Life with Charlotte, Week 2: Overwhelmed

Charlotte is now officially 16 days old (feels like she should be starting college next week...time is flying). In Charlotte's 2nd week of life, she continued to eat, sleep, and poop. She also continued to wow us with her sweetness and beauty, reminding us to thank and praise God often for the gift of both of our girls.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it. After I had Noelle, I cried for many days, multiple times a day. I had the classic case of "Baby Blues," lasting about 2 weeks and then disappearing. I had many a breakdown in the days following Noelle's birth-- breakdowns over silly things and breakdowns over serious things. I developed new fears, couldn't watch scary TV shows, needed lights on at all times because darkness made me sad. I cried in the shower, I cried when I looked at her, I just cried.

I prayed I wouldn't have this same case of the "Baby Blues" following Charlotte's birth, but that didn't happen. Sure enough, I turned into a blubbering mess upon bringing her home from the hospital, and having a toddler at home who likes to push boundaries intensified the emotions.

There are plenty of women who have babies and never experience this unexplained sadness and emotional roller coaster, but there are also plenty of women who go through this exact thing and some who have it much worse. I guess what I'm saying is that now that Charlotte is 16 days old, my "Baby Blues" are dissipating and I am finally starting to get a handle on being a mother of 2 little ones.

The whole process is quite overwhelming.

Not only is parenthood overwhelming in the "too much going on, I can't breathe, how do I help two crying babies at the same time, Noelle just peed on the floor because I was feeding Charlotte and couldn't help her get to the potty on time, Luke's working late again, the house is a freaking mess, I don't feel like cooking" kind of way...but it's also overwhelming in the "how could I be so lucky to have the most beautiful, healthy babies, and how do I deserve them when so many others are suffering losses of their children or infertility issues" kind of way.

Little by little, one day at a time, we are learning how to navigate this new world together.

Life with Charlotte, Week 1: Adjustment

Little Miss Charlotte is officially one week old, and the word to describe this week would be "adjustment." Oh boy...all kinds of adjustments have taken place. We are adjusting to living on very little sleep. We are adjusting to splitting our time and attention between two girls. We are adjusting to me being at home alone with the babies. We are adjusting to life as a family of four and the realization our "old life" is officially not coming back! 

When you bring a child into the world, it seems that everything goes through adjustments. Our marriage is already bending and stretching to accommodate another human being who is much more important than either one of us right now. A co-sleeper bassinet rests in between Luke and me at night leaving no room for snuggling or spooning for the two of us. There's not a lot of time right now to talk about things that don't involve diapers or feeding schedules or Dora the Explorer. We are OK with this, definitely, but we also understand the importance of making time for each other and for adult conversation. I believe that you can't have a healthy home life with healthy children if your marriage isn't solid and strong. Putting children above your spouse should be done with caution, in my opinion. Right now, we really have no choice but to give all of our love and energy to our girls, but sooner or later, after this initial adjustment period ends, we will be able to give something, even if it is the very last remnant of our hearts, back to each other.

Noelle is adjusting, too. She really loves her baby sister and speaks with excitement about her. However, I know that Noelle sees us interacting with Charlotte and giving her attention and I'm sure she thinks "Who is this person stealing my Mama and Papa?" We have tried to shower Noelle with praise and love and special attention, but there is only so much to go around at any given moment. I have thought this many times-- but thank goodness we are playing "man to man" and are not outnumbered yet.

I am adjusting to my new primary role of caregiver and not teacher. I must say I have suffered from a great deal of guilt because here I have the two most beautiful girls in the world, and I am constantly having to remind myself that my #1 priority right now is taking care of them-- not thinking about school, attending meetings, grading papers, planning units, taking photos, etc, etc, etc. It's difficult though, to change gears like that, when it's all I feel like I know how to do. I am used to being really busy, so when I'm home now without any real place to go or be or anyone really to talk to (aside from Noelle), it causes some uneasiness and loneliness to be quite honest. I am adjusting (have I mentioned it's the word of the week?) to this lifestyle and am trying to embrace it as I know that this leave will be over in a flash and I will have all of that familiar chaos back in my life in no time. 

Lastly-- Charlotte is adjusting. :-) She had her days and nights completely mixed up upon entering this world. In her first few days of life, she barely opened her eyes during the daytime. She wanted to eat all night, which left me with about 2 hours of sleep each day. However, last night, she allowed me to sleep about an hour and a half to two hours between feedings, and she has spent several minutes today taking in her world and surroundings with her eyes open. I am hopeful that she is going to start sleeping more and more at night and show us her beautiful eyes throughout daytime hours. 

