Pregnancy: Week 29

 

As week 29 comes to a close, Justin and I are preparing to hop on a plane bound for Colorado. Our exact destination in the state is unknown to me - I only know that there will be mountains and cool weather! I am getting less mobile each day as belly expands at a exponential rate, so there may not be as much hiking on our babymoon as there was on our honeymoon, but hopefully the scenery will be just as spectacular! We will be internet-free for the next five days, but we should return on Monday night with lots of great pictures.

Keeping up with the boys.

That's a hard task to accomplish when you're 6 and a half months pregnant. Since Justin's dad was in town, we wanted to show off the part of Mississippi we have grown to love so much - the Homochitto river. We borrowed 2 kayaks and a canoe, asked our friend Nick to join us and decided go on a little adventure.

It was 11 miles of twisty, shallow river with banks adorned with huge white sandbars on one side and steep bluff up to 40' high on the other. Our five hour trip included stops for swimming, exploring, and a not so graceful flip of the canoe that landed both Justin and me (accompanied by all of our stuff) in the water. I sulked for a while.

When we made it back, we were all exhausted and in dire need of a shower. Surrounded by beautiful scenery and good friends - how better to spend a day?

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A Little Update.

I've been lazy. Lazy in blogland but not in everyday life - I'm growing a baby, remember? Week 28 is half way over, yet we still haven't made it out to the front porch with the camera to photograph Little's growing apartment.
 
 This past week has been full of projects. Painting the front porch swing, installing a ceiling fan above it,  and sanding and painting an old hand-me-down bed are just a few of the projects we tackled this week.

As for me - well, my belly button is now officially an outie (which can clearly be seen through all of my shirts). I'm starting to waddle and move quite a bit slower. I also feel the need to clean all the time. I guess I am fully experiencing what they call "the nesting instinct."

At the doctor's office today, I had an ultrasound to track Little's growth. From what they say (although I fully understand that ultrasound weight can be off by a good margin) she's weighing in at 2 lbs 15 ounces with 3 months to left to pack on the pounds. My doctor laughed and said, "it looks like you'll be having a chunky monkey. She'll be cute, but she may have a few of those baby rolls."

Everything else looks great. She's growing right on target. She's head down, hopefully to stay that way!

Happy Weekend!

Hormones. What's pregnancy without them.

Poor Justin, he knows exactly what the expression on this man's face means. Sadly, I've teared up over things just as trivial - but at the time, I can assure you, they seemed anything but trivial.

Pregnancy: Week 27

Leaps and flips and kicks and punches. These are all apart of Little's daily routine. The belly is growing to the point where even my biggest pre-pregnancy t-shirt is far too snug to fit comfortably.

3 months to go.

The sparkle in Justin's eyes and the sweet kisses that are transferred from his lips to the-not-so-much-of-just-a-bump belly are by far the best part of this pregnancy. As the days pass, the love grows stronger, reality begins to set in, and our excitement abounds beyond measure.

Spontaneous Sunday.

  What a lazy weekend.

  Our weekend was influenced by the scorching Mississippi heat, which kept us inside for the majority of the time. Saturday we piddled with small projects around the house, and after church on Sunday, we came home and displayed the epitome of lazy behavior.

   Although it was nice to just sit and relax, Justin and I wanted to do something, anything really, outside. Considering the heat and my seemingly disappearing pot of patience towards 100 degree weather, we knew if we were going to be outside water had to be involved.

   Around 4:30 we decided to pack a picnic dinner of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples and oranges, Cheez-Its, and lots of water, load Paisley and our ENO hammocks in the car and head out to the Homochitto River.

   The temperature had cooled off only slightly to a still miserable 95 degree when we reached our destination, but with a refreshing breeze and the luck of finding a nice shady area, it was perfect. The Homochitto river is unlike any river in Georgia and South Carolina. The clear waters, the magnificently white sandbars, and the steady breeze made us feel as if we were on a beach, rather than in the middle of nowhere, Mississippi.

   It was beautifully fun and romantic. Happy Monday!

I suddenly feel like I am supposed to be a mother.

After spending almost an entire afternoon drooling over the super adorable knitted baby goodies on Etsy.com, I remembered that Justin wouldn't be very happy if he came home and I had ordered on of every item on the site, I decided to take up knitting.  Since Little will be born in November,  just as it is getting pretty cold down here in the South, she'll need something to keep her head warm - while looking stylish!

I spent several hours watching YouTube videos and reading a How-To book on making hats. Although they are far from perfect, since taking it up on Thursday night, I've knitted 5 baby and toddler hats!!

Take a look:

One Ingredient Ice Cream.

I've seen the recipes and I've read the reviews, looks easy enough and has great ratings, but one ingredient ice cream just sounds too good to be true, right? But after several unexplained, cannot resist cravings for ice cream, I felt it was time to find a healthier alternative, so I thought I'd give it a try!

This was the easiest recipe I've ever attempted. Made from just bananas, this stuff is amazing.

Instructions: 

1) Peel bananas first.

2) Slice them into pieces.

3) Freeze pieces for 1.5-2 hours.

