Erin's Epiphanies

Conversation Evolution

2009-12-08T13:22:00.001-05:00

Angela sent me a text message this morning, and it got me thinking about how our conversations have changed over the last five years. Lets take a look, shall we?

2005- Devin and I got married in July and started hanging out with Dustin and Angela a lot. Since they got married in December, our conversations consisted of wedding dresses, rehearsal dinners, decorations, bridal showers, and the wedding night.

After we got married conversations went from weddings to, well, wedding night activities. Then Angela started working at my rival bank so we had a plethora of stupid customer stories to share all-the-time. (Both of our husbands were glad when she started working for the city and we didn’t talk bank anymore) We also bought our houses this year so we did a lot of discussing different aspects of the home buying process. Every month we would talk about who would be hosting “The last Saturday of the moth Game Night.” The New Year’s Eve tradition also started this year.

When Angela started working for the city it seemed she became obsessed with People.com, and my work would have on HLN which would have celebrity gossip. Since I would only catch bits and pieces of what was being said, I would have to text Angela to find out what was really going on. New Year’s Eve tradition take 2. (Chris and Ashley were unable to attend because Anekah was just a month old, foreshadowing of things to come maybe?)

The baby talk begins. We both knew we wanted to have kids and we had been married for several years (which is something we still couldn’t believe) and our friends were having babies. Since we knew our turns were going to be coming soon, we did some traveling. For a while it seemed like I only talked to Angela because her and Dustin were gone most weekends doing something and visiting someone out of town, and Devin and I took our last cruise. Little did we know that our last Hoo-Rahs would be the trip we took to Sea World and of course New Year’s Eve!

2009- I’m pretty sure that we didn’t talk about anything but preparing for babies this year. Since we were both pregnant it was a lot of “I pee all the time!” and “my clothes don’t fit” and “I have a doctors appointment today.” We talked about what to register for and how much stuff a baby needs. We had to find furniture, enter Angela’s obsession with Craig’s List, which Angela found for both of us :) Then Dallas and Collin came and conversations shifted to labor and delivery and lack of sleep. Which leads me to the text that started this whole epiphany. Without being too descriptive, we are both breastfeeding and essentially feel like cows. At which point I said to Angela, “Wow…Our conversations have gone from crappy work stories and People magazine, to milk and breast pumps… Does this mean we are old?”

Our Wedding

Dustin and Angela’s Wedding

Working on Our House

Working on Dustin and Angela’s House

Game Nights

New Year’s Eve ‘06, ‘07, and ‘08

Pregnancies

and finally… Dallas and Collin

A Family Photo Shoot

2009-12-05T17:49:00.001-05:00

Yesterday our little family had our first official family pictures done. We went to Portrait Innovations at the Town Center. Collin did so good, I was so proud of him! He didn’t fuss or cry at all. We spent more than we originally intended (of course) but I’m SO HAPPY with what we got, that I almost don’t even care.

Collin with his Daddy

Collin with his Mommy

Collin bein’ Cute Little Collin

One Whole Month

2009-12-01T20:50:00.001-05:00

I can’t believe that Halloween and Thanksgiving have come and gone and Collin was here for both of them, and he’s a month old already! I’ve posted just about ever picture we’ve taken to my Facebook account but what good is a blog about my little boy’s one month birthday without pictures? I’m going to make that one easy for you, the answer is none. :)

I’m curious, I’m the one that is up, what seems like, all night long, with him, so why does he look happier when Daddy is holding him? I don’t really care, I love both of these guys more than anyone could ever know.

So, what has happened this past month? Well, we’ve been to the doctor four times. One for his first check-up, the day after we brought him home. One to have him circumcised (that was a ROUGH day, thank goodness my mommy loves me and went with me!), and one for his two week check-up. Yes, I am well aware that this is only three trips to the doctor. The forth was just four days after his two week check-up, because we were all in a car accident. The first day we took him out (to a early lunch on Sunday to Moe’s) we were heading to Lake Asbury. Collin and I were going to hang out with my mom while Devin watched the football game with his brother. However, as we are sitting at the stoplight on Argyle Forest at Rampart (yes, the intersection where we live) some moron in a ginormous Avalanche decided he just wasn’t going to pay attention and slammed into the back of us. Under normal car accident circumstances I probably wouldn’t have been too hysterical, but he screwed with a really emotional woman and her two week old! (Devin is currently without the Civic and driving a rental until at least December 10th.) In addition to car accidents and doctors appointments, Collin made it though his first Thanksgiving, twice. Once with Devin’s family and once with mine. This in itself is a big deal. Especially if you know our families. Unfortunately, I’m an idiot and left the camera in the car the entire day, so I have to rely on other people to get me pictures of Collin’s first Thanksgiving. He’s been to church, well, Sunday school too. It’s going to be a few more weeks, most likely until after the new year when we make it back. I’m that paranoid first time mom that is afraid to take him around a lot of people in close quarters before he gets his shots on the 29th. Maybe if it were the summer I wouldn’t be as bad, but seriously I don’t want my baby around a bunch of snot-nosed people who won’t stay home when they are sick. It’s flu season and all the hype about the swine flu, excuse me, H1N1, has freaked me out a little.

So what have I learned this last month?

I will never sleep through the night again.

No matter how ~~much~~ little sleep I get, I can look at Collin and smile, even if I am crying because I’m so tired.

I will get peed on frequently, and I will use my hand, without hesitation, to block it.

I will struggle to get anywhere on time (this is REALLY rough for me!).

Just because Collin was awake for three hours in the evening after Devin got home from work, does NOT mean that he will sleep for more than two hours. Two hours is the max. Always.

NB, 0-3, 3-6. All mean CRAP.

I have to eat more to lose weight. (A paradox!)

I used to layer my clothes and wear form fitting things. I now look at an article of clothing and think, “how easy will it be for me to feed Collin in this?”

I no longer have control. Collin does. For now.