Also noteworthy...she weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces (birth weight was 7 pounds, 8 ounces) at her first appointment with Dr. Woodworth. Her umbilical cord stump fell off at the appointment, too. We go back this week to have a weight check to make sure she is gaining enough weight. I am really hoping she is because I am going to be pretty resistant to formula supplementing this time. There's nothing wrong with it, but it is a personal goal of mine to nurse Charlotte and not have to add the expensive formula to her diet. Here's hoping...

Anyway, each new day brings a new adjustment for us, but sooner or later it will stop feeling like an adjustment and more like our new normal. 

Thankful for Babies!

Well, I am waiting for Elizabeth (the tall sister-in-law) to get here so we can go out at midnight for some Black Friday shopping. It's quite ridiculous. We really have nothing in mind that we need, but we are going anyway, just to be crazy. But...I thought I would give a little update because I have been blessed to hold not one but TWO new babies in the past 24 hours!

My friend, Jenn, had her son Lawson yesterday morning! She didn't know the sex of the baby until he was born, so it was a great surprise and a lot of fun to wait for that special text message! Allison and I went to the hospital to hold the little guy (and see Jenn & Justin of course) last night. I can't believe how quickly I have forgotten that Noelle was that size once. Nearly nine short months ago, Noelle was just as small and squirmy and breakable. Now she is a bouncing, giggling, smiling, wiggling, sitting, table-food eating CHILD!

Then, last night, we got another great text message (what would we do without them?) from Luke's brother Seth saying that Liz (the short sister-in-law) was in labor and would most likely deliver our THIRD niece or nephew on Thanksgiving day! We waited for a follow-up and we got a call at about 7 a.m. that Artemas Ernstberger was born and completely healthy! Since we were going down to New Albany anyway to be there for Thanksgiving, we expedited the process and got down there in time to hold the newest precious baby in our family. He is so tiny compared to his two older brothers, Gus (almost 4) and Sol (almost 2). Gus, Sol, and Art...a great trio already! :-)

Congratulations to both families who have yet another reason to be very thankful on Thanksgiving!

Vacation: Accomplished

After toying around with the idea for what seemed like years (really, a couple months), I decided we needed a Fall Break getaway, and I literally threw a dart at a map and it landed on Nashville, Tennessee. OK...not really a dart...but we had never been, and we decided it sounded like a doable trip with our 7 month old nugget.

So, off we went on Saturday. Noelle did amazingly well the whole way there (5 hours!). She didn't cry. She slept most of the time or played with her toys. She ate in a high chair at Wendy's (because you aren't American if you haven't been in a high chair at a fast food joint before 1 year of age).

We arrived safely to our hotel...Aloft in Cool Springs, TN. It was a really cool, modern little hotel that had an elevator that was nearly all charcoal gray and had curtains hanging in it. The floor of the elevator had this blue gel stuff that turned white when you stood on it. Cool, huh? (or creepy when you are standing in it with strangers)

Our room was neat. It had a cow print painting above the bed. The bathroom was subway tiled (like the way my future kitchen back splash will be), and the free shampoo and soap? From Bliss spa. Don't tell Luke, but I paid $36 for body scrub from that brand once. Here they are, giving the crap away for free? Don't think I didn't throw the baby sized shampoos and soaps in my bag. I ride dirty like that.

Saturday night, we headed to Vanderbilt's campus and hung out at Centennial Park. They have a replica of the Parthenon there. I am still trying to figure out why a park in Tennessee has a replica of a structure that was built to honor the goddess Athena, but it was pretty cool to see and made for some cute pictures.

We ate at a great pizza place, thanks to Amanda Eichenberger's recommendation, and we headed back to the hotel to swim. Noelle was adorable in her little swimsuit and was splashing and playing like a little maniacal nugget. She squealed and laughed and hissed (the thing she does now when she smiles and blows air out of her crinkly nose...it sounds like she is hissing). Her diaper swelled up like some fast-rising bread dough, and I totally didn't care that the sign said "no diapers in the pool unless wearing rubber pants." My daughter does not wear rubber pants. Nor will she ever. Period.

