Whoa, Mama!

Being a Mommy

2011-01-15T17:58:00.008-05:00

Becoming a mom really changes your life. It starts off all sweet and innocent. And then comes your first sleepless night, topped off by a blowout diaper and spit-up down your shirt. Here are some snippets of the past eight months...kind-of like a walk in my shoes. ;)

Some days you feel like you're in over your head.

You may feel right at home...

And then realize that the world is laughing at you.

But you've gotta keep your chin up...

And expect some days to feel like this.

Because sometimes you'll feel this small.

You gotta keep looking over your shoulder...

Because you never know who's watching.

Some days you just feel like garbage.

And others make your hair stand on end.

You'll find yourself at a loss for words.

And sometimes you feel like the butt of the joke.

Like life has taken a bite out of you.

And your whole world is turned upside down.

But when you feel like you can't take another bite of what life has to offer...

Take time to stop and smell the roses (or whatever flower is closest)...

And realize that it's all going to work out in the end.

Who's Your Daddy?

2011-01-04T10:14:00.003-05:00

Really, could there be any doubt?

Chase's Dedication

2011-01-02T20:42:00.003-05:00

We finally had Chase dedicated over Christmas weekend. I know, I know. He's already seven and a half months! But we wanted Kevin's dad to handle the dedication, so we waited until we went "home" to Louisiana for Christmas.

Look at that proud Grammy. And the kids were so cute on stage...

Chase did great...

And then McKenna started playing with him...at which point I just squeezed my eyes shut to keep from laughing at them.

A Redneck Christmas

2010-12-30T09:54:00.024-05:00

Every year, we travel to Kevin's parent's house in Louisiana for Christmas. While none of us are actually rednecks (they're from Ohio), we did have a lot of fun, and ended up doing some pretty redneck things on Christmas day...sitting around a fire, burning trash, and chopping down a tree.

There's a TON of pictures, so I'll try to keep my comments to a minimum. :)

The Christmas-themed room our generous hostess (aka Grammy) prepared

Such a trooper for the drive there.

After the Christmas Eve Service

Santa's favorite helper

Waiting on Santa...he didn't fall asleep until 11:37...almost missed the cut-off.

Chase's first Christmas!

Let the redneck fun commence!

7 Months, Sort-Of

2010-12-23T10:46:00.005-05:00

Here is the 7 month photo shoot that I promised. But first, here's the story. If you're a mom, I'm sure you're aware with the challenges presented with dressing a squirming, crawling 7 month old. So after I put in the effort to actually get this adorable (or, as one of my Sunday School kids says, "Country") outfit on Chase, here is what he did. I started in his glider, as usual...

But this is seriously the only thing I got ...

So we moved to the crib...

Yeah, another fail...

The floor was next...

Notice how he is purposely hiding his face, and crawling away from me?

Then it was time to get daddy involved...

That little tongue sticking out is classic Chase right now!

Even daddy got a uncooperative moment or two.

Such a big boy!

We tried a few more after I took off his outfit...

Melts my heart every time!

Christmas Fun

2010-12-23T09:27:00.010-05:00

We had our Christmas with my side of the family on Tuesday night. We had a lot of fun, and of and enjoyed some yummy food! Enjoy!

PS - I uploaded them backwards so here is the night in reverse...oops!

Traditional Webb family wrapping paper angel. He isn't feeling it.

Playing with Nana

What a fun mess

Babies can NEVER have enough blocks!

If you could see my parents behind the camera you would know why we are laughing so hard.

If you don't like my cake, I'll beat you with my rolling pin!

With Nana and Pop

Bubble Wash toy!

Look what you got, Chase!

Mommy's favorites!

Daddy's favorites!

Dad surprised mom with an e-reader!

Already enjoying his new toys.

We surprised mom and dad with tickets to Beauty and the Beast at the Fox!

Sporting my new apron and Shark Steam Cleaner...wonder what mom expects? lol.

Mom the photographer

What did you get, Pop?

Kevin was excited about being Santa.

Yay...a new shirt!

Mom, that better not be a bow on my head!

Dad likes his new shirts too! lol.

Cuteness.

I've decided I'm pretty easy to surprise. Kevin got me again this year, with some new cake decorating supplies (yay!). A fondant roller, a table top cake spinner, and a border/fondant cutter. Thanks, baby! (This is not the first time he's surprised me...he's also gotten me with my Tivo and Wii...maybe I'm just easy to buy for.). Mom also surprised me with aprons and a Shark Steam Cleaner, both things I've been wanting. So I guess I'm all set to get ready, make a cake and clean up after myself! :)

From 60 to 0

2010-12-18T15:42:00.003-05:00

Chase loves to bounce. He doesn't get to use his bouncer a lot, but today I set it up and put him in it and let him go. He was having a great time, bouncing up and down, and making a racket. I was watching a Christmas movie, when I noticed that I was no longer having to strain to hear the dialogue. I turned around, and found this...

Did you ever see anything so cute???

My Apologies

2010-12-17T10:56:00.005-05:00

In efforts to win back your love after neglecting to post a six month update, here are some recent pictures of my little turtle.

After the church Christmas party...yes, he wore his pj's.

Here's his present from Aunt Ellen...Scout! He can't wait to get his hands on it!

The box isn't bad, either.

We just can't resist. He loves his toys!

But not as much as he loves mommy's tivo remote.

Playing peek-a-boo with daddy.

We're working on the sippy cup.

There's something about this stroller pad...

He just can't get enough of it...

Doesn't want to put it down.

Mom, I got places to go.

Sleepy boy...

Ahh, sweet peace.

Who Does That???

2010-12-15T23:07:00.002-05:00

Since Chase was born, I haven't exactly been the most faithful blogger. But I have at least made sure to write an update on him every month. Until last month. Now I know most people have professional photos taken at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. That's not our style. But we've at least done our own photo shoot every month. So I can't believe that, of all months, I forgot to update at six months! I don't even have a belated photo shoot for you. So tonight will be a mash-up of a six and seven month update, and I promise I'll post a photo update after Sunday (when he turns seven months).

The past two months have been unbelievable! Chase has changed so much, and so fast, that he's hardly even the same baby anymore! We had his six month check-up a couple weeks ago, and Dr. Flowers was so pleased with his progress! His weight was 16 lbs, 5 oz (he went from 35th to 17th percentile). I'll be honest, I forgot was his height was. I thought they said 24 inches, but that can't be right, because that's what he was in October. I can tell you that he went from the 15th to 37th percentile. So essentially he went from being a short, fat kid to a tall, skinny kid.

We have introduced all kinds of foods in the past couple months. Some new favorites are sweet potato fries and yogurt. He LOVES yogurt. We're also doing baby snacks like puffs, yogurt melts and baby mum mums. Side note: baby snacks fascinate me...I think they're super cool.

I've finally put away all of his 3 month clothes (mostly because the pants are too short). He's in 6 month now, and moving into 9 months as well. I'm trying to get as much use out of everything I've bought.

Okay, now time for the real stuff. The week of Thanksgiving, he learned a new trick...sitting up! And once that started, crawling and standing up followed within two weeks! So he has been a busy boy lately! He loves to sit up and play with his toys, or pull himself up on the couch, or whoever is sitting closest. It's so cute. He crawls pretty well, but really only crawls when he sees something he wants. Mostly remote controls and dirty shoes.

Best. Stroller. Ever.

2010-12-12T22:28:00.005-05:00

It was the morning of our trip. I was a little stressed, packing everything I could get my hands on. We were going on a cruise, so I had to make sure to pack everything I might possibly need for Chase, since I wouldn't be able to just run to the store if I ran out of something. I wasn't thinking. I was terrified about forgetting our brand new stroller, so one the first things I did that morning was get it out of the car, and park it behind Lee's car in the garage so we would remember to pack it in Dad's car.

We were planning on leaving our Honda in the garage (a blessing from God, as a tree ended up falling on its usual parking spot onto Evan's truck instead...second time that's happened during vacation, by the way). So I asked Lee to move his car. Next thing I know, Kevin comes in and tells me he hopes I didn't really like my brand new stroller. WHAT?!? Yep, if you put two and two together, my idiot self basically told my brother to run it over. He drives an SUV. Not only did he run it over, but he dragged it down the driveway. Yikes.

Kevin brings the stroller inside so I can assess the damage. And amazingly enough, there were only three things wrong. Some paint on the frame was scratched off, a small hole was worn in the parent basket near the handlebars, and one of the wheels was broken. The good news is, they are all double wheels, so the stroller still worked just fine...it was a cosmetic issue. The frame wasn't bent at all!

Kevin made a valiant attempt to repair it with some gorilla glue, but the wheel didn't want to stay put, so we ended up just ripping it off. But let me tell you, that stroller made it all over the cruise ship, Nassau, and even went off-roading at the beach without a hitch! It worked great, until after our trip, the shuttle driver taking us back to our car threw it in the trailer, and miraculously the whole wheel fell off (definitely my fault though, according to him).

The best news is, I called the company, and they're sending us a new wheel! For free! Hopefully, it will get here in time for our next road trip, to Louisiana for Christmas!

And So It Begins

2010-12-12T22:05:00.006-05:00

Two years ago, we went on our first Disney cruise as a Christmas gift from my parents. We enjoyed it so much, we booked our next one before we left the boat! Since we already knew we wanted a baby before the cruise rolled around, I went ahead and booked Chase a trip on the Disney Wonder as well (at the time, he was listed as Mr. TBA Webb...they asked if I wanted a boy or a girl. lol.). Two days after Thanksgiving, we headed to Port Canaveral to embark on what I imagine will be the first of many mouse-themed trips.

Chase in his lifevest for the safety drill.

Before we left, I swore I wasn't standing in any lines to meet the characters. We've all seen the pictures of screaming babies being held by what I'm sure are giant frightening cartoon characters, so I wasn't planning on wasting any of my time. But wouldn't you know it, Mickey Mouse came to visit while we were in the terminal waiting to board the boat. And what did I do? Ran and jumped in line. It was a short line though, and Chase did great for his picture, prompting us to stand in the lines two more times over the course of our trip.

We had an amazing time! We were on the same boat, and stopped at the same ports, as last time, so we were able to avoid some classic rookie mistakes. For instance, when we first boarded, we booked it upstairs to the buffet on the 9th deck rather than the one they were directing us to, found the perfect table, and avoided the major lines.

Day one we spent cruising on our way to Nassau, where we made port on day two. The entertainment for the evening was "The Golden Mickeys," which we had seen last time, but enjoyed again, this time with Kevin's parents. Nassau day was a lot of fun. Last cruise, we went to visit Atlantis, but this time we took advantage of an empty boat and spent most of the day by the pools. Late in the afternoon, we ventured out to the straw market, and some other local shops. I unsuccessfully tried to barter for a purse, and we got Chase a really cute turtle t-shirt, because that's his nickname!

Day two we went to Castaway Cay, the private Disney island. This is my favorite stop! It's the beach without all the work. There are tons of chairs, umbrellas, hammocks and towels for everyone. You just bring yourself and your sunscreen. We had a blast, and Chase enjoyed the beach (even the sand...what a boy!) for the first time, minus a minor incident where he got pushed into the sand by a certain grandparent who shall remain nameless. I also experienced one of my favorite moments of the trip here. I sat in the hammock to rock Chase, and we both ended up napping for quite awhile. It was a precious moment to this mama's heart.

Day three was our day at sea. Another day out by the pool. Yes, please! Overall, we had an amazing trip! The company (both mine and Kevin's parents) was perfect. The food was great, as always. I caught parts of Toy Story 3 (fell asleep...oops) and Tangled (Chase started crying), and all of You Again in the theater. Got some great pictures. We stood in line to get pictures with an excellent likeness of Captain Jack Sparrow, until Chase started crying when we were two people out. Oh well. Can't wait till our next adventure...next time with baby #2???

For the rest of the pictures, check out mine and Kevin's facebook pages.

Marine Corps Ball

2010-11-09T11:57:00.004-05:00

This past Saturday we had the honor of attending our very first Marine Corps Ball. Lately I've learned the benefit of entering new experiences with a healthy dose of skepticism, and it's really been great. Basically, if you don't get your hopes too high, then you won't get disappointed. And this event was no exception. As much as I was looking forward to my first formal in five years, I tried not to get myself too excited. And, as it turns out, my strategy worked, and I had a great time.

The night didn't begin so well, however. We were told to be there and in our seats at 5:45, or we would miss the ceremonial part of the evening. Unfortunately our dear friend and babysitter for the night got lost on the way. So we were in a huge rush out the door. We literally shoved Chase in his stroller to her as she parked her car, and sped off with six minutes to "be in our seats." We got there by the skin of our teeth, only to discover that there was a cocktail hour from 6 to 7, and we weren't even allowed to enter the ballroom until after cocktail hour. Oh well, live and learn.

After the initial chaos was over, we ended up having a great time. It was nice finally meeting the people in Kevin's unit, as they are ultimately his second family. We had a lot of fun, and the food was great. Some will be proud to know that I even ate asparagus for the first time, chicken stuffed with spinach, and even cheesecake. If you know me, you know that the cheesecake might have even been more of a stretch than the asparagus. (This was my first taste of asparagus, but I've tried cheesecake before...let's just say I gave it another shot eight years ago...and haven't touched it since.)

Overall, it was a great night. It was nice having a date night without Chase (and knowing he was in good hands...I honestly didn't spend one minute worrying about him). And we're already looking forward to next year's ball. Here are the pics!

Oops

2010-11-04T17:38:00.006-04:00

Just realized I haven't posted Chase's Halloween pics on here. So for those of you who exclusively read the blog and don't follow on facebook...here you go!

Church fall festival with mom, Nana and Pop Pop

With his buddy, Sawyer
"Mmm, looks like a tasty dragon"

"Bananas are my favorite food!"

Let's just be friends.

Right after we put his costume on. Not lovin' it.

Photo shoot with mom

Happy Halloween

2010-10-29T22:43:00.003-04:00

I've been itching to make another cake, but just haven't had a good excuse. But our annual church fall festival is tomorrow. And wouldn't you know it, they happen to be having a cake walk. So when my mom volunteered me to make a cake for our household, I decided to have some fun with it.

This time, it went much more smoothly. I planned ahead, laid out a step by step plan for each day, and things actually went according to plan. Woo hoo! There were a few snafu's when covering the actual pumpkin, but other than that, I'm pretty happy with the results.

This was also my first attempt at a chocolate cake from scratch. And it was amazing. But I wonder who was the first person to think of adding boiling water to cake batter? In case you're wondering, it's four 8 inch layers of chocolate cake, chocolate filling with bits of candy corn, and the stem is made from rice krispy treats. It blows my mind that just a few days ago, this all started with two cups of sugar (well, other than the candy corn).

The 'Stang and the Squirrel

2010-10-29T21:28:00.003-04:00

I'm not a member of PETA, but the thought of killing an animal makes me wanna throw up (well, every animal except for my neighbor's pesky dog). Don't get me wrong. I don't care if you hunt, fish or whatever else floats your boat. It's just not for me.

But tonight I did the unthinkable. I killed a squirrel. It ran in front of my car, and I didn't hit the brakes. Why, you ask? Well first, because I've heard too many stories of people getting in senseless accidents braking for pesky things like rodents. And second, because...when have you ever seen a squirrel not make it across the road before the car? I don't care how close it is, the squirrel always wins. Except tonight.

Tonight, as I was on my way home, I saw him coming, and I just kept going...and I didn't hear a "crunch"...but I definitely got his tail. :( I wasn't sure, so I checked in my rearview mirror. Bad idea. He was writhing around, trying to get up but immediately falling back over. It was awful. When I left the house again, he was still there. Obviously a casualty.

I already felt bad. But at least I didn't actually run the entire thing over...that's disgusting. Then, on my way home for the night, I made the mistake of forgetting. And wouldn't you know, I did it again. I heard the big "crunch" this time though. Oh well, at least I put him out of his misery.

