Dear River,
I'm sitting here at home taking it easy and thinking about you and your future life with us. I know I'm going to get to meet you very soon and I can't help but feel a mix of emotions. I feel nervous, excited, scared, happy, but most of all I just feel love. I love you to the moon and back. I'm going to try my hardest to be the best mom to you. I want nothing but the best things for you. I know life won't always be easy and you will face many struggles, but through all those struggles I hope you learn to be a be a better person. Life is definitely not always fair, but if you learn an important lesson from each hardship it will only make you a stronger, more well-rounded individual. Your dad and I have so much love to give you. I know you are going to learn sooo much from your dad. He's so full of knowledge and sees the world through a different lens than most people. He will open your mind and teach you to question and explore, not just take things for what they appear to be on the surface. I can't wait for you to meet him, he may not realize it yet but he is going to be an amazing dad!
I just heard a song on tv by a band called Coldplay....maybe someday you will appreciate their music. The song is called "Fix You" and as I listened to it, tears came streaming down my face because it reminded me of you. I want you to hear this song someday and know that I will always be here to FIX YOU should you ever need a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on. You will always be my baby, even when you have kids and a family of your own! This song is for you....
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Pregnancy Eviction Notice
Dear Baby River,
Pursuant to the provisions of this pregnancy, you are hereby given an eviction notice and notice to vacate, on or before May 17th, 2010, the premises and appurtenances owned by Amber, Mother of the City of Bellyville, which premises are now occupied by you. The current tenant has 30 days to gather his belongings and vacate the premises or he will be physically removed from the property. He is being evicted due to breech of contract and destruction of property. Expansions only to the front of the house, within reasonable limits, were discussed. Not only have these limits been exceeded, but additions to the back of the house were also made. Remodeling and gutting of the home was never approved, nor was changing the initial layout and base structure. Due to property damage caused by these unapproved renovations, there are now leaks in both the upper and lower levels of the home. Any further problems will result in immediate and forceful removal.
Sincerely,
Your mother
Pursuant to the provisions of this pregnancy, you are hereby given an eviction notice and notice to vacate, on or before May 17th, 2010, the premises and appurtenances owned by Amber, Mother of the City of Bellyville, which premises are now occupied by you. The current tenant has 30 days to gather his belongings and vacate the premises or he will be physically removed from the property. He is being evicted due to breech of contract and destruction of property. Expansions only to the front of the house, within reasonable limits, were discussed. Not only have these limits been exceeded, but additions to the back of the house were also made. Remodeling and gutting of the home was never approved, nor was changing the initial layout and base structure. Due to property damage caused by these unapproved renovations, there are now leaks in both the upper and lower levels of the home. Any further problems will result in immediate and forceful removal.
Sincerely,
Your mother
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Baby Shower March 20th
My girlfriends are just amazing!!! They threw me a shower that was perfect, down to every last detail. I can't begin to thank them enough for all the time and hard work they put into making this a perfect shower for us. I love you all so much!! Baby River is so lucky to be surrounded by so much love already. On top of the amazing shower, they also surprised me by unveiling River's decorated room. They'd been working so hard many days leading up to the shower and they kept me locked out. I was told not to peek, and I love surprises so I had no problem being patient and waiting for the BIG REVEAL. And Boy what a nice surprise it was, River definitely has one of the coolest baby rooms EVER. It looks like something out of a magazine!! I wouldn't change a thing!!
Custom water bottles with our personalized shower logo. It's River water!!!
Yummy ICE CREAM bar!!! My favorite pregnancy craving!!!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Ambers Fall
This is E. Scott (aka Big Daddy) writing for Amber because for the next 6-8 weeks she will be typing with one finger.
First off, we just want to let everyone know that we/she are doing fine and we are humbled by the tremendous amount of support and well wishes that we have received over the past few days. It has been rough, but we are back home now, recovering.
For those of you that don't know, here is the Cliff Notes version of what happened...
On Tuesday of this week, Amber and I were in attendance at the monthly Kyle Chamber Luncheon at the Hays Performing Arts Center. We had just finished eating a delicious Bar BQ lunch (Milts Bar BQ) while listening to an exciting economic update from the EDC (Diana Blank). We were making our exit out of the building. As usual, I was walking way too far ahead of my lovely wife (when I should have been holding her hand). I was well past the bottom of the stairs when all of a sudden I heard a cry of distress. I turned around to see Amber landing on the ground (hands and elbows) and rolling over in pain after having fallen down (head first) a full set of concrete stairs (maybe like 8 or 10 stairs).
