It's a...

I knew this time around I didn't want the sonogram lady telling us the gender of the baby, so I arrived at my appointment with my envelope in hand. I asked her not to tell me anything she saw, but to write it on the note card inside the envelope and seal it up with the sonogram inside. I got to see the baby and hear the heartbeat, and then she told me to close my eyes while she, "looked around." I had my doubts she would be able to see anything because last week "it" had its legs crossed and was not showing a thing. When she was done I asked if she could see anything and with a lot of confidence she said, "oh yeah." She folded up the sonogram picture and wrote the gender on a note card and sealed it. (Adam had to work and couldn't make this appointment.)

I left the doctors office and went straight to a florist in town. I left the envelope and the trunk with them. I ran a few errands while they filled the trunk with the appropriate balloons, and left the envelope with the proof in the bottom of the trunk  (The trunk belonged to Adam's great-somebody. I can't remember right this second and when I saw it a few weeks ago I knew I wanted to use it for the reveal.) It irritated me a little that I had been so confident about the gender all along. I hate know-it-alls, so I don't want to be one in this situation, but I knew with Reese she was a girl and I knew this one was a girl. I can't explain it, I just knew and it irritated me because I wanted to be surprised. About 2 weeks ago I told the sonogram lady that it was a girl, and she said she didn't see any reason that I was wrong. That irritated me even more because I did not want her to confirm my belief. I was just trying to make conversation with her. 

While we were waiting on our parents to arrive, Reese walked over to the trunk, pushed on it, and said, "sompin in there." I had already told her our surprise was in there. After it was all over she kept whining that she, "wanna go get my baby siser!" I am pretty sure she thought the baby was in the trunk. Bless her heart, I know she must have been disappointed when it was just pink balloons. 

Except no. No, she was not disappointed. She took those balloons and ran around all night. 

I love this picture of Adam checking out the proof. It's almost as if he can't believe it. He is officially going to live in a house filled with little girls. Bless him;) He said he wouldn't have it any other way. I can't tell you how many times I have already been asked if we are going to try again for a boy. I don't know the answer to that, but we are not at all disappointed with a second girl. I have said it before; Adam is not one of those men who has to have a son, and I love that Reese will have a sister. (My daddy on the other hand? As the balloons came out of the trunk, (and I quote) "we ain't never gonna get a boy.") 

So the funny part was that I had my sister take pictures with my camera because I thought for sure she was up for the challenge. Good thing my mother made the picture of us seeing the balloons in the trunk for the first time because my camera now holds pictures of before opening the trunk, and then Reese running around with the balloons afterward. HAHA. 

Reese cast her vote for a "bruder" and I confidently cast mine for a girl. Adam and Jolie also voted for a girl, and I think MeeMaw voted for a girl. 

And the majority was wrong. 

High Falls

After the torrential downpour Friday night, we decided we should take Reese to High Falls. So after church Sunday we packed up and headed out. And by "packed up" I mean I packed a backpack with snacks because I was under the impression that it was a several mile journey, and mamma ain't goin' nowhere without a snack. I haven't been to High Falls in years, so my memory was a little fuzzy about the distance. It only took about 15 minutes to get there. 

There was a time when I was like 7 that I begged my parents to take me on a trail near our house called Odum Scout Trail. I distinctly remember being told that we would walk the trail when I was big enough that my daddy didn't have to carry me. That was exactly the story I told Adam as, God bless his soul (and legs), he carried Reese all the way to High Falls and back.  

It was when we got to the point that the water was over the trail and we had to get mid-shin deep that Reese got scared and wanted to go home. Adam was smart enough to wear his old shoes and shorts. Me? Not so much. My friends, it was COLD. 

 But it was all worth it because the scenery was beautiful.

 Reese finally got over being scared and wanted to play and throw sticks in the water.

Her daddy has taught her how to show her muscles.

When we left we told her we could go get an Icee, but she had to close her eyes and take a nap. She finished her Capri Sun with her eyes closed and then finally pretended to be asleep for so long that she actually did fall asleep.

I feel like it is safe to say that there won't be much more trail walking until she is old enough her daddy doesn't have to carry her. 

My gift arrived

I love boots. To me, boots are the epitome of a hard working man's man. I equally adore painted little girl toenails. 

When my Mother's Day gift arrived yesterday via UPS (if you missed my previous post, it was a camera lens) I knew exactly what had to happen before the sun went down. I HAD to have this picture. It makes my heart so happy. 

Dear Adam, 

Thank you so much for my gift. I am way more excited about it than I should admit. Favorite. gift. of. all. time. (Besides my engagement ring, of course. But it's a close, close second.)

Mother's Day 2013/ 14 weeks

Sundays are always fun at our house. It usually begins with Reese not wanting to get into the tub, then she doesn't want to get out of the tub. This is quickly followed by the argument that she can't wear her pajamas to church, then she doesn't like the dress I have picked out. By the time we arrive at church, Jesus is not happy with some of the thoughts I have had. 

