a few pics

Adam & Mason at the Fair
Ray showing Madison & Braden how to make big bubbles

Our family
Adam & I before the Frontier HS Football game

Crawling out of a rut

So I've been in a bit of a rut lately. I didn't need anyone to point it out to me, I felt it and definitely could see it in the mirror. The first trimester is said to be the hardest. With Mason, I didn't have that problem. The pregnancy and labor were so not what I had expected and easy, that I knew it had to be too good to be true. At least I knew ahead of time, that things could be different with this pregnancy.

The end of the first trimester is approaching, and I couldn't be more excited. From the very beginning, I have been tired, moody, bloated, nauseous, puking, and lets not forget about the heartburn. I mean, who gets heartburn from water? Oh yeah, that would be me. Not to mention that it's just an awkward stage, because your body is changing and you are in between looking like you have gained a few extra pounds and pregnant. I was so bloated one time around 6 weeks, that when we went to the grocery store, a lady asked how far along I was. I didn't let it bother me, but that lady was brave. It's a good thing, my hormones weren't in over drive that afternoon, otherwise I would have started crying right in the middle of the checkout lane.

My rut sprouted from the pregnancy and just started to grow from there. For a month, I would wake up, put hair back in a pony tail, because I didn't feel like styling it and having to deal with the hassle of blow-drying my hair. Just standing up made me sick, so the last thing I wanted to do was stand (even though I could have gotten a chair) and take the time to do my hair each morning. Not to mention, I'm growing it out and it's in the in between stage.

If I wasn't doing my hair, I surely didn't feel like putting makeup on. I seriously have such an easy 10 minute routine of makeup, but I didn't care to bother. Besides, it would probably come off from the tears streaming down my face every time I puked. I would throw on a t-shirt and shorts, because it was comfortable and I didn't want to waste my cute clothes, if I didn't look or feel cute. This had become a daily ritual.

I knew that I was in a rut, but didn't care enough to really think about it or doing something about it until today. There is absolutely nothing special about today, except that I woke up this morning with the realization that I don't feel sick anymore, my hormones have leveled off, and the only real problem is my heartburn. So if I was feeling back to normal, why shouldn't I look that way.

In high school, I always used to say that I would never, never let myself get to that point. I guess I was a bit naive. But in all honestly, I still kind of feel that way. I have never been the one that would leave the house without makeup or at least look somewhat cute and put together. It's not that I cared what other people thought, because I didn't. If anything, I cared about it and it was important to me. Looking back, I loved getting ready and picking out a cute outfit. It was never for a guy or a friend, it was always for me. So why did I fall away from that?

I don't really know. Right now, I'm sticking with my excuse of the pregnancy. But I do know, that this morning, I showered, blow-dried my hair and styled it, put on some makeup and I feel so much better. I couldn't believe how much my hair has grown. I guess when it is constantly pulled back in a pony tail, you don't notice.

ABC's

I have been tagged before, but this one is especially fun and it allows you to be creative. So thanks for tagging me Kathleen.

A: Attached or Single? Married.

B: Best Friend? Jeanna Bickerstaff. We met 4 years ago thru her ex and became fast friends. We have made plenty of memories over the years, including a few road trips that I will never forget. I love her like a sister and even though we are miles away, we still make a point to talk on a regular basis. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and I had the honor of returning the favor last year in her wedding. This picture was taken this past New Years.

C: Cake or Pie? German Chocolate Cake. I prefer cake over pie any day, unless it's Pumpkin Pie.

D: Day of Choice? Friday. It's the start of the weekend and that means eating out, hanging out with our friends, maybe a BBQ, or staying in and watching a movie. Also, everyone loves Friday. You never hear anyone say that they dread Friday, it's always Monday's right?

E: Essential Item? Chapstick. I'm pretty particular about it and only use the Chapstick brand. I won't use Carmex, even if my lips are cracked.

F: Favorite Color? Pink! I love almost all shades of pink, except really pale shades. If we have a girl, I'm still deciding if I want to go with brown & pink, or black & white with pink. Any suggestions?

G: Gummy Bears or Worms? Gummy Bears. My dad always ate Gummy Bears and I remember eating the ones he didn't like. The great thing is that I like all of them.

