October 9, 2014 by Stephanie

35 Before 35 Update

The last month really seems like it flew by. I think I did pretty good this month on my list.

1. Crochet something else besides blankets or scarves at least once a year

I made a tie and hat for a photo prop. It was my first successful attempt at a hat!

2. Do a photography challenge

My challenge is to get my DSLR out at least once a week to photograph George in some way. I have been successful so far! Here are a couple shots.

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3. ~~Visit 5 cities I have never been to before~~ (5/5)

4. Tour at least one of the distilleries in the KY/TN area

5. Send at least 5 snail mail a month

I am pretty proud of myself that I have kept up with this each month. And let’s talk about how expensive stamps have gotten!

6. Become a “professional” photographer

I have some shoots coming up with some friends of ours that I could not be more excited to help capture!

7. Run at least 10 races (any distance) (1/10)

I am thinking of doing one over Thanksgiving. I just got cleared to go back to my normal workouts this week. Passed that 6 week post-partum check up like a boss. Anyone want to do a 5k with me?

8. Go camping with Tom

9. Pay for the car behind me in a drive through

We haven’t eaten out at all this month, so there is that..

10. See Tyrone Wells live as many times as possible

11. ~~Tour Fort Defiance here in Clarksville~~

12. Water ski with my dad

13. Do a 5K with my mom

14. Take a swing dance class with Tom

15. Read at least one fun book a month and one professional development book every three months

Work in progress. I am making gains in both areas. Slow and steady.

16. Take a pottery or stained glass class

17. Do one new recipe each month

I totally rocked this one this month! I have decided crockpots will be the thing I buy for wedding gifts. Seriously the best kitchen invention ever. (Ok maybe a tie with the Kitchenaid) Here are the recipes I tried out this month and whether we thought it was a hit or miss.
- Pesto Ranch Crockpot Chicken-We loved this! It was super duper easy too. Lot of left overs!
- Pumpkin Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies-I loved these! (And they have helped with my breastfeeding, just saying) Tom thought they were too fancy and lacked the appropriate icing.
- Meatloaf-This recipe was perfect, and fairly easy. Another must keep in my cooking repertoire.
- Corn Mac and Cheese-another crockpot win and stupid easy. Tom says this is the best mac and cheese he has ever tasted! Yes! It also makes a ton so there were lots of yummy left overs.
- Chicken Teriyaki-Great recipe for us to put in that didn’t have cheese. (Pretty much every meal finds cheese, so I have really tried finding recipes that don’t.)
- Garlic Asparagus-Almost always our vegetable ends up being peas, so again I am trying to get us to branch out. This is a easy, quick, and yummy recipe!
- Pot Roast-We used deer meat for this and actually made this on two separate occasions. It was perfect to get in the fall mood!
I am really loving meal planning. I find it is helping me get more creative in the kitchen instead of having the same chicken dish or hamburger helper each night. Any recipes you recommend? I like easy…

18. See both a Clemson and UCM football game live

19. Find a place to volunteer on a regular basis

20. Go hiking

21. Ride in a hot air balloon

22. Go to at least 20 “new to me” restaurants. (16/20)

23. Stay at a bed and breakfast

24. Spend a day without electronics (phone, t.v. and computer)

25. Have a Kentucky Derby themed 30th birthday party.

26. Explore Nashville while we live here

We are wanting to make a trip to the zoo sometime soon, but we are still trying to figure out the best “out of the house” schedule for George. I feel really limited since we are breastfeeding.

27. Watch at least 10 movies that I have not seen before that won Best Picture at the Oscars and at least 20 documentaries (not necessarily Oscar winning) Movies (2/10); Documentaries (7/20)

I watched Argo which won Best Picture in 2013.
I watched two documentaries.
- Schooled which is about college athletes and the price tag of collegiate sports. Great watch, and so many discussion topics! I could see this being used in any higher education curriculum and Student Affairs professional development round table.
- Happy which is about just that-happiness. It interviews people from around the world and describes different levels of happiness. Happiness research is fairly new, so it was really interesting to see a positive spin from psychologists. I also liked that it compared different cultures.

28. Sew an item of clothing from scratch

29. Do a personal devotional/bible study on my own

30. Be a mascot for an event

31. Go on our honeymoon (preferably somewhere tropical)

32. Host an annual NCAA Basketball Tournament Championship game party

33. Go on a mission trip

34. Be on a recreation volleyball team

35. ~~Become a mom~~

Ok, maybe I just thought I did really good because of all the recipes…Until next month.

