Life to the Max

8 Months + Thoughts on Orphans

2012-01-03T05:14:00.001-08:00

Well, our traditional chair photo didn't happen this month. We moved, got sick, and can't find our cute 8 month sticker anywhere! I must find them before we get to 9 months. I have been meaning to sit and blog for a while, but for some reason we can only get internet in one corner of our living room right now, and not to mention we have been crazy busy/a bit unorganized this month.

We moved for good the Wednesday before Christmas, but have only spent the past 3 nights in our new house and Cody started his new job yesterday.

Max is suffering from his first illness in his little life. He had an ear infection around 6 months but you would have never known. He is the child who laughs during his shots, so it has been devastating for me to see him so miserable. I don't know what to do for him. He still plays and laughs, and smiles but I know HIM, and something is just off. He's not his usual jolly self, which he always is so I know something is wrong. The doctors keep looking at him commenting on how happy he is, and I feel like they don't really think he is suffering but I know he is. He is eating a fraction of his regular amount of food, and has lost 10 ounces in less than a week. Just awful. He's up coughing at night, gagging up his food and a huge snot ball! He has also been on a nebulizer until today to control his wheezing, and help make eating more comfortable (which it hasn't). I was told to take him off it yesterday because he was having some side effects that were making him cranky, jittery, and making him have the hardest time falling asleep. We were all suffering there.

At 8 months Max is:

-Crawling (army style)

-Eating fruits, Mum Mums, Veggies, Noodles & Meats

-Saying "da da" but not sure he has any word assoication

-Babbling like crazy

-Sleeping from about 6:30-6:30

-Usually taking 3 naps.

-He was 24 pounds, but closer to 23 since his illness

The one thing I have been continually thinking as his illness approaches day 10, is how unbelievably blessed we are to live in the country we do, with the healthcare we have at our fingertips. I just finished a book called Kissed From Katie (A MUST READ), by a 22 year old woman named Katie David who is living in Uganda as a single mother to 14 adopted Ugandan girls ranging from 3-13 (I think). She shared countless stories of children who are dying of malnutrition, dehydration, malaria, HIV, TB, and other horrendous diseased nobody can identify. One of her youngest daughters came to her as a two year old who couldn't walk or talk, and had phenomena constantly. Without being saved by Katie she would have died.

Many of the children are orphaned because their fathers abandoned them, and their mothers died during childbirth. Childbirth is one of the leading causes of death in women in 3^rd world countries. That again makes me feel very blessed. I was in labor for over 30 hours, and lost a great deal of blood. I was then admitted back to the hospital with a bad infection. If I would have given birth in a village in Africa I would have surely died, this was even verified by my doctor when I asked her! It’s crazy to think that God choose me to live where I do, and get to safely welcome my baby into the world. Max, also had a few complications at birth that were very minor, like low blood sugar and jaundice. Again, untreated these issues could and probably would have been life threatening for him. This happens every day all over the world. The one statistic that stood out to me more than anything in the entire book was that if only 8 percent of Christians cared for one orphan in the world, the problem would be resolved. 8 PERCENT!! If we would all just care for one of these children there would be no hunger, poverty, disease, and abandonment! I’m not preaching at anyone because I am still trying to figure out what my family is supposed to do. What I am realizing is that God doesn't just suggest that we should care for the “least of these” but he DEMANDS it. We are not all called to go to Africa and adopt, but we are called to use the wealth we are blessed with to help those in need. God did not accidentally forget to provide enough resources for the entire world to be fed, healthy, and clothed. He provided some with more than others, his main intention being that we SHARE what was not ours to begin with.

Katie mentions constantly how "appalled" she is with her former life in an affluent neighborhood in Brentwood, TN. She is so very thankful for her upbringing, and the hard work of her parents to make sure she was provided for, but now is able to put the frivolous spending of her past into perceptive. The cost one a pedicure, or a pair of shoes can send a child to school for an entire semester! I don't think there is anything wrong with the occasional pedi, or a new shoe purchase, but by sister made a good point by saying that when we feel entitled to these things we have a big problem.

This issue cannot be brushed under the rug. The salvation of these dying children is the burden that I believe the LORD has given to us. Here's a picture of Katie with her girls.

BIG NEWS!

2011-12-10T18:07:00.001-08:00

Hi blog friends! I have been sitting here for about 30 minutes dinking around on the computer reading blogs, and was compelled to actually write a blog. After all, it has been a while and we have good news! Drum roll please..........

WE ARE MOVING TO HOUSTON!

Some of you already know (and thank you for all of your prayers) that Cody has been interviewing for a job with Waste Management for the past couple months, and just recently traveled to H-town to have his last 5 hour interview! I dropped him off thinking I would just grab coffee and play with my ipad for a little while until he called me to pick him up. Well, 5 hours later after I had parked at 5 different meters, walked around the entire downtown area, revisited the site of our wedding reception, driven through McDonalds TWICE for a Diet Dr. Pepper, and taken a nap in the car he FINALLY called me to come pick him up! I had a good feeling that he would have good news since he was in there so long, but was disappointed when he told me they had one more interview and would get back with him the next week. Jeez Louise! I am terrible about being patient in these particular situations, BUT luckily they called him Monday morning and offered him the job! I was instantly so excited/proud of him! It is crazy though to get a call like that, and in a moment you know your life is totally changing. I laid awake that night trying to create a plan of how exactly we were going to get this move in before Christmas. We are still trying to figure that out, but I'm sure it will all work itself out. Right?

We are trying to be packed and out of our current house before we leave on the 22nd for Christmas. I think I will start packing tomorrow! Speaking of Christmas, check out this little Christmas angel on his way to see Santa! So sleepy!

The official 2011 Santa picture! I've seriously been waiting my whole life for that moment!

and a little sneak peak photo from our family x-mas photo shoot!

Anyway, it is a bittersweet feeling to be moving to Houston, and leaving our home here. I have always wanted to be close to my family, and seriously cannot believe this is going to happen. On the other hand, i'm going to miss my friends and family (my mother in law live SO close to us now), and am nervous about making new "close" friends. I obviously grew up in Sugar Land so know quite a few people, but have never been a mom there, and want more than anything to form relationships with other mom's of young kids! It's always hard being the "new girl" in a circle of already close friends. So if you are a mom is Sugar Land and want to invite me over for a play date I WILL NOT say no! I am seriously craving, and have been for a while "mom friends!"

I LOOOOVE all of my other best friends in H-Town, but they unfortunately they have to go to this silly thing called "work" all day! None of my college bf's in town have kids yet!

We are also beyond pumped to get involved in church. We had wonderful relationships at our church here, but when Max came, he was the first child in the small group, and we couldn't really keep the same schedule that the group liked, ie, meet at 8-10:30, then go to Starbucks afterwards! Oooh those were the days! Now Max is out for the night at 6:15-6:30!

We are so excited for all the new opportunities ahead, but are also trying to be realistic that all things take time. For so long when things in life weren't exactly going our way, we would say something along the lines of "if we lived in Houston we would have more babysitters," or "if we lived in Houston I would have more friends," or "if we lived in Houston we would be more involved in church!" HAHA. Houston was the "mecca" of all cities, which is kind of hilarious when you live in Austin. Anyway-my point is, while I am seriously excited, I am also reminding myself to have realistic expectations about the move, and not get discouraged if everything is not how I dreamed it will be right away. I know I am going to have to put effort in too, to have friends, church involvement etc...

So wish us luck! We are busy trying to soak up our city before we pack it up! Here are a few pictures of us before heading out to have some Chuys! We love us some Chuys!

And I had to post this picture because it cracked me up! This is what I came down the stairs to the other morning! Ummm hi baby, where is your dad? Not a toy or a parent in sight, just little Max watching Sesame Street all alone. To avoid any fears, Cody was 3 feet away, but I couldn't see him from my angle. He was actually making a bottle, and had picked up the entire living room so there would be a nice "ambiance" when I woke up. Ohh what on earth am I going to do when my husband doesn't work from home anymore? I'm going to feel like my job got a lot harder too! I have been unbelievably spoiled with my sleeping in on weeks days!

I guess that's it! Merry Christmas!

Our Big Boy is 7 Months Old...(tear)

2011-11-26T17:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday to be exact Max turned 7 months old. Another month has flown by, and he is NOT so slowly losing his baby ways. Everyone who is around him frequently says the same. We had lunch with my mother in law yesterday, and she and I were just watching him in his own little world at the restaurant. She agreed that it seems like in the past 2 weeks he has changed so much.

Quick disclaimer. I am going to write many, many, details that will probably bore most everyone other than my mom (and maybe even her), but I want to be specific so I can look back and remember exactly how my little baby was when he is all grown up! I can also see into the future, and KNOW that when I have another baby I am going to be obsessed with wondering what Max was doing at that child's particular phase. Okay, continuing on...

I LOVE that he loves to go out and be around people. He will sit at a restaurant like a champ, loves to look around at church, and can usually do well on little sleep when out in public. At home is another story. He has a very calm, chill demeanor so he rarely MELTS down, but he does get fussy at home which rarely happens out. The main problem we are dealing with now, and it truly is driving me mad is his lack of decent naps. He has always struggled with what BabyWise calls the "45 minute intruder." At around 45-50 minutes all babies hit the end of their first sleep cycle, and usually flutter their eyes and fall back asleep.

Well, I don't know if it's just his social personality or what, but Max rarely can fall back asleep after his little cat nap. This is usually fine, but he is tired again so quickly that I feel like I can never leave the house and get anything done before he will want to go to sleep again. Or he will fall asleep in the car, and further the vicious cycle of bad napping. About 2 weeks ago, for exactly 2 weeks straight he took three 2 hour naps a day, and slept exactly 12 hours at night! It was AMAZING and I thought we had finally turned a corner! Well, my Mom came in town, he got wired and excited and what.do.you.know. Back to dinky, irritating, annoying, 45 minute naps. Can you tell this is killing me?! I guess he was just going through a growth spurt before.

