It's A Girl!!!

... and we couldn't be happier! More details to come!

In case you forgot...

I have had an extremely busy week between work, tennis, and some sudden health issues with my Grandfather. We were really scared, but it turned out to be only a minor surgery and he is feeling much better now. I am so unbelievably relieved to know he still has his health!

Just wanted to remind you that I'll be back on Tuesday with some

BIG NEWS!!!!

Follow my tweets. I'll probably update it tomorrow with the news!

Also - unless he decides to come sooner - my friend, Aida, will be delivering baby Landon on Monday!

I'm on...

... pins and needles

... the edge of my seat

...... the verge of welcoming
Baby Landon
into the world!

Aida - my very best friend - is over 9 and a half months pregnant now! Wow ~ I can't nor do I want to even imagine this wait. I guess I will experience it soon enough.

Anyway, we are expecting Landon any day now!! I can't wait to meet him!!

(Pic stolen from her FB page. Thanks, Aida. I'm sure she won't mind. And it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. She is now over 38 weeks pregnant and still looking as gorgeous as ever. So take a look at her cute little self and be jealous. I certainly am! I know there is no hope for me to look this good at 37 weeks. It's just not in the genes ~ or my willpower, but I prefer blaming it on genes. As my grandmother just reminded me: I am a 'big-boned girl' and it is 'easy for me to gain weight'. Thanks, grandmother. Love you, too. Hehe!)

In the meantime, the waiting is killing me! I am not know for my patience. Aida is handling this waiting game much better than me I'm afraid. Sad, isn't it? Not only are we waiting on his arrival, we are now less than 3 days away from finding out if our little bundle of joy is a girl or boy! I think I grow more and more excited by the minute!

Just a few things to look forward to...

Did you know that we only have 4 more days until we find out if we are having a boy or girl? How exciting is that?!? I can barely stand it. We are leaving the imaging center and heading directly to the mall to hopefully do a little bit of damage! I haven't really bought anything for the baby and I am ready to go crazy (modestly crazy if the husband is reading this)!!

Then two days later we'll be heading back to Nashville for mom's surgery. She visited with a specialist at Vanderbilt and he thinks he has figured out her mysterious illness. She is having a nasal/sinus surgery along with some reconstructive nose surgery. Who knew the secret to her health depended upon a nose job? Hehe!

After a successful straight-A first semester, I'm ready to continue progress on my MBA ~ especially now that there is a little one on the way.

Are you ready for some football? We sure are! Football is HUGE down South and we are ready for some big parties to celebrate!

Did I mention football? Did I mention - ROLL TIDE?!? On September 12th we are heading to Tuscaloosa for my very first college football game! So excited to see my team stomp all over our opponent (even if it is just FIU)! Rammer Jammer, Yellowhammer!

Oh, and one more little thing. It is a little bit further down the road but no countdown could be complete without it:

Now I'm the Tennis Mama ;)

Tennis is picking up hot and heavy. I am currently in the middle of a series of matches that lasts from this past Saturday until Thursday this week. That is a lot of tennis! In HOT weather!!

Teams are beginning to form for the Fall season, and I am contemplating how this pregnancy is going to affect my tennis game. I believe the Fall Season will last somewhere between my fifth and seventh month. I’ll go as long as I can ~ hopefully the entire season! I do think I might have to step down from my singles matches and play only doubles. Bummer.

Spring season usually starts mid-to-late February. With a due date of February 11th, I might miss the first few matches but it will actually be quite good timing to get me back on the courts and back into shape post-baby!

I’m excited at the possibility of carrying a child without missing a tennis season!

I used to be an All Star

Some times I reminisce about the good ole' days of youth softball. I gave it up when I was about 12 for tennis ~ which I love and still play and it payed for my college, so I guess that was the right decision ~ but the team spirit and ponytails and victory meals and All Star games are hard to beat.

I tried to rekindle my old softball flame recently with a trip to the batting cages. It was so much fun! I think maybe after the baby comes I'll look for an adult softball league to join. Or.... I might have my hands full with a newborn. But it is nice to dream about putting on a jersey and hitting the field again!

