The First Two Weeks

Well, we made it through the first two weeks as a family of three!  It has been filled with many adventures!  My mom was home with us the first week and Robert took a week and a half off as well.  My sister Kate has been able to stay with me during most of the week days as well.  They have all been a huge help!

Mom has kind of struggled with feelings of being completely overwhelmed and struggled with some anxiety.  Mom has had some days where she just cries and has big bouts of anxiety.  But, it does appear to be getting better.  In fact, we made it through our first day together all by ourselves on Tuesday without fault.  This helped mom a lot with her confidence!  I still have to remember to take one day at a time and enjoy every moment so that I don't get completely overwhelmed with anxiety about the future.

Dee Dee Nana is back in town for the fourth of July, so she is helping me to get out of the house with you for short trips.  We've already been to see Aunt Kate's new apartment in Houston! 

Mom has struggled some with breastfeeding.  You lost over a pound when we left the hospital and then went on a complete feeding frenzy when we got home.  There were some days where I feed you more than 14 times a day!  But, we haven't had to resort to formula yet.  I had some cracked and bleeding nipples, but I seem to be heeling and they certainly don't bother you!  But, boy was it painful for momma!  Luckily, no infections have happened.  I've met with a lactation consultant who also helped me.  When we weighed you after you ate, you ate 1.5 ounces in just 15 minutes.  You're quite the eater!  We are slowly getting the breastfeeding thing down and I have started pumping so that we can begin to introduce a bottle to you in the next few days.

That's enough about momma, so here's a quick review of what we have learned about Parker so far!

• You came home in newborn diapers and while we were at the doctor they said that you needed to go up a size!  So, we still have a few newborn diapers we want to get through, but then we will be into size ones!
• Your umbilical cord still hasn't fallen off.  But, it is hanging on by a thread so it should fall off soon.
• You aren't a huge fan of sponge baths.  But, if I can get you to calm down, I think you enjoy the feeling of the warm water.  I can't wait to put you in some water once that umbilical cord falls off.
• At your two week appointment you peed on the nurse and on momma!
• Dee Dee Nana once had to change your diaper three times in a row because you kept pooping.
• You have some explosive toots.  Sometimes I feel like they could rival those of an adult.
• You are developing a little diaper rash because you toot all the time and every time you toot, you poop just a teeny, tiny bit.
• The first week you did not sleep very well.  We can't keep you swaddled because you are like Houdini.  You love your arms and hands.  You sleep with them out by your head or folded across your body.  You sleep very open, which I think is a sign that you will be independent and are comfortable in your own skin.
• Over the past three days, you have extended your sleep time at night to 6 hours!  Mom was very nervous about this because we had to have good weight gain at the doctor or we would have to switch to formula.  But, we got the blessing at the doctor to let you sleep.  Woo hoo!  Barring you changing your sleeping patterns on me, you sleep about 5-6 hours at night and then eat and sleep every 2-3 hours during the day.  We try to keep you awake in the early evening so that you will sleep better at night.
• You sleep in your swing in your nursery at night.  You also like sleeping in the Mamaroo during the day.  But, mom loves it most when you sleep right on her chest. 
• You sleep with your mouth open most times just like your mama.
• You don't have too much awake time right now.. you seem to like your sleep if you aren't eating just like your daddy!  We have a hard time getting you to fall asleep on your own if you haven't eaten.  Once you're alert you pretty much just want to eat!
• You love going on walks with your daddy.  Mom goes too, but she is still healing from surgery and doesn't walk nearly as far as you and daddy.
• You get hiccups all the time.  They don't seem to bother you, but you can't sleep through them.
• You don't spit up too much, but I have started to notice some more spit up recently.
• While you know the smell of me, you also know your daddy.  You do really well with him and enjoy having him bounce you around the house.
• My favorite time with you is in the morning when you have just woken up and are still a little drugged with sleep so you just look at me with those big gray eyes and curl up into me like I'm your favorite person in the whole world.  And of course, because I'm your food source, I am definitely your favorite person.  :-)

We love you so much Parker James!  I hope you keep up these great sleeping hours and I look forward to watching you grow and can't wait until you smile at me on purpose instead of because you pooped!

You love your walks!

Sometimes, we cover our noses when you poop, too.

Nope, bath time is not your favorite thing.

The Arrival of our Plus One: Parker's Birth Story

~Parker James Meier~
Born: June 18, 2014 at 4:46 PM
Weight: 7 lbs and 15 oz
Height: 19.5 inches

Our sweet plus one was born on June 18, 2014 at 4:46 in the afternoon.  I had been scheduled to be induced on Tuesday, June 17th, but the hospital was busy and I got pushed to the waiting list for Wednesday since it was not medically necessary to go into labor.  I just wanted to see his sweet face!

