I Got to Meet Pioneer Woman

It has been 8 months since I have written a word on this blog of mine, but due to issues that came up in my pregnancy I just got out of the mood and habit.  Fast forward through these several months and we now have a happy, healthy baby boy.  We welcomed Max Alexander on August 2 and our lives have never been the same.  These have been the most amazing 31/2 months.  One day I may go back and fill you in.

I have been reading Pioneer Woman's blog for several years and watching her Food Network show since it first came on.  I have also attempted to make a lot of her recipes, most of which turned out pretty good.  So when I saw she was doing a book signed tour for her new Holiday cookbook I thought I would see if there would be one within easy driving distance.  I was thinking I would probably have to go to Tulsa.  I was so shocked to see that she was coming to the WalMart in  Rogers.  I was so excited that I would only have to go about 25 minutes to see her.  I immediately told my mom that she was coming and we made plans to be there.

She was scheduled to be there yesterday morning at 11:00.  I thought we would be just fine if we were there by 10:00, which miraculously we were.  I went in and bought my cookbook and there she was already signed books and meeting fans.  The line seemed calm and not too long, until I realized where the end was.



We happily got at the end of the line with my one cookbook.  I thought we would be out of there in an hour, two tops.  I saw other people with huge stacks of books to be signed.  I also saw that people were getting other books besides her brand new one signed so I sent Mike to find one of her Charlie books for Max.  I also picked up her second cookbook along the way.

It didn't take long to realize we were going to be waiting a lot longer than anticipated.  My mom waited in line the whole time while Mike and I would occasionally take Max out of the line to look around.  Max did so well and charmed the people around us in line.  It's amazing how standing in long lines will help you make friends with the people you are standing by.  We were in front of a retired teacher who has a grandson just a few days younger than Max.  A girl behind her spent several months doing an internship at Disney World that we got to hear all about.  I also saw a local blogger that I read, but I was too shy to go up and talk to her.  I did meet another blogger, The Park Wife completely by accident.  She was so sweet and kind to Max. (I wish I had taken his picture with her.)  I sent her an email later to let her know how much I appreciated that.

A big surprise was that my cousin's wife, Melissa, was there.  She drove 3 hours to do some shopping and see Pioneer Woman.  We got to visit with her a little bit.





Finally, after over four hours of winding through women's pajamas, underwear, and socks we got to meet Pioneer Woman and her husband Ladd, AKA Marlboro Man.  They were both so sweet and personable.  I don't know if I could be that nice after signing my name for hours on end.  My little Max definitely stole the show.  They both talked to Max and asked how old he was.  We made a lot of memories and have something to show for our time there.  I was so awe-struck at getting to meet her, but it was more like a quick chat with a friend than meeting a stranger.  Thanks Ree for coming to Arkansas!




She even stopped and made her husband look at Max.  He told her that she could take Max home with her.

15 Weeks

I have had this post ready for several days, but keep forgetting to post it.  It's almost time for my next post.  I am going to go ahead and post this so I can remember this week.




How far along? 15 weeks last Monday (2-25-13)

Baby's size? About 4 inches, which is about the size of an apple.  He or she weighs about 2 1/2 ounces.

Gender?  We don't know yet.  Our ultrasound is scheduled for March 25, but we aren't gong to find out until our gender reveal party the first weekend in April.

Names: Max Alexander if it's a boy.  Max is after my granddad and Alexander is Mike's middle name and is his grandfather's name.  If it's a girl, her name will be Anna Grace.  We just really like that name.

Maternity clothes?  I have actually lost weight this past month so most of my regular clothes still fit.  I do love my maternity jeans, though.  They are so comfortable.

Stretch marks? Not yet and I am definitely not looking forward to getting any.

Movement? Not yet, but I can't wait until I can feel the baby kicking!

Sleep?  I sleep good probably 5 nights per week.  I don't sleep so good 2 nights.  I have to get up to go to the bathroom or I can't get comfortable enough to sleep.

Food Aversions? I didn't have any specific aversions this week, but food in general wasn't really appealing.

Food Cravings? I didn't have any cravings.  I just tried to eat enough to get full.  Food isn't really my friend.

Best moment of the past week? Getting to hear the baby's heartbeat again.  That is the best sound in the world right now and our reassurance the baby is still there since we have been able to see him/her yet.

Miss anything? I miss feeling normal.  The nausea is still hanging around.  I miss being able to get ready for school without the incessant gagging that has been going on.

Have you started to show?  Not really.

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off?  I haven't started swelling yet so thankfully I can still wear them.  I am hoping I will be able to wear them for quite a while longer.

Happy or moody most of the time? I am really happy about this baby and can't wait until he/she gets here.  However, I am pretty moody when I don't feel well, which is usually in the morning or in the evening.  I am thankful I feel pretty good at school most of the time.

What are you looking forward to?  I am looking forward to getting to go the Rhea Lana consignment
sale this weekend and getting thinks for the baby!

On a side note, I really think that Sadie senses that something is going on with me.  I have woken up a couple nights this weeks to her laying on my stomach kneading it with her paws.  I don't know if it's love or jealousy, but I think she knows things are about to change.



