Getting Schooled

This may not look exciting to you...but it is to us! Finally, the long-awaited baby dresser has arrived, free of damage!

Thank goodness! If it was damaged again, I was going to have to drive to the baby store and put someone in a hurt locker (as Travis would say). This weekend we plan to put a lot of the finishing touches on the Baby's room. I will plan to post some pictures when it's closer to being done.

Last night we got educated. We took an Infant CPR class followed by Taking Care of Baby. We decided after the Infant CPR class that we are NEVER going to sleep again - just take shifts watching her all night to make sure she's breathing. Of course I'm exaggerating, but it was pretty scary to think we could ever be in a situation to use what we learned. We are just thankful we took the time to learn it! On a lighter note, Travis had this creepy looking baby mannequin with a onesie on. I had an African American baby mannequin with its eyes rolled back in its head and just a diaper on. Luckily, we didn't have to actually breathe for the doll, just pretend. I lucked out on the naked baby though. Travis was frustrated because he couldn't "find the nipple line" through the onesie to locate the correct place to do the chest compressions. Yes, we paid attention, but I think you have to find the humor in something so serious...so we laughed while we learned.

Then we got a new baby doll, one per couple, to learn how to take care of a baby. This time ours was much cuter! The instructor made the dads do all the work. It was really fun to watch Travis swaddle, try the different holds, change the diaper, etc. I'm glad we started with this class. It was a good introduction because we really didn't discuss anything disgusting or embarassing. Our next two classes are breastfeeding and childbirth, and yes, Travis is attending both. The fun has just begun... I am going to a transition to motherhood class tonight by myself. We are serious about education around here!! I was taking notes furiously last night, that's just in my nature to do so. Travis found that cute. I might make him a powerpoint presentation for our diaper changing station...

The Good, The Bad, The Prego

After some reflection, here are my lists of the good and the...not so good...aspects of being pregnant.

The Not-S0-Good:
(Disclaimer: I have been extremely blessed by an uneventful and healthy pregnancy so far. I feel great overall, but of course there are frustrations which I'm listing below. They DO NOT interfere with my sentiment of loving being pregnant).
(1) Waking up each day to discover a new ache. Will it be the chest muscle I pulled, and have no idea when or how? Will it be my elbow (yes, it hurts too)? Will it be my back, heartburn, my head? What will ache tomorrow?
(2) "The Sisterhood of the Tiny Pants": At 5 months pregnant, I tried on a pair of my sister's maternity pants that she was going to lend me, and they stopped at my thighs. I said, "Oh you must have worn these early on in the pregnancy". Scared to death, Jen admitted that she was wearing those pants the day she went into labor.
(3) Pants in general. So I finally broke down and bought some really big pants, and now I can't keep them on. I need big pants for this enormous belly, but without a waistline, it is virtually impossible to keep a pair of pants on.
(4) Borrowing my husband's belt, only to find that even at the loosest hole, it wouldn't comfortably fit around my non-waist. This was supposed to be the quick fix for #3. The pants problem remains unsolved.
(5) The endless to-do lists. No explanation needed.
(6) Seatbelts and shoes with laces - two examples of items not designed with a pregnant woman's body in mind. I encounter a lot of places where I don't fit - like when I put in my contacts in the morning, but can't get close enough to the mirror to see my eyeball because the vanity and the belly meet first.
(7) Meeting another pregnant woman who is smaller than me, and finding out her due date is like a week away. This has happened on several occasions.
(8) Some cruel person who said that pregnant women should not eat anything with raw eggs in it under any circumstances. What about when you make brownies??? Or cake? You wash the bowl without licking it first? Something just doesn't seem right to me.
(9) The inexplicable tears. They don't show up all that often, but when they do, it's bad.
(10) The stinking dresser that was damaged and then slow to arrive. It's supposed to be delivered on Tuesday, keep your fingers crossed that this item will move to the good list on Tuesday.

