A sweet moment

Wow! It has been ages since I've updated this here blog. My bad. 

Mother's Day is this Sunday but it came early for me today. As Brennan and I were walking through our neighborhood park he reached up for my hand. HE WANTED TO HOLD MY HAND! This is monumental for him. He hasn't held our hands since he began walking around Halloween. My heart swelled and so did my tears. I couldn't hold back the waterworks as I thanked him for holding my hand. It was one of the sweetest moments of motherhood. It only lasted for about a minute but it was magical.  

Being his mom is the greatest gift and honor that I have along with being Evan's wife. I love my boys more than I knew was possible. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to spend my days with Brennan. 

Love in action

My mom amazes me.  She always has but now that I'm a mother I've been reflecting on her life and her love like never before.  I want to be more like her.  The obstacles and trials she has conquered in this life are heartbreaking but because of the grace and gratitude she has for her life, trials included, it is transformed into beauty.  I'm so grateful for her optimism and her selfless service.  She looks for the beauty in people and all things and because she is always seeking the good, she finds it.  We joke that she has the word "sucker" tattooed on her forehead because wherever she goes (restaurants, grocery stores, the gym, etc.) someone seeks her out for help with something (locating a restroom, asking if a certain food is good, wondering how to remove a stain from a shirt...)  When I was little I thought everyone talked to strangers in public places but now that I'm older and see that it isn't so I've come to learn that people feel love from her and therefore feel comfortable asking for her help.

Recently I was amazed by the amount of love and service my mom so freely and happily gave to friends and family in just ONE day!  Her day began at 6am feeding her animals and giving them their medicine (insulin to her diabetic cat and medicine to her epileptic dog), she then went to my brother's house.  He was leaving for work early and his wife was out of town so she went to wake up the kids, feed them breakfast and get them off to daycare.  Then she was off to clean an elderly woman's home (she was being paid to do this but she didn't want to take the job in the first place but she did because the woman needed her help).  Next she came to my house to help me get the nursery organized for a couple of hours.  When she left my house she was headed home to rest but when I called her to ask a question she was at her friend's house who was feeling ill and didn't want to be alone.  Once her friend began to feel better my mom went home to shower and rest from her looooong day, it was 8pm at this point.  She managed to shower but as she got out her phone was ringing.  It was my sister who was on her way to the ER with her 2 year old who had busted his face open at his great grandma's house.  She was calling to ask my mom to pick up her 4 year old from the ER so my sister and her husband could stay with their little guy.  So of course she was quickly on her way to pick up her 4 year old granddaughter to get her home to bathe her and get her to bed.  She waited up for my sister and her family to get home.  She managed to get home at 3:30am and get to bed only to wake up in 2 hours to take care of her pets and head back to my brother's to help with his kids again.  She had the day off but instead of going home to sleep she insisted on coming to my house to spend 4 hours helping me to further organize the nursery.  She is amazing!!!  A mother's work is never finished I suppose.  I hope that I can somehow be the kind of mother my mom has been to me.  I love her more than words could ever express!

Pregnancy dreams are random

I've had some wild and crazy dreams since I've been "with child" but last night's is definitely worth sharing!  I went to an out of town football game with a lot of family but Evan couldn't make it.  As we made our way home we had a layover in Atlanta and somehow my first flight wasn't with the rest of my family but my flight back to Tally was so I just needed to find them at the gate so we could all fly home together.  I managed to get lost in the airport and while trying to find my way I bumped into Lance Bass (from 'N Sync) and Brian Littrell (from the Backstreet Boys) who offered to give me a ride to the correct terminal.   I get in a car with them outside, Lance is driving, I'm in the passenger seat and Brian is in the back.  I tell them that I hope they don't mind but I really need to update my Facebook status so that everyone knows that Lance Bass and Brian Littrell are giving me a ride to catch my flight (I'm even a big dork in my dreams, dang!).  Then Lance tells me to look up his latest work on youtube as an extra in exercise videos.  I think to myself, your boy Justin sure has made it in Hollywood and you're in exercise videos!?!  Then I wake up because I need to tinkle.  Too bad.  It was just getting interesting!  The best part was even though my baby daddy wasn't there I wasn't crazy excited about being with these former pop stars, no nerves, no butterflies.  I suppose my 13 year old self would be really disappointed...  

