce the birth of our son, Samuel David on November 13th. Sam weighed in at a very healthy 10 pounds 9 ounces. He was 22 inches long. Everyone is doing well. We arrived home from the hospital on Thursday afternoon. At this point, we are trying to adjust to life at home with a newborn!

Here are just a few pictures of many to come...

Proof positive that Little Sam is NOT SO LITTLE.

Proud new parents!

Grandma and Grandpa steal a peak.

Uncle Dave tests the waters with Sam.

Stir Crazy

My last day of work was on the 25th. Since that time, I've been stuck at home. I've developed the sad routine of TV watching. You would think with satellite TV and over 400 channels, I would be able to find some quality television to watch. Not the case unfortunately. I try to find a field trip to go on at least once a day...just to get out of the house. Yesterday, I talked to my mom, not 15 minutes later...my dad called me and told me he was coming to take me out. I must have sounded pitiful--just wanting to hang out with someone else I guess. My dad picked me up and we just hung out for the afternoon. He took me out to lunch and we had the opportunity to catch up and do some father-daughter bonding. I miss those days of just hanging out with my daddy. I have a feeling that in the next couple weeks I'll have plenty of opportunities to hang out with my dad as I cope with the baby and he recuperates from his upcoming knee replacement. It should be a good time had by all!

The Waiting Game

I normally consider myself a patient person. The past couple weeks are beginning to prove otherwise. According to my due date, I'm 15 days away from having Baby Beaz. Chris and I are both hoping that it is sooner than the 15th! I seem to have ballooned in size, pillows have completely taken over our bed and I find it hard to spend 45 minutes at the mall to do some simple shopping without breaking into a major sweat. I am definitely a type A personality, a planner to the very end. This not knowing when Sam will arrive, what I'm going to do when he is here, and all the uncertainty is killing me.

Chris and I have been on the go for the past several weeks....football, work functions, hockey games...name it and claim it. I finally have decided that I need to slow my roll and take some time out just for me. Last Wednesday, Chris and I found ourselves at the hospital for about 4 hours. My blood pressure was higher than normal and the doctor just wanted to make sure everything was okay. She finally released us around 8:00 pm. Luckily, Thursday was going to be my last day at work for a while. I've done okay so far at home...I still find myself needing to run errands on a daily basis. I have a sinking feeling that I haven't planned for something in the next couple weeks. I'm just trying to take it easy these next few days and see what happens from there!

The Nursery

A lot of people have been asking about the nursery...is it finished? what does it look like? etc. I thought I would share a couple pictures with everyone. Chris worked so hard on this room! We decided to tackle stripes on the bottom part of the wall (that is a huge challenge if you haven't tried that before). I think it turned out pretty good. Chris also took a stab at putting up the chair rail all on his own. I'm so proud of him...we didn't have to call my dad once for any helpful hints!

Inevitably, we went for a sports theme in the room. I think it is a given that any child we have will be exposed to sports in one form or fashion in his or her life. We might as well start out early!

This is my attempt at a crafty project in Sam's room. Chris had a lot of old baseball, football and hockey cards from his childhood. We took the cards that hopefully aren't worth much (if anything) and did three wall hangings above the dresser. I think they turned out pretty good.

This is actually the bassinet that my mom, her sister and cousin used when they were babies. Since then, it has been used for me, my brother and three cousins. It is amazing that it is still in such great shape. My mom had it recovered for Sam. The original material from when I was a baby was still on it a few months ago. It was definitely time for a change. I don't think Chris was going to go for the gingham pink, yellow and blue for Sam. Right now, the bassinet is sitting in our room waiting for the big day.

Survival of the Fittest

Amazingly enough, on Saturday, I made it through a full day of tailgating and football! It was actually pretty nice. The weather was good, lots of great food and lots of sitting around (actually that was the best part). Luckily there was a restroom in close vicinity. We normally tailgate with our friends Daniel and Kristel. They had a baby boy last October. This was Anderson's first official football game and tailgating experience. The picture above is of Chris and little Anderson. I'm so excited for next football season to roll around where Chris will be holding Sam at his first game!

After the first football game of the season, I decided that my plush stadium seat was not going to cut it for any more games. There was little to no back support. Chris let me splurge on a circa 1980 stadium seat. You know the kind...the old school stadium seat with the heavy metal frame, hard back and uncomfortable padding with industrial strength plastic covering it. I have never been so thankful to have such a stadium seat in my life! It was the only thing that kept me somewhat comfortable during the entire game.