I LOVE this Chunky Monkey!!!! He’s ALL MINE!!! (and Devin’s) :)

Because It’s Been A While

2009-11-24T17:29:00.001-05:00

I did this back in March (before we announced I was pregnant) and Angela did it recently, and well, since it’s been a while since I blogged and some of my answers have probably changed… here’s for Angela :)

***********FOODOLOGY***************
What is your salad dressing of choice? French or Catalina

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Sonny’s or Applebee’s

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Cheese

What are your pizza toppings of choice? Cheese, cheese, and the occasional pepperoni

What do you like to put on your toast? Butter and grape jam

***********TECHNOLOGY***************
How many televisions are in your house? 3, the living room, bedroom, and office (the office one isn’t plugged in though, it’s being “stored”)

What color cell phone do you have? Blue (Surprised???)

***************BIOLOGY******************
Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Nope

What is the last heavy item you lifted? Collin in his car seat

Have you ever been knocked unconscious? No

************BULLCRAPOLOGY**************
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? No

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? I’m partial to Erin now

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Not a chance!

************DUMBOLOGY******************
How many pairs of flip flops do you own? Too manay

Last time you had a run-in with the cops? A week ago when we got rear ended!

Last person you talked to? My mom

Last person you hugged? Collin

**************FAVORITOLOGY****************
Season? What’s that?

Holiday? New Year’s!

Day of the week? Saturday

Month? December

***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************
Missing someone? Devin when he’s gone, and my dad

Mood? Pretty good

What are you listening to? The news

Watching? The news

Worry? That I’m not a good mom and that I’m going to totally screw up Collin

***************RANDOMOLOGY*****************
First place you went this morning? To feed Collin

What's the last movie you saw? In theaters? I don’t know, at home? Um, Little Giants?

Do you smile often? How can I not with my sweet little boy with me?

Sleeping Alone Tonight? Nope

***************OTHER-OLOGY*****************
1)Do you always answer your phone? Not with a 4 week old in the house

2) Its four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? I would say Bradley, but Angela said me, so now every time I’m up at 4 AM feeding Collin, I have the urge to send Angela a “justification” text :)

3) If you could change your eye color what would it be? Na, wouldn’t change it

4) What flavor do you add to your sonic drink? Watermelon Slush

5) Do you own a digital camera? a couple of them

6) Have you ever had a pet fish? Bradley did… does that mean I did?

7) Favorite Christmas song(s)? There are too many to name! I’m looking forward to hearing them FRIDAY!!!!

8) What's on your wish list for your birthday? Post-pregnancy-nursing-friendly clothes

9) Can you do push ups? Barely

10) Can you do a chin up? Not hardly

11) Does the future make you more nervous or excited? Can I be nervously excited?

12) Do you have any saved texts? yes

13) Ever been in a car wreck? unfortunately

14) Do you have an accent? I don’t think so, but apparently I sound like I’m from “up North” according to random strangers

15) What is the last song to make you cry? Just about everything makes me cry now, so there is no telling

16) Plans tonight? Watch the Biggest Loser with Devin and Collin

17) Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? High school was rough….

18) Name 3 things you bought yesterday. I went to lunch with Devin and he bought lunch so… shrimp, fries, and cheese grits :)

19) Have you ever been given roses? Of Course, Devin loves me and knows they are my favorite

20) Current worry? Didn’t I already say that I’m going to be a failure as a mom and really screw up Collin?

21) Current hate right now? The guy that rear ended us and people/strangers that think they are entitled to touch my baby

22) Met someone who changed your life? Devin and now Collin

23) How will you bring in the New Year? Angela and I were just discussing this the other day because it’s become tradition to go to Friendship Fountain and watch the fireworks with Dustin and Angela, however, two infants will most likely alter those plans this year. Sooo… we’ll see

24) What song represents you? The Happy Song?

25) Name three people who might complete this? It took Angela 8 months , and other than that, no one

26) Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? I used to think yes, but that could alter the space time continuum (I’ve been with Devin for a while now…) and I may not end up with my perfect little Collin!

27) Have you ever dated someone longer than a year? Yup

28) Do you have any tattoos/piercings? I have two piercings in each ear, but I only use one

29) Will you be in a relationship 4 months from now? I’m pretty sure

30) Does anyone love you? Yes…

31) Would you be a pirate? No, the pirate and vampire craze are two things I never understood

32) What songs do you sing in the shower? It depends on what is stuck in my head at the time

33) Ever had someone sing to you? yup

34) When did you last cry? somewhere around 9 AM yesterday when Collin hadn’t slept more than an hour and a half at a time, and fussed and cried for an hour

36) Do you like to cuddle? only with Devin and now Collin

37) Have you held hands with anyone today? I held Collins little hand while I nursed him earlier

38) Who was the last person you took a picture of? Collin, I generally take at least one a day of him

39) What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school? Whatever kids praise songs my mom let me listen to

40) Do you believe in staying close with your ex's/prospects? It depends on the circumstance, I wouldn’t have my best friend today if I didn’t

41) Are most of the friends in your life new or old? I have a few old friends, but most of them are new, as in within the last 2 years

42) Do you like pulpy orange juice? EW! I’m going to second Angela’s “I don’t like to chew my drinks”

On a side note… we took Collin to church for the first time this week. Well, technically it was only Sunday school, but nonetheless. I couldn’t pass up posting these awesome pictures. I love the one of Devin and Collin, you can just see the love and awe in Devin’s eyes :)

7lb 4oz Bundle of LOVE!

2009-11-01T18:26:00.001-05:00

I’m not even sure where to start! The last week has been anything but dull. My new found job as a mommy is even more amazing than I ever could have imagined.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 2:02 AM 7lb 4 oz, 21 inches

Alright, so here’s the quick, rundown of how things went:

Tuesday 2:00 AM – started having contractions about 5 minutes apart
6:00 AM – left for the hospital
10:00 AM – left the hospital for home because things weren’t moving fast enough.
Devin worked from home, I spent the day in labor, in bed and walking the hallway
9:30 PM – decided to take a warm bath, told Devin to try and sleep
10:30 PM – got out of the bath, Devin really didn’t get to sleep. We were wondering how much longer we should wait before going back to the hospital because my contractions were about 3-4 minutes apart, and getting really painful
10:45 PM – MY WATER BROKE! I told Devin “Um, we need to go NOW!”
From that point on the contractions were almost unbearable. We got to the hospital and they gave me an IV with antibiotics (for the Group B Strep) and said I had to have two bags of fluids before I could get an epidural.
I lost track of time once we got to the hospital, but I do know that I was in A LOT of pain, and the time, now, seems to have gone by fairly quickly.
By the time I had enough fluid to get the epidural, it was too late, somewhere around 1:45 AM Wednesday morning. Collin was on his way, fast. From the time I realized he was coming to the time he actually got here, it was only about 10 minutes, and my doctor hadn’t gotten to the hospital yet. So the nurses and hospital doctor were in the room.
Luckily my doctor did get there, just-in-time. Like, less than 5 minutes, in time.
2:02 AM Wednesday Collin was born!

