joyful journeys...

We're back!!

2012-01-16T19:57:00.006-06:00

So it has been way too long since my last post! So much has changed since then. I'm not teaching this semester, and my baby girl turned into a toddler!! I absolutely loved teaching, but it turned out to be more than I could handle right now. Man I have a whole new appreciation for my college professors now :). I might try to do it again in the fall, if I am able to teach the same class.

So, my only real new years resolution this year was to be more consistent on updating the 'ol blog. Once again, I'm considering going private, but I know it is such a hassle to enter in your email to be able to view it. Anyone know of an easy way to make a blog private? I'm open to just about anything, even if it means changing sites. I'm sick of all of the spam comments and strangers visiting my blog.

So...here is what is going on in the White House these days!

Will is really liking his job at S&W. I am so proud at how well he is doing and how fast he has grown professionally.
Lexi is 13.5 months old! She is a hoot. She still goes to Mother's Day Out 3 days/week due to my teaching schedule last semester, but she's on a waiting list for a 2 day/week program. More about her in a bit :)
I got a CriCut and my great-grandmother's sewing machine for Christmas, so I am trying to learn how to be crafty!! If you have any CriCut needs, please let me know-I need an excuse to play around with it!
Will and I are anxiously looking forward to our first vacation (without baby girl) in August. We're going to San Francisco and Napa!! Some good friends of ours are getting married there, so it will be a great time with good friends.
I am signed up to do a 15K run with my mom and sister next month and another one in April. I'm terrified to say the least. I've been "training" but am convinced that I might die in the process.

Now, most importantly, here are some recent happenings with my 13 month old:

1. She is learning how to sign! It is amazing how fast she picks the words up. We currently can do "more" and "finished" and are working on "again".
2. She has unbuckled the top latch in her carseat. twice. not sure what to do about this.
3. She can now crawl into the bathtub, when it is not bath time, onto the fireplace and almost onto the couch.
4. She is determined to figure out how the doorknobs work and gets frustrated when she shuts a door but can't open it.
5. We successfully weaned her from the bottle and pacifier! She still has her "wubby" but the end is snipped off so she just likes to hold/hug it and chew on it occasionally. Here is a picture of it. I plan to eventually cut the pacifier off of it and sew it onto her security blanket or something. Any other ideas on what to do with it? She is definitely attached to it so I don't want to take it away.

6. She is now only taking one nap most days. So sad for mommy!
7. She LOVES giving kisses and blowing kisses.
8. We are slowly trying to get her interested in her potty!! I know some say its too early to potty train, but she knows when she is going potty, and she will pull at her diaper and drag me to her room to change her when she is dirty.

She is growing up so fast! It's crazy. I was reading this article about this this morning that a friend posted on facebook and I thought I would share. It's so true. Take a look if you feel inclined.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html

Ok, gotta go get some cleaning and laundry done.

Happy Hump Day!

ready for a routine...

2011-08-28T17:54:00.003-05:00

Long story short, this week has been very chaotic. Lexi has been sick, with two different things: first a stomach virus accompanied by very yucky diapers and the worse diaper rash I've ever seen. Then, once that cleared up, she became horribly congested and developed a very nasty cough and her first ear infection :(. Of course I'm half-way blaming myself for stopping breast feeding this month. I know it might sound crazy, but man is there guilt associated with it!!

Poor baby is a trooper though! She has been so much fun since she started antibiotics and we got the go-ahead to give her motrin. Man, that stuff is SO much better than tylenol! Also, we've learned that she responds much better to dimatapp than zyrtec or benedryl. Now if only it would make her sleepy like it's supposed to...ha! Instead, the little stinker starts to bounce off the walls when I give it to her.

Aside from my baby girl being under the weather, I taught my first week at school! It went very well, and I am really enjoying it. It was very difficult staying above water though with Lexi being sick and her Mother's Day Out not starting until this next week.

So...I am very much looking forward to this week. Lexi is officially not contagious, so she will be able to start Mother's Day Out tomorrow. We met her teachers last week, and they are just perfect. They are both elderly ladies who obviously love babies. Lexi fell in love with the classroom and all of the toys right away! I am excited about the interaction she will have with other kiddos her age, and the time she spends there will give me time to give it my all in preparing for my class.

After a very restful, yet productive weekend, I have a clean house and a fun lecture prepared for tomorrow. Can't wait to dive into the new week! I LIVE on routines and schedules, so I think we will adjust nicely to our new schedule :)

Wish us luck...!

Back to School!!

2011-08-22T14:03:00.005-05:00

Well folks, it's that time of year again. It's hard to believe its already the end of August. It is officially the time of year when everyone is cramming in last minute shopping, hair cuts, etc getting ready to go back to school. The last four years, Will and I spent this time of year getting HIM ready for school. But, this year, I have been preparing for my class and getting Lexi-bear ready for Mother's Day Out! She even has her own school supply list :)

Ok, back up. For those who don't know, I am teaching a class at UMHB. It a Social Work/Sociology elective 3 hour class. That is usually how I explain when people ask what I'm teaching. Name of the class? Well....Death & Dying. I know, I know! Pretty morbid right? Well, there is a really neat story behind this.

For the past few months or so, I have been itching to having some type of "job" to simulate my mind more than changing diapers, doing laundry, and scrubbing baby food off the floor :). Plus, I love Social Work and I wanted to do something in the field. Well, when my baby sister, Gracie, was young, my mom was an adjunct professor part-time while she attended mother's day out. It seemed like she really enjoyed teaching, and Gracie loved the interaction with other kids. So I thought, hmmm...that might be fun?

While in the car on the way to South Padre this summer, I was talking to Will about maybe wanting to teach adjunct "one day." But, I knew the social work department at UMHB was rather small, so I didn't feel like it would be a very realistic goal. He asked me what I would be qualified to teach, and I said, "well, I remember taking Death & Dying in college. I think I could teach that since I worked primarily with terminally ill patients and families for almost 5 years. But, the same lady has taught that class forever. I'm sure she's still there."

Well, he encouraged me to look on the website to see if there were any openings for this semester, because he knew I was anxious to get out of the house a few hours per week. Low and behold...the ONLY adjunct position open in the Social Work department was Death & Dying. Apparently the lady who used to teach it retired a few years ago. You can imagine my surprise and enthusiasm! I immediately emailed the department chair and submitted my application. Needless to say, I got the job and taught my first class today.

As most of you know, my husband and I are both graduates from UMHB, and the university will always hold a very special place in our hearts. The idea of becoming involved again on campus is so exciting. And, I really think I'm going to enjoy this class. The students were very attentive and seemed to respect my young age, although they were bummed/surprised that I do not allow cell phones or laptops in class :)

The funny part about this "job" is that by the time I pay for Lexi's Mother's Day Out program, I will only have a few bucks left over, but, it's fine with us. I'm doing it because I think it will be something I enjoy, and I think Lexi and I will benefit from a little break from each other during the week :). Separation anxiety has set in full force, and it is intense! Although most of the time it makes me feel so good that she prefers me over anyone else, it will probably be good for her to learn to say "bye-bye" to Mommy for a few hours without having a complete melt-down. By the way, she can wave bye-bye now :)

Lexi starts Mother's Day Out next Monday! I am a little sad about this, but mostly excited. She is such an active little stinker. I know she is going to love it. There are only 3 other babies in her class, so I feel sure that she will be well taken care of in the Christian atmosphere of the church where she will be. We have meet the teacher this week!! My goal is to be the favorite mom. Sad? Probably. But I am on a mission. The first question I will have for her is, "what is your favorite Starbucks drink, just incase I happen to stop by before dropping Lexi off?" Hey...I might be a brown-noser, but Lexi becoming the favorite baby in class wouldn't be such a bad thing right? :)

Hope everyone survived the tax-free crowd this last weekend and is having a great "back to school" week. Now if only it would cool off a little bit. 60+days of over 100 degree heat is getting a bit old.

busy bee

2011-07-13T20:40:00.003-05:00

I'm attempting a "serious" blog entry. We will see how this goes...

I'm ashamed to say that over the past few months I've been "too busy" to spend time daily with the Lord, and I am often "too busy" that my relationship with those that I love becomes damaged. I felt very convicted this last Sunday at church.

Although my live has been pretty hectic the last few months, I am in a position now where my life should be anything but "too busy." We are settled into our house. We don't have much money to spend doing things or buying things right now. My husband has been off work all summer and has been able to help me care for Lexi and help out with household duties. Lexi started sleeping through the night about a month ago and is taking regular naps during the day, so I'm no longer sleep deprived. So what am I busy doing exactly? Mostly meaningless tasks: napping, watching hours of TV (mostly watching entire seasons of TV shows), shopping (i.e. spending money we don't have), and of course spending way too much time on Facebook. But, I also busy myself with "good" activities. I enjoy going to weekly women's Bible study at church and any other church related activities. I like hanging out with other moms from church that are in a similar life stage as me and my family. When it comes down to it though, I basically try to find anything possible to do so that I'm not "bored."

Pastor Gary (at Temple Bible) preached a sermon on Psalm 23 this past Sunday. It is a very familiar Psalm, but he really brought some things in perspective for me. The part of the sermon that really hit home for me was when he talked about how many of us are just flat out too busy to spend time getting to know our Savior. In Psalm 23, David talks about how much our Savior has done for us and how much He continues to bless us and watch over us. Yet, we find ourselves busying our lives with things of this world. Pastor Gary went on to say,

"The biggest obstacle facing the family right now is over-commitment…time pressure. There is nothing that will destroy family life more insidiously than hectic schedules and busy lives, where spouses are too exhausted to communicate, too worn out to have sex, too fatigued to talk to the kids."

Do you find this to be true of you and/or your family also?

I've also been reading the book "Crazy Love" by Frances Chan (love it so far) and he also talks about this. He quotes David Goetz, "Too much of the good life ends up being toxic, deforming us spiritually." He goes on to say, "A lot of things are good by themselves, but all of it together keeps us from living healthy, fruitful lives for God." So, my "busy life" has robbed me of focusing on what I was created to do: love God and love His children.

I can't even imagine how much busier my life will get over the next few months as my husband is starting his practice. I pray that I not lose sight of what is important. I want to be like the man in this parable : "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." Matthew 13:44 .

I want to chase after His kingdom like nothing else matters. Because it doesn't.

This is my life...

2011-07-01T08:55:00.002-05:00

Have you ever had one of those surreal moments where everything comes into view and you all of a sudden realize how God has blessed you more than you could ever imagine? You begin to see how everything has happened for a reason and can finally understand how it was all worth the wait. This happens to me every once in a while, and it is beautiful. Most recently, this happened to me on Wednesday. Lexi and I were at play group at the lake with a good friend of mine and her sweet baby boy. I looked up at the beautiful lake and clear sky and it hit me, "wow. this is my life. I can't believe it. It finally happened. praise God for his perfect plan and perfect timing!"

Here is a recap of a few reasons behind these thoughts...

My entire life I dreamed about marrying a Godly man who would love me and cherish me always. God prepared him for me and sent him to me almost 9 years ago.

Since Will and I married 5 years ago, I couldn't wait to have a baby. Now we have the most precious baby girl in the world.

