The First Four Months

On Thanksgiving, Abby will be four months old! Crazy. That means about four months ago we went to the hospital per my doctor's advice and got sent back home. And somewhere between the McDonald's drive through line and our house I gave the hospital the biggest mental black look ever given because things were beginning to happen for real. I ate approximately 3.5 chicken nuggets, paced around the house until we had ruts in the hardwood, prayed my head off, and told Jared it was time to go for real. Back to the hospital we went a couple hours later. I had traded in the belly punches and rib kicks for the pain of back labor. I then bowed at the feet of modern medicine as the anesthesiologist asked, "how's the pain now?" and all I could do was giggle. Less than four hours later, the pain was forgotten as I held a pink 7 pound 3 oz little bundle of baby girl in my arms.

No but seriously - I don't remember the pain. God's mechanism for ensuring that people will have more than one baby if they so desire.

The number of emotions felt and the lessons I've learned since July 27 are innumerable.

We worried the first few days because Abby would drink a few ounces and pass out. Shouldn't she be eating more? Is that enough for a newborn? And a couple weeks later I was wondering how on God's green earth a small baby could be eating as much as she was. If only she could eat a hamburger. That would keep her full longer. I'm kidding. But really.

I have learned that there is no such thing as "too many baby clothes." Just ask the hamper. And ask the days where we have both changed our clothes multiple times.

We've learned that people are full of their own advice and stories and recommendations, but they simply aren't a mom or dad to your little one. "Your three week old isn't on a schedule and sleeping through the night and bilingual? Well this is what I did..." And that's fantastic. But truthfully, mom and dad know best. Smiling and nodding is an acceptable response.

Once we got out of brand new newborn stage, I started regaining my sanity and feeling like a normal person that chooses to live in yoga pants and t-shirts. I also learned how to do everything left-handed and mastered the art of one-handed eating. I've eaten far more Ramen than I care to admit with my left hand, an art I never considered mastering before motherhood. Steak? Cereal? Sandwich? Only one hand available? Challenge accepted.

I've felt excitement over sleeping an entire night and a touch of disappointment when my baby alarm clock goes off at 2:30 am the following morning. I've fought sleep sitting in the chair in the nursery and then am magically wide awake when I'm back snuggled into our bed. How does that happen?

I've watched adults, women and manly men alike, melt into a puddle of awws in the face of Abby, especially now that she hands out smiles so freely. I love watching grown people mirror the face of a baby - sticking their tongues out, opening their eyes wide and furrowing their eyebrows as they mimic our little girl.

I've composed compelling ballads to encourage and/or discourage any imaginable bodily function. The album will be hitting iTunes next summer. Watch out, Taylor Swift.

I've learned the value of a mom's group (S+S shoutout) in maintaining sanity. Your baby likes to party at 4:00 am too? You're also on onesie number four for the day? Your hair is also falling out at an unbelievable rate? Nothing like solidarity between new moms!

Recently though, I've just been amazed at watching Abby grow. She can sit up really well in her Bumbo seat and she holds on to it like she's riding a mechanical bull. She smiles at Jared and me when we walk in to a room. She's started giggling and it's the most joyful sound ever. She holds up her head when she's laying on her belly and she can roll on to her back, but only when I'm not watching. She chatters to us all day long and sometimes sounds like she's saying "hi!" and other times just says "eer-o-wut."  She squeals with joy when she sees Milo and she makes faces at his breath. It's okay buddy, we all have bad breath sometimes.

The dishes pile up (dear people of the world, never ever ever take your dishwasher for granted), the laundry eats the corner of our bedroom, Netflix accusingly asks me if I'm still watching Gilmore Girls as I serve as a human mattress because some days that's just how things go. Why yes I am, Netflix, so you just keep on trucking.

I can't believe how fast our little Abigail is growing and developing and learning. Our good days far outnumber our bad days and I wouldn't trade any of them for anything.

Abby's birthday and today!

Sometimes...

...you wish you had a video camera. Because sometimes, your day seems like the things sitcoms are made of.

Imagine that your sweet baby fell asleep while eating, so she's curled up against you on top of the soft pillow on your lap. She wakes up after a time and you know that your baby likes to "sit" after she naps, so you prop her up in the corner of the couch. She looks around, stares at the fan, coos and smiles at you. Suddenly, her expression changes and you brace yourself for what is to come.

Sometimes, your baby's diaper defies all logic and physics. Sometimes you find that the contents of what should be in said diaper is in fact not in the diaper at all.

