Hey there

I guess I decided to take an impromptu two week vacay from blogging...

Anyway, I'm back here now with what could be the longest recap EVER but I'll spare you and just hit the highlights.

Clay is getting tubes today! The Wednesday after my last post, we found out Clay had an ear infection. His seventh ear infection since February. Needless to say, there was lots of craziness going on that week since daycare wasn't an option. Anyway, we ended up getting a consultation with the ENT on Christmas Eve and he had a surgery time available for TODAY. I'm excited because these ear infections are getting ridiculous, but I'm a nervous wreck.

Because of said ear infection, we weren't able to make the drive across the mountains to Tennessee for Christmas. For the first time in my life I wasn't home on Christmas. It could have been a horrible situation (and still was sad), but Mike's family took me in on Christmas Day and there were gifts and laughter and yummy food and of course Clay baby was the best part.

Because we haven't been to Tennessee yet to celebrate Christmas, I refuse to take my Christmas decorations down. So if you're still in the Christmas spirit, hop on over to my Instagram.

Santa (a.k.a. my Christmas bonus) brought me a new camera and Troy (who actually went to school for photography) walked me through the basics on using it. I'm still learning but look for less crappy cell phone pictures around these parts :)

And those were the highlights. Look for my 2014 wishes and the third part of the Story of Us this week!

 

Run, Jessica, Run!

I know I haven't posted my half recap (soon, I promise), but while it was fresh on my mind, I thought I would post about my Reindeer Romp 5k from Saturday.

Liz was nice enough to drag her very pregnant self out in the cold to support us and take pictures (and eat s'mores after...).

All last week the forecast was calling for rain Saturday morning so I was really dreading the run, but somehow it held off til after even though it was freeeeeezing cold.

[caption id="" width="500" align="aligncenter" caption="And we're off!"][/caption]

The race was very loosely organized but I love running it because you get a hoodie and a medal. For a 5k. Plus, they have hot chocolate and s'mores and Santa after.

Anyway, Amy and her friend Michelle ran too but they got ahead of me when I was fixing my dang RunKeeper so I ran by myself. With no headphones. Yikes! Luckily I was kept fairly entertained during the race by the people around me.

Last year I ran/walked this race in 47 minutes. This year? 37 minutes. I know, I know, I'm slow, but this was a race PR for me and I ran the entire time! I'm fairly convinced that I could have been faster if I had had my headphones but oh well.

Just to let you know how slow I am, here is a list of people who passed me:

• A man drinking his Starbucks.


• A woman pushing a wheelchair.


• More double strollers than I can count.


• Several people over 70.


• Way too many kids.


• Speedwalkers

So there you have it. I'm slow. I finished though, and that's what matters to me!

[caption id="" width="500" align="aligncenter" caption="Finishing strong!"][/caption][caption id="" width="500" align="aligncenter" caption="Amy looks like she's about to pounce on 39 week pregnant Liz."][/caption]

And then, what we really came for...

[caption id="" width="500" align="aligncenter" caption="Mrs. Claus was a little overly excited about the baby..."][/caption]

After the race Amy, Liz, and I went back to my place and spent the day crafting, drinking wine, listening to Christmas music, eating, and playing Candy Crush.

It was a great day.

 

The Friday Fives

Five things I loved this week:

1. I'm still obsessed with the Rhonna Designs app and now they have it for Droids :) No more emailing pictures to my ipad just to use the app!

2. This might not sound like a big deal, but Clay and I have finally settled into a little routine. I have Wednesday and Friday mornings off so we just hang out and play all morning. Sometimes we do brunch, sometimes we take naps, sometimes we do absolutely nothing.

3. Whole wheat pumpkin pancakes with dark chocolate chips. Clay was a fan. I was a fan. The whole big batch is gone.

4. So maybe I went a little crazy making Christmas decorations and I am completely okay with that.

5. Obviously Clay is a little young for elf shenanigans but I like moving it around every few days. Its most recent home is on our table with our football player nutcracker. Our table makes me very happy :)

Five posts I liked this week:

Life Lessons from Christmas Classics: First Edition by Kate at Thoroughly Modern (this was from the end of last week but it is hilarious so just go read it already!)

You get hit in the head by a brick, you die by Jessica at Pleas(e) and Carrots (on flaws in Christmas movies)

My Birth Story (written by my mama) by Kristin at Mama and Mou (Kristin's mom wrote down her birth story for Kristin to share on her birthday!)