The Good:
(1) When Baby J feels like she's playing Wii boxing. The big kicks always make me smile.
(2) Watching the belly shift, and seeing her move from one side to the other. It's a little creepy-looking, but very cool.
(3) Feeling something hard and realizing it's probably a tiny baby hiney or a foot sticking out. And if I push on it, I get kicked. I love it that she has a little attitude already!
(4) I picture Travis coming around the corner to tell our families that Baby J has arrived, and announcing her much anticipated name. This daydream sends me to tears almost every time.
(5) Watching episode after episode of A Baby Story and trying to picture Travis and I as the stars of the show.
(6) Although it is somewhat related to #5 in the not-so-good list, I do enjoy getting Baby J's room ready. I have a vision and it's slowly starting to come together. Baby stuff is so adorable!
(7) The excitement that I can see and hear each time we talk to our families and our friends. So many people are behind us, and that makes it even more exciting for us as we approach the end.
(8) Eating whatever I want without guilt. Baby J has a sweet tooth that I never had, and it has been delightful to feed her ice cream on demand.
(9) Having a due date in January will allow me half of a year before it's bathing suit season again. Can I get a heck yeah for that??
(10) Having a sweet husband that is so genuinely excited about the birth of his little girl and so supportive of me. He's going to be such a natural at this, I see it in so many things he already does, and I just cannot WAIT to see him as a Daddy.

Hot Dogs and Modeling Dogs

Hot Dogs...

There is one funny story from Braxton's visit I hadn't shared. I made Braxton a hot dog and french fries for dinner on Saturday night. Remember we'd had the three-chicken-sandwich-incident at McDonald's the night before, so this story should not have surprised me. I got dinner all ready to eat, in front of the TV!!, and we called Braxton to his plate. He gets seated and says..."Ummmmm, where's the chili?" Travis nervously asked me, "Honey, do we have chili?" Of course we did not, and Travis knew where this was headed. The irritable pregnant lady inside of me came out with some quick response. Travis likes to think it was something like "eat the #@$! hot dog - NOW." hahaha It was a little softer than that, but I was pretty firm with him. I said something along the lines of "Well, there is no chili. Chili is just a topping. Sorry we don't have it, but you have two options. You can either eat the hot dog plain, or you can eat nothing for dinner. Your choice!" At which point, I sat down and started pleasantly eating my burger and fries. He ate the hot dog, but only one fry because "they didn't taste good." hahaha Don't misread this and think I'm knocking Braxton. He is SUCH a wonderful kid - he's just a chili-loving 9 year old boy - and he had no idea what he was up against!! Next time I will have chili. I guess Aunt Sara is tougher than she thought! Remember this story if we ever invite you to dinner at our house......... ;)

Modeling Dogs...

Onto another topic, it's official, I am the Crazy Dog Lady. I took my dog on a walk and took pictures of her posing in the neighborhood. Who would've thought it'd come to this? These pictures are actually a little training session - Lexi has to learn to "place" wherever we tell her to go. We are supposed to teach it by giving her the "place" command on weird places of differing heights and textures. You can see training is not too strenuous...she seems to be loving the fall day as much as I did! Enjoy Lexi's modeling portfolio!

Posing on our sidewalk. Look Mom, no leash!

Lexi helped me plant these flowers the other day.

In the "place" command in the neighborhood park.

Training is soooo hard...

Baby J has joined me in her thirties. I am now 30 weeks pregnant - just 10 more to go!

Practice Makes Perfect

This weekend, Travis and I had a crash course in parenthood! Forget the whole newborn little girl thing - we had a 9 year old boy!! OK, we didn't have one, we borrowed one. Travis' nephew, Braxton, came to stay with us for the weekend. The main purpose of the trip was for Braxton to go to his first NFL game ever today. Travis' Dad came in town today and took Braxton to the game (and we won!! go Panthers!). But this weekend also got us an opportunity we've really never had - to spend alone time with Braxton and just hang out.

Truth be told, I was a tad bit nervous because nine years old is a tricky age, especially for boys. I know how to play with a little girl. I can entertain a young boy pretty easily too. But nine years old? That's not a little kid, is it? Do you talk to them like a kid, or will that insult them? You have to find that fine line of being the cool aunt and uncle, without letting the child walk all over you. I also found out on Friday evening that he had never spent the night away from home, except at his grandparents. And there, he shared a bed with someone in the family. So this was a BIG deal for all of us!