He still sleeps well at night, but the past couple of nights has woken up at 5:45ish crying for about 20-30 minutes and then goes back to sleep until 7 or so. Weird. A typical "good" night he will sleep from about 7-6:30. I'll think we are finally in a routine and then he changes it up on me. I've heard from other moms that this never changes, so I am trying my best to just roll with the punches. He is a wonderful, adaptable baby so I can't complain. I just really get hung up on his not getting enough sleep.

Here are a few things he is up to this month:

-Scooching/Crawling. He can get anywhere with his little maneuver.

-Playing "drums" with his little hands on any flat surface. The wipes container, the table, or highchair.

-Rocking on his hands and knees CONSTANTLY, even in his crib when his eyes are closed.

-Doesn't like rocking very much anymore, and I usually have to just lay him down wide awake. I will try to snuggle him in his glider at bedtime but he is usually not having it. Occasionally with a bottle or at naps he will still fall asleep with me holding him.

-Never says no to food. He loves all fruits, green beans, potatoes, and mixed veggies. The only 2 things he HATES are prunes (understandably so) and peas (again, I get it).

-He has started on some table food, but I am somewhat of a freak about choking, so I am still holding back on that for now. So far he has sucked/gummed an apple and loved it, had some banana chucks, bites of a whole wheat bagel, and little pieces of Puffs. Cody gave him a tortilla the other night and he choked a little bit! It probably wasn't the best choice looking back, but I do think he is ready to try more of the baby "friendly" first foods.

-He holds his arms up now for me to pick him up, and it's pure heaven on earth.

He is developing a little bit of stranger anxiety I think, but only acts that way at the church nursery. I was SHOCKED the first time I went to pick him up and his little eyes were red from crying. Same thing second time, and most recently I had to be paged! I really have no idea why he doesn't like it. Next time I am going to spend a little more time in there before I leave, and maybe that might work.

Such a great baby, and we are beyond in love, and beyond blessed!

ATX Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

We had a GREAT Thanksgiving this year with Cody's mom, and her side of the family. Max was a champ and had a great day too! His G-Momma hooked him up with new toys, a cozy room set up just for him, and a highchair, bowl, bib and everything he needed to enjoy thanksgiving dinner with us.

I was nervous he would not nap well in a new room, but he did okay. His naps were short, but he still slept which helped me enjoy the day! Here are a few pictures of our day. Thanks G-Momma for such a wonderful day-and to my family, hopefully these pictures will help you feel like you shared Max's first Turkey Day with us!

Of course in my true blog fashion these pictures are totally out of order, but enjoy some pictures of our little turkey boy.

Such a big boy sitting at the table with us. This was after he SCARFED two huge helpings of sweet potatoes, and was content to chew on some keys!

So snugly on the couch after a big meal.

I had to document these cute photos of Max that Cheryl had framed. We laughed that this room was a shrine to our family because one wall is ALL me and Cody, and the other is Max.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

Master turkey carver!

He LOOOOVED bouncing on this little cow!

Turkey bootie!
Mom, look at all my new toys!

Pie table....YUM

Turkey cookies that Cody and I made :) You have to kill time somehow when your child goes to bed at 6:30

My apple pie! I was proud of my lattice work!

Starting the day with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

New favorite activity-load up, and then dump toys out of the pot!

6 Month Munchkin Boy

2011-10-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

Sweet boy turned 6 months old yesterday! He is so aware of his surroundings, loves to make us laugh, and is the most social little guys around. He will just stare and stare at us, and I seriously melt. After he takes a long nap, (which is not often) and I go get him out of his crib he will lay his head on my shoulder for a couple seconds, then look up at me, then put his head back down over and over for a couple minutes. It's like he is making sure I am still there. Love it!

His weight gain is slowing down which is actually a relief because at the rate he was going he would be about 50 lbs by his first birthday. He has been in the 97th percentile in weight up until this month. I think it has to do with all of his activity since he rolls and bounces around all day long.

6 months stats:

Weight 20.1 ounce (90th percentile)

Height 28 inches (95th-97th percentile)

He is probably going to have his Daddy's build because the doctor did his projected growth and said according to his growth patterns he thinks he will be between 6'2-6'4 in height, and probably move to around the 75th percentile in weight by 3 years. Isn't it crazy they can estimate this so young? I'll be interested to see how accurate he was. I laugh imagining my baby being over 6 feel tall when he is 18 years old. I told my mom, and she said "you better get ready to cook," so true! He is happy and healthy.

The only problem we are dealing with right now is a patch of eczema on his cheek. He has had it since he was a few weeks old but it was always manageable with lotion or a little bit of hydrocortisone. Right now it is so inflamed and itchy. I know its bothering him because he scratched it so much last night that he was bleeding when I went to get him up!! So sad. If anybody reading has experience this and has a miracle cure please let me know!

Other than that he is doing well! Sleeping between 10-12 hours a night, and sleeping around 3 hours a day. No to shabby. I remember thinking this would NEVER happen when he was a newborn.

Oh yes-I forgot to mention that I am spending my first night away from Max this Saturday night. I am flying with my sister to Dallas for a friends baby shower, and we aren't coming home until Sunday evening! Cody and I have plans in Houston Friday night too, so I will probably miss bedtime for my little man three nights in a row. I know he will be fine, but I am going to miss him! Wish me luck :) Here are a couple of picture of Max this month!

Fall Fun

2011-10-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

We have had so much fun with friends and family over the past couple of weeks. I will just dedicate this post to pictures, most of which are pretty self explanatory.

Max and his G-Momma went to the pumpkin patch. He was exhausted and really interested in the pumpkins so we couldn't get him to smile.

We had a quick photo shoot tonight in his Itsy Bitsy Spider costume, just in case he sleeps through Halloween and we can't get a good picture on the day!

Mommy and Baby Spider!

They look so much alike to me right now.

My friends from my previous post came to visit, and we took Max on a walk to the park for him to experience the swings for the first time.

He loved it!
Hey look, its my mom!

Friends!

In other big new, Max turned 6 months old today! Stay tuned for his 6 month post and stats.

I'm So EXCITED

2011-10-19T12:02:00.001-07:00

Why you ask?! Because these two are coming to visit me this weekend! Ohhhh how I miss them so, and hate that we don't live in the same town. Kayla (my sister), Lauren, and Kara were all hanging out last weekend, and we propped up our iPads so I could be part of the party. It's just not right that we live so far apart but I'm glad they didn't forget about me. I am so thankful for best friends, and wish we all lived on the same cul-de-sac. I have known Lauren from birth (literally-we are one week apart) and Kara was my very first friend to make at ACU. We have had so many fun memories together, and I love that we will be friends forever.

See you guys Friday. I have a fun weekend planned :)

Oh The Places You Will Go....

2011-10-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

Oh Maxwell Stone, and entirely new world is being opened to you now that the weather is cooler! We will walk to the park, go to the zoo, jog in the stroller, play outside, and the list goes on! Your sensitive skin does not like the heat, so we have been inside quite a bit. Sorry it has been so hot buddy. Just yesterday you broke out in a heat rash in the CAR in OCTOBER!! Seriously? It's been SO hot!

As I walked to my car this morning for mine and Max's daily Diet Coke run I almost dropped dead with delight at how cool it was!! When we got home I immediately ran upstairs and grabbed a sweater I have been DYING to put on Max that I over eagerly took the tags off and washed when he was 3 months old. I was sure he would grow out of it before he could wear it! It's a tiny bit snug but cute as ever on him. He was getting a little bit tired when we went out, so just laid really relaxed on his blanket staring up at the trees. A little smile would creep across his face when the breeze would hit him, and he would smack his lips like he was trying to eat the wind. It was cute, and literally one of the first times in his life we have stayed outside just for the sake of enjoying the great outdoors.

We spent some time taking pictures, ready books, and looking at a little photo book I just made for him. He is such a sweet little boy, and I love watching him experience things for the first time.

Zoned in on the trees

Possibly my new favorite picture....EVER

Relaxing

Me and my little boy. He is always dressed to the hilt and I always seem to look like this...

Maxwell Stone is 5 Months!

2011-09-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

Whoa! I cannot believe this child is 5 months old. This means next month he will be 6 months, and then he will just coast right along to his 1st birthday. I mean, I am PUMPED to throw him a birthday bash, but this just doesn't feel right. He has been changing before our eyes these past couple of weeks, and morphing into a little BOY! There have been a lot of new "firsts" this month that I am proud to share :)

At five months Max is....

-Rolling over both directions

-Sitting up (for the most part)

-Sitting in his highchair

-Eating solids. His favorites so far are bananas and sweet potatoes

-Laughing up a storm

-I swear he said "hi" but Cody is not convinced!

-Sleeping close to 12 hours a night, with the occasional wake up ranging from 5 minutes to 45 minutes (we are right in the middle of sleep training to work out that kink)

-Learning to put himself to sleep which is AMAZING because as much as I love to rock him, I was getting stuck holding him for hours and knowing good and well I was creating a little monster.

-Loves his little jump-a-roo play center (not too sure what those are called)

-Wearing mostly 9 month clothes, but some 6 month still fit him

-Had his first cold this month with was the saddest thing ever

-Smiles all the time

-Still loves to watch Praise Baby before bed

Overall such a pleasant little guy, and we love him more and more every day. Each month Cody will tell me, "I want him to stay just like this forever".