One Month and Counting

2010-10-27T22:06:00.003-04:00

Tonight I got Chase's new umbrella stroller in the mail! If you follow me on facebook, you know that I acquired it through ebay. It was my first auction and, I'll admit, it was quite a rush. If I had an unlimited amount of money, I imagine I would spend a great deal of time on ebay. (I would also never darken the doors of Walmart again, but that's another blog for another day).

Moving on, my title is related to the Disney Cruise that we have scheduled for one month from today! I can't wait! But when I started thinking about packing, I knew that I didn't want to lug around his giant travel system stroller (even though it drives like a dream). So thus began my extensive research into umbrella strollers. Basically, I was looking for a baby Cadillac...that fits mommy's needs as well. And I'm pretty happy with what I got for my money.

This baby has a reclining seat, a basket underneath, a parent caddy by the handlebars with a cupholder, a large sunshade, and nice tall handles (no hunching over to push for this mama!). I am very pleased. Plus, it fits in the trunk of the Mustang (our Chicco stroller does not), which is a big plus for me when Kevin goes out of town. Another thing marked off my cruise checklist...one month to go!

Kicking Myself

2010-10-25T00:14:00.003-04:00

The past two night have been torture when it comes to bedtime for Chase. He has tossed, turned, cried and spit up. Basically done everything but sleep. It's been almost midnight before I got him to sleep. Yuck! Tonight I left him in his crib for an hour, until I absolutely couldn't take it anymore and, picked him up. While I was rocking him trying to figure out what to do, I realized something.

I had broken routine. For the past two nights, for one reason or another, he hadn't had a bath. What was I thinking? Once I stumbled on this revelation, around 11:30, I knew what I had to do. So I stripped him out of his pj's, gave him a bath, and sat back down to rock.

Within ten minutes, he was sound asleep. Guess tonight I learned just how crucial a routine is. Oh well, you live and you learn.

To Sleep, Or Not To Sleep.

2010-10-23T00:30:00.003-04:00

Not much of a question. If you've known me for any amount of time, you know that I'm going to choose to sleep. Whenever possible. This applies to my son as well. So when I realized how much time the two of us were spending in a glider rocking him to sleep, I decided it was time for him to "cry it out."

And, a week or so later, I am convinced that this is one of the two best decisions I've made for Chase so far. What was the second, you ask? Not shielding him from noise while he's sleeping. Now, we've had our ups and downs with regards to sleep over the past five months. But for the most part, he's been a great sleeper. I'm chalking the "downs" up to the constant change of being a baby.

So, at around 4 1/2 months, I decided to bite the bullet. Getting him to bed at night hasn't really been a problem, since establishing a bath-bottle-bed routine. But naptime could be tricky, especially if he was over-tired and fussy. So one day, I did the thing that every mother dreads...laid him down, and let him cry. I would occasionally pat his back, or give him his pacifier back if it had fallen out. But other than that, I left him alone. And eventually, he cried himself to sleep.

The next day, I put him on the floor while I was rocking Carter for his nap. And the next thing I knew, he was sound asleep...success! It's not foolproof, but he's gotten himself to sleep for just about every nap for the past two weeks. I even think he's napping better and longer. And I'm one happy mama!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-22T16:02:00.007-04:00

We made two attempts at visiting a pumpkin patch in the past week. The first time, Chase was on the verge of a nap, grumpy, and it was ridiculously hot outside, so we left pretty quickly. On the second attempt, we dressed more appropriately, and tried to get there at a better time of day. He still tried to nap on the way, but woke up after the first few pictures, and I think we got some pretty cute ones, if I do say so myself. Take a look.

Finally finished...poor thing was exhausted.

Fun Times

2010-10-21T23:22:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures of the past month of Chase's life. Didn't want to overdo it on the five month update, but I couldn't let you miss out on all the cuteness!

First night in his crib!

Angel.

Loves to watch tv.

...and his daddy.

Baby camouflage

In his new favorite toy

pumpkin patch attempt #1

Learning to sit up on his own!

Five Months!

2010-10-19T12:04:00.002-04:00

Baby Chase is five months old today! In some ways, I can't believe he's been with us for that long. In others, it's like he's been with us forever. Weird, I know. The past month has been so much fun! He is learning like crazy, and is really developing into the fun, entertaining, sweet boy that we just knew he would be. ha ha.

I don't have any specifics for you in regards to height, weight, etc. Instead, I'll just share some fun developments he's achieved as of late.

He has finally discovered his feet! Poor short thing was a little late on this one...but he's found them, and he's happily chomping away on them daily.
He loves baby food...all baby food. Except meat. Tried that one recently, and the poor thing almost gagged. We'll work on that one again later.
We recently helped him learn to put himself to sleep (aka let him cry it out). That's a blog post in itself.
He's really close to crawling. He can get up on all fours, belly off the ground, and rock a little bit. I'm pretty sure if he wasn't so interested in chewing on his hands that he'd already be there.
He's picking up sign language! Not due to my amazing parenting skills, but simply from watching his buddy Carter. He's learned to say "please" when he wants food. It's super cute! Check out Kevin's facebook page if you haven't seen the video yet.
He loves his Exersaucer. This is his favorite toy as of late, and mommy is so thankful for something that can entertain him so thoroughly while she does something else.

I'm sure there's a ton more I could post, but I know you really just want to see some cuteness...so here it is...

Team Edward

2010-10-14T22:02:00.005-04:00

Chase might seriously be a vampire. What's my first clue? He's amazingly handsome! Does he dazzle in the sunlight? Yeah, like I'm exposing that amazing ivory skin to the sunlight. Are werewolves his enemies? Well, he definitely doesn't like it when Dakota howls. But here's what really put the nail on the proverbial coffin. He thirsts for human flesh. Don't believe me?

It started out simple. A thumb here, chomping on a wrist there.

But tonight he showed his true colors. He attacked me with a vengeance. Take a look:

Crazy, right. Note the fingers ripping the hair out of my head. What you can't see are the pool of drool collecting on my shoulder, and the squeals of delight ringing in my ear. See the look of terror in my eyes? You can't make this stuff up.

We've Moved!

2010-10-09T00:12:00.002-04:00

Don't go getting your address books just yet (yes, I realize most people use their phones...I still like my pretty little address book). Anyhow, we haven't changed addresses, simply rooms. We've been toying with the idea of switching rooms for awhile now, and this past week we finally decided to make the change. So we've switched from the small room in the back of the house (my childhood bedroom) to the larger room in the front of the house (the playroom). It took several hours of cleaning, moving a ton of stuff, and it's still not quite complete. But now we have a much more organized, comfortable room complete with a nursery, living room, bedroom and office area. One of the biggest perks is that we were finally able to set up Chase's crib. I'm so happy baby boy finally has a real bed to sleep in...and he's slept through the night the past two nights. Woo hoo!

PS - If you like yard sales, be on the lookout for ours sometime soon. lol.

Naked Baby!

2010-10-02T11:23:00.004-04:00

I am trapped in a (very nice) hotel room in Atlanta while Kevin is at drill this weekend. So to kill some time, I thougth we'd have a photo shoot with Baby Chase. Except he kept his hands in his mouth the WHOLE time. Oh well, here are the best shots I got out of the 45 I took.

I barely got this one. Every time I snapped the camera, he went spread eagle.

And so begins the hands in the mouth.

What's the problem, mommy?

So innocent.

Sorry I'm not behaving, mommy.

Gotcha...I'm not gonna stop!

Can't catch me now...

Or now.

Are we done yet?

I put his diaper back on and he was making the cutest faces, so I tried again...as you can see, he still wasn't cooperative. Little stinker.

Four Month Check-Up

2010-09-25T00:37:00.004-04:00

Baby Chase had his official four month check-up with Dr. Flowers this morning. I was pretty nervous going into it, because I knew he had to get shots, and Kevin couldn't be there to help soothe him afterward. But I'll get to the shots in a minute.

Dr. Flowers says he's looking GREAT! He now weighs 14lbs, 6oz. That's the 35th percentile for weight, and a increase of 3.5 pounds since his two month visit. He's 24 inches long (a gain of 1.5 inches, and the 15th percentile for height). And he's in the 27th percentile for head circumference. So according to Dr. Flowers, he's very proportional and looking good. Apparently the most important figure is the head measurement. And I can assure you that his head is growing...he's starting to outgrow some outfits because they don't fit over his head. lol. Another thing he's outgrown...size 2 diapers. According to the box, size 3's start at 16lbs, but he keeps peeing his pants with the size 2's. So we're moving up.

Now on to the shots. Today he had one oral medication, and a shot in each leg. Oral meds went down without a problem. And he didn't even flinch with the first shot. Then after the second, he realized was had happened...and started crying. But he was such a trooper! He cried for less than a minute, and even flashed a smile at the nurse before she left the room. Love that kid!

He slept much of the afternoon, but when he woke up at 5:30 he was on fire! Since this was his first time running a fever, I was trying not to freak out. I called the nurse, and she said to give him Tylenol, a lukewarm bath, and Pedialyte. Since his fever was 102.6, I jumped right on it. Tylenol...check. Lukewarm bath...check. Pedialyte...not having it. I tried over and over, and he made the funniest faces...he refused to drink it! So we gave him formula. Thank God, he didn't throw it up! He was a little irritable throughout the evening, but his fever is pretty much gone, and he is (finally!) sleeping soundly. Bless his little heart.

War Wounds :(

Napping with Dakota

Up close and personal

Mommy...I'm trying to sleep!

Four Months!

2010-09-19T16:55:00.001-04:00

Happy fourth mirthday (yes, I stole that from someone else) baby Chase! Mommy loves you more today than she did the day you were born, and I can't wait to see what you become in the coming weeks, months and years!

4 Month Updates:

Feedings have definitely changed in the past month. Bottles have remained the same...six ounces with half a scoop of cereal. But lately he's been showing a crazy interest in food (I'm talking pitches a fit when someone is eating around him, and trying to get to the food!). So since Dr. Flowers told me we could discuss introducing foods between three and four months, we took the liberty of starting him at 3.5 months. So far he's tried bananas, apples, pears, squash and prunes. He LOVES it! Right now he only eats it once or twice a day, about 1/3 to 1/2 of a container in a sitting.

First feeding...bananas!

I'm still squeezing him into 3 month size clothes, although I feel like 6 months are just around the corner. That's probably good, because I've got a few 6 month outfits for summer that I would like to get some use out of. His 4 month photo shoot is a size 6 month outfit. It actually fits pretty well.

Sleep...yeah...see my last post.

Sleeping half rolled over. What a mess.

Overall though, he is just getting more fun and more cute on a daily basis. His little personality is really starting to shine. He's like his parents in some ways, like being groggy/grumpy right when he wakes up. He's finally liking toys, and it's so much fun to watch him chew on whatever toy he can fit in his mouth. He also loves to chew on his fingers. It's gross to mommy, but at least he's not sucking his thumb! *fingers crossed* He's learning to take his pacifier out of his mouth, and getting pretty good at putting it back in. And just today, he started scooting a little bit. Too cute!

First bite of steak (No need to call DFACS, it was a joke)

Grammy and Grandpa came to visit!

Hanging out with Uncle Evan

SLEEP!

2010-09-18T14:15:00.006-04:00

I've mentioned lately how Chase has been rolling over in his sleep. Well my champion sleeper has turned into a bit of a bedtime nightmare. The past week in particular has been awful. He will sleep for two or three hours, and then start to roll around/over, causing him to wake up. I get him back to sleep, but after that he's up every hour until morning time. Torture. I feel like I have a newborn again. I've tried laying him on his belly, back, side...even in his Boppy. I've done swaddled and unswaddled. Nothing seems to be working. I don't know what to do anymore. Any experienced mommies out there have any tips or tricks for me?

I miss this...

Couponing

2010-09-17T00:09:00.003-04:00

I love shopping. Sometimes I even enjoy grocery shopping. Especially when it involves getting a good deal. And I'm going to attempt to jump on another bandwagon...couponing. So I'm imploring my blogging and facebook friends for your help. I know that there are usually a great deal of coupons in the Sunday paper, but where do I go beyond that? I hear about all these people getting $100 worth of groceries for $50 and crazy stuff like that. So tell me some of your tips and tricks. Is it all about printing coupons online? (By the way, I'm not crazy about that one, because I feel like the money I save on groceries is spent on ink.) I've also heard of CVS-ing. What in the world? Can whatever this tactic is be applied to Walgreens? Rite Aid? Looking forward to hearing some of your shopping secrets!

OCD

2010-09-15T13:14:00.003-04:00

I've never thought of myself as an obsessive compulsive person, a clean freak, or anything even remotely close to it. But having a baby has definitely brought out any obsessive compulsive tendencies I may have. To what am I referring, you ask? Laundry.

I've never liked doing laundry. If you ask my husband, he'd probably tell you that I'm not even any good at it. But there's something about baby laundry that makes me completely nuts. I can't stand the thought of Chase wearing stained clothes. Ever. And we're not just talking clothes. I don't even like when he gets something on his bibs or burp cloths.

I use baby Oxyclean like it's crack for laundry. Every time I wash his clothes, I pull out every onesie, shirt, sleeper, bib and anything else that might have a stain. Then I spray them to death with baby Oxyclean before putting it in the wash. Thank goodness, that stuff is amazing. I go through it like it's going out of style (and if anyone finds out it is, please let me know so I can go buy every bottle I can find).

Now that we've started him on baby foods, I'm going even more crazy. How do I keep all his stuff clean? I did get some great advice from a friend to set aside certain bibs for feeding only, and to turn the feeding bibs backwards so they can just be wiped down after he eats. But it's a huge struggle to not strip him down naked before a feeding, even taking these precautions. I realize I'm admitting to some serious issues here, but how can baby Oxyclean compete with a baby-sized mess?

Just Because

2010-08-28T00:22:00.004-04:00

Photo shoot? Okay.

Funny face? Done.

Punch the air? Sure.

Oops...distraction!

Maybe I'll roll over.

Nah.

I'm getting tired...

This big dome is so heavy!

Okay, mommy...

The End.

Jumping On the Bandwagon

2010-08-28T00:14:00.004-04:00

I've been wanting to start making cakes for awhile now. I decided that the time had come about a month or so ago, and I've finally got one I'm proud enough of to post pictures of. It's not perfect and I'm definitely not entirely happy with it. But it's not too bad.

I've discovered that this is a really difficult hobby to learn with a 3 month old. Even breaking the task down over several days can be frustrating when baby boy wants to be held all the time. So I probably won't be doing a whole lot of decorating for the next couple months. But I've got to begin somewhere.

I've named this the strawberry lemonade cake. It's lemon pound cake with strawberry buttercream icing. I'm not very pleased with the pound cake. If anyone has a good recipe for one, please share. In fact, I'd love to receive all kinds of tried and true different recipes...not just lemon pound cake. Enjoy!

Three Months!

2010-08-18T09:14:00.007-04:00

I can't believe it. Baby Chase is three months old today! It seems like time is passing so fast and so slow at the same time. He has already grown so much since his birthday, but I also can't wait for him to reach some other milestones - sitting up, crawling, etc. It's all just been a great adventure for our little family!

According to our bathroom scale, Chase weighs 12lbs today. That's a weight gain of 1lb, 2oz since his two month doctor's visit. We won't have an official doctor's visit until next month, but as far as mommy is concerned, he is one healthy, happy boy! He is changing so much lately. Every day his personality is evolving, and he's learning something new. As we speak, he's sitting beside me sleeping and making the cutest noises...from little sighs, coos and groans to stuffy nose breathing. I could just eat him up!

3 Month Updates:

Feedings have remained around six ounces until recently. Lately he's been wanting more, but spitting up quite a bit. So I called the Doctor, who recommended Zantac. That didn't quite sit well with mommy (because he never seemed to be in pain), so we bought some cereal instead, thinking that he just needed something to sit a little heavier in his belly. For the past three days, I've added half a scoop of cereal to his six ounce bottles, and it's worked like a charm. He's consistently going three hours between feedings (we were down to two hours or so), and also napping once each feeding cycle (20-30 minutes). I'm thinking that my intuition was on the money with this one.