Anyway, Sunday, we got up and went to breakfast at a place called J. Christopher's. It was yummy. I had pumpkin pancakes. Our waitress was from Noblesville! Crazy, right? We had a great chat with her and headed out to the zoo. The Nashville Zoo is soooo pretty. The habitats for the animals are just so well designed and really, really cool. The Indy Zoo probably has more animals, but the Nashville Zoo was prettier to look at. The only thing I missed was the aquarium/dolphin show. I wish it would have had one of those. Other than that, it was a totally great place, and Noelle had a great time!

After the zoo, we went downtown. We had no idea the Titans had a home game, so it was pretty busy. We were on a mission to find this place called the Cupcake Collection. It was a bakery I had heard about. I love cupcakes and decided that we had to find it. Finally, we found it, and Luke enjoyed a sweet potato cupcake while I had a wedding cake cupcake. Soooo good. I wish we could have bought some to take home, but it was pretty warm outside that day. Melted cupcakes don't taste as good.

We ate at a place down by the water and listened to the football game. I guess a difference I noticed was if we were in Indy on a Colts home game Sunday, the restaurants/streets would be crawling with people in Colts jerseys, just trying to be close to the game. There was really no one walking around in a Titans jersey (for obvious reasons... haha), and we got right in to a restaurant that was literally a stone's throw away from the stadium.

After lunch, we walked down the streets and marveled at all the cowboy boot stores. We also loved walking by each bar...which seemed to have a spot in the front with an aspiring music artist singing away. It was fun to walk past each doorway and hear something different each time. It definitely was everything we thought Nashville would be.

We did make the trek to the Opryland area, just wanting to see the Grand Ole Opry and the hotel from the outside. They were still working on repairing the flood damage, so we couldn't get in at all. After that, we went back to the hotel to swim once more and then get ready for dinner.

We found a restaurant called Saffire in Franklin, TN. We enjoyed a really great dinner there. I loved that none of the tables/chairs/center pieces matched in this restaurant. It was really funky and dark and cool in there. Noelle slept most of the time, so we were able to enjoy a nice, long dinner. It was a great ending to a fun trip.

The next day, we were up before the sun and ready to head out. Our trip home was uneventful, though about 30 minutes before we were home, Noelle decided she was done with the trip and wanted to be out of the car. She cried the rest of the way home, but I suppose it was a small price to pay for how well she did the rest of the time.

Now it is back to the daily grind. {enter long-winded sigh here}

Family Pictures!

Finally...pictures that I get to actually be in with my family! :-) Always behind the lens, I find myself missing out on those beautiful moments with Noelle and Luke. Amanda of Amanda Nicole photography did a great job. I can't wait to get the pictures up on our walls. Remarkably, with the thousands of pictures I have taken of Noelle, we have ONE up on the wall. ONE! What a crime!!!

Noelle's First Trip to the Zoo!

You're not officially the parent of a small child until you take him/her to the zoo. Luke and I achieved that level of parenthood on Thursday when we decided on a whim to head to the Indy Zoo with Noelle. We were bored and didn't know what we could do, and the heat happened to be not as stifling that day so we decided to do it. We got her all dressed, packed all the necessities, and headed on our merry way! 

It was about a year ago that Luke and I went to the zoo as part of our anniversary celebration. We had just found out that we were having a baby, so we would stare at all the young couples with children and imagine bringing our baby to the zoo someday. It was fun to see that dream come to a reality.

I have been to the Indy Zoo many many times. However, to go there for the first time with a little one allows you to see it from a whole new perspective. I was worried that she wouldn't really take it all in, but her eyes followed the animals, people, sounds, and lights. We took her to the Oceans exhibit first, and she loved all the bright colors and fast moving fish. Her face was so adorable...I can't wait to take her back next year when she is running all over the place and squealing with joy (OK, maybe the running all over the place at a crowded zoo isn't what I am most looking forward to, but the squealing should be cute). 

We saw all the exhibits except for the desert. I had no need to see snakes and other reptiles that close to my precious baby girl. We did the dolphin show, ate ice cream, and Noelle even touched an elephant! We realized about an hour after she pet the elephant that we didn't wash her hand (glance down to see almost 5 month old with her whole fist in her mouth). Don't worry, we are monitoring her closely for any signs of illness...please don't call CPS...yet...