So after 24 hours of labor, natural labor, that I hadn’t planned on, Devin and I have an amazing little boy! Everyone tells you that you forget about all the pain when it’s all over and I never really understood. But the second Collin was placed on my chest, I really and truly did forget about all the pain. I honestly can’t believe that I had a natural childbirth. When I look at his sweet little face, none of it seems to matter.

38 Weeks Recap

2009-10-22T18:24:00.001-04:00

Saturday night was, well, lets just say, the roughest night of my pregnancy. I’m considering my self VERY lucky. I was up the entire night throwing up everything I think I’d eaten for the entire pregnancy, and then some. That meant that Sunday was rough also. I slept on and off Sunday (really trying hard not to so I would be able to sleep through the night) and didn’t really eat anything. The only think I was able to keep down was Gatorade. Monday I felt like I wanted to eat something, but didn’t feel like if I did eat that was going to be a good experience. So Tuesday was the first day that I ate more than a banana. I think I ate a bowl of oatmeal and half of a hot dog. By Wednesday I was completely drained of any energy. I was completely out of breath and tired from showering, drying my hair, doing my make-up, and getting dressed to go to the doctor. I drank an entire bottle of water on my way there because I was so tired and thirsty. It really makes me feel like a lazy couch potato. The nurse that takes my blood pressure and weighs me told me I had lost 2 pounds since last week. That really wasn’t all that surprising considering I hadn’t eaten in about 4 days. I was actually surprised that it was only 2 pounds.When I got to see my doctor she informed me that she was going to be out of town taking her office to Disney on Saturday, so wait to have Collin until she got back. Well, that made me freak out a little bit, and the more I think about it, the more I freak out. I was also grossed out a little bit when she checked and informed me I was at 1cm (yes, I’m FULLY aware that being 1cm doesn’t necessarily mean anything and I could remain that way for weeks, so PLEASE refrain for telling me again! THANKS!) and she could feel Collin’s head. I can handle the being checked part and her telling me I was 1cm, it was the whole, “OH! There’s Collin’s head!” part that got me. Moving on, from there she had this and that to say and that at my appointment next Wednesday, she’d set a time to induce me on Thursday (if he doesn’t come before then) so we’ll have us a Collin by Friday! NOT on Halloween!!!! WOO HOO! So instead of having a November baby, we’ll have an October baby. Instead of having a Halloween baby unexpectedly, we’ll have a NOT Halloween baby expectedly! Instead of being pregnant for 13 more days, it will only be SEVEN MORE DAYS!!!!

Not So Sure About This Anymore…

2009-10-19T10:04:00.001-04:00

Courtesy of the Bump: http://pregnant.thebump.com/pregnancy/third-trimester/articles/your-pregnancy-week-38.aspx

Baby is now the size of a watermelon!

The last bits of vernix caseosa (the white goo keeping baby's skin moist) and lanugo (downy hair) are slowly shedding into your amniotic fluid. Baby's head is about the same circumference as his abdomen, and his head could be covered in an inch or so of hair.

The Repo Man

2009-10-16T17:01:00.001-04:00

I backing out of the garage last night to meet Bradley at Steak-n-Shake for dinner. I had to wait for a toe truck to turn around in the cul-de-sac. I followed him to the stop sign at the end of the street where I saw him put the truck in park and get out of the truck. The driver, a younger guy, not really creepy looking, got out and walked close enough to the car so that I knew he wanted to talk but didn’t want to scare me. I rolled down the window and he asked me if I knew if our neighbors had a silver Chevy Equinox SUV. When I asked him which neighbor he said the ones to our right,with the Mustang. They have a bunch of cars, kind of older models, some with broken windows. The same neighbors that haven’t fixed their fence in years, (longer than ours went unfixed for) and painted a portion of their red house a peachy-pinky-orange color. I thought about it for a second because there are so many cars that are parked there and that come and go, before I asked what year the Chevy was. When he said a newer model I kinda smirked and said no, because the cars the neighbors have are not what what I would describe as “newer” models. So that’s what I told him. He laughed it off and informed me that they moved the car here from Palatka without telling them. The same older cars are in the yard but not the Chevy. By this point I’ve figured out he’s a repo man. And told him sorry. He said thanks anyway and got back in his truck.

When I got to Steak-n-Shake and enjoyed impeccable service ::cough cough:: (I mean, it is Steak-n-Shake after all) I told Bradley about the repo man. We laughed about it and enjoyed the food. As we were driving home (Bradley behind me in his car) when I got into the turn lane for Rampart I glanced at the neighbors yard, you know, since they still have no fence. Well, what do I see hidden from the view from the cul-de-sac, tucked nicely between the house and what is left of their fence and tree rubbish? YES! The silver Chevy Equinox SUV!!! Bradley got out of his car, and I said LOOK! He turned around and was like what? When he realized what I was telling him to look at we both laughed and but didn’t really know what to think.

Now, on one hand I feel sorry for the neighbors, but on the other hand I wish there had been a name or number on the toe truck so I could let them know the Chevy is there! Such a moral dilemma! But since the toe truck was, I guess unmarked? There isn’t a whole lot I can do about it even if I wanted to!

