Will at 2 months

My William, you are growing so fast it is making your Mommy's head spin. It seems like it was just a few days ago that we met:

I promise, those are happy tears! (I'm not one of those girls who are pretty when they cry!)

Could I have another tube or wire in my hand, please? I don't think I had enough there.

Then we took you home and started our family adventure. I love this picture, even though it's blurry. Look at that pink, precious baby!

Now at 2 months, my William, you:

• are 13 pounds, 5 ounces, and 23 1/4 inches long. That's between 75-90th percentile in weight (big boy!) and 50th percentile in height. You are a very healthy baby!
• are immunized against diptheria, tetanus & pertussis (DTAP), polio, and Hib (an influenza). You received Pentacel at your 8 weeks appointment, which is a combination vaccine -- only 1 shot! The doctors wanted to give you more immunizations, but your parents prefer to spread them out a bit, so we're going back in 2 weeks for the rest of your 2 months' vaccinations. The doctors weren't happy with Mommy and Daddy, but oh well. You're OUR child and we felt strongly against loading you up with too much vaccine, too early in your life. Anyway, you lived up to your name of Champion in taking that shot -- you made a complaint sound but you didn't even cry! Mommy was all prepared to nurse you for comfort but you didn't even need it. You felt better as soon as the nurse handed you back to Daddy, then you began looking around the room again with your usual curiosity! Daddy and I giggled in awe of our tough little dude.
• have quite the collection of nicknames. Mommy likes to call you Will-Baby, Doodle, Bubba, Bubby, and Little Dude. Daddy calls you Babies and Champ/Champy. We both call you Puppy and Punkin. Most of the time in conversation with other adults, though, we'll call you William or Will.
• are wearing some 3-6 months clothes, especially t-shirt onesies and sleepers. You are also wearing size 2 Pampers, although your parents are going to try to squeeze you into the remaining size 1's we have about the house, because we're frugal that way. Bad Mommy and Daddy.
• have the most startling blue-gray eyes:
• have a best friend. His name is "Paci." When we first brought you home, you were all about the Soothies, but once introduced to this particular pacifier, you won't take anything else now. In fact, you spit out every other type of pacifier as though they offend you! Mommy can't find a duplicate of Paci anywhere, so if Paci should be lost to us, Mommy and Daddy will be, quite simply, up a creek!!!
• have a pro for a Daddy. This is Mommy's new favorite picture (and yes, that's Paci in Daddy's mouth, being gripped by Paci's handle, of course):
• are a seasoned traveler. We took you to Lake Michigan at St. Joseph, where Nana and Pa-Pa always took Mommy and her sisters when they were growing up. This was a very special occasion for your Mommy, who used to walk along this beach and dream of one day having a little baby!
• have attended your first birthday party, your cousin Elijah's 3rd birthday (dinosaur-themed). You are fascinated by your cousins and fought sleep in order to keep watching them. You weren't too fond of the party hat that Mommy forced on you, though:
• have watched your first regular season NFL game with Daddy. This was a big deal for Daddy, who put you in your Saints jersey for the first time! (Don't tell Daddy, but I think you're secretly a bigger Colts fan.)
• have had your first non-milk food item -- pear juice! You've been going a long time in-between poopies (you'll hate me one day for telling other people this), so Dr. Terry recommended we give you some pear juice to encourage things along. You had 3 ounces of juice -- which you really liked -- and just a couple hours later, SUCCESS!
• are getting almost 5 hours of sleep at your longest stretch during the nights. I can't even tell you how pleased this makes Mommy!!! We're getting there, and pretty soon, you'll get 6-7 hours at a time and your parents will remember what it's like to get a full night's sleep.
• are "talking" all the time. You love to coo and gurgle at us, and when I get you out of your cradle in the mornings, you now break into a grin so wide you have to move your head to get out all that happiness. It absolutely melts your Mommy's heart that you're so happy to see me.

I love you, my Will-Baby!

