Christmas for two

Jon and I had a wonderful Christmas. This was the first Christmas that Jon hasn't had to work so we took full advantage by sleeping late, eating terribly, and vegging out in front of the TV. My goal was to remain in some sort of pj type clothing all day and mission accomplished! For the record, I did shower but resumed wearing comfy clothes immediately thereafter. It was so relaxing being that it was just the two of us. We ate sausage balls for breakfast, opened presents and then began the adventure of making the special Christmas lunch...monte cristos. We didn't have enough oil for the fryer but Jon saved the day by finally finding a CVS with some in stock. The first batch was a disaster and totally stuck to the fryer basket. We made a few adjustments and were pros in no time. They were so yummy. What more can you expect from fried ham, turkey and swiss sandwiches?!? We watched a few movies and then it was time for steaks and twice-baked potatoes. I am starting to sound like my dad referencing events with memories of food. We finished off the day by watching Casablanca on TCM.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.
We catch a flight this evening to head to Little Rock for a week of much needed r&r.

ahhhhhh

Last night, the Ortho wives were treated to manicures and pedicures by the wife of the Department Head. Talk about just what I needed. It was wonderful getting to sit back and relax and feel totally pampered. This is an annual event I look forward to all year long. I feel recharged and ready to handle the rest of this crazy season.

room in the inn

Here are the latest pictures of the nursery. We put a rush on things because we were hosting a party at the house and Jon wanted to have the room put together as the topic of Baby Wyatt's living quarters was sure to come up. I honestly thought I would be way more creative with things especially the paint treatment but we are enjoying the finished product. And now we hurry up and wait for February 25, 2009.

1 pound

Okay, by making such a big deal about 1 pound, I will have to talk about the discussion my doc and I had to have about my weight gain. At my last appointment, Dr. Casanova brought up the fact that I had already put on close to 30 pounds - like I didn't know this! I guess he figured it was perfect timing to have this said chat seeing as this was the first appointment Jon was able to attend and what wife doesn't what her husband to be in the same room when the topic of weight is being discussed?!? I knew from the beginning that I was going to gain more than the average gal as I am usually pretty obsessive about my diet and exercise regime. Dr. C wasn't necessarily worried as my glucose test and blood pressure both look great, he just wanted to make sure I knew why I was putting on the extra pounds. Can anyone say, cheeseburgers and fries? Isn't the old saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy?" Well, this mama has been very, very happy. Any who, I decided to be a girl girl the last two weeks - minus the Thanksgiving holiday of course - and pay more attention to what I was eating. It paid off and I only put on 1 pound! Too bad I didn't get to see Dr. Casanova to gloat but Dr. Yeomans allowed me to celebrate all the same.

I am going to do my best to get some pictures of myself posted very soon especially now that all of you are picturing me 30 pounds heavier and are probably curious as to where all that weight is currently residing. Also, I am expecting lots of comments from fellow mom readers about how much weight they put on during pregnancy as a form of moral support :)

busy bees

It's been a pretty uneventful start to the month at least when it comes to Baby Wyatt updates. This is no excuse for my lack of posts but I figured most people wouldn't be interested in all the day-to-day things Jon and I have been up to. Between Christmas parties, Orthopedic resident interviews, and various volunteering obligations, the Wyatt's have been extremely busy. I can't believe we only have 2 weeks until Christmas! And before you ask, no, I haven't even started my shopping even though I live at the mall!

behind again

I have been so bad about keeping up with the blog lately that even Jon mentioned something about my lack of posts. The fact that he noticed means I must really be behind.

In chronological order...

We have done lots of work in the nursery and are close to having things wrapped up minus the reason for the nursery itself which won't be here for another 13 weeks. Seeing as it's only December 1 and I already feel the tug of holiday obligations, I appreciate being so far ahead.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. Jon was on call Thanksgiving Day so I really appreciated having my mom and dad down to keep me company. We made all the traditional fixin's and Jon was even able to sneak home to scarf down a quick plate of food before his pager beckoned him back to the hospital. I was able to stay in pajamas all day which definitely helped when it came to massive food consumption. It was an early night for me as my alarm buzzed me awake at 5:20 a.m. to get ready for my Black Friday duties. Shopping? I wish. Actually, I would never consider shopping that early, but it might have been more exciting than standing down in a mall food aisle telling person after person what time the shopping spree drawing began.