We called the hospital at 5 AM on Wednesday, June 18th to see if I would make "the list" and be able to be induced.  The labor and delivery charge nurse told me to keep on waiting without any foods and to call back by 8 AM.  So, we went back to sleep until 8 AM.  I gave the hospital another call, but the charge nurse was busy and would have to call me back.  I thought for sure that we wouldn't get in, again.  However, the charge nurse did call me back very promptly to let me know that she had a bed for me and how soon could we get to the hospital?!

Before we left for the hospital!

Enter scared out of my mind zone.  Guess this was it!  We're going to meet out plus one!  We were out of the house in thirty minutes.  However, we got stuck in some serious traffic to get to the hospital.  Turns out there was an accident on Highway 59 that back up traffic all the way through downtown.  I've been making that drive for nine months and never had any problems, but when you needed to get there quick, there has to be an accident involved.  Go figure.  That's Houston for you.

We arrived at the hospital around 9:30 AM I think and I started the Pitocin (the stuff that makes your contractions kick in) around 10 AM.  I checked into the hospital dilated to 4 CM and still 70% effaced.  I had been at 3 CM and 70% effaced for over two weeks already.  They let me know that I was currently experiencing contractions, but I just couldn't feel them yet.  But, boy oh boy, once they give you the drugs, you sure can feel them!  Those puppies were pretty painful!

I asked for my epidural once I got to 6 CM dilated and 90% effaced.  That drug is like a magic pill.  It was amazing.  Instantly my pain was gone.

Robert was with me the whole time.  Both my mom, dad and Kirstie were also there.  Dad typically stayed in the waiting room, but he came to visit me, too!  Time flies when you're in labor, that's all I have to say.  I was so nervous.  I was trembling uncontrollably, but Robert handled it well and tried to keep me calm.  I had my own nurse, Megan, who stayed with me the entire time as well.

Everything was moving along really fast.  The doctor seemed surprise, it wasn't out of the cards that I could have a baby by 3 PM.  My body was gearing up fast.  At around 2 o'clock, Parker was turned the wrong way so they put me in a position to get him to roll face down.  At 3 o'clock, the doctor came back and we were ready to push!

The only problem was, Rob had just run down to get a Dr. Pepper!  They had me pushing before he even got back!  But, Rob handled it like a man and kept his eyes closed as he had to walk across the room to get to my head.  He didn't hold a leg, either.  Thanks babe... I had to hold my own leg.  :-)

Well, I pushed and pushed, but little Parker just didn't want to come out.  I had to go on oxygen to keep me and Parker's oxygen levels up.  I had no idea that I had needed to train for a marathon!  I had a full team of nurses in my room by that point cheerleading me on through every contraction.  They tried vacuuming him out several times, but he couldn't make it through the birth canal.  His heart rate started dropping and around 4 PM, the doctor decided it was time for a C-section because Parker wasn't handling the contractions very well anymore. 

And here's the slightly gross part, the doctor had to push little Parker out of the birth canal and back into my uterus.  You never want to know what that feels like.  That's when I started getting sick and the trembling came back full force.  They took me to the operating room to get me prepped and Rob to the C-section waiting room to get himself prepped in scrubs.

So then began the C-section.  Rob got to come in and they had the little sheet up so that you couldn't see anything.  Once they began the C-section, they were able to get little Parker out in 4 minutes.  It was very impressive.  Though, I'm not going to lie, having a baby pulled out of your body also feels very strange and made me sick, again.  They immediately whisked little Parker away straight to the NICU.  He was a little blue when he made his arrival.  They took Robert with them to the NICU where he got to see his son and get his footprints!  My mom and dad were there as well watching over Parker as they stitched me up and I went into recovery.

Here is Parker in the NICU with his Dee Dee Nana.  He had a head injury from the vacuum.  You can see it on his little head.  It's looking so much better now though!

Parker had burned up all of his energy trying to meet the world and immediately ate an entire ounce of formula.  Parker had to stay in the NICU until 4:30 AM the next morning so they could make sure he could maintain his temperature and eat appropriately.  He was so hungry that when my mom fed him, he stopped breathing.  It's tough being a newborn.. you have to learn to eat and breathe all at the same time!

I was wheeled to my own room around 8 at night.  The pain was pretty intense.. it's tough being stitched up in both places... on your tummy and down there!  But, it's healing nicely, I think.

Me, Rob and Parker spent 3 nights in the hospital and came home on Saturday, around 5 PM.  We've been enjoying our sweet baby boy Parker immensely.  In his first 5 days of life, he had already grown an inch!  He did lose 16% of his weight when we left the hospital, but he's gaining it back slowly, but surely.  We go back to the doctor on Thursday, June 26th for another weight check.

Parker on his first car ride home! 

We love you baby boy Parker.  Can't wait to see what you learn each and every day!   P.S. Mom would like for you to learn how to eat without sleeping halfway through, first!  :-)

 

Parker with Dee Dee Nana and Tee-Paw

Parker's first stroller ride!  But certainly not his last!  Aunt Kate has already walked a mile with him, again!

Parker does not like bath time.

Parker likes to ponder life a lot.  To eat, sleep or poop?  That is the question.

