Weekly Gratitude

I am grateful this week for ...

• A heartbeat! We got to hear our baby's heartbeat yesterday at our 11 week appointment. Isn't technology great?!?! Next appointment is in 5 weeks, at our 16 week mark.
• A supportive and excited group of work colleagues. That's right, the dreaded day of reveal came and went- just like that. Everyone is incredibly curious and encouraging, which is more than I could have possibly hoped for. Phew! Glad that is off my list. Check.
• Jesus. The anchor of my soul. He keeps me grounded and guides my life. I am so grateful to have that, because many are unaware that is the key missing element in their life. Knowing is believing.
• A slight glimpse of an appetite has crept forward these last several days. Grateful for that and hoping it doesn't fade away.
• Feeling loved again.... huh? Most of us can recall every major milestone in our lives because of the joy we felt from the support of those really important people in our lives. Graduating high school & college, getting engaged and later married, and yes of course having children. I suddenly realized today, at this new milestone in our life, that I love feeling loved! I am sure I sound pathetic right now, so let's blame it on the hormones : p but isn't it nice when you get an unexpected gift or note in the mail from someone, just letting you know they were thinking about you? It makes me realize I need to be the person who sends love too. Sure it feels great to be the receiver, but it feels just as great to make someone else's day too! Spread the love. :)

I acknowledge that I take these things for granted each and every day and am fully aware that there are many people in this world that do not share my same gratitudes from which God has given me happiness. What are you grateful for today? Much, I am sure!

Meanwhile. . .

Well, believe it or not, we do have a life going on outside of this whole pregnancy thing {which Chris may disagree with at times}. Last weekend we made it to College Station for the football game and got to go to our good friends' one year old's birthday party {which was absolutely perfect Sarah!}. Chris's sister came in town for a visit this week and we really enjoyed staying up late for once, we celebrated our friend Jana's birthday, and we got massages! Of course I have absolutely no evidence of any of these events happening because I have been totally slacking on the picture front.

Meanwhile, we are back at the Carr household, picking up right where we left off with the renovations. We have replaced the last 2 gold fixtures in our house with some oil rubbed bronze fans {hip hip horray! and did I mention we installed them ourselves!}. And of course the one project we have been putting off since day 1 has finally come to the forefront. Our yard.

Here is what is in the works for the yard renovation:

• New, taller fence in the backyard. Old one was rotted and dark.
• No more garden or grapes. The trees were not really condusive to the existing garden boxes that were there when we moved in, so we plan on building some new ones in a more sunny part of the yard {probably at a later date} and the grapes had to come down with the fence.
• New french drains throughout the back and side yard. This should help the grass grow and the rain water won't sit in certain areas of the yard. Yay for that.
• Removing two large trees in our front yard/flower bed. We think this will change the look of the front of our house quite dramatically. We love the trees, but you can't see the house or the front door.
• Removing the side flower (?) bed. This bed, I am guessing, was originally created when the 5 citrus trees were planted. Several different herbs were planted in the bed at that time, which have since completely overgrown the entire area including mint, onions, and who knows what else, which I cannot identify. On top of that, we lost our 2 lemon trees this past winter from some form of disease that had infected the trees while the house was vacant. Our two lime trees are doing well, and our one key lime tree is trying its best to come back. My fingers are crossed, it had such a good produce last year. So this bed, with the 3 remaining trees will be cleaned out {did I mention it is full of gravel as well} and substantially reduced to a much smaller and more manageable flower bed that will actually have non-edible and flowering plants in it.

The work started this past week and let's hope they finish this week, because the rain so far has put a slight delay on it. Here are some quick overview shots before and during the work in progress.

The Very Old Fence

The Front of the House Before

{please excuse the fact that the trees need to be

trimmed, we have put that off until we remove these two}

The side yard

With Herbs? and Gravel !