He's still wearing 3month size clothes. Some of them are a little snug, and I've also brought out a few 3-6 month size outfits, but for the most part, he's still fitting these pretty well. Side note - why are footie pajamas so much smaller than other clothes? With those, he can barely squeeze into the 3months anymore.

I couldn't be more proud of little man's sleeping habits. He falls asleep around 11:00 pretty consistently (occasionally give or take an hour), and sleeps for 10-11 hours without fail. He's still not much of a napper, but I can live with 20-30 minute breaks throughout the day as long as he sleeps at night! He's also started rolling over in his sleep...from tummy to back (first time was at 12 weeks). I haven't gotten him to do it during the day yet, but he's done it as often as four times in the night. I wake up to find him writhing around on his back like a turtle that can't right itself. So cute.

Talking has become his favorite thing to do. Especially if you talk with him (repeat back the same noises he's making). He will talk to you all day long if you will sit there. It is so cute! Not only that, but he's laughing too! His first LOL was at 11 weeks. Now he laughs all the time. Usually it's a silent chuckle, but if you really get him going, he has the cutest giggle!

Phases. That's right, he's already starting with the "phases." This month, the most memorable were the "I HATE the car phase" and the "I don't want anyone but mommy after 8pm" phase. Thankfully, I think we're on the tail end of both of those. After last night though, I'm concerned we're going into the "I'd rather roll around than sleep" phase. Lord, help me!

It's About Time

2010-08-12T00:11:00.003-04:00

About time my life resumed just a small bit of normalcy. Things have been completely crazy over the past few months. I could never have imagined wanting to be on a schedule, but now I am very thankful that I am on my way there.

Chase is getting more and more predictable schedule-wise. I'll break down all the details next week in his three month (ohmygoodness!) post.

I've also started watching the cutest little one-year-old two days a week. Not exactly a regular job, but it puts me on a schedule. Wondering how it's going watching a 12 week old and a one year old? Today I went into the kitchen for long enough to mix a bottle (maybe a minute) and came back into the living room to find this:

How cute is that? And he has a baby brother on the way, so he is getting some good practice in.

Kevin and I also joined up with DRIVEN youth ministries at our local church. It feels SO good to be involved again, and I'm loving catching back up with some of the girls I've known since they were in diapers ;)

I'll try to come back with detailed posts on all of these. Just wanted to give a little highlight of what's going on with us lately, and let you know I haven't completely abandoned the blogging world. :)

Ode to Walmart

2010-07-26T23:11:00.003-04:00

Dear Walmart,

Over the years, we've had our ups and downs. You've always been my go-to for any and everything. But I'll never forget that one time, the night before Easter, when Jeanine and I were shopping and they announced that you were closing. You let me down then...we didn't think that could ever happen! But my attatchment to you grew even deeper during college. You provided not only my groceries and school supplies, but countless hours of entertainment, and possibly even the setting for a few dates.

There is some competition. Target is only a few miles away and, it pains me to say this, has WAY better clothes. Don't worry, their prices aren't as good. So you are still the object of my budget-conscious affection.

And today you really came through. You see, I have a two month old son. He eats A LOT...and formula is like gold around here. Thanks to some wise advice, and the encouragement of my Pediatrician, I have come to have a great appreciation for your Parent's Choice brand formula. It is $11 cheaper per can...that's almost half the price of the fancy stuff! Not only that, but rather than give any gross details, let's just say it makes baby's tummy happy. Even at half the price, formula ain't cheap. So to see any of it wasted is frustrating to say the least.

And waste has been a problem with the leaky bottles I cannot seem to get away from! Who wants to see all the formula wasted away either coming out between the nipple and the ring during mixing or travel, or simply pouring all over baby during feeding? I started with Avent bottles, and although I think I've found the trick to stop the leaking, it shouldn't be rocket science (especially not at $16 for two bottles!)! Then I got some Evenflo bottles ($10 for 3). Those didn't pour when tilted, but they leak when shaken, and don't travel well. Today I came across the Parent's Choice bottles for the first time. At 97 cents a pop, it was worth a shot. And wouldn't you know, not a single leak?!? Granted, I haven't traveled with it yet, but I'm giving it five stars so far.

So thank you Walmart, for once again making my day with great prices, and topping it off by providing some quality products as well. Today you did not disappoint.

Steak 'n Shake

2010-07-21T23:19:00.002-04:00

A late night college student's best friend. Stereotypical home of waitresses with poor dental hygiene. But that's to be expected.
But at the Steak 'n Shake where we live, I've had enough ridiculous experiences that it finally earned a place on the blog. Now let's be real. I don't have the highest expectations from a waitress at Steak 'n Shake. I'd be okay with average service as long as the food is good. But lately, every time I'm there I walk away shaking my head and trying to figure out what in the world just happened. Let's recap tonight's experience, shall we?
The "Have a seat/Seat yourself" sign was turned sideways leaving new customers confused from the moment they walk in the door. After waiting a few minutes, Kevin decided to seat himself. Only then did someone decide to show us to a table.
Our waitress seems pretty decent *sigh of relief*. That is, until Kevin decided to add an extra order of fries after we had already ordered our food. She looked at him like she had never heard of a french fry before. When we decided to order a dessert, Kevin asked her for a menu. She pointed to an advertisement on the side of the table and said "Well, we have these." To which kevin responded, "Is that the entire dessert menu?" Of course it wasn't. Weird.
I forgot to mention that while we waited for our food, at least two other customers had to walk up to the window and ask for something they didn't receive or had been messed up (something I've had to do there myself previously). What really boggles my mind is that the place wasn't crowded, and there were at least 5 waitresses. They simply had no interest in doing what their jobs entailed. Ridiculous.
Last but not least, we stood at the counter several minutes waiting to pay for our meal. Remember, the place isn't crowded...we were the only ones standing there. Several employees noticed us standing there, and simply ignored the fact...didn't even say that someone would be right with us. It took the cashier finally getting her head out of her butt and break away from what I'm sure was a thrilling conversation to check us out. I have never been closer to walking out of a restaurant without paying.

More Favorite Things

2010-07-20T22:29:00.003-04:00

Bumbo - No, this is not a flying elephant, it's a baby chair. We were blessed to have one given to us recently, and it did not disappoint! Granted, Chase is still a little small for it. But it's great to sit him in when he doesn't want to lay on his back, and mommy needs to use her hands for something else. I keep it on the kitchen counter and he watches me cook :)
Cloth Diapers - Another item I fought against. But my mom insisted that I buy some, and she was right. They are the perfect burp cloths! All the cute, colorful ones are way too small and not nearly as absorbant. Plus, I don't really care if these get dirty or stained...and they're all white so I can bleach them clean. We never leave home without one...definitely a good investment!
My Backpack - I am officially on my third diaper bag. Shortly after Chase was born, I decided that I didn't want to carry both a purse and a diaper bag. My first diaper bag didn't have enough pockets to accomodate this. The second one had plenty of pockets, but wasn't big enough. I finally settled on a backpack, and it is perfect! It has two main compartments (I use the smaller one for my stuff and the large one for his stuff), and plenty of little pockets as well. Love it! Bonus: because it's not girly or awkward, Kevin doesn't mind carrying it either.
Pack and Play - If you travel AT ALL, these are worth every penny! Because we're in a temporary living situation, we're using ours as a crib. But we've also traveled multiple times, and this baby is the best! It's simple to set up/tear down, doesn't take up a lot of storage room, and lightweight enough that you can move it around very easily. PS - We went with a simple model without all the bells and whistles (no changer or tiny bassinet that vibrates). It does have a feature that allows you to raise the floor/base so that you don't break your back picking up/putting down baby. This model was about $90 cheaper than the fancy ones, and I can't see why you would need that stuff, anyhow.
Parent's Choice Formula - aka Walmart brand. After paying $20 for a can of the fancy stuff, I called my pediatrician and they said that they highly recommend this formula. They even gave me some free samples to try (yes, please!). Not only is it $8-$13 cheaper than the name brand stuff, but Chase poops better when he's on it too. Score!
Car Mirror - I LOVE this! It hooks to the headrest in front of Chase's car seat so that I can see him in my rearview mirror. It's a little hard to get used to at first, because all you want to do is watch baby. But once you learn where to focus, it's great. Especially when he spits his paci out and you have to reach back and put it in his mouth. (I've become a pro at driving with my right hand reached behind me)

Two Months!

2010-07-20T17:35:00.006-04:00

Chase's two month birthday was yesterday. I just can't believe how fast it is all going by! He went from being my tiny little thing who slept all the time, to a giant chunk who fights sleep like he's going to miss something (a Webb trait, by the way).

Today was his two month checkup. Another positive review from Dr. Flowers! He weighed in at 10lbs, 14oz and is now 22.5 inches long! We were actually a little surprised, because we all thought he would be in the 11lb range. But I'm not complaining. That means he gets to keep wearing all of his adorable 3 month clothes, which he now fits into perfectly! He also got his next set of vaccinations today. One oral, two shots in his left leg and one in his right. He definitely showed us how good he is at screaming! But thank goodness daddy was there, and he didn't take too long to calm down. Poor thing.

Resting on daddy's chest after he finally went to sleep this evening.

2 Month Updates:

His feedings have leveled off somewhat. A full feeding is 6-7 ounces, but he occasionally cluster feeds now (eats a couple ounces at a time, rather than takes a full bottle) which drives mommy crazy.

I have officially packed away all of his newborn clothes. They are all too short now thanks to those two inches he's grown! So I am loving all of the cute outfits that he fits into now. I'm just a little sad that he'll outgrow them so quickly :(

Sleep has been an interesting subject around our house. Nighttime has been pretty great. He's been sleeping through the night most nights. He tends to wake up after 7-9 hours, take a bottle, and then sleep for a couple more. So YAY for sleeping through the night! Unfortunately, daytime sleeping is still a bit torturous. He has definitely inherited Daddy's personality trait which says that if I sleep, I'm going to miss something. He might fall asleep 5 times during the day, but as soon as you put him in the crib to settle in for a good nap, he's wide awake again. No fun. Especially when he gets over-tired and is fighting it. So hopefully this will improve shortly.

But spending more time awake definitely comes with its perks. He is developing such a cute personality! He smiles all the time, especially at mommy and daddy! And he loves to carry on a conversation. Goo's and coo's are happening all the time!

He still doesn't have much interest in toys. Although he did discover the mobile above his swing for the first time this morning. I caught him talking to them while I was getting ready this morning. I'm pretty sure he got mad because they weren't talking back, though.

I'm LOVING getting to spend every day with him! I can't imagine handing him off every day to go to work. Last night we left him with my parents for a little over three hours to watch a movie. It was the longest we had been apart, and it just about killed me! I'm so thankful for a husband who is doing everything in his power for me to be able to stay home and raise our little man!

Frank

2010-07-20T00:11:00.003-04:00

If you follow "the Bachelorette" you know exactly what I'm talking about. And if you haven't watched this week's episode, STOP. Watch it. Then come back.

Since episode one, Frank has stood out as my favorite contestant. He's cute, funny, quirky and I love the way he and Ali clicked. He has slowly succumbed to a state of paranoia, however, and it has definitely been interesting to watch. He's always stood out as a favorite with Ali, and she never made any attempt to hide it. Yet week by week he seemed to question her feelings for him more and more. Tonight finally explained what's going on with him. If you don't watch, he admitted that he still had feelings for an ex-girlfriend, went to meet with her, and then decided that she was right for him, not Ali. After this revelation, he went to Ali in Tahiti and was completely honest with her about his feelings.

Now I'm sure it upset some people, but I was actually pretty proud of ol' Frank tonight. He was man enough to be honest with both Ali and the ex-girlfriend. It would have been really easy for him to just continue leading Ali on for the sake of the show, or make some sort-of silly last-ditch effort to get her to choose someone else. But instead he manned up and told Ali the truth. His sad lack of communication skills aside, I have to give credit where credit is due. Granted, it wasn't the popular choice. He upset Ali and it obviously hurt him as well. But he did the right thing. And Ali ended up being the one to ultimately prove her immaturity. I'd say this is one of my favorite Bachelorette moments thus far. Good luck to Frank and Nicole.

PS - Did anyone else notice the subtle drama created by the flower in Ali's hair? It was beautiful as she walked up to Frank's room, began wilting as their conversation took an ugly turn, and she ended up dramatically pulling it out of her hair and throwing it on the ground. Classic.

It's All About Me

2010-07-18T00:28:00.004-04:00

Well, at least this post is.

Chase will be two months old on Monday. I can't believe how time has flown by! But this post is supposed to be about me. I'm officially 3.5lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight. Woo hoo! I am looking forward to getting those last pesky pounds off. Then, of course, there's the issue of the 8 additional pounds I would like to lose before our cruise in November. We'll see. I'm just glad to be nearing the end of my baby weight.

I always promised myself I would not be getting a "mommy" haircut. I am willing to admit that I'm pretty vain about my hair, and love it being long and pretty (at least to me). But a week or so ago, Chase began discovering his fists. And he has a serious death grip. So between that and daily temperatures in the 90's, I randomly decided it was time to cut my hair. I jutsified it as not being a "mommy" cut, because I wasn't doing it to make my life simpler or easy...just less painful and sweaty. So seven inches later, here's the new 'do. (picture coming after I fix my hair tomorrow. lol.)

Before (sorry, all my close-ups are on the other computer)

after

I made my first grocery trip with Chase this week. I used to really enjoy grocery shopping when we lived in Loganville. I had a system...Walmart for the basics, then Publix and Kroger for the sale items. It took a few hours, but I enjoyed finding the best deals at each store. It's a little different here. The stores aren't all in a row, and the worst part is...no Kroger (my favorite!). But I used the backpack for Chase, and it went pretty well. Took a lot longer than usual, but I'm looking forward to developing a new grocery routine.

In a couple weeks, I will start watching a friend's son two days a week. He's almost one, recently walking, and so cute! I know it will be a challenge having both he and Chase, but I'm really looking forward to it. I think it will be great for everybody. Definitely something to keep me on my toes, and teach Chase to be around other kids and Carter to be a big brother (did I mention I'll be keeping his soon-to-come baby brother starting in December?).

I'm just realizing that I don't have anything else to say about myself...wow, life has certainly changed!

Changes

2010-07-10T10:55:00.003-04:00

I read last night that the only constant in a baby's life is change. That statement could not be more true. Today's subject of change: sleep patterns.

Chase has always been a really good sleeper. Note exhibits a, b, c...you get the picture (I have a hundred more but I won't post them all).

And lately he's been sleeping even better at night. Three feedings in the night have turned to two, and then one. I'm not sure what constitutes sleeping through the night, but Thursday night he slept for seven hours! But here comes the trade-off. Friday was torture! He was grumpy all day. Wide awake when he would normally nap. Screamed bloody murder in the car (some of that was needing to boo boo (poop) and having a hard time). Didn't want to be put down. If you could manage to rock him to sleep, he would wake up the minute you set him down. He didn't actually settle down until 6:00 or so (leaving us to enjoy our movie in peace...thank goodness!). But it was definitely a long day.

Same story today. We had one feeding last night, and today he is fussy, fussy. Didn't want to lay down, didn't want his swing, wasn't having the Bumbo seat. He is finally snoozing in his crib with the lullaby music from his swing playing next to the crib. And I am tired. This phase is more exhausting to me than when he got up three times a night. At least then he would snooze some during the day and I could nap or get things done. But this having to be constantly held thing is not cool.

Oh well, I guess that's just one of the joys of being a mom. As we've all heard and said before, "this too shall pass." I just hope it's sooner rather than later.

PS - I know I shorted you on the vacation stories, but I'm tired. For the rest of the stories (and some really cute pics), check out Kelly's blog!

Seriously...

2010-07-05T00:09:00.002-04:00

I just have to tell this story.