Queso Crockpot Chicken Chili with Roasted Corn and Jalapeño by Lindsay at pinch of yum (I think the title says it all)

Adult Holiday Gift Guide by Sarah at Venus Trapped in Mars (yes to it all. I would love if someone got me toilet paper and paid a utility bill!)

What I wrote about this week:

I Have a Fish Instead of a Dog (I have puppy fever)

It's Jammie Time! (A post about pjs)

Maybe (A confession post)

The Story of Us, Part 2 (The second part of the story of our unconventional life)

What was your favorite post that you read this week?

Linking up with H54F, InstaFriday, and Five on Friday!

 

The Story of Us, Part 2

If you missed it, here is Part One.

I left off the story right after I told everyone. Now it was real.

At my 11 week appointment, Amy and I got to hear the heartbeat and see my cute little peanut on the screen.

I also had a bunch of blood drawn to check for everything under the sun. A few days later I got a message from the nurse asking me to call the office. I'm not going to lie, this scared me to death. What was so bad that they couldn't leave a message? So I call the nurse back.

"You're a carrier of cystic fibrosis. Don't freak out though. We need the father to come in so we can take blood and see if he's a carrier too."

I found out after googling the minute I hung up with the nurse that the chances of having a child with cystic fibrosis are greatly increased if both parents are carriers. So obviously I call Mike crying and leave a message for him to call me back. He finally calls back and I tell him that he'll either need to go by the office or he can come to my next appointment with me.

The appointment he ended up coming to was the one where we got to find out the gender. So there we were, Amy, Mike, me, and the ultrasound tech. I'm really not sure what happened to Mike in that room, but that was the moment he went from being a father to being a dad. Before that appointment I honestly didn't think Mike would be involved at all, but when I saw his face when she told us it was a boy, I knew he was going to be a dad to this baby.

Over the next months, Mike became more interested in what was going on with my pregnancy and we started making plans for Clay (insurance, etc.) and he even went on the hospital tour with me.

At this point you might ask, why didn't you and Mike consider getting together?

Because we don't love each other. Well, let me rephrase that. I love Mike. I will always love him because he is Clay's father. I'm not in love with Mike. Both of us are mature enough to realize it would never work and just cause more heartache in the end. I'm not putting Clay through a divorce when he has two loving parents who get along very well as friends.

In June Amy and Liz threw a baby shower for me. It was a coed barbecue and exactly what I wanted. Anyway, Mike was coming so I slowly broached the subject of inviting his mom. I had made it clear that I wanted his family to be as involved as they wanted to be but didn't know if she would be up for the baby shower (we had never met each other at this point). Well, it turns out Mike hadn't told his mom yet. Because how do you break that news to your mom? Uhh, write a letter like me. Duh. Anyway, he ended up telling her the week before my shower and she actually came.

Awkward city.

I'm gonna stop right here and mention that Mike's mom is absolutely wonderful with Clay and we get along very well. She's actually going to start keeping Clay part time in January.

Anyway, awkwardness. So much awkwardness. But we got that hurdle out of the way.

Mike met my mom, aunt, and sister the next month. No awkward city there because my family is full of nuts and they never shut up. Love you guys!

Then I had maternity photos taken and Mike joined for a few.

Anyway, I'm not going to lie, it was hard being single and pregnant. I always joke that Mike lucked out because he got the baby but didn't have to go through the pregnancy. No late night runs to pick up my latest craving, no having me snap his head off because he accidentally left the toilet seat up (just kidding, I wasn't that bad), no being kicked out of bed because I needed to sleep with at least six pillows.

We made it though! We were in the home stretch.

Then my due date, August 26th, came and went. I spent the day in bed, working on my maternity scrapbook I was making for Clay and watching movies.

And that is where I'll leave you til next time. Thank you so much for your kind comments on part one!

 

Maybe...

...I kinda like love these Maybe posts because I get to confess things without really confessing them. That works, right? Just lie to me.

...I actually picked Clay up out of his crib last night just to rock him for 15 minutes. This week and next week are crazy work wise. I have back-to-back 45 hour weeks and while my job isn't strenuous and I'm so thankful for it, that means 45+ hours away from Clay and that's just not cool.

...I haven't fully completed one Christmas present. Three are 98% done though so I don't feel too bad.

...I made a huge batch of whole wheat dark chocolate chip pumpkin pancakes on Sunday with the full intention of freezing some for us and for Liz. This was the container this morning...