The fence came down

{which made for some very interesting

restroom breaks for Dusty I might add}

The fence is back up

{and the grapes/gardens are down}

 

{gate still to be put back up here}

The french drains are in

{still need grass in the back yard}

Side yard is under construction

Trees are down, but not gone yet

Wow! When I summarize it like this it feels so much smaller in scale than it has felt for us. We cannot wait for it to be finished, but even then we will have a small "open items" list that we will have to finish at a later date {i.e. grass in the backyard next spring- if we plant now it might not take since winter is right around the corner}. Stay tuned for an update.

A little time For God . . .

If you recall from my Proud Mom post back in August, I am highly entertained by talented animals and their endless bag of tricks. This video is no exception. If you can teach your dog to do this, kids should be easy as pie {I bet they would want to join right along with him}!

Weekly Gratitude

I am grateful this week for ...

• Mac & Cheese and Fruit- my primary foods this week. Chris's mom invited us over for dinner this week and made the entire meal around these two items. I would have tried to eat anything, but Chris filled her in, such a sweet mother-in-law and husband.
• Old and new. So grateful to have the old friends, the old comfy pants, the old music, but also so refreshing to have the new friends, the new crisp pants, and the new catchy melody in your ear. I love being surprised by which one will bring me happiness each day.
• Generous friends! This week I received a pregancy gift from my friend Lindsey and a HUGE bin of maternity clothes from my friend Ellen. We are about the same size so it worked out perfectly. I am hoping to dive in this weekend and scope everything out. It's like Christmas {which is in less than 100 days I might add}.
• Hobby Lobby. Only here can you find a dozen creative projects in one visit and if you time it right, at 50% off. I spend hours at a time in this store. Never gets old.
• Thanksgiving. I realized this week that my birthday is on Thanksgiving day this year. That means I don't have to work on my birthday! Whoopee!

I acknowledge that I take these things for granted each and every day and am fully aware that there are many people in this world that do not share my same gratitudes from which God has given me happiness. What are you grateful for today? Much, I am sure!

Dreams

I read somewhere, very early on, that I would probably have some pretty crazy dreams. Nah, I thought. I never remember my dreams, so it won't really matter. Well, when you get up to pee every 3-4 hours, you tend to wake up during a few of them.

In case some of you are so over hearing "pregnancy this" and "pregnancy that", I thought you might still be interested in my recent dream journaling that I have taken on.

Dream #1. Went to dinner and a movie with my mom and sister. My sister and I were WAY pregnant in the dream, at least 7 months along, judging by our bumps. Halfway through the movie, as I returned from a potty break, I see my sister and mom leaving the theater, down the other stairwell. Hmm, must be taking a potty break too. No big deal. So I returned to our seats, grabbed the popcorn and got reeled back into the movie. Some time passed and I started to wonder why they had been gone so long. I head out of the theater, check the bathroom and take a peak out of the exit door to check for their car, only to find the two of them outside smoking together. What?!!?!? End of dream. I woke up so angry at them. In fact, I actually believed the dream had been real.

Dream #2. Went to the doctor for some minor stomach symptoms. A virus perhaps, or maybe the stomach flu. I knew I couldn't take medicine, but wanted to make sure that myself and the baby were safe. The doctor took one look at me and ask me what happened to my arms. {In slow motion} I look down only to see several inch-long objects move under my skin on both arms. End of dream. The shock alone had woken me up. This one I knew was no where close to real.

Dream #3. Chris and I were in our back yard one Saturday afternoon {it was actually my parent's house, but you know how that goes} working on things, the cows and horses were grazing {yes, it is strange already, I know}. Suddenly we witnessed a bull challenging a horse {rearing up to it, horns down, almost as if it would charge the horse}. The horse reared back at it, front hoofs in the air, letting out a loud nay. Chris instinctively put his hand out in front of me, as if to protect me should the bull charge. The chase began. We watched in awe. I have never witnessed two bulls fight, or two horses for that matter, but I doubt there are many who have seen a bull and a horse fight each other. I was in a trance. A daze really. Suddenly, I saw a flash. The bull had changed directions, leaving the horse and heading straight for me and my stomach! Chris ran in front of the bull's path, trying to grab his attention away from me. But the bull kept on. Way too late to be making any kind of move, I turned and started to run {waddle really} towards the metal fence behind me. Before I was pregnant I could have fit through the fence slats, but now it was doubtful. Should I chance it, or try to make it over the top? I could almost feel the bull's hot breath on my neck. How did something so big run so much faster than me? End of dream. Alarm going off. Man! I really wish I had seen the end of that one. Well hmm, then again, maybe I don't.