To cap off the day, we took her to the splash park. I didn't know this little treasure existed at the zoo! We were contemplating taking her to a water park here in Indy, but we got to do that at the zoo! Again, she will probably like it better in a year, but we still had her in her little pink swim suit, taking her through the sprinklers and letting her little feet get wet. 

All in all...a great day. Maybe one of my favorite days of being a mommy so far. We were a real stroller pushing, diaper bag toting, child shlepping family, taking in the sights at the local zoo. 

Oh..and she didn't cry all day, despite the heat, despite the lack of nap, despite the wonky feeding schedule. She is such a baby rock star.

Now...the pictures!

Looking at the fish

Ready to go see some animals!

The elephant incident

Splash Park...not too sure!

An expression Tyra Banks could be proud of...(not mine...Noelle's!)

I love Luke's expression here :-)

Cooking with Grandma

Before my grandma died, she made sure that I have her 1956 Betty Crocker cookbook. This cookbook, with its stained and tattered cover and half torn out pages, guided many baking sessions with my grandma and me when I was little. I have fond memories of watching her bake with shortening, put the fork marks in peanut butter cookies, and roll up "bumble bees" out of left over pie crust. It was with her that I learned that hamburgers can be fried in a skillet and pizza can be cut with scissors.

It meant a lot to me that I have this cookbook. I have set it in my kitchen as sort of a decoration for the past couple of years, but after talking with my dad about how much he loved grandma's butterscotch meringue pie, I decided to put it to good use. I carefully turned to the pie section, trying hard not to lose any loose pages. I love seeing her handwriting on the pages and the occasional greasy finger print. I also love seeing how old-fashioned this cookbook is....assuming that the woman of the house was to be the domestic goddess. There are weeks worth of meal ideas, tips on how to keep your man happy and full, and how to brew coffee for 40 people. My how the times have changed. Nearly everything calls for a hearty dose of lard...no margarine in sight.

Anyway, I set out to make this butterscotch meringue pie as a belated Father's Day gift for my dad. I carefully followed all of the directions, and, after using nearly all of my pots and pans as well as every measuring device I own, this was the finished product:

I think my dad was pretty surprised that I actually made the pie. It was pretty good, too. I had so much fun making it that I turned around and did a mixed berry pie with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. This pie was pretty awesome, especially warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I have plans to do a chocolatey pie next. I just love the way the crust tastes, and I don't care that I put like 1/2 a cup of shortening in it. It's what makes it amazing. I eat diet ice cream, diet cookies, diet chips, and I drink diet coke. Having a piece of full-flavor, full-fat, homemade goodness every now and then won't kill me.

I don't have oodles and oodles of warm fuzzies about that side of the family, but I do have my grandma's cookbook, which is really all I need.

Pictures

I am so super excited that I booked a photographer for our first family photo shoot that will take place in September! Noelle will be 6 months old and beautiful, no doubt. I am really looking forward to this day! :-)

Sleepless in Indianapolis

Pardon the stupid title. I am going on a few hours of zzzzzzz....

I have tossed and turned since about 2:30 a.m....got up, used the bathroom, got some water, tossed some more...finally at about 3:15 I turned on the TV to catch up on this weekend's DVR. At about 4:45, I made it official and got up. I am so anxious....for the weeks to go by....for things at school to develop....for Baby E. It's absolutely maddening! I want to control everything, and I can't! All I can do is dream about how this baby is going to enter this world, and I can't turn off my racing mind! I am jealous of Luke as I see him sleeping soundly in the other room. I am also jealous because he has today and tomorrow off. :-(

I suppose I could do a little weekend update (kind of like SNL, but not as funny). Luke had to work late until 11 on Friday night, so I spent the evening alone. I watched the Hope for Haiti Telethon, which was sad and uplifting all the same. I gave my humble donation and prayed that the world would also open their hearts to give what they could. I was thrilled to see that the telethon has made $57 million dollars so far. That is seriously unbelievable! I don't know how far that goes in the grand scheme to help an entire country in need, but it is a great start, for sure.

Saturday, we got up and headed to New Albany for our 2nd baby shower! Liz and E put on a great shower, and Luke's aunts, cousins, grandma, sister (Clare), and mom attended. My mom and dad even came down for the event. We again were spoiled with great items for Baby E. My mind is stumped as to where we will put all of this stuff, but it is really fun looking at all of it until we find a place. Again, people have been so generous and giving to us! Very overwhelming!

Saturday night, we all hung out and enjoyed time together, eating Chinese and playing Bananagrams. Good times!