H: Hometown? Houston/Katy, Tx. I was born in Houston and moved to the suburb, Katy, at the age of 10. My parents still live in the same house. I believe that Houston is the greatest city and you really can't persuade me otherwise. Sure other places are nice, but Houston has some of the best people, architecture, skylines, and most of all food in the world.

I: Favorite Indulgence? Spa Pedicures. I would much rather have a pedicure than a manicure any day.

J: January or July? July. I never really liked the month of January. It's cold and dreary and nothing really exciting happens. July means summer time, the 4th of July which is my favorite holiday outside of Christmas (I also got engaged on the 4th), BBQ, swimming, vacation, and Mason was born in July 07.

K: Kids? Mason was born 7-10-07 and we are expecting Baby #2 in March. I have always wanted 4 but will probably compromise with 3.

L: Life isn't complete without? Jesus, my family and friends.

M: Marriage date? February 11, 2006

N: Number of brothers & sisters? I have an older sister, 2 brother-in-laws, 3 sister-in-laws

O: Oranges or Apples? Apples with peanut butter

P: Phobias? Snakes, Roaches, Spiders & Clowns

Q: Quotes? I have a few

"You can't choose how you die, but you can choose how you live"

"People come into your life and people go. But it's comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart." - Carrie, Sex & The City

"To the world, you are one little person...but to one little person, you are the world"

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired." - George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian

R: Reasons to smile? My husband is home after being gone over 20 days the past month. Mason walks up to me to give me a hug, while he is playing. Tomorrow is Friday and we are going to the Kern County Fair this weekend. My parents are coming out to visit us in a month.

S: Season of Choice? Summer. I love everything about the summer and I'm not a fan of cold weather. The only reason I enjoy any cold weather is the for the fall/winter fashion.

T: Tag 5 people? Anyone, but since they asked for 5... Summer, Lori, Kelli, Marissa, & Jill

U: Unknown fact? Wow, I'm pretty much an open book. I'm ambidextrous. I'm left handed, but I use my right for everything else, including sports.

V: Vegetables? I didn't like veggies until I got older. They say your taste buds change every 7 years and I try to make a point to try new things. My favorite is Broccoli and always has been.

W: Worst habit? I can be a backseat driver. It's horrible, I know.

X: X-ray or Ultrasound? I prefer an ultrasound any day over an x-ray. Considering I have had over 20 throughout the years, I am very comfortable with ultrasounds. With an X-ray, you sometimes have to bend and move in weird positions just to get the perfect shot. It's way more complicated. The coolest thing about an ultrasound is during pregnancy. You get to see a life growing inside of you and there is nothing like that.

Y: Your favorite food? Really, only one? I love it all, but I guess it's a tie between queso, Spaghetti, Stuffed Chicken Marsala.

Z: Zodiac sign? Pisces. I don't follow horoscopes or astrology.

Welcome Home

Adam is home! He arrived last night a little after 7pm and luckily, Mason was still awake to see him. Mason & I stood outside, waiting for Adam to round the corner of our street and the minute Mason saw Adam's truck, he smiled so big and started bouncing with excitement. They even were able to play for a bit before we had to put Mason down for the night. I made Chicken Tortilla Soup, because I knew the last thing Adam wanted to eat was a meal out. Once Mason was down, we ate dinner and sat around watching our shows and catching up. It was honestly the perfect evening.

Thank you for your prayers

I just got home and I'm exhausted. First, I had an ultrasound done and everything looked great with the baby. He/She was actually sleeping during the ultrasound. The tech took the measurements and listened to the heartbeat and said she didn't see anything to worry about. I asked her if the placenta was in the right place and she said yes. I had worried that I had Placenta Previa, because a symptom is bleeding and spotting. She also mentioned something very interesting, something that my other doctor never mentioned.