Dream #4. Here I am 26 years old and pregnant and strangely at what appears to be a high school/college party with all of my childhood friends. Not sure how I got there or who was hosting the party, but the setting was once again my parents' house. Very strange for someone else to be hosting a party in my parents' house, I admit, but it's a dream, what can I say? As I wonder around the party I say hi to everyone, have small catch-up conversations with them and notice one of my high school best friends acting very "hostess" like. Awesome, I thought. She must have invited me. I tried to make my way towards her to say hi, but she seemed to be moving too fast and in the opposite direction. I finally called out her name, only to have her glance back and continue walking forward. I hadn't seen her in nearly 7 years and was overwhelmed with curiosity about how she was doing. After following her throughout the entire house, I caught up with her in the kitchen, and with a huge grin on my face said Hi! She turned to me and said, Who invited you? I don't want you here. I felt heartbroken.  I started crying, mumbled something at her and stormed out of the house. End of dream. The next morning I was still curious about her. It really has been nearly 7 years and after she moved away, we haven't ever gotten a chance to catch up. Facebook. That's it. Surely she is on there. I log onto the computer and into my facebook account and sure enough she is on there. Great, all I have to do is request her as a friend and we will be reunited in no time. As I type this, several weeks later, she has not accepted my friend request. It makes me wonder what my subconscious knows that I don't.

Isn't it amusing the tricks your mind can play on you and where it pulls its inspiration from? This has most definitely been my favorite pregnancy symptom to date. Keep 'em coming! For every 1 remember there are 2 more I can't seem to put my finger on when I wake up. Those are probably the most bizarre ones too.

Tuesday's Random Thought

How many times a day do we offer someone our sympathy, help, or condolences by saying: Please let me know if I can help in any way, or I will be praying for you.

How many of these are empty gestures made but never fulfilled? I doubt that most of us have bad intentions when we offer up our prayers or help to others, but by not following up on our offers we are effectively lying to our friends, family, and fellow colleagues.

It concerns me that a lot of us fill a void in a conversation with an empty gesture to avoid the uncomfortable situation of silence and helplessness, but it doesn't bother us whether or not the people in our lives that need help actually receive help.

I can think of two plausible solutions to this problem, and I do see it as a problem. First solution: Don't make the gesture at all {Not necessarily a friendly solution}. Second solution: Make it more than just a gesture. {Take action to be a good friend, family member, or colleague and pay it forward}.

It's been awhile since I have shared my random thoughts, and honestly it feels good to speak freely again!

Cravings, what's that?

{Week 9 & 10.. all caught up}

The infamous pregnancy craving. We have all heard about it. Ice cream and pickles or Cheetos and ketchup. At this moment in my pregnancy I am highly disappointed to have no such cravings. In fact, it got me thinking, what exactly is a craving. Well kids, the dictionary defines a craving as:

Confirmed. I have had no such thing. Could this change in the next 7 months, let's hope so! But for now, I have created my own definition of a craving...

When all food sounds disgusting,

your stomach is eating itself from hunger,

and one item pops in your head as sounding edible.

Of course this changes on any given day, so I guess abnormal and urgent could qualify as part of the new definition as well. There are, however, many items at this point, that are always on my aversions list. To name just a few:

1. Anything green & leafy. (i.e. I miss salads)
2. Chicken (unless completely disguised as something else)
3. Anything with a lot of smell, even if it tastes ok.
4. Please hold the onion and garlic. Really anything with lots of herbs or seasonings, so no Indian, Thai, or Pho anytime soon. Even sitting at Pei Wei while Chris ate one afternoon was a little torturous.
5. Fish. Gross. It better be smothered or fried to pass #3.
6. Rice. Not sure why. I have tried it several times, can't do it.
7. Peanut butter (this one is tricky~ PBJ is ok, but smelling peanut butter alone gives me an instant gag reflex).