Today after church we headed to Travis' parent's house for lunch. While walking from the car to the house, a bug flew in my ear. I wasn't sure that's what it was, so what's my first reaction? Stick my finger in my ear. Nothing. Still not sure, so I go inside. But I can hear it flapping around in there! I don't want people thinking I'm crazy, so I keep quiet for a second. But the flapping continues, so of course I begin freaking out.

I'm getting scared, because it sounds like a house fly or something...I mean, it's so loud it's got to be huge! They're telling me not to stick my finger in my ear...oops! And now everyone is discussing the best way to fix the situation (while I alternate between squealing and hitting myself on the other side of the head, the way you would when trying to get water out of your ear). The suggestions were q-tips and tweezers with the aid of a flashlight. If I wasn't freaking out already, the thought of someone taking tweezers to my eardrum was definitely doing the trick. Thankfully someone had the presence of mind to suggest pouring peroxide in my ear.

I still wasn't comfortable with that, but I was willing to try it to get the flapping to stop! So Kevin and Kelly grab the peroxide and a towel, and the fun begins. Just a moment after they poured it, the little sucker floated right to the top. And it was tiny! About the size of the tip of a pen!

I was slightly embarassed, but definitely glad to have the noise stop! Could this have possibly happened to anyone else? PS - you should have seen me wrapping my hair around my face/ears to avoid another incident the next time I went outside. lol.

Vacation, Part II

2010-07-02T23:11:00.005-04:00

The second part of our vacation has begun, and we are having a blast! We are down in Key Largo spending time with Kevin's sister, her husband and their three kids. It was a LONG trip down here, but we spread it out over two days and finally arrived Tuesday evening. I'm posting a few of my favorite shots, but to see all of the pictures check out my facebook.

Wednesday we hit the pool. We had a blast enjoying the three pools which included a pirate ship/mini water park, small pool, and an olympic sized pool with diving boards. The kids had a blast and we stayed long enough to give every nice pink cheeks. Some highlights of the day: chase slept in his tent almost the whole time...and mommy and daddy got to relax and enjoy themselves. Blake went down the slide by himself...and then didn't want to stop! Kourtney is working on diving off the diving board. McKenna swam the length of the olympic pool and back. And Kelly and I branched out and each jumped off the high dive (my fear) and dove off the low dive (her fear), as well as swimming one lap in the olympic pool.

Thursday we slept in (well at least Kevin, Chase and myself did). Then we went up to Homestead and hit the mall and Buffalo Wild Wings. I think the best part of the day was changing Chase's diaper at dinner. Not usually something positive. But any diaper change that involves 4 diapers, all the wipes in the diaper bag, a second outfit and requires one mommy and two helpers who can all be heard laughing from the other room is a moment to remember. After that, we did a little more shopping and then came home to relax.

Today we hit the beach! We drove about 45 minutes away to a place called Sombrero Beach...and it was beautiful! The men went kayaking, and Kelly and I set up camp with the kids. Chase slept the whole time except for one feeding...woo hoo! It ended up being a perfect day. We had a spot under a palm tree with a little shade, and it was nice and overcast so the sun wasn't beating down on us. We spent a LONG time hanging out in the water with the kids...so fun! Afterwards we ate at a nice restaurant on the water, and took some more cute pictures.

Not sure what we're doing for the rest of our time, but so far we're really enjoying ourselves!

Just a Thought

2010-06-28T13:55:00.002-04:00

This has been running through my head a lot recently, and I thought I'd share while I have a few quiet moments. Both my boys are napping before we jump in the car and head south to spend a few days with Kevin's sister and her family. So this may be my last blog for a week or so.

Chase is a good eater. Sometimes too good. He gulps the food so fast that you have to forcibly remove the bottle from his mouth every ounce or so to keep him from choking and/or eating so fast that he pukes. But when you take his bottle away, he grunts, thrashes his arms and legs, and pretty much acts like a wild animal. Every time. I remind him that I am his mommy and I am only doing what is best for him...letting him catch his breath. And every time I give the bottle back until his little tummy is satisfied. His needs are met, and he is a happy boy.

But every day when we're going through the 15-30 seconds of mommy-imposed time out from eating, it makes me think of how we treat God. He always meets our needs. Always. But we can't always have exactly what we want, when we want it. Sometimes we have to wait...or receive blessings in smaller portions. But He will never let us go without. Never. He is always right there holding us in His hands and doing exactly what is best for us. Just something for you to think about...

Panama City Beach: The Final Days

2010-06-25T22:36:00.002-04:00

Our last two days in Panama City Beach were a whirlwind, but a very relaxing whirlwind. Grammy and Grandpa left Wednesday morning after a nice family breakfast. Then we went back to our room and all fell asleep. Apparently it was much needed, because we slept for quite awhile. After that we spent some time at the pool. We kept Chase in his tent this time, though. Definitely not risking any sunburns here.

After mommy was done with pool time and daddy was done with gym time, we got ready and had dinner at a great local place. I think it was called Scampy's. And it was delicious. We made the night a total PCB cliche' by also visiting a couple souvenier shops before renting some movies and relaxing at home for the rest of the evening.

The next day we slept in. Not throughout the night, of course, but Baby Chase and I slept on the couch after his 8:00 feeding until 12:30! I spent a few quick minutes by the pool, and then it was time to go. We hit Pier Park (for the third time...what can I say, we love to shop!) and did some shopping and a movie.

We saw "Killers" because it isn't showing anywhere in Columbus. And the parts I actually watched were great! Unfortunately, Chase chose those couple of hours to be fussy, hungry, grunty, and take a giant poop. So we spent most of the movie trading off baby shifts and/or standing in the hallway leading into the theater where he wouldn't disturb anyone else. We tried to be as considerate as possible.

That night, we had a yummy dinner at Olive Garden, and watched another movie in our room, and enjoyed the last night of Vacation, Part I. It was sad to leave this morning, but I'm feeling about as relaxed as a sleep-deprived new mommy can. Speaking of the kid, he just started fussing...

Vacation, Part I

2010-06-23T00:00:00.006-04:00

Kevin and I are taking advantage of some precious time off before he starts working again. So Sunday night we headed down to Panama City Beach to spend a few days just relaxing. His parents met us here, and a good time was had by all.

On our way down, there was a crazy lightning storm. Beautiful, until we ran into the monsoon that accompanied it. Then, I reverted to my childhood where I was deathly afraid of thunderstorms and had to resist the urge to curl up in a ball and suck my thumb. We made it here in one piece though, praise the Lord!

Monday we hit the beach. I was so excited to let Chase have his first experience with one of my favorite places! So we slathered him up, dressed him in the best-fitting beachwear I could find, and drug him down to the water. And when the big moment arrived...nothing! His little butt slept right through it! It didn't matter how many times I let the waves crash over his little feet, he just was not interested. He was still cute though, and took a great little nap in his new tent!

Can you say "crustacean?"

I hate that you can't see his face, because he is sound asleep!

Today I was bound and determined to get a better reaction. So we woke him up in the middle of a nap and took him to the pool. This time he did not disappoint! We put him in his cute little froggy float, and he loved it! Obviously it's too big for him, so we had to hold him up. But we pulled him around for a few minutes, and it was so cute!

We were planning to head down to Key Largo to spend a few days with Kevin's sister and her family on Thursday. But things have changed, so for now it looks like a couple more days here in Panama City with just our little family (Kevin's parents are heading home tomorrow). Can't wait to continue our vacation adventures next week!

One Month!

2010-06-20T00:11:00.004-04:00

Chase is officially one month old today! Wow, the time has flown by! I cannot believe that I have a one month old. But I have to say I am truly enjoying every (well, almost every) minute of it.

My one month picture!

Here are some of the measureable changes over the past month:

When Chase was born, he weighed 6lbs, 13oz. Now he is somewhere in the 8 pound range. Not sure exactly where. But if you'll check out his one month picture, you'll notice a new development...chubby little thighs!

His first bottle was 2oz. Now we can't keep the boy fed! He is consistently eating 5oz per bottle. That means no more little bottles :( Today he even took 6oz...and then proceeded to throw it up all over himself and me. That's just another way he's like his daddy...he doesn't have a "full" button.

Sorry if you can't see the difference here, but I didn't want to waste formula. There's 2oz of water in the little bottle and 5 1/2oz of water in the big one.

He has officially graduated from a size Newborn to a size 1 diaper. They are a little big, but we haven't had any leaks since we moved up!

Last but not least, his Newborn clothes still fit, but we're slowly making our way into size 0-3 months. Which means a lot more cute outfits and options!

Here are some fun developments which are a little harder to measure:

His neck is getting stronger by the day. He loves to lay on his tummy on someone's chest and just hold his head up as long as he can. And of course, this is accompanied by the cutest faces! He's also started scooting. If you're laying like I mentioned above, he will push off of your legs, stomach, whatever he can find, until he's gone as far as he can go. One day he pushed himself off my shoulder into a bit of a headstand. Too cute.

This is him worn out after several minutes of holding his head up/scooting.

He's also slowly but surely figuring out his fingers. His grip is getting much stronger, and he's started grabbing onto things all the time. The burp cloth while you're feeding, your shirt while you're holding him, etc.

The past month has been so much fun! I wish time would slow down because I'm always feeling like I'm going to miss something. Then again, I can't wait for each new development. I'm just a big bag of mixed emotions. But I do know one thing for sure...I'm one proud mama!

Of course, we can't forget about his proud daddy either...

This Week In Mommy-Land

2010-06-17T23:22:00.003-04:00

It has been a pretty eventful week around here. It's been the first week having Kevin home. Woo hoo! That has been great! He's been able to help out with feeding, diapers, and of course take over some of the cuddling. He is just smitten with baby Chase. At the first hint of a cry, he'll pick him up. This kid is going to be ridiculously spoiled!

In other baby news, we are on a pretty good schedule right now. Feedings are pretty consistent at every 3 hours. I go to sleep somewhere between midnight and 1am, and nighttime feedings are usually around 4am and 8am. My mom says you can't count 8am as a nighttime feeding. But I do, because after that one my behind goes right back to bed. lol. He's also been pretty consistently waking up for the day around 10am. I can't really complain about that.

I've talked a lot about feeding habits. And his just keep getting funnier to me. We are definitely up to 4oz per feeding. Occasionally he'll leave half an ounce in the bottle. And a couple times he's even had 5oz before he was happy! Sadly, life has gotten the better of me, and we're mostly formula feeding now. I'm doing my best to get my milk supply back up, but I can only do what my body will allow. I'm trying to accept that and not be too upset with myself. The most important thing is that Baby Chase is healthy and happy...and trust me, he is!

We're finally fitting into some 0-3 month size clothes. That means many more options for cute outfits...and photo ops! There really isn't much out there in the way of newborn size clothes (we spent several hours shopping to find the outfit he wore to church on his first Sunday). I think he's also just about ready for size 1 diapers as well. Just depends on what brand you use. But I think I'm going to use up the rest of my newborn ones and then go ahead and switch him over.

In other news, I had my follow-up doctor's visit today. I can't tell you how great it feels to know I don't have to see the doctor again for an entire year! I mean, I'm the girl who went from NEVER going (we're talking 4 years here) to going every month, and eventually every week. I really like my doctor, but I've seen enough of him thank you very much! Plus, he gave me the all clear to go swimming again...which means we can start planning family vacation! Key Largo, here we come...Johnson family, I hope you're ready!!!

My Favorite Things: Baby Edition

2010-06-16T00:00:00.002-04:00

Here are some baby products that I've developed a great appreciation for over the past few weeks:

Sleeping Gowns - I will admit, when I first saw one, I thought I'd never put it on my little boy! But now he sleeps in them literally every night. They are perfect...built-in mittens to keep from scratching his little face, and elastic at the bottom so changing is a breeze in the middle of the night! Thanks, Amanda...great advice!
Target brand diapers - I started off using all Pampers (and Huggies when I was given them). But after some more great advice (thanks, Angela), I have decided that Target makes the best diapers out there! Great leak protection, and they're cheaper! Obviously I'm not alone in this theory, because it seems like they can't keep them on the shelves!
Avent feeding system - I have the Avent bottles, manual breast pump, and breast milk storage system. I will say that I have a small complaint about leaky bottles. However, I love this system because everything works together! All the bottles work with the breast pump, and the storage system comes with an adapter that can turn the storage cups into bottles or hook directly onto the pump as well. Genius! (Thanks to my sis for the advice on this one!)
Boppy - Another genius idea. Great for breastfeeding, bottle feeding, awake time, and even (gasp!) sleeping. My favorite thing is that I can keep a free hand when I use this pillow for feeding.
Pacifiers - I had to list this one because I spent so long saying that I didn't want to use them. And that lasted maybe 12 hours. I LOVE the paci! The paci pod and paci clip are also must-have items.

I'm going to try and make this a regular feature on the blog, so keep posted for more favorites. In the meantime, what are some of YOUR favorite things for baby?

At Last...

2010-06-13T13:08:00.006-04:00

My love has come along. My lonely days are over. And life is like a song.

This song, to be exact. I love starting my posts with song lyrics. Kind-of like theme music playing in your head while you read the post. But I digress.

This past Thursday we made the LONG trek to Virginia Beach to finally pick up my husband and bring him home. Oh yeah, and introduce him to his son! Well it was definitely a long trip, but it was well worth it. Watching Kevin and Chase interact for the first time was the sweetest thing! Kevin couldn't get over how tiny Chase was (even though he's already so big to me!), and kept thinking he was going to break him. I'm sure that won't last long. Here's a shot from the family reunion in front of Burger King. lol.

Yeah, he was pretty happy.

Holding baby boy for the first time.

Happy little family!

They took to each other quickly, to say the least. The next day, I found them laying in bed together, and Chase was just staring into Kevin's eyes, smiling away. I'm thinking maybe it was because he's tired of hearing "you look just like your daddy" and was trying to see what we're all talking about. But what a precious moment, either way.

We got some family shots, and even some with the really cool planes in the field next to our hotel.

It's been really sweet watching them bond over the past few days. Kevin is definitely taking to being a daddy. And what 3 week old baby would be upset about another set of arms to hold, feed and love on him? Kevin hasn't changed his first diaper yet...but don't worry Chase pooped all over his arms this morning. Way to initiate him into the daddy club, son! Yeah, I gave him a tiny high five. Then a few minutes later he pooped on me. That's ok, it was still funny.

Sweet Peace

2010-06-06T22:06:00.003-04:00

Today was Friends and Family Day at church. A lot of hard work and planning went into making it a fun and exciting day for all. Major props to everyone who was involved in the process. But my favorite part of the day by far happened before all of the "fun" began.

During praise and worship, the Spirit of God really fell. And despite all of the hard work that had gone into our day of "fun," Pastor put the schedule on hold to allow God to create His own schedule. I am so thankful to be under the leadership of such a true "Pastor." I have sat under many "Preachers," but it is a true blessing to know that God has placed someone over our church who willingly casts his own plans aside and remains open to a move of God. Sadly, I have seen many men suppress the Spirit for their own agendas.

Here is a shot of Baby Chase during those few precious moments. He slept so peacefully. Normally when he's sleeping he makes all kinds of crazy faces. But during that time, there were nothing but smiles. Don't even try to tell me that child doesn't know where he came from. He understands the presence of God, maybe better than any of us.

Speaking of baby boy, today we sang "Here I Am To Worship." There's a line in there that says I'll never know how much it costs to see my sin upon that cross. Singing that line as a mom...whole new meaning. Think about it.

Go, Baby Go!

2010-06-03T21:48:00.004-04:00

Chase had his two week check-up this morning. He now weighs 7lbs, 10oz. That means he's gained a whole pound from his discharge weight at the hospital, and another 3oz will be a full pound since birth! Dr. Flowers seemed very impressed that he had quickly regained, and far surpassed, his birth weight. Not only that, but he's grown another half an inch...he's now 20.5 inches long! Grow, baby grow! (But would you mind slowing down until daddy gets home please?)