We spent the rest of the weekend assembling a new bed for the guest room, making a contraption to keep all the bows that Baby Wyatt already owns, watching football, and running around the corn maize.

playing catch up

I have failed my faithful blog readers (aka my mom) by not posting anything since November 9. So let's catch up...

We had our final ultrasound and Baby Wyatt managed to behave long enough for the tech to get the measurements we missed a few weeks ago. She did not behave, however, when mom and dad wanted a good 3D picture of her face. Here's what we ended up with...

My mom and I met in Dallas for our annual girl's shopping weekend. We had a great time shopping, eating and visiting with family. After two trips to an accessory store called Sam Moon, Baby Wyatt now owns over 50 bows. I sure hope she has hair!

While I was away accumulating more stuff, Jon was being a wonderful husband and sitting out in the cold having a garage sale so we could get rid of all the stuff that has been displaced due to the need for a nursery. He did a great job and it's so nice that most of our "trash" became the "treasure" of others.

We are slowly getting the nursery put together. Painting is next on our agenda and will hopefully be accomplished during the Thanksgiving Holiday.

brushing up on your current events

November 7

Emily turns 29 for the first time.

November 8
Winston is 3.
He is not a vicious puppy dog, he just got finished eating his birthday
wet food and is licking his chops.

November 8
Tech is 10 -0

weekend update

Since I celebrated Halloween twice this year, I decided to change up my costume a bit. For the mall Halloween event and a birthday/Halloween party, I made an appearance as Juno...much more comfortable than my Madonna 4 layers of white.

Tech 39 - Texas 33

Jon made it back in plenty of time for the game. I wonder what Baby Wyatt thought about all the noise?

raider alley

Here's a picture of the students camping out for the Tech vs Texas game scheduled for Saturday at 7 pm. CRAZY KIDS! Jon is scheduled to be home at 6 pm on Saturday just in time for the game. If he is not on a plane in Dallas by 5 pm I am selling our tickets. They are up to $500-600 a pair. Mama needs a new pair of shoes...better yet, a glider!

while you were out

Jon is in Gainsville, FL this week attending a conference so here is what the girls have been up to...

This is The MAiZe. It's a big field of corn that gets cut into a different maze every year. I visited it our first year in Lubbock but was with a few little ones who really weren't into wandering around in corn that was 3x's as tall as they were. I vowed to return but haven't been able to convince Jon of it's potential coolness. So, I drug another victim, Shelbi, out there solely for my own entertainment. We picked to follow the clues about Music and Movies and completed the maze in 35 minutes after taking at least a dozen wrong turns. I bet it's fun for the guys who sit up in the towers to watch people act like mice hunting for a hunk of cheese.

Here are a few of my most recent Martha Stewart moments. The cheesecake has 4 blocks of cream cheese in it! I was given permission for 25 pounds not 65! I love carving pumpkins but was cut off last year by my less than enthused husband. I tackled a small one on my own and was slightly disappointed that my holes were a little big for my mice. Martha always does it better which is probably why this pumpkin was on the msn homepage this morning.

The remaining man of the house was very pleased to find peanut butter smeared inside of his new kong. Ahhh, the simple pleasures in life.

Dad & Mom aka Prince & Madonna

Halloween is my favorite holiday of all. The house is decorated, my office is decorated, I have carved and baked and am still waiting to find the batch of cat vomit laced with fake spiderwebs. We attended the annual Orthopedic Halloween Party on Saturday night and were dressed up as Prince and Madonna.