Here are some pictures of this month :) His 5 month pictures speak for themselves. This guy is on the go! I could not get him to sit still!

His FAVORITE new toy from MiMi

Highchair debut! This thing was NOT easy to assemble but I was pretty proud of myself for figuring it out :)

We pretended we were enjoying Spring weather and dressed in out cute plaid

hoodie

Twins on a frozen yogurt excursion

Being such a trooper during his cold

Adoring Aunt KK and Uncle Lance

Ready to try his first bite of cereal!

Excited!

Getting some practice with the spoon before the real deal

Hmmmm not so sure about this Mom

Story time with Daddy before bed

Happy Tuesday everyone!

There Are No Words

2011-09-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

This has been a truly tragic past couple of days for hundreds of people who have lost their homes to the horrible wild fires sweeping across Central Texas. One family particularly close to my heart has endured tragedy, and lost everything. If you've followed my blog over the past couple of years you have heard me talk about and seen pictures of the precious little boys I nannied for. I met them soon after I moved to Austin, and they took me in as part of their family. Their house was truly a home away from home for me. I spent more time with them than I did with my own family being that they all live in Houston, and grew to love the boys like they were my own.

Anyway, they decided to take a little family trip to Dallas this weekend to spend a couple of days at a fun resort hotel before the summer came to an official end. They had no idea when they left their house (probably in a scramble to get everyone loaded) that it would be be last time they laid eyes on their beautiful home (newly redecorated from top to bottom), all their belongings, photos, mementos and sweet puppy. Saturday afternoon their entire neighborhood was forced to evacuate, gather what they could fit in their car and leave. Nobody had any idea where the fires were, what houses were in the danger zone, and what they would be returning to. This sweet family didn't even have the opportunity to rescue their dog.

Sunday afternoon they faced what they feared the most. Total and complete devastation of their home. It breaks my heart into a million pieces watching them try to make sense of this horrific event. Pray for their two boys because I am sure they can't quite grasp what is going on, why they can't go home, and have to live in a hotel. Pray for their parents that they can find a peace that surpasses all understand, and find the strength to pick of the pieces of their life and start all over from scratch.

I know this is only one of MANY stories. It's hard to understand God's plan sometimes.

Sweet family.

Weekend Fun

2011-09-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

We have had a great weekend, and always love the extra time we get to spend with Cody! We were invited to a little pre-labor day/UT bbq with some friends before they actually left to go watch the game live! We (as in Cody) were a little jealous we didn't get to go to the game, but it is still SO hot so I'm not too sad. Plus I kind of dislike football. I know, I said it. Today we were bound and determined to get to Westover (a church in the area) that we have been trying out lately. We love our church, but are looking for a place that has a slightly more family friendly atmosphere. Well, I am strongly opposed to waking up sleeping babies, and Max snoozed through the entire time frame we needed to be getting ready and out the door. Because of his little siesta, we went to the evening service at the Austin Stone (our usual church). Well, I guess church just wasn't in the cards for us today. Here are the steps involved in church tonight:

Step 1- Walked in the door to realize Max was dripping in poop, and it was slowly seeping onto me.

Step 2- Had a great family bonding experience in the designated "family" restroom were we burned through a full pack of wipes, and paper towels to try and make ourselves presentable/acceptably scented.

Step 3- Found a seat on the very back row to have Max start crying and shaking when the music started (this has never happened)

Step 4- I took him out to chill and have a bottle, to find that the cap wasn't screwed on and 5 ounces of liquid gold covered both of us.

Step 5- Texted Cody that "we are out of here."

I guess the Praise Baby DVD and some family time tonight will have to be our church substitute. Anyway, the one positive to missing church this morning was that we went of a looooong walk to the cutest little cafe in our neighborhood and had breakfast. Max was such a trooper in the heat, and loved the hustle and bustle of the restaurant. There was about a 30 minute wait so we weren't sure if he was going to hit a wall, but he was a little doll. He took a little power nap in Cody's lap, but no tears were shed.

I'm so thankful for my little family!

Sporting is size 2T jersey :) Cutie patoot!

Passed out with his Daddy at brunch!

Newborn Photos-Enjoy!

2011-09-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

My growing munchkin!

2011-09-02T11:09:00.001-07:00

I am just awful about blogging. I'm not sure how to get back into it. When I have time to myself that doesn't involve cooking, cleaning, eating or sleeping I don't find myself wanting to cue up the computer. In all honesty I would rather read, catch up on some TV, or take a nap. Am I just terrible? How do all of you blogging mamas motivate yourselves? I'm sure if I made it a habit, and developed some sort of readership I might get the bug! So I've been the girl who has cried (blog) wolf many a time, but I really would like to mean it this time when I say I AM BACK! I know, you don't believe me.

Anyway, today I would like to brag on my little 4 month old preciousness. You guys, he is the sweetest, cutest little round ball of lovin! I seriously look at him and my heart hurts. What I've done to deserve this little man in beyond me. Cody and I watch him, and just feel like he is growing up before out eyes. For the first couple of month I really didn't understand why everyone said "enjoy it, it goes so quickly", I would think to myself, "this is NOT going quickly". I loved my child, yes of course, but didn't know exactly what everybody was speaking of? I was up for 10 more hours a day than I was used to, and didn't leave the house for days on end.

Well...now that we have developed some new and improved sleep habits, with only the occasional crazy night, I feel like the is growing up before my eyes. His favorite things to do right now are to:

Belly laugh

Roll over and over and over

Grab his toes

Smile anytime I look in his direction

Play in his Jump-A-Roo

Watch Praise Baby every night before bed laughing at the same parts each time

Eat, eat, eat

Stand up on your lap

Try to crawl and always face plant

Facetime with his MiMi, Grandpa, Aunt KK and Uncle Lance

Go to the grocery store or target. His eyes get HUGE, and he just stares at everything

Make mean faces when stranger hover over his stroller in public telling him how cute he is. We will have to work on our manners on that one, but I probably wouldn't want crazy people in my face either.

Play with his toys on the floor

Story time with his daddy before bed

His elephant lovie blanket

Here are a few of his 3 (because I forgot to post-shocker) and 4 month photo shoots. Love him.

3 months old

15.5 lbs (95%) 24.1/4 inches (90%)

4 months old

18 lbs (97%) 26.5 inches (90-95%)

Quick Note

2011-07-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

I am fully aware that my blog photo is LAME. I am not a single, pregnant mother, but you would not know otherwise with my lovely self portrait above. Change is coming, but I'm not quite sure how to do it.

That's all. Goodnight :)

2 Months!

2011-07-08T14:46:00.001-07:00

I am a couple weeks behind in posting Maxwell's 2 month blog post. Opps! I did however take pictures which I will make sure and do every month with Max in his chair with his elephant. Next month, and for the rest of his first year he will have the cutest little stickers from http://pickysticky.com/ that I can put on his onsies to display each month! My mother in law sent me a text this morning that they are on their way to our house :) Thanks Cheryl.

Anyway, I have a super long post about Father's Day that is also saved as a draft that needs to be posted. I am struggling to get blogs out their because my little baby loves being held, which makes it difficult for his mom to get too much done on the computer. Okay, here is what Max is up to at 2 months.

Stats:

Weight: 14.15 lbs (this was actually at 9.5 weeks, but close enough)

Lenght: 24 3/8 inches

He Loves:

*to sing

*smile and giggle

*shriek in delight

*snuggle, snuggle, snuggle

*to eat

*to sleep (sometimes)

*music

*tummytime (sometimes)

We went though a rough patch with sleeping, and then it got much, much better. For about 3 weeks straight he slept for 7 hour stretches at night from about 9-4 or 10-5. Unfortunately, the past couple of nights he has been waking up at 3:30 to eat. Not sure what that's about. He is still a little grunter, but it is getting better. He is totally off all reflux medicine which is great, and I am seeing no difference or increased discomfort from what we thought might be reflux. Yay for no medicine because I hated to give it to him!

Other than that we are just loving life. I am feeling more and more rested even if I am only getting about 5 hours at a time, and starting to get out and about all the time. We are praying for some friends with babies so I can form some relationships. I have a few girlfriends here with kids, so we need to make a better effort to get together. The problem is that their kids are all older so their schedules are different. Either way, I need to stop making excuses and get out there and get a life haha! I have been holed up in my house quite a bit, or in Houston. It's time to embrace Austin.

Lana's Wedding & A Shout Out To My AMAZING Mom

2011-06-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

Me and little Max have been having a blast these past couple weeks! Memorial day weekend we made our first big road trip to San Antonio, and stayed 3 days so I could be in one of my very best friend's wedding. Lana Pavlin became Lana Leiloglou, and it was so much fun to see their two families join together. Lana is first generation Croatian, and Angelos is first generation Greek. I actually looked over at one point when Angelos' dad was playing with his granddaughter, and heard his jump up and say "hoppa!" It made me think of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but it was nothing like that. They got married at the Westin La Cantera Resort, and it was BEAUTIFUL!!

My parents were little walking Angels, and traveled with us so I could make it to all of the wedding functions. I was EXHAUSTED after the bachelorette party, the bridal luncheon, the rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner and the wedding! Not to mention I wasn't exactly bridesmaid dress ready being that I just pushed out a very large baby. Let's also not overlook the fact that Lana and her sisters with their naturally tan skin, and flowing curly dark hair made me feel very pale, and chunky...oh well. I do have something super cute to show for my body not being at it's best!