Nesting

Apparently, I've reached the stage where I have the extreme need to make sure everything is in order. The past couple weeks Chris and I have been taking childbirth classes. The teacher suggested that if you are a planner--things may not work out exactly in your timeline you have planned....go ahead and pack your hospital bag, put the car seat in the car, come up with a plan B, etc. I have begun to think in those terms. I found myself at Target the other day buying 2 tubes of toothpaste, 2 contact solutions and a bunch of other stuff I have no need for right now. I just see myself running out of these "necessities" and I won't be able or feel like going to Target or Kroger to pick them up...heaven forbid I ask my husband to do it for me (of course he would go in a heartbeat).

I look around the house everyday and envision what it would be like to have a clean house from top to bottom. I see clumps of black fur (from little T-Bone) in the carpet that I have failed to vacuum, the sinks are a mess, the house is in disarray from my perspective. In hopes of solving my issues with the home, I enacted Stage I of my plan on Monday. I took T-Bone to the vet, had her annual shots and at the same time asked them to shave her. She looks pitiful, but I still believe she is much more comfortable with her "lion cut."

Now that T-Bone doesn't have much hair to shed all over the house, I'm about to enact Stage II--clean the house. Chris makes fun of me, but I don't feel like cleaning the home from top to bottom. I do good to come home, make dinner and not fall asleep while we are eating these days. Just the thought of bending down and picking something up off the floor kills me. I am going to take some of the hard earned money that I make and give myself a pre-baby present....have someone else come in and do all the hard work. My dream and aspiration is that I will maintain the clean home going forward. I know I'm a little dilusional, but it could happen...right??

Only $160,140

I received the following email from a co-worker today. I thought I would post it for others to enjoy as well....

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

• $8,896.66 a year,
• $741.38 a month, or
• $171.08 a week.
• That's a mere $24.24 a day!
• Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?

• Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
• Glimpses of God every day.
• Giggles under the covers every night.
• More love than your heart can hold.
• Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
• Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
• A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
• A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
• Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:

• finger-paint,
• carve pumpkins,
• play hide-and-seek,
• catch lightning bugs, and
• never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:

• keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
• watching Saturday morning cartoons,
• going to Disney movies, and
• wishing on stars.
• You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay or Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:

• retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
• taking the training wheels off a bike,
• removing a splinter,
• filling a wading pool,
• coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the:

• first step,
• first word,
• first bra,
• first date, and
• first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits. So, one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

My Husband....My Hero

Yesterday was an increasingly difficult day for me at work....all kinds of drama that a pregnant woman shouldn't be faced with. With all the hormones working against me, I didn't have a chance in this world to get through the day without tears--a lot of tears. Chris is so understanding. He came home, did some yard work outside and said one thing to me and the tears started again. He is such a blessing to me. He knows what to say to calm me down and bring me back to reality. Sometimes, the best thing he can do is just let me cry, listen to the drama and just be there for me. I appreciate this quality in him.

In addition to listening to my issues and deal with whatever I'm facing, Chris will do just about anything to bring a smile to my face. We were in Franklin taking a childbirth class. Over lunch, I asked him if he would take me to Sonic to get some ice cream (one of the few things that I long for on a consistent basis). He finally agreed that he would take me after class was over. As we are leaving the hospital, he drives right past the Sonic I thought we would go to. That was okay...there is another one on Moores Lane that we had a shot of driving past. We get on I-65 going toward the house, he drives right past the Moores Lane exit. At this point, I have no idea what Sonic he is planning on stopping at...but I still have faith that it is going to happen some way, some how.

We get off at Concord Road, still heading toward our house. No word has been mentioned about Sonic, I am beginning to think of clever things I can say to Chris when we pull into the driveway...and how soon I can get in my car and drive myself to the nearest Sonic or Dairy Queen. About half-way to the house, Chris looks at me...remembering his promise. In the end, he drives all the way back to Moores Lane (behind the slowest driver in the world--for those of you who know Chris well, you can imagine what his thoughts and feelings were at that time). We ended up at the Sonic and I got my Sonic Blast that I was looking forward to!

I don't know what I would do without Chris, he is definitely my hero!

10 Weeks and Counting...

10 weeks to go. I can't believe the big day is fastly approaching! It is one thing to say I've got 2 1/2 months left, a whole other thing to break it down into weeks. To be perfectly honest, the "big day" scares me to death. Chris and I start childbirth classes this weekend. That is probably the part that scares me most. I have done well to avoid horror stories from friends about this labor thing. We went to Indiana over Labor Day and I spent a lot of time visiting with my grandma and aunt. My aunt happens to be a doctor so she got more questions than she probably wanted to answer from her favorite niece about childbirth. A guy here at work had a baby girl this past weekend. He came back and started telling me about his wife and her experience. I immediately told him that he has to avoid me for the next several weeks...I'm thrilled everyone is healthy and safe...but I don't want to hear any stories that will freak me out. Hopefully with a little education these next few weeks, my mind will be put to ease!

