Rocking Chair Update

So we took the rocking chair to a local upholsterer in North BR.  He said it would take about 2 1/2 weeks and he got it done in a week and a half!

It looks so awesome!

I picked a fabric that could be gender neutral, as well as matches the color scheme of the nursery bedding.

Here's a close-up of the fabric.  It's kind of shiny... I am hoping that the baby won't ruin it with spit-up or projectile poop... at least not right away.

Right now the chair is in the garage.  We are hoping that Jared's awesome brother will help him get it upstairs on Saturday when he and his family are over for dinner! :)

Weeks 27 & 28

Welcome to the 3rd trimester!  I've been here for about a week or two, depending on how you divide 40 weeks into trimesters.

In the last couple of weeks, we have purchased/ordered our nursery furniture (I had no idea how long it would take to get it... kind of frustrating!), started registering, purchased a changing table for the nursery, started the process of having our rocking chair reupholstered, and finished buying our living room furniture.

Here's the furniture we ordered. We got the crib and the dresser/hutch combo.  We opted for the combo because we can use it for bookshelf space, as well as a dresser.  This, of course, means that we wouldn't be able to use the top of the dresser as a changing table, so we got a separate one that we think will match really well!  Here it is:

Here's another shot:

Gibbs wanted to hang out in the nursery while we were taking our weekly picture! Ziva was there, too, but Gibbs was actively posing for a photo-op.

Registering has been a bit overwhelming!  Thankfully, my awesome sister-in-law came with me on my day off to help me at Babies 'R' Us.  She's already got two kids, with one more on the way, so it was really nice to have someone with experience there to help and to look at what she was going to get, too!  I am hoping to be finished in the next week or so.

As for the rocker... we inherited this rocker from my brother and sister-in-law.

I actually got it before we were married, and we've used it as a regular armchair since we got married.  I did a bit of research and got some bids from a few different upholsterers in town.  We decided on one company, purchased upholstery fabric--to coordinate with the nursery bedding, and I dropped off the chair this morning.  It will be ready in a couple of weeks!

We ordered the last of our living room furniture yesterday.  We are thinking that everything will be ready to take some pictures of our house for the blog in about a month!

In the meantime, here's the pictures from week 27 and week 28!

Week 27

Week 28

The picture of week 28 was from this morning... I have on no make-up, nor did I do my hair.  Yesterday, after our doctor's appointment, Jared and I went to PF Chang's for lunch.  I have no idea what it was about lunch, but something seriously disagreed with me.  I do NOT think it was food poisoning-I would have been much sicker.  But I did end up getting rather ill yesterday, especially right before bed.  I have had less than positive Chinese food experiences lately, but I thought it was because I was eating too much.  Now, I am just vowing not to eat Chinese until this baby comes out.  I don't care if I'm craving it: it's not going to happen!

Anyway, I am hoping to post more later on things like our Dallas trip and other things.  Stay tuned!

Sporadic Scores

Perhaps this is a mistitled post.  Perhaps it should be "Sporadic Bowling Outings with and without My Husband Over the Past Six Weeks, Roughly."  But that seemed a little bit too long of a title.

So, over the past six weeks or so, I have been bowling three times.  The first time was with Jared at Don Carter's on a Thursday night, I think.  This was right before we moved, so the details are a bit foggy.  I know that we didn't go to Circle Bowl because they had no open lanes for leagues that night.  But Don Carter's had a few open lanes.  So we headed over there.

The second time I went bowling was on my ordination day.  I will post on this later, but what you need to know here is that I had already signed my youth group up for an event called Bowling with the Bishop when I found out that I would be ordained the same day.  Because both of these events were in New Orleans, one at 10am and one at 4:30pm, it made for a very long day with some inconsistent scores!

The third time was just last week when we were in Dallas visiting family for Christmas.  It was a Friday night, which means there were lots of people at the lanes, and we went to Main Event in Plano TX.  If you've ever been to a Main Event, you know that it's not just a bowling alley, unfortunately.  They have laser tag, a bar with billiards, a video arcade, and the dreaded experience of galactic bowling.  So, we met one of Jared's friends from church youth stuff there (which was great) and bowled with a whole bunch of other folks who were looking for some fun on a Friday night.

