Community/Church Fall Festival

The churches in our community all partnered to host a big fall festival. Trey and I even volunteered for an hour at a booth handing out candy.

Guess who Trey was for Halloween?


Tony Romo with a broken pinkie.
A lot of people didn't get Trey's costume. Everyone kept asking him, "What happened to your hand?"


Timothy & Leah


Our Church Band: Stem the Tide


Adam's daughter

Welcoming the Pain…For Now

I keep telling myself I need to get with the program and pack the hospital bag, but I just keep putting it off. Surprisingly, Cheyenne’s bag is ready. Trey and I put it together about 2 weeks ago. I think we over packed her bag, but luckily all her items are small, so they don’t take up much space.

I honestly don’t see the necessity of having a pre-packed bag. After all, most labors last for hours, so what’s the rush to leave the house, just to be laboring at a hospital. I guess, every pregnancy is different, but I just imagine that they’ll be plenty of time.

*******
I know it sounds like sometimes I complain about being pregnant, but the truth is, it’s really been a great experience. The hardest part was a few weeks ago, when I was experiencing all that pelvic pain.

At my last doctors visit I was happy to tell him the pain subsided and he said, ‘its not suppose to be getting better, it should be getting worse.” So, for whatever reason, Cheyenne decided to give me a break and I’m thankful. But last night I have to admit she was being rough. On top of that, I was having some serious Braxton Hicks contractions. At the time, I thought it was the real deal and got excited, with every painful wave, but after about an hour it stopped. It’s crazy to think in the beginning, I’ll be happy about the pain, I wonder how long that will last?

One Step & One Week in the Wrong Direction

Instead of celebrating today as 37 weeks of being pregnant, I'm taking a step backwards in the wrong direction and reliving my 36th week all over again. Okay, enough of my complaining.

Well, last nights dinner went well. I made dinner for Leah and Scott and took it over to their place as we discussed childcare details. It was great to have the opportunity to sit down and get an idea of what to expect. They have a 2 year old son and like I mentioned in the previous post, a 2 week old baby girl, so Cheyenne and her will be really close in age.

Now that I know all the details of where Cheyenne will be once I go back to work, I feel so much better. Trey and I both feel comfortable leaving her with Leah, especially since she has experience with children and went to school for this very thing.

Who Needs a Fancy Elliptical? And The Weekend

Since it's football season, I don't even try to negotiate TV time with Trey. But when I workout, I don't always want to watch football, so I've rigged my iPod Touch to the elliptical with a workout arm band.

Now, I can catch up on shows, while Trey is doing his thing and everyone is happy.


Well, I had a good weekend. Mom and I picked up more fabric for the nursery. She's planning on working on the room after Cheyenne is born.

Amy, Hilario, Angelica and Andy (Hillario's brother) came into town, Saturday. We all went to Salt Grass Steak House for a late dinner and then Amy and Hillario went to a bar downtown, while we watched Angelica. That little girl can stay up late! It must've been past 1 am before she called it a night.

And then Sunday, we had some friends come over, Leah and Scott, to watch the Dallas Cowboys game. They have a 2 week old baby, Cadence. While they were here, I got some practice holding her. In a few weeks I'll be getting more than enough practice.

Tonight, we have dinner plans with Leah and Scott at their house. Leah will be watching Cheyenne when I return to work, so we need to talk about all the details. It should be a productive dinner and I'm thankful that childcare arrangements are coming together because a few months ago it was stressing me out.

Shock Collar

For the most part our dogs sleep inside every night, but since we'll be bringing a baby home in a few weeks, I've been leaving them outside. The problem with that is they bark at random times throughout the night and the last few nights the weather has been cool enough to sleep with the windows open, so I can hear them bark loud and clear at any given time.

Thursday, Trey and I both had enough of it, so we purchased one bark collar. We figured we'd rotate it between the two of them. Corky was the first one to wear it and he barked a few times before he figured out that if he continued he'd get buzzed. The rest of the night he was quite. Harley woke me up at 3 am that night yapping her trap, so I waddled out of bed, into the backyard and took the collar off of Corky and placed it on her. An few minutes later she barked once, let out a yelp and never barked again. The collar seemed to do the trick.

When I woke up Friday, Trey took the collar off of her and we haven't had to use it again. Both of them have been angels.

So, since the dogs haven't been wearing the collar and seeing how Trey loves to pick on Natasha, you won't believe what he did to her. He chased her down and put the collar to her neck and shocked her with it! I asked her if it hurt and she said, "Yeah!"

Well, Mom and Tasha left town a few hours ago and now I'm waiting around the house for Amy, Hilario, and Angeleica to get here. They'll be spending the night with us and I think we're going out for dinner. It'll be nice to see them.

