Did I Make You Cry on Christmas? (Well You Deserved It!)

Zach and I always really, really look forward to listening to Christmas music each year. We make ourselves wait until the day after Thanksgiving and then we indulge almost non-stop until Christmas is over. Nevertheless, I always forget that there are a few songs that I loathe. I'd list the ones I love, but there are far too many. Let me just whine about these. And I'm not putting artists' names because any version is terrible.

Least Favorite Christmas Songs:

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Feliz Navidad
Wonderful Christmas Time
Happy X-Mas (War is Over)
Christmas Shoes

Bah-humbug.

Before You Were Born

I was waiting to post again until I had some definitive news on how the baby was doing. Let me give you the fun background drama first...

I dropped Owen off at the dear Lott's house and then headed for the ultrasound last Tuesday. After waiting for an hour, the ultrasound technician takes me in and starts taking measurements. But, I can't see the screen. I had told her we didn't want to know the sex, so I thought maybe that was making her hesitant regarding letting me see MY baby. So after about 45 minutes, I ask to see the baby and she shows me the screen for all of about 3 minutes. Very disappointing, but at least I got to see the baby for a bit. Then, at the end of the ultrasound, I say, "So is the baby measuring small?" She says, "We're not allowed to get involved. You'll have to speak to your medical provider." That's when my heart dropped and I thought, "Insufficient Placenta! Emergency C-Section! Ahhhhh!" and other rational pregnant lady thoughts. This technician and I had been chit-chatting the whole time, so I figured any decent person would be like, "We're not allowed to talk about it, but don't worry," and give a little wink or something.

Anyway, I'll fast forward through the crying in the car on the phone to Zach, crying in the Lott's house, and crying more at home and skip to the part when Zach discovers this is simply their stupid policy: don't tell anything. I called the midwife the next day and she said she didn't have the report yet, but they would have called her right away if something was wrong. She called me today with the report in hand and said the baby is measuring for January 11th and looks perfectly fine. She said, "You must just carry small and hide the baby," which of course I knew the whole time - I've done this pregnancy thing before - but you know, these people keep messing with my head!

That's the update on that. Let's not talk about it anymore. One more thing: Zach is amazing. When I got home that night and was so upset he said, "What do you need?" I, in my pathetic, self-pitying state, said I just wanted to cry but he fed and put Owen to bed while I took a bath, and then he ran out and got dinner. It was very restorative.
In other news, Thanksgiving was great! We had great food and fun at the Manning's house and then went hiking with them the next day. We attempted a few family shots for Christmas cards this year, so I won't post any potentials. That way you'll get the full effect when you open up that envelope. Here are the cousins:

There was a lovely waterfall.

And the best part was the snow!


One last thing, the slipcover is complete! It turned out much better than I thought. We're going to add some buttons to the top, but otherwise it's hemmed and all set. Not bad for our first attempt at a big sewing project, and most importantly, we can take it off and wash it!

BEFORE

AFTER

Size Too Small

Hello everyone!

I know I've been slack on the pregnancy updates, but I will say that I feel great and we're already preparing everything for the next little tike to come along. We are craigslist pros and have picked up a dresser for the baby. Presently, we're making a slipcover because Zach and I are both proficient at sewing. No, that wasn't it. We're making it because we need it. Someone who is apparently covered in peanut butter at all times has been getting his grubby hands all over everything.
We had a midwife appointment today, since we're at the every two week point (!!!). While I feel like I'm HUGE and have gained a lot of weight, I'm apparently measuring small for my due date. Tomorrow we'll have an ultrasound to "make sure the baby's still growing." This is not surprising to me, as the exact same thing happened with Owen. Remember, he was a little peanut at 5 pounds 13 ounces. Nevertheless, I hate hearing that everything's not absolutely perfect regarding the health of the baby, so even though I'm hopeful that things are fine, I'm a little saddened at the news. With Owen, my amniotic fluid level was low at about this stage in the game, so I was put on "moderated bed rest" in which I was told to rest and drink water all day. This worked well enough. I'm curious if it's a matter of fluid levels again, or if the baby was just in a weird position when she was measuring me. I guess we'll find out more tomorrow.

In any case, I'm glad to be done working! Last week was quite literally my last week, and now I get to use Owen's naps for napping or updating the old blogsky, rather than working. Plus this allows my nesting to continue to take the strange shape it has appeared in (again, the slipcover?). Here's a belly picture for you.
Really guys, small? Also, note the half-covered chair behind me. We're getting close!

Fall into November

Fall time is so delightful.