Pictures of me, Lucas, and The Rookie

Lucas on the Job

Yes, apparently this is how he spends his days now. He just sent me this picture of all the work he was doing today. Golf fever has struck his work now and they made their own golf course. Yes, you heard that right. Lucas and his coworkers (and boss.... and general manager) have designed a 9-hole golf course complete with fairways and flags. I even designed them a course scorecard with course map. Pretty incredible. Such a hard life.

I Am 'Sew' Cool

(obviously not true judging by the fact that I actually used that as the title for this post)

I think I'm really getting into this sewing thing. I'm just on my first project but I feel an addiction coming on. I just need to find some place with cheaper fabric to support my addiction. Hancocks can be quite expensive!

So I set to work last night to finish off these cute little baby overalls. See, here I am cutting out thread after I forgot to put the presser foot down for about the hundredth time. I'm going to get it. Really. Mom suggested I put a sign on the machine that says "Put the Presser Foot Down!" Haha!


But I got it! Hopefully all those little things will become habit eventually.


But it helps to have someone there showing you the ropes...


Nooooo. Not Rafa. Haha! My Mom! Thank, Mom, for teaching me your skills. One day I'll get it! Haha!

And so we have a nearly complete pair of overalls!!


I say nearly b/c we still have to sew in the snaps on the crotch.... so don't look to closely!


Aren't they just the cutest thing? After we find out boy or girl, we might embellish a little more. Meaning if it is a girl it has got to have some bows and/or lace. Haha!


And while I had the camera out, I thought I'd snag a picture of Rafa and his new 'do. Don't make fun of him too much. It was our first time to try our hand at grooming! And it is hot! He likes the short hair for the summer!


::::And Answers to the Questions I Received on Sewing::::

I am by no means knowledgeable about sewing yet but a few of you asked some questions and I'll answer what I know.

• I have a Brother sewing machine (think it's this one). It is just basic but it is lightweight and has whatever I should need. I even sewed button holes with it on my very first day of sewing. Super easy!!
• Yes, my parents got me a cute little monogrammed bag to hold my machine and also a matching bag to hold all my supplies. But since I plan on using it a lot now, we have a home for it that is out of the way in our living room.
• I haven't looked for any video tutorials, but you know there are video tutorials for everything out there. I am sure there are some good ones for sewing! I have Mom to teach me, so not sure if this is really easy or I have a good teacher (or both), but it seems like something you could definitely teach yourself.
• Threading the needle - Mom taught me to cut the thread before trying to thread it into the needle - gives you a sharper point on the thread. Try it!!
  

Fun-Filled Weekend

.... with no photos. I need to do better job about this whole picture taking thing.

My Mom came over Saturday and gave me my first sewing lesson!! We went to the fabric store and found several patterns and some material to work with. I picked out some gender neutral corduroy to make these cute little overalls and a jacket. Then, I got scared to mess up the corduroy on my first attempt at sewing so we bought some cotton fabric for the first go around.

Let me just tell you - I love sewing! It is so much fun!! We got everything finished except for the snaps between the legs (for easy diaper changing) and the little leg bands at the bottom to finish it up. But the top of the little overalls are so cute with a pocket and buttons! I'm so proud.

We were planning on finishing up Sunday morning - when I was going to take a pic - but realized we needed snap tape and no one around here has it. So we'll probably have to order it online or sew in little snaps individually. When we finish it up I'll definitely get a picture.

Just for kicks, here is a photo of me opening up my birthday present from my parents...

(Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

Later Saturday night we met up with some of Lucas's old college friends who were visiting from out of town. We ate some delicious Mexican (my favorite) and then visited a little longer at a patio bar (so no smoke for the baby). We stayed out til almost 1:00 a.m. I couldn't believe I made it! Needless to say, I slept in Sunday morning.

On Sunday we decided to experiment with dog grooming since Rafa's groomers didn't have an opening for 3 weeks. Poor thing needed a hair cut! So off to PetSmart to buy all the tools and then we gave it our best shot. I'm not sure how successful we were but at least he is feeling better now I would imagine. I'll get a shot of our work on here soon. Definitely don't want to forget this. Haha!