After looking around, she pointed to a spot on the screen and asked if my last doctor explained what this area was. I didn't know what she was talking about and started to get worried. Apparently, at the very beginning of the pregnancy, I was pregnant with twins. Very early on, the baby absorbed on it's own. I told her I never had cramping and asked if I would have felt something and she said not necessarily, especially if it was very early on. She said it's more common then people think. Some doctors choose not to say anything because they figure the patient doesn't know what they are looking at and doesn't want to upset anyone. I wasn't too surprised to hear the news. I had dreams from the beginning that it was twins. When I went in for my first appointment, I was actually surprised that it was only one baby. Not disappointed, just surprised. I then asked if that meant that my body won't ever be able to carry twins and she said no, that isn't the case. Sometimes things happen and it's the natural way of the body taking care of things.

After the ultrasound, the doctor examined me and said I looked perfectly healthy and to take it easy to be safe. No exercise, or any other physical activity until I'm 14 weeks. So just for another 2 weeks. She said I could spot throughout the entire pregnancy, but just to keep an eye on it and call them if I get worried.

The boys were a handful, only because it was snack time and I was in such a hurry to get to the appointment that I didn't grab anything. They called me 10 minutes before they wanted me to show up and trying to gather both of them and change diapers and get to the doctor on time is a bit of a challenge. They both flirted with ALL of the ladies in the office and were very pleasant around the staff. I'm definitely taking a nap this afternoon.

Thank you for all of your prayers!

Prayer Request

My parents were able to reschedule their trip for Oct. 14-19. Even though I won't get to see them tomorrow, I'm just glad they will still be able to come out for a visit. A month after that, I will be in Houston for 6 weeks visiting family and friends.

If you could pray for me right now, I started having some more spotting on Sunday. Like last time, it is so small and I didn't know if I should be concerned. I told my mom I would call the doctor if it continued onto Monday. Yesterday, I didn't have any, so I opted not to call. I haven't had any cramping and surprisingly I wasn't freaking out about everything. This morning, I had some more spotting, very small like before and decided I should call my doctor. They have scheduled me for an ultrasound this morning and an examination. Adam is still in Houston and I am also watching Mason's friend, Luke. So I will be bringing both babies to the appointment with me and I'm more nervous about that part. I will keep everyone posted.

No visitors this week

Due to the aftermath of Ike and the fact that my Dad works for Continental, it looks like my parents won't be able to fly out this week for their visit. I'm disappointed, but understand and hopefully they will be able to reschedule and come out for a longer visit in October.

Ike's aftermath

I spoke with my parents and Adam throughout the night and this morning and everyone is fine. Both have been without power since late evening last night. The Houston area news says that it could be 2 weeks at most to get the power up and running for everyone. However, Houston is on top of things and the areas with less debris will most likely have power fairly quickly. My sister sent me a text in the middle of the night saying she lost her back fence, and strangely enough the same thing happened at my in-laws house.

I went to http://www.chron.com/ and found these pictures of the damage. Apparently, the infamous restaurant, Brennan's, caught fire last night and received significant damage. I actually went there for dinner before Prom. The JP Morgan building downtown, lost all of the windows on one side of the building.

JP Morgan glass debris

Brennan's

Damage inside the restaurant

Texas at Main Street

Ike - Part 2

Just the beginning

Waves alone the sea wall in Galveston

Satellite image of Ike The flooding has already begun

Yesterday was just a hard day for me. I am sure it was mixture of pregnancy hormones mixed with concern for my family and friends in the Houston area, but I wouldn't say it was my best day. I spent most of the day watching the updates online, talking to my parents, to Adam and trying to take care of Mason and myself. I had to run an errand last night and the minute we got in the car, Mason gave me a poopy diaper. When we got home, I went to pick him up and realized it was more of an explosion and his back was covered in it, not to mention his carseat. I don't have a very strong stomach normally, but it is even harder with the pregnancy. I did everything I could to keep from throwing up, as I put him in the kitchen sink and hosed him down. By the end of the night, I just wanted to sleep.

I lived through Hurricane Alicia in 1983 and even though I was young, I remember not being able to leave the house for 3 days, the sound of the wind howling outside the windows, and the loss of electricity. Fortunately, Houston is more prepared this time around, but there will still be significant damage.

My aunts and uncle that live in Deer Park have decided not to evacuate to my parents house. I don't think this is wise, considering the streets flood very easily. But I can understand they want to protect their house from looters. I just wish they would let the police do their job and load everyone up and head to Katy.