We had a really great visit today. Not only are his stats great, but all of his yucky newborn stuff (stump, circumcision, peeling) seems to be healing quite well. I am very thankful for that, because taking care of those things is not fun. Dr. Flowers is great! He's so positive and encouraging, and he really makes me feel like a great mommy. After my initial experience with the lactation consultant, I believe every new mommy could use that kind of positive reinforcement. Not only that, but he sent his compliments to Kevin, and although he wasn't able to serve himself, obviously has a special place in his heart for those who are sacrificing for our country. (PS - Thanks for the recommendation, Lindsey...you were right!)

Our next check-up is in six weeks. I am so incredibly thankful for a happy, healthy, wonderful baby. I pray God's continued covering over my little one, because I know He's got great things in store for our family!

A Postpartum Post

2010-06-02T16:35:00.002-04:00

Okay, I'll admit it. I did a LOT of whining throughout my pregnancy. So I thought I'd take an entire post to address some of the things that bugged me and how they have changed in the past two weeks.

Nausea and Vomit Mouth - This was my absolute least favorite part of pregnancy. Not being able to fall asleep and/or sleep through the night without revisiting my dinner was simply excruciating. I am happy to report that I have experienced neither of these since my delivery.
Swelling - Due to the ridiculous amount of fluids that were sent pumping through my body in the hospital, this one took a little longer than I would've liked to go away. But it is finally gone! I have ankles again. My feet are still a little wider than normal (hopefully this will go away), and I still can't wear my wedding rings, but cankles and elephant knees are things of the past!
Unsolicited Touching - I was very concerned about switching from unwelcome belly rubs to unwelcome baby rubs. But thankfully people have been pretty respectful. Even at church, most people asked before they touched him. I was pleasantly surprised.
Unsolicited Comments - Wow, if I thought people had a lot to say when I was the size of a house, I had no idea how much more they would say when looking at the cutest baby in the world. Okay, so I'm a little biased. Mostly people just say how cute he is. However, several people have given their opinions about how early I had him out and about. To those people, I would like to say "bite me."
Appetite - As crazy as it sounds, there were very few occasions during my pregnancy that I was actually physically hungry. I'm sure it had a lot to do with the nausea. But now that little man is here and I am trying to get back to my pre-pregnancy body, I am famished all the time! It's good to be hungry again, but it could have come at a better time.

Body - Speaking of pre-pregnancy, it is bikini season and I am feeling the pressure to look good again. Admittedly, it's self-imposed pressure, but nonetheless it's there. I'm just going to lay all the stats out there and maybe being honest with the blogging world will help keep me more accountable to my personal goals. At my first prenatal visit, I weighed 138lbs. Over the next 8 months, I gained exactly 40lbs. As of this morning, I weighed 152 which, for those of you who aren't good at math, leaves 14lbs to get me back to where I started. Granted, I'd like to look even better than I did, but let's jump one hurdle at a time, shall we? If I'm being completely honest, I felt much less self-conscious when my belly was the size of a giant beach ball than I do now. At least then, there was no question as to whether or not I was pregnant. Now, the jiggly lump that remains must certainly be raising some eyebrows. I feel as though I have even less clothing options, because there is more pressure to hide the mess! Maybe it's just a complex I have.

Sitting here with a sweet sleeping baby boy in my arms though, I can't say I have too much to complain about. He is physically perfect, amazingly cute, and the best decision I have ever made! Now I just have to make it through the next 8 days so I can share my little blessing with the other best thing in my life!

Oink, Oink!

2010-06-01T20:02:00.004-04:00

Baby Chase and I were released from the hospital on Friday May 21st. His discharge weight was officially 6lbs, 10oz. That was a great number, considering the average baby loses around 7% of their birth weight in the first week. Well in our first couple of days getting to know each other at home, I learned something very important about my child. He is a PIG. Breastfeeding just wasn't cutting it. He would scream, scream and scream some more, and after exhausting all possible options (wet diaper, sleepy, etc) it was pretty clear that he just needed to eat. So we started having to supplement with some formula. Cue one happy baby. I hated to do it, but if the baby needs food, the baby needs food.

We had our first appointment with the Pediatrician on the following Monday, and he had already gained two ounces back! Another positive report from the doctor, and I was feeling pretty good. By this point, we are working well together. We're establishing a pretty good routine, and mommy is getting a reasonable amount of sleep at night. He is eating about 3oz per feeding. I was still having to supplement though, so I called the lactation consultant from the hospital.

Let's just say we did not get off to the best start. Basically she told me that I introduced bottles/formula too soon, and that he's eating too much. So I hung up the phone feeling like a horrible mother, and the waterworks began. After a lengthy conversation with my mom where she reassured me that I was doing well to follow my instincts, and I am just doing what is right for my baby, I was feeling a little better.

My actual appointment with the lactation consultant resulted in a much happier ending. She observed me feeding him, and said that both he and I are doing everything right. Just to remain persistent and patient, and hopefully I'll be able to breastfeed exclusively within a couple of weeks. She also said that some babies do eat as much as three ounces per feeding, so just to follow his cues, because he will tell me when he is hungry as well as when he's full. His weight was also up to 7lbs, 5.1oz. Oink, Oink!

Yesterday he was eating nonstop...and spent a TON of time awake, too. By 2am, mommy was completely exhausted! Apparently he had exhausted himself as well, because I had to wake him up at 7:30 for a feeding. Of course, we promptly went back to bed afterwards : ) So we're pretty sure he was going through his first growth spurt. I gave him a lecture to stop growing until daddy gets home (9 more days!).

My little piggy's next doctor's appointment is in two days. I can't wait to see what he weighs now!

It Was The Best Of Times, It Was The Worst Of Times

2010-05-31T18:42:00.009-04:00

It's twelve days later, and I'm finally feeling up to blogging again. Actually, I've been dying to blog. But as all mommies out there know, finding the time to do anything other than take care of baby, sleep and occasionally eat is quite a challenge at first. So finally, here is the story of Chase Michael Webb's entrance into the world. (Minus some of the more disgusting details)

May 18th at 5:00pm, I checked into the hospital to spend the last few hours of my 27th birthday being induced.

It started with the IV (I am not a fan). Then my doctor came to check on me and place Cervadil (which was supposed to start the dilating process). Again...not a fan. After that, it was just a waiting game. We hung out with family until visiting hours were over, and then I tried to get some sleep.

I woke up at 3am with mild contractions. Nothing major, but they were consistent every 2-3 minutes, and never let up. Needless to say, my sleeping ended at that point. Five am started the Pitocin, and then the fun really began. The contractions got consistently stronger, and by 8:30 I was ready for my epidural. Let me just give a big shout out right now to anyone who gave birth without one...you are my heroes...I could not have done it! I was feeling great after that, in spite of the four bags of stuff now dripping into my arm and the catheter that followed the epidural. I had a little nap, and then spent a few hours visiting.

At 2:00 my Doctor came back to break my water. Things progressed very quickly after that. I went from 2cm to 5cm to 7cm to fully dilated. And despite the epidural, when it was time to push I knew it. For those of you who haven't experienced it, I will simply tell you what I told my nurse. I felt like I had to take the worst poop of my entire life.

When the Doctor finally got back, it took about 20 minutes of pushing, which was completely exhausting. We were making progress, but at some point we lost Chase's heartbeat. So my Doctor informed me that, contraction or no contraction, I was having that baby now. So snip snip pull, and sweet baby Chase was free!

This is my "Is it over?" face.

Six pounds, thirteen ounces and nineteen and a half inches long. Perfect, handsome, and looking just like his Daddy. Not that I had any idea what he looked like. I will be completely honest, right after the delivery I was in such bad shape I don't even think I looked at him. Plus, I was not about to hold him until he was cleaned up. And unfortuntely, I was shaking so bad it was quite awhile before I was even able to hold him. But let me tell you, it was worth the wait.

A big shout out to my mom who spent 3 nights in the hospital with me, took all the pictures (at the expense of being in any of them!) and even watched the delivery (even I had my eyes closed). And another one to all of the friends, family and friends who are really family who came to see us in the hospital. I couldn't be more grateful for all of the love and support we have received!

What A Day

2010-05-14T21:32:00.002-04:00

I'm trying to enjoy my last few days minus baby as much as possible. I'd say today I did a pretty good job.

Had to wake up early to let the carpet cleaners in. But the upside to that is...the carpets are clean :) While they were doing that, I did a few more things in the front of the house. Straightened the kitchen, vacuumed the couches, swiffered the floors. (My motto for the moment is "Swiffer daily.") The house is clean, the stuff is together, and I'm ready for baby!

After that, mom and I went for Peluso's (our favorite pizza) and pedicures. I decided to pamper myself one more time before Chase gets here, and figured I wouldn't feel like painting my own toes for a couple weeks after anyhow. Okay, there was a visit to Dunkin Donuts snuck in there as well. And I would personally like to thank Dunkin Donuts for the "Spring Munchkin." A cake donut, glazed, and rolled in sprinkles...what could be better???

After that, I took a nice nap outside by the pool...warm temperatures + overcast skies = great nap!

Then I came inside and caught up on Glee (Love this show!) and Grey's Anatomy (What a finale...can't wait to hear what Little Grey decides!).

Topped the day off with yummy dinner at Atlanta Bread. A pretty good day overall, I'd say. Now I'm off to watch the Private Practice season finale. Hope everyone else had a great Friday as well!

Confession

2010-05-06T21:14:00.002-04:00

Thirteen days from today (at the latest) I will be holding my baby boy. There are a million decisions that come along with being a parent...and that's before the baby even arrives! One of the biggest sources of contention in our house long before we even got pregnant was breastfeeding. Kevin has always been 100% for it. I agree that breast milk is best for baby, but my first choice was to pump and bottle feed.

We each had our own reasons to back up our way of thinking. We definitely agreed that it was the best source of food for baby, and obviously the economics are a plus. I guess we really just differed on the actual administering of the food.

I've decided to be the one to compromise...Chase will be a breastfed baby. I think I've made the right choice for me and my baby. I know he'll be getting good nutrition. We'll be saving tons of money. And selfishly, I'm looking forward to everything I've heard about dropping the baby weight (and there's a lot of it) a little faster. I have invested in a small pump and a few bottles so that he's not exclusively dependent on mommy. But, God willing and as long as there are no medical complications, he'll be a breastfed baby.

Can I be honest? Breast feeding has always given me the heebie jeebies! And it still does. Even now, 13 days from D-day, I find the idea absolutely revolting. Yet I've decided to breast feed exclusively. I've done quite a bit of reading, and I'm happy with my choice. Particularly after reading about all the time I could waste pumping milk and then having to bottle feed. I just don't know how I'm going to go through with it. Even reading about it grosses me out. And the diagrams and pictures...gag. So although I've made my decision and I'm happy about it, I'm still a little (ok, a lot) uncomfortable.

So I thought I'd throw this out there for all the mommies who just love to share. Did anyone else feel the same way before having kids? Any advice or suggestions or reassurance? I'd love to hear some thoughts on this one!

A Moment of Introspection

2010-05-02T20:01:00.003-04:00

Tonight I am going to do something that is pretty rare for me. I'm going to share some personal information in a rare moment of introspection...while I still have the presence of mind to do so. :)

For the past two months, I have been participating in a class at church called "Discovering Your Unique Design." We have taken several different personality/spiritual assessments which help us to determine what our strengths and weaknesses are. The goal of the class is to learn about ourselves and learn how to improve on both our strengths and weaknesses, to maximize our potential in our home, work, and especially in ministry.

Because blogs are more fun with pictures...here's my notebook from the class :)

We have learned about our Motivational/Spirtual gifts, Meyers Briggs Preferences, Conflict Resolution styles, and Gallups StrengthsFinder Themes. A couple of things that I have found very interesting up to this point, although they came with very little surprise, are that I am an introvert, and that my conflict resolution style is avoidance. Introversion in this sense means that when I am overwhelmed or at the end of my rope, I recharge my batteries by spending time alone. Like I said, neither of these things necessarily surprised me, however they definitely gave me a lot to think about.

Right now, we are working our way through the Gallups StrengthsFinder themes. This has been my favorite part of the course so far, and I thought I would share my top five themes with you.

Deliberative - You are careful. You are a private person. You know that the world is an unpredictable place. You are a fairly serious person who approaches life with a certain reserve. You select your friends cautiously and keep your own counsel when the conversation turns to personal matters. You are careful not to give too much praise and recognition, lest it be misconstrued. Life is something of a minefield. You identify the dangers, weigh their relative impact, and then place your feet deliberately. You walk with care.
Adaptability - You live in the moment. You don't see the future as a fixed destination. Instead, you see it as a place that you create out of the choices that you make right now. This doesn't mean you don't have plans. But adaptability enables you to respond willingly to the demands of the moment even if they pull you away from your plans. You are, at heart, a very flexible person who can stay productive when the demands of work are pulling you in many different directions at once.
Harmony - You look for areas of agreement. In your view there is little to be gained from conflict and friction. You try to steer people with differing views away from confrontation and toward harmony. You can't quite believe how much time is wasted by people trying to impose their views on others. When people start to argue about their pet theory or concept, you steer clear of the debate, preferring to talk about practical, down-to-earth matters on which you can all agree.
Restorative - You love to solve problems. You may prefer practical problems or conceptual ones or personal ones. You enjoy bringing things back to life. You may seek out specific kinds of problems that you have met many times before, or feel the greatest push when faced with unfamiliar problem. But what is certain is that you enjoy bringing things back to life. It is a wonderful feeling to identify the undermining factors, eradicate them, and restore something to its true glory.
Intellection - You like to think. You like mental activity. This need for mental activity may be focused, like trying to understand another's feelings, or unfocused. You are the kind of person who enjoys your time alone because it is your time for musing and reflection. You are introspective. This introspection may lead you to a slight sense of discontent as you compare what you are actually doing with all the thoughts and ideas that your mind conceives. Or this introspection may tend toward more pragmatic matters such as the events of the day or a conversation that you plan to have later. This mental hum is one of the constants of your life.

I think my favorite part of this particular assessment is that it focuses on strengths instead of weaknesses. It specifically tells us what we are good at, and encourages us to nurture and improve upon those things even more. Good stuff. I am also enjoying seeing how my results from the different assessments work together and create my ultimate personality profile.

If there's anyone who made it to the end of this blog, congratulations. Or should I say thank you? Obviously you are interested in learning more about me. Any observations from what I've revealed about myself?

Baby Pool

2010-04-28T21:04:00.003-04:00

Now that we're only a few weeks out, I thought I'd open up a baby pool. So feel free to submit your guesses now. I'm looking for Date and Time, and Weight. I have my own guesses, but I'm keeping them to myself :) I can't promise anything to the winner...but wouldn't your pride be enough?

Update: My due date is May 19th. But the doctor told me today that he won't let me go over my due date. So the absolute latest he will be born is the 19th. The reason we will induce at 40 weeks is because Kevin is graduating from MOS school on June 11th, and we want Baby Chase to be at least a few weeks old for the trip ;)

Okay, guess away!

37 Weeks...It's On Like Donkey Kong!

2010-04-28T20:49:00.002-04:00

Okay, today's the big day...I'm 37 weeks...and officially full term! Baby Chase, feel free to join us at any time!!! My official check-up is tomorrow, but I thought I'd share this week's developments. They're probably more interesting (or at least humorous) than hearing the same medical facts again anyhow.
I'm thinking about making a sandwich board to wear around town. Here's what it would say:

I'm 37 weeks.
It's a boy.
His name is Chase Michael.
Yes, I can't wait, I'm sleeping "while I can," and I realize I'm as big as a house.

If the sandwich board is a hit, I may start marketing it in business card format. Something you could keep in cute little cases, and just hand out whenever someone starts making eyes at your belly. Speaking of making eyes at my belly, I'm also considering a t-shirt that says "I'm up here!" because NO ONE notices my face anymore. People see my belly, and their eyes bulge out of their heads. Eye contact is a thing of the past. Speaking of people, my favorite question is "do you know what you're having yet?" Just think about it.