Indiana wants me, Round 2

As I type this, Marty is watching the preseason football game between the Colts and Eagles, and I have to confess, I'm not all that interested in preseason stuff -- it just doesn't count, you know? But when the game came on and Fox showed footage of Indy's downtown and our beautiful new football stadium (which we've toured!), I got more than a wee bit wistful and homesick for my hometown. I never knew how much I loved Indianapolis until I moved away. I have nothing against Tennessee, but it's just not home. And there's nothing like having a baby that makes a girl want HOME!

We hadn't planned on making another trip with Will until he was a little bit older, but we decided to take a different tack with things so I can have the benefit of going home without exhausting our little one. Marty and Will and I will be traveling up to Indy tomorrow, and then Marty will drive back to Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, leaving me and Will at my parents' for the week. Marty will then come back up next weekend to "retrieve his babies" (his words, isn't he a doll?). This way, Will only has to deal with a one-way trip in a weekend, and will get to rest up from it throughout the week. I won't have another chance to do this because my maternity leave is quickly running out -- I go back to work the first week of October. I can't believe how fast it's approaching! Although I am kinda looking forward to the mental stimulation of work...I think my brain is rotting on the steady diet of TV I feed it daily.

I'm so looking forward to my 9 days in Indiana. On Saturday we'll be attending my cousin Ben's wedding, and I'll get to see so many relatives I haven't seen in a long time, plus introduce Will to everyone! On Monday, my Kate is driving down with her Jack to spend time with me and Will, and I'm ecstatic at the opportunity to see my BF and meet her son for the first time. I'll also get to see Kristen and her pregnant belly! Haven't seen that in a long time! I also want to do mani's-pedi's with Ellen (call me, El!), spend TONS of time with my sisters, and of course, have quality time with my parents and let Will's Nana and Pa-Pa just soak up his sweetness for a good long while (and not be worrying about when we need to get back on the road!).

So, I'll probably be away from the blog world for that whole time, and I doubt I'll even get around to checking email, either. Once again, I owe everybody and his brother a reply message, and I'm hoping to get to those before we leave tomorrow. If I owe you a response, please be patient with me...and if you live in Indiana and want to see me, please get in touch!

Babymoon!

Here's a rundown of our babymoon...