Getting Ready for our Plus One

Our Plus One is just around the corner!  It's hard to believe that any day now our two-person family will become a family of three.  Sometimes it seems like just yesterday that Rob and I were graduating high school together.  Yes, we've been together that long!  We made it through the throes of high school, the life-changing experience of college, graduating college during a recession, getting married, moving 10 hours away from our family, buying our first home, promotions at work, and numerous DIY projects.  We've officially been married for five years!  What a five years it has been.  Now, we're getting ready to embark on our next big journey... becoming parents.

When I sit and think about it, it's really scary!  How do you take care of a helpless human being?  Better yet, how does this helpless human being travel through the body and come out kicking and screaming?  Haven't made it to that part yet, but women seem to do it all the time, so I suppose it will all work out just fine.  How do you teach that love is patient and love is kind?  How do you show your baby that doing the right thing is not always the easy road?  How do do you explain that the road he is travelling will constantly split, make ninety degree turns, go up and down, hit a few dead ends and move so fast you don't realize how far you have traveled until you look back?  The world is a very scary place.. how do you protect your baby but offer freedom to grow and become independent at the same time?  There are a bazillion things I don't know.  And I hate not knowing the answer.  That's just not me.  Or well, I don 't know a lot of things, but I know how to find the answers.  In this case, there's no finding the answers... no book to tell you just what to do on any given day.  It's having faith.  It's giving it all you've got even on the bad days and hoping that one day, your baby will realize what all you've done for him and he will be the man God intended for him to be.

I know this journey for me and Rob is going to be bumpy, full of sleepless nights, joy, laughter, tears, bruises, but most importantly, I know it's going to be filled with love.  Below, you will see a picture of an elephant sitting in the never been used crib.  To most of you, it will just be this sweet looking elephant.  But, that's not what it symbolizes to me.

This is the elephant that Robert picked out for our baby boy.  It's not even from a fancy place.  It's from Ikea.  But, he snatched it up one day and wouldn't let anyone else carry it.  In fact, I'm pretty sure he used his own separate checkout lane to buy it.  I could be wrong though, but the point I'm trying to get across here is that Robert was very protective of his elephant for baby.  To this day, he goes in and checks on the elephant in the nursery.  He spent several minutes deciding the right place for the elephant to sit... should it sit on shelf.. or maybe the top railing of the crib.. the floor?  Once it was decided, he spent his time making sure the elephant sits just right.  (Yes, we know guys, the elephant cannot stay in the crib once baby is born, but for now, it's the place Rob has chosen).  Literally, every time we go into the nursery (sometimes, we just walk in and stare) and he re-adjusts the elephant and gives him a little pat or light rub.  When I see Rob with this elephant, I know how much he is going to love our sweet baby.  This elephant is his gift to his son and he wants it to be just perfect.  I love this.  Just seeing him this way over a stuffed elephant will bring tears to my eyes.  (Okay, maybe its just the extra hormones, but its precious nonetheless).

There is one thing that I have never doubted and it is how great a dad Robert is going to be.  There is one constant in my life and it is Robert.  He loves me with everything he has and I can tell he is going to love our baby boy with all that he is.  This gives me such hope and joy, just knowing this.  I can't wait to see him hold his son for the very first time.  That will be one moment that I hope I can remember for the rest of my life.  Just please Rob, don't pass out during the delivery!

As far as material items go, it looks like we are all set for our baby boy to arrive.  We've worked so hard to pull everything together.  We've done everything together. We've stenciled a wall, we've painted/stenciled a dresser, we've had the gosh darn laser leveler out for hours on end to get everything straight as an arrow on the wall.  We've assembled Ikea spice racks and turned them into book shelves (or, I'm afraid a climbing wall once he is old enough to walk/climb).  We assembled the crib (thanks to all of our previous Ikea experience, the crib only took us about 15 minutes to assemble--though it did not come from Ikea!), assembled a diaper changing table, painted said diaper changing table and then installed drawers in it.  We're all set for his arrival.  We've got what seems to be diapers and wipes galore (but I'm quite positive, will only last us approximately 1 week in all actuality).  I officially have a stack of baby wash clothes about 50 deep in the bathroom.  We've got the cutest hooded towels, too.  I've got loads of burp cloths, receiving blankets, and swaddle cloths.  All we need is the baby.

Robert and I pretty much do everything together.  We have always been this way.  Even since high school, we prefer to be homebodies and spend our time in each other's company.  That's probably not always a good thing, but we literally just love doing things together.  I ride along in the golf cart when he wants to golf.  He comes shopping with me, no complaints, ever.  He just sits with me when I want to read a book.  It's just what we do.  Some of my biggest fear when getting ready for our baby will be that, that will change.  Our focus will be our newborn child.  I know there will be days where I will be glad that Robert came home from work, but it won't be because we can curl up on the couch together.. it will be so that he can give baby a bath or change a diaper and I can have a few moments of peace.  Of course, there's nothing wrong with those moments or days, but I want to make sure that we stick together.  That our son sees what its like to truly be a family.  That he always sees how much his mom and dad love each other.  So, that when he meets the girl of his dreams, he will know what it means to court her and be the man she needs him to be.

