Just So We're Clear

In a previous post, about the new baby in our lives, I mentioned that the process was sometimes grueling. Now, I am sure that the female readers took it the way it was written. It was a long and grueling process emotionally. Apparently, I was not as clear as I thought I was to my male readers. As Zac so kindly pointed out, it sounded like I meant the act was grueling. Sorry if that is TMI. No honey, that isn't what I meant. I tried to explain to him that most women would see it as emotional. Maybe some didn't. That is why I want to clarify the statement. Just so we are ALL clear, it was a long emotional process. There, happy now.

It's a Family Tradition

Is it just me or is it totally time for the holidays? I am super stoked about Thanksgiving and Christmas this year for some reason. Last year, eh, not so much. This year, Yes Please!! I'm not sure why but I am SO EXCITED! It makes me feel like a kid again. Maybe its the whole preggo thing. Not sure. I just thought I might share some traditions our family has for the holidays. Everybody has so many different ways they celebrate and traditions they do. Its interesting to me to see what else everybody else does. So, if your feeling froggy, post a few of your own.



Thanksgiving:

On my moms side we all go over to my Granny's on Thanksgiving day for lunch and we normally stay for dinner too. When I say all, I literally mean ALL the family. All my aunts, uncles, cousins, cousins children, cousins boyfriend or girlfriend at the time. My mom has 3 other sisters and a brother. My Uncle Jerry and his family they live in Augusta so we don't see them much. But everybody else is there.

We have your normal (what we call normal anyway) Thanksgiving feast. Smoked and fried turkey, my Mom's sweet potato casserole (the kind with brown sugar topping not marshmallow), dressing my Granny makes, my Nae-Nae's potato salad (yes potato salad. we have it at every family event), Cindy's hashbrown casserole, Aunt Dean's mac-n-cheese, green beans of some sort, deviled eggs, my Granny's homemade rolls (I just drooled thinking about them), and my favorite...cranberry sauce from a can.

We all eat then sit around and go through all the sales papers. My mom, granny, and aunts plan out their Black Friday expedition. They go every year. They leave at like 5 am and are normally gone until dark. Not me. I can't stand Black Friday. Too many people and the sales aren't really that great in my opinion. Of course, this year the UA vs AU game is on Friday AFTER THANKSGIVING. I mean really who does that? That is a whole other post. Saturday we will put up all the Christmas decor. Zac loves this part because he gets to go in the attic. He just loves the attic.


Christmas: This was a couple of years ago. Just setting the table. Not everything is there yet.



On Christmas Eve we spend it with my dad's side of the family. We do your normal, everyday, eating and presents. We draw names for all the kids and the adults play Dirty Santa. This year should be extra exciting since certain people aren't talking to certain people and those people really aren't sure why said people aren't talking to them. Plus we have had TONS of drama this past year. Looking forward to it. Should be loads of family togetherness.

On Christmas Day, Zac and I will get up and go to my parents for presents and breakfast. My mom and dad always cook a great breakfast Christmas morning. This year will be super great because we will have Carter. Babies make Christmas so much more fun! (Then next year I'll have my own!) After that we all get ready and go to my Granny's for lunch. We eat the usual Christmas feast. This time we have ham and turkey. Everybody will get stuffed and we go open presents. After presents everybody will more than likely eat again. Then Christmas is over. Sad day. We will all head home to play with our new gifts and relax.

But yea Thanksgiving and Christmas!!!! I can't wait!

Mele Kalikimaka!

I have totally just cheated on Thanksgiving and I am ashamed!! I just couldn't help myself. Oh Bing Crosby White Christmas how I've missed you so!

I am taking a cue from Tabitha. Here is my, probably one and only, Christmas savings post. We were in Best Buy yesterday looking for Christmas gifts and I came across the Christmas music section. I was super stoked! I noticed that they had the Bing Crosby White Christmas CD. It was 6.99. I thought, well, I'll just get it on iTunes its probably the same price. Get on iTunes this morning....$9.99. Some of the songs individually were $1.29! Seriously, iTunes? I mean, I know you have the MP3 market on lock down but jeez! What happened to "all the songs are .99"? So I head on over to BestBuy.com just to double check the price again. At Best Buy online all the Christmas music is on SALE!! The Bing CD....$4.99!! And you can just go pick it up at the store! (Side Note: Please beware though some CDs are not better deals. Do some shopping on both sites to find the best deal.) If you have a Best Buy close to you that rocks! If you don't and just need an excuse to get out of the office for an hour, that rocks too! Even if you have to have it shipped its only like $1.89 or something like that. Totally worth it in my opinion. Take that iTunes! In your face!! Now that is the Christmas Spirit!