Baby Bump

I've got one now!! Can you see it?!? So exciting!
We're on the one week countdown until the 2nd trimester! And we find out the sex in 2 weeks!

And just because - I can't have you staring at a picture of my belly without at least giving you a friendly smile! Plus you don't want to miss out on this fun pregnancy zit that the wonderful pregnancy glow has blessed me with, do you?

My Husband's New Love...

That's right. My husband has found the love of his life - GOLF. I once thought I might be the love of his life, but I am quickly reconsidering that notion.

It all started before his recent trip back home to Colombia. His plans were to play golf with his brothers when he got home and he was sure getting excited about it. He discussed these plans with our friend Chris, and they decided to go golfing before he left to give him some practice. This was Lucas's first time to play a round of golf. And the end of life as I had once known.

There was no stopping him now. Later the next night we just HAD to go to Dick's (Lucas's new favorite store). We were just going to "look," he said. Uh, huh. We walked out with a shiny, new set of golf clubs. He was genuinely thrilled. And so was I. I was so happy that he has found something new to be excited about!

Then, the next day we just had to go to Dick's again. This time we walked out with two sets of golf clubs for him to take to Colombia for his brothers. And that is only just the beginning. He is a golfer now so he certainly needs golf shirts, and golf shoes, and golf balls, and golf gloves, and on, and on, and on..... not to mention money for rounds of golf, food at the golf course, beer for the day......

It doesn't bother me that he spends money on golf - as long as it isn't in excess. But do you know what he told me last night? He said, "we're paying your tuition at the end of this month so we need to be really good about saving, okay?" ME? Okay, honey. When I go to the grocery store (THE ONLY PLACE I SHOP), I promise to save more. Problem is: I already buy cheap. We eat the generic brands and I stock up when there are sales. I couldn't get much cheaper. Unless...... that's it!! I'll stop buying the ice cream that he likes. And no more Milo (his favorite chocolate drink mix) from now on! How about all that cereal he goes through? I'll just stop buying it! Is that what he had in mind? I doubt it.

It made me really stop and reconsider my spending - or should I say - saving habits. Maybe from now on I'll loosen up a bit. Start shopping. Buy myself something nice every week.... like he does with golf. Dillards was having a great sale on purses. Maybe I should swing back and pick myself up that cute little purse I carried around but felt too guilty to buy.

Okay, so back to the golf part. It isn't even the money/saving/spending problem that has me worked up in a tizzy. You see. It is his level of excitement and enthusiasm that has me curious. He played golf before he went to Colombia. He went to Colombia and played golf 4 out of 7 days, plus had a golf lesson! Then, he comes back and plays more golf.

I am very happy to see him excited about something. But what if he were that excited to see me everyday?!? To cuddle up with me every night?!?!? At least be that excited about the upcoming arrival of our first child?!?!?!? I mean - really!!! I guess this makes him sound a little bad. He is very happy to be my husband and super excited to become a father. I know that. And I know he truly cares for us more than golf. But that excitement doesn't emanate from him like it does when you talk about golf. You should see his face. Really. A Kid in a candy store never looked so thrilled...

So, my husband noticed last night that I hadn't written about him on the blog lately. Sorry about that, dear. Better now? Hopefully he'll read this and learn to show a little more excitement over daily life with the wife. **hint**hint**

Then maybe I won't have to be jealous of his new found love.

Sea-N-Suds..... no suds for me, please

Our family always celebrates Thanksgiving at the beach. I know ~ be jealous of our traditions!! This year is no different. I have been roaming the Internet for weeks looking for some deals and finally found us a nice three bedroom condo on the beach for a great price! I'm feeling pretty proud of myself right now.

Our Condo

Our View

And directly below us... some of the best eating on the beach. Sea-n-Suds!

I can't decide if I'm more excited about the beach or the food. By that time I'll be 7 months pregnant, so probably the food!!