And in case you were wondering how this is affecting my diet... I have actually lost 1 pound since becoming pregnant, oh yeah, and I have given up my 1 hour/day workouts for 30 minute walks... hmmm. I know I shouldn't be piling away the pounds here, but something tells me I am a little off track. Anybody else go through this? Will it get better soon? I am seriously missing food right now.

Weekly Gratitude

I am grateful this week for ...

• The gift of life. Our baby is growing so fast, only 2 more weeks til we see it again! 
• Safety of our entire family this week with the storms that rummaged through Texas.
• A glass half-full outlook this week. It is good to have some weeks where things just don't look quite so bleak. Why am I generally such a pessimistic person?
• A mom that cares so deeply about me. I love her and cannot imagine not talking to her every single day.
• Lemons! They work wonders with bland water.
• A really warm house party with family. So glad we got to catch up with them!
• My car. I finally got my car back, 3 weeks after the wreck and can't believe how much I missed it! 
• Football?!?! Well, anything that makes my hubby happy. I am really trying! 
• Hormones. Apparently they are making me very grateful this week!  : o )

I acknowledge that I take these things for granted each and every day and am fully aware that there are many people in this world that do not share my same gratitudes from which God has given me happiness. What are you grateful for today? Much, I am sure!

Week 8, what happened?

{Almost caught up}

So remember those mild symptoms I briefly mentioned before. Week 8 starts, and they are all gone. Yep. And in their place a new raging set of symptoms that the books could never prepare you for.

I don't know what happened. One day I was fine. Tired, but fine. Going to the restroom a lot, but fine. Having a hard time sleeping, but still really fine. Then one day I woke up and felt the complete opposite of fine.

If you have ever had a wine hangover, it might come somewhat close to this feeling. The room is spinning, my stomach is way too uneasy to imagine eating anything, but the hunger pain is far worse, so the careful selection of food that enters your mouth {preferably having no scent at all} can easily be regretted once you have swallowed it. I fear the worst is yet to come, so I am trying to stay positive. I have not visited the porcelain goddess, not even for a scare, to feel better. I think that means I have a lot to be grateful for. And oddly enough, I cannot seem to stay warm. We spent a weekend at the lake in 100+ degree temperatures and, believe it or not, I was actually cold. Most definitely my weirdest symptom.

So that was the beginning of week 8. Only 32 left. Hmmm. Maybe too early to count down, that is intimidating! Well thanks to some good friends, I have the comfort of knowing this shouldn't last long. At least I am not spending my days at work in the bathroom, which might be hard to explain at this point since no one has a clue what is going on inside of me! I am trying to get past that scary first trimester before telling anyone at work. It just feels like the right thing to do. I do, of course, plan on going back to work. Everyone is different, and every situation is different, but for me, and at this given moment in our lives, going back to work is the right thing for our family and my sanity. And I know, without a doubt, that could change because life is not even a smidgen of predictable, but I am taking one day at a time right now.

Anybody have any advice for that dreaded day when I spread the news? Ugh, and I do mean dreaded. It isn't going to be as easy as someone just filling in for me. Which reminds me. I woke up this morning at 4:00 to pee {nothing unusual there} and randomly started thinking about this. It occurred to me that there are 3 things that will probably really stress me out during this pregnancy {and if I am admitting that this early I should be worried that there are certainly more items that will inevitably be added to this list later}. The first of course is the complicated struggle of balancing work with motherhood. Many women before me have done it. Many women after me will do it again. But again, everyone is different, so finding "the right" balance for myself will be a little tough at first. The second may seem just plain dumb to those of you who can't relate, but merging 2 things that I love and making them love each other- hoping they love each other- and not forcing me to choose between my first born and my first child {duh I would choose my first born}. Yes I am talking about our dog, Dusty. I cannot help it. I love that little guy. My fear, an obvious one, is that Dusty won't respond well to a new family member who will, of course, get a WHOLE LOT more attention than he does. And last, but certainly not least, my total and utter lack of control over anything going on in my body for the next 7 months! I cannot guarantee the safety, health, and ultimate delivery of our child, and that scares the bejeezus out of me. Really, not having control in any area of my life frightens me, but this is the ultimate unknown situation for me. Can you tell I am a little bit of a Type A personality? Just a tad.