Some other things I'd like to share:

He has graciously shifted positions and no longer sits on the nerve in my back which was making it difficult to walk. Woo hoo!
Of course, that shifting also included dropping. So I am officially limited to maternity jeans from now on. I can't complain though...made it to 37 weeks in juniors jeans. (size 11, of course)
My feet are enormous. I've decided not to fight it. Although they're hideously ugly, at least they don't hurt.
I really miss my wedding bands. I tried to put them on the other day, and I couldn't do it if my life depended on it. Not even the band, which is a size bigger than my engagement ring.
I'd share more, but then I'd have to start getting graphic...so I'll spare you all.

One last thing I'd like to share...baby laundry detergent stinks. All of it. Any suggestions for baby laundry that doesn't smell like butt???

Puppy Love

2010-04-26T22:23:00.005-04:00

I LOVE my dogs. Until Baby Chase makes his arrival, they are my only babies, and I am a fierce mama bear! Mess with them, you mess with me! This means you, ugly neighbor dog who keeps showing up in my yard. I don't have the energy to chase you, but I have the aim to shoot you. Think about that next time you try to bite my Meah.

Moving on. In case you haven't picked up on it by now, I have a very strong attachment to my babies. I love them, they love me. I'm trying to get as much time as I can in with them before their world is completely turned upside down. There have already been some adjustments though, starting with the fact that I no longer have a lap :)

Last night, I realized something that absolutely broke my heart. When Kevin first left for boot camp, I would ask them all the time about "Daddy." They always knew what I was talking about, and I could tell how much they missed him. But last night when I told them I was talking to Daddy, they didn't recognize the name at all. Talk about breaking my heart. So Kevin, I can't wait for you to come home and bond with our babies again. Old and new :) This is for you. (I'll send you some new ones tomorrow!)

36 Week Check-Up

2010-04-21T22:24:00.003-04:00

Tuesday I went for my weekly doctor's visit. It went very well. My blood pressure was normal (a relief, as last week it was elevated). Chase's heartbeat is strong, and he's definitely head down and ready to go. Woo hoo!

I haven't accomplished a whole lot this week. I've been trying to get everything I'll need for my hospital bag...or at least get a good list together so I'm not running around like a chicken with my head cut off when the time comes.

I did get this treat in the mail courtesy of our dear friends Ashley and her adoptive family the Cory's :) I said I was going to keep this kind of stuff in boxes for the time being as there's NO floor space left...but I just couldn't resist. So here's Chase's newest toy. Thanks, guys...I LOVE it!

Tremendous!

2010-04-19T09:38:00.003-04:00

tre-men-dous
1. extraordinarily great in size...
2. extraordinary in excellence
3. ...exciting fear...

Synonyms - See huge

The above definitions were taken from dictionary.com. Could there be any better word to describe my life right now? Extraordinarily great in size...check (that applies to both belly and feet today). Extraordinary in excellence...check (could I possibily be at a more exciting point in life?). Exciting fear...check (I am definitely experiencing a healthy dose of fear with regards to my immediate future).

Today is April 19th. One month and counting from my due date! I have felt all along that Chase was going to come early though. And my Doctor said that he will probably come sometime in the week before the 19th. Secretly, I'm hoping for Mother's Day...oops, guess it's not a secret anymore :)

After my complete meltdown over the car seat on Saturday, we returned the old one and picked out a new one that is super-adorable! I am proud to say that it is in my car and ready to go. Now we're just waiting on Baby Chase! Here are some pictures of my accomplishments this weekend.

Epic Fail

2010-04-18T05:05:00.002-04:00

After my post on Friday, I was so energized! My dad actually spent his Friday evening helping me tear through all of those giant boxes, and we put together the changing table, glider and the travel system. They all look great, and I was thrilled with all three purchases (pictures to come soon).

Saturday I was so excited with the progress that I decided to postpone my previous plans...a HSM movie marathon in my new glider (don't worry, that will happen soon...no I am not ashamed). Instead, I decided to continue on my journey of preparing for Baby Chase.

Failure #1:
Yesterday I called in a refill of Nexium to my local Publix Pharmacy. If you've been following my pregnancy, you know that Nexium is not something I go a day without...it has been a Godsend! So when I arrived at the Pharmacy and they told me they were out of the pills until Monday, I was unhappy to say the least. I asked the girl behind the counter why they did not call me to inform me of this. No response. So I then asked what was I supposed to do...because I was not going one day without my lifesaver! She went and spoke to the Pharmacist and he emerged a few minutes later with the last 6 Nexium caplets they had in stock. There now, was that so hard? But at this point I'm aggravated.

Failure #2:
In anticipation of finally installing the car seat, went and had my car washed and then vacuumed it out thoroughly. Then went home only to discover that, once installed, it becomes nearly impossible to fit a passenger in the car! Talk about a disappointment. So I've since taken two trips to Babies R Us, and spent hours online researching new travel systems. I'm thinking I may have to do some experimenting with installation with/without base, etc. But tomorrow we are hitting all the local stores to pick out a new system. Grrr! All this stress has got me so aggravated that my feet swelled up to the size of watermelons!

Currently it is 5:15am Sunday morning. I have hardly slept all night, and now I've been up for at least an hour, and had the pleasure of introducing last night's dinner to the toilet :( I'm supposed to teach Sunday School in four hours, so I'm going to try and go back to sleep now. Thanks for letting me vent...even if nobody reads this far :)

Time Keeps Tickin'

2010-04-16T20:23:00.003-04:00

Tick, tick, tickin'...time keeps tickin' away! Woo hoo! Can I tell you how amazing it feels every time I open up my blog, look at the ticker, and see "about 33 days to go"??? I LOVE it!

I am definitely ready for this little booger bear to make his appearance. So today I began anxiously nesting to prepare for his arrival (hopefully sooner rather than later). I began by doing an inventory of everything we already have, then listing the things we still need. I've got a legal pad FILLED with lists of this nature. I know it's a little anal retentive, but I'm doing my best to stay organized working with what little space I currently have.

This afternoon was FUN. We picked up all of Chase's nursery furniture! And thanks to everyone's generous gifts, I was able to use gift cards to pay for everything except the glider (because it was at WalMart and my gift cards are to Target)! But what an amazing blessing! I'm not setting up the crib yet, but I went ahead and got it because I had a one time opportunity to get 10% off things on my registry (and baby furniture never goes on sale!). So off to storage it goes. Now to put everything together...definitely wish Kevin were here for that ;)

I not only inventoried "stuff," but tonight I did a clothing inventory. We held off on buying clothing for awhile (good advice from my wonderful husband), and now that the shower is over we know what is okay to buy, and what we have plenty of. Now to wash it and find a place for it all...

Here's a glimpse into the madness that is my world right now. That's the glider, changer, and note the corner piled high with all kinds of goodies. There's still TONS of stuff in the playroom that I haven't gotten to yet. I'd be overwhelmed if I wasn't so darn excited!

It's The Little Things

2010-04-12T20:01:00.003-04:00

My back hurts. Bad. Most of the time I can cope with it, but today it was the worst it has been yet. I went to Babies R Us, and then ran over to Wal-Mart for a quick trip. By the time I reached Wal-Mart I was needing a cart just to lean on. By the end of the short trip, I was literally limping. I'm sure I looked completely pathetic. But every time I stepped with my left foot, awful pain would just shoot up my back. So I was moving terribly slow.

Walking back to my car, I realized that I was still pushing the blasted cart, which meant an extra sixty or so painful steps to drop it off and get back to my car. I had tears in my eyes. Thankfully, someone saw how pathetic I looked, and stopped me halfway to the cart return and took the cart off my hands. To that sweet boy, whoever you are, you have no idea how much your simple act of kindness blessed me today. Thank you!

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens

2010-04-08T18:30:00.004-04:00

Before you break out into song, I assume you already realize that I am blogging tonight about a few of my favorite things. I think I've whined enough recently, so it's time to talk about something positive. So here are a few things that I simply can't live without...

This is the best flat iron I have ever owned. While it is not the fancy expensive Chi that everyone swears by, I am definitely crazy about this one. It is the perfect temperature, it has automatic shutoff, I can straighten all of my hair in 10 minutes flat, and most important, it's really cute. I went through 4 different flat irons this winter before I settled on this one, and now we just have to see if it can stand up to the abuse I put flat irons through (I can usually only keep one for 1 - 2 years before it commits suicide).

Schick Intuition razors. Razors with the shaving cream already built in? Yes, please. I am by no means a quick showerer (that is definitely not a word). So anything I can do to save some time and hot water gets a thumbs up in my book. These are my absolute favorite, and worth the expense. Although at Christmas time they usually have "gift" versions at WalMart for cheaper, and I buy out their stock which lasts me for months. Worth every penny.

Here's a new favorite. Cover Girl Lash Blast Length Mascara. I'm a big fan of never leaving the house without make-up. If I'm forced to do so, I at least have on a good coat of mascara. When it comes to mascara, I'm a big fan of length, not volume. I do my best to avoid tarantula lashes. This product boasts an "elasta-nylon" formula that doesn't flake off. And it doesn't! Combine that with a perfect little brush that I don't think would make tarantula eyes if you tried, and you have a great product on your hands. PS - Speaking of eyes, I can't live without my NYC Pearlized Black liquid eyeliner. At $1.72 a tube, I am smitten!

Last but not least, we have Herbal Essences Bleach Blonde. I have been doing my own color for several years now. This started for two reasons: A. I couldn't stomach paying $100+ to get my hair colored anymore, and B. The $100+ hurts even more when no one does your color exactly the way you want it. So I figured it was worth a try. And after a few product changes, and one night of leopard spots (thanks Ashley. lol.), I really like the outcome. I realize that it's a little bold, and definitely not everyone's style. But I like it. And for $5.97 a box, even my husband likes it ;)

So here's my question...what are some things YOU can't live without???

So Long, Dignity

2010-04-07T21:06:00.004-04:00

It was nice knowing you. I appreciated my privacy while it lasted. Unfortunately it seems, somewhere during this pregnancy, we have parted ways. I miss you.

Six months ago, I really took my privacy for granted. I could do and say whatever I wanted, and no matter what people thought, they pretty much kept it to themselves. Now it seems everything I do is a matter of public record and therefore open to public scrutiny.

My eating habits haven't changed too much with pregnancy. Sure, there's a little more ice cream involved, but nothing drastic. I'm definitely not "eating for two." Nevertheless, everyone wants to comment on the eating habits of pregnant people (whether it actually applies to me or not).

Being seated at Cracker Barrel tonight, the hostess took me to one table, then stated that I probably wanted more room for my belly, and moved me to another table. (Thank you, by the way. There were fewer people to stare in the other room.)

When I first read the "pregnant" on the test, I was so excited about my little bundle of joy. Little did I know that what I was really in for was nine months with a ravenous parasite who has been executing an extremely well-planned attack on my body. One by one, he has taken over my body part by part, until I hardly recognize the girl in the mirror. The most recent part to fall victim is my back. Every step, turn, sit and stand is painful. I've tried to use a heating pad, but that only works for so long. So I hobble...like a 90-year-old woman. I am sure that I look like there's a reindeer up my butt. No matter how good your hair looks, or how well you are dressed, when you walk like I do, you can't avoid the stares. Would anyone like to volunteer a pair of crutches so that I can avoid the use of my legs as much as possible? I think that might help.

When Good Dreams Go Bad

2010-04-06T17:19:00.003-04:00

It's no surprise that pregnancy comes with all kinds of crazy dreams. But last night's was such a doozy that I couldn't resist sharing. Are you ready for this?

I dreamed that one of Dakota's back legs just fell off. There was no accident, no trauma, no blood. In fact, I would not have even noticed had I not seen the missing limb standing (yes, standing up straight...by itself) across the room from me. Of course that freaked me out. So I went to find Dakota and she has a gaping black hole where the leg used to be. And another leg has apparently sprouted to take its place, because she is just going about business as usual.

So of course, being the good "mommy" that I am, I called the vet...who was in no hurry to see her. Apparently limbs that fall off like baby teeth aren't top priority to the vets in this area. But this is the most disturbing part. I placed the leg in a to go box (yes, from a restaurant), and while I was on the phone with the vet, Dakota ate through the box and I found her gnawing on her own leg! Gross!

Thank God I woke up at that point, or who knows what would have happened next. So, Psychology majors...analyze that if you dare.

Boy, was I relieved when she got home from daycare with all limbs intact. P.S. - Kevin check out her back legs in the top picture...no more dew claws :)

This Little Piggy

2010-04-04T21:58:00.002-04:00

Let me tell you about these little piggies. Not only did they go to market. They ate the market, went back for seconds and haven't had thoughts about running anywhere in a long, long time. Six more weeks...

Epiphany

2010-03-31T23:15:00.003-04:00

Someone last week commented on how pregnant women always seem to be rubbing their bellies (as I was unconsciously rubbing my own belly). Tonight I figured out why that is, at least in my case. I rub my belly all the time...particularly after meals...looking for crumbs. Those little suckers manage to find their way all over me! Over my shirt, under my shirt, in my bra...it is really disturbing. So I'm constantly rubbing away to make sure there are no new crumbs lurking where they don't belong. So the next time you see a pregnant woman sitting at the table rubbing her belly, cut her some slack.

I also had a really interesting experience at the mall today. I was simply buying a pretzel. And the lady behind the counter really got me good. She started by asking if I was having an Easter baby...to which I had to respond "no, I have SEVEN more weeks to go." Oops. Then she wanted to know what we were naming him. Her response? "I have a dog named Chase!" Oops. As if that wasn't enough, she did the unthinkable. She reached out her arm, stretched as far as she could over the counter, and attempted a belly rub. Thankfully, I was standing far enough away that it was more like a half-rub. Oops. Lord, what is wrong with people? The saddest part is...those pretzel sticks were so good it was almost worth it. Almost.

Nightmare On OUR Street

2010-03-26T16:58:00.003-04:00

So I've been meaning to write a cute post all about the dogs lately, and how the transition into a bigger family will affect their lives. This is not that post.

Last night I put the dogs to bed without taking them out to potty. So it was inevitable that they would wake me up at some point to take them outside. No big deal. Around 1:30 came the scratching at the door. So we got up, and I let them outside to do their business. They were already acting strange, going back and forth between porch and patio but never getting on the grass. When they finally decided to approach the grass, Meah took off around the side of the house. I gave her a minute, but she never returned. I threw a jacket over my nightgown and wandered to the front of the house to track her down.

Earlier in the day, she had followed Evan (unbenownst to him) on his run and was halfway down the street before I caught her. So when I didn't see her in the yard, I started stumbling down the driveway assuming she was out by the street. I reached the bottom of the driveway and heard a car approaching. Great. The good news is...it was Evan. The bad news is...it was Evan. After a brief heart attack on both of our accounts, I managed to get out of the driveway, and he managed to park without running over my scroundrel missing dog. The better news is that he realized that the crazy pregnant lady wandering around his front yard was me, and didn't grab his baseball bat...

When he drove up, we heard a single bark...Meah was in the yard somewhere! So I wandered back up the driveway and found her waiting patiently on the back porch to be let back in the house. Ugh! I am proud of myself for avoiding the hysterics this time though...not even a single tear!

It took me an entire episode of Home Improvement, and part of The Cosby Show to calm my nerves and get back to sleep, though. Man, if she wasn't so cute I would beat her butt...

Belly Blues

2010-03-24T21:04:00.004-04:00

I am now 32 weeks prego. Yay! Except that there's still eight weeks to go. I am really beginning to think that the gestation period for humans is entirely too long. There was plenty of time to be sick, time to enjoy the kicking and wiggling, and time for people to ooh and aah. Now I'm just fat and bored. And ready. Not that I'll ever be fully ready, but I am sure that I'm as ready as I'll ever be. So I hope these next eight weeks hurry up and pass already!