This morning Braxton said, "I like it here in North Carolina", so I'd say we did great. :) Braxton spent all of Saturday down at the stadium with Uncle Travis. For anyone who doesn't know, Travis works for the Panthers. So Braxton got to spend the day helping Uncle Travis get the New Orleans Saints locker room ready. What a cool experience for a little boy - or anyone for that matter! Uncle T then took him to the Panthers locker room. They tossed a football, went out on the field, checked out the equipment for all of the big name players - just some seriously cool male bonding! Braxton was a little shy about it at first. But once he realized what a big deal it was to be able to be in an NFL locker room, he got really excited about it.

We learned some coping mechanisms for picky eaters. We took him to McDonald's on Friday night - it took three different chicken sandwiches to finally order "the right one." And who knew just one bite of "the wrong one" could make a child gag. :) Proof that little boys are not without drama!! Travis and Braxton spent a lot of time playing Wii together - he showed us things we didn't know existed on our games. I took him to church with me this morning, and was surprised when he said - I'll try the kids church, see you later! So I dropped him off, and he apparently had a great time stomping balloons and crushing cans. I assume there was a message behind this, and I drug out of him that they were studying "perseverence" this week. He was in a small group of third grade boys, and I could tell when I picked him up that they were rowdy and loving it. He said we had a really cool church, I agree.

We were glad to be able to show him a good time. Now we can go back to focusing on babies!!

Below are some great pictures of Braxton's NFL experience. Apparently some of his friends back home in West Virginia didn't believe he was even going to an NFL game this weekend. Wait until they see these pictures!! We also heard that some of his friends think Uncle Travis PLAYS for the Panthers. He said he didn't lie and tell them that, he just didn't correct them when they assumed it. :)

After getting Drew Brees' locker ready, Braxton smiles for the camera in his new Saints hat - given to him by the Saints equipment staff!

The next Reggie Bush

A once in a lifetime experience with Uncle T - the best uncle in the whole wide world!!!!

We got him a Smith jersey to wear to today's game...it was a LITTLE smaller than this one.

Standing on the field the day before gameday

Deep Thoughts by Sara

I have always loved the expression "if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans." I heard it in a country song, but I don't think they coined the phrase. Anyway, I have just been thinking about that lately for one reason or another. Doesn't it always seem that when things seem to be perfectly lined up according to my plans, that something goes off track? I'm making it sound like something is wrong with me - oh no, rest assured Baby J and I are both doing fantastic. It's just an interesting perspective to keep. (Pregnancy creates deep thoughts...should I go get out my guitar and strum Kum-ba-ya?)

That phrase is entirely relevant to me right now for a whole slew of circumstances. One of which is planning for this Baby!!!! I am SUCH a planner. Or at least I'd like to be, but sometimes I plan...yet I procrastinate. So then I get stressed out, because I know what I SHOULD be doing, and then I realize I'm NOT doing it, and I don't have any reason WHY I'm not marking items off of my list. Ask Travis, I've been a little edgy the past few days. I know, I know, I'm allowed to be all hormonal and crazy. But that's not me, and I don't like feeling edgy or anxious. I think I'm going through a transition period of - wow, holy cow, Baby J is coming soon and I'm soooooo excited I'd like to do cartwheels up and down the street. (As if this body could even dream of doing a cartwheel. I'm lucky to get off the couch in one try). In the next breath, I think - wow, holy cow, Baby J is coming soon, I haven't finished reading the books on how to be a parent, the stupid dresser has not come yet, I don't own any diapers, nor do I really know how to change a diaper...the list goes on. I think it caught me by surprise to feel a little overwhelmed. In all other aspects of my life, this is the most relaxing time I've had, probably EVER! I work for myself from home, and I am a super cool boss. This office is pretty laid back... :) I have the time to organize, to relax, to just enjoy my solitude during the days. Who gets this time??? Not many people! So I guess I didn't expect to feel any stress. But as I was reading Babywise the other night, trying to figure out this philosophy of when to feed the baby, what not to do, and how not to screw our child up, I thought "if you want to see Baby J laugh, tell her your plans." I picture her in there just cracking up. Like, OK Mom, go ahead and read your books and clean out your closets...and if you think that will prepare you for motherhood, you are in for a royal treat. So while I refuse to quit nesting and preparing...and I will probably continue to sit Travis down nightly and make him go over the "Things To Do Before 1/1/09" list, I think I'm going to make a conscious effort to realize that my 'to do' list is not my preparation for motherhood. Sure it helps to get organized and read up on stuff - that may make for less surprises later on. That is a good thing. But I can't let myself get so caught up in everything being planned 100%, because that will NEVER happen. Not in terms of this baby, or anything else in my life! And yet, everything will work out just fine.