Will has always dreamed of being a doctor. When he first applied to Optometry School, we were told by others in the profession that there was no way he would get in the first year. He did.

When we moved to Houston, it seemed like the 4 years of school would be an eternity. It's over. He is picking up his license in Austin as I type.

We always wanted to move back to central Texas, and he has always dreamed of working at Scott & White hospital. He starts this month.

I have always dreamed about being a full time wife and mom. God has blessed us with a beautiful home and I am able to stay home and not have to miss a minute of watching my sweet baby girl grow.

I can't wait to see what all God has in store for our little family. Yes, I know that there will be times of heartache and stress, but it will all be part of His perfect plan. I pray that God will continue to give me these precious moments.

Short and to the point...

2011-06-28T12:16:00.001-05:00

Lexi is trying so hard to crawl. She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks, then pushes backward and starts over until she gets to where she wants to be.

She is now sleeping 12 hours at night. HALLELUJAH! She is such a sweet sleeping baby and every time I check on her she's in a different position on opposite sides of the bed. She's such an active little stinker!

We love the splash park, but the baby pool in the back yard with a sprinkler is just as fun :)

We're really loving our house! We're getting more and more settled each day. Our "guest room" is now complete with two twin beds. A little unconventional, but it was free from my grandparents who recently moved into an assisted living facility. If you are a couple and every want to stay with us, don't worry, we can push them together :). They are actually pretty cute little beds. I will post pictures later once we get the bedding.

I've started Lexi's baby book and it's coming along quite nice :). It's very time consuming, but I have surprisingly really enjoyed doing it. I know she will really cherish it one day.

I'm addicted to garage sales. I've gotten some great finds!!

I am constantly amazed at God's perfect plan, and all of the awesome people he has brought into my life.

My mother-in-law is coming in Thursday to stay for a week! Lexi is so excited to play with her :)

William found out he passed his last board exam, so his license should be in the mail soon, which means he's almost ready to go back to work!

I'm slowing starting to get into learning all of the different plants and flowers in our flower beds. We're going to get some today to plant. Any suggestions? So far, the only thing I've found that I really like are begonias. We have a few knock out rose bushes and other larger plants already.

Parks and Recreation is our new favorite show! We watched the first two seasons on Netflix, and I'm ready for the third! We choose not to have cable, so Netflix is our best friend. And, we just discovered Hulu Plus yesterday, with the help of friends...AWESOME.

Can't wait to put Lexi in her 4th of July outfit ;)

We're going to TWO concerts this week since we have a babysitter :). Charlie Robison Thursday and my FAV Aaron Watson Friday. I. CAN'T. WAIT. Thank you Schoepf's BBQ Free concert series!

Lexi is currently cracking herself up in front of a mirror we've set up for her. She just loves the pretty baby :)

Gotta go try to sneak in a shower while she's preoccupied. Yes, it's noon and I haven't showered.

Happy Tuesday!

Summer is here!

2011-06-08T10:07:00.009-05:00

Wow...I have had my hands FULL the few weeks by the sweetest 6 month old baby girl :). Yes, I said SIX months old! Can you believe it?! Here is a preview of the 6 month pictures she took last week. I will share more once I get them.

We are officially in our house :). We finally closed May 6th, and moved in May 17th after doing some painting and spending a few days in Houston for Will's school banquet and Graduation. Some sweet friends of ours babysat Lexi for us so that we could enjoy a night with our friends for their awards banquet. As you can see by the picture below, we had a good time ;). Don't worry though, we didn't have too much fun. I was dying to pick up Lexi, so we didn't stay out past around 10 :).

He's officially a DOCTOR! So proud of him :) He gave the student speech at graduation and ROCKED it. I know I'm biased, but he really did a great job. Can't believe we officially have no reason to return to Houston. Of course, I hope to be back to visit, but life gets so busy and before you know it time has flown by. Here is a picture of him giving his speech.

and one of him showing off our daughter to his friends at school:)
Look at those ham legs!

Now, we just have to wait for Will's license to be mailed so that he can start working! His tentative start date at Scott and White is July 18th. We are so enjoying having him home with us before then :). This is pretty much what we do all day :). Play with Lexi and work on the house. LOVE IT. Although...getting a paycheck would be nice, so we will just have to adjust to sharing him with work soon.

We're slowing getting settled into our house. We ordered some furniture last week, and most of it will be delivered next week. I also bought some bedroom furniture from IKEA. Love that place! I will take some pictures of the house once it is all put together :). Here is a picture of Lexi on our front porch in her walker.

Lexi Lou has been growing like a weed this last month. She is such a joy! She's officially sitting up (mostly) alone. She no longer face plants; she will just fall to the side every once in a while. Here's a picture of her in the shopping cart and in a high chair in a restaurant. She's getting so big!!

She is LOVING her jumper. Jumping+lights+music=one happy Lexi bear! She is gonna be a high jumper or something...her little butt flies up off the seat and her feet come off the ground when she's in this thing. It's adorable.

We aren't crawling yet...working on it though. She LOVES being on her tummy now, which is such a switch from when she hated tummy time when she was younger. If you lay her down on her back, she's in her tummy in just a few seconds. She is pushing up on her arms and will kick her legs under her, but no crawling yet. Here is a picture of her being introduced to internet shopping :)

She is slowly starting to tolerate solids. Long story short, I found out the hard way that she is either allergic to rice or her little tummy just isn't ready for it. We tried rice cereal, baby food with rice in it, and baby mum mums (rice cakes), but each time I would give it to her she would vomit every 15 minutes until her little tummy was empty. Saddest/scariest thing ever. So, we are doing oatmeal now, and she is doing ok. I keep trying to feed it to her out of a spoon, but she's not having it. The only way I can get her to eat it is through a bottle. That's really not suggested anymore, but it's my only option at the moment. We try to mix in baby food with the cereal now and then, but she's not easily fooled :). She usually won't have anything to do with it. We have our 6 month check up next week, so hopefully mommy won't get in trouble for not forcing the feedings as much as I probably should! She seems to be gaining weight and growing JUST fine. We're still trucking along with breastfeeding :). Never thought I would make it 6 months, but I have, and now I'm thinking I can do a year no problem! It's free and she likes it. How can you go wrong with that??

This week we're in South Padre on vacation with my family. I will (hopefully) upload a post of all of the fun we're having when I get home. Until then...here's a sneak peak of my sweet angel in her swimsuit and hat! She's loving the water so far. We did the "Water Baby" technique with her, where you blow in their face and dunk their face in the water, and she did great! No baby of mine will be scared of the water :)

Hope everyone is having a fantastic summer so far!! More to update later...

Update on life

2011-04-19T13:16:00.003-05:00

Well folks, the last few weeks have been especially busy in the Green/White/Brown/McGregor home! My sister got married (Victoria Green is now Victoria Brown), we're in the process of buying a house, Will is getting ready to take the last round of National Board Exams, and baby Lexi is growing like a weed!!

Blogging is difficult with a baby. I really do miss it. It's kind of my way of gathering my thoughts and organizing them on the screen. But, lately I've barely been able to carve time out of the day to have a quiet time, let alone blog. I wonder if I'm alone in this struggle?

Anyhow, the house sure is quiet with Victoria gone :(. Although I know that it is time for her to begin her marriage and new life in Longview, we sure miss her!! But alas, I guess life will go on. She's promised to come visit often! Here's a pic of Lexi and I at the Bridal luncheon.

We are scheduled to close on our house May 16th! We are so so excited. The house is absolutely perfect for us. It was worth the wait, that's for sure! It's a beautiful 2 year old 4/2.5/2 in a small gated community outside of Belton with a fabulous interior. I couldn't have asked for more, and we got a REALLY good deal on it. God was certainly saving it for us! Now, the stress of furnishing it has begun to settle in...we basically have nothing, as we were previously living in a small 1 bedroom apartment. Here is a quick peek :)

Will graduates May 14th!! What a huge blessing. We have been waiting for this time for the past 4 years. He has worked so hard, and I'm so proud of him!!! Not only is he graduating with his Doctorate in Optometry, but he has been chosen to be the student speaker for graduation. I could not be more proud of him! Now, I must just get the invitations finished, gift bought, and party planned! Anyone know where I might be able to get a bunch of eyeball decorations?? :)

Sweet Lexi Jo is now 4 months old and is a pure joy! She's still not quite sleeping through the night, but she's getting better! She is such a happy baby. The newest happenings are her new found obsession with her feet (she loves to suck on her big toes :), she loves to jump, and her laugh is highly contagious. I can't help but smile at her when she looks at me with those beautiful blue eyes. I would post lots of pics but don't have time. If you peek at my facebook, you will see plenty!! She was in the 90th percentile for both height and weight at her 4 month check up. At 15 pounds, she's a chunk! I absolutely love her chin(s) and her little leg rolls :). Here is a peek at her sweet 4 month old smile!

As we begin to resettle in Temple, God has been so gracious to provide me with a new set of friends from our church. I just finished up a Bible study called "Apples of Gold," and was able to meet several young ladies in similar life stages as myself and my husband. What a blessing!! We now have gotten together several times, and our husbands and little ones seem to get along very nicely :). I always hoped that God would lead us back to Temple, and here we are! It's amazing how He blesses those who wait for His timing in everything. Lord knows I have been anything but patient while trying to find a home for my family, but I don't doubt that He knew all along where we would end up.

Well, that's about all for now I suppose :) More later, hopefully!!

Identity

2011-03-14T15:15:00.003-05:00

Since I've been a mommy (the past 3 months or so), I have had a little bit of what my mom calls an identity crisis. All of sudden, I went from being a full time social worker/counselor at one of the largest cancer hospitals in the world, to being a new mommy who didn't leave the house for days at a time. I always thought I wanted to be a stay at home mom, but then when I was home for maternity leave, I felt lost. Although I was caring for a newborn, which is a 24/7 job, I felt at the end of the day that I hadn't accomplished a single thing. I missed working in a fast paced job. I missed being around adults all day.

So, I toyed with the idea of whether or not to go back to work. Some of you are probably thinking..."why wouldn't you go back to work?! you have no income, and you, your husband and your baby are living with your parents!" Well...I thought I had chosen the right path: work from home. A good friend of mine from college hooked me up with a great job working for a foster care agency. It was set up to where you can work from home most of the time, and it allowed me to take Lexi with me when I needed to come to the office or make visits. It sounded perfect, until I started. One week into the job, I found myself typing up my resignation email. It is a GREAT place to work, with great people, but it just wasn't for me. I am now officially unemployed, and it feels SO good. I love being a mommy and am so happy that I'm able to soak up all of this time with my sweet baby girl.

Speaking of...I can hear her making some noises meaning she's about to wake up from her afternoon nap, so I have to run. I will post more later. I plan to catch up from the past few months, so stay tuned!

ok, we're back!

2011-02-28T16:54:00.002-06:00

So, the thought of starting up my blog again really just stressed me out. There is so much to catch up on, and I'm afraid I will leave something out! I'm finally just biting the bullet and DOING IT. Here's the basics...

