What are you thankful for that might seem silly to someone else?

I am thankful for my silly little back brace. Just when I think my back must be broken, the back brace fixes me like new again.

Thanksgiving is only a couple days away and I am real excited. For those that know me well, it's definitely not because of all the food. Although the variety of food always looks fantastic, most of it doesn't fall under the five things I eat, except the macaroni and cheese. My mom manages to throw in some homemade macaroni and cheese, along with everything from Italian turkey to dressing, to every dessert in the book and then some- but the homemade mac is a real nice treat, a good break from Kraft. Back to me being excited... the excitement comes from seeing everything prepared just for us and knowing we get to spend some time together not focused on anything else, but our relationships and probably, football! :) We spend Thanksgiving at the lake which I look forward to every year. It's a great tradition.

This year Clay's side is getting together to celebrate on Saturday so we will get to enjoy the evening with them then. And lucky for me, since I am always craving Italian, they are going an Italian route with the food. Not traditional Thanksgiving meal, which excites me. I really am looking forward to the time with everyone and even though I get to relax most days, this is special relax time and better yet, I get to relax with my husband. I'm so glad he has a couple of days off. Maybe he'll get in the hot tub with me, but I doubt it. He's not good at relaxing unless football is on, so I'll have to count on Keb to drink hot chocolate and soak in the hot tub with me! (And for those who are thinking I am going to hurt the baby, my Doctor gave me the A-Okay to enjoy the hot tub... he said it will help my back (see previous post) and make my body feel better! AND it DOES!)

Back to food... Mom wants us girls to learn to make the traditional Italian turkey, but I just don't see myself doing that. I don't like to handle meat raw and certainly can't eat it after I have seen it raw, so when it is my turn to make Turkey I hope Clay takes an interest in fixing a really good Turkey and Ham. Sadly, it won't be me, but I will be glad to make all the desserts and probably the side dishes too!

Well less than a week now till we can find out and we just can't decide. It's killing me knowing we don't know what we are going to do yet. I might change my poll to see what everyone thinks... looks like majority think this baby is a boy, 13 to 7. Nice thing about my poll is that I can't see who voted what... although I wish I could!

The baby must be dancing away because I can feel the baby everyday and frequently during the day, especially in the morning and at night. Clay still hasn't felt the baby move although he tried tonight, but the little one's kicks just weren't powerful enough. There were a couple of kicks that I thought he had a chance of feeling, but nope. I felt bad. I know he will think it's pretty cool. He may even be speechless over it. He has really taken on a new outlook... I think he finally sees my stomach growing and thinks, Wow, my wife is really pregnant, not fat! Hahaha!

Well I have already put up my Christmas trees and decor and didn't over do anything, just enough that most of the house feels pretty "Christmas-y." I wanted to have it done before Thanksgiving so when we got home from the lake we had everything done. I think houses look even homier when people decorate for Christmas. A big thanks to Kebby because she helped me. She came over Saturday with donuts and I supplied the hot chocolate and we had a great time. We listened to several old Christmas records and we had to take turns flipping the records. I felt like I was in the 60's. I love Otis Redding and his Christmas songs, along with Stevie Wonder and even Elvis put out a good Christmas record. I need one from Johnny Cash. I wonder if Bob Dylan made one? I just love them!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Be careful if you are traveling! And for those who have to loosen their belts on Thanksgiving, don't be jealous of my Thanksgiving pants, our otherwise known as maternity pants! Thanks to Jill by the way for the sweet Thanksgving card. Clay and I loved it and it's on our fridge! I feel like I need to get better at sending cards. It's a real sign of maturity and growing older when you send out cards, and as I said- I gotta' get better. Haven't quite hit that level of maturity yet... but back to Jill- I got one coming to you (homemade specially for you) but I am going to send it on the second so you can have a copy of the next baby picture! I thought you would like that! Thanks for your prayers. We are excited that everything is going so well.

Happy Thanksgiving-
Natalie

I'm trying new things...

Unfortunately not fruits and vegetables... SEWING. I have always sewn some but I am now advancing my level. I am making the bedding too so I want to learn. I have been looking for lessons. I know some stores offer group lessons but I was hoping to find someone to work with me one on one. If anyone knows someone who sews and would be willing to teach me I would love to do that! I think I would only need a few lessons.

Me: "So I am headed to my lessons."

Friend: "Oh, what instrument are you learning to play?"

Me: "Oh, no, it's sewing lessons..."

Friend: "Dorky."

If I actually can make pretty crib bedding that it won't be dorky, but if I can't then maybe a little dorky. :) I wish I was born in the early 1900's. I would like it!

If we don't find out the sex of the baby it bothered me we wouldn't have something girly or boyish to put on the baby when we take him/her home from the hospital so I wanted to make some plain onesies special. I wanted to sew different things on them including their initial.