Mike was able to snap this picture of our little kitty.

14 Weeks

It snowed today!  We got out of school an hour early.  I think we were all excited about that.  This is the first snow I have seen this winter.  I know Arkansas got snow on Christmas, but we were enjoying the Florida sunshine then!  It is done snowing now, but they are calling for more wintry precipitation tonight.  That is supposed to be mostly freezing rain.  Yuck!  Who know if we will be back in school tomorrow.  I just pray that the electricity doesn't go out.

I am going to try to start doing weekly posts about the pregnancy so I can have a record of it to look back on since I'm sure I won't remember all these details later.



How far along? 14 weeks this past Monday

Baby's size? About 3 1/2 inches, which is about the size of a lemon.  He or she weighs about 1 1/2 ounces.

Gender?  We don't know yet.  We will have our ultrasound at 20 weeks, but aren't gong to find out until our gender reveal party.

Names: Max Alexander if it's a boy and Anna Grace if it's a girl.

Maternity clothes?  I haven't really gained any weight, but I bought my first pair of maternity jeans this past weekend.  My other jeans still fit, but put a little pressure on my stomach/waist that just wasn't comfortable.  I am still able to wear all my other clothes.

Stretch marks? Not yet and I am definitely not looking forward to getting any.

Movement? Not yet, but I can't wait until I can feel the baby kicking!

Sleep?  For the most part I am still sleeping really good.  I only have to get up to go to the bathroom occasionally.  I love my Boppy Prenatal Total Body Pillow.  It really makes me a lot more comfortable at night.  I have noticed that I change positions when I sleep a lot more than I used to.

Food Aversions? I found out this past week that our baby does not like Taco Bell at all.  Also, I don't think it is a big fan of McDonald's chicken nuggets.

Food Cravings? This week I really craved Mexican food.  Taco Bell didn't work out, but we went to a more authentic place and my craving was temporarily satisfied.  My appetite has gone down the past several weeks.  I am hungry more often, but it doesn't take much to fill me up.

Best moment of the past week? It has been so fun to tell everyone.  We just put the announcement on Facebook last week after showing it to everyone that we could in person.  We also had a lot of fun starting our registry at Target.  My mom came for a visit and got to go to Target with us.

Miss anything? Now that I'm pregnant I miss living closer to family.  I'm a lot more sentimental now, that's for sure.

Have you started to show?  Not really.

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off?  I haven't started swelling yet so thankfully I can still wear them.  I am hoping I will be able to wear them for quite a while longer.

Happy or moody most of the time? I have been really happy most of the time.  Every once in a while I start feeling overwhelmed and become more snappy than I need to be.  The pregnancy has brought a lot of excitement and joy to our family so I want to focus on that.

What are you looking forward to?  We go back to the doctor next Monday.  I look forward to getting the reassurance that everything is good with our tiny blessing.

Guess What??!!

I know that things have been quiet on the blog front for the past several months, but I have big news to share.



We are so excited!!!  We had been trying for several months.  I had a feeling that I should take a pregnancy test.  So I did and I got my first positive on December 11, 2012.  I waited a few days and got my second positive on December 14, 2012.



We took off for our Christmas vacation at Disney World.  This trip was really fun and we found ourselves talking about what our trips would be like with our baby.

We won't have an ultrasound until April, but we did get to hear the heartbeat for the first time on January 29, 2013.  There is no way to describe the feeling of hearing your baby's heartbeat.  That was the first proof we had that let us know there was a little baby there.

I posted the above picture on Facebook to announce our pregnancy on Monday, February 11, 2013.  We didn't post on Facebook until we had let our family and close friends know.  It has been so fun to see everyone's reaction.  I think a lot of people were beginning to wonder when we were going to have kids.  It has only taken us 5 1/2 years!

I feel so lucky that I haven't really had morning sickness.  There has been a lot of nausea, but nothing much worse than that.  I am also really tired, but I do realize I could be feeling so much worse.  I am very thankful for that.

Note:  Sorry for all the dates and less than appealing details, but I really want to document this pregnancy before I forget everything.

Happy New Year!

I don't know what has gotten into me and why I have been such a slacker on the blog.  We have been busy, but not terribly so.  We settled into our school routine.  Mike loves his job this year.  I am so thankful he found this job and really seems to enjoy it!  The after school program he is working at can be a little tiring because he works until 6:30 Monday through Thursday, which makes it around 7:00 before he gets home.

I am enjoying my job, but the traveling adds a whole new challenge to my day.  I like both schools, but look forward to only being at one school again.  The fall semester always seems so busy with football season, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

We went to Chicago again for Thanksgiving with my extended family.  We made a stop in St. Louis on the way and really enjoyed the zoo there.  For the third year in a row we spent Christmas at Disney World, which we all enjoy.  We tried to relax as much as possible, and came back more rested than we ever have.

We have made it back to Fayetteville and haven even managed to get all of our Christmas decorations down and put away.  I wishing you all a very happy and blessed 2013.