I'm a mommy to a beautiful baby girl! She is 12 weeks today and is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen :). She looks so much like her daddy. Mommyhood is absolutely the hardest thing and the most fulfilling thing I've ever done.
Tomorrow will be my last day of work at MD Anderson. Very bittersweet. I returned from maternity leave today and tomorrow will be my last day. I'm starting a new job on Wednesday working for a foster care agency in Salado. I will be able to do most everything from home so that I don't have to do daycare. God completely worked everything out for this opportunity. Can't wait to dive in.
Will graduates in May!!! So stoked about this.
We are living with my parents in Lorena right now, which has been a blessing, but we're looking at buying a house! Never thought the day would come...

Ok, that's that. Done. Whew...I will slowly start posting some of the details of the delivery of our baby girl until now. The last 12 weeks have been a whirlwind!

can't decide..

2011-01-15T12:11:00.002-06:00

so...I obviously have not even attempted to keep up with my blog since the arrival of our precious angel baby. And...I'm not sure I will have the time to keep posting like I did before. At this point, I'm wondering if it's even worth it. My last post, about going private, only got a few responses. So, I'm not sure I have enough followers to make the time I spend posting worth it. Although, it would be nice to have this blog to look back on down the road. Since I don't journal, it will be the only way for me to really document my journey as a new mommy.

Well, Lexi is waking up now, gotta go.

Thoughts?

If I do decide to keep the blog going, should I go private? Any ideas on how to attract more followers that could help me through this motherhood journey?

privacy...

2010-11-18T10:23:00.003-06:00

so, just a quick post this time. I'm thinking about making my blog private. I'm realizing that my posts are pretty personal, and since I will be having a sweet baby girl soon, I know I will be posting lots of updates and pictures of her. I've gotten some pretty creepy comments lately from random people, probably spam, but I think this might be the best move. Maybe it's just the paranoid social worker in me, but it makes me nervous.

So...I need you to send me your email address, and I will add you to the list of people able to view it once it goes private. I see that quite a few people have been following my blog from different cities and states, and I love that! But, I need you to please reveal yourselves :) I would love to find out who all is visiting, and I need like to get an idea of who is viewing so that I can feel comfortable to keep blogging. I know I follow people's blogs who I barely know, only know through a friend of a friend, or that I went to school with forever ago, etc, and they have no idea I follow them. And that's ok! Its the beauty of the blogging world we live in, right? So, I'm sorry to take away your anonymity, but I think it's the right thing to do. I hope you will send me your email address so that I'm not just talking to myself on this thing!

thanks everyone! :)

ps-no baby update yet. I go to the dr. Monday, and then we will hopefully know a LOT more :)

you know you're pregnant when...#3

2010-11-04T10:28:00.002-05:00

1. One day you have a belly button, and the next day it's gone.

2. You can't seem to get this metallic taste out of your mouth and you realize that it's caused from the disgusting iron pills that your doctor is making you take because you're now anemic. You might have even joked with the nurse at the doctor's office and called your baby a "vampire baby" because she's stealing all of your blood. And the nurse might think you're going insane.

3. If you're a coffee (Starbucks in particular) drinker, and you go to order your once/week coffee, the girl behind the counter looks at your belly and asks if you want decaf. This may or may not push you over the edge, but you say very boldly, "NO, I do NOT want decaf. If I wanted decaf I would have ordered it." It is totally ok to have one cup of coffee per day, let alone per week!

4. It becomes a common occurrence that you wake your husband up in the middle of the night screaming "charlie horse! charlie horse!" I swear my legs and feet have never cramped up as much as they have since I've been pregnant.

5. Even though you're right on par for the pregnancy weight gain recommendations, you're used to people looking at you saying, "so when are you due?" When you tell them, it's common to hear "oh wow, you still have a ways to go. Are you sure there aren't two of them in there?" Again, this may or may not push you over the edge. Even if it's a cute old man making the thought innocent comment.

6. On that same note, you're totally used to people asking all sorts of personal questions when they see that you are pregnant. Really?? You are a complete stranger and you're asking me whether or not I am going to deliver naturally? And then you think it's ok to give me advice on what I should do??? Seriously, people lose all boundaries when they seen a baby bump.

7. You're very aware of "prego brain." You are becoming more and more forgetful as the days go by. You might even go to check your voice messages, delete them as usual, and then hang up to completely forget who the message was from. This may haunt you for a few days until you figure it out or until they call again.

8. You now understand why sneezing becomes problematic. I'm just gonna leave it at that.

9. You wish you could sleep in the bathtub because that is the only place where you feel somewhat comfortable. You're now used to tossing and turning from side to side, which is an ordeal in itself, and getting up to pee at least 5 times/night.

10. You are getting used to people treating you like a princess. Strangers, interestingly women in particular, constantly are opening doors for you, carrying things for you, offering to let you go ahead of them in the bathroom line, etc. Even though you're ready to not be pregnant anymore, you're not quite ready for this to end.

:) I'm just realizing that I don't have much longer to post before baby Lexi is here!! More to come later. I'm now 34.5 weeks and she's still breech. I go to the doctor tomorrow, so we'll see what she has to say!

Maternity Pictures!

2010-10-27T09:16:00.006-05:00

This is a Bible we bought for her, and we're going to have her footprints at birth put in the front of it :). Thank you for the idea Mr. & Mrs. Moss!!

days go by...

2010-10-26T13:27:00.006-05:00

Well hello! We have been suuuuuuper busy lately planning for our baby girl that I have not even thought about blogging.

Here's a few pictures from my shower on the 10th. It was so nice! A sweet friend here in Houston threw it for me, and I got lots of goodies!

I'm officially 33 weeks and 1 day prego :). That's right, our little bundle is scheduled to arrive in less than 7 weeks!!

I had my 32 week check-up on Friday, and baby is looking great! Everything looks good, per doctor, and she is in the 55th percentile for everything. They estimated her currently weighing about 4 pounds 6 ounces. I tried to get the ultrasound tech to confirm the gender, JUST to make sure this little one is still a girl, but she was hiding her stuff. AGAIN. She loves to do that. I'm calling her shy, not stubborn. She had her feet/legs covering her genitals and her hand covering her face. Little stinker. Aaannnnnnndddd.....as of right now, she's breech. Doctor said we still have 3 weeks for her to turn before she will probably be stuck in the position she will be delivered in. So, for the past couple of months, the "butt" I thought I was feeling poke out of the top of my belly was really her head.

We/I have been keeping myself busy trying to get everything ready for her arrival. Well, as much as possible anyways. I never knew how much planning was involved! We have 2 showers this weekend in Waco/Lorena, and I cannot wait!! And, we have one the next weekend in Clear Lake and another in a few weeks in Plantersville (hubby's family). We are so blessed :)

So far, this is what I have done...

paid hospital...eeek!
bought and wrapped all 14 hostess gifts for upcoming 3 showers
bought baby book

bought/coordinated all shower/maternity pic outfits

took maternity pictures (I will hopefully have them to upload later in the week!)

took birthing class with husband (all day, 8 hour Saturday class)

3 hour glucose test--done and PASSED

in the process of coordinating living arrangements for beginning of December (our lease is up November 30th).

finished thank you notes from first shower

finished all Christmas/birthday shopping!!

started to pack bags for hospital

Still to do...

pack the infamous "bagS" yes, that's plural. Apparently, you need a "labor bag" and a "postpartum bag" for the hospital. And then we will need a diaper bag ready since we will be driving 3 hours to Lorena the day we take her home.

breastfeeding class at the hospital

vote :) completely unrelated, but necessary

FMLA paperwork for the j-o-b

complete guardianship will

somehow figure out how to make baby Lexi flip in the womb.

whew...not a whole lot left to do right? Notice I did NOT say anything about making a birth plan. I'm not a big fan. We took the birthing class so that we could be educated on all of the different options regarding childbirth. Now, we're going to go with the flow and see what happens. There's no way to know exactly what you would want in a situation you've never been in.

Oh, probably should also get everything organized at my parent's house. As of right now all of her gifts are just piled up in her room. No biggie...I can do this Thanksgiving weekend right? I will be home in Lorena that weekend, and Will is going to the Cowboys game in Dallas. Well, he was going anyways. Not sure if there is much reason to go anymore now. 1-5 record with an injured QB is not making for a good season for the Boys.

Ok, well I will post maternity pictures soon :). And no, there's no bare anything shots, including belly. Sorry to disappoint!

so, it's been a busy month

2010-10-07T12:38:00.013-05:00

First of all, can I just say how happy I am that all of my shows have started back up! I'm enjoying the old ones and have already gotten hooked on a couple of newbies. I will say it's exhausting trying to keep up with all of them since we don't have DVR anymore, but I'm very happy that you can now watch them online! Ok, I'm going to admit my obsessions now...here's my weekly line-up...(everyday begins with Wheel of Fortune...I know, I'm getting old but I love that show!)
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Sunday night, and all time favorite:

Monday night:
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Tuesday night:

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Wednesday night:
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Thursday night:

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***OK, so I don't actually watch the office on Thursday nights. I recently started getting into it and have watched the first 5 seasons but am waiting to catch up with 6th season that just came out on DVD before I watch the new ones. I know, I got into the show as soon as they are ending it. Figures.

And then there are the shows that I used to be addicted to but stopped a few years ago:

1. All Bachelor related shows--come on, it just gotten ridiculous. Plus, it's not good for married women to watch because it's completely unrealistic.

2. The Hills/The City and anything else on MTV--I'm embarrased to say I even used to watch these, but I did. It started way back with Laguna Beach. I watched every single episode until about a year ago. Again, it just got ridiculous, and I realized I was way too much into these kids' lives, that weren't even real. Plus, we got rid of cable and it made me realize how bad MTV really is. Disconnecting cable was really one of the best decisions we made, by the way.

3. Law & Order: SVU--I have watched this show for YEARS. I love it. BUT, as a social worker, I finally decided that I didn't need to watch/hear any more disturbing stories than I hear everyday in my field of work. I do miss Olivia and Elliott though!

While we're discussing TV shows, did any of you watch the whopping 2 shows they played of "Lonestar?" We watched them out of curiosity, but it was really odd. Turns out they canceled it already.

Wow, you must think I'm a pretty big loser to be watching that much TV! Sad thing is...there's not much else to do right now. I used to read alot, but since I've been pregnant I haven't read a single book. I think it's mainly because if I try to read, I fall asleep and then can't sleep at night, and it spirals into one huge sleep depriving mess. And, since we recently moved almost everything into storage, we really don't have much left in our apartment. I can't get ready for the baby because the baby's "room" and all of her things are in Lorena for when we move back after she is born. I still do a little volunteering with Young Lives and go to a weekly women's Bible study, but that's about the extent of my weekly activities right now. I'm pretty much just a home-body trying to spend every minute I can with my hubby relaxing before baby Lexi arrives. We did make it out to an Astros game a few weeks ago which was fun.

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Other Happenings...

I finally decided on a diaper bag! I'm not sure why, but I've been so picky when trying to pick out the perfect bag. I wanted one that wasn't cloth (more of a nylon or coated canvas) because I wanted it to be water-proof. And, I didn't want one that is super girly because I didn't want my hubby to feel weird carrying it. And lastly, I preferred a solid color so that I could have her name monogrammed. I finally decided on the first bag I looked at...

