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Saturday, July 31, 2010

Let Me Show You Something Crazy

If you get a chance, check out this website: www.zillow.com

Enter your address at the top, and hit enter. You'll get a pretty good estimate of what your home is currently worth, and how much it has changed over the past 10 years. You can also get nosey and look at other homes you're interested in, and find the price history (past sales, price adjustments, etc.) of the home!

For example, my sweet little home was worth the least in February 2004 (when it was originally sold), followed very closely by May 2010 (thank you, economy). It was worth the most in March 2008.

Oh, how I wish it were 2008.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Band Camp Quotes from Today


Many of you know that I am now spending my days sweating at band camp. Our students are GREAT this year. They are dedicated, motivated, and very enthusiastic. They already play so well! If we can get them to march as well as they can play, we're going to have an amazing group this year. 


Anyway, my friend (and fellow band director) Kaci wrote down our favorite quotes of the day... all from our sweet new band members... Read and have some laughs:



1. "Nice job, vet." -spoken by an 8th grade rookie when the vet messed up

2. "Glad you didn't say Edwards. This would have ended up in your eye (his lyre)." -spoken by a rookie to a staff member when asked who his fav. Nascar driver was

3. "How the heck did I get rookie of the day???" -spoken by a rookie when he made a bunch of mistakes on a part of music we asked him to play. This was followed by another rookie telling him "I think it is just a random selection". 




More Pictures of Our Boy

Our baby is still having a great time in Blythewood!






Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Grayson's Trip

OMIGOSH!!!! I miss my little boy!! Grayson left today for a trip to Blythewood to visit his JuJu and PaPa! He is coming back home on Saturday, and I'm already counting down the hours.

According to his JuJu, Grayson has been having a great time and has enjoyed playing with his cousin William. She sent two pictures. :) Thank you!!!




Say a little prayer or two for me and Jason... we are so excited that Grayson is getting to spend this time with his JuJu and PaPa, but it is hard not having him here!

Monday, July 26, 2010

McFatty Monday Week #2 Results

We're still going strong with our 15 pound challenge. Well... kind of strong. Here are the week's highlights:

1) We purchased a new (more evil) scale. This new scale is digital so I have lost the comfort in saying... I've lost between this many and this many pounds. Now I know... down to the .2 pound. Also, apparently our old scale (old friend) was weighing us about 4 pounds less than this new model. YAY! Not. Maybe I need to make my 15 pound challenge a 20 pound challenge now!

2) We both have to fight the desire to get on the scale multiple times a day. I had eaten some salty food once this week and it put my weight up for a few days... I wanted to quit... Jason talked me out of it. Jason's weight did the same things a few days later... he wanted to quit... I talked HIM out of it!

3) Both of our clothes seem to fit better now. We're both feeling better, and I really believe Grayson is getting easier to chase around the house. That makes me want to keep going on the diet!

Anyway... the results:

Alicia- 1 pound- total weight loss= 6 pounds
Jason- 3 pounds- total weight loss= 7 pounds

Who will be the first to get to 15 pounds?? I guess you'll have to keep checking in on Mondays to find out!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Celebrating Jason's Birthday

Jason is going to be 27 years old on Wednesday! We traveled to Blythewood today to celebrate with his parents and his Nana. We had a fun afternoon! We went swimming in the pool, played with JuJu's toys, had a great lunch and dinner, and enjoyed Nana's homemade birthday cake for Jason!

He LOVED this rocking cow thing!

Smile for Daddy! 


A very dramatic blowing out of the candles... :)


Grayson and his Daddy


Grayson, Jason, and Nana


Grayson and his PaPa


JuJu already knows what Grayson is thinking... 



Don't pull JuJu's glasses, Grayson!

Friday, July 23, 2010

What We've Done So Far Today:


1. I had to get a filling in a tooth!! :(

2. We went to eat lunch at El Mexicano

What are you staring at baby??

Someone needs to clean your face! :)
3. Jason got an iPad from his parents for his birthday!! We went to the new Apple Store at Haywood Mall. Jason said it was the coolest shopping experience of his life. Haha.... 






4. Grayson received a new (FREE!) book in the mail from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library! See my previous post here Baby Things I Love for info on how you can sign up a preschool child you know. 




5. Jason played video games. 



5. Gordo rested. 



6. Grayson played with socks. 



The End. 

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Just Having Fun




Making a huge mess in his bedroom



Looking extra grown up! 



Look what I found!


We had to lower Grayson's crib last week because I was scared that he would stand up and fall out! I was a little sad when I realized his crib didn't look like a baby slept in there anymore! 




Sweet Smile!



Last week Grayson learned to climb up the stairs.. today he practiced this new skill again. I guess I need to babyproof the stairs REALLY soon! 