Sadly, I don't have pictures of all of our scores, but here are the ones I do have, along with the other scores that I couldn't/didn't take pictures of!

Early December 2011
Don Carter's



Game 1



Game 2



Game 3



Game 4


December 17, 2011
Rock 'N' Bowl, New Orleans LA

Game 1: ASW- 165



Game 2

This was an interesting bowling event: I had several youth play with me the first game and then they had to leave early.  But it was my better game.  I had kind of forgotten to take a photo at all.  And then the second game, the Bishop was looking for a lane to roll on, as was the coordinator of the event.  There was some discussion among them as to whether or not they would like to bowl with me, since I bowl regularly.  As you can see, I was barely even a threat.  By that point in the day, I was doing well to just roll a few straight balls!  (Also note what happens when you let the youth type in the names!)


December 30, 2011
Main Event, Plano TX

Game 1
JRW- 122
ASW- 129

Game 2
JRW- 114
ASW- 135


Overall, it has been good to bowl, but I have noticed that my scores are becoming less consistent due to my growing belly.  My center of gravity is changing and all the books tell me that my joints and ligaments are looser now than before- due to pregnancy hormones.  So, I am really not that consistent at this point.

But bowling is still fun and not really painful.  I get a little bit achy in my back the next day, but nothing to make me stop bowling!

Until the doctor tells me I can't anymore, I will keep on making trips to the lanes.  Now that Jared and I are a bit more settled in our new digs, our plan is to get back on a regular Friday afternoon bowling schedule.  Hopefully there will be more regular posts to come!

Photo update

So, here are a few photos from the last 3 weeks.  Nothing too exciting really.  I am pretty sure that any "growth" is really due to eating too much over Christmas!

Week 24

Week 25

Week 26

This last one was taken just this week.  Jared and I are starting to realize that this baby is "due" to arrive in a little over 3 calendar months... It's kind of insane.  When the pregnancy app on my phone went below 14 weeks, I got a little overwhelmed with how much we still have to do.

We are going to the local baby store this afternoon to shop for a crib and changing table/dresser!  I am super excited about this.  We shopped a little bit over the Christmas holiday, but didn't find anything that we absolutely had to have.  But it was good to go and look at stuff in person instead of just looking online.

Wish us luck!

"Is it just me...

... or are you carrying lower than you were before?"

These are the words my husband spoke to me earlier today.  And all day long I had been thinking the same thing about my pregnant belly.  I have also noticed how noticeable my belly is from the front lately- for at least a couple of days.

And because today is picture day, we decided to compare and contrast just to see if we were imagining things...

The verdict?  You tell me!

(These are in order from the last 4 weeks, today's being the last one.)

Week 20

Week 21

Week 22

Week 23

I know that these are not all at exactly the same distance, but it is fairly obvious to me that the most recent belly picture shows a more pronounced belly and a slightly lower belly.  The strange part is that I have only gained about a half pound in the last week or so.

On top of all this, the baby is moving like crazy today.  Whether I am still or moving, Spare is going nuts in there!  There's movement high and low.  One of my youth got to feel the baby kick/hit on Sunday.  That was really cool for me and for her.  She was pretty weirded out by me saying, "The baby is really kicking around today."  And when I asked if she wanted to feel it, after she'd expressed how strange it would be to feel that, she said yes.  So, next time Spare started kicking, Helen got to feel it!

All of these changes in my body are really cool to feel.  And now that we have moved into our new house, I am really ready to get the nursery figured out!

Advent 2011

Here's a quick run down on our Advent activities so far, as well as what's to come before the end of the calendar year...

First Sunday in Advent: We were in Cuba, specifically Havana.  That Sunday morning, my dad, step mom, two older brothers, husband, and I woke to have breakfast at our hotel before getting on the tour bus and heading to the Episcopal Cathedral in Havana.  The church was very nice- very quaint and kind of small for a Cathedral, but probably a good sized church for Cuban standards.  The service was also very nice.  Bishop Leo Frade, with whom we were traveling, asked all of the clergy to come forward and introduce themselves.  My dad went up and said all that he wanted to (in Spanish).  And then the Bishop asked him to repeat (in English).  During his recount of what he had already said, my dad used the phrase, "This is my home."  And it was at this point that he got choked up (in English); and it was also at this point that the rest of us got choked up. 