We got home late Sunday night, and Max being the good baby that he is knew I was exhausted so he decided to sleep from 11pm-4am! My mom stayed for a couple of days in Austin, then she and I headed to Houston. We had a blast as usual. My mom is AMAZING with Max, and makes my life soooo easy when I come stay. I get so spoiled, and have to face reality when I get home. She feeds his his morning bottle, makes my breakfast, lets me sleep until noon if I want, has coffee ready and waiting when I wake up, and just quietly and calmly brings me the baby when he is hungry. Really??!! I definitely don't deserve that! I even woke up to her folding Cody's laundry that she quietly took out of my room while I was sleeping. She is AMAZING and I so wish we lived in the same town. It's not that I don't think I can take care of the baby my myself, but there is just something so amazing about having your mom near. Someone who knows you inside and out, and can help you without you ever having to ask.

She and my Dad are leaving for Israel in a few days, and I won't see them for 3 weeks. This doesn't seem like a long time, but I don't think I have gone more than a week without seeing my family since the baby. Ohh I just love them! Kayla and Lance are coming in town this weekend for a birthday party, so that should be a lot of fun! Let me also just mention quickly how amazing Kayla, Lance, and my Dad are with Max. I know I have been raving about my mom, however, they are equally wonderful! They all jump at the opportunity to help in any way, and know just how to make little Maxwell happy! Oh yes, and Cody too. That is just a given!

Okay, I hear some grunting coming from the couch! Let me leave you with some pictures of the wedding, and of our little guy! Have a wonderful Tuesday!

My amazing college friends with the bride. It's always so much fun to spend time together. There are also two preggie mama's in this picture! Shaylee (far left) and Taryn (blue dress-2nd from right) are both expecting their little babies a few weeks apart! Shay is having a little girl, and we are still waiting for T to find out! Our groups of friends has now produced 3 boys, so we are excited to meet little baby girl Webb!

Cute couple eating their cake!
You may kiss the bride!
Oh yes, and little Max rocking his 3 month overalls! I get him dressed and ready with nowhere to go just so he can wear all of his clothes before they are too small!

Little thug. My mom was not happy I tortured him like this :)

1 Month Old

2011-05-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

I'm a little bit late in posting this blog, but happy 1 month birthday to Maxwell Stone Girod! We've made it one month, and LOVE watching our little dude grow and change. It's funny, because people always say that the first couple months fly by, however, I feel like he has been with us forever, and quite honestly...this month has not flown by. Granted, we had a rough start, but definitely can't imagine our lives without our baby boy.

From reading my friends blogs with little kiddos, they always document the changes they've seen, but being that Max is only 4 weeks old he has not done all that much. We do feel like he has grown a ton though, and is almost 11 pounds! He is VERY tall, so even though the doctor always jokes about his weight he still looks like a pretty skinny baby with chunky cheeks! He has out grown most all of his newborn clothes, and is busting at the seam in most of his onsies, however, his 0-3 month pants don't even tough his waist! He loves to push up and stand on our legs, loves to look around the room and watch the fan, he is in love with a glow in the dark, musical sea horse, has fun laying on the floor on his play mat and looking at himself in the mirror. Hmmm what else....he likes to snuggle, and would sleep on us all night if we would let him. He has acquired the nick name Grunterson because he is a serious grunter and is keeps his mommy up all night because she never knows if something is bother him or not. He is a serious eater, and would eat all day if I could let him.

Overall, he is a wonderful, snuggly little baby and we are beyond blessed to have him in our lives. I can't believe God chose us to be his parents-but we are going to take on this role with the best of our ability! We love him so much, and can't wait to watch him grow and change, but also want him to be a teeny baby forever.

Happy birthday Max!!

We're Still Here!

2011-05-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

This blog is being typed with one hand, so it's going to be short and sweet. We are happy/healthy and loving life...a little tired, but that's okay!

Check out the link below to see some AMAZING (or at least I think so) photos of little man! Longer, more exciting post to come.

http://everestroad.zenfolio.com/babymax/slideshow

Crazy Birth Story & Pictures Of Our Little Man Max

2011-05-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

*DISCLAIMER** THIS IS A VERY LONG POST BECAUSE IT WAS A VERY LONG LONG EXPERIENCE

I've taken a little blog break, and have been dying to blog about our birth story, and how Max came to be in this world at 2:55AM, on Tuesday, April 26th.

After 3 hours of pushing, he was born weighing 8lb 9oz, 22 1/4 inches long and screaming his head off. So where should I being to document this memorable experience....

I was admitted to the hospital on Sunday the 24th at 6AM, for a Monday morning induction. I started on a medication to expedite the process that evening and started contracting immediately. They were small, relatively painless contractions, but started coming every minute or so, which was too quick for comfort, so I was not able take the full dosage that was needed for my body to be prepared to start the Pitocin the next morning.

The next morning they started a very low dose of Pitocin, but again, my contractions were too close together so they were never able to up the dosage in order for me to dilate and get things going. I had to make the decision if I wanted them to break my water, or go home and attempt the process all over again in a few days. I had NO idea what to do because my chance of a c-section was almost guaranteed if I let them break my water without being dilated, and not responding well to the medication. Anyway, Cody and I talked about it, and decided we had been at this for over 12 hours, and were committed to having our baby that day. So at noon my doctor broke my water and discovered that the baby was meconium (had a bowl movement in the womb) and said we had made the right decision.

I started worrying about the baby because I knew this could potentially be a serious condition, and we wouldn't know if he was okay until he was born. OOOOH this was just the beginning of my worrying.

To speed this story up, they stopped the Pitocin, and I started contracting on my own. I got an epidural, and was finally ready to push at midnight that night (thank goodness no c-section). So we had officially been at this for over 24 hours, and Max was born screaming 3 hours later-luckily the crying meant that he didn't need to go to the NICU and I was SOOOO happy and relieved.

I had a great deal of blood loss during the labor, and almost passed out afterwards and was put on oxygen. This was too bad because I was so delirious that I have a foggy memory of the moments right after his birth. After a few hours of putting me back together I was finally ready to go to the recovery room, and then meet Cody and Max in the nursery.

The moment I was wheeled past the nursery I could tell something was wrong from the look on Cody's face. Max was laying in the warmer, and Cody was talking to a nurse (a nurse that we ended up really disliking). She told Cody that there was something wrong with the baby's heart, and when I asked her to elaborate, she informed me I could speak with another nurse because her shift was over, and she had already stayed 15 minutes late....REALLY!? So another long story short, they called the Cardiologist who was going to meet us in a few hours to listen to the irregular heartbeat, and let us know what was going on. I had now been awake for about 2 days, without anything to eat. They told me I should try and nurse the baby, and before I knew it I had passed out on the bathroom floor of my room, Cody had pulled the emergency cord and I woke up to about 10 nurse and Cody hovered over my bed. SCARY. Poor Cody didn't know what to do, and felt like he had to choose between taking care of me and Max. He did a great job staying calm, and making me feel relaxed.

When I woke up Max was next to my bed hooked up the the EKG machine, and the cardiologist informed me that she wasn't really concerned, and that it was VERY common for newborns to have small murmurs and that we needed to follow up in a few days. I was still worried, but relieved that she wasn't too concerned. Poor baby.

The next couple days were okay, and I was starting to feel better. Max had a few boughs of low blood sugar so they had to feed him formula which I was not thrilled about, but at this point was just SO ready for someone to tell me he was normal and healthy, and I didn't need to worry about his. Not to mention that every emotion is heightened when you're sleep deprived.

We were finally allowed the be discharged within in the normal 48 hours, and headed home on Thursday afternoon. I started to feel a little shaky, and feverish that night, however, brushed it off as my body just regulating itself. When I woke up for my first feeding I could not move from the couch, and felt like a truck ran over me. I had poor Cody feed Max formula from a tube taped to his finger, until I look my temperature around 4AM, which was over 103 degrees after drinking a huge glass of water....back to the ER we went.

I had held it together up until this point, but after a few excruciating procedures that should NEVER be done on a women who just had a baby, and getting the news that I would be transferred to a floor that was not recommended for babies I broke down. I refused to leave the ER until I was transferred to the labor and delivery floor so Max could stay with me. Who in their right mind would accept being separated from their 2 day old baby. My doctor (who I'm pretty sure thinks I am crazy) called me on her cell phone and told me she would do what she could to get me to labor and delivery. Another looong story short, I was wheeled back in, watched some of the Royal Wedding, had a few pass out scares, and convulsive shakes before Cody and my Mom showed up at the hospital with Max strapped down to what is called a Bili Bed because apparently he was VERY jaundice, and nobody caught it in the hospital. Oh my. I could not hold him unless I was feeding him, and he was forced to lay down in the bed all other hours of the day. I could hold his bed on my lap, which is what I spent most of my time doing. Poor baby.

The next few days were a blur, and I was so blessed to have constant help from my parents, Cody, and his Mom. I was not allowed to be in the room alone with the baby because I was so sick, so somebody had to be there around the clock to help me feed Max through a tube (not a feeding tube, but one connected to a bottle) so he didn't get used to a bottle, but my infection delayed my milk production, so this was no easy task. I was pretty stressed, because the only way to get rid of the jaundice is to get their bellies full so they can poop the stuff out. STRESSED! At one point that day I asked Cody why there were spiders crawling all over the walls, and that surely that was not safe for the babies! I was SO tired.

Cody was unbelievable, and took Max to the pediatrician and cardiologist everyday, took obsessive notes, and was overall a lifesaver. He was in tuned to every detail, and I am so thankful for him. His biliruben levels went down, and he was able to come off the bed the day they let me come home. I was so sad to not be there with them at all the appointments, but thankful I felt comfortable with Cody taking care of him

Since we've been home, things have been great! The doctor listened to his heart yesterday and didn't even hear the irregular beat. He told me that what the nurse heard, he would not have even alerted parent's about. That would have been nice. His biliruben levels are on the decline, and he is gaining weight each visit!