4) Bust out the blender and add frozen bananas.

5) Scrape the sides as necessary.

6) Blend, Blend, Blend!

7) Add your favorite candy, flavoring, or eat as is!

I added vanilla flavoring to mine, and it tasted just like vanilla soft serve! YUM! It really is amazing to watch frozen pieces of bananas transform into creamy, delicious ice cream! Enjoy!

 

Letter to Little.

(Photo: The outfit I wore home from the hospital the day I was born.)

 
After a wonderful evening sharing a couch with your daddy, singing to you, and watching you squirm as if you were taking it all in, enjoying every minute of the dance party you were throwing inside your temporary residence, we couldn't be more excited about you. You're already a part of our family and in the center of many decisions. Whoever you are, whoever you become, we love you.

A Borrowed Canoe and a Saturday Afternoon.

   Saturday was a day of fun. We woke up slow, packed a cooler with a few drinks and a lunch, and set off towards the Bogue Chitto River, since Justin has been itchin' to go fishin' for quite sometime now.      

   Some of our friends own land down by the river, along with several kayaks and canoes, so we asked if we could make use of them on such a fine Saturday afternoon. With their permission, we picked out a canoe, put it in the water, and set off on our adventure.

   Shortly after we began making our way down the river, we saw fish jumping everywhere and decided to try our luck. Nothing. 30 minutes without the slightest nibble, except for those sneaky underwater logs that liked to snag our hooks with every opportunity. It was time to move. We stopped a couple more times throughout our trip to fish, but no luck then, either. So, eventually we put the rods and reels up and just enjoyed our paddle.

   We took things at a slow and relaxing pace. We stopped to take closer looks at trees, wildlife, and to go for a little swim. Other than turning out like lobsters in the end (due to the unfortunate event of leaving the sunscreen at home), it was an exciting day on the river!

The Best Laid Plans...

Friday began with only two things on our "To Do" list: switch our driver's licenses from our home states to Mississippi, and mow the lawn. At lunchtime, Justin planned to pick me up so we could go to the Department of Public Safety to cross Item #1 off of our list. We gathered the documents we thought we would need - our driver's licenses and a water bill as proof of residence - and headed five miles north to our local office. After a brief 10-minute wait, we were called to the counter where we informed that we would also need our social security cards to get Mississippi licenses. It was a small inconvenience, and half an hour later we were back at the same spot. The clerk - surprisingly friendly for a driver's license office - quickly went about processing our paperwork.

After 15 minutes of filling out forms and checking our driving histories, she came to a stop and said, "Oh, shoot!" Uh-oh, this can't be good. Turning to Justin, she said "It looks like you have a CDL, so I'm not going to be able to process your license." Then she turned to me. "And since your proof of residence only has your husband's name on it, I can't process your license until he has a Mississippi license."

Justin looked incredulous and tried to reason with the clerk, "But I don't want a Mississippi CDL. And besides, that was just a training permit that expired last month! I'm operating under a regular Georgia license."

"That doesn't matter," she replied. I'm not authorized to handle anyone with a CDL. You'll have to go to either Hattiesburg or Natchez if you want to get a license today, or you can wait until Tuesday and there will be a lady at the Brookhaven office that can process you." She handed us the paperwork and waved over the next client.

Justin and I left the office annoyed, and we weighed our options. The reason we wanted to get our licenses on Friday was because we were planning a canoe trip on Saturday, and we wanted to buy fishing permits for the journey. So waiting until Tuesday to get licenses at nearby Brookhaven (only 30 minutes away) wasn't an option. We were left to choose between Hattiesburg and Natchez. We pass through Hattiesburg almost every time we go home, and we had only visited the beautiful historic town of Natchez once since moving to Mississippi, so it really wasn't a tough decision. They were both an hour and fifteen minutes away, so we decided to make an impromptu visit to Natchez.

Twenty minutes into our trip, Justin turned to me and remarked, "It occurs to me that we have no clue where the Department of Public Safety in Natchez is." We looked at each other, then agreed to ask for directions when we got there. Amazingly, right after we made our last turn before entering the city limits, we both saw the building sitting there on the left. That was the last of our good luck for a while. The computer system was down when we arrived, and there was a slow trickle of people leaving the office who couldn't stand the wait. After driving so far, Justin and I were determined to wait until they forced us out the door. It was two hours before the clerks had the system up and running again. They called out several numbers without any response. Finally, they called our number and we practically ran to the counter. Half an hour later, we were out on the office and on our way, our shiny new Mississippi driver's licenses in our pockets!

It was about 3:30 by this time, so we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the city. We gawked over the streets full of 200-year-old mansions, drove across the Mississippi River into Louisiana just for the heck of it, and when we finally got hungry, we ate at local barbecue joint called the Pig Out Inn (traveler's tip - the pulled pork sandwiches were unbelievably good, prepared by a cook right when you order on a big wooden butcher's block; the corn on the cob, on the other hand, tasted as though it might have been better suited for feeding a pig than as a side dish with the pig. I recommend the baked beans instead).

We arrived at home with just enough daylight left for Justin to cross item #2 off of our "To Do" list.