I read up on some ways to go about it and have attempted my first one. I hope the future ones look a little better, yet I am really pleased with this one considering it's my first. I did a C.S. for Cash, but don't think I know and haven't told y'all... because I have pink fabric out right now to do a L for Miss. Lola.



If anyone knows how to do this and has tips I could use them! This is all from reading and watching clips off YouTube. Unfortunately the clips weren't as helpful as the old fashion reading.

Clay and I finally finished our registry at Babies R Us and that took some time, but so fun. We did half there and half online. Everything is pretty much good for a girl or boy. Then when can use a lot of it with the next four kids! Haha! Now that I finished it, I want to start going to buy stuff off it just so baby stuff is here at the house. It's so fun just to have these white onesies laying around.

Well I love this time of year! I already am playing Christmas records (yes, old records) and am putting up our trees tomorrow! How exciting! Well I gotta go eat lunch!

Love Little Momma'

On a high...

Well for the past couple of weeks now I have been feeling butterfly feelings in my stomach, yet not the kind I got when I met Clay- actual flutters from our little one kicking, punching, or both! BUT TODAY- was a really neat day for me!!!! I felt the baby kick from the outside too! I set at my computer trying to work on a nursery look that would work for boy or girl and I noticed the baby was kicking away. After a few minutes I felt one that seemed pretty powerful for this 7 ounce little baby... so I decided to see if I could feel the kick if I put my hand on my stomach- I DID! LIKE FIVE TIMES! It was so precious! I can't wait to feel the movements more often! I yelled for Clay for a couple of minutes as I didn't know where he was in the house and I was too afraid to move so finally he yells back. He was sleeping. So I ran and crawled in bed so he could feel. But what do you know, baby's got jokes. No kicks, no nothing, nada. So sad. But now that I know it's possible I'll have to be on guard so Clay can feel the baby move! It really is mind-blowing... there is a baby, our baby, growing in my uterus! AGHHH!!!

I'll have to post tummy pictures soon because I am growing every day... a lot. I still haven't gained too much weight which I am excited about but I have a feeling once the holidays pass I will weigh quite a bit more. I think I am at 4-5 pounds heavier... which is a little less than a pound a month so far. I think that is good... if and when I occasionally get sick I tend to loose a couple of pounds immediately but it never fails to take a day or two to gain it back! It is nice to eat more often now and not feel like a total slob about it. The baby growing seems to burn a lot of calories in itself, but I hope to get a little more active now. The weather is cooling down and I love it! I tend to be on the hotter side. I was burning up the other night and no lie, it was 64 degrees in the house. Weird, I know.

Two weeks to the day and we see the doctor. We will get our sonogram pictures which I am so excited about and (if we choose) find out the sex of the baby. If we decide to find out, my mom and Clay's mom will join us, but if not I guess we will just make a date of it with us two. We are leaning on not finding out. I definitely don't want to know, but Clay kind of does. He sees the fun it waiting, but he is anxious to know. Two more weeks to decide. Debbie had a really cute idea she heard about- have the doctor right it on a piece of paper and put it in a sealed envelope, never telling the couple what the sex was. Then the husband took the envelope to a bakery and had them make a cake with the INSIDE of the cake blue if it was a boy and pink if it was a girl. Then he picked the cake up, never peaking, and brought it home for the whole family to enjoy. They cut it all together so everyone found out and celebrated together. Isn't that super cute??? I liked this idea. I have heard about the envelope thing but not to that extent. Mainly so the couple can find out when and where they want. One couple lived by the beach and went on a romantic date there and opened their envelope. So cute. But nothing can beat the doctor holding the baby up saying "You got a girl" or "It's a boy!" I love it. So old fashioned and romantic.

I dream about it... it actually takes a little of the worries away from delivering the baby. :)

Some people don't like reading blogs (esp mine) because it's sometimes personal, well if you are one of those, you probably won't like this entry and a few others! But I do this so I can look back and family can enjoy what I am thinking... hopefully enjoy!

Love y'all-
Little momma

Debbie and Myself are cooler than y'all...

Why? You ask. Because we have our picture next to our comments. That qualifies us as cool, ya know.

Just a few great reasons...

WHY I LOVE CLAY.

Lately I have been catching myself day dreaming of all the reason why I love my husband and then I realized that I have been doing this unconsciously for awhile. So, I decided to jot a few reasons down, which you guys get the pleasuring of reading too. Enjoy-

I love that he is willing to work so hard and so many hours to support us and allow me to only work part-time and relax being pregnant. And I love more that he never once has complained. Never.

I love his ability to survive on few hours of sleep at night. I need eight to nine. I will love this more when the baby arrives!

I love his lips. They are so full and complimented by a cute nose and eyes that draw me in.

I love the joy he finds in his hobbies.

I love his thirst for knowledge, education, and history.