I rushed over, along with a crowd of attendees, we were all asking if she was ok. At first, she seemed fine, just a little shaken up (she is a trooper for sure). Luckily, we had several physical therapists and doctors at the luncheon (Peak Physical Therapy). They looked her over as I rubbed the dirt from her arms and legs. Someone called 911 during the confusion and the ambulance was there in no time at all. Again, it seemed that she was ok and so we declined a ride in the ambulance. Instead, I went and got the car. Reluctantly, we decided to head on over to the ER at Seton hospital, just to be sure, because, I mean, she is 32.5 weeks pregnant.
Over the next hour, in the waiting room of the ER, the shock from the fall began to wear off and Amber's pain began to increase. It was a good thing we went there. After a few hours and few X-rays we learned that she had broken at least one arm. I remember thinking that it could have been a lot worse. We were about to be discharged from the ER and sent home until the doctors checked in with her OBGYN, Dr. Rudder. At that point, we were told that we would need to head down the hall to do a sonogram and check on the baby. Our good friend Jason Tarr had shown up a few hours earlier for moral support. The 2 of us, along with a random male nurse wheeled Amber down the hall. Amber mentioned a breeze across her toosh and it turns out that the random male nurse was getting a very good view of Ambers thong and toosh through the back of the chair and her exposed gown. I regret to inform everyone that I closed her gown and stopped the peep show rather than taking some opportunistic camera phone pics. Next time, I'll think twice!
In any event, we made it to the labor and delivery ward for pregnant women at Seton hospital. The friendly staff hooked her up to the monitors and we were surprised to find that Amber was having contractions (frequent and consistent to 'boot!) Keep in mind we are still a good 7.5 weeks from the due date, which is way too early. Her contractions were coming 1 to 2 minutes apart and showed no signs of letting up. The doctors and nursing staff buzzed around quickly, performing all sorts of calculations and tests. Baby fetus River seemed to be doing fine in the womb (kicking and bouncing around even more than normal) but Jason and I sat in disbelief when they told us that we might be making an emergency trip up to Brackenridge in Austin because it looked like Amber was going into pre-term labor from the stress of the fall. I think the news of this sent Amber (and Rivers) hearts racing. To make matters worse, the doctor on call, (not Dr. Rutter) began to disclose one dire worst-case scenario after another. I had to interrupt him more than once to bring us back down to a more optimistic (realistic) outlook of the matter at hand. It seemed clear to me that this information was being taken in by our patient as a prediction, rather than a cautionary warning. Amber's anxiety began taking over and we were seeing evidence of psychosomatic medicine (not in a good way) right before our very eyes. Her condition seemed to worsen, the more the doctor talked about it worsening!
By this time, Ambers mom and step-father had shown up to the hospital. Several friends started to show up too. I was being deluged with text messages and phone calls of questions and concern for our dear Amber and baby Rivers condition. I didn't know what to say. We didn't know what was going to happen. We just needed the contractions to slow down and for the doctor to stop scaring the crap out of us. Thankfully several tests of the cervix proved that she was not dilating yet. We waited and waited. Amber got a morphine drip. Daddy got some coffee and McDonalds. Time passed. We stayed over night at the hospital (first time for both of us). The sofa bed was not comfortable. The nurses and I took care of Amber over night and no one got much sleep. All the while we watched the monitor in anxious uncertainty, hoping it would slow down.
Morning came and Dr. Rutter came in to see us (a sigh of relief). Turns out she had been there since 1am, watching over Amber's condition, but did not want to cause a stir during the night. Several hours and several cervical exams later, the morning turned into the afternoon. The contractions were slowing...her condition was improving. The outlook was turning positive for a change. We ended up staying at the hospital until about 5:30 on Wednesday afternoon until being fully discharged.
In the end, Amber broke both arms and fractured one wrist. The contractions still haven't stopped but at least they slowed down to about one every 10 minutes. Amber is in a sling and a splint, for now, until she gets a cast on Friday. In the mean time, I am learning how to help her get dressed and give her baths and stuff. We go back to the OBGYN on Tuesday. Hopefully baby River can chill out for a few more weeks and let mommas arms and wrist heal, otherwise Daddy is going to be taking care of 2 babies real soon!