Monday, July 19, 2010

McFatty Monday Week #1 Results

Week 1 was super tough, but we made it through! Jason and I are both doing pretty good on our diet and my "fat girl" pants are beginning to fit better! Maybe in another month I can give them up for some "small girl" pants.

Anyway-- results:

Alicia- 5 pounds
Jason- 4 pounds

Who will get to 15 first?? I guess you'll have to keep checking in on Mondays to find out!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Remembering Grayson's Birth

One of the things I've been meaning to do over the last ten months is to write out the story of Grayson's birth. Lately, I've found myself wanting to talk to Jason about the little details of what happened in the days leading up to his birth and during those first few days after so that I could make sure it was still in my memory. This weekend I had a chance to sit down and really try to remember the small things.

I've decided to share my story here so that I can document it for myself and look back and remember the event years from now. I know this is REALLY long... please don't feel obligated to read everything, but then again, read if you want! :)

I began the school year ready to start the year, get my classroom routine down with my students, and then leave them in the capable hands of my long-term substitute. Working immediately was really tough on me (and my super swollen feet), and I started having contractions off and on for days. I actually felt like I could be in real labor twice, and each time we made it up to the hospital to be monitored and then sent home to wait it out. Anyway, the week I was 37 weeks pregnant, I went to work 1 or 2 days and the other days I spent at home, trying to feel better. This definitely did not match the plan I had in my head, which was to work up until my labor began.

The next Monday I had a doctor's appointment after-school. My blood pressure was really high at the appointment, and they took it several times to see if it would go down. It did go down when I was lying down on the table, so I was put on bed rest and asked to come back on Thursday for a follow up appointment.

Thursday's appointment showed that my blood pressure was back to normal and that the bed rest was helping. The doctor told me he would see me next week and I had made up my mind that I would probably not be having the baby in the next few days.

Later that afternoon, I did all of my laundry- washing, drying, folding and putting away. The first Carolina football game of the season was going to be on TV that night, and Jason and I were looking forward to watching it together. In fact, Jason had joked for a few days, asking me to please just wait until the first game is over before I go into labor. I ordered a pizza, then sat down on the floor with my last load of laundry to fold. ESPN had already begun their coverage of our game, and kick-off was supposed to happen in 5 minutes.

At that time, I felt and heard a "thump" sound. A few seconds later it was VERY clear that my water had broken. YAY!!! I was so excited. I tried to call Jason at work. No answer (common since it was the end of his shift and he was probably in the roll call room). I sent him a text. "Come home. My water just broke." He called me immediately, but I think he thought I was joking because of what he had said earlier about waiting until the game was over.  When I assured him I wasn't, he came home right away.

I went out in the front yard and told my neighbors (who honestly seemed like they had received TMI from me at that point) and then tried to call the pizza place to cancel my order. Since the pizza was on the way, I told them we'd still take it, and went inside to get my things together.

What I didn't realize was that labor takes a LONG time (at least for most 1st timers). I should have gone ahead and eaten that pizza when it arrived, but I had heard stories of people getting sick during labor and I was ready to meet our little boy! Jason did have a few slices when he got home, then he changed out of his uniform and we were on our way to the hospital!

Since we had already been there twice, we knew the way to L&D triage. It was fun knowing that they couldn't send us home this time! My contractions still hadn't really started up, and at that time I thought I must just have a higher level of pain tolerance than some women (ha!). Here is a picture from the triage room:


See the OB Triage sign. What do you think we decided to watch on TV?? The USC game!! 

It was at that time that we called both sets of our parents. Jason's parents were very calm, cool, and collected. They had been through this before. He told them he would update them ASAP, but we all decided that it was probably best for them to go to bed and wait for us to call before they made the trek from Columbia to Greenville. My parents were not as calm and cool. Dad answered when I called. As soon as I told him we had been admitted to the hospital he said, with panic in his voice, "You're going to have to talk to your mom right now". Haha! They were going to take their time, but they decided to come to meet us in the hospital. 

As soon as they confirm that your water is broken you get sent to the real L&D floor. I was wheeled up to our room and as soon as we were in the big room I felt a tinge of fear. I knew I wouldn't leave that room until Grayson was here (or until I had to have an emergency c-section) and for the first time I was really afraid of what the labor and delivery might be like. 

At the advice of the nice nurse who wheeled me to my room, I requested my epidural before the pitocin. The epidural was not bad at all! They gave me a numbing shot and then did the epidural. I felt a feeling of electricity run through my body as soon as the epidural was in, and then I was able to relax. Here are some pictures. 


                          

Jason took a picture of me. 




Then, I took this one of Jason. 




Grayson's warming bed. Already warm and ready for him! 




Hanging out in L&D. 





One more picture to show the other side of the room. 