• We didn't get on the road until Saturday at noon. This pregnant body moves like a tortoise these days, plus I really wanted pancakes for breakfast. Then of course, you know how you can't leave your house until the kitchen is cleaned, sofa cushions rearranged, bed made, and your iPod loaded up with new tunes? Ugh. My pet peeve as a little girl was how long it took my parents to get going on the morning of a vacation; I would dance around in eagerness while they loaded coolers and suitcases, singing "let's goooooooooooo already!" Now I get it. Anyway, we finally got on the road and because it was Memorial Day weekend and a certain husband of mine is trying to obey speed limits these days (I'll let you guess why), we arrived exactly 5 hours later. What was a 3.5-hour trip in my flawed memory from March is actually a 4.5-hour trip that was extended to 5 hours from the law-obeying and pit stops and traffic. I was able to sleep a good portion of the way, though, and a nap in a sunny, moving car is always one of my favorite ways to sleep (I know, I'm weird).
• So we arrived at our hotel and checked in, then I drove downtown to give Marty his first peek at downtown Charleston. I'm amazed at my inner GPS system; it rarely fails me. I've visited Charleston a dozen times or so, but I haven't driven all that much during my visits, so I'm very thankful when landmarks and streets come so easily to memory (how did the length of the trip get so morphed, though?). We parked along the Battery and watched sailboats and motorboats and pelicans all doing their thing along the Ashley River, then it was off to the Mustard Seed (restaurant) on James Island to meet Leslie and her boyfriend Alex for dinner. And here's where Trip Disappointment #1 comes into play: we failed to take pictures of our evening, and then the next day, too! We only got pictures from Monday, which I'll share when I get to that point, but we just kept failing to pull out the silly camera. Anyway, we had a fabulous time with Lessy and Alex (we heart him!) and laughed our rears off all the way from sitting down through coffee and dessert. You know, you really appreciate friends so much more when you're isolated in a tiny Tennessee town most of the time!
• Sunday morning we woke up to a drizzly rain and a very heavy, overcast sky -- we checked the forecast and sure enough, rain was predicted until the middle of the week. And here's where Trip Disappointment #2 came in...in the words of Jane Eyre..."there was no possibility of a [photo-shoot] that day." I called Leslie and she, Marty, and I did a round-robin kind of conversation in which we decided to a) call off the shoot (meant to be outdoors) for that weekend, and b) meet back up in Charleston next weekend. That's right -- we're going BACK to Charleston next weekend. Besides the drive, and the fact that I'll be further along and bigger, there's really nothing impeding us from going back, and Marty is actually quite pumped about it. We really had THAT good of a time! (Not to mention that the forecast for next weekend is filled with sunshine...)
• So...we decided on doing some indoor activities, including practically my favorite thing to do in Charleston -- shopping on King Street!!! We started out in that mecca of French country furniture and accessories, Pierre Deux. Kids, I've been getting their catalog for probably a decade, but have never once purchased anything. That all changed on my babymoon! One of the greatest things about my husband is the fact that he and I share the same sense of style and taste in most everything, especially in home decor (Marty's Aunt Becky is all about French country, and Marty was her shopping companion for many years in New York, so he had quite an education at the feet of a master!). Anyway, we spent nearly 2 hours in the store, debating purchasing this or that addition to our home. We finally decided on two red toile lamp shades, on sale 20% off. If I hadn't been pregnant and already tired, I would have jumped up and down and clapped in sheer joy! Then it was on to Brooks Brothers, and it was time to spoil my husband for awhile. Wives out there, I'm sure you know how great it feels to let your hubby run a wee little loose in his favorite store, whether that's Best Buy or Home Depot or, in my Marty's case, Brooks Brothers. I sat in a leather chair sipping my Starbucks iced coffee, just enjoying every second of the ear-to-ear grin splitting my husband's face. It was worth every penny we spent! (Not to mention the fact that he looked so darn sharp when he walked out of the house this morning...) Then we were off to Kids on King, a sweet little baby boutique. There we found the cutest little newborn formal attire, so we bought William his baptismal outfit (nope, not a long white robe; just a cute little baby-blue, starched-cotton one-piece with a white collar). We also found infant crib shoes in white leather to go with his outfit. I can't wait to see how he looks in it! I'll take a picture and post it soon, but definitely later since this post is already approaching boring in its length...(sorry, it is my journal, you know!)
• Next it was off to Magnolia's, a quite famous restaurant on East Bay Street in Charleston. Here's the dinner menu, because I want you to see how uniquely Southern yet completely gourmet this restaurant is! We had fried green tomatoes for our appetizer (YUM-MEE) then Marty had the Grilled Yellowfin Tuna while I had the Shellfish over Grits. We were both so impressed with our meals that we were speechless at first. I've never tasted such fabulous scallops in my life, and the experience has sparked a new craving for scallops! (If only I could get that lobster sauce they served with the scallops...)
• After we rolled out of the restaurant, we decided to close out the day with a walk on the pier at Folly Beach. I have to tell you that Charleston, and especially Folly Beach, are "touchstone" places for me. I have pondered my life at various turning points right there on that sand, and most recently, pondered it right before I met Marty and my life changed forever. So visiting Folly Beach with Marty felt like closing a circle that had always been open and hanging before he came into my world. The rain was holding off again by that point but there was another big storm building in the horizon, so the fishers and surfers were out en force. We sat on the pier and watched the surfers catch the waves, and just talked about life and the coming arrival of our son. It's just so very nice to watch the ocean and dream with one's honey. Ahhhhh. :)
• Finally, before this post outgrows its welcome (too late!), we woke up Monday morning/Memorial Day to an overcast, muggy day. We knew we had to leave by noon in order to have some lazy time at home, so we planned an early-in-the-day expedition out to Ft. Sumter. And here are the only pix captured on our babymoon!