...I think there's an age limit for shopping at Hollister and American Eagle. Just throwing that out there.

...even if I'm exhausted at the end of the day, I go in the living room and enjoy our Christmas tree for a little bit. We do only have a limited amount of time together after all. Also, I kind of want to write a post about my favorites of our ornaments.

...I'm out of time so I have to go but come back tomorrow for Part 2 of The Story of Us! Part One here if you missed it!

 

It's Jammie Time!

When it comes to pjs, I get a little excited. Probably more so than I should but I make no apologies about it. Everybody needs a good pair of pjs, or at least a good pair of pj pants you can put on and wear around the house on a rare "I'm taking a break from the world" day.

Anyway, I'm off topic. We're here to talk about Clay's jammies, specifically of the Christmas variety. I very patiently waited until Thanksgiving to break these babies out and (besides the heat wave) he's worn them every night! We have three pair but I only managed to get pictures of two :(

[caption id="" width="500" align="aligncenter" caption="Helping decorate mammaw's tree."][/caption][caption id="" width="500" align="aligncenter" caption="Clay was writing a card to grandma here..."][/caption][caption id="" width="500" align="aligncenter" caption="...and holding his crayon up in an I win! pose here."][/caption][caption id="" width="500" align="aligncenter" caption="Making a list for Santa. Please note the super cute elf diaper. Target for the win!"][/caption]

And just because here are two pictures from last Christmas:

[caption id="" width="500" align="aligncenter" caption="Clay's first PJ day at daycare!"][/caption][caption id="" width="500" align="aligncenter" caption="My mom insisted that Clay own this outfit."][/caption]

Also linking up with Trendy Tot Tuesday, Time for Mom and Baby Talk.

I have a fish instead of a dog.

A couple of summers ago I wanted a chocolate lab so badly. I was going to name it Guinness Bailey (Irish Car Bomb, anyone?) and put cute green collars on it and spend all my extra money on it.

Instead, I got a beta fish. He's blue and green and his name is Guinness Bailey (Guinny for short).

I got pregnant three months later. I'm so glad I chose the fish. A baby and a puppy? No, thanks.

One time I dropped him on the counter when I was changing his water and didn't want to touch him so I used an envelope to pick him up and put him back in his bowl. I was shrieking the entire time and my roommate never came out of his room to see if I was okay. He said, "I thought if you were really hurt you would call my name." Men. Anyway, this all happened on March 16th. I call that a St. Patty's Day miracle! It happened well over 20 months ago and he's still swimming along.

[caption id="" width="500" align="aligncenter" caption="Uncle Michael. You don't want him around in a fish emergency."][/caption]

I made a deal with Clay (who cares if he's only 15 months and doesn't understand) that we could get a puppy when he's potty trained. He'll probably want to name it something stupid like Elmo. Sigh. I don't really care though. I have puppy fever.

 

Five

I'm changing Fridays up a little bit around these parts. I hope you enjoy!

Five things I loved this week:

1. As I've mention ten bazillion times, I'm making ALL of my Christmas presents this year except for two. I started last Friday. So, hey caffeine and late nights! It has been fun though- searching for the right color and pattern or craft for each person! The pattern above is from Aesthetic Nest . I altered the pattern a little bit because my mom wanted a "regular scarf" versus a cowl.

2. I was inspired by Little Bit Funky to take the half finished hoop I had and turn it into a cardholder. Now I just need some Christmas cards...hint hint. Haha.

3. Fun secret Santa packages are the best! Especially when they include a gift for Clay!

4. Clay had his 15 month checkup on Wednesday and the doctor proclaimed it the best checkup Clay had ever had! No fluid in his ears, no wheezing, weight staying up and consistent. Happy mama right here.

5. I've already shared this but it just makes me so happy I had to share again! I might be in love with our Christmas tree this year.

Five posts I liked this week:

I Should Have Been an Electrician by Karly Kim (because this is something I would do...)

Three Gifts and Why I Love It by Jeannette at Life Rearranged (implementing this idea! Clay has way too much stuff!)

Christmas Sugar Cutouts by Desiree at Macke Monologues (I've been searching for a great sugar cookie recipe forever!)

Readers vs Followers by Kelli at She Crab Soup (something every blogger should think about!)