April Fool's Day

So it may be one of my favorite holidays now. Not because I love practical jokes (oh but I do love a good practical joke) but because it is the day our lives changed in the best possible way. I awoke that morning with a nagging in my mind and in my heart. I had been looking forward to and dreading this day for the last month. While my heart hoped for one outcome my mind prepared me for another.

I knew it was too soon to take a home pregnancy test (I had a blood test scheduled that morning) but I thought a negative would prepare me for the news I'd receive later that day. So I went ahead and took a test, put it down and left the room. I had tried watching and waiting in the past but seeing a negative develop before my eyes was like a gut punch, it was just easier to see after the fact. I went back into the bathroom and saw the word "Pregnant" on the screen. I gasped and looked again. I ran and jumped onto my sleeping husband as I shouted those words I had been longing to exclaim, "I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant!" He awoke immediately and said something like, "You're pregnant, that's great" and then he quickly followed with, "Babe, are you ok? Why are you crying? I thought you said you ARE pregnant." I was so elated that I was smiling and crying and giggling all at the same time. I never knew I could feel so much happiness from peeing on a stick ;) Our lives changed that morning and it is the most welcomed change we've experienced.

I drove to the doctor's office as I'd done so frequently in the recent months, checked in and waited for the nurse to call me to the back. I felt like I was on top of the world armed with the knowledge of the results from the home pregnancy test however I knew I needed the number value of the blood test to make sure it was a viable pregnancy. The hours seemed to drag by that day as I waited for the afternoon call with my results and sure enough, my number was high enough to confirm a pregnancy but I'd need to return on Monday (this was a Friday) for follow-up blood work to make sure my numbers were still increasing. Longest weekend of my life. I went back in on Monday and didn't receive my results until Tuesday late-morning. My numbers had quadrupled and they only needed to double to confirm the pregnancy. More elation!!!

So a couple of funny stories from Evan from this April Fool's Day go a little something like this...

When I got off the phone with the doctor's office with my positive results he says, "Man, getting that fake pregnancy test was the easy part, I just can't believe I got the nurses to go along with my April Fool's Day prank!" For a second my heart dropped but then I remembered who was saying this, my silly and always sarcastic husband. He had a little twinkle in his eye and I knew he was thrilled.

After he left for work that night he called and said, "Babe, I'm dying to tell my co-workers, please, can I tell them?" We decided we'd wait to tell family (besides my mom who knew when my appointment was and therefore had to know) until the second round of blood work came back positive and we wouldn't tell everyone else until after my first trimester. I encouraged Evan to keep our good news a secret but told him that he could decide what to do. He told them right away. Sorry family and friends, he was just too excited!!! I can't blame him for that :)

I can't wait to share my journey through this pregnancy and possibly some of the curves and bumps and steep mountains that led us to this point in our lives. One thing is for sure, we are so grateful to our Heavenly Father for this blessing of a sweet baby and His tender mercies all along the way. This is one loved little guy and we can't wait to meet him!

Just Chillin'

This experience was just too funny to keep to myself. I was out and about running errands today and I decided to call E and see what he was up to at home. He answered with "Hello" and then I proceeded to chat away and ask the normal string of questions, "How are you? What are you doing? Where are you? What are you doing today?" To which he replied, "Just chillin'" to every single question. I thought he was being his normal joke-ster self until I heard random utterances and then I realized he had answered his phone in his sleep. I guess he is pretty chill in his sleep...

I can't wait to tell him when he wakes up!!!

Fat Tuesday

Well, today is Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday (the day Lent begins) which means Easter is just around the corner. I grew up Catholic and we would choose something we loved to abstain from during the Lenten season. I usually gave up chocolate and some years I would give up chocolate and soda. This really isn't a religion lesson. I was just thinking that it's no wonder during the 3 hours I was shopping today that no dresses fit me: it's FAT Tuesday!!! Maybe I'll have more luck tomorrow...

Also, to save you from potential embarrassment, don't worry if people are walking around with black smudges on their foreheads tomorrow.

And the winner is...

Evan for "The trendiest"

& Karley for "The comfiest"

When Evan & I saw each other this evening for the first time today I noticed the stark contrast in our attire. I wore sweats and bright pink crocs (technically they are CVS brand "Doggies") all day and he wore his amazing little ensemble. These 2 photos pretty much sum up our fashion philosophies!