(I'll spare you the details. Use your imagination.)

So you ask your baby, "Hey um baby? How exactly did that happen?" And because she's a baby, she'll just smile at you. You commence clean up: quickly wipe the worst of it off the couch, carry the baby to her changing table and use all the wipes ever created, take off the onesie, replace diaper and onesie, and lay her in her crib. You stand at the bathroom sink, scrubbing and soaking, soaking and scrubbing, until the worst of the stains are gone and you can place the defiled items in the sunshine to dry. Of course while you're standing at the sink, your other child - the 100 pound one that is covered in fur - is trying his darndest to help you clean the couch. Because that's what dogs do. Onesie in the sink and head in the hallway, you say, "Hey Milo! Milo?! Milo, get in here!!" and then you peek in the nursery and see your baby happily kicking away in her crib. You know she has to feel better. The evidence, after all, is on the couch.

Sometimes you then have to take the couch cushion outside to clean and bake in the sun (because sometimes it's that bad) while your baby sits in her car seat on the driveway and watches you. You get it as clean as you guess it's going to get and begin to move everything back inside. While opening the door, you realize that you've walked through a spider web. Simultaneously your baby is less happy as she realizes that she'd rather be eating than watching you scrub a couch cushion. You can't blame her. You ignore the spider web, put away your cleaning supplies, and settle back in on the other couch - the clean one with all the cushions - to feed your baby.

Sometimes about thirty minutes will pass by and you feel something tickle your arm. You know that your baby girl likes to sleepily run her fingers along your arm, so you look down to soak in the adorableness. Instead of cute baby fingers, you see a spider. That's usually not as cute as baby fingers. Your mind flashes back to the spider web that you walked through previously and you revel in the fact that this spider has been crawling on you for a half hour. Wow, that's fantastic!

You stealthily fling your hand around, sending your new friend on to your half-made grocery list.You swiftly and with the grace of a super ninja stand up to save yourself and your previously-sleeping baby from this vicious being.

Then you may consider taking a picture so that you can show your doctor the life-sucking spider that tried to eat your arm.

Your baby is now sitting in her swing staring at her mom, wondering, "What on earth could Mom be doing with those two pens?" Why, Mom is using them as spider-killing chopsticks, of course, dear.

Sometimes you leave the spider dead on the floor for your husband to clean up. Because he likes that sometimes.

And then, you're exhausted. You settle back in on the couch that now has one less cushion but definitely no spiders. You wonder what on earth just happened. Your dog continues to lick the couch and your baby wishes she had your pen chopstick ninja skills. And you laugh, amazed at how much uproar this tiny little human can create.

You realize that without this tiny human, your afternoon would have been nowhere near as exciting as it turned out to be. Odds are good you wouldn't have been scrubbing a cushion in the driveway and you definitely wouldn't have been viciously attacked by a man-eating spider.

Lastly and most importantly, you realize that you wouldn't have it any other way, because being a mom is seriously the best thing ever, even with your new adventures in cleaning.

End scene. Roll credits. :)

Baby Blair!

Let's pretend like it hasn't been several months (8 or so?) since my last post...oops! Life got busy after that, and here we are now, impatiently awaiting the arrival of our little girl!

I've been more than blessed during my pregnancy. I've known women and talked to women that experience all sorts of problems during the time they are carrying their little ones. I dealt with the usual morning (and noon and night, some days) sickness until shortly after Christmas. Since then, symptoms have been fairly easy to manage. Also, being a teacher is about the best profession for someone expecting a baby in July. The hard part definitely started when school was over. Perfect timing!

This Sunday is my due date! I can't even begin believe that she's been baking for nine entire months. Perhaps Abby will be prompt and arrive exactly on her due date. If not, we know that we will definitely have her sometime next week...doctor's orders!!

Jared has been a saint and has been so helpful. Luckily for me, he's a better cook than I am, and has taken charge of our meals on many occasions these last nine months! He's done so much around the house and has taken wonderful care of me. He's going to be a fantastic dad! We are celebrating our second wedding anniversary Monday, July 28. Marrying him was a good idea!

Since my favorite thing to do right now is sit on the couch, I figured I'd use the opportunity to post some pictures from throughout our little journey. It's funny how nine months can seem like an eternity some days, but it's nothing in the scheme of things!

From 15 weeks to 39 weeks - hello, bump!

Abby's profile view from sometime in the beginning of May :)

Some decorations and artwork in the nursery!