Confession: I Did Not Enjoy My Wedding by Kate at The Florkens (if I ever get married, this is why I would consider eloping)

What I wrote about this week:

Phew. (a Thanksgiving weekend recap)

5 things to love about winter (my attempt at not being so bah humbug)

The Story of Us (the first part of the story of our unconventional life)

 

What was your favorite post that you read this week?

Linking up with H54F, InstaFriday, and Five on Friday!

 

Five

I'm changing Fridays up a little bit around these parts. I hope you enjoy!

Five things I loved this week:

1. As I've mention ten bazillion times, I'm making ALL of my Christmas presents this year except for two. I started last Friday. So, hey caffeine and late nights! It has been fun though- searching for the right color and pattern or craft for each person! The pattern above is from Aesthetic Nest . I altered the pattern a little bit because my mom wanted a "regular scarf" versus a cowl.

2. I was inspired by Little Bit Funky to take the half finished hoop I had and turn it into a cardholder. Now I just need some Christmas cards...hint hint. Haha.

3. Fun secret Santa packages are the best! Especially when they include a gift for Clay!

4. Clay had his 15 month checkup on Wednesday and the doctor proclaimed it the best checkup Clay had ever had! No fluid in his ears, no wheezing, weight staying up and consistent. Happy mama right here.

5. I've already shared this but it just makes me so happy I had to share again! I might be in love with our Christmas tree this year.

Five posts I liked this week:

I Should Have Been an Electrician by Karly Kim (because this is something I would do...)

Three Gifts and Why I Love It by Jeannette at Life Rearranged (implementing this idea! Clay has way too much stuff!)

Christmas Sugar Cutouts by Desiree at Macke Monologues (I've been searching for a great sugar cookie recipe forever!)

Readers vs Followers by Kelli at She Crab Soup (something every blogger should think about!)

Confession: I Did Not Enjoy My Wedding by Kate at The Florkens (if I ever get married, this is why I would consider eloping)

What I wrote about this week:

Phew. (a Thanksgiving weekend recap)

5 things to love about winter (my attempt at not being so bah humbug)

The Story of Us (the first part of the story of our unconventional life)

 

What was your favorite post that you read this week?

Linking up with H54F, InstaFriday, and Five on Friday!

 

The Story of Us

I've started this post ten bazillion times in my head and finally I just set an alarm for thirty minutes and made myself start. I figured thirty minutes is enough time to get started but not so long that I get scared.

Why hesitant?

Because this is the story of Clay Lucas.

You see, I've been wanting to share the rest of our story for awhile now but I wasn't sure how much I wanted to share and if I would want Clay to read all of the details when he got older and let's be honest, some of you will probably judge me.

But I've decided to share.

Why?

Because Clay is starting a new daycare and I was filling out forms when I came to this question:

Uhh... We aren't together. We aren't separated. We aren't divorced. I guess that leaves other, but what do I put there? Friends raising a baby? There certainly isn't enough room for the whole story.

2011

Without getting into the dirty details, Mike and I saw each other a lot this year. In November we had a "visit." (Oh, gosh. Judge me for writing "visit.") Anyway, a couple of weeks later my other visitor was late so off I go to the grocery store. I guess I should just stop and say that I just had a feeling I was pregnant from a couple of days after so I was watching that calendar like a hawk. Anyway, I take the test, go back in and see only one line.

Woohoo!

But wait, I look closer...is the second line supposed to be a very very very faint line.

Umm, no, Jessica, it's not.

So I immediately text my three closest friends at the time (two of which are guys) and from that moment I knew I would never be alone in this pregnancy. Rhonda, Brian, and Troy were just three of the friends who stood by my side and are now an Aunt and Uncles to Clay (and Brian is Clay's godfather).

This is the part where I have to stop and majorly brag on all of my friends. Especially Amy and Liz. Amy was there from my first doctor's appointment to the delivery room and Liz walked with me, we started our blogs together, and she helped me organize, go tour daycares, and throw an Olympic party (very important)!

So there I was. 26 and pregnant. Living in a city with no family. Not even sure what Mike would say, let alone how involved he would be.

So I told Mike. The day after his birthday. Happy birthday! Right... Anyway, he was shocked to say the least.

I knew I would keep this baby and raise it. I've wanted nothing more than to be a mother someday since I was little. You might think I'm crazy, but I think that's what God put me on this earth to do. Yeah, I have a job, but my career is being a mother.