Sunday was church, then a birthday party for Gus & Sol! I can't believe that soon Gus will be 3, and Solomon just turned 1. I know it won't be long before I am saying this about my own child. Where does the time go? I remember them both being so little and helpless...and now they are walking, talking, running, laughing, playing, learning...all the time. It's so crazy.

Of course, we watched the big Colts game, complete with a WIN against the Jets and our second trip to the Super Bowl!!!!!!!!! I am so excited for February 7th! I was a senior in college when they went to Miami and won their first title, and now, 3 years later, they are going back to Miami to do it again! We stayed up to see that they will be playing the Saints, which will surely make for some great news coverage given that Drew Brees went to Purdue, Peyton's dad Archie played for the Saints, both teams were top ranked in AFC and NFC, both teams "could" have had undefeated seasons (or so everyone thought...even though the Saints' losses were a little more legitimate than us just letting the other teams win), both teams with the most prolific offenses in the NFL, and this being Peyton's 2nd trip to Miami to win a Super Bowl within 3 years. I expect a lot of drama and suspense over these next two weeks. Bring it on!!!

Well, I think that does it for now. I should get up and make good use of my extra time this morning. I get observed by my principal today, which always makes me nervous. I could always get to school early to prepare. Our last childbirth class is tonight, and we are at 57 days for the baby countdown! :-)

Christmas Craziness Comes to an End

Luke and I had a great Christmas celebration. It lasted from Wednesday the 23rd to the 26th, and it was full of family, traveling, gifts, children, good food, and not a lot of sleep. I have been counting down to Christmas since early November, and it just a couple of days, it quickly came to an end. I think this is the first Christmas where I am not that sad, however. I know that a much better gift and celebration are in store in just about 12 weeks (or less!).

We have had the tradition to celebrate our own personal Christmas a couple days before. Luke had an exam on the 23rd in the morning, and then we spent the whole day together. We finished some last minute shopping, ate lunch, and opened our gifts together. We finished the evening with a great dinner at Ruby Tuesday's. I had ribs, and boy did I love them! Luke did really well for me this year. He got me a couple of hats that I asked for, some books, a necklace, and Wii Sports Resort! So fun! :-) I got him his coat back in November, plus some socks and boxers, fleece pants, and a CamelBak water backpack for when he runs or bikes.

We headed to Muncie after dinner to see my family because my brother and his girlfriend surprised my mom by coming in from Missouri. She didn't think they would be able to come until after Christmas, but they surprised her early. We all knew they were coming except her. It was hard to keep the secret, but fun to lie and get her all riled up! :-) We spent the evening playing the Wii, which ended up with me having a sore shoulder and arm for two days because of the sword fighting game.

Thursday was Christmas Eve. It was low-key. Luke and I went to a couple of stores and killed time until we all went to Mass. We ate some good food, watched the traditional Simpsons Christmas and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (like we have EVERY year since I can remember-- still on VHS with original early 90's commercials), and then we all sat down like a nice little family and watched The Hangover! Not exactly your typical family movie. I warned my mom and dad that it was pretty lewd and crude...and I think after the first 50 F-bombs they got used to it and thought it was funny. This has become somewhat of a new tradition, because we watched Step Brothers last year.

Friday was Christmas...and we all, including our baby, were treated very well by Santa. I am overwhelmed at how much "Santa" is able to do for us...we are very lucky. Just a few of our favorite surprises were a GPS, our baby's travel system, the baby's swing, the car seat, and tons of other fun baby stuff.

After my family's Christmas was over, we headed to New Albany to see Luke's huge family for Christmas. There were probably 50 people at his grandma's tiny house on Christmas night, but it was fun and I can't wait to add our little Max or Noelle to the mix next year!

The day after Christmas, we spent it with Seth and Liz and the boys. I love our nephews! They are the cutest! We had so much fun seeing them and their excitement for Christmas. The girls split from the boys, and we did some shopping, eating, and then joined back up with the men for Avatar 3D. I can't believe I went and saw it, but I actually liked it. So there, Luke. You win.

The boys and girls split again and hung out at two different houses. All the aunts and female cousins played games and ate some food while the men and boys played poker. It was awesome to hang out with so many people and laugh so much.