19 More Days!!!

36 Weeks Nursery Progression

2009-10-11T20:07:00.001-04:00

~~Crib~~
~~Changing Table~~
~~Dresser~~ (Took it out to make room for the rocking chair)
~~Rocking Chair~~ (Was delivered Thursday, and put together Friday!)
~~Paint~~ (FINALLY made a decision!)
~~Bedding~~ (Liked it a lot better after the paint debacle was solved)
~~Diapers~~ (Can never have too many)
~~Clothes~~ (Hope he fits in some of them!)
Other odds and ends (have a feeling that we’ll always be working on it)

First we got the crib and changing table from Craig’s List, and found the bedding online

Somehow, I was convinced that brown/tan would be a good wall color

Ummm… yeah, not so much. I would walk in and want to cry.

SO! It was changed to BLUE. Imagine that right?

Then Mom added the dark blue stripe at the top :) I LOVE IT! (and yes, this is a different shade of blue (maybe not a big difference) from the original wall color, before the brown as seen in the first picture with the blue and brown stripes!)

After a few showers, we’ve got STUFF!!!

And a way to get him home!

I wasn’t embarrassed to have people over to see the nursery anymore!

Only 24 more days!

Less than THIRTY DAYS!!!!

2009-10-07T12:09:00.001-04:00

WOO HOO!!!! It’s officially past the one month mark and there are only FOUR more weeks to go! November will be here before we know it! After two showers (and one more to go) I feel a little more at ease. I feel like if something were to happen early that we wouldn’t be caught completely off guard. We have clothes, diapers, wipes, a place for him to sleep, and a way to get him home. I LOVE the way the nursery looks right now (even though it’s still only about half way there), finally. The wall color is perfect, the rocking chair is on its way and the extra dresser is on its way out.

Last weekend my sister-in-law, Jenn (above), threw me a shower and the family showed just how excited they are to be welcoming Collin to the family. So these are just a few pictures from the shower (35 1/2 weeks) and the current state of the nursery (which will hopefully be finished by this weekend when Devin gets home).

Collin’s crib against the BLUE walls :)

The Changing table…

…fully equipped

The start to a great Library :)

Only 28 more days! (Hopefully)

Call of the Year

2009-10-04T18:44:00.001-04:00

The Braves may not have made the playoffs, but I can appreciate good baseball when I see it. This is awesome.

Showered with Love at 34 Weeks

2009-09-28T11:22:00.001-04:00

I had my first shower Saturday, hosted by Brittany and Ashley with little sprinkles from lost of others that made the day perfect. Brittany graciously opened her house and decorated in pretty brown and green, inspired by the ribbon she bought months ago (and is wrapped around the diaper cake). Ashley knows me all too well and had all my favorite kinds of finger foods (and my favorite chicken salad!). Mandi made and decorated the yummy funfetti cake, complete with Jellybean/Necco/Lifesaver pacifiers. Sarah and Mandy guessed pretty exactly how big my belly is, and Baby BINGO was, interesting (I LOVE YOU BRITTANY!). Brittany had a little baby-brain moment and printed out 20 of the same BINGO card. After a good laugh, we altered the game to have everyone fill in their own cards on a makeshift BINGO card we whipped up in Word. I’m so excited to get the pictures printed and start scrapbooking them. I love the picture of the four bellies. Sarah is due in October, me in November, Amanda in January, and Brittany is May (or April, I can’t remember). I had such a good time and love each of them so much!

Thank You ALL!

Brittany, Ashley, Mandi, Mandy, April, Sarah, Amanda, Tiffany, Linda, Mrs. Patti, Mom, Mom K., Amy, Cheryl, Tracie, and Kendall!

Not Working Is Exhausting

2009-09-21T17:48:00.001-04:00

It’s been a busy um… oh yeah, four days.

Thursday, I had lunch with Raechel and Lilly. I love sushi, and it cracks me up to see Lilly eating it from my chopsticks :) Then that night Devin and I watched Anekah for Chris and Ashley since it was their Fourth Anniversary. I made wonderful hotdogs and mac and cheese. Anekah thoroughly enjoyed her dinner while her parents were having their anniversary dinner at Sushi Rock. A whole hour and a half of watching the Noggin channel (which is apparently something we have to get used to!) the doorbell rang, I thought it was my brother. But alas, Ashley and Chris could not be apart from their little girl for very long and they came back to get her. Just for the record, if it’s your anniversary and you have friends that have offered to watch your child(ren) take more than an hour and a half, PLEASE! (LOVE YOU ASHLEY!) so they hung out for a little while then headed home, just as Bradley, Derrick, and Daniel were getting to the house, McFlurries in hand, to watch the Office premier. I went to bed anxiously awaiting to hear from Angela the next day, Dallas was coming soon!

Friday, what seemed like the longest day every. Spent the morning with the church girls then went to Publix to pick up food for the next night. Since I had some time (because Dallas was going to be taking her time) I went to the Middleburg Publix and had lunch with my old boss, then did my shopping. As I was looking for the special pasta for my nephews, I called Jenn, my sister-in-law, so she could tell me where to find it. She wasn’t home, so I asked a worker man where it was. He didn’t know, but was going to find someone who knew where it was. As I turned to follow him, I said, “Never mind, I found it.” I found it because I saw Jenn across the way. Small world. After some hugs and special pasta I headed home to put everything away and then visit Angela. I spent the next three hours hanging out with her, Dustin, and both sets of their parents. I got home about 7:00 and began cleaning the house (with LOTS of help from Devin) for diner the next night. Camille, our niece, turned 2 Thursday, and her family birthday party was at our house Saturday night. We got a message about 9:00 that Dallas was here! at 11:00 Angela called and we went to visit. SHE’S SO ADORABLE. I love that little girl so much already! It was a short visit since it was so late, but it was a good visit. Dallas was only 4 hours old when we got to see her for the first time. (I’m definitely MORE than ready to hold Collin in my arms now!) Devin and I finally got to bed about 1 in the morning.