Jon Hart Diaper Bag :). Here's a picture of the bag..

but it won't be black or leather because I can't afford it! It's going to be this color and material...

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I know blue might seem like a boy-ish color, but we really like it. And, I feel like it's something she can keep later for like an over-night bag or something. It's about to go on sale at a local boutique so I should be ordering it in the next week or so! Whew...

Since we will be leaving Houston soon, we're trying to get in all of the good "sites" and eats that we will miss after leaving. We've been enjoying our favorite restaurants and been going on lots of date nights :), which helps since I have NO desire to cook right now.

A few weeks ago, I went to my last Reckless Kelly concert for a while. I had just started my third trimester when we went. I was a little torn by whether or not it was a good idea, but I'm glad we went. It was at a local county fair, so it was outside, which was nice. It was at 11pm though, so that was a stretch for me. But, it was alot of fun, just me and my husband. And I must say, baby Lexi Jo sure seemed to get a kick out of it! She was dancing around like crazy.

Speaking of...she has been on the GO lately! Now, we can SEE her moving around in my belly. There's not many kicks anymore, just full body movements. We were in church a couple of weekends ago and were amazed at how my belly just rolls around and changes shape right in front of our eyes. Talk about distracting from the sermon...

So, right now you might be wondering..."what is this baby's name again? You keep calling her different names!!" Well...her whole name is Alexis Joy. However, we have a few nicknames for her: Lexi, Lexi Joy, and Lexi Jo. I use them all at different times. We're really not sure EXACTLY what we're going to call her yet. I think we will have to make that decision after we meet her. But, we purposely picked a name that we are happy with all of the nicknames associated with her name, so people can feel free to call her whatever they would like!

Another thing that has been a part of our lives lately is the....

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My husband is a huge fan, and I have become a pretty big fan as well. I really wanted to be able to get him tickets to the Texans vs. Cowboys game a couple of weeks ago, since we live right across the street from the stadium and it was a pretty big game, but I wasn't able to....the tickets are so expensive! But, we walked over to the parking lot and tailgated with a few friends who brought a big screen TV to watch the game on site. It was pretty fun because there were lots of tailgaters and there was some friendly rivalry going on. It was also a really nice day outside.

On a more serious note, one of the reasons I have not written in so long is because we have had a very stressful last few weeks. I'd rather not go into the details, but long story short, we had a health scare that required quite a bit of testing and waiting for results. As of Tuesday, however, we got some good news and everything seems to be ok. Praise God! I am planning to write an entirely seperate blog entry about this, so be looking for it :)

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Coming up...

So, we seem to be getting a little busier with every passing week as we prepare for our baby girl. I'm now going to doctor appointments every 2 weeks, and we will have our next and last ultrasound in 2 weeks. I'm officially 30 weeks and 4 days. We just signed up for a birthing class and will be taking the "crash course" all day on a Saturday later this month. I debated on whether or not to even take the classes but finally realized that I should. My main reason for not wanting to take them is because I'm afraid it might completely freak me out and make me even more anxious about the childbirth experience. I hope that doesn't happen!!

I have my first baby shower this weekend, and I'm so excited!! It's here in Houston and I have quite a few family members coming in town for it. It should be alot of fun! I have more showers at the end of the month, along with my maternity pictures. It all seemed like so far away, but it's coming up so fast!

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Well, that's about all I can think of for now...that was a LONG post! Hope I didn't bore you. Hope everyone is enjoying this BEAUTIFUL October weather! I sure am!

life

2010-09-16T12:42:00.010-05:00

Will received an official offer letter a few weeks ago from Scott & White to join their senior staff as an Optometrist in July :). Of course he signed his acceptance of the offer and we mailed it back ASAP! Sigh of relief that he officially has a job waiting for him!

I finally broke down and bought hearing aids. Yes, for those of you who don't know, I have pretty significant hearing loss in both ears. The doctors have been telling me for years to look into getting aids, but I've been stubborn thinking that they can't be right-I'm too young! But, I finally gave in considering the fact that I'm having a baby and would like to keep up with every sound she makes! So, that was the fastest $5,000 I've ever spent. I hope it's worth it! It's very hard to get used to, and I'm still very self conscious about them, even though their virtually invisible.

We went to our first Astros game since we've lived in Houston last weekend, and it was a blast! We bought cheap tickets at the gate for the top deck but then happened to score handicap seats right behind home plate :). Something about being pregnant lets you get away with almost murder, and I'm taking advantage of it! (not the murder part, of course) Of course I had to get some chili cheese fries and cotton candy...it's just part of the experience. I don't know why we haven't done this more often! Our new apartment is right on the MetroRail though, so we just jump on the train and it takes us straight downtown. THAT was so nice.

We started setting up the baby's room :) Here's a preview (sorry, the lighting is terrible). I will post more once it's complete. Since we're using a guest bedroom in my parent's house, it's not really a complete nursery. Just the crib and the dresser and bed that go in that room. My mom was so sweet to buy a new comforter for the bed and curtains to match the bedding though. She's the best! Not to mention the fact that she and my mother in-law bought huge boxes of diapers from Sam's, so we are stocked for at least 6 months!

I scheduled my maternity pictures for the end of October. I'm excited about it but a little nervous. I still need to find something to wear. I'm totally open to suggestions by the way. I'm going to do them outside in the Waco area, and no, I will not be half naked. The photographer will be lucky to get even one bare belly shot. I think the bare maternity pictures are really great, for some people. I for some reason am just too freaked out at the thought of taking them and then having to look at them! I'm going for a more breezy outdoors look...my cowgirl boots will PROBABLY be in sight at some point :)

Sarah Palin was AWESOME. The event was everything everyone was hoping it would be. The headcount was somewhere between 4,000-5,000 people and Carenet raised at least 5 times as much money as they did from last year's banquet. Here are a few pictures. I will hopefully have another picture to follow with my hubby, Mrs. Palin and me :)

my mom giving the CEO update on the agency/appeal

he's such a stud...

I have several showers coming up, and I'm so excited about them! Again...calls for more shopping. Must find cute dresses this weekend while the hubby is in class. Yes, he has class Saturday AND Sunday..boo!!!

And...this picture was taken Labor Day weekend. I was 26 weeks here. I'm now going on 28....about to start the third trimester, wahoo!!!

That's all for now!!

an evening with...

2010-08-25T08:57:00.003-05:00

Well folks, it's that time of year again...Care Net of Waco is having their annual banquet and fundraiser next month...on September 14th to be exact.

As many of you know, my wonderful mother is the Executive Director/CEO of Care Net in Waco. AND, since she has been in this position, for the past 4 years or so, she's done incredible work, including bringing some pretty awesome speakers to the banquets. As you may remember from my blog, last year we were all blessed to hear Mike Huckabee speak.

This year, however, I think the bar was raised even higher....the keynote speaker will be the one and only.....

drum role please...............

SARAH PALIN!

We are so excited about it, as is the city of Waco apparently. You can see the article that came out in the Waco Trib today... http://www.wacotrib.com/wacotoday/An-evening-with-Sarah-Palin-coming-up-at-Wacos-Care-Net-banquet.html

or, I've copied it here for your viewing pleasure :) ps-the "McGregor" person that is quoted is yours truly's mama.

An evening with Sarah Palin coming up at Waco's Care Net banquet
By Elizabeth Oates
Wednesday August 25, 2010
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Care Net’s “An Evening with Sarah Palin,” scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 14

at the Ferrell Center, has already sold out of the 1,000 meal tickets.

General admission tickets are still available.

These cost $30 and do not include a meal.

Care Net hopes to raise $250,000 from this year’s banquet.

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When Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin swept into the 2008 presidential race as the first female Republican vice presidential candidate, few knew her name, let alone her personal history.

Now, thanks to a detailed vetting process, media scrutiny and her autobiography, “Going Rogue,” Americans are privy to her personal choices concerning work, family and raising a special needs child.
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It was those personal choices, not Palin’s political affiliation, that prompted Care Net, a crisis pregnancy center in Waco, to pursue her as the keynote speaker for this year’s fundraising banquet, said CEO Deborah McGregor.
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“We began working with her staff two years ago, as our hearts went out to her,” McGregor said.“We knew that she would be able to articulate to the community the dynamics of all that surrounds a pregnancy with an adverse diagnosis and a teen pregnancy. It was a no-brainer for us.”
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In “Going Rogue,” Palin mentions a time early in her political career when a debate moderator questioned her pro-life stance. She was asked what her response would be if a woman was raped and said, “I would choose life.” She was asked if her daughter was pregnant and answered, “Again, I would choose life.” She was asked if her teenage daughter was pregnant and said, “I’d counsel a young parent to choose life . . . consider adoption.”
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Palin’s steadfast words seem to foreshadow two unexpected pregnancies she later faced. First, Palin discovered at age 42 that she was pregnant with her fifth child. This baby boy, named Trig, would have Down syndrome. Then, Palin’s unwed 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, revealed that she too was pregnant. Although the circumstances were difficult, Palin responded to her own life’s twists and turns as unwaveringly as she had responded to the debate moderator.
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“We watched her go through in her own life, and with the pregnancy of her daughter, what we see every day in the pregnancy center,” McGregor said.
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Palin’s support for groups such as Care Net began long before America knew her name. When one of Palin’s daughters was an infant, she was photographed and became, literally, the poster child for an Alaskan right-to-life organization. Palin never hid her pro-life stance; in fact, it was front and center both professionally and personally.
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Care Net hopes to encourage the Waco community to respond like Palin did by rallying behind women and men dealing with an unplanned pregnancy.
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“As unfortunate an event as it is, we have learned that the quick fix of abortion has long-term and devastating consequences, and is hardening our hearts and causing us to become a community who doesn’t defend our weak and vulnerable,” McGregor said. “Research from post-abortive women indicates that over 85 percent of those women would have their children today had at least one person supported them. We want to be that one person.”
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Care Net’s mission

Care Net provides the women it sees with accurate information, compassionate care and practical support. Accurate information begins with Care Net’s medical director, who discusses options regarding the pregnancy and the risks and procedures of each option.
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Care Net sees approximately 2,500 women for medical services each year, and at least half of them continue classes in the support center until or even after the birth of their babies.
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Care Net’s medical services include pregnancy testing and ultrasounds. It also offers crisis counseling, case management, and educational, spiritual and enrichment classes. All services are free and confidential.
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Women receive care from trained consultants and medical staff who help them through one of the most difficult times in their lives. “Clients often comment that the soft lighting in the waiting room, the soft music, fresh flowers, privacy and non-judgmental atmosphere is what helped them most,” McGregor said.
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Compassion is needed, yet so is practical care. “An unplanned pregnancy is a very emotionally charged situation,” McGregor said. “Oftentimes women are pressured to abort a pregnancy by their family or the father of the baby. The threat of withdrawal of support, food and shelter is real and must be addressed immediately.”
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Care Net’s Support Services Center helps women attain immediate housing, medical care, food and clothing to relieve that pressure so they can make their own choices. If a woman chooses to continue the pregnancy, Care Net offers her pregnancy and parenting classes at which she earns baby items for her participation. If the woman decides not to parent her child, Care Net connects her with an adoption agency.
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Donations will go toward the purchase of a medical services building located on Columbus Avenue, and to grow the Care Net Endowment to $1 million to ensure its pregnancy services will continue to be available in Waco.
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Care Net uses donations to help connect with women who are dealing with a pregnancy decision in secret and alone, and then to help them through the process.
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Community members can support Care Net of Waco and the women it serves through monetary donations or by volunteering. The organization needs licensed medical professionals willing to be trained in sonography and available to see clients. It also needs women to counsel other women facing an unplanned pregnancy, as well as women to serve as educators in the pregnancy/parenting program.
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Care Net also offers peer counselors. Training involves approximately 30 hours, broken into structured training sessions given four times per year. Typically volunteers commit to one four-hour shift per week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday nights.
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Care Net also seeks volunteers to help with special projects, including this year’s banquet. Other events include a barbecue and bake sale in January, the Walk for Life in the spring, and the Celebrate Life Banquet in the fall.
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To make a monetary donation or volunteer for a Care Net event, visit carenetofcentraltexas.org or call (254) 772-8270.
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Senator John McCain, Governor Sarah Palin and Mr. Todd Palin Participate in Road To Victory Rally at the Resch Center, Hockey Arena.
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I CAN'T WAIT!

baby bedding...check!