We headed back on Sunday, leaving 45 degree, sunny weather in New Albany and returning to snowy, cold Indy weather. We put away all our gifts and cleaned our house...everything looks great! Mom and Dad brought our big gifts that wouldn't fit in the car down and watched the UNFORTUNATE Colts game with us. I am still reeling at how you can have a chance at history and go undefeated, but yet you think playing it safe and pulling star players out in the 3rd quarter is a good idea. Why are they so worried about injuries? These men are huge. They are strong. They are smart. I don't get it.

Anyway-- that was our Christmas in a nutshell! I hope everyone's was full of love and laughter....and the spirit of Christmas lasts the whole year through!

Playing Catch-Up

I feel like I have been playing catch-up a lot here lately...with my sleep...with my Facebook & Blogging (oh-so-important)...with my work at home...etc. It's been a busy week, between getting everything ready at school for Christmas break, going to my staff Christmas party, the Royerton Christmas Program, and then having Luke's family Christmas all weekend, I feel like I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off! I am soooo exhausted, but I know that I will have 2 weeks off to catch up my sleep.

We had a great weekend with Luke's family. Because our family is so big and busy, we must do our Christmas not on actual Christmas Day. We hung out, laughed a lot, ate a TON of food, played with our beautiful nephews, built a HUGE snowman, saw Blindside (me) and Avatar (Luke), got some great gifts, and caught up with all the family news. Luke's youngest sister CeCe is heading to Argentina for a whole year on January 4th, so we enjoyed spending time with her. It's insane to think that our child will be 9 months old when she comes home and meets him/her for the first time. It makes me sad, but I know she is doing what she wants to do, and she will have a great experience.

In other news, I hit the 27 week milestone, meaning this is my last official week in the 2nd trimester. I am excited and nervous to begin my 3rd trimester. I can't believe I have been pregnant over 6 months already. The time is flying, and we are getting so close to meeting our precious baby girl or baby boy. I have had 3 girl dreams and Luke has had 2 girl dreams. We joke that if it is a boy, Baby Max is going to come out with his middle finger up because we have said GIRL for so long and called the baby Noelle a lot. I apologize in advance, Son. I just have a really strong feeling.

Speaking of strong feeling, the baby has been a lot more active, kicking and punching harder each day. I can even see my belly move at times, and other people have been able to get a feel for the action (not my mom, however, who hasn't been able to time it just right).

Well, I think that is about it. I am going to rest up for a couple days before the real Christmas madness begins. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. I will have my glucose test to see if I am gestational diabetic. Wednesday I finally get my ugly wart removed that I have had on my hand for almost a year. SICK!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Return of the Blogger

I do apologize to any loyal readers for my lack of posting here lately. And by loyal readers, I mean my parents... :-) My typical phrase is "things have been crazy!"

I am gearing up for a three day teaching week that will end with a day of parent-teacher conferences and a 1-day fall break for me. I am very much looking forward to my day off. I have a doctor's appointment in the morning, a hair appointment in the afternoon, and that is just about it! My weekend is wide open, and I am thrilled!

Luke and I had a really great weekend here recently. We spent Friday night with his mom, his mom's cousin Barry from California, and Abe & E. We ate at Five Guys, which totally lived up to the hype. I kind of wanted it again the next day for lunch. It was a pregnant lady's dream...burgers...and fries...yum. We had Coldstone after, and then came back to the house to watch some Brian Regan clips on youtube.

Saturday morning was Luke's big marathon! He successfully completed 26.2 miles on a chilly October morning. It was thrilling to watch him run and cross that finish line. I was so proud of him. He made it through with only a little pain in his knees. He is currently walking like an 85 year old man, but he should snap out of that soon. We had a great cheering section for him (thanks to Lisa, Barry, Abe, E, and my dad) complete with signs. What an accomplishment! He finished with an official time of 3 hours, 50 minutes, and 54 seconds, which was just under a 9 min. mile pace for 26.2 miles.

The rest of that day, we spent being lazy bums around the house. We had some delicious wings from Applebee's (baby craved them), and then we hung out with Chris & Megan and watched a movie. We really love having friends just 3 minutes down the road from us!

Sunday (today) has been marvelous. We got up, made biscuits and gravy, went to church, and ran about 1000 errands. I even did some "me" shopping, which is always fun and rare and full of guilt...but I decided I deserved it.