Saturday: SCRAPBOOKING time! YAY! I had been looking forward to scrapbooking for a month! I got absolutely SQUAT done in the like five hours I was at Brittany’s, but I didn’t care. I had so much fun with the girls seeing what they were doing and playing with the Design Studio. After my lack of scrapbooking I ran home to start cooking dinner for the in-laws. Part way through dinner, my mom called. It’s NEVER a good sign when your mom calls when she knows your hosting your in-laws and starts with, “my phone is going dead, so I need you to listen without freaking out on me.” So I listened as she told me my grandmother was in the emergency room and was going to be there overnight because she had a stroke earlier in the day. So, after the in-laws left (but not before Jenn had offered multiple times to clean up so I could leave, who by the way was unable to eat anything because she was sick, she’s just that awesome of a person) we cleaned up enough so that food would be stuck on the dishes for the next year then headed to the hospital. Truth be told, I probably would have been at the hospital that evening anyway, however, it would have been at Baptist, not Orange Park, and it would have been in the Maternity Ward with Angela, Dustin and Dallas, not in the Emergency Room with my grandmother. The first one sounds much more fun doesn’t it? So after some visiting with my grandmother, (who had tests done today, and is doing fine, and hopefully going home tonight) we came home and Devin and Bradley finish putting the new fan up in our bedroom.

Sunday I pulled triple duty at church. Rather than working the check in for just the second hour of church, I worked, first hour, Sunday School, and second hour. After which Devin and I had lunch with April and Ryan at Texas Roadhouse. I ordered Chicken Critters. There was so much batter on them that they really did look lie critters. I ended up peeling more than half of the batter off of all of them and ate just the chicken (which was REALLY good!). One of my favorite part of any week is the Sunday afternoon nap. This Sunday’s nap was particularly good given the events that the last couple days entailed. When I woke up Devin and Bradley had installed another fan, this time in the living room. We (well, Devin and Bradley) have officially changed out every light fixture in our house. All the bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen and hallway. Alright, I guess I lied, the bathrooms are still the same, but I don’t think I want those changed. After my amazing nap, I put together some leftovers and brought them to Dustin and Angela so they could have something other than the tasty hospital food. Angela insisted that I didn’t have to bring them food, but I had to inform her that there were ulterior motives to my food kindness. I wanted to see and hold Dallas again… DUH! :)

That brings me to today, I didn’t do anything! I slept in to 9:30, and stayed on the couch doing nothing but relax and hope that the sweling in my knees and ankles went down. Which it almost did. Now, I’m looking forward to having dinner with our good friends Sam and Meg tonight. Busy busy days. But I love not working, life is good and I’ve got the best friends in the world!

Oops! Apparently Not Working Agrees With Me :)

2009-09-16T18:47:00.001-04:00

Apparently not working has left me with a lack of material to talk about. That or I’ve just been enjoying life that I haven’t thought about it! Lets see, where to start?

Um… after I got off work (the week before Labor Day) I got to spend Friday and Saturday with my great friends, from our awesome Sunday School class, at the amazing Beth Moore simulcast, our wonderful church hosted. There really are no words to describe the experience. Other than saying it’s be a really long time since I had that feeling, I’m not even going to attempt it. Sunday morning I got up and went to church then enjoyed the last couple of hours with Devin before he left for Los Angeles for the week. By the end of that great weekend, I was more than exhausted, my feet and knees were swollen to the point that I couldn’t wear anything other than flip flops and my back and hip hurt so bad I could hardly stand it. I slept all week on my heating pad, just praying that it would help. By the end of the week, I felt a lot better and I wasn’t swollen anymore. YAY!

Devin got home Saturday afternoon. I was EXTREMELY happy he was home. I can handle being home alone during the day, it’s relaxing. But him being gone all week, was well, lonely. It was different from when he was in Tallahassee. I was in school, and didn’t really have time to get lonely, I was preoccupied with homework and projects. My great friends made sure I wasn’t by myself for very long though. I scrapbooked ALL DAY with Brittany one day, went to lunch and the Towncenter with Angela and Charish another, had ice cream with Brittany after church on Wednesday, visited just about every member of my family in Lake Asbury Thursday, and Friday morning I spent with the girls in my Sunday School class, where Brittany told us she’s pregnant again! It was a very successful last vacation before Collin comes. I knew that I had great friends, but I think I realized even more how much they have come to mean to me over the past couple of years.

Since my vacation just so happened to land next to Labor Day weekend, Devin and I got to spend Monday together, while he tried to recuperate from his LA Jet Lag. So by the time I went back to work on Tuesday, I had a very difficult time getting up and going in. But I didn’t mind once I was there. I had my heating pad, which I took at a precaution, and glad I did because I used it all day. Last Wednesday (my second day back to work) I had a doctors appointment at 4:00. When I got there, my legs, knees, and feet were really swollen and I was having problems walking. Since this had been going on for a month or so, my doctor told me that I was no longer allowed to work, but I wasn’t on bed rest. Apparently bed rest would only make me gain weight faster (which I don’t need) and keep the progression of labor from happening (which I don’t need either). But on the other hand I obviously was on my feet and working too much, so she took me out of work, and is sending me to Brooks Rehab to help with my back pain. (I start the 29th at 7:45 in the morning!) I have been told that I’m not on bed rest, but I’m not allowed to work, so basically, I have to find the happy medium of staying active but not pushing myself so that my back hurts and my feet and legs are swollen.

I called my boss and told her right away and let her know that I’d be in the next morning to turn in my keys, cash drawer, and get all my paperwork in order. She was concerned but I told her my doctor said it was ok as long at I wasn’t actually “working” and was gone by lunch. My goal was to be out by noon, I was gone from work for the last time at 12:30 Thursday the 10th. Part of me was extremely relieved and felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of me, but another part of me was sad and still thinking about all the tings that I still needed to do at work. But, I’m not there, so technically, it’s not my problem anymore. But that’s not me, I don’t like relinquishing control. It gets easier every day not to think about it :)

Since I’ve been out of work almost a full week, I’ve felt a lot better. I’ve noticed that I apparently do know my limits because I don’t have the back pain anymore and the swelling in my feet and knees isn’t nearly as bad as it was while I was working. I’ve gotten to spend some time with the girls in my Sunday School class, ran some errands for Devin, spent the afternoon with Ashley and Anekah while they had pictures taken and Mandy (from church) came over today and painted Collin’s room (yes, AGAIN). I’ve been home everyday by 1:00 and been able to take a nap. We’ve saved money because I’m not eating out for lunch everyday (I’ve been really good about eating at home!) and (don’t laugh) we’ve planned out dinner for the next two weeks, so there is no question about what we will be having and I can start it before Devin gets home from work. In addition to all these GREAT perks to staying home, I’ve been able to devote the deserved time to my Beth Moore Bible study and reading. I have two books Devin and I got from Family Christian for $6, and three books my boss got me when I left work. Again, everyday gets easier and I’m pretty sure I can get used to this whole, not working thing.