Jon will be out of town for all of the Halloween night festivities so Prince has made his one and only appearance and I am pretty sure I am going to have to make some revisions to my costume. 4 hours in a corset did not make Baby Wyatt very happy!

because putting it together twice is way more fun

We picked up the changing table on Saturday morning and carved out some time to put it together because surely it couldn't take that long, right?!? After working at an efficient pace double checking ourselves we found that close to 2 hours had gone by when we slid the last drawer in. No worries about the amount of time, better to take it slow and get it right than to have to redo it. Ha! If only we were so lucky. As the top drawer went in, we noticed 2 pieces of hardware that were on the front of the unit. I had noticed them along the way but figured the top drawer would conceal them and Jon was sure some sort of plugs or covers would take care of them. Alas, no. We had simply put the piece on backwards. And of course we have to pretty much disassemble the entire thing to get to the piece of backwards trim. Oh well, more quality time together assembling baby furniture!

an apple a day

On Sunday, we ventured out to Apple Country Orchards. Mom, Joyce and I had been there before when we first moved to Lubbock, but this was Jon's maiden voyage. We were slightly disappointed to find only 3 varieties left and most of those were rotting on the ground. We managed to pick about a half a bucketful and made sure to pick up a bag of pretty polished ones in the gift shop. I was on a mission to make homemade applesauce just in case I felt the urge to eventually make homemade baby food. It wasn't too hard although I wasn't the one in charge of peeling and cutting the apples. The finished product tastes much better than store bought varieties so maybe this is the start of something.

pieces of you

The first order of business once the mothers arrived was to assemble the crib. Both Jon and I wanted to make sure we were happy with our purchase before making a long term commitment. After about an hour, we were standing next to a great crib that earned the right to stay in the Wyatt house. One thing down, a million more to go.

why i don't like gambling

So I was totally WRONG.

My baby boy is actually a baby girl! I couldn't even process what the tech was saying because I was expecting her to say it was a boy. We are so excited. I made Jon rush me to babies r us so I could get my hands on something pink. Baby Wyatt has her first pink blanket and a mommy and daddy who already love her immeasurably.

She likes to put her fingers and hands in her mouth. Every time the tech would go to look at her face, she would slap an arm right in front of it. Drama Queen! Jon was quick to point out that she was already displaying her mother's stubbornness when she wouldn't roll over and let us see the lower half of her spine and bottom. No worries, we will go back in 4 weeks and take another look. Who am I to turn down another chance to see my baby girl?

Now the fun can begin. I spent about 45 minutes with a name book last night and am only in the D's!

here's my guess...

Since our ultrasound is this afternoon, I thought it would be fun to have an official guess as to what Baby Wyatt is...a boy, a girl, twins or triplets. Since we can go ahead and eliminate two of those options my guess is it's a BOY. I have had 3 dreams depicting baby W as a boy and here's a little myth test I found online...


It's a boy if:
You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy YES
Your baby's heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute NO
You are carrying the extra weight out front YES
Your belly looks like a basketball YES
Your areolas have darkened considerably YES
You are carrying low YES
You are craving salty or sour foods YES
You are craving protein -- meats and cheese YES
Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy ?
The hair on your legs has grown faster during pregnancy NO
Your hands are very dry YES
Your pillow faces north when you sleep YES
Dad-to-be is gaining weight, right along with you I WISH
Pregnancy has you looking better than ever YES
Your urine is bright yellow in color YES
Your nose is spreading ?
You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves in circles ?
You are having headaches YES
You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an even number ? WE REALLY DON'T KNOW THIS DATE ?

the grandma's are coming

Only 3 more days until my mom and Jon's mom will be in Lubbock for a 4-day visit. YEAH! By the time they get here, we should know if Baby Wyatt is a he or a she so let the shopping begin. How much can 3 women get done to a nursery in 4 days? I am betting on a lot! Jon was even sweet enough to switch his call schedule around so he could join in on the fun and spend some time with his mom. Since I am in the betting mood, I am going to say that he probably won't have all that much fun non-stop shopping but I have learned how to provide him with the necessary distractions such as football and food. We'll get him fed well on Friday night and then Fox is carrying the Tech vs. A&M game so we're good to go!

grandma to the rescue

After all my complaining about the crib situation, mom was able to find the one I wanted on the shelf in North Little Rock. I knew that the crib I wanted shouldn't have been involved in the recall because it does not have a drop rail but I am sure most retailers were quick to pull any and all cribs with the Simplicity brand off the shelves drop rail or not. So, now I have my crib. She has it loaded up in the car and will make the delivery next weekend when she and Jon's mom are out for a visit. ZZZZZZ, now I - and Baby Wyatt - can sleep at night.