Anyway, like I said, we are doing fine now. Just resting. It has been a stressful week. I want to thank all of our friends and family, again for your tremendous show of support. I literally do not have time to return all the calls, texts and emails that we have received. Thank you for the flowers, the visits, the food and the offers to help. Thank you to all of the doctors and nurses at Seton. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It could have and probably would have been a lot worse without your help and support.
Until next time....Big Daddy E, signing off.
First off, we just want to let everyone know that we/she are doing fine and we are humbled by the tremendous amount of support and well wishes that we have received over the past few days. It has been rough, but we are back home now, recovering.
For those of you that don't know, here is the Cliff Notes version of what happened...
On Tuesday of this week, Amber and I were in attendance at the monthly Kyle Chamber Luncheon at the Hays Performing Arts Center. We had just finished eating a delicious Bar BQ lunch (Milts Bar BQ) while listening to an exciting economic update from the EDC (Diana Blank). We were making our exit out of the building. As usual, I was walking way too far ahead of my lovely wife (when I should have been holding her hand). I was well past the bottom of the stairs when all of a sudden I heard a cry of distress. I turned around to see Amber landing on the ground (hands and elbows) and rolling over in pain after having fallen down (head first) a full set of concrete stairs (maybe like 8 or 10 stairs).
I rushed over, along with a crowd of attendees, we were all asking if she was ok. At first, she seemed fine, just a little shaken up (she is a trooper for sure). Luckily, we had several physical therapists and doctors at the luncheon (Peak Physical Therapy). They looked her over as I rubbed the dirt from her arms and legs. Someone called 911 during the confusion and the ambulance was there in no time at all. Again, it seemed that she was ok and so we declined a ride in the ambulance. Instead, I went and got the car. Reluctantly, we decided to head on over to the ER at Seton hospital, just to be sure, because, I mean, she is 32.5 weeks pregnant.
Over the next hour, in the waiting room of the ER, the shock from the fall began to wear off and Amber's pain began to increase. It was a good thing we went there. After a few hours and few X-rays we learned that she had broken at least one arm. I remember thinking that it could have been a lot worse. We were about to be discharged from the ER and sent home until the doctors checked in with her OBGYN, Dr. Rudder. At that point, we were told that we would need to head down the hall to do a sonogram and check on the baby. Our good friend Jason Tarr had shown up a few hours earlier for moral support. The 2 of us, along with a random male nurse wheeled Amber down the hall. Amber mentioned a breeze across her toosh and it turns out that the random male nurse was getting a very good view of Ambers thong and toosh through the back of the chair and her exposed gown. I regret to inform everyone that I closed her gown and stopped the peep show rather than taking some opportunistic camera phone pics. Next time, I'll think twice!
In any event, we made it to the labor and delivery ward for pregnant women at Seton hospital. The friendly staff hooked her up to the monitors and we were surprised to find that Amber was having contractions (frequent and consistent to 'boot!) Keep in mind we are still a good 7.5 weeks from the due date, which is way too early. Her contractions were coming 1 to 2 minutes apart and showed no signs of letting up. The doctors and nursing staff buzzed around quickly, performing all sorts of calculations and tests. Baby fetus River seemed to be doing fine in the womb (kicking and bouncing around even more than normal) but Jason and I sat in disbelief when they told us that we might be making an emergency trip up to Brackenridge in Austin because it looked like Amber was going into pre-term labor from the stress of the fall. I think the news of this sent Amber (and Rivers) hearts racing. To make matters worse, the doctor on call, (not Dr. Rutter) began to disclose one dire worst-case scenario after another. I had to interrupt him more than once to bring us back down to a more optimistic (realistic) outlook of the matter at hand. It seemed clear to me that this information was being taken in by our patient as a prediction, rather than a cautionary warning. Amber's anxiety began taking over and we were seeing evidence of psychosomatic medicine (not in a good way) right before our very eyes. Her condition seemed to worsen, the more the doctor talked about it worsening!
By this time, Ambers mom and step-father had shown up to the hospital. Several friends started to show up too. I was being deluged with text messages and phone calls of questions and concern for our dear Amber and baby Rivers condition. I didn't know what to say. We didn't know what was going to happen. We just needed the contractions to slow down and for the doctor to stop scaring the crap out of us. Thankfully several tests of the cervix proved that she was not dilating yet. We waited and waited. Amber got a morphine drip. Daddy got some coffee and McDonalds. Time passed. We stayed over night at the hospital (first time for both of us). The sofa bed was not comfortable. The nurses and I took care of Amber over night and no one got much sleep. All the while we watched the monitor in anxious uncertainty, hoping it would slow down.