In the coming weeks I’m looking forward to the Friday morning meetings with the girls in my Sunday School class, scrapbooking with them this weekend, my niece's birthday party (at our house) also this weekend, two baby showers for friends, and three for myself. Yes three. One from my wonderful friends from church, one from my sister-in-law for my family, and one from my great bank co-workers. Hopefully by that point, Collin will be ready to grace us with his presence :)

All in all, life is good. God has been working in my life in ways I could have never fathom before. Devin and I have never been happier. My friends have never been better. Although I’m still not one of those women who “loves being pregnant” I’m definitely loving this time in my life.

I’m Sorry, Do I Know You?

2009-09-03T17:58:00.001-04:00

As I am checking out at Old Navy today the woman wanted me to apply for a credit card to save 20% off my $20 purchase (what a savings right?). But wait there’s more! Not only would I get 20% off my purchase, I would get a tote bag, with a squirrel on it! So as I politely told the woman no(Who had already told me she was having a dyslexia type of day because she spelled Copeland with two P’s) she told me that I would want that tote to lug around all the baby stuff I would soon have. You know, because I’m pregnant and having a baby and all. Anyway, I again politely told her no thank you. She said OK and made a comment about how she thought she remembered asking me before and me saying no. While it is entirely possible that I declined a credit card before, I’m 99.9999999% sure I have never seen this woman before in my life and she has never been the one to offer me a card before. And the last time I was in Old Navy was back in May, before I went to Atlanta! Whatever. I just let it go so I could get out of there. As I swiped my card in the card machine she asked me credit or debit. I told her credit as I reached for my driver’s license. As I did so, she said “I know, I know you, but I just have to see it.” Seriously woman, I’ve never seen you before. I don’t want your credit card, and I am not going to get upset because you asked to see my ID. (Unless you are the woman at the Gate who authorized my gas purchase at the pump for more than $40, and now you are asking to see my ID for $1.81 of coffee and donuts! THEN obnoxiously discuss your daughters pregnancy and the price of cigarettes with the customer who is now in front of me… sorry that was just a side note!) I ask about a million people a day to see there ID, and I’ll fight with them in a second about the fact that I don’t know their name, they don’t know my name (even though I’m wearing a name tag) it’s protocol to protect their identity. Anyway, I think my point was that I didn’t know this woman, and she made it seem like she knew me. Yeah, that was it. Story over.

It’s Been Like 4 Hours…

2009-08-30T20:28:00.001-04:00

It’s only been like four hours since Devin left for L.A. and I miss him like he’s been gone all week. It’s been a really long time since he’s been gone for a week at a time. And even then, he would leave really early Monday morning and be home by 7 on Thursday, so I was only alone for two days. This times its going to be a full five days. :(

I was so distraught when he left that it was almost immediately that I called Dustin and Angela to see if they wanted to go to Target with me. They did :) Then we met my mom and my cousin for dinner at Sonny’s . MMM NUM! (That was for you, Ashley.) Now I’m going to clean, clean, clean. Well, I’m at least going to clean. That’s why I went to Target, to get some magic erasers (among other things) to do some REAL cleaning this week. So we’ll see how much I actually get done, and how late I stay up doing it.

The vacation already started out amazingly. Friday, right after work, I met up with some of the girls in my Sunday School class to have dinner at Chick-fil-A before the Beth Moore simulcast. That lasted until 10:30. Then we got up and were there from 9:00 – 1:30 Saturday, and finished the day off with lunch at Sonny’s. (I’m ALWAYS in the mood for Sonny’s now!) Today in church was the all praise and worship service. It couldn’t have landed on a more perfect Sunday. It really was the perfect ending to the weekend, which coincidentally was the perfect start to the week :)

Part of me wants this week to just fly by so Devin will be home with me again. But the other part of me wants this week to go by so slow (which is usually what happens when Devin is gone) because I’m on vacation and don’t want to go back to work! The first three days of vacation (I’m counting Friday night) have been great, since Brittany is coming over tomorrow, I have no doubt the first four days will be a success :) The rest of the week is a mystery.

It’s Five O'Clock Somewhere!

2009-08-27T17:00:00.000-04:00

So other than the fact that I get off at 5 tomorrow and I’m on my last vacation before I become a mother, this song really has no relevance to me because I don’t drink but every time I’m ready to go on vacation this song is is my head all-day-long! :)

It's Five O'Clock Somewhere

The sun is hot
And that old clock is moving slow
And so am I
The work day passes like molasses in winter time,
But it's July
I'm gettin' paid by the hour, and older by the minute
My boss just pushed me over the limit
I'd like to call him something
I think I'll just call it a day

Pour me something tall and strong
Make it a hurricane
Before I go insane
It's only half past 12
But, I don't care
It's 5 o'clock somewhere

Well this lunch break is gonna take all afternoon
And half the night
Tomorrow morning I know there'll be hell to pay
Hey! But, that's all right
Ain't had a day off now in over a year
My Jamaican vacation's gonna start right here
If the phone's for me you can tell 'em I just sailed away and..

Pour me something tall and strong
Make it a hurricane
Before I go insane
It's only half past 12
But, I don't care
It's 5 o'clock somewhere

I could pay off my tab
Pour myself in a cab
And be back to work before two:
At a moment like this
I can't help but wonder,
what would Jimmy Buffett do?

Funny you should ask that, Alan....
I'd say..
Pour me something tall and strong
Make it a hurricane
Before I go insane
It's only half past 12
But, I don't care
It's five O'clock somewhere.