We are so blessed to have this sweet baby, and I would go through it all again a million times. For those of you who have made it to the end of this post are troopers. I really just wanted to document the experience so I would not forget. Now for what people really want. Pictures!!

Update!

2011-04-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

So I just got back from the doctor a couple of hours ago, and unless I go into labor on my own (fingers crossed) I will be checking in on Sunday night for a MONDAY induction! I can't believe it. I feel somewhat uneasy about the idea of inducing, but ooooh my goodness it's so soon. If you are reading this, say a little prayer that I go into labor on my own OR that I progress a good amount between now and Monday, so on induction day I will be good and ready!

My doctor did some formula with the percent effacement and dilation, and it gives you the percentage that your induction could result in a c-section. You want to be at a 8 (meaning little to no change at all) and I was currently at a 5 today. I did go from 20% effaced Thursday to 60% today so hopefully things are moving quickly :) There is still a really good change that no

c-section will occur even if I were induced today, but my doctor is super strict, and not prone to induction unless you are really ready which is why I think she shared all of this with me.

I do totally trust her, and am sooo glad induction means I will actually get my doctor, and my second favorite doctor (the one I had while mine was on maternity leave) is on call the day of the induction...yippee.

Soooo prayers all around that the blood pressure issue stays under control this week, the baby stays healthy, and I make it though my week on the couch! BABY SOOOO SOON!! April 25th b-day for Max! This is really so hilarious to me-I am having a baby. Can you believe it? I really can't!

p.s

sorry no pictures lately-I will hopefully have something cute and cuddly to take photos of soon ;)

The Waiting Game.....

2011-04-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

I think these last 2 weeks might be the loooongest of the entire pregnancy. Not only do I feel large and in charge, but I have everything done, and am just waiting!

**house & carpets cleaned-CHECK

**bags packed-CHECK

**laundry done-CHECK

**nursery done-CHECK

**baby clothes washed and put away-CHECK

**pack and play/bouncer/swing set up-CHECK

**diapers/wipes/changing accessories sitting on changing table-CHECK

**camera & video camera charged-CHECK

**all baby bath products ready in his bathroom-CHECK

Am I forgetting anything else? Do any mom out there have any ideas/advice to make the house to hospital and hospital back home transition smooth? Any MUST haves for the hospital for mom, dad or baby??

The problem about being ready early is that there is still time for the house to get dirty again, laundry to pile up, dishes get dirty ect. especially because I am not supposed to get off the couch. I'm sure I still have at least 2 weeks left so I have no idea why I feel like big day could be here any minute. I honestly would like the baby to stay in as long as possible because I want him to be ready for the world, but the waiting is becoming challenging.

I'm just SOOOOO excited. I keep stalking people's blogs back to when they delivered their babies so I can get an idea of what to expect. Oh my goodness, this is going to be do fun!

Okay, I am going to have dinner. Codel and all of his thoughtfulness is making dinner. He just looked at me and said in a goofy voice "Codel you've got some dishes to do tonight young man" as if we were talking to himself. He knows I like to go to bed with no loose ends JUST in case we leave in the middle of the night. I'm going to look back and laugh when I go into labor the one day that nothing is done...oh well.

Okay, have a nice Saturday everybody!

News in the Girod Family

2011-04-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

Sooo obviously we are having a baby soon, BUT in other Girod news....Cody got a new job!! It's still at Dell, but he is moving out of sales, which means moving out of quotas, wavering salary, and most importantly moving away from STRESS! He has been trying to make a shift within Dell for a while and they make it about near impossible.

The new job starts May 1 which just happens to be the day after my due date, but we are so thankful, and will make it work. I am SO beyond proud of all his hard work and know he will be awesome in this new job. He is such a hard worker, and deserves this like no other. His job has been beating him down for a while now, and I just pray this will be a new fresh opportunity, and a better overall work environment.

In baby G news-I spent over 2 hours today at the OB. I went with one of my best friends Lauren who came in for lunch from San Antonio, and boy did she get full exposure. She is a labor and delivery nurse, so was fascinated by the "office" side of things. My blood pressure was really high which was a bit alarming so they ran all kinds of tests, and I even got to have an ultrasound! That was the best part. The baby is soooo cute with the biggest lips, and chubby cheeks. He was projected to weight about 7.4lbs. The doctor said that was pretty accurate, but can be one pound off in either direction, but I obviously don't have an 8.4 pound baby at this point. Even if he is only 6.4 I feel good about that, and am just happy he looks to be healthy!! He stuck is tongue out, and we could see him doing what they call "practice breathing." I was so proud of him for working on his little lungs!

I had to do blood work, and some other lovely urine tests over the next 24 hours, and will go back in Monday to review results and see if I am in fact Pre-eclamptic. If so we will start discussing induction options for NEXT WEEK!! Ohhhhh my, I cannot believe it! If everything looks good, and blood pressure is only slightly elevated I think they might let me go into the 39th week, or maybe even 40th. I'm not really sure. My nurse feels sure I am developing sighs that will contine to progress, but we shall see. I'm not really progressing or dialated more than barely a centimeter, so the doctor informed me that I would really increase my chance of having a C-Section if I started the induction at 1 centimeter.

Anyway, thanks for hanging in there for this loooong blog post. I will definitely keep everyone posted. Maybe we will have a baby soon! Yippee, I better pack my bag!

Weekend Recaps

2011-04-10T15:07:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago we had the pleasure of attending the AMAZING/BEAUTIFUL wedding of Kyle and now Erika Blair! Cody and I have known these two since ACU, but really became friends when they started dating, and Kyle moved to Austin. We love them so, and had the best time at their wedding at an adorable ranch outside of Marble Falls.

We always have such a blast spending time with them, and are so blessed for friends like these. Here is a cute pic of Erika and her dad walking down the aisle.

I'm going to skip around a bit, but this weekend my parents came in town so my mom could go to a PRECIOUS shower the girls from my small group threw for me (lots of pictures to come soon) and Cody and my dad worked on revamping out little back patio so when Max and I are spending out first few days at home we can have something pretty to look at! They did an awesome job. We have worked on this poor little patio before. If you could have seen it when we moved it, it was just a nasty, muddy, pile of leaves. Now it is a lovely little haven! I can't wait for all of our flowers to bloom! Thanks SOOO much Dad and Cody. I hope you had a fun bonding experience.

My dad loves to have customized licence plates, and has had many from "I be a dad" in 1985, to "2 at ACU" when Kayla and I were at ACU. He did a little research and realized that this is also available. Apparently the pricing has gone up about 2oo% so he just framed a copy of what it would look like and gave it to us! SO CUTE. I love it!

Lastly, jumping back to our Marble Falls weekend. The Simmons family offered their amazing lake house in Horseshoe Bay for the wedding weekend, and we treated it as a little Babymoon. We slept in, went to the pool, went out to eat and to a cute little diner, and overall just has fun spending time with just the two of us. Thanks Simmons :) Baby shower photos to come soon!

Belly Time!

2011-04-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends

I decided not to dig through all of my pictures from the past year or so because every time I tried to post them they were out of order, and really didn't make much sense to anyone but myself.

Instead, I would much rather document the "bump" progression so I can look back and remember the journey of the tummy once Max is here, and I am a fit, lean, hot, size 2 momma-j/k not really banking on that, but one can dream!

I have gone though some ups and downs with this pregnancy. Physically it has been a breeze. Seriously. For the first 18 weeks if somebody didn't tell me I was pregnant I would not have known. I never got sick, really never felt dizzy or nauseous, and wasn't fatigued much at all. I did, however, WORRY. Because I didn't have any of the symptoms they say plague almost every pregnant woman, I was just sure my baby wasn't growing properly, or something was wrong. It wasn't until about my 10th ultrasound (that’s right, I had 10) that I started to believe he was going to be okay. Then of course I started gaining weight, devouring every Chick-Fil-A drive through in sight, and pouring hard shell (the reeces topping you can put on ice cream) on ice so I could at least get the chocolate, and not consume the calories of the ice cream.

Then there was the lovely day when I looked in our full length mirror and gasped in horror as I noticed some tiny little red lines spidering across the bottom of my stomach. I screamed for Cody to come upstairs, and bless his poor soul, I think he thought I was in labor. I'm pretty sure I might even have seen some moisture in his eyes when he got into the room because he was so scared something was wrong. Then he had full out tears streaming from laughing so hard at me for worrying about stretch marks. That was not my best moment, and I feel guilty that I was so shallow-but come on, it is going to be swimsuit season immediately after my child is born.

Anyway, my last ultrasound was at 23 weeks, and I have been growing right on track ever since then. I have not been sleeping AT ALL lately because of massive heartburn, however, the past two nights I didn't experience it one bit. Maybe the baby dropped? I don't feel any different, but do have an appointment tomorrow so we shall see. Wouldn't that be exciting? Okay. Enough about the pregnancy. I'm sorry i'm rambling, but because I didn't blog during this experience I am trying to cram everything into these next few posts before Max arrives. For those of you who are weirded out about belly pics don't look any further. For those of you who love it as much as I love looking at other people's bellies ENJOY :)Here are a few belly shots along the way, and some other fun/funny pregnancy related photos. 37 weeks Sunday!

This is how I found Cody one night after I had flipped the light on for probably the 10th time to either find a book, go downstairs, find my way to the bathroom, or did through a drawer for some Tums. You think he got his point across about his feelings toward me that day? Gotta love him!
16ish weeks, and thought I looked HUGE!

19 weeks

22 weeks
28 weeks
31 weeks
34.5 weeks

I'm back to blogging!