Morning came and Dr. Rutter came in to see us (a sigh of relief). Turns out she had been there since 1am, watching over Amber's condition, but did not want to cause a stir during the night. Several hours and several cervical exams later, the morning turned into the afternoon. The contractions were slowing...her condition was improving. The outlook was turning positive for a change. We ended up staying at the hospital until about 5:30 on Wednesday afternoon until being fully discharged.
In the end, Amber broke both arms and fractured one wrist. The contractions still haven't stopped but at least they slowed down to about one every 10 minutes. Amber is in a sling and a splint, for now, until she gets a cast on Friday. In the mean time, I am learning how to help her get dressed and give her baths and stuff. We go back to the OBGYN on Tuesday. Hopefully baby River can chill out for a few more weeks and let mommas arms and wrist heal, otherwise Daddy is going to be taking care of 2 babies real soon!
Anyway, like I said, we are doing fine now. Just resting. It has been a stressful week. I want to thank all of our friends and family, again for your tremendous show of support. I literally do not have time to return all the calls, texts and emails that we have received. Thank you for the flowers, the visits, the food and the offers to help. Thank you to all of the doctors and nurses at Seton. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It could have and probably would have been a lot worse without your help and support.
Until next time....Big Daddy E, signing off.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Surprise Baby Shower!!
Last weekend I traveled to my hometown of Del Rio for what I thought was a wedding shower for my brother and his fiance, Kimberly. Little did I know that my family had some different plans in mind. They had been planning a surprise baby shower/wedding shower. My brother and Kimberly thought they were going to a surprise baby shower for me and I thought we were going to a surprise wedding shower for them!!! We both walked in to the party together and were both in for a huge surprise when we found out it was a shower for both of us!!! I just wanted to send an extra big thanks out to my cousins Tiffany and Heather who planned and organized the whole event (along with some help for Janet, MaryAnne, and Carmen). Oh, and we can't forget Granny's contribution of her famous banana pudding!
They all did a wonderful job with the shower. The decor, cupcake tower, games, and food were all amazing! I coulndn't have asked for anything more. I have the best family in the world.
here I am walking in the door to yells of "SURPRISE"
My two cousins who organized the shower, love you Tiff and Heather
My brother and Kimberly, who were also surprised!
You can view all the pics from the shower at Surprise Wedding/Baby Shower
They all did a wonderful job with the shower. The decor, cupcake tower, games, and food were all amazing! I coulndn't have asked for anything more. I have the best family in the world.
here I am walking in the door to yells of "SURPRISE"
My two cousins who organized the shower, love you Tiff and Heather
My brother and Kimberly, who were also surprised!
You can view all the pics from the shower at Surprise Wedding/Baby Shower
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Maternity Pictures Sneak Peeks!!!!
Last Thursday, E.Scott and I ventured out with our lovely photographer, Mariae and her assistant Thurston, from Pink Posh photography. We headed down to the San Marcos river and then to Gruene to document this exciting time in our lives. I had such a wonderful and relaxing day with them. The weather was perfect and Mariae just has a way to make you feel so comfortable in front of the camera. We even got to finish off the day with yummy root beer floats from the Gruene General Store, how perfect is that? Oh and did I mention, I heart Pink Posh!!! This morning I decided to log on to the Pink Posh blog because I am a regular "stalker" (that is what Mariae calls her blog followers) and of course I've been anxiously awaiting some of my maternity sneak peeks. And to my surprise, I have been officially blogged!!! Yipee!!! The pictures are just amazing and I want to send a BIG THANK YOU out to Pink Posh for creating magical pictures that E.Scott and I (and River too) will cherish for a lifetime.
Check out the entire blog here: http://blogs.pinkposh.com/
Here are a couple of my faves
Check out the entire blog here: http://blogs.pinkposh.com/
Here are a couple of my faves
Friday, February 5, 2010
26 weeks!!