All in all, we're as ready is as ready can be!  Rob's so sweet now.. correction, he is always sweet, but he's even more attentive than usual.  He rubs my back without complaint and he cooks me dinner even if he gets home after me.  He says now, every time I call him or text him, he gets really nervous.. I could be calling because I'm in labor!  So, here's to us and our new adventure, together.  When Rob and Jess become Rob & Jess, plus one.

Kate & Kyle's Wedding Weekend!

Ironically, the last post I posted was about Kate's engagement.  And here I am, posting about her wedding weekend!  That makes me a not so consistent blogger.  I'm not going to promise to blog more, because I hate it when people over promise and under deliver.  That's not to say I don't have plenty of stories to tell that could possibly include, an unforeseen hole in the ceiling, stenciling a wall, a garage storage shelf installation, a wooden frame around a mirror, numerous paintings, a trip to Florida, a trip to Oregon, a trip to Boston, and many more that I can't even think of right now.

But, I know Kate's wedding is worth blogging over.  One day, we will want to look back on this weekend and remember just how hot it was.  Because, while the story may be how it was the hottest day all summer long in Arkansas right now, I have feeling that the story will change to it really wasn't that bad and sweat was non-existent as the years go by!

The beautiful bride and groom.  Aren't they just glistening?!

Robert, my cousin Julia and myself arrived on Thursday, August 29th.  The girls all headed to get pedicures.  Where I had chosen to get a pale pink (one of Kate's approved colors by the way), the lady doing Kate's feet was giving her a French pedicure.  She asked me if I liked it and of course I said, yes.  (I mean a) it's my sister who is getting married so why would I ever say no and b) French toe nails always look nice).  But, the lady interpreted me liking it as, 'please, go ahead and paint my nails French, too.'  I didn't notice because I was talking to Kate until it was too late.  So, here I am with French painted toe nails that are already ruined due to beach volleyball after the wedding.  So be it.  I'll have to get my third pedicure in two weeks time b/c I have a wedding this coming weekend, too!  (P.S.  I had gotten a pedicure just before I went to Arkansas in preparation for the wedding w/o knowing Mom was going to pay for us to get one when we got there!)

Thursday night we ate my favorite pizza place---Guido's, duh!--- with Kyle's family (minus his dad and brother who were coming in later that night).  Then, we headed to the house to tie 170 bows on favor boxes.  Surprisingly, that only took an hour with me, Julia and Kirstie tying bows (Kate cut ribbon and Mom trimmed the bows).

Friday, we had a bridal luncheon for all of the ladies in town at the Crumpet Tea Room, hosted by Kyle's Aunt Margo.  The boys of the Wedding Party all played golf at Lost Springs where it ran a little late and caused Kate an ounce of anxiety. We headed to the Botanical Gardens that evening where the Rehearsal was and got a first tasting of how hot it was going to be.  I immediately knew we were going to need fans.  Industrial fans.  Of which, we had neither.  We headed to the Whole Hog Café for the Rehearsal Dinner.  We had a barbeque tasting and wedding trivia.  Who knew that if Kyle was a fruit, he would be a strawberry.  I guessed Kiwi, go figure!  If Kate could speak any foreign language, it would be British English.  That's my girl!  Awards were also given out for 'closest to the pin (winners: Robert, Kevin, Weldon),' and 'longest putt (winner: Hoyt Watson).'  Robert won a closest to the pin award for which he won a Razorback golfing towel that was promptly used as the "sweat" towel at the wedding and is now lost.  He is pretty sad about that.

 

Bridal Lunceon- Kyle's mom to the left and our mom to the right

Bridal Luncheon

Kyle's Aunt Margo who hosted the Bridal Luncheon

 

Bridal Luncheon-- Yes, we look that good!

Kyle's mom also presented Kate & Kyle with a flag that was flown over the Texas Capitol in honor of the marriage of Kate & Kyle Watson.  I didn't know Texas did that, but I think that is AWESOME!  Who knew?!  Small speeches were also given that brought tears to everyone's eyes and displayed all the love and admiration for Kate & Kyle.  Kate & Kyle also gave out bridesmaid presents which included suspenders and a tie if you were a boy and shoes and monogrammed polo shirt if you were a girl.

All of the cousins on the Hesseltine side at the wedding!

Bridesmaids wearing our monogramed shirts!

Saturday, August 31st, was the big day!  Us girls all got up early to begin getting our hair done (I was the lone wolf who did her own hair).  We ate cinnamon rolls for breakfast and started our make up around noon.  Mom did Kate's make up to make it look "professional."  We headed to the Botanical Gardens around 2:30 PM.  I estimate it was approximately 97 degrees outside at this time.