2011-04-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody! I'm sure I don't have one reader to my name anymore, but I am SO very excited to be back to blogging. We have had so much going on in our lives, and I could kick myself for not documenting everything over the past 1.5 years! Cody and I have made a pack to keep this blog alive, with both of us posting frequently. It needs some major cosmetic work, and I need to find someone to help me revamp, but this will work for now.

Since we spoke last Cody and I have done some of the following in no particular order:

-Vacationed to Costa Rica with my family

-Annual trip to the NC beach with Cody's dad

-Girls road trip to Destin for a wedding

-Friends trip to Mexico

-River trip with the Griffith gang

-Celebrated our 25th & 26th birthdays

-Celebrated out 1 year anniversary in California

-Celebrated our two year anniversary in Austin

-Had a friends reunion in Austin

-I had surgery

-Became pregnant

-Found out it was a boy

-Had amazing baby showers

-Made lots of trips to Houston

-Went to lots of fun concerts and shows

-Made it through 3 days of ACL

-Moved out of Round Rock into our town house in Austin

-Had many wonderful times with our small group from church

-I got a new job

-I lost a new job

-I sulked for a while about it

-Started preparing for the baby

Those are some of the highlights which bring us to today, less than one month from the arrival of our little Maxwell Stone Girod. We are beyond excited and ready to meet the little guy. He is such as answer to prayer, and I hope these next few weeks fly by. On the other hand we are really trying to soak up all the time we can with one another. I feel beyond blessed to have such an amazing husband who is so much fun, and who I love spending my time with! Everything we do together from sitting at home on the couch, to going on vacation is a blast and I know I am going to miss the simplicity of "us," however, I know the change of bringing a baby into the picture will be so wonderful that we probably won't even notice.

Again, I don't even know where to start, so I will just post a few pictures soon from the past? Ha! I won't post the past 18 months, but just some fun highlights to come!

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

2009-11-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

I am so excited because the Christmas season is "almost" officially here! I am determined to drag the season out as long as possible and really enjoy it this year! Last year I was so busy with the wedding, my move and job hunt that the Christmas season was pretty much overlooked, and when it came and went I was so sad I missed all of the festivities leading up.

Cody and I went tree shopping yesterday and came home with an amazing HUGE tree with colored lights, and put it together right away. We also got out our old little 6 foot tree from last year and started decorating. We played Christmas music, made Peppermint Mocha coffee, and got into the spirit! Because I am extremely into the holidays this year my Halloween/Fall/Thanksgiving decor has been up since October 1 so it actually came down yesterday when the tree went up. It felt a little bit wrong since it's not Turkey Day yet, so I did leave a wreath on the door!

We are probably VERY over-"treed" for a 988 sq ft apartment but who cares!

I am going to try and finish my shopping this week too which would be awesome! I don't know what has come over me, I am NOT a pre planner and thrive in the LAST moment so this is a nice change to not be running all over the place 2 weeks before Christmas.

Question for readers. Does anybody have any cute and inexpensive decorating ideas for Christmas? I need some new stuff but don't want to spend much at all. Maybe just a cute arrangement for the coffee table, new centerpiece for kitchen table?? Let me know!

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving too! This will be my first year to be away from my family for T-Day! We are spending the holiday with Cody's mom which will be great, however, she did just have surgery and cannot get around well at all so I will have my work cut out for me in the food prep department! I hope I do okay :)

Happy Holiday Season!!

So I prayed for a job....oops

2009-11-09T22:11:00.000-08:00

As much as I love my boys I nanny for, I am always on the look out for a new job. Well, I took a little job hunting hiatus for a couple months but am now back at it.

I am so frustrated at the city of Austin, it's so stinking tough to find a job here. I seem to find things in other cities, but this doesn't really help!

Anyway, I am also working for a software company very part time, and just got a call to possibly teach Speech in the evenings and some weekends, as well as do some real estate work for the family I work for! AHHH, four part time jobs might be adding up to more than I want. Is this a bad attitude? I am sure I should be thankful, but is 1 full time job to much to ask for! HA! God has a sense of humor. Either way, I am just thankful to have a job right now, or four!

On the nanny note. I forget I am not a mom sometimes. My days right now are so filled with baby and toddler stuff that I feel like I will be a pro (maybe) when my time comes. My little guys are 2 years and 11 weeks and SO much fun! As much as I feel like I need to phase out of this job I ABSOLUTELY cannot imagine anyone else keeping these boys!

Here are couple pictures of baby Beau. One on Halloween, and the second when he was only 3 days old! I wonder how many pictures I will post when I actually have my own children!

Thank you all who left a little comment so motivate me to keep blogging. So sweet! I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday :)

"Hi my name is Beau!"

I was going to get rid of my blog but I changed my mind!

2009-11-08T18:50:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

I was sure I was going to finally put an end to my blog but I changed my mind! I decided I would still like to share my life and experiences with my wonderful friends and family :)

I would write more but I just drove for 4 hours in the rain back from Abilene and am EXHAUSTED for some reason!

If you do happen to read this leave a little comment, this will let me know if anyone still checks my poor pathetic little blog and trust me I understand if you don't.

Check back soon and I will try to have something good posted!

Love you all!

Parents Visiting Tomorrow!

2009-08-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

I am VERY excited because my parents are coming to visit tomorrow through Friday afternoon! I have really been missing family lately, so this will be great!

I've been busy cleaning up my house for their arrival until the electricity went out! Mid vacuum the lights flickered and the entire apartment went black. It was really kind of creepy because when I opened the front door to look down the hallway all the overhead lights were flickering on and off, and all you could hear was the rain and the wind rushing around the building. There was a sort of horror movie feel, and I couldn't let my imagination run wild as I stumbled through the house to light the candles.

All this to say, I decided to blog because I can't really think of anything else to do in the dark. Cody is out playing cards across town so I hope he doesn't get stuck in the rain on his way home!

I heard on the radio this morning that we are about to break the world record of consecutive days with temperature over 100 degrees. I'm excited about his record (is that sad) so I hope the rain doesn't lower the temps to much. I mean think about it, the past record was set in 1923 so this is a pretty significant record to hold! The last record was 69 straight days, and Austin is at 65.

Man you know you are getting old when you start discussing the weather-oh well.

Not much else going on. Baby Beau came home from the hospital today. He is a tiny little bundle of squishy cuteness and I am IN LOVE with him. I didn't get to see his big brother meet him, so I am looking forward to watching their interaction in the morning.

I hope everybody had a WONDERFUL Wednesday!

2009-08-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hello blog world!

I have decided to return from my two month abandonment of "Life's Twists and Turns!" I have no idea why I stopped blogging, but am back, and have vowed my myself to remain consistent.

I'm sure I'll have to rebuild my readership, but I guess that's what I deserve. So if you happen to be reading this you are a loyal friend/follower.

I guess I need to provide a quick (ish) update of mine and Cody's life. Here it goes:

Me- I am currently in a soul searching/career hunt/purpose finding period of life. As many of you know I previously worked for a TAKs tutorial software company as their trainer and LOVED IT! I spend about 6 months with them working contract, however, my worked slowed waaaay down when school came to close last Spring. I then realized I needed to be looking for a Summer job, with the hopes of picking back up with them in the Fall when school started again (the school part is important because I was conducting my trainings at schools. No school in session= no work for me).

I decided to take the summer to get my teaching certificate and also take a temporary job as a nanny for a wonderful family here is Austin.

Well, the first day of school was today, and I still have not been able to nail down a teaching position. I' thinking this might be a problem judging by the fact that if school is starting, they would probably want me to already be there! UH OH! I didn't realize how competitive this field was, and had total confidence that I would be in the classroom today.

I know God must has a plan for me when if comes to my career path. I feel that I put in as much effort as humanly possible to land a teaching position, and it just didn't work out.

So as of right now I am still working as a full time nanny. The plan was for me to leave in August when a new baby was due in the family (he actually came today and is PRECIOUS) and I had a teaching job, but it hasn't worked out that way.

Luckily the family informed me that they would like to to stay as long as possible, however, understand that when I find another job I will need to take it. This takes the stress off slightly, though does make the job hunt tough when I am working full time! Right now my days are spent with little Luke, and I love every second of it! We spend our time at the Children's' Museum, the park, the pool, Sign Language Class, and his favorite JW Tumbles (a little children's gym where he also does art class)! He is a great little lunch buddy and love Starbucks!

The other day we went to Target and into Starbucks for breakfast, he sat for 45 minutes with his juice cup, chocolate donut and Nordstrom magazine. It was pure bliss, and the cutest thing I have ever seen! I couldn't ask for a better little boy to take care of. He is just as 22 months old, and I have seen such a enormous change in him since I met him in April.

With the job hunt, and some big disappointments I have really struggled with finding my purpose in all of this, and where I really fit into the big scheme of things. While I would really love to find a great job, and can't wait to get started, I realized that I have such a HUGE purpose in my arms every day. I get to help shape the life of another little person, and see such huge purpose in that.

Below are a few pictures of the little man. We have not been to meet the new baby, but will be there first thing in the morning! His mom has a scheduled C-Section, and didn't want to be all groggy when she saw Luke. Hopefully I can post some pictures of him too!

Heading to the museum. He LOVES this hat right now, and refused to take it off!

Being a cheese ball before swimming lessons!

Now for the Cody update! He is still working for Dell here in Round Rock, though a few months ago we were sure it was time for something new. After a great deal of prayer we have decided that for some reason this is where God wants us right now, so we are going to have a positive attitude and see what in store for the future! Hopefully things will pick up at Dell, and Cody can start having a more positive work experience.

Cody's brother Cade actually moved away last weekend to begin ACU which was very exciting! Cody was sad to see him go because they spend a lot of time together, but we cannot think of a better place for him to be! On moving day I was utterly jealous and wanted to hide a suitcase, be dropped off in from of my old house in Abilene and have everything instantaneously be like it was in the "good ole days," spend a couple days in the past and then return back to my normal life!