Charleston, aka, "the Holy City"

Marty enjoying the boat ride, in what I call his "JFK" pose. :)

Boat hair!!!

Ft. Sumter from a distance...

...and Ft. Sumter close up.

The king captures the castle...

...and then threatens to take Charleston, too. :)

A 200+ year-old fireplace -- can you imagine the stories and secrets it's heard? From both Union and Confederate soldiers!

A view of the Cooper River Bridge (sits just to the right of Charleston downtown, looking from the harbor) from the ramparts(?) of Ft. Sumter.

• Marty and I both found it very meaningful to be at Ft. Sumter on Memorial Day. All weekend we'd been engaged in something of a Dixie vs. Yankee debate about the legality and morality of secession, and visiting Ft. Sumter really brought home to me the awesome task that Lincoln faced in preserving the Union that had been so carefully built by our founding fathers. And how that same Union, which would become the 50 United States of America, would be fought for and kept safe from enemies by so many succeeding generations, including both my grandfathers and both of Marty's grandfathers. We remembered them all (my Grandpa Waltz is the only one still with us) on Monday, and were so thankful for the time and energies they sacrificed and the blood they spilled for this country and for us. Thank you again, Papa Conway, "Pop" Lucic, Grandpa Wood, and Grandpa Waltz. You are an ongoing inspiration to your grandchildren! We love you!
• And there you have it, kids. No maternity pictures yet, but hopefully those are coming soon! To be continued next weekend...

Catching up: business trip, baby shower, birthing classes, and body language

Yep, that's a hefty blog post title, but I have much to cover. It seems so odd that I haven't updated my blog in over 2 weeks, but I think I may have set records for being busy (at least for pregnant girls) in these last 2 weeks!

Business trip: first off, I should mention that we went to our first childbirth class the (Monday) night before I left for my trip, but more on that later. Let's just say for now, though, that it gave me quite a bit of food for thought for my 7-hour drive to Indianapolis! Anyway, I departed on Tuesday morning in my rental car (a PT Cruiser!) after giving my Marty a few lingering kisses goodbye -- it was pretty awful leaving him and the safety I feel with him, especially in these last few weeks of pregnancy. However, I was armed with copies of my prenatal records, just in case something were to happen while I was away from my doctors and hospital (and husband!). The 7-hour trip was pretty brutal, both on my concentration (I get very sleepy in the afternoons) and on my bladder! But I finally made it to the Omni downtown Indy, where I'd be staying the next couple nights, and then met up with my coworkers Caron and Teri. The 3 of us function as a vendor editorial team for a few writing teams at _____ (big pharma company in Indy; for some reason I'm loath to use the actual name here -- privacy concerns and all that?). Anyway, we went to Spaghetti Factory and had the greatest time with each other; it's so funny because we "talk" on email every day but have only physically met twice! I also met my boss for the first time in the Omni lobby that night -- who else can say that after reporting to your boss for nearly a year??? Work-from-home is a crazy thing sometimes! The next day was a series of meeting people and sitting in meetings. That day we did a lot of walking around to different meeting rooms, and by the afternoon, I was coming down a staircase when I suddenly had a series of Braxton-Hicks contractions. I didn't tell anyone right away, just wanting to stay on my feet until we reached our destination. This was only my second experience with Braxton-Hicks, and for some reason, I always break out into a sweat when I feel them, because they come on with swift intensity and are pretty strong and border on painful. They ended as soon as I had been sitting down for a few minutes, which my doctor told me was normal (too much activity can bring them on, and therefore, ceasing the activity can stop them completely). Fortunately, the next day we pretty much stayed in the same room all day, so the only activity I had were my frequent trips to the restroom. I know people understand that pregnant women need to run to the potty quite a bit, but I'm sorry, it's still embarrassing to have people observe how many times you've exited the room in an hour's time!!! All-in-all, it was a great business trip, especially because I finally got to put so many faces to the names I see in my inbox every day (yeah, I'm particularly talking about you, Laura!). Thursday afternoon I dropped a couple of coworkers off at the new Indy airport (so stunning, so chic! Good job, Indianapolis!) and made my way to Greenwood, aka, "home." I got to see my parents, sister Sarah, and my nieces and nephews -- it had been a couple months since our last visit, and everyone was pretty astonished at the size of my belly. I joked that I had a soccer ball up my shirt but my 2-year-old nephew Elijah didn't get it and kept wanting up my shirt to retrieve that soccer ball! So stinkin' cute. Then I showed him my skin and told him it was a baby, and he patted my belly and said "baby" but seemed pretty disappointed that it was a baby and not a soccer ball. Oh the priorities of a 2-year-old boy. :) That night and Friday were spent in various activities with my family -- my mom took me baby-gear shopping on Friday afternoon, then Sarah and Garrett took me out to dinner and to see the new Star Trek movie on Friday night. I had the greatest time, but kept wanting my hubby to be with me!!! Saturday morning I met Ellen for our tradition of Starbucks + manis/pedis, and I had the greatest time there, too. The Asian folks who run the place know us (that tells you how often El and I frequent the joint!) and hugged me upon seeing the prodigal return for a visit from Tennessee! Then it was home to take a quick shower, receive some Mother's Day tulips at the door from my Marty (oh yes, he is absolutely the perfect husband), and then I was off to my baby shower!