2010-08-23T09:28:00.003-05:00

that's right, we bought the crib bedding this weekend! We weren't really expecting to buy it, but when we went to Bass Pro shop for Will to look for a gun that he's been wanting, we found it.

Miss Lexi Jo is going to have the CUTEST baby bed in town...

that's right. you're looking at Realtree's baby girl bedding. don't think we're gonna do the curtains...I think it's a little much. But I am planning to get some cute brown and pink accessories to coordinate with this little ensemble. We're pretty excited! Can you tell she is gonna be a daddy's girl???

you know you're a social worker when...

2010-08-18T11:11:00.005-05:00

1. You think $40,000 a year is "really making it".
2. You don't really know what it's like to work with men.
3. You've started a sentence with 'So what I hear you saying is...'
4. You've had 2 or more jobs at one time just to pay the bills.
5. You tell people what you do and they say "that's so noble".
6. You have had to explain to people that not all social workers take away kids.
7. You use the words 'validate,' 'appropriate' and 'intervention' daily.
8. You spend more than half your day documenting and doing paperwork.
9. You think nothing of discussing child abuse over dinner.
10. People have said to you "I don't know how you do what you do".
11. You've never been on a business trip or had an expense account.
12. You know a lot of other social workers who have left the profession for another.
13. You've very familiar with the concept of entitlement.
14. Staying at a job for 2 years is 'a long time'.
15. Your phone number is unlisted for good reason.
16. You've very familiar with the term 'budget cut'.
17. You've had clients who liked you just a little too much.
18. Having lunch is a luxury many days.
19. You've been cursed at or threatened...and it doesn't bother you.
20. Your job orientation has included self defense.
21. You have the best stories at any cocktail party.
22. Your husband and parents don't know half of the stuff that you've dealt with at your job.
23. People think its a compliment if they mistake you for a psychologist
24. You're thankful that you have a license without having to go to school for umpteen years like a psychologist.
25. Despite the poor reputation of a social worker your job has you interacting with those in higher authority positions (lawyers, doctors, judges, state representatives, superintendents, directors, etc)...and they come looking for you in a panic when they need you...
26. You can make just about anything a client does into a strength.
27. You laugh at things "normal" people would be shocked by.
28. Hearing the worst news stories does not shock you in the least bit.
29. You assess your date (in your head) while out on a date just to see if they meet criteria for any DSM IV diagnosis.
30. Your father tells people you are a psychiatrist or psychologist. For the umpteenth time, I'm a social worker.
31. You know the suicide crisis phone number, the food shelf and the community shelter phone numbers right off the top of your head
32. When people ask for your help, they expect you to have all the answers and solution to problems that do not even exist, immediately. We're social workers...not magicians.
33. You know where to find "free" anything (clothes, food, equipment, transportation) but you are not eligible for any of them yourself.
34. You are considered an "expert" with financial assistance for your low-income individuals but you can't keep your own checkbook balanced.
35. You have a file or a list posted in your office on "Stress Reducing Techniques."
36. After a long week of solving other people's problems, you recognize that you haven't dealt with your own at home
37. You don't know what "sick days" are and you call your vacation time "long mental health breaks" or "burn out prevention days".
38. The clinical staff find the patient/family situation appalling and in urgent need of intervention and in your "social work" opinion, you don't really think it's all that bad. You're pretty sure you've seen worse.
39. You really do have the best gossip around, but have to make sure to remove any possible identifying information first.
40. You really know how to enjoy a good bottle of wine ;)

...and a couple of jokes...

A man has a heart attack and is brought to the hospital ER. The doctor tells him that he will not live unless he has a heart transplant right away. Another doctor runs into the room and says, "you're in luck, two hearts just became available, so you will get to choose which one you want. One belongs to an attorney and the other to a social worker".The man quickly responds, "the attorney's".The doctor says, "Wait! Don't you want to know a little about them before you make your decision?"The man says, "I already know enough. We all know that social workers are bleeding hearts and the attorney's probably never used his. So I'll take the attorney's!"

How many social workers does it take to change a light bulb?Five. One to screw it in, three to form the support group, and one to help with placement.

hope this gives you an insight to my profession :)

rambling...

2010-08-17T14:04:00.005-05:00

these past few weeks have been insane.

we (Will) moved most of our furniture into storage in Lorena this past weekend.

we (mostly I...) packed up the rest of our apartment yesterday and am paying for it today. My back is KILLING me. Good thing Will suggested that I get a massage. done and done. I have a 6pm appointment tonight.

we (Will) moves the rest of our stuff, only what we absolutely HAVE to have for the next 3 months, to our new apartment tomorrow.

having to get everything arranged for the new apartment and having to change addresses on all of our accounts SUCKS. especially knowing that we'll have to do it again in 3 months.

Will starts his next rotation at Memorial Hermann on Thursday. He will be just a couple of blocks from me! we're planning to ride the rail in together since our new apartment is on the rail line. yay! We might even get to meet for lunch!

we've decided to deliver baby Lexi Jo in Houston. it was a tough decision, but we have complete peace about it now. we'll just try to move everything back to Lorena around Thanksgiving and camp out at family/friends' until she decides to make her appearance :)

even though I've been denying having any cravings, I finally realized that maybe I do. I bought coffee and cheetos for breakfast today. the cashier gave me a strange look. don't worry you health freaks, I almost always drink decaf...and I had a much healthier lunch.

I'm looking forward to Labor Day weekend. I won't be able to bird hunt this time, but I'm happy that Will is going to be able to go. he absolutely loves this this time of year.

that's all for now.

name game...

2010-08-09T10:00:00.004-05:00

So...we have a name! After much prayer and careful consideration...we have a name for our precious baby girl :). There were several names that we really liked, but we kept coming back to this one...

Alexis Joy White

Anyone recognize the first name? :) Yep. That's my middle name.

Now, can I tell you about the names we were considering? Ok...here they are...

Annabelle
Madilyn
Kennedy

We were really set on "Joy" as a middle name, but we went back and forth with the names above. For several different reasons, we made a decision on Alexis Joy. I still adore each of the names above, but they just weren't right for our little one.

More than likely, she will be called

"Lexi Joy" or "Lexie Jo"

depending on who wins the nickname picking battle :). Can you guess which one I want and which one Will wants? notice the different spellings also. hehe...I love both though.

In other news...Will had his final interview/meet & greet on Friday at Scott & White. They put us up in a hotel for 2 nights and took us to a nice steak dinner in Temple as part of the "recruiting" process. It's such a weird feeling to hear everyone referring to him as "Dr. White" and trying to impress us with the benefits of working for S&W. The whole time we're wanting to just scream "WE'RE SOLD ALREADY!" God is so good...He is the only way to explain how Will manage to get this dream job a whole year before he's even able to work. The final step is the formal offer letter, which they promised to send in the mail as soon as possible.

Now it's time to focus on moving. That's right, we're moving next week into a new apartment complex. This weekend, we're packing up a UHAUL trailer to move everything possible into storage in Lorena, and then next week we move only the bare necessities to the new apartment. We will only be in this apartment for 3 months and will then move to Lorena.

(FYI-incase you're wondering why on earth we would do this, let me explain. Since we were originally planning to move to Oklahoma this fall, we put in our 60 day move-out notice to our apartment complex this summer. When I called to say "nevermind! we're staying until December!" the leasing office said, "sorry, we already rented out your apartment." So...we have to move to another apartment down the street. And, we will have a roommate, who is one of my husband's classmates' boyfriend, who is also a good friend of ours. We will then move in with my mom and stay there until either I get a job after baby Lexi is born, if I get a job, or until Will starts working in July.)

Stay tuned for more details about our crazy exciting chaotic life. Did I mention that I still have no idea where and who is going to deliver our little girl? ha. that's the next project.

Why would anyone want to wait until you're "settled" to have a baby?? Where's the fun in that?!

HAPPY MONDAY!

Overdue Update

2010-08-03T10:56:00.005-05:00

Well...it's a GIRL! Most of you probably already saw this news on facebook, but I wanted to do a quick post to elaborate on our exciting news.

We had our appointment last Wednesday, and it was amazing. We got to see what seemed like every inch of our little girl. Doctor says she seems 100% healthy and on track with development. The ultrasound tech did say that her legs are a little longer than average...haha IMAGINE THAT! I'm sure having a husband who is 6'6" has a little something to do with that... :)

We got some cool pictures, so I wanted to share them! We're still thinking about names. We have one that we think is right, but we don't want to announce it until we're sure. Naming a precious baby girl is a lot of pressure!!
*

Look! you can see her little face!!

*
and her girl parts :)
*

I'm sure my mom and sister would say this for gig'em aggies..

Well, that's all for now. I will post another belly pic soon, promise! Hubby and I are headed to Ruth's Chris tonight for a yummy dinner :) It's Houston Restaurant Week, so it's a super good deal that we couldn't pass up.

More updates later. I was in a gorgeous wedding this weekend, and I'll hopefully post some pics and more on that soon.

hill country love...

2010-07-20T11:35:00.010-05:00

So, Friday, Will and I headed out to the hill country for a weekend getaway, and we stayed at our favorite B&B, as usual. We had a lot of fun! Once we actually got to Fredericksburg that is...

I was off on Friday and had a doctor's appointment with a new OB. We were planning to leave straight after the appointment to head out of town. Didn't quite go as planned though....