Abby will be so stylish! :)

Jared bought himself a diaper bag! And our Boppy pillow.

Dad painted an "Abby" sign for the nursery, and Kathy gave us a cute giraffe picture with spaces for Abby's birth stats!

And last but not least, a Milo for good measure - already practicing guard dog duty by the crib!

So there you have it! Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive during our pregnancy. We can't wait to meet our little girl, and I can't wait to share her with all of our family and friends! Please keep us in your prayers over the next several days!

My Mary Kay Weekend!

Wow, what a fabulous weekend we had at Myrtle Beach! It was our Mary Kay Fall Retreat and I'm so glad I made the decision to attend. It was a weekend of learning, fellowship, worship, the BEACH...it was just fantastic!

before our beach relay Saturday morning!

One of the main things I took away from this weekend is how Mary Kay isn't for me. It's for everyone that we are able to reach with it. Don't think I'm crazy - I saw it with my own eyes. :) During our worship service Sunday morning, several directors shared poster board testimonies of what God has done through their businesses. Women that had dealt with abuse, depression, family problems, you name it - so many incredible stories of finding the Lord and realizing their gifts through their sisters in MK!

Joining Mary Kay is a $100 decision. Think about the last thing you spent $100 on - maybe you were at Walmart. How long did your purchase last you? Did you make wonderful new friends from it? Were you encouraged by Walmart daily after you spent your money there? Were you able to go back to Walmart anytime after that and receive a $50 discount on everything you bought? Did they offer you jewelry and bags and other wonderful prizes just for shopping with them?

I didn't think so. :)

lovely unit ladies!

I started my Mary Kay business in February. Since then, I've recruited four great ladies and through sales and recruits have been able to supplement our incomes and take some pressure off of college loans. The extra money and 50% discount on great products has been wonderful, but Mary Kay is so much more than that!

After moving to Wilkesboro, I was having trouble finding new friends. As I got more involved in Mary Kay, I plugged more and more numbers into my cell phone and now I truly enjoy talking to these new friends on a daily basis. If you don't have Godly women encouraging you daily and friends that are excited about being part of your life, we need to talk!

up on stage, winning some prizes for being a Red Jacket!

I've been blessed to always have fabulous coworkers and to never have workplace drama. I think I fall into a minority there, however, as I've talked to many people (women, especially) that just don't get along with their coworkers. Did you know that Mary Kay allows you to pick your own coworkers? It's also incredible to be in a room full of women that are genuinely supportive of each other.

My sales director, Lesley, and National Sales Director, Somer!

A teammate of mine told me recently that joining Mary Kay was an answered prayer in her life. I didn't answer her prayer - God did. He used my MK business as a way to reach out to her and I'm loving watching her grow, both in her faith and in her business! She's doing incredible things for her family!

I want you to think about a couple things. Do you enjoy your life as it is right this second? Do you ever find yourself with more month than money? Do you need to surround yourself with sisters in Christ? Are you making an impact on other women that need an incredible opportunity in their lives?

Could you see yourself driving a free car? (That's just a bonus, hehe!)

I'd love to sit down and talk with you even more about the Mary Kay opportunity. But first, one last question...

What do you have to lose?

An Ode to the Commode

I realize that an ode is a song, and I have not written a song. So, I apologize for the misleading title.

If you have been to our little house, you've witnessed the 70's-chic bathrooms that we have. The hallway bathroom is very yellow. Bathtub, counter, toilet, all covered in mustard. The master bathroom is yellow/green/brown/orange and...beautiful...? Such are the joys of a rental house! They function (now!) and do what they need to do, but don't quite compliment the pretty blue and brown towels that we registered for and were graciously given as wedding gifts.

The hallway bathroom's toilet hasn't worked correctly since we moved in. Odds are good that it was the original toilet installed when the house was built. It was a very temperamental toilet and seemed to have a mind of its own - "What? A piece of toilet paper? Let's overflow." Seriously. Every flush was a risk. It didn't just overflow a little, either.

It was also mustard yellow with a wooden lid/seat. Pretty.

But! It completely bit the dust a couple days ago. Jared tried everything he could, but just couldn't make it work right. We called the realty company, they called the landlord, the landlord called the plumber, and said they would come Monday. I was sitting on the couch busying myself on Pinterest and a couple of guys walked up on the back deck. My mind flashed to the P90x cardio workout where you punch and block and kick (I could easily defend myself against any weak person) but I didn't need to punch anybody. Hello, plumbers!