Baby shower:

The mama with that soccer ball up her dress! (Me and Will at exactly 31 weeks.)

The beautiful cake with baby booties (I think one of my little nieces went in for a finger sample at the front...).

The bountiful spread: my mom's famous chicken salad on croissants and bakery buns, spinach dip with Hawaiian bread, veggies and dip, cheeseball with crackers and chips, garden salad, fruit salad, pasta salad, and pineapple punch!

The bountiful goodies...I was honestly overwhelmed with the love and generosity shown to me, Marty, and our little son. The gift bags covered several feet in diameter on my sister's kitchen floor, and it just left me gaping with awe and gratitude.

Some of my guests -- so much love in the room. And the impromptu entertainment was provided by my nieces Ada and Abby, who performed a princess dance in their little pink dresses and toy wands. (Once again, I pray to the Father to give me a little girl, too!)

Me and Ellen, who did all the note-taking for me (it was a serious job!).

Opening gifts...

I love the little man-robes!

Exhausted but so happy to have finally experienced this lovely rite of passage that I had looked forward to -- quite literally -- all my life.

Thank you so much to everyone who attended and/or sent a gift. Marty was stunned to see all the bags piled up in our living room, and we are just beyond grateful for all the love you've shown to us. Thank you for outfitting our little boy and his nursery in such style! And for giving me a dream come true (a very special thank-you to my sisters for this). If it had been up to me, I would have experienced all this many years ago, but God's timing is perfect, and I am walking proof of that. Thank you God for all the blessings, given in the best way and at the right time!