October 6, 2014 by Stephanie

Talks with Tom Royals Version

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I have LOVED watching the Royals this past week. We have seen some of the most exciting games, EVER.

(in my humble opinion of course)

We were thinking that we couldn’t have a game without going into extra innings.

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I am so sad that I do not get to be in Kansas City during all this. It is certainly a fun time to be there. The stadium looked electric last night, even with the rain. Such an amazing atmosphere. And it has been awesome seeing my Facebook newsfeed pretty much being taken over by KC, AND to see them in the “trending” section!

Be Royal friends.

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Here are some quick Tom comments concerning the Royals:

This quote happened last night early in the game.

“If we win the series, I am going to shit my pants like George just did.” (He did not crap his pants in case you were wondering, but there were some tears.)

Some night this week, Tom was looking up Royals memorabilia that we could have in our future home when he found Royals themed candy.

“Sweets and Treats? (this was a category on the website) Of course I want the Royals in my mouth.”

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George is passing on his baby magic by sharing his favorite facial expression.

I can’t wait to see what unfolds during the rest of this postseason! So excited for my Boys in Blue!

To Baltimore we go!

Take the Crown!

September 30, 2014 by Stephanie

Party Like It’s 1985

Today something is occurring that hasn’t occurred in 29 years.

My beloved Royals are in the Playoffs.

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The Royals have not been to the playoffs since 1985, which is the longest playoff drought in the MLB. Not exactly the greatest title to hold…

When they went the last time, I was 4 months old. So I have never fully experienced a Royals post season. Although I am sure I gurgled and cooed as any loyal fan would.

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My dad always says that I was their good luck charm since their 1985 World Series win was the year I was born. Tom was also born that year too. So we are convinced that we produced the miracle child in George to help the Royals once again. Nothing like putting the pressure on our kid from the day he was born. They did win the night he was born just saying…

Baseball is the sport of superstitions. You can thank us later Royals fans for procreating. This little bundle of goodness got us to the post season right?

It has not been easy being a Royals fan over the past 29 years. There have been many ups and downs (unfortunately a lot of downs) over the years.

But we made it, and it is so sweet to be here.

It may be hard to be a Kansas City fan, but we are not fair weather fans. We have believed and hoped for this since we clinched that World Series title in 1985. We have waited patiently…ok maybe not so patiently. But we have still flocked to buy hot dogs and get into the royal spirit to support America’s favorite past time in the 816 area code.

So to all the cynics and other teams who didn’t see us coming, we are going to enjoy today. We are going to #beroyal and #takethecrown how we do.

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And who doesn’t love a good underdog story and sporting events that are not predictable? And this season, game to game, was anything but predictable. This season has just been fun to watch! In all honestly though, there were some games that I had to watch through my fingers because it was too intense to see. We were ever hopeful.

Through it all, Kansas City fans have always come out for our boys in blue. (We also come out for our boys in red. During Monday Night Football last night, Kansas City made Arrowhead the loudest stadium in the World! Get it Chiefs!)

Let’s Celebrate Kansas City.

No matter what the end result is today, this has been a fantastic season to witness. I have enjoyed watching/reading through every game. (KY/TN don’t seem to be fans of KC so we haven’t been able to watch every game live.)

One day at a time. Enjoy every win, and move past every loss.

(Rest assured though, I would love a win today.)

George says, “Don’t worry. Party like it’s 1985 Mom.”

I do as the infant says.

So here’s to hoping for the best today! Soak it up while we can! Can we get a Blue October?

I wish I could be in Kansas City today to take part in all the festivities that are going on in my hometown, but we will be watching and cheering anxiously from KY.

We believe! Come on Royals! Take those A’s!

Do you love baseball? Who are you rooting for in the post season?

September 15, 2014 by Stephanie

Talks with Tom #28

In recent weeks, there have been so many new parent conversations with Tom that have left me dying laughing or with my jaw on the floor. Unfortunately, I always think I am going to remember them to post, but then soon forget before I have time to write a post.

Just know, we are having lots of extra giggles due to our sleep deprivation and new parentdom.

This particular one happened late at night after George wet the bed.

I was changing the sheets, and Tom was holding a fussy George. (I mean who wouldn’t be fussy after wetting the bed?)

We had just fed him, but he wasn’t really settling down.