On the way home from work the other day I get a photo from Cade PUMPED about the new "finished product" being his dorm room. I had to laugh when I got the photo because it took me back to the 3 day moving extravaganza when I moved into the dorm. We planned, color coordinated, and executed a true master piece when we moved into Gardner dorm. From the looks of these photos I only hope to have boys.

I'll never forget the sight of Brittney's mom at the sewing machines, my mom getting the beds pushed together, and both our dads elaborately running cable cords up and over the door frames so we wouldn't notice they were there! Please note the "queen sized bed look" we were going for, opposed the the usual dorm rooms with two twin beds.

Please also note the humor in this being their finished product! Oh to be a freshman boy! I hope they clean up for visitation!

Other than that I don't think there are too many new updates in Cody's life other than his new passion for creating new bar-b-que sauces, and making sure he plays basketball atleast 3 times a week. Life is good :)

EE Photography Photos!

2009-06-17T11:18:00.001-07:00

Cody and I recently took some super fun late "engagement photos." A few people have asked to check them out so here is the link below! When you arrive to the website click on the word PROOFING, and the password is: GIROD

http://www.ee-photography.com/index2.php?v=v1

Enjoy :)

Pray for Jon & Kate

2009-05-26T07:51:00.001-07:00

I know it seems slightly unnecessary to write post asking people to pray for a family that none of us know other than what we see on TV, but if you ever watch the TLC show Jon & Kate plus 8, or happened to catch their season premiere last night you will understand the urgency to pray.

Jon & Kate are a couple who have 8 children, 5 year old sextuplets, and 9 year old twins. They have a reality TV show that is really popular, however, even those who don't watch the show are sure to have seen the tabloids with the family plastered all over the front.

All this to say, it's a fact that people who put themselves in the public eye are asking for public scrutiny but it is always heartbreaking when a couple feels they are at the end of their rope, and consider splitting up, and the sadness is multiplied times 1,000 when their are children involved! Jon and Kate are Christians who have always said on their show that their family comes first, and even renewed their wedding vows with their children as witnesses. They must truly be struggling if they are considering divorce and running the risk of dividing their family forever.

Please pray for their 8 children. Even if we do not know them, their children deserve to have two parents who love one another. The kids never had a say in the issue of their fame, so I pray that God can work in Jon & Kate, and heal their family!

Can you imagine if Us Weekly was the deciding factor as to whether or not you had an affair? Though they made the decisions to be in the spotlight this exploitation is so sad and cannot be helpful is trying to save a marriage.

Photo of Jon & Kate

Sweet kids oblivious to everything.

SUCH A BLAST!

2009-04-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

The blogger has not been allowing me to upload photos, but I tried again today and it worked! Here are a few pictures from Kara's bachelorette party/lingerie shower!

So my good friend Lauren referred to these pictures as a "freak convention." She might be right. When this group of girls get together we always have a lot of "FUN" and act exactly like we did freshman year of college. I wouldn't consider this a bad thing. We have to be mature responsible adult for the majority of our lives now, so it is beyond a blast when we get together!

I LOVE this group of friends because I know we will keep having reunions our entire life. These are not girls who will eventually flake out as the years go on. We always have 100% attendance!

Friday night of our fun filled weekend was spend at the Simmons wonderful new lake house in Horse Shoe Bay. They have an amazing new home, and were nice enough to allow us to crash the place. Above you will see one of the exciting bachelorette activities. What is a party without a dance competition?

Dramatic ending!

Saturday night we stayed at a great hotel downtown to have Kara's lingerie shower, then hit the town with these lovely masks!

Cool sunglasses. They are apparently signature rapper glasses, however, I know if I attempt to say the rapper I will spell it wrong or get the name wrong. I struggle with pop culture. It's a shame.

HEEEEY!

Overall it was an amazing weekend! Kayla was able to come into town which is always a plus! Lubbock is so very far away, so any chance she gets to get to Austins is soooo much fun! She came into town early as we were able to go out to breakfast and spend time together before the weekend festivities began. I miss my sister :(

The count down is now on for May 22. Like I said, this group of girls never opt out for fun, and we have out now 3rd annual "Float the River Trip" coming up memorial day weekend.

That's all for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Little Lyla, Birthday Fun & Friends & New Stuff

2009-03-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

These photos are all out of order, but provide a brief overview of what has been going on lately. We are starting to love Austin more and more, however, have been traveling like crazy these days so it seems rare that we are at home. We have been involved more with church, and have made a HUGE effort to get connected. I finally feel like I am settling into life here. Enjoy the pictures below :)

This is Cody and I at Ousies in Houston for a delicious Valentines day dinner with Vick and Dougie. We came to Houston for V-day weekend to go to Roxanne's church shower and hang out with the family.
This is our wonderful new guest bed. Cody's mom gave us money for a new bed as a wedding gift and we finally went and picked one out. We didn't get new bedding yet, so this room looks quite similar to my college bedroom with the same curtains and bedding, but it works!

Okay guests- it's time to come visit us, we got a bed JUST for YOU!

We also attempted to spruce up our little patio as well. We love our cute table and chairs!

New lights to provide a nice ambiance while we are chilling on the porch at night.

Some how Cody managed to grow up never learning how to tie a tie. Here Dougie and Codel were having a little pre-dinner lesson. SO CUTE I had to photograph.

My wonderful friend Alyssa that I NEVER get to see. We were able to catch up a few weeks ago at a friends wedding shower (p.s. I look REALLY tired here).

My High School best friends! LOVE THESE GIRLS.

Cody look me out to dinner at Che Zee for my birthday, and not only do I love this restaurant, but it holds a special place in my heart because it is where Cody look me for our 1 year anniversary.

For nostalgic purposes Cody wore the same outfit he wore when we came here a couple of years ago! So cute! What guy thinks to do this? He also gave me lessons to get scuba certified for my birthday.

Me stricking a pose on the way out. This place has awesome decor, and lights eveywhere!

Play time with Lyla at Hobby Lobby. We found a minuture couch that was calling her came.

You may think she looks big on this couch, but if you saw how teeny the couch was you would realize how tiny Lyla still is!

Chillin.
Mama Marie and Lyla. We finally got to spend some time together today and it was AWESOME cathing up. Marie rescued me from ghettoville where my car was getting fixed and we had lunch and ran errands. We went to Chuys and EVERYBODY had the same exact thing to say about Lyla. Approximately 50 conversations went as follows:

Stranger: Oh my goodness she is SOOO small, how old is she?

Marie: She is two months?

Stranger: Only two months? She looks about a week old!

Marie: Yup, she was really small when she was born.

Stranger: Wow! She looks like a little doll.

This was really cute at our first destination, however, after the 100th stranger mentioned how small Lyla was I felt a little bit bad more Marie, but she was really sweet about it, and let everyone take a look at precious little Lyla Elizabeth.

I love that Marie has a baby so I can live vicariously through her! I did go with her to the doctor though, and we had to witness the most devastating event. Lyla had to get 6 shots and it was quite tramatic for her little body. She was a trooper though!

That is all I have for now. Hopefully I will have something good to talk about soon :)

FUN TIMES...

2009-02-28T19:38:00.001-08:00

I have to write a blog about the past couple of days because they have been so much fun. This was the first time in a LONG time that Cody and I were in town, and actually free to hang out in Austin. Well, this was the perfect weekend to be in town because we got to see so many friends. Starting on Thursday night we met up with our friends Chris and Elena at the cutest little restaurant, and were informed by Elena that she is 3 months pregnant (hopefully it is okay that I am writing that, but I'm pretty sure it is). I totally called this, and asked her about it about 6 weeks ago and that little sneak lied to me! I can't believe they kept it a secret for so long. As of now we only have about two couples who we are friends with, one couple has a new baby, and now Chris and Elena are joining the club. We are a little bit sad to loose them to the parent's team, but it's okay. It will be SO much fun to be Aunt Betho and Uncle Cody!

This was definitely a baby weekend because Roxanne and Brian came into town for their couple's shower. They drove in Friday night, and Cody was actually camping with some friends so Rox and Brian came and stayed at our house with me. It was SO, SO much fun catching up and hanging out because I miss my friends so much, and had a blast with Rox (Brian too).

The next morning Cody came home from his freeze out camping trip, we hung out and had a relaxing morning, and then headed out to meet Rox and Brian before going to the shower. Once we arrived to the shower it was another wonderful friend reunion! I was able to see some of Roxanne's old college friends that I used to spend so much time with when I would visit Austin. I was also able to catch up with some girls who live in Austin who I had NO idea lived in the area. Very fun. Cody then met up with our friend Luke, and we headed to Chuys with the Curry/Bradford clan (Riley was with us too) and our frind T-Baby! This probably means nothing to those of you reading, but I just had much a blast with all of these friends that I feel the need to provide detail.

Cody was very cute at his first baby shower and wore a baby blue and pink shirt. He also played the shower games as he sipped the ice cream punch and munched on fruit. It was a classic sight to see. There were only 4 guys there all of whom happened to show up in pastel shirts and in chatty moods.

We are excited about church tomorrow. We are going to start our new marriage class, and then I have a womans class in the evening. Hopefully we like it, and find our niche at Austin Stone.

Overall great weekend. In a couple weeks we will get to see my parents and Kayla and Lance in Dallas for our birthday weekend. It's unbelievable how quickly our 20's are flying by! Kayla wrote a blog about our 20th-23rd birthdays, and each of those days seem like yesterday. It really is unfortunate that you can only experience each phase of life once. I am loving this phase of being young, newly married, and free of excessing responsibility.