Birthing class: (isn't this post over yet??? you are wondering...) So Marty and I went to our second birthing class just a couple nights ago, and it was even more sobering than the first one. Now, our teacher (a labor/delivery nurse for over 20 years), Cindy, is a lovely woman, but she tells it like it is. She doesn't avoid nonsociable words and she really doesn't avoid any topics, no matter how sensitive or private they feel. We are learning quite a bit, and while some of it is fascinating and exciting, other parts are downright scary. I might need a blood transfusion after birth? Eh? I might have to push for 3 hours only to be given a C-section? Double-eh? THAT's what 10 centimeters looks like? Oh glory be! Cindy is not only giving us a birthing education, she's also teaching us breathing techniques (I swear I started to fall asleep during the exercise on Monday -- envisioning a beach while breathing slowly) and explaining all the options we have for labor and delivery. Surprisingly (to me), she has also recommended writing a birth plan. I have heard that presenting a birth plan can be something of an affront to the nursing staff caring for you, and I've no desire to set those important people at odds with me from the moment of "go." However, Cindy has stipulated that we not follow any Internet templates, nor write something 20 pages long. She says to just keep it simple and only include what you feel strongly about. Easy enough, I think: we know that we'd rather have the doctor cut the cord, that Marty and I want to be by ourselves (no guests) during the actual birth, that we want Will kept with us for an hour or so after birth so I can nurse him and we can bond as a family, etc., etc. I also know that I want an epidural if and when I get to that point (I'd like to see how far I can go but I'm not stubbornly holding out for an "au naturel" birth because I'm intimately familiar with my pain threshold). There are probably about 20-25 stipulations we would like to see enforced, but they will certainly fit on 1 piece of paper and (hopefully) wouldn't overwhelm my nurse(s), nor make them feel like they're limited/hampered in doing their job(s).

Body language: Finally, this past week has been something of a change for me in pregnancy symptoms. Maybe it's exacerbated by all the traveling and busy-ness and stress, but I've begun to experience swelling in my hands, feet, and ankles. Every morning I wake up with numb, tingly hands, and it usually takes a couple hours for me to be able to move my wedding ring on my finger. Socks leave angry red impressions on my ankles, and I've taken to only wearing flip-flops (unless it's raining, which really frustrates me!). In addition, I feel this weird pressurized feeling on my chest (especially there), down my arms, and down my thighs. It so freaked me out the other night that I paged my doctor about it (I have to defend myself here; I've made it to nearly 32 weeks without ever having paged the doctor, so I think that's pretty good!). Dr. Pickler reassured me that at this stage of pregnancy, my diaphragm has moved up and there is extra pressure on my chest cavity, and even though it doesn't feel like I'm getting enough oxygen, as long as I can carry on a conversation, that indicates I'm getting plenty of air. She said the pressure I feel in and on my limbs is also perfectly normal. Even though it didn't make me feel much better (I wasn't given any advice on how to alleviate any of the above!), at least I knew I wasn't starting down the road to Scaryville things like toxemia (I had this thought in my head for some reason). It's pretty daunting to think I have 8 weeks to go, and how much worse these things will feel, and how much bigger I'll get(!), but then again, it's only another 8 weeks and then we'll experience the long-awaited arrival of our little man. I can't wait!!!

Whew! End of post, thank goodness. Thanks to my sister Katie for the shower pictures!

Autism Awareness Month

Even though April is in its waning days, and a million things have prevented me from writing this post, I need to share my thoughts on Autism Awareness Month.

This precious boy is my nephew, Ethan Lee. He's been my Buddy from nearly the moment of his birth. I remember holding him for the first time (all 11 pounds of him!) and feeling a mutual comfort pass between us; he was content to be held in my arms and I was only too happy to finally have a baby in the family to play with! As the first grandchild in my family, this boy achieved a special status just by being born. Then during his first night of life, when he was diagnosed with double pneumonia and whisked away to NICU, he became that much more special to us. As he recovered, we realized what a fighter we had on our hands! Then during his second year of life, when his mama and daddy began to realize Ethan had communication issues and we finally got the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, he achieved a whole new echelon of special in our hearts, because we knew that our Ethan was in for the fight of his life.