Pour me something tall and strong
Make it a hurricane
Before I go insane
It's only half past 12
But, I don't care
He don't care
I don't care

It's five o'clock somewhere

Why Did I Want Chinese?

2009-08-26T21:09:00.001-04:00

It is a very rare occasion that I want Chinese food. But tonight after Devin got home from work we were watching Seinfeld and they were eating kung pow chicken. I don’t like kung pow chicken. But for some strange reason I felt like I could tolerate Chinese. Not just take-out Chinese, like the buffet. So we packed up and went to the China Buffet. Now I’m sitting here, watching Wipeout, wondering, “what was I thinking?”

The End.

444-4858 hu?

2009-08-22T17:45:00.001-04:00

Devin and I were on our way to Dustin and Angela’s house a few weeks ago. Sitting at the light on Collins to cross Blanding I noticed a sign that said “Erase Arrest Record” with a phone number. I laughed and asked Devin if this was similar to the “Erase Bad Credit” signs. Since that light has a tendency to last forever, read the other signs that were there too. “Get Gun Rights Back.” They were both on yellow signs and I noticed that you could call the same number to get your gun rights back as you could to erase your arrest record. Sort of like one stop shopping. We had a good little laugh about that too. THEN I read the white sign that was on the bottom. The classic credit repair sign I had joked about not 30 seconds earlier. So by calling 444-4858 you can erase your arrest record, get your gun rights back and repair your credit. Hmmmmm… really?

An Eventful Day

2009-08-19T22:00:00.001-04:00

When I pulled into work this morning there was a man standing at the front door to the bank. Normally this would not be anything different, he would pull at the door, it would be locked, he would look at the time on the door, with his hand still on the handle (because leaving your hand on the handle will make us open earlier) then realize it was way too early for him to be there, turn around and walk to his car. He would leave and I would continue opening the bank.

However… that’s not blog-worthy so it’s obviously not the case. This is the case: this guy is looking in the door, knocking on the window, seriously looking for someone and trying to get in. Well, I’m always very skeptical of anyone who is up at the ATM (which is right next to the front door) while I’m opening the bank, out of fear of being robbed. Well, I did as we are taught in the banking world, freaked out and called corporate security. Long story short, the police came so I could safely get into the bank (incase this guy was a creepy freak and had hijacked someone and took their uniform and had them in the back of the truck and was waiting to rob me as I open the bank). Apparently he was from a company that only comes out once a year, so I was completely justified in calling the police because I didn’t recognize him. I had four or five different people ranging from my boss, the local police, the market security guy, and the corporate security office call me after the fact to make sure everything was ok and assure me that I did the right thing.

Interesting start to the morning, the bank ended up opening a few minutes late because of my paranoid fiasco. Later that afternoon I had to leave for a doctors appointment. Originally the appointment was in Mandarin but they called to inform me I needed to go all the way to University because of reason XYZ. Whatever. I left Green Cove at 3:15 and got to the office at 4:05. I was close, the last appointment of the day, so I guess it was alright. In talking to my doctor, who I actually really like, I told her about my hip and back pain and she apologized for making me drive all the way to University from Green Cove then asked if I wanted to see the baby. Um, let me think about that for a second… YES! Since I was the last one there and drove an extra long way I got to see Collin again! So eventually I may get to post those pictures. So I now have pictures of Collin at 8 weeks, 19 weeks, and 29 weeks. YAY! It was so random and exciting.

After I left the office I went to meet Cheryl (who now works at my old office in Mandarin) and see some fun people. I love the Mandarin girls. They are awesome. Then Cheryl and I went to David’s Bridal, where I thought I was going to be paying for my bridesmaid dress that I tried on a few month ago (before I had a large Collin belly). But since another one of her bridesmaids is going to be very pregnant at the time of the wedding she is wearing a different dress. Since Collin is only going to be here for a few months, she was nice enough to ask if I wanted to wear the same dress. I opted for yes. This way I don’t have to stress as much about losing baby weight, and there will be two of the dresses in the wedding instead of just one. Thanks Cheryl for working some of your bridesmaids dresses around your pregnant friends :) We appreciate it! After the trip to David’s we had dinner at 5 Guys. YUMMY!

So all-in-all it was a very successful day. Called the police to be escorted into work, left early enough to miss the market team visit to the store (forgot to mention that earlier, eh, it’s pretty irrelevant to anyone else but me), made it to the doctor and got to see Collin instead of just hear his heartbeat, visited with the old store, ordered a bridesmaid dress and had dinner with one of my best friends. Now, it’s time for bed. :)

Gotta Roof Over My Head

2009-08-13T19:15:00.001-04:00

We’ve made some minor home improvements since we moved into our house 3 1/2 years ago. Wow. I can’t believe it’s been that long.

Painted every square inch of every wall
Installed new hardwood-ish floor
Put up a new fence
Installed a new A/C Unit (to a size that is appropriate for the house)
Built/Assembled the shed in the back yard
Got new lighting for the dinging room and kitchen … and the latest…
A NEW ROOF!

Now the next thing on the list is to either get new siding or paint the house. A blue-ish-grey (of course!)

Not to mention Devin has been working hard Sundays after church to make the garden in the front much prettier! It’s so much more, us.

Icing on the Kenny Chesney Cake

2009-08-08T13:37:00.001-04:00

I had been looking forward to the Kenny Chesney concert last night, literally for months. Needless to say, I was very excited last night when I was finally on my way there. I went with Janis and a few other girls. Janis has a bum knee and her doctor gave her a temporary handicap tag until November. SCORE! That means the best parking at any type of event, and little walking (which is always a plus, pregnant, bum knee or not!) So we pull into the parking garage by the arena and the people direct us to the handicap area. All the spots were already full. Darn. But one of the girls in the back seat spotted an open spot on the end of the isle, right next to the elevators (which we didn’t need!). We go to pull into in and there are a few girls (who obviously had been there for a while, and thought they were God’s gift to the concert) tailgating, or at least working on their ump-teenth beer. Anyway, as we turn the corner one girls jumps out of the back of the SUV, beer in hand, and with attitude, says, “the parking garage manager Jackie has approved this spot to be reserved.” All of us in the car look at each other and think “uh, yeah right” so we tell Janis to pull into the spot. This only ticked the girl off more than she already was when we pulled around the corner. I stayed in the car with Janis (who just wanted to move to another spot) while the other girls with us went to find this manager Jackie person. When our girls left, mean girl tells us, “You can park there, but I’m telling you, you’re going to get towed!” OH OK!. Seriously, when has it EVER been ok to “save” a parking spot. People will kill over spots at the mall on a Friday night, never mind Black Friday or a concert! So manager Jackie comes over and tells us we can park there and they don’t tow people like that. When he came over the mean girls story changed and told us that they were just trying to save it for a friend. RIIIIIIGHT.