On the last Saturday in October, we went to Underwood Farms with the Mannings.
There were corn mazes, tractor rides, pony rides, and of course, pumpkins for everyone.


And now, Thanksgiving has come and gone! We once again celebrated with the Mannings and had a delicious meal. The next day, we went to Mt. Baldy and hiked to a waterfall. The kids got to play in snow which was great fun.

Our computer is jam-packed, and until we get a bigger external hard drive, I'm afraid the pictures will be slow coming. But I did want to at least get these pictures up because they are so very autumnal.

End of October

Hi friends!

We're back from our big trip to the Carolinas and had a great time. It was so fun to see our family and get to walk around our old haunts at Clemson. Owen did great on the plane ride(s). He took a nap on each one, which is such a help when you're flying across the country.

We stayed with my parents first and got to hang out with Jason and family for a couple of days. We saw the neighbors' horses and goats and went to the playground and Duke Gardens.

Owen loving on his Gramma.

At the Duke Gardens
Mocking the picture taken of the Manning kids running down the hill. It would have been funnier if it didn't turn out so dang cute.

On the way down further South, we stayed with Gordean and had a lovely visit with them.Owen loved riding on the John Deere with his Daddy.

Then it was on to South Carolina. We got to be there for Hunter's field trip to a pumpkin patch and Ashton's Veggie Tale Birthday Extravaganza.
It was so fun to see the boys together.
Queenie took on the four grandsons, by herself, so we could go to the Clemson game. We had a great time!

I'm Still Remembering

Does this new page style make you feel like you're losing your eyesight? Yeah, me too.

As you may recall, I tried to capture some of the fun summer memories made as lots of family came out to visit. My sister Rachel and her family were living on the ranch for a whole month, which was amazing! We didn't know if it would work out, and it seemed like a crazy dream that we had concocted, but then it really happened. It was such a special time to get to spend time with Rachel on a daily basis for an extended amount of time, rather than trying to cram a bunch of things into a short weekend visit.

One of the highlights of the visit was our trip to the Cicada Club, a vintage-style restaurant/dance club in downtown LA. We got dressed up in our best 1940s duds and had a great time eating and dancing.


The artist of the evening was Louis Prima, Jr. Perhaps you have heard of his father?
Adam and Rachel, looking adorable
Owen did quite well with baby Cole.

Rachel and Adam discovered a local farm where you can pick your own fruits and vegetables, and there are tons of animals and attractions for kids. Owen and I have been back multiple times. Thanks Rach!

Boys playing on the train

Brauns racing up the haystacks
Ethan and Owen getting a ride

The night before the Brauns' month-long stay came to an end, we had everyone over for one last dinner.
It was great to see the cousins together one more time.

Of course, there are lots more pictures and fun times, including bonfires, hiking, lots of beach trips and so forth. But there's a little taste for you!

Hey Baby

Congratulations Manning Family! Avery Lee Manning was born on 9/18 and is such a pretty girl!

So two weeks ago we went on a nice hike with the Mannings in order to encourage their fourth baby out.


And then a week later, bam, a baby!
We were so glad that we were able to watch the kids while Joel, Steph, and Avery were in the hospital. We even took the whole crew to Sunday School and church with us. It was exciting. We really tuckered the kids out and had a lot of fun.

Pictures of You

Oh dear. Has it really been a month? Well folks, for the past three weeks I've worked every day, so that's gotta be worth something. Anyway, time for a long overdue report on the Baby! I am 21 weeks along - more than halfway - and feel great. My appetite is up, up, up and the 15 pounds I've gained thus far prove it.

My belly definitely popped out in a big way, but it makes sense since it's housing an active, growing baby in there. This baby is busy! Owen used to get really rowdy at night, but Baby #2 is a mover and a shaker throughout the day. Baby's strong enough for Zach to feel him or her moving, which is nice since then I don't feel like it's all in my head. We had an ultrasound two weeks ago and everything looked great. The technician really took her time, and both Zach and Owen got to be there, so it was quite special. No, we didn't find out the sex, but feel free to make a random guess like I do every couple of days. I've been reading birthing books as much as possible because I love the whole process and I'm getting really excited. Lots of great granola stuff like Birthing from Within, Instinctive Birthing, and Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth. Don't even get me started on birth stories and theories because I will not stop. Seriously. Just ask Zach.

Fortunately, I won't start now as we've got a big Labor Day extravaganza coming up. We're going on a big road trip (which we love) and will get to see some friends and go camping. But, I will leave you with some delightful pictures before departing. Some are even helpfully labeled for your viewing pleasure. This one with the hands just kills me. Sweet baby.Note the dark abyss next to the knee, containing...well, we don't know.