So what do you think about at 4 a.m.? Hopefully you are in deep slumber, sawing away at those logs.

Doctor, doctor, give me the news!

{Still catching up}

August 19th was our first appointment with the doctor. I was a nervous wreck. Not because I was going to find out whether or not I was truly pregnant, but because Chris was going with me to the ObGyn, not something a wife normally likes her husband to have to experience, but it wasn't about me today. Sigh...

We laughed with the nurse as she took my blood pressure, weight, etc. We wanted to make sure the urine test came back positive before she sent the doctor in. In the event that I am a crazy lady who cannot read a home pregnancy test, or better yet I had mastered a way to produce a false positive, I wanted to save myself some embarrassment of being examined in front of Chris. It turned out the urine test was positive. Sigh...

The doctor enters the room like a ray of sunshine. Super smiley and happy to be alive. She apologizes for the long wait- she was literally in the middle of delivering a baby on the floor below. After some small talk and discussion we got straight to it! Everything looked good according to the doctor. We had our first ultrasound, but were surprised to find out it was not the same one you see on TV. No cold gel on my tummy. No paddle wondering across my tummy to find the heartbeat. Let's just say there was nothing "external" about this one. I was totally unprepared for that experience, and just knowing Chris was in the room and having no clue what he was thinking at that moment made for a very memorable first doctor visit. All of the anxiety disappeared when she said, "There it is. There is your baby and it's heart beat." It's real! Unbelievable. Sigh...

In addition to seeing our baby's tiny little heart beat, we found out, based on the size of the baby {a grain of rice}, we were only 6 weeks along rather than 7 weeks and 3 days which the pregnancy websites all had me pegged at, which just meant I had ovulated a week later than the average person. Funny thing is, my sister's doctor decided to date her based on her last menstrual period, rather than her ovulation date, effectively moving our due dates to 2 1/2 weeks apart. My sister and I know we are really only a week apart, do I really need to drive to Dallas to educate her doctor on the proper method to determining a due date? So depending on who you ask... we are still 1 week apart.

Next we proceeded to the blood work, where I gave about 4 tubes of blood for various screening tests that they run. The doctor handed me my prescription, which I noticed was for a "Heather Carr", interesting. I chuckled and let the nurse know, she corrected it and handed it back to me. Seriously, after seeing me naked and totally violating me (haha), couldn't she remember my name? Totally kidding and definitely irrelevant, but something I will probably always remember, nonetheless.

We set the next appointment for September 23rd {5 weeks later, but only 2 weeks from today!} grabbed a bite to eat downstairs at Au Bon Pain and headed back to reality, work! {Not much work was done that afternoon} This waiting period was going to be even worse than last, but at least I have a picture of our grain of rice to focus on this time {and yes you realllly have to focus on it to see it}. : ) Sigh...

The Plot Thickens

{Still getting everyone caught up}

After the initial excitement wore off and our parents were settled down, we decided to tell our siblings too. It just didn't feel right to leave them out. One by one we broke the news and received the best warm wishes and encouraging words. It wasn't until a couple days later that things got a little more interesting. A little more complicated.

On the way home from work, my sister called my cell phone. She was just checkin' in to see how I was feeling and wanted to ask me some more specific questions since we hadn't had really talked long before- busy mommy duty called her away. A few minutes into the conversation when I was telling her a specific symptom I was having, she interjects "I am too." I said, "You are too, what?" It turns out she meant she is having that symptom too because she is pregnant too! Can you believe it? What are the chances?

We did the math, busted out our calenders, and figured out "in theory" we are less than 1 week apart. Apparently, she had just broken the news to my mom, who was pretty torn up. Super incredibly excited for both of us and 2 new future grandkids, but what if those 2 new future grandkids share a birthday? Hello! What if they are born on the same day? And even if we happen to go into labor near the same day, not on the same day, can you imagine a grandma having to choose which newborn's birth to attend, one in Houston and one in Dallas? Only God knows what will happen, but it does make for any interesting 9 months together. I can think of no one else I would rather share this experience with.  Love her. : )

Our Blog's New LiFe!

