2 years later

Dear McConnell,

Well big surprise, I had the you!  McConnell Grace Gorman, you were born November 15, 2013 at 4:51am.  I know this is what EVERY parent says, but you are perfect in every way and have gotten me through some of the darkest days of my life (more on that later).

A little bit about you:  You definitely beats to your own drum. You chose to come into this world when you wanted to, 2 weeks early and she still has that same personality.  You look a lot like me with your round cheeks and button nose.  When you get mad, you give me that same maddening stare that your daddy gives me and your blue eyes come from Grumps.  You love to eat and sleep.  Mac and cheese is you meal of choice, but that is closely being trounced by Bailey's food.  Yes, Bailey's DOG food. McConnell, you are  Daddy's girl.  You own him in every way.  You started toddling around professionally at a whopping 10 months and there was no looking back.  You cruise around the neighborhood in a bright pink car.  Bailey is your favorite, but Bailey doesn't necessarily feel the same.  You are obsessed with the iPad and we have to strategically hide it as you will hunt it down from behind the seat cushions (the old hiding place).  The beach is magical to you.  You see the ocean as a big tub and can't wait to splash away.  

I want you to know how loved you are. Your Dad and I love you with every bit of our heart. You are also surrounded by grandparents, friends, aunts, and uncles who love you like their own child. You are so fortunate to have this fortress of love around you.

Secondly, I want you to know that your Dad and I aren't perfect (hard to imagine, I'm sure) but we are trying to be the best parents we can be. We want to teach you to stand on your own two feet, and make decisions for yourself. We want you to feel supported while being independent. Be a leader, and follow your heart. Always. Ask questions. Explore. And always remember to laugh along the way.

 Love, 

Mom

                     

What NOT to say to a pregnant woman

Well, here I am folks.  23 weeks…17 to go!  Since it's now clear that I'm pregnant and haven't just gained a few stones, I've gotten a whole new battery of experiences.  I had Sunday brunch yesterday with a few friends and one of our conversations was about how people love to give advice to pregnant woman.  It's like the apocalypse is coming when one sees a pregnant woman in the grocery buying brie and a bottle of white wine...throw in a pound of deli turkey and all hell breaks loose.  So in case you had any questions on the subject or just want a little enjoyment, I've compiled a list of what NOT to say to a pregnant woman.  

1.) "Get as much sleep as you can" So, you are basically telling me I'll never sleep again.  Oh and FYI pregnant sleeping really isn't as easy as it looks.  I now have to get up every three hours to pee, I can't sleep at all laying on my stomach anymore, and I have to reposition the body pillow every time I move. 

2.) "How is your husband is doing with all of this?" Say what?  She’s the one carrying the load.  Believe me, dude is fine.  Plus-plus for him---he's now got a full-time DD.  

3.) “When are you due?” Why shouldn't you ask this?  Because I'm saving you from the possibility of feeling like a total a-hole.  I had this happen to a friend of mine once...she had had the baby 3 weeks earlier.  

4.) "Well listen to what happened to me when I gave birth..." Unless she asks, don't speak a word of your story.  I was recently in the nail salon and this woman decided to tell me her horrific birthing story where she lost all of her blood and was then brought back from the dead.  She then promptly promised that it would never happen to me.  I almost died myself upon hearing this.  

5.) “Your boobs are gigantic!” I'm willing to bet a million bucks she's well aware. 

6.) Please don’t stare at a pregnant woman’s belly.  I mean, have you never seen a pregnant woman?  She really will notice your eyes zeroing in on her ginormous stomach.

7.) “Didn’t this go by fast?!?!?" Um, maybe for you. 

8.) "You look so small"...Even though you think you’re complimenting her, don’t tell a pregnant woman this. She’ll think that you’re saying that something is wrong.  Try saying, "You look great!"or "Aren't you just all belly."

9.) "Wow, you sure are eating for two!" In code you just told her she's eating enough to feed Zambia and that in fact she's a fat cow.  

10.) "Enjoy it while you can."  You mean once baby comes, I'll never enjoy anything?  C'mon people.  

Half-Way Through 10 Months!

Here we are friends, 20 weeks and half-way through the 10 months needed to build a baby.  Our big ultrasound was yesterday and the tech said everything looks perfect...Baby's even already got some big cheeks!  I was pretty-sure baby was healthy, but it was a huge relief to get confirmation.

We also got the news baby is a she.  McConnell Grace---after my mom.  When we first got news I was pregnant, I hoped for a boy.  But as the weeks went on, I started to think about the relationship I had with my mom and how much I would love to have that with my daughter.  It'll be fun to see this little girl have Bryan wrapped around her finger---It'll make for great blog posts!  I can just imagine how a scene of him trying to do her hair will play out.  We have many laughs ahead---that's for sure.  Plus I now get to dress her up in a UGA cheerleading outfit!

The other day I came across this poem that reminded me so much of what my mom taught me and what I hope I can now in turn teach mine.  I think I may even get it framed for her room.
   

For My Daughter

By Sarah McMane
“Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be.” – Clementine Paddleford

Never play the princess when you can
be the queen:
rule the kingdom, swing a scepter,
wear a crown of gold.
Don’t dance in glass slippers,
crystal carving up your toes --
be a barefoot Amazon instead,
for those shoes will surely shatter on your feet.

Never wear only pink
when you can strut in crimson red,
sweat in heather grey, and
shimmer in sky blue,
claim the golden sun upon your hair.
Colors are for everyone,
boys and girls, men and women --
be a verdant garden, the landscape of Versailles,
not a pale primrose blindly pushed aside.