Drama over time to boogie down! HAHA! When we get to our seats (which by the way were literally one row from the back lol) there was a group of 4 girls in front of us. But this group of girls was not like our group of girls. This group of girls, was more of a friendlier group. One was a very girlie girl (who actually kind of reminded me of a friend) and the others were, shall we say, a little more, um, butch? Yeah, and they were all over each other. Midway through Lady Antebellum a couple, an actual guy-girl couple, sat down next to them. We figured out that they all new each other. But the guy was not as friendly as the girl. They all had A LOT to drink before Kenny even came on. But by the time he did come on, the guy-girl girl was crying and upset about something. One of the lesbian girls fell into the row in front of them trying to console her. Long story short, the lesbians and the other girl (who we all assumed was a lesbian at one point, or was considering it in the future) cried and talked the whole time. I don’t know how they could have enjoyed the concert or what could have sparked something so dramatic. We thought the guy should run and never look back. But he was a dummy and stuck around then entire time. They all ended up leaving about an hour into Kenny’s performance.

Drama over… again! So we laughed about it for a while and enjoyed the rest of the concert that went on until 11:30ish. It was AWESOME, again. So as we are leaving I borrowed Janis’ phone to send a Bradley a text (I had left my phone in the car). So I’m doing the whole texting-walking thing. We opted to take the elevator like we did last year as opposed to hobbling down a billion stairs. Janis and I were the last ones to make it in. She got in first and I looked up from the phone just to make sure I didn’t run into the people standing in the elevator. I make it in and the door closes and I turned to Janis as she’s turning around to face the door and not the rear of the elevator. Typical elevator behavior. I forgot that at big events like that they have people designated to run the elevators and push the buttons. Well, when I looked at Janis as she turned around, the girl sitting on her little stool next to the buttons, was non other than my headache from the bank. YES! SHE was the one pushing the buttons. The one that we fired from the bank. I never thought she was capable to counting cash, or doing the complexly-simple teller transactions on the computer. Which is why it was SO IRONIC that she is now taking people up and down in an elevator. She’s pushing 1-2-3 for a living!!!! So apparently that whole lawsuit that got her unemployment pack pay and rehireable eligibility was BS! But it’s funny that we always said she needed a job that was very repetitive, like, bagging groceries or stocking shelves, and now she pushes 1-2-3 all night long. But that’s not really the best part.

Janis and I got off that elevator we were laughing so hard it was ridiculous. That was just the icing on the cake. First the parking situation. Then the drunk-drama-filled-lesbians. AND FINALLY HER! REALLY???? There was no one else I think would have appreciated the evening as much as Janis and I did.

Ah… good times. Good times. :)

FOUR YEARS!

2009-07-30T17:43:00.000-04:00

I can’t believe it’s been four years since Devin and I got married! I say that every year, but it seem so hard to believe that another year has gone by. We celebrated last night by going out to eat for All You Can Eat Crab Legs. It was SO GOOD! Devin got full before I did (that’s so sad!) so he was nice enough to keep cracking crab legs for me. We had talked about going for about three or four weeks so I was very excited when the time finally came for us to go. It’s our last anniversary before we have kids, that’s so crazy to think about. This time next year Collin will be 8 months old! YIKES!

Look at how skinny we were! I guess it’s true that you get comfortable with your spouse and put on some weight :) I’m glad that when I’m not pregnant Devin actually weighs more than me! Since we’ve been married we’ve had the opportunity to take several trips to other countries (on our many cruises!), finished college, bought a house, bought two cars, installed a fence, hardwood floors, new lights, and now have a baby on the way. Not bad for a couple 20-somethings, in my opinion.

-I love you Devin!

Something in the Water…

2009-07-29T21:31:00.001-04:00

Seriously, there is something in the water! I never thought that so many people I know would be pregnant at the same time as me. The joke in our Sunday School class is that we are the church growth plan.

Kristie – had Kelby in June

Linda – had Caitlin in June

Angela – having Dallas in September

Sara – having a boy in mid October

Me – having Collin in early November

Michelle A. – having a girl in mid November

Charish – having a Lucy or Kegan (I think) in mid November

Tara – having a boy in late November

Ally (some I used to go to church with) – having a boy in late November

Meagan – having twin boys in December (already pushed to mid November)

Ashley (someone I used to go to school with) – due in December

Amanda – due in January

Jennifer (someone I used to go to school with) – due in January

Crystal – due in February (she and her husband just finalized an adoption too!)

Michelle just announced she’s having a little Bean in late January!

Not to mention several of the girls I know from Angela’s Sunday School class who are pregnant/had their babies in the last six months. I can think of at least five. One of them being Julie, who also had a Collin! :)

Seriously, oh… my… goodness! WoW!

I’m Inspirational!

2009-07-28T17:50:00.001-04:00

Sporadically I’ll receive text messages from my BFFL Charish telling me how she just spent the last 5 minutes laughing her butt off or is now ticked off because she read something I wrote. I keep telling her she should blog because she’s all creative and whatnot and she’s got interesting stuff to write about. Well, today on my lunch break I got another text asking what she should name her blog. After a few suggestions, and pretty much being called retarded for those suggestions I made a few more, and one of them stuck! Find out which one, and find out the very odd birthday present her little brother wanted for his 13th birthday. Go read Charish’s Blog! (: We used to get a lot of work done together!