Okay, I got sidetracked. Like I was saying, I knew this baby would be mine. I knew it would be hard but I was going to do it. At this point I had no clue what Mike's involvement would be and to be honest, I don't think he knew. We weren't together and we weren't going to try to force something that just wasn't there. So while I was scared out of my mind at this point, I was also excited. I was going to have a baby!!

2012

Now came the time to tell everyone. Friends were the easiest to tell. My boss was a little harder to tell but she's been completely supportive since day one so I don't know why I worried. Then came the hard part. Telling my family.

I had to tell my mom first. How did I tell my mom, you ask? I wrote her a letter. Yes, a letter. You see, I was raised in a Southern Baptist church. Being pregnant and unmarried is bad. So I wrote my mom a letter, because I'm a wuss. My mom's reaction? She was upset because I would be raising her grandbaby in another state, four hours away.

Obviously there was some shock but I only ever heard one negative comment from a crazy aunt and who really cares what she thinks anyway??

At that point in my pregnancy, I was assuming that I was going to be raising Clay by myself (with so much love and support from family and friends!) and while Mike was supportive of my decision, I don't think he knew if he wanted to have any involvement at all.

I want to say here that I don't blame Mike for not knowing. He was 25 and single and had just found out he was going to be a father.

I'll pause the story here to save you from a lonnnnnnng post.

5 things to love about winter.

My feelings about winter can pretty much be summed up by saying this:

Cold toilet seats. Getting out of the shower. Dry hands that crack and bleed. Wet, cold snow.

I hate it all.

In an attempt to be a little less bah humbug about winter, I bring you

Maybe I'm a little obsessed with the Rhonna Designs app. And yes, I know the words are completely off center.

1. Blankets. Everywhere. I do love a good blanket and in the winter I get to use them alllll the time.

 

2. Hot tea and coffee. All day long. Needing to warm up is the perfect excuse for my fourth cup of tea.

 

3. The holidays. Namely Christmas. I get to go all out decorating for Christmas and no one can say anything like they do when I put out my St. Patty's day wreath. Plus, I kind of love seeing people open the gifts I get them.

 

4. Slippers, sweats, and sweets. The three S's. The first two happen quite a bit during the winter and because of that, I don't feel so bad when A LOT of the last one happens.

 

5. Football. Lots and lots of football. Sadly, it will leave us at the beginning of February and we'll be forced to spend the rest of the winter alone. Sigh. Until then, Clay and I have a nice Sunday routine of watching football and napping on the couch.

 

And that is all. As soon as Christmas is over, spring better get it's behind back here. STAT.

 

Are you a lover of winter? If so, can you explain the appeal to me?

Special thanks to Kelli from She Crab Soup for inspiring today's post.

 

Phew.

Well, we made it through another trip to Tennesseee (I make that sound like it's difficult to visit my family, but have you traveled with a toddler?).

Anyway, I'm fortunate enough that we don't have to split Thanksgivings between Charlotte and Tennessee, so we loaded up and hit the road early Thursday morning with just enough time to change before my family ate at one. We get to my mom' sat 12:30. She informs us everyone already started eating.

What? If you tell me you're eating at one, then eat at one!

In my family's defense, we do a very laid back Thanksgiving. My cousin wore basketball shorts so he could eat more...

But still...

Oh, and did I mention that Clay was kind enough to pass along his fever virus? So in addition to all the madness, I felt like straight up poo.

Never fear though! I got to spend the rest of the day watching football, eating, and decorating my grandparents' house for Christmas (our yearly tradition).

Friday and Saturday were a big blur of shopping, eating, loving, sleeping in (thanks, mom!), and finally starting to make Christmas presents (remember, I'm making all of them except two).

Then yesterday we had to come home. Coming home is always a little bittersweet. I'm sad to leave my family but I love being in my own home, sleeping in my own bed.

Then this happened:

I shared this on Instagram last night, but for those of you who are lame (jk.sorta) and don't follow me on IG, I started a new tradition with our Christmas tree. In years past, I've had very girly, very coordinated Christmas tree decorations but after last year, I just decided that wasn't going to cut it since I have a little man in the house now. The new rule for our Christmas tree is that the ornaments have to be handmade or have to be ones that were given to us. Then every year I can share with Clay all the memories our tree holds!

Yes, I made a paper chain for my tree. My mom had some scrapbook paper in the perfect Christmas colors. I'm in love.

Off I go to fill my ears with the beautiful Christmas music from NSYNC.

Try not to be too jealous.