I love his freckles that peek through after a day in the sun.

I love his selflessness. Always selfless.

I love his new found love for records that comes from his old love of music.

I love his athletic nature.

I love that he is an anti-conformists.

I love his creativity. Rare in a man.

I love that he is learning not to pee on the toilet seat.

I love that he is a writer.

I love that his imagination is greater than any child's.

I love his ghetto booty. He's got a black boy booty!

I love that he is modest and humble.

I love his brain doesn't turn off. In his sleep, he talks and thinks of more ideas.
And I love that he keeps a little notepad by the bed just for those busy dreams of his.

I love that he is my husband, my better half, and now my baby daddy.

Let the cravings begin!!!

Okay, Okay- my body just refuses to like anything healthy. I thought being pregnant maybe I would finally start to like fruits and vegetables but nah. I like Slurpees from Seven Eleven and Tangy Taffy. Beware though, not laffy taffy... big difference! Trust me! So I love getting the two hand in hand! And when I am in a bummer mood I tend to pick up a couple of scratch offs too!

I did that the day Clay couldn't make it to the doctor appointment. I walked in the waiting room with a Slurpee, Tangy Taffy Bar, and Scratch Offs...

Hmmm... the other moms were probably talking about me. Oh well. It was delicious and made me one happy girl! Also the great thing about Slurpees is that you get to pick the color of straw you want which I always change it up. Yesterday I was a pink straw! The Dr. Visit required a blue straw! :) The nice thing is that I do crave meat more so I am getting some protein. Other than that it seems to be the same old, same old. I am finding my appetite to really start to increase. I don't typically eat more at a time, just a lot more frequent. I feel better about the weight gain as my stomach is taking on more of a shape and really firming up. I have felt the baby move a couple of times. It's quite amazing but I can't wait till others can feel as well. It's just enough movement that I know it's the baby but it's only for a second. By the time I realize I don't feel much more. It's very exciting to know you are carrying your child that you and your husband made. It makes me emotional and I am glad I am a woman so I can experience this. Kind of cheesy but it all seems so miraculous.

Hope everyone educated themselves on the candidates and have or will vote today. It's important everyone takes an active role in supporting our country and make an educated decision on who they would like to take the role as President. Clay and I voted together four years ago so it's fun to think back on something like that- we were just really good friends then and we were so in love but didn't peep a word of it. :) Well the cat is out of the bag now! hehe. I decided in the midst of this paragraph to pull out this special little binder I have with all of our e-mails in it from the beginning. I must have known he was the one because who in the hell saves every e-mail. If you got e-mails like I got you would have saved them too. They were always the highlight of my day. I found one that I remember being so funny and sweet that he wrote after we voted together. I thought I would share it with everyone because it's so genuine from his heart. I hope he doesn't mind, but it's so fun to read. Enjoy:

"Hey there silly moose,

Today was really cool, I loved it. I am sooooooo glad I voted, and even more glad it was with you. I have really enjoyed hanging out with you so much, and surprisingly it has gotten better and better. Normally the fun level goes down as people get to know each other, but as I have gotten to know you things have been cool as Popsicles.

This makes me wonder how long it will keep getting better and better, I hope a long time. I think for some reason it will. You make me laugh cause you are funny as geese flying crooked. I wonder how it is we have gotten so close and become such good friends, cause normally it isn't like this...right. At least for me I don't meet coolness like you ever. DO you think that it is cool too? You better.

So we need to do more on our to-do list. It is cool we have a to-do list.

Is it gay that I look forward to seeing you, cause I do, and you do not disappoint, I have sooo much fun with you, just as if I were floating in a big balloon with boxers on.

Earlier I had a bug on my head and I did a cartwheel to get it off.

Your favorite Clay,
Clay"

Well, that was us not peeping a word of our love for each other. He wrote that at 5:32 a.m. because later I found out he isn't a morning person as I thought when I saw this but a very, very late night owl. That was him writing right before he went to bed. Me being a morning person, he must have hated my 9 am calls as he must have pretended to be awake. Haha! What we do for love. A couple of days after this e-mail since obviously I didn't get the hint, he wrote another one but not so subtle to me.

I realized with the next e-mail he was in love. And I loved realizing it. The clip from the e-mail read:

"If your world is rainy I promise you I will be there to put sunshine it it.
If you need a shoulder to lean on, mine will be waiting comfy as a pillow.
If you need to laugh, I will write a joke.
If you need a million bucks, I will start saving.
If you need something from Japan, I will buy it from Wal-mart and pretend."

I think when I read the fourth line, I really realized. Then on the fifth and last line I got completely tickled. So Clay. And I loved it. The rest is history.

Now that I think about it I would love to put this in the nursery in a really cool way. My brain must start thinking away!

Hope everyone enjoyed hearing words from Clay!

Love y'all!
Natalie