The Botanical Gardens is BEAUTIFUL!  Did you know there are no flies at the Botanical Gardens because they plant flowers that attract dragon-flies which eat mosquitos!  What a blessing!  The photographer also showed up at 3 and so the picture taking begun!  I walked with an umbrella to keep Kate guarded from the sun as well as a battery powered fan.  As much as I wish that would keep us from all sweating, it did not.  We were sticking fans up Kate's dress even to help keep her cool.  One can only hope that the photographer has some mad photo shop skills because she has a lot of shininess and wetness to brush away on all of us!! 

See, now that is a relaxed bride having a good time on her wedding day!

Let me just say that Kate & Kyle were TROOPERS!!  It was HOT.  No question.  But when it would be easy to become irritable and frustrated at the situation, they didn't let that get the best of them.  I think that's so great.  They didn't let a little sweat (okay, a lot of sweat) damper their moods.  Alex Bare, a great young man who lives next door to my parents was the videographer and he captured Kyle's first look at Kate, perfectly!  I can't wait until it ends up on the video.  I got to see a small clip that he showed me while were waiting for them to get past "their moment."   It's going to be awesome and very sweet.

The ceremony was sweet and you could see the love on their faces and hear it in their voices.  I'd say you could see it by the tears on their faces, but at this point its hard to distinguish the tears from the sweat.  I'll just go with they were SPARKLING in the sunlight!  :-)  If anyone went to my wedding, they know that everyone cried the whole time.  You will be glad to know that Kirk & I held ourselves together for 95% of it!!  Yes!! 

Here comes the bride!

They are just sparkling with love!

Once the ceremony was over, we took lots of family pictures with Kate & Kyle while the guests mingled and got started at the bar for a cool drink.  I don't know anything about it, but I've been told there's nothing like a cold beer on a hot day.  While I'll have to take everyone's word for it.. if the saying is true, then this was the perfect day for cold bottles of beer!  We had a pasta buffet for dinner that was EXCELLENT. 

After dinner, it was time for the Father of the Bride speech, Best Men speeches and then my speech with Kirstie.  Let me just say.. my dad was MARVELOUS.  I've never seen him in such rare form.  He was so well spoken and funny.  I had already warned him that he was not allowed to cry because if he did, then there was no way I was going to make it through mine.  I was barely holding it together as it was.  To see my dad cry would push me over the edge.  Dad's speech was just so great.  It was funny, heart warming and advice driven.  It was perfectly clear just how much he loved Kate and reminded Kyle that Kate is a follower and has to be led.  The two best men also gave funny, heartwarming stories about Kyle.  We got to see Kyle's competitive side really come through in memories from them.  If I do say so myself, my speech was pretty darn good.  I had a hard time getting started at first because tears and outright bawling was about in ensue.  I somehow managed to get going and kept myself from becoming a crying mess with a microphone.  Kirstie on the other hand, she kind of lost it.  Her part of the speech was so sweet and it was obvious that Kirstie is really going to miss her Katie.  I tried to keep my speech funny and talked about our pink Barbie car and riding bikes with no hands.  In the end, I reminded Kyle to take really good care of our Katie because we can't be Jessica & Kirstie without her.

Me & Kirstie with the beautiful bride.  You know what they say (slightly out of context, I know), but a chord of three strands is not quickly broken.  That's us.  Three strands.  Never broken.

 

We toasted all of these speeches with real sugar Dr. Peppers in glass bottles.  They were sweet like Kate & Kyle and as dad said in his speech, represents the hope that he will have 23 grandchildren.  OH LORDY!

Kate & Kyle took bites of their cake (sorry folks, no smearing of the cake on faces occurred).  They also had their first dance and Kate danced with dad and Kyle danced with his mom.  Kyle and his mom did this awesome "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO dance right in the middle of their slow dance which was really hysterical and sweet.  I know Kyle & his mom are really close, so it was the perfect dance to show how close they really are.  If you missed it, you really missed out.  Seriously.

Then, the party got started!  Lots of dancing happened and my cousins Dena, Julia and Ann helped lead several of the line dances that were played.  We all would have been lost without them on the dance floor!  I'll give Aggies credit on one thing.. they know how to country line dance!  :-) 

I also want to give a shout out to Kyle's Harvard friends.  It was so cool to see that many people travel far and wide for a wedding.  They all had to fly to get to this wedding.  Obviously, I think if you go to Harvard I think you are there not just for the education, but to network and make connections.  It's refreshing to see that people will travel all over the world to keep up their network and remain friends.  You don't see that all the time and can really speak to the kinds of friendships that Kyle makes. 

Kate & Kyle left to us blowing bubbles in the heat of the night around 10pm.  I could tell they were ready to get out of there and I told them the first thing they should do when they get to the hotel is take a shower.  First thing.  I bet they were just exhausted.  But like I said, real troopers.  They are safely in a resort outside Cancun, Mexico where we have been told we won't hear from them again until this coming Sunday.