Maybe I'll live on the edge today and not make a list. hahaha I've got several people close to me who are dealing with uncertainty, or plans that are constantly changing, maybe plans that have gone awry. So this is my shout-out to them...let's just throw our lists out the window and enjoy the ride today. We don't have a clue where it's going, but it's sure to end up OK, this I know.

Kum-ba-ya... :)

I know I just posted this picture. But isn't this a perfect example of Taylor not knowing what's coming, and just enjoying the ride? I just had to post it again - priceless!

Reid Weekend in Roanoke

Travis and I spent the weekend in Roanoke with the Reid family. We spent the majority of our time watching our niece Taylor run around...she's really that entertaining!! Taylor and I are buddies, and it didn't take her too long to warm up to Uncle T. She hadn't seen him since the wedding, but by the end of the weekend would be walking through the house calling, "Where's T??" The boys played golf, the girls went to the zoo, we visited with Grandma...and we had a special dinner for Dad's 60th! Dad is apparently quite the gambler, and won big at Casino Night at their club a few weekends ago. One of his prizes was dinner in the private dining room! So we had an awesome meal with a special menu prepared just for us. This post will be short on words (shocking!!!) and full of pictures. Enjoy a few of my favorites from a fantastic family weekend.

Taylor and Jen waiting patiently for the Zoo Choo. Taylor isn't quite sure what she thinks about the train's loud bell.

Can someone please sit with me?

No one mentioned the Zoo Choo goes through a dark tunnel! Hold on for your lives!!!

What I see when I look down. :) In other words...the large mammal exhibit at the zoo.

Little People, Big World.

Taylor and GrandDad heading into dinner. How sweet is that?

Keeping the romance alive with a funny-looking kiss at dinner. :)

The FIFTH and final course was a chocolate volcano. We all ate so much, we might not eat again until Thanksgiving. (yeah right, I'm starving)

Mommy-to-be relaxing on the couch on Sunday.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

Thursday mornings I have my Oasis women's group at church. They ask that everyone volunteer in the nursery one week, and this was my week to keep the kiddies. They suggested I go with the 3's and 4's since they are bigger and I wouldn't have to be carrying little ones around. Sounded like a good idea to me, although they were quite a handful!

First of all, thank heaven for little girls! I think you look at the world differently when you know whether or not you're having a boy or a girl. This morning, knowing I am carrying a girl made me really focus on how W-I-L-D those boys were! They were still adorable and sweet, don't get me wrong. But it was like a museum exhibit showing the differences in boys and girls. Girls - want to color. Boys - throwing the train set. Girls - want to do puzzles. Boys - throwing the blocks. Girls - wanting to know if they could be the helper at snack time. Boys - throwing each other. We sang a few cute little Jesus songs, which all had dances or arm motions. This pregnant lady got a workout!! And props to my mother-in-law for raising three boys close in age!