Here are some of my recent experiences and revelations as a big girl:

I have a built-in crumb catcher. Last week I was wearing two shirts. After dinner, brushed the crumbs off my belly like normal. Then proceeded to find crumbs in-between my two shirts, and underneath my undershirt. How does this happen???
I am tired of not fitting places I used to fit. There is a recliner practically in the doorway of our living room that has become the bane of my existence. I cannot walk by without hitting something.
Speaking of bumping my belly, it is almost impossible to fit into a bathroom stall anymore. The door almost always grazes my belly...yuck! I've resorted to using the handicapped stall as much as possible. On a side note, women are disgusting. I cannot tell you how many women I have seen either not wash their hands at all, or stick their hands under the water for two seconds, no soap, and leave. Gross!
Cocoa butter (the kind you are supposed to use to prevent stretch marks) smells more like cocoa butt.
Today alone my mother decided to tell me how BIG I am getting, as well as tell the cashier at Cracker Barrel (after she asked us if she wanted to buy jelly beans) that I already have a jelly belly. Thanks, mom. Appreciate the support.
I am trying to satisfy some of my sweet tooth cravings with fruit. This week I have already polished off a container of strawberries and 1/4 of a watermelon. Even the fruit is better when the weather's warm!

I'm Lovin' It!

2010-03-23T21:16:00.004-04:00

Spring is officially here! I am so excited I can hardly stand it! There are many reasons I live in the south, but one of them is the weather...I am a sunshine and hot weather kinda gal. And it has been one exceptionally cold winter here in Georgia. So I am taking advantage of every warm, sunny spring day I can!

I have decided that there is nothing that can lift a girl's spirit like the warm sun on her face (and a little color doesn't hurt either). Here are some pictures of my first day out in the sun.

What better way to elevate your swollen feet than out in the sun?

The whole family was excited...we celebrated with Frosty Paws (peanut butter flavored ice cream for dogs)

Apparently I wasn't the only happy one...someone painted this in the sky above my house.

PS - I'm improvising on my tan with a wonderful self-tanner I picked up at a Bath and Body Works OUTLET (I know - be still my heart!) on my way home from VA. How else am I going to get sun on the back of my legs...laying on my belly isn't an option! My dad was making fun of my splotchy legs (the first application of the season is always a little tricky), and told me to go to the tanning bed. Would you like your grandson baked or roasted, dad?

He Liked It...

2010-03-19T17:07:00.005-04:00

So he put a ring on it. Five years ago this July, my then-boyfriend of 5 and a half months asked me to marry him. And he put a ring on it. This one, to be exact.

Then, a short month and a half later, it was a done deal. We were married. It seems like forever, yet like no time at all. And I am proud. Not in a "pride comes before a fall" kind-of way, but proud that, every time I look at my left ring finger, I get a reminder of the commitment I made to myself, my husband and God. I like knowing that when I'm out in public those symbols are clearly displayed for all the world to see.

So when I woke up recently with swollen fingers and realized it was time for the rings to come off, it was a little disheartening for me. I walked around for a few weeks with only my wedding band, but after another middle-of-the-night swelling incident, that one had to come off too. (Side note: there is something about having a ring stuck on your finger that can ensue panic like nothing else. Why is that, when you can simply go to any fire department and have the ring cut off?)

So I made a choice. I will not walk around with a naked finger for the next two months. Particularly what with me being knocked up and all. So one short trip to the mall later, and I emerged victorious with a $10.50 fake ring that will do until the real one can resume its place on my non-pregnant finger.Just out of curiosity, am I alone in this? Anyone else feel the same way?

Happy Trails

2010-03-17T15:17:00.001-04:00

First and foremost, I must thank Kevin's mom for the title of this blog...and for getting that little ditty stuck on repeat in my head for the past three days.

Moving on. I've spent A LOT of time driving lately. Typically Kevin and I don't travel very often. But with his recent five month (I can't believe it's been that long!) absence and my lack of employment, there have been many opportunities for road trips. In January we went to his boot camp graduation (4.5 hours to Parris Island, SC), then I drove Kevin to Marine Combat Training (8.5 hours to Jacksonville, NC), then his graduation from there (another 8.5 hours), a visit to Birmingham (3 hours), and one final visit to see my hubby (11 hours to Virginia Beach). By the way, I am amazing. If you don't believe me, ask my husband (I love you babe!).

Anyhow, all of this time on the road has given me some insights which I felt the need to share with you:

Dear South Carolina, I have driven through you border to border 6 times now. There is no road work. Please take the signs down. Thank you.
Semi trucks, I am a girl who likes to drive fast. So I understand your need to pass the slow people as much as the next girl. However, if your intentions when cutting me off in the left lane are to pass another truck, then please do so rather than driving next to said truck at the same speed and holding up all of the other traffic!
While I'm at it, the same goes for cars. If you want to pass me, go ahead. No big deal. But please, do not fart around in my blind spot. Either speed up and go around, or don't be surprised when I get in front of you so that I can see where you are. Sitting in someone's blind spot is dangerous, people!
Who buys cars that are frequently used as police cruisers? And in similar colors. I get that at times it may be beneficial, what with people scrambling to get out of your way. But aren't there way more times where cars in front of you just can't tell whether you're a cop or not...and drive way slower than necessary? Do us all a favor and trade your car in for a better model. Thank you.
Acceleration lanes were made for reasons. Use them.
The same goes for cruise control. It is your friend. Use it.
I despise driving on divided highways, where you are constantly going through towns. You're trucking along at 64 (because the speed limit is 55), and all of the sudden...red light! What a bummer.
PS - on the divided highway note...I have a very hard time not stopping at every Target I see...another problem!
The ride home is ALWAYS worse than the ride to get somewhere. The fun is over, you're tired, and home seems like a million years away.
License plate covers that hide which county you're from should be illegal. It is very important for me to be able to identify where you're from so that I can tell you to return there while calling you a moron.
Another thing about license plates...vanity plates are gay. All of them.
To the owner of a black Volvo with North Carolina license plate UVA 98, get off the road. You are an idiot.
If you have a rebel flag anywhere on your car, I am judging you...immediately.
Last but certainly not least...when did it become okay to not turn on your headlights when it's raining??? I am completely astounded by the number of people, particularly those driving gray or silver cars that just blend in with the road, who can't be bothered to flip that little switch. Ridiculous!

Ask And You Shall Receive

2010-03-16T20:12:00.006-04:00

I have come to the conclusion that either the meteorologists in VA Beach need new day jobs...or it is very difficult to accurately (or even come close to) predict the weather there. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Anyhow, every time we checked the weather reports, it said rain all weekend. Every time. Yet, after Friday night, the rain cleared up and we ended up with beautiful weather almost the entire weekend. Praise the Lord!

I had a great time with my wonderful husband! We definitely made the most of what will probably be our last weekend together until he graduates on June 11th! Friday night we hit the mall with a few of his friends. We hung out, ate some dinner, and had a good time. Then, we drove halfway around the city looking for ice cream for me. Because I insisted I have not just ice cream, but an ice cream cone. Bless his heart, he was bound and determined to get me what I wanted, and he didn't complain once!

Saturday we hit a second mall, this time with another buddy and his girlfriend who was also visiting. We did some more shopping (I got a really cute skirt for half off at Old Navy...okay, I actually got two...one in big girl size and one for later). Then we ate a really fancy dinner at a restaurant on the beach. I had a small meltdown over what to order (the menu looked like something out of Hell's Kitchen!), but a few tears later it was all good.

Sunday we stayed to ourselves, and had a great time! First up, the Virginia Aquarium. It was not spectacular, but it was still fun. All the pictures are from there. My favorite was the sea horses...they are the cutest things! Am I the only one who thought they were bigger than that? So I posted every picture of them. I spared you all of the snakes, dragons, etc...I'm sure you can find those on Kevin's facebook if you're really interested. Anyhow, after the Aquarium we hit Target and Best Buy. Then we saw Shutter Island. Pretty good, but it seemed a lot longer than it was. To top off a great day, we had dinner at Fazoli's. Yum!

All in all, we had a great time together. We definitely made the most of the little time we had. As proud as I am of my husband though, I cannot wait for this time to be over! I am counting down the days...

Here Comes the Sun...Or Not

2010-03-12T13:38:00.002-05:00

I am currently in Virginia Beach, VA visiting my husband at MOS school. For those of you wondering why in the world I am blogging, it is because he has another hour or so of training before he is free for the weekend. (Rabbit Trail: I am borrowing Kevin's new laptop. And I am very thankful that I appreciate and understand his love for electronics. Because this beast hardly qualifies as a laptop. I would call it a portable desktop...because even at 30 weeks preggers, it is quite a bit bigger than my lap. Nothing but the best for Kevin, right Mom 2?)

Moving on, I really just wanted to share with you a little bit about my journey yesterday. The drive itself wasn't bad. Even stopping every hour and a half, I made great time and made it here in 11 hours flat. Here's the kicker. I drove 700+ miles...across four states...and never once saw the sun. Forget the sun, I never once saw a break in the clouds. If I hadn't been on the way to see my wonderful husband, I would probably have sunk into a deep depression.

It's mid March, already...bring on the Vitamin D!

Good Times

2010-03-08T17:54:00.007-05:00

Nine years ago, as a freshman at Lee University...can we just pause right now for a moment of silence, because I am freaking out at how old I am getting?!? Sorry, moving on. Nine years ago, God blessed me with a gift that I had no idea I even needed at the time. Three of the best room/suite mates a girl could ask for. It didn't take long for us to grow close, and although we don't see each other nearly as often as I would like, I still consider them some of the best friends in my life.

Freshman year...Rory, me, Sarah and Brandi

Before my wedding...Brandi, me, Sarah and Rory

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of going to visit Rory, her husband and daughter in Trussville, Alabama. I am a little embarrassed to admit that, although Allie is 13 months old, this was the first time I had met her. It's always a little nerve wracking (for me, anyhow) meeting children for the first time. You never know how they're going to react to you, and I'm always a little worried that they won't like me...which can make things awkward. Well, I am pleased to report that she is one of the most precious babies ever! She had the best personality (and no, I'm not just saying that because her mom is a blog reader!), and is so much fun! She started walking about a month ago, and was all over the place. Just adorable. I really can't say enough good things about her, and how fun it was to see Roar as a mommy!

Wow...taking it back to Freshman year.

Seriously, could anyone resist this face?

We had a great time catching up. Went to a craft fair with Mama Davis (the spring equivalent of Christmas Made in the South), caught a movie, and did a little shopping (because who can resist a trip to Super Target?). There is nothing in the world like a friendship that is so easy! I had a great time, and I can't wait to do it again! I'll try to make it sooner next time :)

I also have to say a huge THANK YOU for the gifts I received...From Mama Davis...How cute is this...and, hello, there's a tail! You know I can't resist a cute butt...have you seen my husband? ;)

From Rory...I think I spot a coming home from the hospital outfit...

My little splurge from the craft fair. How cute is this, and what a great message! I also took away some great ideas for things I can make myself.

Monkey See, Monkey Buy

2010-03-02T21:28:00.005-05:00

While Kevin was home, we went to both Babies R Us and Target and created registries for little Chase. Being first time parents, I think we were in a little over our heads, and it was quite an overwhelming experience. I have since gone online and changed the registries around 10 times apiece. I'm pretty happy with them right now.

While at Babies R Us, we registered for some really cute crib bedding. We're not into anything too bright or over the top, so we agreed on a more subtle set with an airplane theme. Not my first choice, but I will admit it is very cute.

If you have been shopping with me since we found out about baby Chase, you know that I have a strange obsession with monkey-themed stuff. I can't help it, I just think that it is just the cutest stuff in the world!

Well this weekend, mom and I were browsing through Babies R Us and happened to stumble across some monkey-themed bedding...on clearance! Not only were the on clearance for 50% off original price, but there was an additional 25% off. How could I resist? So after comparing prices, and of course getting Kevin's approval, I walked away with a bedding set (comforter, bumper, sheet and bed skirt), valance, mobile and diaper stacker. All for a grand total of $90. In case you haven't shopped for baby bedding in awhile, just the bedding set for the other collection was $180. And that didn't include any of the other cute accessories! So not only did I get a great bargain, but this stuff is just adorable. Now, if only I had a nursery to put it in...
The Bumper

The Mobile (unassembled)

The Comforter

The Finished Product (well, as close was I was going to get without a crib)

In This Belly...

2010-03-01T21:12:00.003-05:00

Weighing in at a whopping 2 lbs, 15 ounces...Chase Michael (we think) Webb!

So today I had my routine growth and anatomy ultrasound. Apparently I'm pretty behind, because most people get this ultrasound at around 20 weeks. But with the confusion of the move and switching doctors, things just got a little screwed up. No big deal. Due to the size of my baby and belly, however, it was not my favorite ultrasound.

They are always adamant about remind you to drink 32 ounces of water before the appointment. So me, ever the rule follower, drank that and then some. Hey, this ultrasound is not getting screwed up on my account. Because I'm not drinking that much water in such a short amount of time again...cue nausea! So we get in the room, I lie down on the table to get started...and she decides that my bladder is way too full and it will distort the picture. Cue bathroom break...praise the Lord! She asks me to not completely empty, so I pee (a lot!) but don't finish. Back to the table...more yucky jelly on my stomach...and my bladder is still too full. Time to pee again. I can tell that the tech is getting frustrated. But hey, I was just following the rules! How could I not have a super-full bladder after drinking that much water in such a short period of time???

Anyhow, the ultrasound ended up taking about an hour total. That is a long time to have your belly poked, prodded and exposed to air conditioning. She wasn't able to get all the detail she wanted because a. he is too big, and b. he is stubborn and rolled himself up into a ball. She didn't tell me exactly how long he is, but she did ask if daddy was really tall. So obviously he's taller than average at this point. And according to this chart, he's a fatty. Which makes me nervous about the whole labor and delivery thing, but I'm also excited, because who doesn't love a baby with chubby cheeks?

Here is the latest picture. It isn't great and I'm only posting one. There's one of his nose, because the tech just thought he had the cutest nose...but to me it just looks like a goldfish so I'm not posting it. Okay, there's also one of his chubby cheek, which is a new development. But I simply cannot get a good enough quality photo to post. So here is the only picture. It's a repeat, but it's a special treat for mom #2:

I Am So Not Cut Out For Adventure

2010-02-27T19:22:00.007-05:00

Kevin officially graduated from Phase Two of Marine training last Tuesday...Marine Combat Training. It was my duty as the faithful wife to be there for the graduation. So I booked my hotel, packed my bags, and settled in the car for the adventure. Little did I realize, I was completely unprepared.

The ride up there actually wasn't so bad. It took about eight and a half hours. And that includes stopping every hour and a half, doctor's orders. It was a little annoying, but at least I didn't get sleepy. I got there about 6:30 on Sunday night, checked into my hotel, and settled in for a good night's rest.

I went to bed early enough that when 8:45am rolled around, I was wide awake. So I rolled out of bed, threw some clothes on, and went on a little adventure. Of course, I did have to stop at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast first :) I drove about 30 minutes to get to the closest public beach, in Surf City. I'll be honest, it was overcast, windy and cold. I was wearing jeans, sneakers, and my good coat. But I am just a sucker for the beach. So I sat there, enjoyed the scenery, which was mostly old people walking dogs, and read Eclipse for nearly two hours. I had great timing too, because the rain started as I was walking to my car.
I still had a few hours to kill, so I drove around looking for Chick-fil-a for entirely too long. Fail. I grabbed something else, sped back to the hotel, and got ready to see my husband for the first time in a month. I was running late by this time. Only I could have an entire day to do nothing, and still end up running late. Speaking of things that could only happen to me...

I got to the base and went to go get a parking pass, which requires your driver's license, insurance and car registration...only to discover that my registration was definitely not in my car. What kind of moron doesn't keep that one valuable little piece of information in their car at all times? Apparently this kind. Great. Cue meltdown. Not only had I driven all this way, but I had brought a ton of stuff (food, civilian clothes, etc) to give to my husband. At this point, my only option was to call a cab. So I went across the street, parked at a grocery store, and proceeded to pay $6 for a cab ride for all of a mile and a half. Did I mention I was still crying at this point...that poor cab driver. She did her best to calm me down...didn't want me going into labor in her car.