Getting a special hug on my wedding day

I can't even put into words how much I love this boy. My sister Katie (his "Aunt Modey") and I often comment to each other how privileged we feel to be included in this little man's inner circle of trust and love. You see, kids with autism sometimes have challenges expressing and accepting affection. Not our Ethan! Yes, he is very wary of strangers (which is always a good thing), and it takes quite a while for "outsiders" to earn their place in his world. My Marty has made careful attempts to reach out to Ethan, not wanting to overstep his boundaries and wanting Ethan to feel comfortable accepting him as an uncle when he felt like it, and not before. Just a couple months ago, Marty finally "got the nod," so to speak. He was standing in my sister's kitchen, getting a refill of ice water from the fridge, when he felt a little hand on his waist. He looked down to see Ethan just touching him for a brief moment, and Marty says he knew he was "in." What a great moment! As for me, I've always been the recipient of special hugs and kisses. Sometimes, Ethan will be watching one of his beloved Thomas videos (there's nothing this kid likes more than Thomas!) and he'll pat the sofa cushion next to him and beckon to me. I'll sit down next to him and my Buddy snuggles right up into my body and puts his hand rather possessively on my leg. This never fails to make me smile, and more often than not, I'll even shed a couple of tears. I've even been known to lift my 60+-pound nephew in my arms and carry him around (not while I've been pregnant, I promise!) because I still feel that feeling of mutual comfort pass between us.

As for Ethan's fight with autism? Still ongoing, of course, but he keeps making new strides. Even though he struggles, it's such a huge joy to see him jump new hurdles. I remember when he wrote his name for the first time, how we cried and cried. And even though they're somewhat limited, we have actual conversations now. A million praises go to my hard-working sister, who pursues every therapy and every curriculum and every learning tool she can get her hands on. Sarah is such an inspiration to me, and I've learned so much about the passionate love of a mother from her experiences fighting for the best of everything for Ethan. Right now, she and my brother-in-law are working to save money for a special dog who's trained to help kids with autism. There will be a couple types of fundraisers later this summer toward this effort, and I'll be sure to post about those here.

So why "autism awareness"? Before Ethan Lee came along, I had no idea of the struggles that autistic kids face. I had no idea how the parents of these kids have to challenge school boards for proper education, how they have to transport these kids from therapy session to doctor's appointment to kindergarten to home, sometimes in a single day (and how some of these parents have 3 other kids!). I never knew the emotional rollercoaster you take when you love a kid with autism. How you would do anything to fix it, but how there's very little you can do but love and cuddle and play with and comfort. And pray...and help in any way you can. If you know a family with an autistic kid, just know that the parents and grandparents and yes, even the aunts and uncles, face all kinds of challenges in nurturing and raising their very special gift. If nothing else, be aware enough to say a prayer for these families, but mostly for the kids who have to fight their disorder every day.

I'm sending you lots of special hugs today, my sweet Buddy! Auntie B loves you!!!

Pix and tales from our Easter weekend

So I know my sister is ready to shoot me if I don't put up some belly shots soon, so even though the latest pix of me aren't my greatest, one has to appease one's sister. Here are a couple shots from the doctor's office at our 26-week visit (read more about that here):

Notice the bandage? I honestly don't know why they do blood draws at EVERY visit. And is it just me or am I looking swollen?

Our appointment was on Tuesday the 7th and by Thursday the 9th, we were on the road to an Easter weekend in Mississippi. We decided to stay in Memphis the evening of the 9th, and Marty was thrilled to take me out to his favorite BBQ joint, the famous "Rendezvous." Marty almost had tears in his eyes eating his ribs, but I was actually disappointed in mine. I think I'm just a Yankee, tried and true. Memphis BBQ is seasoned with dry-rub and smoked, resulting in an almost tough texture, whereas BBQ where I'm from means it's dripping with sauce and falling off the bone!

Anyway, the next morning we set off for Greenville, Mississippi, where Marty hails from. When we pulled into the driveway, my sis-in-law Melissa was...what else?...barbequeing!!! Her boyfriend, Keith, had parked his enormous smoker/grill in the driveway and I think they had at least 3-4 animals cooking in there. It smelled amazing and after lots of hugs and belly rubs from the sisters and nieces and nephews, we feasted. I called it "Meat-a-palooza." Then we went to a Good Friday service at the church that Marty and his siblings grew up in, and where Marty's dad was the officiating vicar before his passing last May. The new pastor gave a meaningful and somber message, and we refrained from speaking in the sanctuary. My aunt-in-law Linda sang the "Via Dolo Rosa" and it was very moving. Easter is my favorite holiday and it's so much better when you get the opportunity to observe the entire Passion week.