So, I've seen another OB here in Houston since I found out I was pregnant. For many different reasons, we decided to give another doctor a try. We didn't feel like we were getting the best care with the other physician. After only seeing the new doctor for a few minutes we realized that we were right. So, the new doc is maybe half way through completing the assessment/review of my history when she gets paged to deliver a baby. Of course, she runs out, and in comes the nurse. I understand this is the nature of the business, so it's no big deal. However, things just got really chaotic after this point. I had to do 2 different urine tests, after the nurse accidently threw away the first one. We try to schedule the "big ultrasound" to find out the sex of the baby and have the 20 week full anatomy scan, but of course, nothing lines up with Will's schedule. So, we'll have to come in at 8am next Wednesday and hope to be worked in.

Meanwhile, Will really starts having a bad headache and thinks he should see his ENT before leaving town. So, he gets an appointment to be "worked in" at 11am. So, I drop him off, he waits for an hour and a half before he's seen. Once the doctor finally sees him, he realizes Will has an infection, which is what Will has been telling the doctor for weeks. So, now we have to go to the pharmacy to get the Rx filled. While we're waiting, we decide to go ahead and get something to eat.

We're almost back at the pharmacy to pick up his prescription when I get a call from the nurse at my new doctor's office. Apparently, I have a bladder infection and need to get on antibiotics also. FABULOUS. So we have to sit around and wait for that to be called in and filled.

We finally leave Houston around 2pm, just in time to catch Friday traffic out of Houston and San Antonio rush hour traffic on our way. We arrive in Fredericksburg at 7pm, exhausted.

Now moving on to the fun part of our trip :). After settling into the B&B, we headed to town to check out the festival. This weekend was the Night in Old Fredericksburg festival. We then walked down to one of our favorite burger joints in town, Hondo's, for some burgers and live music.

Here's a picture of us enjoying some good German folk music and (for Will) good German beer.

Saturday, we decided to head out to the wildflower farm outside of town. It was so pretty! We just strolled around and took pictures of the scenery. The crazy thing is that even though it was almost 100 degrees, it really didn't feel like it because of the cool hill country breeze. The mornings and evenings are just so beautiful there.

Here's some pics from the farm...

Here's my man posing :)

And me showing off my bump :)

A close up

We spent the rest of Saturday checking out the Fredericksburg Trade Days. W-O-W. That was awesome. If we had a truck, I would have bought so much there. As soon as we have a house, I'm going there to furnish it. It was pretty hot by then though, so we had to leave. I saw my toes swell up like vienna sausages for the first time. THAT was weird.

So, we stopped by a fresh peach stand for some homemade peach cobbler and homemade peach ice cream before heading back to the B&B for a long nap. :) That night we had a fancy dinner at the Cotton Gin restaurant. It was sooo good! Will had country fried antelope and quail, and I had beef tenderloin and coconut shrimp...YUMMY!!!

We headed out Sunday after a wonderful breakfast and headed to local farm for some fresh watermelon, cantaloupe and peaches, and then stopped by Luckenbach for a short visit. LOVE that place. There's something so refreshing about being somewhere so remote that there's no cell phone service. We just walked around and bought a souvenir :)

And here's the souvenir :) Matching t-shirt and onesie. Can you tell he's hoping for a boy?

On the way home, we drove through the country on back roads and ended up driving through New Braunfels. So, of course we spontaneously decided to stop and float the Comal river :). So, we stopped at Walmart and I bought a cheap swimsuit for the occasion. Yes, my almost 5 months pregnant self floated the river in a Walmart bikini...so whitetrash, but so worth it. That cold water felt almost magical in the July heat. Notice there are NO pictures for this part of the trip :). We then stopped in Luling for some good Texas BBQ.

I decided to take yesterday off work to recover from the weekend, and now, it's back to reality...BOO! That was as close to a "babymoon" as we will probably have, and it was fun :)

I'm now 19 weeks and for sure felt the baby move yesterday. So exciting! Big ultrasound is 7/28. We'll see if the little stinker decides to show the good stuff this time. If not, we may need to take it as a sign from God that its not meant for us to find out!

You know you're pregnant when...(#2)

2010-07-15T09:47:00.003-05:00

1. You explain this awful pain/feeling that you're having to your husband and he says its just heartburn. I've never had heartburn in my life!

2. You're tired of people asking, "so...are you going to find out if it's a boy or girl?" Of course we are! Who doesn't these days?!!? I know...a bit dramatic, but seriously.

3. Every time you go to your OB with a question about something that's bothering you, you hear, "oh, that's normal. I had that with all of my pregnancies. Just give it a couple of weeks and it should get better." FYI-benefit of going to a MALE OB is that they cannot downplay your complaints because they've never experienced it.

4. You have to shave, cut your nails, and pluck your eyebrows like everyday, even though you used to only do it once/week. I know, some of you may be grossed out, but I really didn't need to shave my legs that much because the hair WAS really sparse, blond and grew really slow. Not anymore!

5. You're tired of existing mothers and other prego's that are further along than you saying, "you just wait until ____ happens. It's so much worse than what you're going through right now." Really?? Is that necessary?!

6. You're used to going to bed before the sun goes down, and you're perfectly fine with that. In fact, it feels really strange if you stay up late and it's actually dark outside before you go to sleep.

7. You coordinate your outfit and your day around the fact that you will have to pee at least 20 times. Your husband might even demand that you learn to pee in a cup/bottle in the car because he's tired of stopping so much for pee breaks (of course, I refuse).

8. Everyone is wanting to see belly pics, but you really REALLY hate taking them. I always thought I would be eager to show off my bump, but it's just weird that your skin is already stretching way more than you ever thought it could.

9. The idea of giving someone a name that they will have for their entire life scares the heck out of you, no matter how much you think you've chosen the perfect name for your baby. It doesn't help when people decide to critique the name even though you did NOT ask for their opinion.

10. Nothing makes you happier than hearing that someone else is pregnant and due AFTER you! From the moment you find out and start telling people you're pregnant, you hear "oh you are still so early!" You're ready have some seniority in this prego process!

Happy Thursday (my Friday)!! We're headed to Fredericksburg for the weekend for a mini "Babymoon." I promise I will try to take some pictures to share :)

It's a....

2010-07-05T19:57:00.004-05:00

boy OR girl...

he/she was hiding the money shot, so we're not sure what the gender is now. I swear it looked like a boy 2 weeks ago..but Friday, we couldn't get the same shot. So...it's remains a mystery! We go to the doctor next Friday, July 16th, and I will almost be 19 weeks then, so hopefully we can find out then!

In other news....here's a couple of requested belly shots :)

This was somewhere around 12 weeks...

And now at 17 weeks :) I think I've started to POP!

anticipation

2010-06-30T17:07:00.003-05:00

I'm so anxious to have this baby's gender confirmed!

I want to tell everyone the name SO BAD!

Hopefully...it will be revealed Friday.

I.CAN'T.WAIT!

Stay tuned...it will probably be released on facebook first via blackberry :)

So looking forward to my 4 day weekend! Hope it doesn't get rained out :( Hurricane Alex isn't very patriotic. Doesn't he/she know that you're supposed to hang out at the pool and eat watermelon on July 4th?! Oh well...if it's raining, I will just have to go shopping :) Hey...my clothes don't fit anymore, so I have a good excuse!

Happy almost 4th of July everyone!

SO ANNOYED...

2010-06-25T09:07:00.003-05:00

Apparently, you can no longer buy or sell anything on craigslist, autotrader, etc. without people trying to scam you. And it's so obvious!

I'm trying to sell my guitar. It's a Yamaha solid wood top basic acoustic guitar. I bought it at Guitar Center for $200 a few months ago, and it has just sat in the corner collecting dust because I don't have time to learn how to play it. And, now with the growing baby bump, it's not going to happen anytime soon. Asking $150. Please let me know if you're interested.

PS-Will's feeling MUCH better. He goes to the doctor today for follow up to make sure everything looks ok. Prayers please!

Happy Friday!

prayers please...

2010-06-24T09:18:00.003-05:00

So, Will had his surgery Tuesday.

He's not recovering quite like we had expected. He's in a lot of pain and is having to deal with alot of bleeding/drainage. I had to be off work 2 days to take care of him. He's very weak from losing so much blood.

PLEASE keep him/us in your prayers. He goes back to the doctor tomorrow for follow up and to remove the packing.

Thank you!

NEWS....

2010-06-21T09:24:00.006-05:00

OK, this last week has been full of exciting news...

1. it looks like Will and I will be staying in Houston for the fall! That's right...no Oklahoma for us. This will allow me to keep my job and health insurance for a little longer. We debated about this for a long time, and we finally decided that it was really the smart thing to do. We will be able to save a LOT of money, and it won't be quite so chaotic.

I'm still hoping to deliver the baby in Waco, so it will be cutting in close. We're planning to make the move over Thanksgiving, and the baby is due December 13th. I'm in the process of trying to locate an OB in Waco that is willing to deliver even though I will be followed by a Houston doc until the last month. Prayers are welcomed for this situation!

2. it looks like baby Dubya is a BOY! We had the 3D ultrasound Friday, and it was SO cool. We sure did see something poking out down there :). We were told not to buy anything yet, just incase. We go back in 2 weeks to hopefully confirm the sex. It sure looked like a boy to us though!! We're so excited! I have to admit that I'm a little nervous about having a boy, just because I've never really been around baby boys, BUT, I'm getting really excited about it. We do have a name picked out. We will share once the sex is confirmed :)

3. Will has his surgery tomorrow. Again, it's a rather minor sinus surgery, but he will be under anesthesia and it's about a 2 hour surgery. Please keep him in your prayers! He will have to be out of school until next Monday.

4. We're booked a trip to Fredericksburg for next month! Since we've been married, we've gone to 'ol Fredericksburg every year, kind of like an anniversary tradition. The first year we went for Memorial Day weekend Crawfish Festival (our anniversary was the week before). The second year we went for the 4th of July Festival. Last year we went for Oktoberfest. Well, this year we're going for Night in Old Fredericksburg festival. We always stay at the same bed & breakfast, the Chuck Wagon Inn. It's so much fun!! I can't wait....I so need a vacation. You can look at this old blog to read about the place. http://kyrbie.blogspot.com/2009/09/weekend-get-away.html I'm thinking this might be our last year to go for a while :), so we're going to enjoy it!

5. I'm 15 weeks today!

That's all...Happy Monday!

Updates for this week...

2010-06-15T15:20:00.006-05:00

SO...a lot has been going on this past week.

1. Will found out today that he PASSED round one of national board exams. YAY!! This is supposedly the hardest one. The other 2 should be pretty a lot less stressful.

2. I'm officially in my second trimester...woo hoo!! Still waiting for this promised boost of energy...

3. We might find out the sex of Baby Dubya this Friday. We're having a 3D ultrasound at my mom's work (Carenet), so hopefully he/she will show us his/her stuff!

4. We might not be moving to Oklahoma afterall! Nothing for sure yet. Will is talking with one of his professors about possibly switching to a Texas site. More than likely it won't be Houston, but it would help tremendously if we could stay in Texas. This way I can do a little bit of contract work with my license (which wouldn't work out of state), and I won't have to worry about paying out of network expenses for health insurance. We'll see....he's trying to pull the "my wife is prego" card.. :)

--------wow...I'm realizing how many uncertainties there are in my life right now...moving on...----------

5. Will is having surgery 1 week from today. It's a minor sinus surgery, but we're still a little anxious about it. Pre-op appointment is this Friday. Please keep him in your prayers. He will have to be out of school for a week, which means he will have to make up that time in clinic before we move.