I remember Jason wanting to go to sleep (he had worked a 12 hour shift on Wednesday and a 12 hour shift on Thursday). I also remember Mom and Dad going downstairs to get coffee and I remember Mom sitting in the room with me while Jason tried to rest on the couch. I was still so excited, and I just wanted to talk to her about anything and everything. It was fun. 

At some point, contractions just about became unbearable and I wasn't making progress enough to suit me. It was at this time that my labor memories go blank. It was also around this time when Jason called his parents to make the drive. I'm not really sure what time this might have been, but I think about 5 a.m. 

I tried to get the nurse to help me with the pain. She brought in the nurse anesthesiologist. That lady basically said I probably didn't know the difference between pressure and pain. I could have slapped her. 

At 7 a.m. I got a new nurse named Ashley. She was a true gem. She did want to help me with the pain. It seemed like the epidural was doing it's job but I was progressing faster than it could keep up with the pain. She brought in this nice man who gave me some shots in my IV. Every time he did this I got about 30 minutes of some pain relief. Thank goodness. 

I remember my parents and Jason's parents walking in the room to check on us many times (it was a LONG labor). I was in so much pain that I could have cried (and I probably did), and I hated that I couldn't be more social. I left that to Jason. They joke that I was mad when the nurse told me I was 9 cm. I said let's go ahead and have this baby. One measly centimeter didn't seem important to me. I also remember telling people that I thought I was dying. This is no lie. I really did think I was dying... I just knew that I would die and they would all feel bad because they thought I was just in labor. Hah!

Finally they let me push. Jason had to hold my feet, and he later told me that they really stunk. Sorry about that, Jason. 

The pushing seemed much easier than the labor, but I did fall asleep between contractions. That was strange to me considering the contractions were 2 minutes apart lasting about a minute each. 

I remember being so relieved when my nurse finally called the doctor. I knew it was going to be over soon. My doctor, Dr. Walvoord, was a sweet gift from Heaven. She was brand new to the practice, and really seemed to care about me. I loved her!! I will say that she was talking to another doctor on the phone throughout my last few pushes.... finally she said, "I'm going to have to hang up... I'm about to deliver a baby"... On the next contraction... 

Grayson was born!! Jason cried and I was relieved to be done. 

                            

Our Conehead

                            


                             


                            
                            

My parents said they could tell that the baby was here because all 4 of them were taking turns standing by the door and finally they heard me laughing. Haha! I guess that is a good clue. I wanted Jason to hold Grayson mostly. I loved him, but I was absolutely exhausted... not to mention, still in pain... 

                             

SEE?? Exhausted. 

As soon as I was stitched back up and Grayson was done with his good newborn baby stuff, the doctor said goodbye and started to walk out the room. When she saw that our parents were outside of the door, she asked us if it was okay to let them in (YES!), and then the real celebration began. 





My favorite first picture of me and my boy. 







My nurse asked Jason and I what we wanted to drink. I got us Coke. 
This is the BEST Coke I have ever had. 













Mom calling Grandma. We were all happy. 



















Me and My Crazy Baby

Friday, July 16, 2010

Bargain Outfit- at least for Oprah

I generally LOVE Oprah. During my senior year of college, Mark and I had the cable company give us a DVR and I would record Oprah every single day. I try to make sure I'm at home by 4 p.m. whenever possible so that I can get my daily dose of Oprah. I also subscribe to the magazine. I like Oprah.

BUT-- Oprah and her magazine peeps are a little out of touch with reality. At least, they are out of touch with what my reality is...

Here is what Oprah is wearing on the cover of the latest issue of O magazine:


Cute outfit, right. I like it. Guess what?!?! Everything Oprah's wearing is under $100!! The cover told me so! I guess an entire outfit under $100 is a pretty good deal, so I'll bite and investigate a little further. 

Apparently by "everything is under $100" they mean every piece is under $100. If you add up the true cost of Oprah's outfit you get:

Earrings- $44
Sweater- $70
Shirt- $70
Belt- $53
Bracelets- $170 total
Watch- $55
Ring- $14
Pants- $80
Shoes- $69

TOTAL- $625

I mean, honestly, is an outfit for $625 really a bargain??


Thursday, July 15, 2010

Yesterday's Adventures

Grayson was a sleepy and fun baby yesterday. He slept past 8:00am and then he woke up to eat and play. We spent some time watching TV together and taking pictures of ourselves on the couch. 






Then, he slept. From 9:30am to 12:30pm. YES. Really. That long. 

Then he woke up for lunch, and we played again. He decided it would be fun to pull out some of the baby clothes (and an extra baby monitor) he has outgrown that I've put in a box, but not completely removed from his bedroom. 






Then he slept, AGAIN from 2:30-5:00pm. 

After that, he woke up to eat, and then we played and went to Jason's baseball game. 



All in all, I'd say it was a pretty fun summer day.