tick, tick, tick

No, I am not talking about the little critters you have to hunt for after a weekend in the woods or that ridiculous Brad Paisley song Jon loves. Rather, I am referring to the creeping of time before my ultrasound next Wednesday. It feels like it's never going to get here. You would think after waiting 19 weeks I could muster up a little patience but I am finding it very difficult to accept that I still have 7 days until we find out the illusive sex of Baby Wyatt. Oh how a mother yearns to be able to use the pronoun "he" and "she" instead of "it". Is this truly one of the few times a pregnant woman wishes for time to pass by quickly? I have obviously not experienced the 3rd trimester or child birth!

do babies really need cribs?

I have been trying desperately for weeks to force myself to make a decision about furniture for the baby. I am a little overwhelmed at all the choices and would prefer a world in which everyone just buys the same stuff. No so I suppose. Finally! I found a crib that I liked and didn't need a small loan to afford. Ahhh, not so fast. RECALL! Alas, the one and only decision I managed to make has been stripped from me by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission...come on, what do they know?!? I must restrain my frustration and be grateful this event occurred before I incurred any expenses and long before I risked the life of Baby Wyatt with a faulty product. So it's back to the crib search for me...wish me better luck this time.

Baby Wyatt....meet Dr. Casanova

Yes, that's my doctor's name...Dr. Robert Casanova. I had my first appointment with him today and he is wonderful. We had a great Q & A session and he said that I looked great on paper and even better in person. He has obviously mastered the technique of flattering emotionally unstable women. Works for me! I heard the heartbeat - sigh - and was told that I was measuring a little big. Guess I shouldn't have had all those cheese fries at the fair!

2 more weeks and we'll hopefully know the sex of Baby Wyatt. Finally!

Dad & Mom...aka Uncle Jon & Aunt Emily

We made our first trip to Ft. Worth this weekend to visit Ben, Brooke and the girls. This was my first time to see Ava and Macy since visiting them in the hospital back in January. I had my hugs and kisses ready to go. They are the best 9 month old nieces! They each have their own personalities and are tons of fun to flip and tickle. Hopefully now that they are fellow Texans, we will get lots of opportunities to watch them grow.


We took a trip to the Ft. Worth Stockyards and the girls played footsie as I loaded up on chocolate truffles and fudge.



Ava and Uncle Jon holding hands at lunch. Who could resist sharing him with such a sweet girl?

keeping up with the Wyatt's

Here are a few things Baby Wyatt and I have been doing to stay busy...really busy.

Going to Tech Football games...

Volunteering over 24 hours at the Panhandle South Plains Fair in the Ambucs restaurant. Fries anyone?

Participating in the annual Hub City BBQ Cookoff with the South Plains Mall team. We didn't earn the coveted 'Best Booth' award but our brisket came in 3rd.

rain or shine

Lubbock experienced 8+ inches of rain in less than 24 hours. Thanks Tropical Depression Lowell. The Mayor issued a State of Emergency and all the schools closed. And I thought it was a joke when the schools in Little Rock closed for a few flakes! We are slowly drying out. Even with all the rain, it was a football weekend and football must go on.
Jon and I are really enjoying our season Tech Football tickets. We managed to get great seats a few days before the stadium was sold out. We are perfecting our game day routine and picking out our favorite usually forbidden concessions. I am getting ready to be one of those fans who lugs around a seat cushion because Baby Wyatt isn't going to tolerate the metal seats too much longer. Speaking of Baby Wyatt, I have my next doctor's appointment on October 1 to finally meet my actual doctor. We are having a bit of an issue with our appointment times/days but hopefully things will work out. I tried to find a doctor who saw OB patients in the afternoons so Jon would have the best chance of being able to join us once and a while and we were all set with a doctor who was in the office on Friday afternoons. Key word in that last sentence, "were". I got a letter on Friday saying he was now working on Wednesday mornings only. Bummer!