6. This weekend we're headed to Hurst, Texas for a wedding that Will is a groomsman in. Should be a good getaway for us. Man do I need a vacation though!

7. I have officially graduated from the chiropractor!! I was having to go twice/week because of this hip pain I've been having. It's not completely gone, but it's SO much better.

8. I got a prenatal massage last weekend. Note to self: request a FEMALE next time. I don't know why, but I assumed it was a given that a female would do prenatal massages. Definitely not the case. It was the most awkward experience ever. (side note...for those of you who don't know, I caught a guy--store manager at BCBG Galleria--video taping me trying on swimsuits in the dressing room last summer. This has pretty much traumatized me!)

That's all I have for now...Happy Tuesday!

can we really "coexist" ?

2010-06-02T12:00:00.003-05:00

Ok...I'm sure you've seen these bumper stickers. What do you think about them?? I, as a Christian and a social worker remain quite conflicted.

DISCLAIMER: although I take pride in my work, I will always value my Christian values ahead of my social work ethics.

moving on..

So, I work with patients every day that belong to a wide variety of different ethnic groups, religious affiliation, etc. Here's what my code of ethics says I am to do...

1.05 Cultural Competence and Social Diversity

(a) Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures.

(b) Social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients' cultures and be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are sensitive to clients' cultures and to differences among people and cultural groups.

(c) Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, political belief, religion, and mental or physical disability.

So, here's what I believe about my own religion: I believe that Jesus Christ is THE way (not A way), the Truth and the Life. I believe that no one can enter God's presence (especially Heaven), except through Christ.

With that being said, I ask myself, and you, is there a possibility that we (Christians) can "coexist" with people of other faiths?

I don't have the right answer for this. Part of me says yes. I can tolerate other faiths and respect their beliefs, since they do have religious freedom in this great country. I can love them as Christ loved the gentiles, and hope that my life will minister to them.

But, I can't help but wonder if this tolerance might be taken as acceptance? If I do not fight the "coexist" mentality, will those of other faiths assume that I believe that they too are secure in their own faith? Many people believe that as long as we all have our own beliefs in something, we will all go to our own after-life's and be at peace. Since I obviously do NOT believe this, I worry that my tolerance will be misinterpreted. I do NOT believe that other religions are right. I believe in Christ, and my entire purpose on this earth is to make that known.

I want to share with you a powerful quote that we came across in our growth group at church this year. This is a quote from a young man who was not a Christian but had several professing Christian friends. It may not be worded exactly correct, and I can't remember the author, my apologies, but it's powerful nonetheless:

"...either my Christian friends don't really believe what they say they believe, or they are content to watch me burn."

Isn't that so true? If I believe that Jesus is THE way, and I don't share this with a loved one who has not accepted Christ, does that mean that I'm ok with them dying an eternal death? Just something to think about...

So...although I questioned my original conservative reaction to this bumper sticker and to the "coexist mentality," my belief remains the same: we cannot "coexist" in the way that this world wants us to. I do believe that we should love everyone and respect everyone as humans, but we do should not "coexist" at the expense of weakening our ability to witness to others.

I welcome thoughts, even if it's not in agreeance...I'm a big girl, I can handle it! :)

baby what?

2010-06-01T16:21:00.003-05:00

So, today I started looking into registering for all of the products we will need for baby White's arrival.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!

Let's just say...I'm beyond overwhelmed.

After hours of reading reviews about breast pumps, I'm learning that indeed, my life will never be the same.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy about this! But still overwhelmed.

Current mothers, or those of you who know current mothers or have helped raise babies...HELP! If you have any baby products that you would recommend, or things that are "must haves," I would appreciate any/all advice!!

I'm so stuck as to where I should even start.

Ok...I'm counting on you!

You know you're pregnant when...

2010-05-26T10:37:00.002-05:00

1. Being stuck in traffic makes you break down into tears...even though you're completely used to living in a city with ridiculous traffic 24/7

2. You search the entire city to find a restaurant that sells fried green tomatoes

3. You have to do a 24 hour urine sample for the doctor. After taking off work to be home all day to do so, you decide you might can make it to a quick one hour meeting at church that evening. You pee right before you leave but still have to stop at a gas station before you get home because you can't hold it any longer. So, you have to buy a cup from the convenient store, pee in the cup, find an empty water bottle rolling around in your car floor, then transfer the pee to the water bottle, and later add it to your collection at home. Too much? sorry...that's nothin...

4. You see a woman, who looks about as rough as you do from everything that comes along with the first trimester, pulling out a stash of crackers and dried cereal from her purse. Even though she's not showing, you can be confident in automatically asking her when she's due because you have the same stash in your purse.

5.You haven't eaten Taco Bell since college but suddenly it sounds as good as a $100 steak. So, you go get it for lunch. Later at work you black out at work and swear never to eat it again, even though it's probably not related.

6. All of the emotions associated with watching your "shows" season finales are just too much to handle. You cry for the entire week because of all of the drama.

That's all for now...don't worry, there will be more to come :)

The word's out...

2010-05-24T09:30:00.004-05:00

I'M GOING TO BE A MOMMY!!!

Yep, it's true! I'm 11 weeks pregnant, and I'm DUE DECEMBER 13th :)

I have been wanting to blog so badly, but couldn't. I hate keeping secrets! We were originally planning on waiting 12 weeks before telling everyone, but when we went to the baby doctor on Friday, she said we're about as safe as we're gonna get. So, that was a huge relief!

If you know anything about my chaotic life right now, you might be saying "hmm...was this planned??"

The answer is yes, and no. For many reasons, we were convinced that it would take us a while to get pregnant. This is partly due to guidance from my doctor and partly due to lack of faith/doubting God's plan for us. So, needless to say, God showed us His perfect plan! We were pregnant the first month off of the pill.

We're so excited! I'll leave you with a couple of pictures :) More to come on my pregnancy journey thus far...and let me tell you...it's been a trip!

8 weeks

11 weeks

4 YEARS...

2010-05-20T10:42:00.002-05:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY AMAZING HUBBY!!

4 years ago today......

4 years ago tomorrow in Cabo....

maybe for our 5 year anniversary we can go back?? :)

Another month goes by...

2010-05-05T10:50:00.005-05:00

Well hello blog readers...Happy Cinco de Mayo! (whatever that really means...)

This has been another INTERESTING month to say the least! Not a whole lot to share right now. But I'll start with this: So, we've been anxiously awaiting Will's national board exam scores, only to find out TODAY (the very last day that the scores are to be posted) that they won't be posted for another 5 WEEKS!! Are you kidding me?!? I don't fully understand it, but apparently, they exam writers/graders are suspicious that there was cheating on the exam, not specifically at UH. All Optometry Schools took boards on the same day, and none of them will have their scores for 5 more weeks. SO ANNOYING!! I'm so confused as to how that could even happen. Seriously...the tests were on a computer in a testing center, and everyone had different tests. They were not allowed to leave the room until they were finished with each section, and everyone completed the same sections at one time. They were not able to return to the previous section once it was completed. So, even if there was some type of cheating by word of mouth between schools in different states, how in the world could they prove it?? Ugh...stupid cheaters!!

Which reminds me of my 7th grade History teacher Mr. McCarver. He would say before every test, "remember...we're leopards (Lorena Leopards), not CHEATahs." Ahh...good times.

OH, there is another piece of very exciting news that I can report!! Will was (informally) officially offered a job with Scott and White for when he graduates!!! I've mentioned before that he has been talking to some awesome doctors at S&W for the past couple of months. Well, we met Dr. Brindley (opthamologist and director of the entire Eye Institute) a couple of weeks ago, and Will received an email around that time stating that they are "saving a spot for him in the main clinic in Temple to start July 2011" (he graduates in May but won't receive his license until July). YAY!!!!!!!!!! I can't even express how grateful and excited we are about this. We could not have dreamed of anything better. We've had a heart to return to the Temple area for a while, and this is so perfect!! Not only is the location fabulous for us, but it is such a beautiful facility and the doctors he will be working with are all such strong Christians. WE (yes we, because they include me in everything, which is so rare but awesome) will be meeting with them on Friday, yes this Friday, to tour the facility and meet everyone. Hopefully more details about the J-O-B will be discussed also. So excited!!

Next week I'm going to Phoenix for the conference I've been talking about. A colleague and I will be presenting the poster we've been working on. I tried to attach it but the file is too large.

That's all for now, more updates later!

grocery shopping...

2010-04-07T08:28:00.004-05:00

so, I'm just gonna say upfront that this is a meaningless post. with that being said...I would like to briefly confess my hate for going grocery shopping.

Will and I have almost successfully eaten every piece of food in our apartment, and I am still stalling from going to the trusty H-E-B. I wasn't able to go this weekend because we were out of town for Easter, and I'm just all but refusing to go during the week....and here are my reasons to defend myself:

I don't get off work until around 6 now with my new schedule, so it already feels late when I just go straight home from work, let alone go grocery shopping.
Traffic getting to HEB sucks even though it's only a couple miles from my work and apartment (story of my life living in Houston)
It's always crowded (it's the only HEB inside the loop and has the best prices and quality)
Parking sucks (again, story of my life)
Everytime I go, it seems like every woman under 50 is in workout clothes, fresh from working out, and looks super "together," while I'm dragging along, still in my work clothes with mascara half smeared down my face resulting from the day's events. This could be because the store is in a fancy part of town and the women there have probably never worked a day in their life. Regardless, this can be depressing.
I have to inspect the nutritional info on everything I buy, which takes FOREVER. (I have high cholesterol and am also supposed to be on a low sodium diet. Not to mention I try to buy natural food without preservatives to please my health conscious husband...)
I also have to inspect the price/ounce on everything, all while trying to use as many coupons as possible...just because I'm cheap and am living on a social work salary trying to support a husband in optometry school! Again, this takes FOREVER.
I hate dragging the groceries up to my 4th floor apartment and unpacking them (we do have an elevator..and Will helps me, but it still sucks and I guess I'm just being a little dramatic)
Everytime I go, I forget at least one thing on my list, which just puts me in a bad mood for the rest of the night once I get home.
By the time I get home, the night is already mostly gone, and I still have to figure something out for a late dinner, iron both Will and my clothes for the next day (again, because I'm cheap and won't dry clean unless absolutely necessary), fix lunches for Will and I (because once again, I'm cheap), and get myself and the dogs ready for bed (yes...this brings along another set of nightly routines that I won't bore you with).

Gosh, I feel better. I was feeling a little guilty that Will didn't have a full meal for dinner last night, but I now feel justified. Whew....

Can I get an amen from anyone?!

I digress. Happy Hump-Day.

lately...

2010-03-30T17:10:00.003-05:00

Well, it seems like I have to include an apology in each blog entry because I take so long between posts. Sorry! Life continues to be crazy for the Whites. Even though he took national boards a couple of weeks ago, Will continues to have to cram in study time for school every day. He only has a FEW weeks left of class!! Then he's home free :) He still has 2 more rounds of boards, but his life will be mostly dedicated to clinic beginning this May through next May. I'm so excited to have my husband back!