All of my family in Katy seems pretty prepared for the storm. You can only do so much and then it's just sitting and waiting. When I talked to my mom this morning, she had cleaned the house, bathed the dogs, did some laundry and baked a cake all before 9am. The storm is expected to hit a little after 1am and the winds are expected to get up to 100 mph. I'm praying for safety and that I will be able to stay in touch with everyone.

I just spoke to Adam and his company brought in a ton of food and water into one of the hotel suites and everyone is hanging out and waiting. They aren't allowed to leave the hotel. I feel sorry for some of the guys that are from Egypt, and South Africa who have never experienced anything like this. What a way to welcome everyone to the states.

Yikes IKE!

Normally, I get excited about severe weather. I don't necessarily like to be in it, but if I am, I prefer to be safe at home. I glue myself to the weather channel for hours, watching the latest on storms and hurricanes. It's a little different in California. Bakersfield gets rain about 30 days out of the entire year. While I love the continuous sunny days, I miss a good thunderstorm every now and then.

Ike is closely approaching the Texas coast and almost all of our family lives in Houston and surrounding areas. Some of my family is part of the mandatory evacuation of Harris county, because they live to close to the shore and will experience flooding. Everyone else of my family is in danger of the high winds and tornado's that spin off of the hurricane. Adam is in Houston right now for the end of his year long training with the company and isn't expected to return until next Wednesday.

I spoke with him last night, and the company plans on keeping everyone at the hotel, since they have a backup generator and bringing in plenty of food for all of their employees. He is in Sugar Land, which also has experienced a bit of flooding over the years. He said that plans could always change and I seriously hope they do. It would be different if I was in Houston with everyone, but since I'm in Bakersfield, I am stressing out more than I normally would.


*Edit*
Spoke with Adam this morning and they still plan on keeping everyone at the hotel. My mom sent me a link with the projected winds in Harris County and it looks like Katy will get +100mph winds. I'm not to thrilled at the moment and very frustrated over the situation.

Football & Celebrities

Everyone knows that High School football is huge in Texas. It's a whole different ball game in Bakersfield. Private schools tend to have better teams than the public schools, or at least that is what I have been told. Tonight we decided to go to the Bakersfield Christian High School vs. Oaks Christian football game.

A group of us decided to go together and meet during the JV game in order to get good seats. Going to a football game with a bunch of little ones is a challenge and we knew ahead of time that the kids wouldn't want to sit still for the entire game. So all of the girls and the kids left during halftime of the JV game and the guys stayed to watch the Varsity game that followed.

Oaks Christian is located in Thousand Oaks and several celebrities send their kids to the school and a lot of their sons play football. The QB on the JV team is Trevor Gretzky, Wayne Gretzky's son. Trey Smith, Will Smith's son, is a RB for the JV team. We actually saw him score a touchdown for Thousand Oaks. The Varsity QB is Nick Montana, Joe Montana's son. Some of you in Houston will remember, Derek Carr, David Carr's little brother. He is the QB at Bakersfield Christian, where his brother used to play.

After the girls left, the guys called to let us know they decided to sit on Oaks Christian side of the stadium because it was less crowded and they got 50 yard line seats. After they sat down, they realized the Joe Montana was sitting behind them and Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith were not far away. I was very pleased to know that both men took time out of their busy schedules to drive from LA to their son's football games. Adam actually got pictures of both men, so I will post them soon.

Last year, Adam's dad gave Mason this Katy Football jersey he had made for him. It was big then, and it is still big now, but Mason wore it to the game tonight. Here is our little football player showing off his jersey.

New Doctor

After talking with Adam, I have decided to switch OBGYN's. Dr. Finberg is a great doctor, has a fabulous staff, but I wasn't very sure if I was comfortable with his bedside manner. It wasn't like he creeped me out, more like he was very short and not as personable as I was hoping for. I had been warned by friends, that he gets straight to the point during his visits and isn't much of a chatter. I wasn't really worried about that, but when I met in his office a couple of weeks ago, I didn't feel like I could open up and talk to him.