I also had two terrifying experiences. The first was with my new friend Chloe. I had to take her to the potty. She can do everything on her own, I was just along for moral support. Here's the conversation:
Sara: How old are you?
Chloe: Three. How old is your daughter?
Sara: I don't have any kids yet. See how big my tummy is? That's because there's a baby in there! I'm going to have a baby girl about Christmas time this year!
Chloe: A baby? In your tummy?
Sara: Yep.
Chloe: Does it move? How old is she now? How old will it be when the baby comes out?
Sara: Yes, she moves now, sometimes I feel the baby kick in my tummy. Right now she's in my tummy so she can grow into a baby, and when she is born she'll be zero years old, a brand new baby! (the panic is starting to set in at this point)
Chloe: So how does the baby come out of your tummy?
Sara: OK, let's get those tights pulled up and wash those hands!
Chloe: HOW does the baby get out of your tummy? WHERE does it come out?
(Genius answer to follow...)
Sara: The baby comes out at the hospital! (good save)
Chloe: The hostable? Why do you go to the hostable? And WHERE does the baby get out of your tummy????

Chloe clearly wasn't dropping it, and my "hostable" answer clearly wasn't satisfying her curiosity. So I distracted her with some crayons and thankfully we both moved on...

Incident number 2. I am deathly afraid of snakes. Not that I think they're creepy, or I don't want to see one in person...I have a full-blown phobia. I cannot watch them on TV or even look at pictures of them. They freak me out. It's actually pretty weird how scared I am of snakes. Jack comes over and asks me to read him a book. Sure! He has the book of choice in his hands, opened to the desired pages, and drops it in my lap. It's all snakes. And not drawings - these were photographs, people! All sorts of nasty, scary snakes. I quickly saw that the book was about animals, not just snakes, so I tried to flip to another page. Oh no, little Jack is really into snakes. He specifically wanted to read about these snakes, to talk about the pictures, which ones were poisonous, etc. I had two options - slam poor little Jack's fingers in the book and tell him snakes are scary and will kill you, or I could just politely ignore the request to read. So poor Jack read his snake pages alone while I was "busy trying to put together the transportation puzzle."

Big news - we are officially in our third trimester now! Or as Travis likes to joke, our third semester!!!!!

New Sets of Wheels

This week at the Justice household, we brought home two new sets of wheels! The first was for Daddy. After finding out that his bike was damaged beyond repair, he did some window-shopping and some research, and then decided on the bike for him.

Sorry for the bad picture, but he's at the stadium and I won't dare try and take it off the ceiling while he's gone. Don't be confused, that's not because it's heavy. This bike is seriously light as a feather! I just didn't want to deal with trying to take it down, and risk putting the first scratch on it. Travis rode in a 30 mile bike ride up in Davidson yesterday. He LOOOOOVES his new bike and I hope he finds a lot of opportunities to hop on it before winter arrives. I think it looks like torture. If you've never seen a serious roadbike, you may not be able to truly appreciate the strain these bikes put on your back side. Youch! I think back to my pink Schwinn with the banana seat and the basket. Now THAT was a comfy seat and a comfy bike. The seats on roadbikes are TINY and hard as a rock. Travis' new bike looks like a literal pain in the butt to me, but he somehow enjoys the torture. :) It was so nice to see how yesterday's ride made him feel so energized and good about himself. It's really cool to see someone you love in a happy place.

The second set of wheels is the one we are really pumped up about - the BOB Revolution!!!!!! Travis first heard about the BOB from a friend of his who is an avid runner. She suggested we go with the BOB for our jogging stroller. You may be reading and think, wow, I didn't realize Sara and Travis were runners! That's the irony - we're not!!! But having a jogging stroller is not only trendy, it's terribly convenient in a lot of settings. It's the stroller we will walk with in the neighborhood, and it'll go out with us a lot. The handlebar is higher and it's designed so you don't kick the stroller everytime you walk - will suit Travis' build a lot better and he'll be more comfortable pushing it. It is large, but man, does it ever turn well. It corners like it's on rails!!! (If you missed the Pretty Woman reference, shame on you, go turn on TBS and wait for it to come on). The icing on the cake was the ease with which this thing folds up. You pull this little lever and all of a sudden - bam - the stroller is completely folded up, compact and easy to stow away. Travis was sold at that moment - my man loves a nifty gadget! This past Thursday at my church group, a friend brought me a coupon to the outdoor store that sells the BOB's. 20% off! That is a big deal for a stroller that is this pricey. So yesterday we went to the store, and brought BOB home. Lexi and Harles are doing well with BOB. I've been pushing it through the house and making Lexi walk next to me in a 'heel' so she isn't scared of it. OK, let's be honest here, I've been pushing it through the house because I have a new stroller - period!!!!!! It's like revisiting my childhood! If only I had a doll to put in it... On a more sentimental note, it is truly exciting for me to have this stroller. Everytime we do one more thing in preparation for Baby J, it gets more real and I anticipate her birth even more. I start to picture her in there and I giggle with delight. I also enjoyed watching Travis whiz around the store with the stroller - he's a natural.