Chase green dragons and one-eyed zombies,
fierce and fiery toothy monsters,
not merely lazy butterflies,
sweet and slow on summer days.
For you can tame the most brutish beasts
with your wily wits and charm,
and lizard scales feel just as smooth
as gossamer insect wings.

Tramp muddy through the house in
a purple tutu and cowboy boots.
Have a tea party in your overalls.
Build a fort of birch branches,
a zoo of Legos, a rocketship of
Queen Anne chairs and coverlets,
first stop on the moon.

Dream of dinosaurs and baby dolls,
bold brontosaurus and bookish Belle,
not Barbie on the runway or
Disney damsels in distress --
you are much too strong to play
the simpering waif.

Don a baseball cap, dance with Daddy,
paint your toenails, climb a cottonwood.
Learn to speak with both your mind and heart.
For the ground beneath will hold you, dear --
know that you are free.

And never grow a wishbone, daughter,
where your backbone ought to be.

Bailey and Bunny

My sweet little pup Bailey has many relationships that have many dimensions.  She is truly one-of-a-kind to say the least.  I'm planning to write a few posts about her relationships and will document them so you know I'm not making this up.  This first post will be about "Bunny".

When Bryan and I were dating he bought me this giant Easter bunny for the holiday.  It was a sweet thought.  For the next few years Bunny sat comfortably in an old rocking chair up in my childhood bedroom.

By the time Bailey came along, Bryan and I had already moved out and settled in our condo palace.  As a puppy she was quite a mischievous little thing.  Many times we would come home to pillow stuffing thrown about the place, chewed shoes, or ripped carpet.

One day Bailey was spending the night over at my parents house as we were out of town.  Mom and Dad were downstairs sitting by the fire and Bailey was roaming the house looking for something or "someone" to play with.  The next thing they knew, this little dog had dragged a stuffed bunny that was twice the size of her down 2 flights of stairs to show them what she found.  Bailey decided that Bunny deserved some extra special and very UN-ladylike attention, which brings us to today.

Bunny now has a home in our living room that Bailey likes to bring out to play on a regular basis---especially when we have guests over.  Please see video of the two of them below:

Next up: Bailey and Heidi.  The best frienemies ever. 

Things Bryan Never Appreciated Til He Met Me

Today's little post is devoted to my dear sweet husband Bryan.  We've been together 10 years now and married for almost 5---Wow, time flies!  We met our junior year at The University of Georgia during which my girlfriends and I used to play a little game we called "Clark Gable-ing".  Ever since then, I've had him in my claws!

With that, I thought I would share with you the 10 things in life Bryan never truly appreciated until he met me:

1.) Closet Space- He has a slither of closet real estate in our quaint little condo.  Even less when baby comes.
2.) Shaved Legs verses Not Shaved- Enough said there.
3.) Style- No, honey.  Brown shoes do NOT go with your black slacks. 
4.) Knowing how to peel shrimp- It's a very valuable trait in our household. 
5.) The words "I'm sorry" and "you're right"- Especially when your wife uses the words: “you’re not pregnant” with “so you can’t possibly imagine what it’s like to be me.”
6.) Jewelry- It can undo many wrongs.
7.) Directions- Because his wife never knows which way she's headed.
8.) Wine- Its magical powers will make even the worst of days better.
9.) A well-written paragraph.
10.) Country music- Scratch that, there isn't an iceberg's chance he will ever appreciate someone singing about sitting with his dog on the front porch. 

Go Dawgs! 

Gibralter- Wasabi

Regina was never picky with what she ate and was willing to try almost anything once.  One day my sister and I had gone out for sushi and we brought home leftovers.  Mom and Dad had just gotten home from a Home Depot run and she was famished.  There was nothing else left in the fridge except the sushi, so we told her to feel free to have the rest.  It was the first time she had ever tried sushi and we thought it would be fun to see how she liked it.  After all those rolls were relatively harmless...just a California Roll and a Shrimp Tempura Roll.       

Mom thought the rolls were strange, but she was starving and ate on.  As we all sat chatting around in the kitchen we saw mom eyeball the green wasabi in the styrofoam container.  Before we could get the "don't eat that!!" words out of our mouths, she had already popped the gumball size dollop of what she thought was guacamole in her mouth.  Next thing we knew we had a 10 minute tear-inducing, coughing-fit on our hands.  Mom didn't know what hit her.  All the 3 of us just looked at each other and burst out laughing.  Of course that was after we grabbed her a water pitcher.   

Oh, I'd give a million bucks to go back to that day. 

"Over-Sharing"

My sister-in-law sent me a facebook message yesterday telling me to post a belly picture for her to see.  Instead of sharing my ever expanding belly with 700 of my closest friends on facebook, I think I may just share on here instead.  Maybe as time goes on I'll get bold enough to post on fb.  But let me tell you the buck stops there.  There will be no ultrasound shots where you see the inside of my uterus with my unborn baby's face smushed up next to it.  I call that over-sharing.

With that being said, I've come up with a few more ways that I've deemed "over-sharing" when it comes to the unborn bundle of joy so please take note:

1.) Making your ultrasound picture your baby shower invite, complete with the over-sized fetus's head hanging out in the momma-to-be's silhouette.  

2.) Making the ultrasound picture your Christmas card.  Don't you just love baby fetus wearing a red Santa hat? 

3.) Creating your own stamps in order to bring new meaning to "Special Delivery".

 

 4.) The Belly-Tee. Yes, a mama may be anxious to start showing off her baby-to-be before she starts showing, but this is not a good idea.

And as for me, here I am at almost 19weeks.  Still not showing too much.  It turned out kinda blurry and my elbows look abnormally large, but whatevs.