When I brought this up to Adam, he made sure that it wasn't just because I loved my doctor back home in Houston and that I wasn't being open to the concept of a new doctor. After much assurance, we decided that I needed to be happy with my doctor and not have to worry about asking questions. (My friend Nicole goes to Dr. Finberg and is due any day and she was told by his nurse at her last appointment that she couldn't ask him any questions that day because he was in a bad mood.)



This morning I made a phone call to my first choice, Dr. Helliwell. His website blew me away and I have heard nothing but pleasant stories about his office and staff. I was so glad I made the call. Last week, I had a little spotting (sorry if this is TMI). It was brown and very small and it only happened once. I knew that as long as it was brown, that I was okay. However, I made sure to evaluate how I was feeling, but luckily I didn't have any cramping. When I explained this to his office, they asked if I could come in this morning, just to make sure and I am glad I did.



Everything looked fine and the doctor told me it was most likely due to the placenta taking over the hormones for the baby and I need not worry. We listened to the heartbeat and it was 170 bpm. I asked all of the questions that I didn't get to ask Dr. Finberg and learned that when I go in for my next appointment, I can schedule my ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby. At their office, they have the 3D ultrasound and I can find out if we are having a boy or a girl at 16 weeks. Mid October can't come soon enough. I'm happy with the my decision and so glad that I didn't settle.

Mason & Luke

My friend Marissa started teaching Language Arts at Valley Bible recently, and I agreed to watch Luke over the next couple of months until he can go to the Preschool. Luke is only about 6 weeks older than Mason and the two have so much fun playing together.

Luke started joining us in the mornings this week. The first morning he came over, Mason was already in his high chair eating breakfast, when Marissa & Luke walked in the door. Mason started bouncing with excitement and even tried to get out of his chair. It really was the cutest thing.

Our mornings consist of breakfast, playtime, I try to take them outdoors, whether it be to the park or our backyard, snack, more playtime, lunch, and then we read until Marissa arrives around 12:45pm.

The first morning I decided to take the boys to the park by our house. It is a very short walk and I figured the earlier I go, the better to beat the heat. I loaded the boys up in the double stroller and off we went. Luckily, the park has two baby swings and the boys both love to swing. I captured a couple of pictures of our first day.

It goes by so fast

Everyone says to try to remember as much as you can about this time in your child's life, because it goes by so quickly and it is so true. Mason is growing and learning something new everyday. It amazes me how much he picks up on things and how much more independent he has become.

Walking has been a process for him. He started pulling himself up and holding onto the furniture around 8 months. It wasn't until 13 months that he started walking on his own. It still is a process, balancing on those chunky feet of his, but he is getting the hang of it and doesn't really crawl that much anymore. It amazes me how brave he is, maybe it's a boy thing.

One of our favorite games to play together is chase. He loves to be chased around the house and just laughs and laughs as I tell him that I'm going to get him. It's probably the second sweetest sound a mother could here. I'm so blessed to have a happy boy.

Mason said "Mama" awhile ago, but hasn't been saying it as much since then. It wasn't until about 2 weeks ago, that "Mama" started being used as much as "Dada" and it is music to my ears. My heart melts every time and I don't think I will ever get enough of it. Saying "Mama" is the sweetest thing I could ever here. I'm sure that will change when he says "I love you."

Our little boy loves to eat. The minute I put his plate on his tray, he is stuffing his mouth with food as fast as he can. He would win eating contests no problem. I eat pretty fast, but when I was younger, I was the slowest eater and always the last one at the table. I don't think that will be a problem with this one.

Dancing is another favorite of Mason's. Anytime music comes on, he starts shaking his body and it cracks me up every time. When I was pregnant with him, I would drive in the car and listen to the music and he would be kicking up a storm. The same thing happened at church during worship. The boy has rhythm.

Another favorite thing Mason started doing, was posing for pictures. Anytime I get my camera out, he gets excited and points to the camera until I get ready to take the picture. As soon as I put the camera up to snap the shot, he poses and smiles. I guess he is used to all the pictures that I have taken over his lifetime, that he knows how to work the camera.

This is probably the best stage thus far. Sure I miss the moments where I put him on the floor and he didn't go anywhere, but at this stage he is learning so much. Everyday, I see his personality coming out and it makes me so proud that I get to be his mother.