So, that pretty much sums up Kate's wedding weekend.  It could have not been a more beautiful, sweet day.  It turned out perfectly.  Sure, it was hot.  But, no one let that get the best of the day.  It was a day filled with love.  Which is exactly how it should be.  I know Kate and Kyle have many journeys ahead of them.  I can't wait to hear their stories as a couple.  They should know that trouble will always find out, but to never be to prideful to ask for help.  That's what our families are here for.  To help when its needed, to laugh with often, to let alone when its best, to love with always.

Right before we headed out for the big ceremony!  The only full family photo I got all weekend.

I know my sister Kirstie is particularly sad about losing her sweet sister to Chicago.  I personally know its all going to work out.  I already live away from my sweet family.  But, I know we can all do it.  It just takes a little more effort and sacrifice to get with your family.  I still make it to all of the big events, just not all of the little ones.  Sure, sometimes it hurts to see everyone having a good time without you, but it makes the moments that I'm with them that much more special.  It will be the same for Kate & Kyle. 

I think I will wrap it up here.  Best wishes to the bride & groom... we all love you!

P.S.  When the video is ready, hopefully my friend Alex will let me post it here for you all to enjoy!

P.S.S.  Since I spent most of my time either a) in pictures, b) fanning a bride or c) holding an umbrella for the bride, I don't have many pictures to post.  The photos will be ready for us in about six weeks, so until then, you'll have to live with what I have found on facebook or took myself!

One of the best pictures that I think we have ever taken together.  The three strands really don't break when you have an awesome mom holding all the ends!!

My own shout-out.  I designed program-turned-fan!!  And Kate & Kirstie printed it, cut it out and glued it. Mom did all of the ribbons, too.  What teamwork. 

No Title-- The Blog Of Everything.

Yes, I know. I'm way behind. This has been the most hectic quarter, ever. We moved, been on a week long vacation back home, been to Corpus and stayed at the beach, watched my sister get engaged, paint and update a bathroom, lead an XBRL project at work, file a 10-Q and see a Tim McGraw & Kenny Chesney concert. Am I missing anything? Probably. But I'm here now. I took a day off work to run errands and get caught up on my personal life. So my mission. Update my blog. (FINALLY, I know).

Sorry for being so lazy when it comes to keeping you update. I can promise you I have some amazing stories.

For one... WE MOVED! We bought our first house. But, let me take you the day before closing day. Rob and I are doing our final walkthrough of the house. We knew we needed to buy a fridge and a washer/dryer, of which we had. But, Rob was the only one present at the home inspection where he wrote down what the brand names were of their kitchen appliances (Whirlpool) and we went from there when choosing our refrigerator. So, on the final walkthrough.. I'm looking at the kitchen and I notice suddenly... the appliances are GE Profile.. NOT Whirlpool. So yeah, we don't have matching appliances. Luckily, they are all stainless steel, so you can't really tell. But... that was moment number 1. Lesson learned: Do not trust a man with the sole job of remembering appliance names.

Moving Day. Our apartment was on the 5th floor about as far away from the freight elevator as you could get. To be exact (my dad measured) it was a quarter mile trip ONE WAY to the moving truck. Lots of walking. I will say this... my movers were AWESOME!! It was amazing how hard they worked... who cares if they wanted cash only? I tipped them mega. It only took from 9:30 to 2:30 and they wouldn't break for lunch. So they walked the miles (for the record it took them 3 hours to load us all up and then only 2 hours unload all of it) and lifted stuff up at least one flight of stairs and then some things all the way up 2 flights of stairs. Boys, you earned it.

No major bumps or bruises came moving day. My family was down and everyone helped unpack boxes and set up the kitchen, mount the tv and install a ceiling fan on the balcony. Robert's family was even able to stop by and we got to have dinner with them. So, it was a great weekend. Now, everyone just needs to come back to see it put mostly together!! Okay, well... we still need a kitchen table, living room accent chair, and loads of patio furniture. Our rooftop terrace feels lonely because we don't have anything up there! And our balcony needs furniture too (our camping chairs don't count).

We've even updated the powder room that is on the 2nd floor. We have painted it blue and installed a chandelier. It only took me 9 paint samples to find the paint color. Don't judge. This powder room is about 6x6x10. So, it was a tight squeeze with a ladder because the ceiling had to be painted. The previous owner had previously painted it "Barely Peach" which translates to "Light Pink" and it just had to go. So, it was me & Rob and a ladder in this small space. Somehow we managed to keep all of the paint on the walls and none anywhere else in the house. It took us a full three days. Friday night we primed, Saturday we painted one coat, and Sunday we painted the second coat. And to really jazz up the bathroom, decided to test Rob's electrical engineering skills and convert a can light into a light for a chandelier. It took us two days to actually get the chandelier hanging. (You never want to be the person who's job it is to hold the chandelier up.. that was mine. It was hard) And then two weeks to get it hanging at the right height and location. It hung in the sink for two weeks because we were super busy and gone over the weekend. But, no worries. It's up! I still want to replace the sink and frame the mirror... but it's getting close! PS. No electrical fires were started and Rob did not electrocute himself. And the chandelier is still hanging to date. I consider this all success.