You may have noticed that this blog has taken on a new life, our babie's!  I am really looking forward to documenting the next year in the life of a pregnant woman and soon-to-be mom. I hope I can look back on it later and enjoy reading how I was feeling and for those of you reading, I hope you can relate, look forward to, or just chuckle at my experiences.

So when did this all start? Let's get caught up.

On Wednesday August 4th, I took my first pregnancy test. And behold,  it was positive!

Naturally, I didn't believe it, even though I was about a week late. So I took another test of the same brand, and 2 more of a different brand. All positive. I was uber excited, but wanted to be calm, cool, and collected before I told Chris. I decided to wait at least a day to think of a creative way to spill the beans. Thursday afternoon, when Chris came home from work, there was a note waiting on the counter for him, along with a pocket-sized calender book. Most of you that know Chris can understand how meaningful the note was for him, but for those not as familiar, it will suffice to say he is a passionate car, and more importantly corvette enthusiast. I have tried to share his passion, but always come up short of the "interested" he is so desparately hoping for.

His response was perfect. A quick smile, turned towards me, and said "Sweet!" I knew that he was excited too. Hoping for a good support system and the chance to share the excitement with people we love, we decided to tell each of our parents that weekend.

Chris was set to help his parents move some furniture on Saturday and his niece, Kirsten, was in town, so we stopped by the donut shop bright and early and grabbed breakfast for everyone before we headed to their house. When we walked in the door Chris handed Kirsten a note he had written and directed her to go find "Mimi" and give it to her. Chris's mom came running from the bathroom, a mouthful of toothpaste, holding the note and mumbling something which we couldn't recognize. She slipped back in the bathroom, rinsed out her mouth, and returned, saying "Is this for real? This doesn't mean another dog does it?" She was jumping up and down, grinning ear to ear. That was the support we were looking for. The note read:

Dear Mimi,

Kirsten Mae just wanted to say

that she may have another cousin on the way.

The next afternoon we headed over to my parents to drop off a book they had asked to borrow from me. We brought Dusty, dressed in his Aggie shirt with a bright pink note nicely secured to the back of his shirt, which said, "Got room for one more Aggie? I am not gonna be an only child anymore". This was kind of an inside joke to my parents because Dusty acts like an only child around other dogs. Of course my parents noticed the shirt {100+ degrees outside, why was the dog wearing a shirt} and they couldn't miss the bright pink note. My dad noticed it first and knew right away. They were both ecstatic. Again the support we were looking for.

We were adament about getting to the doctor before we spread the news any further. I made the first doctor's appointment for August 19th, 2 weeks after the day I told Chris the good news. It seemed like it would be a long waiting period. I was highly anxious to get some kind of confirmation from the doctor. Other than some very mild symptoms {some pretty obvious and some not so: dry skin, constant sneezing, and heartburn}, I was not feeling sick at all. The waiting period was going to be a little tough, but the anticipation kept me upbeat and focused.

Soon, let's hope!

Weekly Gratitude

I am grateful this week for ...

• Marrying into a tight-knit extended family.  
• Sirius radio. My rental car came with it and I am loving the oldies!
• God showering our yards with rain! Our plants crave rain water.
• A job that I can leave at work. Home is home, not work.
• Trial and error. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.

I acknowledge that I take these things for granted each and every day and am fully aware that there are many people in this world that do not share my same gratitudes from which God has given me happiness. What are you grateful for today? Much, I am sure!

A little news, a little observation

Not sure if everyone heard about the hostage situation that happened today at the Discovery Channel headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, so I thought I would bring it to your attention. An armed man, James Jay Lee, entered the building, firing shots, and has taken hostages. You can read more about the story at here .

While reading this story I came to this realization: Never trust a man with three names.

John Wilkes Booth
Mark David Chapman
Lee Harvey Oswald
James Earl Ray
John Wayne Gacy
James Jay Lee

Interesting right?