I Wish I Had A Dime...

I wish I had a dime for everytime someone commented on the enormity of my belly. (Is enormity a word? It is now.) Normally I am one to get my feelings hurt pretty easily. So I'm surprised that the hilarious comments people make about my size do not offend me. I guess it's because, yes, I am large and in charge, and I love the reason I am large and in charge! So it doesn't bother me when people comment on "how huge I am" because in a way I'm proud of it. Very proud of it! In fact, it's kinda fun to have a big basketball on the front of you that lets the world know how excited you are to be carrying a precious baby around. Now if they said, wow your thighs have really grown too...that would be a different story....

I wish I had a dime for everytime someone asked us if we were having twins, and when we say no, they say...are you sure? I wish I had a dime for everytime someone said...January 1st? Are you sure about that? I wish I had a dime for everytime I could see the wheels turning in people's heads as they try to calculate whether or not I was pregnant at our wedding (like there's no way I could be this big if I was only this far along). I was not (for the record), but I really find that to be one of the funnier ones. Equally as funny is how quickly I pipe in and say...we got married in March and pregnant in April! So, I wish I had a dime for everytime I felt the need to justify our timeframe to people, as if it really matters!

I'd like to share a few of my personal favorites...and again...in a strange way I enjoy these comments. So I hope I don't sound bitter. It's just kind of shocking to me sometimes that people say these things outloud, rather than just thinking them to themselves. Travis and I really get a kick out of it, so as long as the comments remain focused on the growth of my belly only, keep 'em coming!

#1: I'm walking Lexi by myself. A woman passes with her dog, and she says, "So is this the walk to speed things up? Get things going?" I thought at first she was referring to how terribly slow Lexi was walking, that she was being sarcastic. Then a gesture towards my belly made me realize she thought I was walking the dog to induce labor. I replied, "I sure hope not, I'm not due for three and a half months!!" Strangelyenough, she didn't have much to say after that.

#2: A girl in my real estate class passes me in the hall on a break while I'm on the phone with Travis. She says to me, along with a belly gesture, "Wow, you look BIG today!" And then once I'm off the phone she clarifies with "I think it looks bigger today, I mean REALLY big, bigger than Monday! Don't you think so?"

#3: The instructor in my real estate class calls us one-by-one up front to collect our certificates. He congratulates me in advance for the birth of my child and says, "I forgot, when did you say you were due?" Before I can answer, someone in the class yells out "Tomorrow!" and everyone chimes in. I reply with, "No, it's actually New Year's Day." And shock fell over the room...

#4: My favorite, for creativity. A neighbor asks, "When are you due?" I say, "January 1st." Neighbor says, "Good grief, which January was that, last January?"

In case you haven't had the pleasure of seeing me, here I am! I hesitated to post this, because the camera and I aren't best friends these days. I think the camera adds more than 10 pounds... :) But hey, that's what being pregnant is all about! This is my belly today at 27 weeks.

Speaking of 27 weeks, below I will post a little excerpt from online as to what Baby J is up to these days. Since today is October 1, I guess I can say I'm due three months from today!! She is extremely active and I am really enjoying feeling all the kicks and punches. So far, they don't hurt a bit and are so fun to feel and watch that big belly move. I have felt her hiccups too, which are so cute. For the first time today, I think I have cankles (i.e. swollen feet), but I feel great overall other than a little difficulty sleeping. Happy 27 weeks, Baby J!!

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on.