Football Time in Middle Tennessee

3 Days, 6 Hours and 17 Minutes....I'll give you one guess as to what this is a countdown toward. The Summer has to be the hardest time of the year for Chris....besides the incessantly hot weather, there seems to be a lack of sporting events he is truly interested in. As soon as hockey season ended, there was a definite void in our lives. All that is about to change however! College football (specifically MT football) is just around the corner. I expect to spend each Saturday (and most Thursday nights) either huddled around the TV watching the Blue Raiders (or any other football team) in action or experiencing the even first hand. Getting to MT at 8:00 AM in time for the 6:00 PM kickoff. A day filled with tailgating, food and friends. There is nothing like it! The season will be an adventure to say the least!

Honky Tonk, Late Nights & 100+ Degrees

Here is my standard day in a nutshell for you....wake up, work 8:00-5:00 (typically), come home, eat dinner, settle down in my comfy recliner around 7:00, start watching tv, doze off to sleep around 8:30 or so. Chris will wake me from a slumber and tell me it is time for bed around 9:15. My evening life typically revolves around sleeping. The sooner I get home, the sooner I get to take a nap. I'm still waiting for this "energy boost" that everyone says that I should have. I don't think it is ever going to happen.

The other night, Habitat had a benefit concert, "Honky Tonk Angels" featuring Brenda Lee (famous for Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and I'm Sorry) and Pam Tillis (famous for Queen of Denial and Shake the Sugar Tree--or something like that). Unfortunately, I'm not up on my classic country singers and songs. Along with Brenda and Pam, there were about 8 other ladies that sang (I had only heard of one or two of the others before this concert). I coerced Chris into going with me. He is such a good sport!

As soon as we got to the concert, there was an opportunity for hob-nobbing with donors, etc. I've decided that I'm glad I'm not in the fundraising business. I'm not good at mingling with others, networking, asking for money, etc. Another reason I brought my husband...so I could stick with him and have an excuse for my lack of hob-nobbing. Coupled with the fact that I'm 6 months pregnant and was tired of standing around, we found a seat and chilled till the concert began. Just like clockwork...around 8:30, I had about hit the wall. Given the fact that I still didn't recognize any of the singers to this point, we bolted out of the concert and I was in bed by 9:30. Tell me it is going to get better!

A few nights later, there was a neighborhood watch meeting in one of our Habitat communities that I had to attend. I knew I was in trouble when I watched the news at 6:30 AM. They stated that the temperature at 6:00 PM was ONLY going to be 101. Of course, this lovely event was held outside. I'm here to tell you, I have always loved the warm weather and handled it quite nicely. At 7 months pregnant, not so much. This will be my last outdoors event for a while I'm afraid. I'm just praying for a break in the weather SOON!

A Cool Thought

A friend of mine at work shared the following verse with me earlier this week. It really got me thinking about my life and the future of our unborn son.

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

One of the things my friend said was "Isn’t it amazing how God knew all about our work at Habitat before we were even conceived?" I think about that and look back on all the past experiences that have brought me to where I am today. God has blessed me immeasurably and I am fortunate enough to be doing work that I love for people who genuinely deserve a hand up. I feel that I have been able to touch so many lives in so many ways in my short time here. To think that God has a plan for each of us even before we are conceived is so huge, it is difficult for me to try to wrap my mind around it.

I think about my family and this child Chris and I are about to bring into the world. I constantly dream about what our lives are going to look like into the future; what our son will be like, what he will choose to do with his life, who he will marry, what sports he will play (if any), all kinds of things like that. Knowing that God has a plan for him even right now is simply amazing to me. I know that God will place him in the lives of others to touch them in various ways that I may never know about. I praise God for all the blessings in my life and those that surround me day by day.

I've Caved In

Alright, so I guess I have succumbed to this whole blogging thing. I've resisted a long time, I'm going to give it a try and see how it goes. I haven't figured out exactly when I will have time to post material, I rarely have time to actually hand-write in my journal at home. Maybe this will turn out to be easier than I anticipate....and more fun.

Since Chris and I are expecting Baby Sam in November, I thought this would be a good way to communicate to friends and family about the changes going on with our family. I'm not sure if my stories will amuse anyone or not. I don't claim to be a good writer, funny or anything like that. All that to say....I hope you don't have high expectations!