What is the Real Due Date?

This morning, I had a doctors appointment. I'm now going once a week until Cheyenne is born. My mom and Tasha came into town this morning, because they wanted to go to the appointment. I guess Tasha is skipping school today.

Well, everything is right on track, as far as the pregnancy goes. Nothing unusual to report, however the doctor did make a comment about how my stomach is measuring at 35 weeks. I asked him if he still thought my due date would be around November 18th and he said no, it will most likely be around the 28th (like he originally told me).

I wish he would make up his mind on the date and stick with it. I know it may sound like a slight difference of only a week, but when your pregnant everyday matters.

Pregnancy Snapshot at 9 Months

9 months doesn't look any better than this...

at least that's what I keep telling Trey. The truth is, I can barely fit in this shirt. You won't catch me wearing it out in public that's for sure, it's strictly for photography continuity.

Well, I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Only four more weeks or maybe sooner, until Trey and I bring home a baby girl.

My peers are telling me to expect the worst in the last couple of weeks. Aches, pains, restless nights, frequent bathroom runs....but I'm trying to stay on the positive side. I'm still working out. Instead of working out 4 nights a week, I'm back to 3. I've noticed that cutting back, just one day, has reduced the pelvic pain and pressure.

Well, the whole family is ready to meet Cheyenne. I wouldn't mind if she decides to come early, as long as she's healthy, but I have a feeling she'll go full term. If so, I'll have to take another pregnancy snapshot. That's a scary thought. I can't imagine getting any bigger. I'm done gaining all the weight, it's Cheyenne's turn to pork up :)

At my last appointment the doctor said, she's gaining weight fine and her heartbeat sounds strong.

Feeling Much Better

I'm feeling a little better today and even good enough to work half a day. I had some work left over from Friday, so I decided to get some extra hours by working from home this morning. It was nice getting work done without interruptions in the office. Now I'm done and have a few things to do around the house, but other than that I'm going to rest.

About this weekend
Trey and I went through all the shower gifts from UTA. I even had a chance to write most of the thank you notes.

TCU Wins Big! & Working From Home with a Sinus Infection

Pre Game

The final score: TCU 32 BYU 7

Tribute to Breast Cancer Awareness
The TCU game was such a great experience. We had pretty good seats, considering they were in the upper deck. Everybody was yelling during the game and I wanted to join in, but I couldn't because of a sore throat. Yesterday afternoon, while working I knew I was coming down with something. I'm self diagnosing myself with a sinus infection.

So, today I'm working from home. Right now, I'm about to take a quick lunch break and then get back to business. Currently, I'm converting a set of analog tapes to mp3's via Garage Band and iTunes. It'll keep me busy for the rest of the day.

Even though I feel under the weather, I'm enjoying the opportunity to work from home. I have plenty of water within arms reach and a box of kleenex. Earlier, I had a glass of herbal tea and it really did help to ease the soreness in my throat.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. Tomorrow I have a luncheon at the church to attend.

College Football Game

Tonight, we're going to the Brigham Young vs. Texas Christian football game. I've never been to a college game, so I'm looking forward to the experience.



Ft. Worth is finally getting fall like weather! The temperature should dip down to the mid 50's, so I'm going to bundle up. Which gets me thinking about clothes. I'm wondering if I have anything purple to wear. I should, since I went to ACU, but I stopped getting free purple shirts about 2 years ago.

UTA Baby Shower

Earlier today, my boss told me to grab the camcorder because we needed to scout a location for an upcoming video project. I didn't think anything of it and she lead me to a room, she said would be perfect for taping. When I opened the door I was greeted with a room full of co-workers yelling, "SURPRISE!"

Angel, the host, told me months ago she wanted to throw me a baby shower, but hadn't said much since then. I was truly surprised when I walked in and saw everybody.



Cheyenne got so much clothes. Between the 3 showers, she's set for her infant wardrobe life. She did get some other items like wipes, diapers, washcloths, and baskets.


Here are the rest of the photos

Nightstand Essentials

There are a few essentials that are guaranteed to be on my nightstand:
-Cell Phone
-A good magazine, like Runners World
-Chap Stick
-TUMS
-And a tall glass of ice water

Lately, I've been getting frustrated because I get thirsty in the middle of the night and have to sit upright to take a drink. Then it takes me a few minutes to get back to sleep.

When I explained my frustration to Trey, he came up with this idea:
He suggested sleeping with the CamelPack so the straw would always be handy. It sounds silly, but I might try it. Anything for sleep.

For those of you who don't know what a CamelPack is, this is what it looks like.