Dinner is about to be served...but I just wanted to briefly update and say that I am 18 weeks pregnant today! We go for our ultrasound in just over one week. I am DYING to see this baby-- and yes, we are still holding true to our word that we are not finding out the sex ahead of time. We are going to keep on guessing until March! :-)

Welcome to Notre Dame

Few things compare to a football game at Notre Dame. It is just an A+ place to get a huge atmosphere on a small campus. The tradition and pride and loyalty are truly marvelous. We always look forward to our next trip to South Bend.

This was our third game. My parents take the whole family (including my 9-hour-away-brother) once a year so that we can do something all together. Our common interest is football. Mom & Christian are probably the bigger ND fans, Dad probably takes the cake on Tennessee (Vols that is, not Titans), and I think I can have the title of #1 Colts Fan of the family...however we all love all three of the teams mentioned. Thankfully, we have all been blessed to have seen our favorite teams play in person, which is truly a fortunate thing to experience!

Anywho...September 5 was Notre Dame's opening game of the season against Nevada. They pulled off an amazing 35-0 win, which was so much fun to watch! The weather was great, though a little hot at times, our seats were perfect (highest row of the stadium which caught an incredible breeze and had a great view of the whole field as well as the campus behind us), and the atmosphere didn't disappoint. My only complaint of the day was the 30 minute wait we endured in some blazing heat while we tried to get into the stadium. Our gate where our seats were happened to be the only gate the students can go into, so we were absolutely surrounded by students and it was insanely crowded. It took a long time to get in, but it was worth it.

Being my 3rd time to the campus, I didn't take as many pictures. Trust me, though, it was beautiful.

Going to those games always make me wish I went to Notre Dame...but then I remember how there is no way I could have ever gotten in! Oh well...I still love my BSU!

Beginning to look a lot like Fall!

I am in much better spirits as I write this new post. The last one...must have been a pregnancy hormone dip or something. That happens sometimes. I get overwhelmed with life and would rather throw a pity party than do anything about it. Thankfully, I can snap out of those moods pretty easily.

Anyway, Luke and I had an amazingly wonderful weekend. Friday night was rainy and dreary, but we enjoyed a dinner at Olive Garden anyway. I love their salad so much! Oh, don't go thinking I am healthy. I had salad before my 3 breadsticks, and I had 3 breadsticks before my high calorie pasta meal. The waiter informed me that what I chose is this highest calorie item on the menu. Of course he told me this after I had eaten half of it. I chose to take the rest home! It was shrimp and chicken carbonara in case you were wondering! :-) We also went to a couple of shops at the Hamilton Town Center before we headed home to watch a movie. I crashed on the couch early, but Luke enjoyed it!

Saturday morning, I woke up and went straight for the fridge where a can of cinnamon rolls were waiting to be baked. I have been wanting cinnamon rolls for about a week (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), so finally I made some. Yummy! Once we got ready, we headed South for the Mt. Saint Francis picnic in New Albany. We made a stop at the Edinburgh Outlets where I bought my first baby outfit. I couldn't resist. It is for a little girl, and it has pandas on it. Pandas are my sorority's mascot, so I had to get it just in case it is a girl and just in case she wants to join AOII. So cute! I also got a Colts maternity T-shirt so that I can be a stylish fan the whole season through.

When we made it to the picnic (it's really like a festival), we hung out with family as everyone took turns manning the cake booth. It was BEAUTIFUL outside...and I managed to get some color in my face, probably more than I have had all summer! We stayed with Seth & Liz, which is always fun because we get extra time with them and our nephews...and we always eat good food and talk about random things. There's never a dull moment at their house with a 2 year old and an 8 month old! :-)

Today we enjoyed some more beautiful weather, and we were outside most of the day! We went to Huber Winery where we were able to pick our own apples. It reminded me of the days when I would drive to Bloomington to see Luke in college and we would visit Musgrave Orchard. Such fond memories of Bloomington in the fall. We had so much fun watching the boys play and being outside on a breezy, sunny day.

When we got home, we took a nice walk around the neighborhood and opened our windows in our house. I absolutely love this time of year!

It's so easy to spend time worrying about the negative things...and to pick apart what's wrong in the world....but today, we focused on all that is good, which is our family, our friends, our marriage, our home, our baby....sigh.....life is just so good-- never perfect, but so good.

Next weekend...Notre Dame game with mom, dad, and brother. So excited! :-)

Happy Sunday!