Me-Maybe he is still hungry.

Tom-Uh, yea I am going to guess he is still hungry since he just latched on to my nipple.

George will latch on to anything when he is hungry…collarbones, bibs, his own hand, my hair, the inside of my elbow…

Tom has resorted to letting this happen fairly often now to keep the fussiness at bay while we are trying to get bottles and milk ready for him.

The things we do as parents.

But seriously, I would do anything for this face.

On a related note, George’s due date was today. Crazy to think we were supposed to be just meeting him now, but he has been on the outside now for 3 weeks.

He also got to meet one of his cousins this week.

They were seriously adorable together. Ava was so sweet with him. She has volunteered to be his babysitter and teach him all the words. George of course was perfectly content being dotted on all weekend.

I can’t wait to watch them grow up together!

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September 11, 2014 by Stephanie

How You Doin’?

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Everyone is asking how we are doing now that we are all home and figuring out how to be a family of 3, well 5 with the dogs.

Here are some of my thoughts on being home with the little munchkin.

I admit to taking a shower every couple days, and I have only worn make-up once in the past two weeks. Also I haven’t worn a real bra since George was born. And I am perfectly content with these grooming standards.
Tom and I had every intention of never letting George have a pacifier. However, his time in the NICU kind of thwarted that. They gave him one on several occasions before he could be held to calm him down. Once coming home, we lasted about 24 hours before we caved and gave him one when he was restless. He doesn’t need it all the time, but sometimes at 3 in the morning, it’s the only thing that will put him to sleep. Also it means that he isn’t chewing off his hands…

I don’t know how I would get through nightly feedings without Netflix. It has brought my binge watching to a whole new level…I would love to read, but I haven’t figured out how to breastfeed with one hand yet, so I can’t hold a book easily.
I am healing quite nicely from giving birth. There are days where I can feel the stitches, but for the most part I feel pretty normal. I did have to go on blood pressure medicine, but hopefully I will be off that after a month out.
George HATES being naked. I am sad by this because it means that we won’t have any cute naked newborn pictures. This is as close I could get, and he still is wearing a diaper. Otherwise the pictures look like I am torturing him and should be turned in for neglect. On the plus side, I didn’t have to deal with any poop shooting pictures.

On the peeing and pooping note, I have already been pissed and pooped on. Tom has evaded it so far (punk). The projectile range is ridiculous for such a tiny body. Also I swear his thingy is like one of those garden hoses you see in the movies that has gone wild and flipping water uncontrollably everywhere. Except it is pee going uncontrollably everywhere. Yesterday I seriously was trying to catch it with a diaper whilst trying to keep a wiggling baby from coming off the changing pad.
Watching his umbilical cord fall off was disgusting. I wouldn’t touch it, and was horrified that it fell off my baby.
Adjusting to the new sleep schedule has really been the only difficult part. He feeds every 3 hours, so that is pretty much my life right now. Unfortunately, I still can sleep like a log. I always miss the 2:30am feeding, and EVERY night I have turned off my alarm in my sleep. Tom has to wake me up later to say I missed the feeding. Whoops. Luckily, we have milk galore, so Tom has graciously taken over that feeding.
I miss my morning radio show, but by the time I remember to tune in, it’s already past 9 am. Womp womp.
I have managed to make homemade meals every night for dinner. #wearenteatingcerealforeverymeal
George has only had one bad night where he didn’t sleep. He is a really good baby for the most part. Really he only cries when I am not fast enough with the boob milk or his changing is taking longer than he would like.
He does spit up a lot. People who say breastfeeding babies don’t do this lie. The first time it shot out of his nose I was about 2 seconds away from taking him to the ER. Luckily my mom was still here and calmed my frantic overreaction.
I don’t miss work yet, but I am sure here in a few weeks that will come.
Sometimes I just sit and stare at George. I am still overwhelmed at times that he is actually my son. Saying “my son” is overwhelming…
I am ecstatic to say that I am officially 3 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight, AND I can fit into all my pre-prego clothes again. It took me exactly a week to do so. Success! I am pretty proud of my body especially since I was on bed rest pretty much for the last month. (Although I will admit, I haven’t worn much outside of pajama pants and tshirts…)
All in all, I don’t think this is such a bad gig. We don’t feel like our life is over like the world likes to make you think. Quite the contrary, our life has a whole new meaning now. I am pretty content hanging out with little G all day.