I was standing at the sink doing dishes and watching the front yard. Jared was sitting in the living room and said, "Well, there goes the toilet." Um, what? I looked back out the window, and there was our mustard toilet. Laying down in the grass. It looked sad, and it had met its demise.

I was glad that they took the toilet with them. I wasn't excited about a new lawn decoration.

To spare you the gory details...we got a new toilet! And guess what?

It's white!

I was afraid when they were working and relocated that basket that sits right above the toilet safely to our bedroom. I said, "Let me get this out of your way!" but really meant, "I don't want all of my perfume/hairspray/trusty blue hairbrush/Mary Kay" in the toilet. You know how it goes.

Welcome to the 21st century, hallway bathroom!

Disc Golf Monday

Monday is Jared's day off during the week, and yesterday was his first whole day off that he's had in the past couple of weeks! VBS ate up his day off last week, so we thought we'd do something fun together yesterday. Jared loves disc golf, so we went to the Highland Hills Disc Golf course in North Wilkesboro.

And whoa, my Rainbows were a bad choice! We had so much fun, but neither of us had on good shoes for the course. We weren't quite expecting the rough terrain and all the hills.

Every disc golf course I've been to (grand total: 1) was fairly flat, in a wide open field. It never occurred to me that disc golf would require spiked hiking boots, but perhaps I will be investing in some!

The steep hill to get to the first tee!

On the first hole, we learned that one of Jared's throws equals about 3 of mine. He might be a little stronger than me ;)

The sign says - "Hole #3 - up hill." I think they just spelled "mountain" wrong. Don't let the steps fool you - they stopped about halfway up and we were on the top of the mountain by the time it was all said and done!

There was a pretty stream on the course! I took a break on holes like this one, for fear that I would toss my disc into the stream and Jared would break a leg trying to get it out for me. Just looking out for him, of course.

Me and my hiking Rainbows on one of the bridges over the stream

A hanging basket!

Thank you, Bojangle's!

I didn't play on hole 16, either. It was conveniently located beside these huge things that were covered in "WARNING - HIGH VOLTAGE" signs. It became painfully obvious that I need disc-aiming practice, and I didn't feel like getting shocked yesterday. Or...ever.

Jared's best shot! Good job, hubby!

My best shot. Not even kidding - it lodged straight in to the log, which was easily 15 feet off course. It's okay to be impressed.

We had so much fun sweating and sliding down hills together. We were about to go to bed last night and we were discussing how fun the course was, and Jared said, "Next, we have to try the one in Ashe County!" He did that course once, and said it's not quite as intense as the Highland Hills course. Still, I think I'll be finding some hiking spikes for my flip flops :) I love taking new adventures together!

Gluten, what?

I haven't posted in forever! Or three months. Something like that.

The last month of school was crazy busy, and then we had VBS (which was FANTASTIC!) and here we are today, recovering from the awesome week we had at VBS.

I decided to write this evening as I am on a quest for advice :)

Jared and I were watching Dr. Oz the other day - great start to any story, right? - and he was discussing gluten intolerance/allergy/sensitivity. Jared said, "Sometimes I think that's what your problem is." I have had problems with my stomach for the past couple of years, and have recently started taking a medicine that has helped a LOT. I still have some minor issues, though, and we figured it must have to do with my diet...or lack thereof, if we're honest.

This is coming from the girl that should have been born Italian. As I write this, I think about the delicious bowl of pasta that I finished eating just a short time ago. What would have made that pasta better, you ask? Garlic bread, of course!

See my problem?

As I was stuffing pasta in my face, Jared and I decided that maybe doing a trial gluten-free (or low gluten, at the very least) diet for a month could help us decide if that's part of my problem. Just for kicks, we started researching (read: Googling) gluten-free diets and the foods that you should eat when trying to avoid gluten. Not even kidding, the author of the website should have just written: "Avoid the Beth Blair diet at all costs." Pasta, breads, crackers, cookies, all listed as violators...and all my favorites. No good.

So I looked at the next best thing - Pinterest! Searching "gluten-free recipes" brought up some images that closely resembled cardboard and they just made me sad.

So my question: Does anyone reading this partake in a gluten-free diet? Or have you tried any good gluten-free recipes? If anyone could point me towards a good resource for recipe ideas that don't look like packing materials, I would appreciate it a lot, and it would make our gluten-free trial diet a lot more fun!