On my way back from Best Buy this afternoon I just HAD to pop in the Bing CD to just get a preview of Christmas. Of course, as I'm listening to the beginning of Silent Night, my air conditioner is on because it's 75 outside. That album just takes me back to Christmas as a kid. Every year after it came out my Mom would put in the tape and we would listen to it as we were decorating the house. We listened to it on our way to my Granny's for Christmas Day. We listened to it all the time! I loved it though. I didn't care how much it was played. Every song seems to bring some sort of Christmas memory. Then I get to the very last song. Mele Kalikimaka. Then I have visions of Clark Griswold standing in his kitchen day dreaming about the pool he is going to get with his bonus check. Ahhh. Its Christmas!

BUT NOT BEFORE THANKSGIVING!!! Its really Christmas AFTER November 26th! I will not listen to an entire Christmas song until then. That is on My Five Things List!

Oh Baby Baby!

So here is the post you've all been waiting for! Well, maybe not all of you. It has been a while since my last post and I am deeply sorry. A lot going on here lately! The only time I feel like doing anything is at night and when I get home from work I am exhausted so I have neglected by blog lately. But I have caught up on all my favorite TV shows!

As you all have heard by now, Zac and I will have our first little bundle of joy in June. It was a long and sometimes grueling process but we finally made it. It took us over a year. When it seems that everyone around you can get pregnant but you, it is really tough. I had some great people to fall back on. My family (the ones who knew) were good at helping us and my good friend Lauren from high school was going through the same thing. Little did we know 7 years ago during our high school dance team days we would be having these conversations. Lauren helped me so much more than I think she or I realized at the time. She was such a good support system even though we only talked through email. We both understood each others pains and frustrations. She was one step ahead of me in the infertility treatment stage so she would tell me about it and I would feel better because I knew there was another step to take. Unfortunately for Lauren and her husband they have not succeeded yet. They have taken a break for now so hopefully it will happen for them soon. If you read Lauren's blog you know the story. I just wanted to tell her part in our story. Thank you Lauren for all you helped me with!

At this point I am 10 weeks. I have had 2 ultrasounds and we got to hear the heart beat each time. I am told this is a good sign but not out of the deep water until 12 or 13 weeks. We just pray about it and hope this is God's plan. If it isn't we will deal with it when or if that point occurs.

I was sick to begin with but my doctor changed my prenatal vitamins and they seem to help a lot. I haven't been sick since I got the new ones. Well, sick like I was before. All signs point to it being a girl but as Lisa says I am her friend so it should be a boy. The Chinese Birth calendar says girl. At least the one I've seen. Zac saw one that says boy so that is the one he is going by even though he says we aren't Chinese so it doesn't count. My dad did the string on a pencil thing and it said girl too. Of course, people tell me all kinds of crazy stuff so we will just have to wait and see. I am hoping to have an early ultrasound so we can find out before Christmas. My doctor will only do the one where we are supposed to find out at 20 weeks but she told me we could pay to have one done early at 15 weeks. We will either do that or go to Virginia College and let them do it there. They have a sonography department and they will do it for free. I know several people who have had it done so i would feel comfortable with it. I am just ready to find out. I feel like I can't do anything until we know what it is. No name picking, no registry stuff, no buying anything. Good things come to those who wait I guess.

So, needless to say our lives are really changing over the next 18 years I guess. The only thing that scares me is changing too much. Not like how our lives will change but how I will change as a person. I just don't want to change that. I know a lot of people who just turn into crazy people after they have kids. God help me! I do have medicine for being crazy though. I'll just still take that and maybe that will help. Ok I guess that is enough rambling for now. More to come though. I'm sure as I have thoughts about things there will be more but until then.....