Woah! I can't believe I am already 6 1/2 months preganant. It is Crazy! I am really enjoying every minute of being pregnant. I can feel every little movement baby River makes and it just brings tears to my eyes to think about how much I love him already. I'm reading some great books too! One is by Dr. Oz, called YOU Having a Baby and the other is called NurtureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. I would highly recommend both of them to any new mom. NurtureShock is going to have a BIG impact on the way I raise River, it challenges many popular strategies for raising children because key points in childhood development and behavior have been overlooked in today's society. It's a great read!
Oh, and tonight we are going to the San Antonio Rodeo to see Lady Antebellum perform. I just adore them and can't wait to see them live!!
I have some more belly pictures for you to enjoy!
Oh, and tonight we are going to the San Antonio Rodeo to see Lady Antebellum perform. I just adore them and can't wait to see them live!!
I have some more belly pictures for you to enjoy!
And I will leave you with a newly discovered song by Jim Brickman and Lady Antebellum. It is dedicated to my precious baby boy.
May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it's time to go home
May you always have plenty
Your glass never empty
Know in your belly
You're never alone
May your tears come from laughing
You find friends worth having
With every year passing
They mean more than gold
May you win and stay humble
Smile more than grumble
And know when you stumble
You're never alone
Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
Well, I have to be honest
As much as I want it
I'm not gonna promise that cold winds won't blow
So when hard times have found you
And your fear surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone
Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it's time to go home
So when hard times have found you
And your fear surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it's time to go home
May you always have plenty
Your glass never empty
Know in your belly
You're never alone
May your tears come from laughing
You find friends worth having
With every year passing
They mean more than gold
May you win and stay humble
Smile more than grumble
And know when you stumble
You're never alone
Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
Well, I have to be honest
As much as I want it
I'm not gonna promise that cold winds won't blow
So when hard times have found you
And your fear surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone
Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it's time to go home
So when hard times have found you
And your fear surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Pink Posh
I'm in the process of booking a date for my maternity pics. I am using the most amazing photographer, you can all check out her blog at http://blogs.pinkposh.com/ We are trying to coordinate a date in March so my tummy will be nice and big!!!
Here is just a sample of her work....Breathtaking!!!
I'll post some sneaks up after my session in March! Can't wait!!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Sweetums Diaper Bag
I am soooo excited!! I got my diaper bag in yesterday and I just had to show it off. It is so stylish, I am going to look like a hip mama!
Fun with Friends and My Growing Belly
We had a great time hanging out with some of our best friends during the Texas game. Of course we were all disappointed that Colt was injured and the Longhorns lost....but at least we had great friends there to comfort us ;) A big shout-out to Meredith and Heath for having us over! Here are some pictures of the festivities.
My beautiful friends and yummy food!
Tavia giving Baby River kisses!
Deirdre and Greg are also having a baby, she is due in about a week!!
Love you Honey Bunny!
23 Weeks Pregnant!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Christmas 2009
We had a wonderful Christmas up in Dallas with E.Scott's family. It was nice to see his brother, Symbra, and our two neices Aruna and Annika. We don't get to see them very often because they live in North Carolina. E's parents were wonderful hosts and cooked us elaborate meals and waited on us hand and foot. It was very much appreciated and we always enjoy visiting them in Dallas! We didn't get to see my family this Christmas but they weren't ever far from my thoughts. E.Scott and I did some preliminary car shopping while we were there. We are thinking about getting a small SUV to give us more room for the baby and our puppies when we travel places. I'll post up some pics and let you know when we find one!
River is moving around in my belly so much. It is just the coolest feeling in the world to feel him toss and turn and kick me....even though sometimes it is my bladder he kicks! At my last appointment on December 29th, the doctor said his heartbeat was strong, my weight gain was right on, and I am still measuring about a week and a half ahead of the original schedule.
I started doing some online searching for a crib. I'll have to send out a picture when I find the perfect one! I did find the bedding that I want for the room. Here is a pic, let me know what you think!
River is moving around in my belly so much. It is just the coolest feeling in the world to feel him toss and turn and kick me....even though sometimes it is my bladder he kicks! At my last appointment on December 29th, the doctor said his heartbeat was strong, my weight gain was right on, and I am still measuring about a week and a half ahead of the original schedule.
I started doing some online searching for a crib. I'll have to send out a picture when I find the perfect one! I did find the bedding that I want for the room. Here is a pic, let me know what you think!
Here are some pictures from our visit to Dallas:
My first White Christmas
E.Scott's parents got me this adorable maternity t-shirt!
Our silly neice Annika
Annika's lovely older sister, meet Aruna
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)