More than Little's.

   This is the room in the house that stops me in my tracks every time. The soft pinks and blues, the flowing canopy hanging above, and the closet full of girly outfits and trinkets spark my imagination and make me a little sappy.

 

   When I look at Little's room, I see more than just a place to lay her down to sleep, more than a place to sing to her or rock her or read her bedtime stories. When I look in Little's room, I see a little piece of my past. Some of my most cherished items as a child will also be a staple in Little's childhood, too. In her crib, lies my precious old Puff-Puff and a blanket my great-grandmother knitted for me as a baby just waiting to be loved and adored by Little. Hanging in the closet are several of the clothes I wore as an infant/toddler. My mom and Grandma took their sweet time cleaning them and restoring them to like-new condition.

   This is more than a room. This is a memory. 

 

Pregnancy: Week 25.

  Week 25 has been a period of a few adjustments. I have reached the point of feeling uncomfortably big and bloated at times. Tums and body pillows have become my best friends. And if it weren't enough that heartburn and sleeplessness has become part of the everyday routine...eating smaller meals are quite the necessity, since there’s just not enough room for all my internal organs and an overly full stomach to share the space with a growing fetus.

  Week 25 came with new challenges, but those do not in anyway out weigh the best part yet. This week has also revealed a different side of Justin. He's been more than wonderful in accepting my aches and pains, massaging whatever hurts, understanding when I accidentally use his face in the middle of the night to turn over, or whatever crazy hormone induced argument I attempt to start.  Although I'm still considered a drama queen, he is proving time and time again that love grows daily, in many ways.

  As much as I love feeling Little move and squirm inside of my expanding belly, I am more in awe of my husband when he is in entranced by the show she throws right before bedtime. Her movements are captivating, but the glow radiating from his smile is truly beautiful and loving. We laugh at her kicks, her wiggles, and the way my stomach becomes lopsided as she switches sides during her show-stopping performances. 

  This is truly an amazing experience. We still have a few months to go before she makes her grand entrance, so until then, we are thankful for good health, mesmerized by the daily and weekly changes, and see the challenges we encounter as only a small part of this fun journey. 

'Craving' Has A Whole New Meaning.

 

I am not a sweets eater. I can pass up desserts. But recently, boy do I love chocolate. And boy do I like to bake. On several occasions during this pregnancy, I have found myself with an intense craving for a brownie or a Hershey's bar or anything involving chocolate for that matter. 

I've wanted chocolate so bad that during one of my crazy food craving frenzies - I almost cried. Yes. I so desperately wanted a food item, one that I have never once had a craving for, that I was on the verge of tears. I chalk it up to the hormones, but Justin seems to think it's all apart of me just being a super drama queen. Oh, the support. :)

After my sad display of lack of self-control, I came across a recipe that would satisfy even the most craving struck, hormone driven, pregnant woman anywhere.

This happens to be the easiest, yet most delicious chocolate cake recipe ever. And I'm not just saying that because of my current addiction.

Too Much Chocolate Cake:

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
• 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.  

Yum! Enjoy! :)

Wanderings After A Rain.

    A porch has always been one of my favorite places in a house. Whether it is a sunny day or a perfect rain storm, a porch brings some level of tranquility. A storm was blowing in yesterday afternoon, so Justin and I scurried out to the front porch just before the rain started.  We sat in our homemade swing, with the breeze blowing mist against our faces, just taking it easy.

   Once the rain cleared, lovie and I took Paisley for a walk around the neighborhood and into a cemetery at the end of our road. We wandered, looking at old graves, names, and admiring the distinctive sunlight that appears after an evening rain. It was nice to have a relaxing afternoon, with no stress, just a porch and a long walk. 

Why I blog?

Some individuals critique blogs based on baby bumps and pregnancy symptoms. Some are condescending towards other bloggers who use their space to document their feelings, excitement, and sweet love letters to their unborn child.

Lately, and on several occasions, I have been asked why I blog. The answer is simple. To remember. My blog gives me a space all of my own, to write about anything I want to write about, be able to look back, smile, and remember. I catch myself already forgetting some of those moments while Justin and I were dating - but when I read back through old blog posts, it all comes back - the memories, the feelings, the butterflies, the excitement.

In the same way I tried to document those first feelings with my lovie, from engagement to marriage to move to move again :), I now want to document these precious feelings, emotions, and changes I am experiencing in my first pregnancy. Some posts are personal, some are informative, some are just to let friends and family back home know that the little Tyson family in Mississippi are still alive and doing well.

So, for those who disapprove of my blog turning into a "talk about baby" space, I can only assume you feel as if I have abandoned my reason to blog. In which I will have to say you are wrong. As I found it important to remember my relationship and wonderful life with my husband, I find this time in my life needs to be just as cherished and documented with equal love and thoughtfulness. 
For those who have sent beautiful letters of encouragement, prayers, and joy, I appreciate it and am extremely thankful. I love opening my email and finding notes regarding my latest post and how it impacted you. Keep them coming! I write for myself, but I love to know that others are enjoying it too!