What else? Oh yeah... the 4th of July week was my family vacation. We went out on the lake where my dad broke a rib attempting to wakeboard, of which he had never done in his life. He forgets he's on the lower side of 55. (He is okay and now recovered). Kate stunned us all because she was the wakeboarding pro.. and she's never the pro at anything athletic. I was kind like, "who are you?" But, it's no joke. She was the pro and taught the rest of us. Well, Rob already knew how but it took him a bit to get it going. We also rented a pontoon boat for one day on the lake where we the boys went cliff jumping (me too!) and just drove around the lake while the ladies sunbathed. ;-) That is what a pontoon boat is for, right??

Mom's still got it.

Kate being the wakeboard pro.

Kirstie not being the wakeboard pro.

I'll not post my wakeboard pics. It's best if you think of me as a skier. ;-)

 

We also got to visit with Robert's family and see Stacy & Ryan. Rob also got to go to Boingo Bounce with Lori and her kids! :-) It was a great week filled with tons of fun and sun.

What else? Oh, we have been to Corpus Christi and stayed with my Aunt & Uncle and their family at a house on the bay that had spot for a boat. My mom and dad happened to be there, too for a high school reunion so we all got to hang out with good cooking and fresh fish. The boys all got to do fishing out on the ocean and us ladies just picked our own things to do. (Mom and I visited with the grandparents).

So another major highlight was getting to watch my sister get engaged in Dallas at the Denton Country Club. It was a total surprise for her and her ring is GORGEOUS! She is one lucky lady and Kyle is one lucky man. They are going to be very happy together. They will get marred in about a year and then head out to Chicago where Kyle is going to work once he graduates Harvard Law. I've got a video and some pictures.

Priceless.

Young love.

 

There's so much that has happened this summer that I can't even put it all on paper. It went incredibly fast. I can't believe Labor Day is around the corner. I've officially been at my "new" job a year. How time flies when you're having fun. Just a reminder to leave every day to its fullest because when looking back, you wonder where it has all gone.

Coming up, Rob and I are going on a cruise that will be just the two of us (first ever vacation since we got married where it is just us two!). We have more major home improvement projects, too. Once the cruise is over, I think we'll pretty much be around here every weekend, so hopefully we can get some stuff accomplished.

 

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DIY Project #2

First, let me preface this story by saying.. I still have my pinky toe.

So, now... on Saturday we began our Antique-ing journey. We were on the hunt for either an old mantle for the house or old window panes for some cool ideas I found on Pinterest. We probably went to about 7 different antique/flea-market places Saturday morning and ta da... we found old window panes.... well, they aren't window panes they are old cabinet doors. Here is what they looked like when we bought them:

Yes, I know. Not in wonderful condition. Paint was peeling off in a big time way. But they are just the right size for a future project. So, I bought them for $40 bucks. $20 bucks a door. The guy originally quoted us $45 for the pair... but our great (not really) negotiating skills saved us $5 bucks. I hope that we paid a fair price. So... that was my first cost... $40.

Well, we thought we can just peel slash sand this paint right off. And yes, a good majority was just falling off with every step we took or minor touch. We set up shop with me in a little stadium seat and Rob in a lawn chair out in our empty parking garage and began peeling and sanding away with me in Rob's work gloves and Rob in his mountain biking gloves. Yeah I know.. we aren't pros. Bad news: the paint that was really on there was not going to just come off. We only had 100 grit sandpaper on us and we were getting nowhere fast on the paint that was really on there still. Rob was just really sanding away... but I'm like, I think we need some paint thinner/stripper. At first, he wasn't for it... but I'm all about efficiency and not having to work harder than I have to. And I could see that even if we sanded for the next 4 days we wouldn't be done.

So, we headed off to Home Depot. Which meant that we bought Paint Stripper and then we had to buy two paint scrapers. So that was another $20 bucks. Why do my DIY projects that aren't supposed to cost very much end up costing me at least $50 dollars? So unfair.

So we get back. Again, we set up shop in the parking garage. Between a BMW & Mercedes. HAHAHAHA. Thank goodness the owners didn't see us spraying that paint stripper near their cars, they would have freaked. And no.. this story does not end up with us spraying this stuff their cars. They are intack. Just how we left them. So, we sprayed my doors in our usual clothes and sandals. And then we started scraping. It tooks us about 2 to 3 hours hours to get all of the paint off of these suckers.

It was also way harder thanI thought it would be. Not to mention that we used this little table that I have and the paint stripper also burned a hole through my table and got black paint on my doors that I then had to also scrape off. This also makes a big gooey mess. I had never worked with the stuff before.. how was I supposed to know??? At one point... I realized that my pinky toe was on fire. Apparently, a piece of stripped paint landed on my bare toe. I had to keep checking that it didn't burn off. So yes... the professionals that we are stripped paint in a parking garage in sandals and in between two $70,000 cars. No big deal.  With a burning toe.