After the church service, the 6 of us left in a taxi.  The Cathedral was located a few blocks away from my dad's old houses.  He and his family left Cuba in 1960 and this was his first time back.  After 51 years, he still recalled all of the details of daily life.  The first house we stopped at was where he lived for a short period of time, but it was near a park and a movie theater.  The second house we stopped at was where he lived for a longer period of time, and it was the house they lived in right before they left the country.  It was so interesting to hear all of the stories that he told about his experiences, especially after Fidel Castro took power.

After our tour, we headed back to the hotel to rest up for the National Ballet of Cuba, as well as a visit to the Tropicana (famous night club) later that night.  The next day, we traveled back to the US; then on home on Tuesday.  Once we arrived back in BR, we spent the next several days packing for our big move into our new house!

Second Sunday of Advent: Jared and I both had to preach that Sunday, so we were both fairly tired from that.  However, the tired we felt was nothing compared to how we would feel the following Friday (the 9th) after we moved and unpacked all day!  We have been exhausted ever since.  Our new house is awesome, though.  It's quite large and there's so much more space than we've ever had before.  Other than a couple of rough nights with the dogs (getting used to being in a new place with a new routine), it's been a fairly smooth transition.  We are unpacking like maniacs, but it's difficult to feel like you're accomplishing much when you're also working full time and doing other things (see Third Sunday of Advent).  But we are definitely making progress.

Third Sunday of Advent: After church services, a fundraiser, and my regular high school program, I also held a confirmation meeting for parents of youth who will be confirmed this spring.  I headed home and Jared and I did a little more unpacking and setting up.  I had planned on watching the Sunday Night Football game... but I fell asleep before halftime.  I was so tired in fact, that I woke up during the 4th quarter with about 5 minutes left in the game.

Today I have been very tired, still, and I am trying very hard to fight off a head cold.  All the dry weather in LA is making it hard to breathe through my nose.  After all, it's only 72% humidity right now... and I am used to so much more.

Later this week, several folks in the family and I will be traveling to New Orleans for my ordination to the transitional diaconate.  In layman's terms, I am getting ordained as a clergy person!  Saturday morning, the Bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana will lay hands on me and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I will become a deacon.  This is a huge moment in life for me.  I have struggled for a long time with my call to ordination- wrestled with God, family, friends, and enemies about it; and now it is coming to fruition.  It's a big day.

It's also a big day because many of my youth will be making their way down to NO, too; they will come to my ordination and then will spend the rest of the day in NO doing Angel Tree shopping and a youth event called Bowling with the Bishop!  So, it's going to be a full day in NOLA for me. 

Fourth Sunday in Advent: The day after ordination, I will serve my first Sunday as a clergy person.  This includes: reading the Gospel and preaching at 3 services, setting the table for the Lord's Supper, and giving the dismissal at the end of the service.

But wait... there's more!  This will also be the day that we have our youth group Christmas Party!  So, once I finish with all my regular duties, I will have to make sure everything is set up for the party. On Monday, Jared and I will go to the doctor for our 24 week appointment.  This week will end with three Christmas Eve services, including one children's pageant!

All in all, it's been a very busy Advent and will continue to be.

Come Christmas Day, though, it will all settle down a bit.  I am thoroughly looking forward to the 3 and 1/2 months or so after Christmas and before Spare arrives.  I am thinking this will be a short time of rest (at least in comparison to the past few months) before the baby shakes everything up again!

We're Back!

I realize it has been far too long since my last post... And sadly, this one will not satisfy any kind of update; however, for the purpose of accountability, I wanted to let you know some of the ideas for posts that I've been thinking of and making note of.  This way, once life calms a bit, I will remember what I wanted to post about!

Ideas:

- The smell of holiness- what smell comes to mind when you think of church or spirituality?  I have one that I will share with you!

- Our last bowling outing, just before we left for Cuba.

- Our trip to Cuba over Thanksgiving.

- Our most recent ultrasound/doctor's appointment.

- Why is it that just as Advent arrives (a time intended for meditation, reflection, preparation, etc.) life becomes so insane that we often forget what the purpose of Advent is?

So, that's what I've come up with so far.  I am sure that by the time I actually post something, I'll have some more ideas.  But we are moving in exactly one week; so please be patient with me... It may be a little while.