Dad & Mom aka He-Man & She-ra

We had a wonderful time hosting a superhero surprise birthday party for a good friend this weekend. Everyone did a great job with their costumes and the guest of honor was truly surprised. I spent way too long working on our He-Man and She-ra garb but it was all worth it in the end.

nice to see you...again

I had my second ultrasound today and the first thing out of my mouth was, "I want pictures this time." The tech quickly obliged. Jon made it to the appointment even though he was on call which was really great. Baby Wyatt was quite the squirmy worm moving and dancing all over the place. Baby was content laying on it's back and showing off it's extreme wiggling skills. The measurements show I am at 12 weeks 6 days. That's just 2 days off from the first ultrasound measurement.

Of course, here is a selection of my requested pictures...

thump thump thump thump

I went to the Southwest OB/GYN Clinic for the first time today as an official OB patient. After filling out mounds of redundant paperwork, I was called to the back. The tech put the Doppler on my belly and proceeded to search for the heartbeat. I will always remember the next 30 seconds as the longest 30 seconds of my life. Finally, there it was. Woosh, woosh, woosh...a heartbeat. My baby's heartbeat. It was very strong and in the 160's. I was given permission to cry but held my emotions in check and let relief wash over me. A little more Q & A and some discussion of the financial end of this adventure - you need how much up front?!? - and I headed over to the lab for some blood work. Congratulations were sent my way from the next handful of folks I ran into. "Is this your first?"; "Are you excited?"; This all seems so foreign to me. Jon and I are still trying to take things one day at a time knowing the road ahead is long but with every passing moment I grow more and more excited about this amazing ride. Here we go baby!

10 years later...

The first week in August brought our 10 year High School reunions in Little Rock. JA Fair Class of 1998 & Parkview Class of 1998. What a treat to attend both of them and visit with family and friends for an entire week. We were welcomed to town with 115 degree weather and that good old Arkansas humidity. Jon managed to play 4 rounds of golf and I kept pace with an equal quantity of white cheese dip consumption. The reunions were great with lots of old and new faces. It was sad when Sunday rolled around and it came time to head back to Lubbock. Here's to what we have accomplished over the last 10 years...

nice to see you

My first ultrasound was quite an experience. Jon and I had our eyes glued to the screen as the tech pointed out things we quickly pretended to see. There's the heart beating...a little white pulsing. Okay, I saw that. The crown to rump measurement showed 8 weeks 4 days. The doctor visited with us about various tests that could be performed during the first trimester and answered the few questions we managed to come up with. Running is out he said with hesitation because he is all too familiar with the mind of running junkies. I agreed to back off the exercise until the pregnancy was more stable. We are off to Little Rock in a few days armed with this exciting news. Who to tell first...

the longest 3 days

I just got a call from the nurse about my lab tests and was asked if I was sitting down. Does any good conversation begin with those words? She said, "You are not only pregnant, you are very pregnant." Her guess was close to 8 or 9 weeks! What?!?! That can't be right. I took it all in with the intention of checking my calendar asap to set things straight. We went over some details and she scheduled me an ultrasound for Friday.

3 tests later...

Here goes my first attempt at blogging. I felt a blog was necessary because... I am pregnant. C-R-A-Z-Y! I noticed a while back that I was feeling more and more exhausted so on a whim, I decided to take a pregnancy test on the morning of July 11. It instantly gave me a double line - a.k.a. you are pregnant woman! I actually didn't take it too seriously because it was a cheap test from the Dollar Store. I went to the gym as planned and decided to take another more expensive test when I was finished working out. The second test confirmed the results of the first test in less than 30 seconds. Okay, maybe this is real. Jon was on call that day and we weren't guaranteed to see each other so I decided to wait and tell him on Saturday. I knew I was going to be at work when he arrived home so I decided to leave him a piece of paper folded in half that read, "For Jon", with the positive pregnancy test hidden under it. I got home to find him in bed trying to get some much needed rest. He asked me what the test meant like I had someone else pee on it or something. I told him that the test that I had left him was one from that morning and was actually the third one I had taken. We chatted for a bit more and then I let him drift off to dreamland. I spent the next 2 days looking for the do's and don'ts of pregnancy seeing as I was pretty sure I had committed most of them during the last 3 weeks. I am trying not to get too excited about things right now as a lot can happen this early on.