Mother's Day was no different. She didn't want to give me my gift, then she didn't want to take a bath, then she HATED the dress I had picked out because "it too tight!" Of course all of this was topped off by her final act of Mother's Day rebellion: she did not want to have her picture made. If there was one thing I wanted for Mother's Day it was one good picture with my little precious. Two year olds really are a force to be reckoned with, but y'all know I adore her for all of her quirky little ways, and the fact that I probably acted the exact same way when I was 2. 

She is the greatest surprise that I have ever received. I know for a fact that God was laughing the day I found out I was pregnant with her and almost blacked out, then cried for several days. It wasn't that I didn't want a baby, it was that I didn't think I wanted a baby at that exact time. I was so wrong. She's my favorite thing of all time. Being the mamma is WAY more work that I would have ever thought, but it is also WAY better than I ever thought. (And WAY WAY WAY more tiring than I thought.) I love that at this phase in her life she LOVES her mamma, wants to fall asleep with me in her bed with her face touching mine, she wants me to read her a "slow story" (which means she wants one that takes a long time to read), she wants me to "hold juuuuu," she wants us to match (either our nail polish or clothes or whatever- she wants us to look alike), she wakes up during the night and wants "just a wittle bit of mook" (which I am sure will rot her teeth out), gets so excited when I tell her that daddy just pulled up in the driveway, and never wants to spend the night anywhere but in her bed (I know once she does spend the night away it will probably turn into a constant thing, so I'm going to enjoy this). 

She finally brought me my card Sunday morning (with a printed off receipt of a camera lens I had asked for that should be shipped between May 14-17) and said, "Happy Moder's Day. You da best ma-ie in whole world." All that prompted by her daddy of course.  I told Adam when she grows up all she is going to remember is giving me some paper for Mother's Day because every year I get a receipt of something to come; I'm not complaining because it is usually a massage or something of the sort. 

 This was where she refused to have her picture made.

During the Mother's Day program at church, they read a poem that talked about the last time your kids do things and how the mother would have cherished those moments if she would have known it would have been the last time. I had to start thinking about other things while it was read because I was THIS close to the ugly cry. I tried to find it so y'all could cry with me, but to no avail. Trust me, it's one of those things that would make the Tin Man cry. 

And in other news, there was this big milestone this weekend. 

I'm delighted to say that we are officially past the point of previous miscarriage, and after next week I will go to the doctor on a normal 4 week schedule. Since the baby will be over 16 weeks next week, we hopefully will have the big gender reveal. I can't believe we are already at that point, but we are. Adam and I still feel like it is a girl. Reese still says it's a boy. A boy is fine with me because I think Adam needs a fishing buddy for the long run in life (because let's face it, if Reese is anything like her mamma, she will not be touching a nasty worm), but I also think Reese needs a sister for the long run in life because who else is she going to talk about me to when I get old and senile?? So what I mean is either way is fine with us.

And just for funzies a little comparison. I sighed loudly when I saw this picture from my pregnancy with Reese. I never got back into those jeans after Reese, much less wearing them at 14 weeks preggers this time. They still hang in my closet as if there is hope left in their life. Note to self: put those in the yard sale pile. 

Yesterday's sonogram. 

Hand

And then he turned 30!

Adam gave me very strict orders to NOT throw him a birthday party. Under no circumstances was I to plan a celebration of any kind, so there is no party to tell you about. Only dinner at Yume and his favorite cheesecake that he shared with his favorite girls.

It all started like this

All week I asked Reese what she wanted to do for daddy's birthday, "I want boons." So we had balloons and took him his favorite breakfast of cinnamon rolls in bed. Then he, "got up an kicked 30's booty." Which means that he wasn't going to let turning 30 get the best of him, and he spent the better part of the day cutting grass and trimming the shrubs just to show 30 that he still had it in him.

I did at little Q and A and this is the insight I got into turning 30:

So it's your birthday. The big one. 3-0. What do you want to do on your big day?
I want to sleep until 7:00 and get up and go ramble around in town without a bunch of huffing and puffing from you.
(By " town" he means Ashland and Lineville. And I never huff and puff (except when he says, "I'll be back in just a little bit" and 4 hours later I have to hunt him down because I'm the queen of worrying myself right into a scenario where he is laying on the side of the road after a terrible accident and needing help.)

How do you feel about turning 30?
Glad to be here. There were times I didn't think I'd make it this far. Hopefully I can continue to bring sexy back in my thirties like I did in my twenties. My twenties will never forget me and me them. 

What would you say are the 5 biggest moments of the past 30 years?
Getting my driver's license, getting to live out my childhood dream of being a firefighter, meeting and marrying you, the birth of our girl, and the day George Jones died. 
(Well, sure. George Jones would make the list.)