The growth group we've been leading since September at our church will be ending in about 6 weeks. Bitter sweet...it will be nice to have our Thursday nights back, but I sure will miss the group!

Young Lives is coming to a close for me. I can't go to "club" this month (gotta go to fancy doctor banquet with the hubby) or next month (I'll be in Phoenix!). So...my involvement is slowing fading away with this precious ministry. I would say that it's not bitter sweet. Just bitter... :)

Sweet Tatum is doing well. I still see her periodically and try to hang out with her as much as I can.

We're going to see Reckless Kelly do an acoustic show this Friday night at the Mucky Duck here in Houston! I'm super excited about this. It's the BEST venue. They don't even put it on their website because the tickets sell out so fast. We've got a group of 12 going, including my sister!!! The table we will be sitting at will be approximately 20 feet from the stage...ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!

yes, we're Reckless Kelly groupies. I'm not ashamed.

We're going to Mer's on Saturday for the Thompson annual Easter crawfish boil. SO excited to see my family and my cousins' little ones. Then, on Sunday night, we'll be going to our church with Will's mom and having our mini-Easter celebration.

I'm currently praying and contemplating on joining a team from church to go on a mission trip to Cuba in July. Will can't go because of clinic, so I'm a bit nervous about going without him. Please keep that in your prayers. I'm really interested in going, but I'm praying for peace if this is His will.

Can't think of much else...I'm off to a Young Lives mentor appreciation dinner. Woo hoo!

PS- did you know it's Social Work Month? well...it is!! for another 24 hours-ish.

so it's been a while...

2010-03-15T12:30:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone, I'm back! The title of my last post, "something about insanity," completely describes my life this last month! Hence, the lack of blogging. Here's a MAJOR catchup post, starting with the most recent..

LCSW Licensure Update...

I've been studying like CRAZY for the LCSW exam..good news..

I PASSED IT ON SATURDAY!

That's right...my new title is: Kyrbie A. White, MSW, LCSW

Gosh it feels so good to be finished with this test! I've been studying non-stop for the past month, and it was still the hardest test I've ever taken. Some of you may be asking, why did you take this? what does LCSW mean? Well, let me tell you...

Prior to Saturday, I was an LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker)-I was practicing "Clinical social work" here at MD Anderson. I was licensed and able to do individual, marital, couple, family, and group psychotherapy. I was also able to, under the supervision of a licensed clinical practitioner, diagnose patient/clients using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, and other diagnostic classification systems in assessment, diagnosis, and other practice activities.

Well...for the past two and a half years, I've been supervised by an LCSW and have met all the requirements needed to sit for the LCSW exam. So, I decided to go ahead and give the test a try. It's not required for my job, but I wanted to get it done for possible future benefit. So, now that I passed, I am able to do all of the following described above, but the added bonus is that I can do it without the supervision of an LCSW. Meaning...I am now able to work in private practice providing counseling services, independently diagnose as mentioned above, and independently bill to insurance for the services. I'm not planning on actually doing this here at MD Anderson, but I hope to in the future.

Have I mentioned that I'm so relieved to have passed?! It's the LAST test I will ever have to take. Wahoo!

Moving on...

Will's National Boards..

So, Will takes his first round of boards TOMORROW AND WEDNESDAY. That's right...it's two days of 8-5 intense tests. AND, they won't find out the results for 4-6 weeks. I cannot imagine! My test was a lousy 4 hours, there was no pressure if I didn't pass, and I found out my score right away. PLEASE keep him in your prayers. Of course, I have no doubt in my mind that he will ROCK them, but I knew he's a bit nervous.

Possible new found allergy

For some odd reason, I'm all of a sudden having a reaction to my wedding/engagement rings. About three months ago, all of a sudden my ring finger started swelling up and itching like crazy everytime I wore my rings. I'm hoping it's just because of the cold weather and dry skin, but who knows. I also just got it cleaned at the jeweler on Friday. I sure hope this helps!! Any suggestions are welcomed. I want to be able to wear them again!

Spring sickness

I brought in March with a nasty sickness...pretty sure it was Strep but we caught it soon and knocked it out with a Z-pack. Of course, I passed it along to my hubby who was studying like crazy for boards. Now, we both just have really bad allergies. I love this spring weather, but hate the Houston allergies that go with it!

Countdown continues..

LESS THAN 5 MONTHS TILL WE MOVE

Student Supervision

As mentioned previously, I'm supervising an UH MSW student, and it's been a roller coaster! My student is FABULOUS, but it's just big commitment. It has kept me on my toes, that's for sure. He's with me until May...

Engagement news!

One of my BFF's from college, Kourtney, got engaged the end of February in Austin, and I was so blessed to have been a part of it!! Here's a few pics...

here's Kourt and like 3 years ago..the most recent pic I could find..sad!

the happy couple :)

Scott & White "God Story"

So...a couple of months ago, Will went on a men's retreat with our old church, Temple Bible Church. At this retreat, he ended up randomly meeting the director of optometry at Scott & White hospital in Temple. This is so my husband. I swear...he goes to an Astros game and ends up cracking jokes with Drayton McLane. Anyhow, ironically, this doctor also leads a fishing ministry, which if any of you know my husband know that this is right up his alley. Will has already planned to take his dad on one of their fishing trips in June. Needless to say, they seemed to hit it off really well, and I actually got to meet him and his wife about a month ago. They are such a sweet, Godly couple. Of course, many of you know that Will and I have dreamed about settling down in the Temple area, so we are anxious to see what this new friendship might bring in the future. Scott & White seems like such a great place to work, for both of us, but it is still a bit early to start really making any effort to pursue this further. Regardless, I feel so blessed to have met this sweet couple, and I know Will and his dad will be blessed by the fishing ministry.

OK, I think that's all for now. Whew...that was a long one!

HAPPY MONDAY!

I'm meeting a friend for some Italian food and wine tonight at our favorite BYOB restaurant, Collina's...and couldn't be more excited!

something about insanity...

2010-02-02T08:11:00.001-06:00

Ok, I got this email from Mer, and HAD to post it. I was laughing out loud on my couch last night reading it.

To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice!

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks . Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

5. In the Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write ' For Marijuana.

6. Skip down the hall Rather Than Walk and see how many looks you get.

7. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

8. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go'.

9. Sing Along At The Opera.

10. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You have a headache.

11. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won! I Won!'

12. When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot, Yelling 'Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!'

13. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, 'Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go.'

Ha!!

weekend updates...

2010-02-01T10:43:00.009-06:00

Hey everyone!! I hope you all had a great weekend...I was a single lady this weekend while Will went on a men's retreat with our old church, Temple Bible Church. He was so excited about it, and he had a great time. He seemed to meet a lot of good Godly men and even quite a few people that might be helpful with his job search next year, since we're hoping to stay in the Temple area. More on that to come later...

So, needless to say, I used this weekend to catch up on some girl time! I was off work on Friday, so I slept in (my favorite!), and saw my hubby off. Soon after, my mother-in-law arrived and we went to get coffee and pick up our paperwork for the Texas Med Center 5K that we had registered for together. That night, we watched "All About Steve" with Sandra Bullock. Loved it.

Texas Med Center 5K walk..

So, my mother-in-law, Sheryll, has been working hard to loose weight, and she has lost 15 pounds since Christmas! We decided it would be fun to do a 5K walk together, so we registered for this one...

It was bright and early at 8am Saturday morning, in the 34 degree weather! Don't worry, we were bundled up pretty tight, and we endured the lovely weather all the way to the finish line!

Update on Tatum....

Many of you might remember my previous blogs on my sweet friend Tatum. She's a girl I've been mentoring through Young Lives (Young Life for pregnant and parenting teen girls). Read these posts for a refresher...November post , December post and another December post

Well, in early December, she lost her baby. She was having lots of complications the last few weeks, and she lost the baby at 5 months along. It was a baby boy. As many of you know, when a woman is this far along, procedures have to be done to remove the baby, and it really shook up poor Tatum, naturally. She's really had a hard time with it, but she seems to be doing so much better. Please do keep her in your prayers though.

Her mom has really come around and is letting me spend time with Tatum outside of school. She now has a cell phone, so I get to text her quite frequently, which is so nice! We've been talking alot lately about reclaiming her purity, so Saturday evening I took her to get her "True Love Waits" ring...she was so excited!! Here she is...

We also picked up this Bible study that we're going to be doing together....

I'm also going to try to transition her to Young Life, since she's no longer pregnant. She's met a few times with the Young Lives group, but of course, it was really hard for her to see the other girls with their babies and pregnant bellies. Please pray that this transition is smooth. I'm going with her tonight for the first time.

Ok that's about all for now. Life is getting pretty crazy with my new work schedule and since my student has started. More to come on work updates soon!

emergency landing....

2010-01-26T08:26:00.004-06:00

ok STORY TIME...

Yesterday, around 6:05-ish, I was driving home from work, taking my normal route down South MacGregor, along the Hermann Park golf course. As I was driving over the bayou bridge, almost to our apartment complex, I noticed what looked like a private plane with the front propeller flying toward the medical center. But, I just assumed that I was mistaking it for a helicopter, since they fly over fairly frequently transporting trauma patients to the hospitals.

BUT...

Last night, I was watching one of my favorite shows, Castle, and as I was watching the preview for next week's episode, the 10 o'clock news broke in reporting on this story...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6834950.html

I just caught bits and pieces of the story because I was putting up laundry, not paying much attention. This was until I heard that a pilot flying a private plane from out of state toward Columbus, Texas, had run out of gas and landed on the Hermann Park golf course.

Ok, my first reaction was...I sure hope this isn't a member of the Thompson family (for those of you know don't know, I have an uncle who owns and operates a crop dusting airport in Garwood, Texas, very close to Columbus).

Moving on...it was not a Thompson, but I was not mistaken about the plane! Can you believe this! Thankfully, no one was hurt. Take a look at the website above for details. This golf course is literally about a couple hundred yards from our apartment complex.

Thank you Jesus for protecting this pilot and everyone around him! Without You as his "co-pilot," he could have very easily crashed into one of the hospitals or even our apartment complex. You reign!!

Pictures from the our retreat...

2010-01-22T09:36:00.020-06:00

So this is mainly a post full of pictures! As you may remember from a previous post, we went on a retreat with our growth group a couple of weeks ago. You will see from the pictures that we had a BLAST! A girl in our group had JUST bought a new snazzy camera and used us to learn all of the settings, etc. Needless to say, we got LOTS of good pictures! Of course, I just pulled out a few that I thought were the best and most of them are of me and William. Enjoy!

we played a few good games of 2 hand touch football..

(gosh I love him..he's such a cutie!! sorry...moving on...)

here's some pics of the cool retreat center...

we have lots of good musicians in the group...good times singing by the fire

yep, that's my husband.

and a campfire with s'mores!

speed scrabble...

me and baby Lily!! She was the only baby in the group and was spoiled rotten!

pretty sure she loves me :)

and we finished a 1000 piece puzzle...

That's all I have for now...must get back to work! Have a great weekend!