Towards the end, I realized that we were probably going to need to sweep up this mess because it was a big mess. Well, do we have a broom? No. So.. this sparks a trip to Walgreens. So, I pick up the keys and drive across the street to pick up a broom and dust pan. One would think the dust pan would come with the broom.. but no. This required two purchases... plus a bottle of water because I knew Rob was thirsty.... tho why we didn't just get some from the apartment I don't know..but I thought it seemed like a nice wifely thing to do when I got to go to the store while Rob was paint stripping away. That was another $20 purchase. Note to self: Walgreens is not the place to buy ANY cleaning supplies.

Buy the time I got back, Rob had finished up a couple of trouble spots that had needed to be sprayed with the paint stripper a second time. So, I began sweeping up my big mess with this stupid broom whose head kept coming loose, but cost me $10 and I didn't even get a dust pan!!

Then, we finished sanding them down. You can really smell their real wood smell... if I was my dad I would be able to tell you what wood they are made from, but I am not and I have no idea. But they smell good. So, all we accomplished was stripping and sanding them down. Next, I'm either going to stain them or paint them.... but I won't decide that until we move and I know exactly where I'm going to put them.

So, I'm another $80 down and one more DIY project experienced. Luckily, I still have all 10 toes, too. So does Rob for that matter. Here's the cabinet doors after we finished stripping them back to their natural state.

Happy Coasters!

So, this weekend, I decided to become a DIY'er. Wait, don't get too excited. It's just coasters. But, don't they look fabulous?! Rob and I are on a tight budget until we close on our house, so I can't do my usual thing which is shopping. AND, I have like two weddings that are coming up plus Mother's Day. So... that makes sticking to a budget pretty hard because I really, really love buying gifts.

But first, let me tell you how I found the idea. I've joined Pinterest. Finally. I've seen it, I've heard about it... but I never made the jump. That thing is AMAZING. It has given me so many ideas on things I want to try. It is there that I found this fabulous idea. Here is the link to the blog that I found. I won't regurgitate all the steps or anything as this lovely lady did a great job of explaining how it goes down... and she didn't miss a beat. I followed her instructions to the T.

Click Here for How-To Make Fabulous Coasters

Let me just say, my plan was to spend about $20 on this project. That kind of didn't work. Nothing is ever as cheap as I think its going to be. It was mainly because I didn't have ANY of the right equipment. Here's what I had to buy:

I needed Mod Podge, Waterproof Acrylic Spray, Waterproof Glue, a Foam Brush, Tiles, Cork and last but not least... paper to decorate those pretty little tiles with. I started off at Lowe's to get the tile and the waterproof acrylic spray. I decided I was going to make 3 sets of coasters with 6 in a set. For three different weddings that are occurring beginning in June. I bought 20 for two messups (because lets face it... I rarely do anything right the first time... especially when it comes to glue). I also bought some acrlyic spray under the Rustoleum brand. And then, we went to Michaels to get the rest of the supplies.

The cork and the acrylic spray is what kind of crushed my $20 budget. Each of those were about $7.99. So, I think hit about $30-$35 after I had bought everything plus an X-acto knife (how else was I going to cut all those squares for the tile plus the cork that goes on the bottom??)

And on Saturday night the festivities began. It was me and a side table on the floor. But, Rob definitely helped too. The hardest part was the letter that I decided to put on the coaster of the couple's last name. I had to get it sized correctly and then make it a stencil. Let's be real here.... I cannot free-hand 18 letters and them all come out looking the same. So, I traced them. And then colored them in. I'm a huge fan of tracing. Best thing ever. It's like pretending you can draw and the end result makes it look like you can draw. I cannot draw, however.

At first, I was going to cut out the black ones that I had printed out on the computer, but I didn't like how that created a "raised" surface on the coaster. Didn't figure that'd be a stable surface for a cup holding liquid in it to rest on. So, I traced the letters and then used a permanent marker to make it bold. That took forever.

Actually, by Saturday night I had only made it through one letter! Eeek! It was 1 AM before Rob was helping me spray the waterproof acrylic spray. That's where things went wrong. The spray turned all my work yellow. BOO!!!

So, come Sunday, I returned the Rustoleum and bought another brand, Miniwax. And I had to start all over. Well, my two extra weren't enough so I only made 12 because my previous 6 had to be trashed plus the one tester I made. And that took me ALL of Sunday. It was quite the long project for coasters. Seems a little insane when you really think about. It was all due to that stupid letter. It was so time consuming to cut the letter, trace it, and then color it in. Plus you got to add in the dry time for the mod podge and acrylic spray But, never fear... I sprayed my THIRD coat of the waterproof spray at 9 PM on Sunday with absolute NO yellowness.

P.S. I was a virgin mod-podger, but this stuff is pretty darn cool. Gives stuff a nice little texture.

So, here they are. If you're reading this and your last name starts with an F or a W and are getting married, you might be getting some coasters in the mail. Just know.. I made them out of love. I can't guarantee their life span. And, I took them to work to get my co-workers approval... so I think they are legit.

So, here's to my first DIY experience. Happy Coasters Everyone!