If you could change 2 things about the past 30 years, what would they be?
1. Be nicer to my peeps when I was young. Reese has made me realize what torture I put them through. (Y'all, she is only 2. He ain't seen nothing yet. He didn't have a sister or anything like that, so he has no idea how bad this could potentially get during her teenage years.)
2. Rent instead of buying when we first got married. That should be a law. (I realize that goes against everything people tell you to do. They tell you to buy for the investment and blah blah blah. What they forgot to tell us was that a recession was about to hit and the value of our house was going down the drain.)
(I only ask for 2 but I got 3.)
3. I wish I would have never eaten chili and gotten sick that time. To this day I can't force myself to eat it, and it looks so good. 
(And personally I wish he would have never seen that roach in his tea at Shoney's. I adore their hot fudge cake, but noooooooooo. We can't eat there. He claims he saw a roach in his tea when he was 6 and still hasn't forgotten it.)

What are some things you would tell Reese to do before she turns 30?
Travel. Enjoy yourself. Once you settle down and find the next best thing to Mr. Right ( as your daddy, I'm the one and only Mr. Right), things change.  They change for the better, it will just be a different kind of better. 
(What? The way he worded that didn't exactly sound like it was "a different kind of better.")

At 30 what are your favorite things to do during your free time?
Watch Little Einstein's and eat Popsicles. And rest so my food can digest. 
(Now I can't decide if he is turning 3 or 93.)

What are some things you hope to do before turning 40?
Build a house. 
(Ughhhhh. That was me loudly complaining about this because we have remodeled 2 previous houses, so I know exactly how life consuming this process is. Plus we have 1.5 children now, so it will be twice as bad.)

And that concluded our interview. He is a vault of knowledge don't you agree?

I got a remote for my camera so we could make pictures as a family. Of course, Reese wanted to be in charge of pressing the button. These are the pictures I got

She was serious about pointing it in the right direction. 

Later that afternoon we had dinner with his people. 

Can you really turn 30 without the restaurant singing to you? 

....

And every time these two get together I worry about what he is going to teach her that I don't approve of.

We went home for his favorite cheesecake and to blow out the candles. 

This list is from 2 years ago, but all of these still hold true.

Happy 30th Birthday! You have made my life so much more fun than it ever would have been without you.

13 weeks/ this weekend

I was going wait to post these pictures until I felt "safe" about the whole pregnancy, which will be somewhere around the day he/she is born, but I couldn't keep her face in this one to myself. Worst picture ever of me, but Reese? I can't stop laughing. I wasn't turned exactly right so you can't even see the baby bump so I made the executive decision to cut myself out.

The baby is really a little over 14 weeks, but I decided I'd document according to the official weeks. 

Sonogram from yesterday. 

Legs 

At church yesterday I got a comment that I haven't gotten before. Once you've had a baby you know the routine. People will tell you how they knew you were pregnant because your face has gotten bigger, or your hips have gotten wider etc. etc. But just when I thought I had heard it all someone told me, "well I knew you sure were looking pale." Adam had to duck his head behind Reese so she couldn't see him laughing. I mentally slapped her (and him) right across the face. (I'm just kidding. I didn't mentally slap anyone.) What happened to people just saying, "Congratulations" and then talking about your new physique when you walk away? Dr. Ballard has currently banned me from any sort of exercise, so I feel like the side of an extra large house. It is all a very pleasant experience. Hopefully, if we can get past this week, I will be allowed to do light exercise. I have also been banned from picking Reese up. Yeah, I bet you can guess how well that has gone.  

Saturday morning she looked at me after I had picked her up when she asked me to and said, "I love my ma-ie." I was still thinking about how sweet that was when on the way home from church Sunday I was getting on to her for something (I can't even remember what) and, I kid you not, she told me to "chill out Ma-ie." What?? When did she turn 13? 

On a completely unrelated note, Adam made me 2 very lovely lounge chairs last year. This is the current condition of Dixie's favorite chair. I can't stop laughing at that leg hanging off the edge. If it weren't for moments like this, I would have given her away a long time ago. I have a love/hate relationship with her. It's mostly love until she breaks my chairs and digs up my flowers. Plus she is the friendliest big dog of all time. 

I wanted a fierce yard dog to keep the bad people away, which is exactly why we had to buy Autie 2 years later. 

As you can clearly see, she is the ferocious guard dog that protects the plantation. 

Friday night Adam and I went with Big Daddy and D.D. to hear Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall. I would be willing to bet that everything they said was hilarious, but due to the worst acoustics ever I barely heard a word. There was a highly detailed plan that had been tweaked throughout the week for Reese to spend the night with Aunt "Heada," Clay, and Jolie. I left her without any meltdowns, which was more than I could have ever hoped for. Around bedtime she started asking for me, so "Heada" told her I was on my way. She fell asleep, but every time she woke up she asked for me. After some discussion we decided we'd rather go get her on our way home than at 3:00 in the morning when she woke up hysterical. Plus "Heada" told her we were coming and she didn't want to lie to her. She is such a push over.  In a tragic turn of events we left without her "bunny ravit." Sunday night at 8:00 we had to make the haul over to The Delta to pick it up. She fell asleep within 5 minutes of getting her hands on that rabbit.