Long Drive Home

I wish I could say things are going great as I'm approaching my ninth month of pregnancy, but the truth is I've been in pain the last few weeks. I talked to my doctor about it at my last visit and he assured me my cervix is still closed. It feels like Cheyenne is about to pop out, but what do I know, I'm just carrying her. The way the doctor explained it, is my body is preparing for birth. The pain is still there even today, but I guess it's just something that I will have to overcome.

Trey has several work related, out of town trips in the next few days. It's good overtime, but I do feel uneasy having him away, especially since I don't feel like myself. One of the trips will have him 6 hours away, so he'll have to stay the night. That would be a long drive back home, if he needed to rush to the hospital. He could literally miss everything.

You know that rule for pregnant women about how they shouldn't travel the closer they are to their due date? Well, the same rule should apply to their husbands.

I'm sure nothing will happen, but there is always that small chance.

Blue Glider

Here is the glider a co-worker gave us for the nursery. It's nice, but I'm going to see if my mom can re-upholster it, if not, it's no big deal. The blue doesn't clash as much as I thought it would.

Right now, I don't spend much time in the nursery, but every now and then I'll go in there and sit on the glider or window seat and think about Cheyenne. Only a few more weeks. Yes, I'm already in countdown mode.

Well, I'm on my way to that breast-feeding class. I'm going alone because Trey wants to finish watching the UT-OU game. After the class, I'm going to look at used treadmills. I've always wanted a treadmill, but recently Trey's been interested in getting one. I'm not going to get a treadmill anytime soon, unless I find a great deal and I don't want a wobbly one, since I plan on running on it postpartum.

1 + 1 = THREE DONUTS

Last night, I had this overwhelming craving for chocolate donuts and luckily or unfortunately (I haven’t decided yet) I discovered a donut shop on my route to work. I’ve only been there twice, but each time I order they give me a free donut. This morning was no exception. I attribute the food generosity to my belly. As tempting as it is to scarf a third donut, I usually give the extra one to a co-worker.

Other than satisfying my craving, it looks like I’ll be home without Trey for a few nights. He’s at a service manager convention in Houston. With him gone, I won’t know what to do with myself. No one will be there telling me to sit down and relax and I really need that right now.

The upside is I don’t have to cook 2 separate meals, like I sometimes do. For dinner, I’m thinking about making chalupas. I know if Trey was here he’d prefer burritos, but it’s just me tonight, so I don’t have to worry about it.

On a side note, before Trey left, we chatted with Cheyenne and told her to stay put while her daddy is out of town. I don’t anticipate her coming this early, but you never know. She still has about 7 more weeks to go.

Maternity Pictures

To see the enlarged pictures, just click on the slideshow.

Child Prep Classes

Lately, I've been feeling so tired. Today, I spent the day at the house and just sat around. Tomorrow, I'm going to work, so I hope I get my energy back.

Well, in the last few weeks, I've decided not to sign up for a Lamaze class. Instead, I'm going to watch videos from the UTA school of nursing video library about pain management during labor and delivery. I haven't signed off on all child prep classes, this weekend, I'll be attending a breast feeding class.

I've received lots of information already from nurses, friends, and family about breast feeding. You'd be surprised how passionate women are about this subject. It's something I'm looking forward to especially the bonding time.

More Maternity pictures to come.

Parents Yearbook

Mom and Dad are in town and we Yearbooked them.

Abilene High Football in Ft. Worth

Tonight, Trey and I made it out to the AHS football game.

The final score:
AHS 83 & PHS 3

It was nice to get out of the house on a weeknight.

Barefoot & Pregnant

Cheyenne and I

Maternity Pictures


Thanks to Heather, they all turned out wonderful. I'll have all 30 something of them posted, hopefully by next week.

We took all the pictures at my house. It's a good thing I'm a professional photographer with access to lights and backdrops and Heather took these just for fun. What a blessing.

Already Switching Co-Ops

So, a few weeks ago I posted about the farming co-op in my neighborhood. Yesterday, I was looking forward to picking up my first produce box, but apparently they won't have any produce available until next month! That's crazy!

So, I'm inquiring another local co-op. This one is a little more expensive and they have membership fees, but one of the better things is I get more produce. In fact, I think there will be too much, so I'm going to see if my neighbor wants to go in with me. I mentioned it to her last week and she seemed really interested.

In the meantime, I've been shopping at the farmers market near UTA. I like it because it's convenient, it's literally on my way home and they have the best tomatoes that are the size of my fists.

Trey teases me when I shop there, but I've got him eating a little healthier these days, so the joke is on him. This week I decided not to buy any junk food, like potato, chips, cookies and little debbie snacks. So, when he gets the urge for snacking he has started to request sliced apples with peanut butter. It's shocking, I know. Maybe next week, he'll request an all veggie casserole. In my dreams.

On a side note, I think the fence is getting a little darker each day.