The next morning started with a big box of Shipley's donuts (quite famous in Greenville) and I can't even describe how good these donuts are...but eat your heart out, Krispy Kreme! Like Melissa says, "You can't eat just 3." :) We sat around the table and ate and drank coffee and just visited. Then we all left to go visit with Aunt Linda for awhile, and when I walked in her house, I noticed about a half-ton of wrapped presents on her fireplace hearth but looked right past it without really seeing it. Melissa said from behind me, with a giggle in her voice, "It's a baby shower!" My response was, quite literally, "Who's having a baby?" I laugh now, but seriously, I didn't say that because I'm dumb or slow (although I'm certainly dumber and slower these days), but honestly, it's because my pregnancy is still very surreal to me at times and I find myself shocked in some moments that I actually get to have this experience!

So after the initial shock wore off, Marty's lovely sisters and aunt got us placed near the gifts and I started opening. Here are a few shots!

This little sleeper says "Daddy's Champ" on it. If you don't know, "Champion" is our son's middle name and his Daddy has taken to calling him "Champ." Marty held the sleeper as if our little guy were already filling it out, and it was such a sweet moment.

We got this set of funny bibs...this one says "Being good is boring!

Finally, this might be my favorite picture. I don't know that Marty has a really strong idea of what a baby activity gym is, but he's so very much enjoying the process of becoming a Daddy. The joy on his face blesses my soul!

In all my life, I've never had a surprise anything -- party, shower, what-have-you. And I was wonderfully surprised, and both Marty and I were just overwhelmed by the generousity of our family. (I'm also overwhelmed by the fact that I can never seem to get any pictures of anybody!!!) Thank you again and again and again, Melissa and Sarah and Linda (and Keith and Nick and Mike and all the kiddos...). We love you guys sooooooo much!

We closed out the weekend with a wonderful Easter breakfast at church, an Easter egg hunt for the kids, and then a beautiful service. It was so hard to leave after all the fun we'd had, but Marty wanted to pace ourselves (in other words, pace ME) on the trip home, so we left for Nashville, where Marty had planned a little evening/day excursion for us at the Opryland Hotel! (If you haven't spent much time in Tennessee, you should know that the Opryland Hotel is like a cruise ship without the water -- it's a massive building with several hotels, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, etc.) We arrived in the evening and got dressed up to go out for a fancy-schmancy meal. Here's me, dolled-up and 27 weeks pregnant:

We knew the prices would be extravagant, but we really wanted to live it up, so we tried our best to ignore the ridiculous numbers attached to the menu items. However, we couldn't ignore that the food was really only just okay, and then it was only too easy to start thinking how we could have spent that money in other ways. Talk about disappointing! When we got back to our room, I started having a really sore throat and wanted to call it a night...which became a very LONG night, as I was up coughing and sneezing and blowing my nose, and basically just miserable because I couldn't breathe, swallow, or rest. In the morning, we ordered a fabulous breakfast tray and that I can say was really pretty good (I had cinnamon waffles with cherries in Grand Marnier syrup with whipped cream...uh, HELLO yummy!). I also got a few good shots out our atrium-facing balcony:

The hotel "exterior" in the Cascades section is done in the New Orleans French style, which of course I loved!

We tried to do some shopping in the hotel, but the bookstore I wanted to visit was mysteriously closed, so we decided our Opryland Hotel stay was a bit cursed. Either that, or we were exhausted from all the traveling and activity (I think it was a bit of both). So we headed home early, and I'm so glad we did, because by the time we got home I was in the throes of one of the worst colds I've ever had! However, small disappointments and one nasty cold notwithstanding, we had a wonderful Easter weekend. Now we're thinking about making the pilgrimage home to Missisisippi every Easter!