By the time I finally reached my husband, I looked like a drowned rat. Not only had I cried off all of my make-up, but it was raining cats and dogs...and our only option was to walk around base. Within minutes, my socks and shoes were soaked through. I promptly informed my husband that this was the closest I ever wanted to get to being a contestant on Survivor. And that I wanted a new pair of shoes.

After all of the day's ordeals, however, it was amazing getting to finally spend a few hours with my husband. It didn't take long to discover that the guys' morale was at an all-time low. So it was great to know just how much he geniunely appreciated my visit. After five wonderful hours together, he had to report back to barracks. So I called my cab (oh, joy!).

While I was waiting, I met another wife...named Brittany...who was also staying at my hotel. So we ended up sharing the rest of our travel time/expenses. She was really sweet (a 19-year-old newlywed) and it was fun to share the experience with someone else. Especially the sucky part where we have to say goodbye again.

When we left base at 8:00, my feet were still soaked through. So after dropping Brittany back at the hotel, I used my new friend GPS to find Target...and Chick-fil-a was there too...bonus! I was very excited to find these in my size:
The next day was graduation. And it was much better than the Parris Island experience. I got to see Kevin before the ceremony, and they even let us wait with them until their buses arrived to take them away again. It was cold, but we weren't giving up one minute together.The ride home was definitely rockier than the ride there. Traveling pregnant is getting much more difficult...painful, even. It ended up taking almost an hour longer. I did stumble across this little beauty in Elizabethtown, NC:I tried to get a picture, even had my camera out the window, but then I noticed a cop sitting right across the street and decided not to chance it. In case you can't see it, that sign says Smellie Bloomers. Seriously, people are weird.

27 Weeks and Counting

2010-02-18T23:04:00.002-05:00

Today I had my 27 week appointment to check on mine and Chase's progress. According to the Doctor, everything is looking good. Weight gain and blood pressure are within normal limits. Chase is measuring 27 weeks, right on schedule. We did a quick ultrasound, and he was moving around as usual and the amount of fluid present, along with his constant movement, indicated that everything is going well. I had been experiencing some pain in the top of my belly, but he thinks it is most likely bruising from being kicked up there. I didn't think Chase was that high up, but according to the ultrasound, there was definitely a leg up near the top of my belly. It was all a blur to me, so I'll take the Doctor's word for it. He is also giving me some more meds to take care of the nausea and vomiting that have started back up (yay!). We discussed my traveling, since Kevin is still so far away (and only going further), and I was pleased to hear that I can travel up to 35 weeks. He just wants me to stop every hour and a half to stretch for a couple minutes. That, by the way, is completely against my nature. So I'll let you know how that works out. Nothing else too exciting going on, but it's always great to know that everything is normal.

Confession...

2010-02-17T22:44:00.005-05:00

Okay, here goes. I love TLC's "Toddlers and Tiaras." This show absolutely kills me. I think my favorite part is the realization that I was blessed with enough common sense not to put my child through this nonsense.

It is so completely fascinating, though, to watch these overzealous mothers put all of their energy (not to mention money) into these crazy pageants. Most of them are middle-aged, hideously ugly (it's my blog, and I'll say what I want), and clearly living vicariously through their daughters. I love it when they talk about being in it only for fun, when it's very obvious that the children are not enjoying themselves at all.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't have any problems with baby beauty pageants, or even mothers who have a decent grasp of reality, and truly enjoy pageants for the self-confidence and poise that it can teach their daughters. Unfortunately, those women are few and far between. But tonight's episode had a great example of the hypocrisy of it all. One mom was clearly extremely competitive. She made no bones about the fact that she wanted her daughter to win, and no expense was spared to get her daughter to the top. Her daughter, by the way, clearly did NOT want to be there. But in one part of the interview, the same mom talked about always feeling judged by other people, and nothing ever being good enough to win. What kind of message is that to send your daughter at 5 years old? Lady, may I suggest working out your issues through therapy and let your daughter go play outside, where she wants to be.

Well, enough of this rant...I have to go watch the crowning ceremony. Judge me if you will...they're not my daughters. :)

Side note - The crowning is over, and I just had to share this one satisfying little tidbit. The same mother I mentioned above proved her ignorance during crowning. Her daughter was crowned "Ambassador," and the mother was so excited and proud, gushing over what a great title she had received. Meanwhile, during her speech, they flashed to a black screen which stated that the title of Ambassador was given to the girl who sold the most ad space in the pageant program booklet. Gotta love it.

I'll Take One in Every Color

2010-02-16T23:30:00.000-05:00

So I have to take a moment, or an entire post, to tell you about my absolute favorite Christmas present. Yes, I am well aware that Christmas was two months ago. But tonight I was thinking I'd really like to blog. And since I don't have any deep or probing thoughts to share...and I don't feel the need to vent tonight, I'll keep it nice and shallow.

I'll be honest, as much as I loved all the cute outfits for Chase and the nice things for myself, this one present really takes the cake. Why? Because it has to do with sleep. Allow me to elaborate. Awhile ago, I read a post on one of my college friend, Amy Beth's blog about a pillow that changed her life...or at least her sleeping habits. Long story short, a friend had given her a pregnancy pillow and it was currently cuddling her to sleep at night. She compared it to cuddling with a man, and I am here to tell you Amy Beth, although it is not the same, it does a pretty good job as a pinch-hitter.

Does this beloved pillow have a name, you ask? Why, certainly. His name is Snoogle. Of course it's Snoogle...because only something designed solely for a woman could have such a ridiculous name and still fly off the shelves.

Well let me tell you about my friend, Snoogle. He is the best thing to happen to my bed since my husband left on October 18th. (Yes, the Snoogle is a man...otherwise the way we cuddle would just be creepy). He's a giant C-shaped pillow that spoons to perfection. He's perfect for resting your head, supporting your back, and is big enough to place between your knees and ankles so they don't rub together...yuck! And although I'm not sleeping all that great what with the baby in the belly and all, I am truly convinced that it would be worse without Snoogle.
I am even thinking about starting some sort of military wives' campaign...of course I'd have to come up with a catchy title first. Or maybe we could just rename him "Deployment Buddy." Want to cuddle while you're watching tv on the couch...Snoogle is there. Tired of laying in bed alone? Snoogle is a great spooner! You get my drift.

Okay, well that's enough of my nonsense for one night. PS - 5 more days until I get to see my husband! (Before he goes off to VA Beach for another 3 months).

It's Gonna Be Worth It

2010-02-08T22:32:00.002-05:00

I've spent quite a bit of time ranting about the woes of pregnancy in the past week. And I'll be honest, there's certainly more to come. It's hard to see past all the puking, cramps, ill-fitting clothes, etc.

However, tonight I am sitting here at my desk with the sweetest little puppy sound asleep in my lap with her head on my arm. And she has me absolutely wrapped around her little paw. Yet as sweet as that is, I know it will so much better when I'm sitting here with a little baby in my arms. I can't wait.

When is May, Again?

2010-02-03T01:33:00.002-05:00

Wow. There is nothing like waking up at 1:00am with the aforementioned vomit mouth, only to discover that this is in fact the real deal. And getting so sick that it requires not only a good mouth scrubbing, but a hot shower before you feel comfortable enough to crawl back in your clean bed. I have never been so sick in all my 26 years combined as I have been in the past six months. Pregnancy is AWESOME. Seriously, what inspires women to put themselves through this more than once???

Stop Touching My Belly...Please?

2010-02-01T17:22:00.009-05:00

So if you know me at all, you're probably pretty aware of the fact that I'm not exactly the sentimental, mushy-gushy type. Don't get me wrong. I love this baby growing inside of me. Every day I am amazed at how much he grows, how much stronger he gets...and how much bigger my belly gets. But don't expect to find me baby-talking to my belly anytime soon...or ever. That's just weird. And I love the fact that I am pregnant, and going to have a baby boy in May...but I am discovering that I am definitely not one of those women who just loves to be pregnant. I'm six months now, and it already feels like I've been pregnant for six years. I'm just ready for him to be grown and in my arms, and be a family. So I've decided to share with you some little treats I've experienced over the past few months.

Hiccups. So we all get the hiccups. No big deal, right? Except that I don't get the hiccups. I just get one or two or three. And they're loud. And embarassing. This did NOT happen before I got pregnant.
Heartburn. I've had acid reflux for years. It was always well controlled with over the counter meds, but I had to go off of them when we found out about little Chase. I was not happy. But it didn't become a major problem until the second trimester. I have never experienced heartburn of that magnitude. It didn't matter what I ate or didn't eat. I would go to bed with heartburn, wake up with heartburn, and the hours in-between were torture. The worst part was when the heartburn would lead to nausea...it's a vicious cycle.
Double Digits. I spent the first few months so excited about when I would get a baby bump. I couldn't wait to start showing. And now that I am showing, I feel like a giant whale. Maternity jeans are impossible. I can't find any that are long enough or comfortable enough to justify spending that kind of money on. So I've conceded to buying juniors jeans (because they are super-low cut and sit below my belly) in larger sizes...double digits to be exact. It's not perfect, but it works....but I can't wait to be back in normal jeans again. Hopefully it will warm up soon so I can start wearing cute little dresses...much more comfortable and easy to find.
Just call me Granny. I am old before my time. I still have close to four months to go, and things are getting difficult. It hurts to bend over, and putting shoes and socks on is a real treat. It works best if I cross my legs like a man, but then the laces are tied way to the side of the shoe, so I look pretty silly.
Belly Blues. My belly changes by the day...by the hour, even. I wake up, and it is relatively small. But by the end of the day it is ginormous (the above picture was taken at about 10:00 at night, by the way). It is so weird.
Personal Space. Okay, I know this is a given, but everyone rubs, touches, pats, talks to and even sings to my belly. UGH! That really, really freaks me out. How in the world do you go about telling people that? Don't they realize how rude that is before they do it???
And my personal favorite, a little treat I like to refer to as Vomit Mouth. Yes, it is as disgusting as it sounds. (Feel free to tune out now if you're squeamish) Food doesn't make its way into my stomach and settle there as it used to. Now, quite often, it remains in my esophagus very high up...definitely ruins any notions of dessert. It's annoying, but not really a problem until bedtime. Several times I week, I wake up just seconds away from tossing my cookies, to vomit...in the back of my throat. Not only does it wake me up, but it can keep me up for hours. Awful.

Sorry if any of this was too graphic or revealing. I'm sure I'll think of something I forgot as soon as I hit "publish," but this is my list for now. Here's to hoping winter ends quickly...I'm running out of coats that button!

So This is What This Feels Like

2010-01-31T20:50:00.003-05:00

After Kevin's graduation from boot camp, he had 10 days of leave before time to report to MCT, or Marine Combat Training. It was definitely a full, fun and exhausting ten days. We took advantage of every available minute. Here are some "family photos" we took in front of the Christmas tree. Yes, we left it up for Kevin since he missed Christmas and all. (Don't worry, dad took it down this weekend)

Here are some of the things we were able to accomplish in our time together:
* Ate TONS of food...we both probably gained 7 pounds. Yes, I'll be outweighing him very soon.
* Saw several movies - Blindside, Book of Eli, The Lovely Bones
* Spent a day with Kevin's parents enjoying some family time
* Had a 4-D ultrasound
* Doctor's visit for baby Chase
* Registered at Babies R Us and Target
* Spent 2 nights in a lovely hotel suite courtesy of Kevin's parents (Thank You!!!)
* Bowled
* Enough shopping/errands/odds and ends for at least a month

I'm sure I've forgotten or left out plenty of stuff, but we definitely had a great time together.
On Monday the 25th we packed all his gear back up and headed to Jacksonville, NC for MCT. He was originally scheduled to take a greyhound bus, but we chose to cash in his ticket so that we could drive up there and spend a few extra hours together. The following day, I'll admit we really dragged our feet getting out of bed and back in the car. I can't imagine saying goodbye ever gets any easier. But it had to be done. So we drove on to base and I left my husband in the capable hands of the United States Marine Corps...again.

It's weird. I realize that I have only been a part of the military lifestyle for a few months now, but there are so many things that I don't understand. Personally, I'm excited. If you had asked me 4, or even 2 years ago if I ever imagined myself as a military wife, I would have laughed at you...as I laughed at my husband a thousand times. But now that I'm actually in it, I'm completely overwhelmed with emotion. Probably the most overwhelming emotion I'm experiencing is pride. My husband has worked extremely hard to accomplish something that he's dreamed of for a long time. And I am just ecstatic to be standing by his side as our new journey begins. Along with that pride comes a crazy amount of appreciation and respect. Going three months without my husband has done nothing but made me love and appreciate him even more than I already did. I look up to him for the husband he was and is, and the amazing father I know he's going to be in just a few short months. So as hard as it was to say goodbye again, I know that it's ultimately going to be nothing but good for our little family.

That brings me to the things that I don't understand. So often, when you hear of young families in the military, you hear only about negative things. Infidelity, divoce, depression, etc. Kevin said to me at one point during boot camp, that he was the only person he knew that wasn't worried about his relationship status once the three months was over. That was including married couples as well. How disturbing is that? People can't work things out for three months? Personally, this journey has done nothing but make our relationship stronger. I appreciate my husband more now than I did before he left, and I cannot wait for the next 4 months to be over so that we can continue our life together and start a family!

My Marine

2010-01-29T21:40:00.009-05:00

In case you didn't catch it on Facebook, here is the official blog announcement...I am married to a Marine! And I couldn't be more proud. Friday January 15, 2010 my husband went through the graduation ceremony, and was finally able to leave Parris Island, no longer Recruit Webb, but Private First Class Webb. Congratulations, Baby!

Wednesday the 13th we all drove up for the occasion. Myself and my parents, Kevin's parents, and, as Kevin's special surprise, the Johnson family (Kevin's sister, husband and kids) all the way from Miami! Thursday was Family Day, and in my opinion, the highlight of the festivities. It started off with a 7:00am "Motivational Run." We had received an excellent piece of advice from one of Kevin's Drill Instructors to make signs so that Kevin could spot us. So although the run was really nothing more than that...Kevin was able to see the signs and knew that we were there to show our support. PS - that was my favorite part. I could have thrown him in the car and left after that.

Waiting for them to pass by a second time. Like my sign?

Steam coming off their heads after the run (it was 29 degrees outside).

After the run, we had a couple hours to kill while the guys showered, changed uniforms, and who knows what else. Then there was a small ceremony, after which we were finally able to see Kevin for the first time. We had 5 hours or so of free time on base, and we took advantage of every minute of it. We went to the MCX (store) so we could stock up on Marine paraphenelia, had a picnic lunch, toured the museum and his barracks.

First hug in three months! Woo hoo!

First time seeing my fat (okay, prego) belly

Surprised that Kelly and family came to show some love!

The final surprise...Joe, childhood friend and neighbor, flew in from Toledo for the graduation. Kevin had no idea what to say when he surprised us at the museum. Thanks again, Joe!

Not allowed to hold hands while in uniform.

Two of Kevin's Drill Instructors inside his barracks.

Friday was officially graduation day. I had heard a ton about what an awesome, emotional ceremony it was going to be. So I came prepared, pocket full of kleenex, just waiting for something to blow me away. And to be honest, it was just a bunch of marching around...slow marching. I couldn't pick Kevin out of the crowd if I had wanted to, and the band got most of the attention. It was only an hour long though, so we got to see our Marine soon enough...and finally take him home!

As exciting as it got...they marched by...

One proud father!

Showing off their uniforms

With the nieces/nephew

Family photo op

Don't know how he didn't throw up after all the food he ate! This is an ice cream sandwich the size of my head!

Proud father and sister!

Thanks again to everyone who supported and prayed for us throughout this journey! It has truly been an awesome one for us. I could not be more proud of my husband and what he has accomplished over the last three months. Now it's four more months of schooling, and then he'll finally be home with me...and a brand new baby! I can't wait!