Hello, hello, hello! It's a beautiful Sunday morning...and I am sitting on my couch with my laptop on my...lap! I should be outside soaking in the sun, but right now it is pretty enough just to look at.

Two months ago, I was in Kiawah with family. Now I am on the cusp of a new school year. I don't feel as prepared as I wanted to be at this point, but I still have two 1/2 days to work in my room on Monday and Tuesday. I also need to keep reminding myself that I don't HAVE to have the whole school year planned on the first day of school. I am just so nervous about meeting my new set of students and their parents! It is such a crazy day...I only wish the kids knew that the teachers have just as much anxiety as the students. However, I suppose it is a good thing that the kids don't know that... they can already smell fear.

This week, we celebrated Clare's 21st birthday with a family dinner at Bravo. Luke's grandmother, both Aunt Marcias (yep...we have two!), Uncle Hugh, and cousins Melissa and Zach came from New Albany...as well as Liz and her precious boys, Gus & Sol! Cousin Aaron and his wife, Ellen, who live in Indy, and Abe & E, CeCe, and a couple friends also made the dinner. It was a great crowd! Turning 21 is a big deal around here! We finished the night off with a Coldstone cake, this time it was mint chocolate chip. YUM!

I got to spend some valuable time with Gus & Sol. I just love them! They stayed the night with us, so I didn't have to share them with everyone the next day. I had them all to myself! :-)

Last night was the final summer concert, Brad Paisley. It was really fun, great weather, no excess of drunk idiots like the George Strait concert. We had a really awesome time. It was a nice show to end on.

Well, we are off to church and then to Candace & Damon's for an end-of-summer cookout with friends. It is bittersweet to see summer on its way out, but fall is on its way, which means football, sweatshirts, apple cider, and pumpkins. BRING IT ON!

Vacation....Gone with the Wind!

We saved and planned and dreamt about our Kiawah Island vacation for nearly 6 months, and it was over in just seven short days! However, we made many memories, took tons of photos, and really enjoyed ourselves with Luke's family. 

It would be difficult to go back through and document each day's events, but I will try to do a summary.

The daily routine usually consisted of waking up around 8, eating breakfast (for me, it was the sugary cereal like Captain Crunch and Froot Loops that never, ever buy myself), then lounging around until 10. At that time, E and I especially would get our suits on and go to the pool. We would bake for a couple hours, come in around noon, eat some lunch, then head back out for the duration of the day. I enjoyed a few daiquiris by the pool (at $9 a pop, I will emphasize the word FEW), read the book "Divorce Party," and started on "Chasing Harry Winston." I am having trouble focusing on the second book, however. Maybe I will get more into it throughout the summer.

We would come back in around 5, shower, then relax or go on a bike ride until dinner. The dinners were my favorite parts of the night. Each couple/family took a night to prepare dinner for the rest of the group. The first night was Abe/E and "Love Shack Chicken." The second night was Seth/Liz and Taco Soup. The third night was CeCe/Clare/Marcia and Pork Chops. We took a night off when we went to Charleston and just really ate a bunch of junk food and ice cream. Luke and I cooked pasta with shrimp, asparagus, and bacon. YUM! The last night, Eric and Lisa treated us to seafood at the Charleston Crab House. It was fun seeing the couples in the kitchen together and preparing dinner with love.

On a couple nights, we played a lot of games like Apples to Apples, Mafia, "Wah," and other fun little "summer camp" games. We also did some shopping in Charleston and in the island's marketplace. I managed not to buy one single souvenir, however! In my old age, my favorite souvenirs are my photos of the trip. I don't need anything else if I have those.

We got to spend a lot of time with our nephews, Gus and Sol. It was so fun to see this vacation through their eyes, getting excited by water, sand, the ocean, alligators, etc. It's amazing how this Kiawah tradition has come full circle...from Eric and Lisa bringing their little ones to the island so many years ago, to now Seth and Liz bringing their little ones. I pray someday that Luke and I can do the same.

I didn't enjoy the 12 hour car ride home as much as I enjoyed the 4 hour plane trip there. However, being with Abe and E, we shared many laughs and had good conversation. 

We were so tired when we finally got home, but we are few skin shades darker and feel rested and ready for the rest of the summer! 

I can't post all 250 pictures that I took, but I can give a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

Before going out to dinner in Charleston

Luke when we watched the sunrise one morning

Beautiful sunrise

CeCe's world famous ugly face picture

Elizabeth and I eating lunch in Charleston