Anyway, thanks for reading. I'm sure i've rambled. Hopefully i'll post again soon with some pics!

HONEYMOON PICTURES!

2009-02-19T21:34:00.000-08:00

My blog is freaking out, and will not let me type without the text being underlined. Weird. I guess I am going to keep typing anyway. Below are a few of our honeymoon pictures. They are out of order because the blogger won't let me control the order. It will also not let me add more, but I will try to finish uploading later! Enjoy a glimpse into the magnificent Azul Sensatori Resort!

Cody and I waiting on the dock to begin our snorkling excursion.
Cody found a playmate (he looks a little scared) named Pappasito. They owner said it means "player" in espanol.
Early morning shuttle ride to the snorkling site.
Delicious Tapas dinner after a long fun day of chasing fish!
Cody smiling after a HUGE and delicious dinner!
Lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant at the resort (you will notice a theme of eating and laying around in these pictures...)
Me laying out on our deck enjoying what we didn't know would be our one full day of sun. It was luxurious!
The AWESOME view from our room! OH HOW I WANT TO GO BACK!!
Nightly ritual of ordering chicken nugget and burgers off the kids mean for room service.
Beach bed. We LOVED getting up early, taking our breakfast down to the beach, and reading in these little cozy beach beds. Once we worked up an appetite reading we then walked a few feet to get chips and queso. ROUGH LIFE :)
One of our favorite little spots. There were always fun people hanging out in this bar area.
Cody checking out the place a few minutes after we arrived.
Codel likes the big tub.
Upon our arrival we were greeted with a Jasmine scented moist towelette and glass of champaign. Pure luxury.

Oh the joys of apartment living

2009-02-05T21:35:00.000-08:00

So Cody and I have become increasingly frustrated with apartment living. We love our apartment and enjoy life here, but keep running into annoying little issues. Cody's car got broken into TWICE which is very odd because we do not live in the hood, and tried to be very conscious to the part of town we live in. When his car got broken into we started to park on the street but got parking tickets (oops) so had to resort back to the risky parking garage.

Next our hot water heater when kaput and then tonight our washing machine exploded! Seriously! Right now I am sitting with my feet elevated off the floor as our nice little maintenance man wet vacs up all the standing water that has covered the laundry "area" (wouldn't call it a room) and the hall way. Poor guy, I feel bad that we had to call him to come out so late. I bet he was at home warm in his bed. Is this normal? Are apartments just plain annoying?

On a different note, Cody has some excellent job news. He was able to get moved to a new position that will enable him to get home at 5:00 pm opposed to his normal 8:45 pm. We now have a some what normal schedule which is making life overall feel better.

One ANOTHER different note. I know I told some of you guys that I would post honeymoon pictures, and I still totally will do that. I keep forgetting, and when I do get on to blog I always up get on the computer that does not accept my memory card. I'll get those up soon!

We have also been on a quest to find a church where we really feel like we fit in, and are connected. Granted, we have not been trying very hard because we have been out of town, and only had the opportunity to try one place for 2-3 weeks which I am sure is not truly enough time to get to know a place. We did, however, go to Austin Stone last week which is a HUGE church and we LOVED it! Cody and I each signed up for our own Sunday evening classes, as well as a marriage class on Sunday mornings. We did want to join a class called "nearly and newly marrieds" but it was FULL! Isn't that strange?? I could not believe that a class could fill up at a church, but I am not going to hold it against them. We start these classes on Sunday the 22nd which is the Sunday after Sing Song in Abilene, so we need to make sure and hit the road ASAP! We are actually sneaking into the marriage class because they say you need to be married for at least 3 years, but we are dead set on being part of a marriage class so if they are kicking us out of one, we are going to join another! I'm pumped!

Everything else is pretty much the same with our little lives. I have been working a lot with my new training job which has been nice so I don't have to be at home so much by myself getting bored. I was starting to get a little stir crazy when Cody was working 12 hours a day, and I was going in two days a week. Hopefully I will be able to keep this pace for a while because I am actually enjoying work which is a first for me in my life :)

That is all that is going on for now! Be looking for pictures soon :)

Wedding Pictures!

2009-01-26T16:42:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of the wedding! Enjoy, I will attach more later :)

Me with all the studley men!

Mr. & Mrs. Harrison Cody Girod

Me and a couple of my b-maids at the reception.

Posing for a pre-ceremony shot

Gettin' down

Round Rock Part II

2009-01-24T21:04:00.000-08:00

New home, new job, new husband, new town NEW LIFE! There are so many "news" that I don't even know where to begin. As I am sure any one who is reading this know that I just recently got married 2 weeks ago! Everything is GREAT, but life is definitely a whirl wind of change. It is a tough reality to transition from the unlimited luxury of Mexico resort living to life and work, but thats OK!

Cody and I are having fun settling into our new life in Round Rock. We don't love the traffic, but love our little apartment for the sheer fact that it will always be our first home. We love cooking and just spending time together. Cody works until 8:30 pm as of now, so it will be nice if/when he can get a normal schedule. Today I traveled to Houston and back to go to a wedding shower for on of my wonderful friends Katie Lowery who I have been friends with since High School. When I got home Cody informed me that he would like to start cooking once a week, and asked me if I could go with him to the grocery store and help him shop for his official first meal he cooked for our marriage. He wouldn't let me see the actual name of the recipe, but let me see the ingredients so I could help him find the tough ingredients. When we got home he refused to let me help with anything so it was quite amusing to watch him tackle things like a garlic press.

I was able to just sit and mindlessly watch Miss America which was GREAT! I think Ms. Indiana won but I'm not positive. He ended up making lettuce wraps and they were SO YUM! Ever since I started my new job I enjoy mindless tasks. I don't know about everyone else, but I don't particularly love transitioning into a new job because everything seems very confusing. I am the type who HATES to ask questions, and would rather just figure it out on my own, but the downside to this is some stress and confusion. I am now working for a company called Sleek Corporation. It is a software company that sells a product called MySatori. What MySatori is, is a TAKS test preparation software that we sell to schools in Texas. It is actually a pretty amazing program, and I think every school should use it. I am getting a bit more insight into the TAKS test and what I HUGE stresser it is for teachers and students. If you are a stressed teacher who is trying to prepare your students for the TAKS test please contact me. HA I love that little sales pitch I made. Anyway, what I do for them is conduct training presentations for the schools who purchase the program. I have my first official training on Thursday in Crowley, then in Abilene. I am VERY pumped about the trip to Abilene!

Okay, well I am off to bed pretty soon! I will post pictures soon of the honeymoon and a few other things.

Life in Round Rock Part I

2009-01-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

It seems that I only average one blog a month, but I am definitely going to change that! I have SO much to say, and many new happenings in my life that I would like to share. I don't have time at the moment but just wanted to stop by the blog and say hello! I will be back soon with the remaining parts of "Life in Round Rock" pictures and all.

LOVE YOU ALL

Making up for lost time :)

2008-12-26T13:21:00.000-08:00

I am finally taking the time to updated the few faithful readers I have left on whats going on my life. I apologize for being so terrible about consistant posting, and I am going to try and make a come back!

WELL, a lot has been going the past month of my life. I have recently relocated myself to Austin (Round Rock specifically) and moved into a GREAT apartment that Cody and I will be living in once we get hitched in hmmm, lets see.... 15 DAYS!! As some of you may know, Cody works for Dell computers, and their headquarters are in Round Rock. Our new home is only minutes away from his office, so it has been really fun being so close. He is able to come home every day on his lunch break, and meet up with me randomly during the day. His work schedule right now is about 10:00-9:00 so he is working really hard, and it is tough to find any good waking hours to hang out. Right now our schedule involves eating dinner about 9:30, finishing up at about 10:15, watching an episode or two of LOST, then Cody heads back to his Mom's house (he is living here for a few weeks until the wedding) and its time for bed. All this to say, we are going to be VERY excited when he gets a regular 8-5 shift, and we can spend time together when the sun is still shining.

I have been on the constant job hunt, and have been spending my days in Austin interviewing as much as possible, trying to network with people at church, and send resumes out as much as I can. It has been a lot more difficult than I thought, and I have been fighting the urge to be a little discourages. I did, however, decide to accept a part time contract position with a company that I am excited about working for. The company is called Sleek Corporation, and they create and sell a web-based software program for schools to prepare the students for the TAKS test. My job is to learn the software inside out, and then travel to schools througout the state and present training to the teachers and administrators who will be using the program. I love training and presenting, and am anxious to get to work when I am back from the Honeymoon!

The reality of the wedding is finally here. My mind is so conditioned to tell me that the wedding is just a distant event in the future. For SO long Cody and I lived long distance, and the day that we would live in the same town never felt like it would come, much less the actual wedding! Well, it is all here now, and I am getting SO SO excited. Below are a few pictures of our apartment for those of you who asked to see a few. We definitely have some work to do, and need to add a great deal, but I know there is a lot to be said about humble beginnings :)

Of couse the blogger decided to add the toilet photo first. Here is our bathroom, we went with the brown and blue theme. Following the bathroom are the rest of the rooms. Pretty self explanatory, but you can see some of the little details. Notice the 'GIROD' picture frame on the wall in the living room. I made this for Cody as a wedding gift, and am very proud of my art work.

Next I posted a few picture of Thanksgiving, our visit with Kayla and Lance, and a few shots of the kids on Thanksgiving day.

Here are Lance and Cody in Downtown Houston. We decided to go ice skating one night to put ourselves in the holiday mood, however, the line was extremely long, and we had dinner plans later that night. We had to nix the ice skating, but had fun wandering around downtown.

Here are Kayla and I outside the rink. It looked like so much fun, we really need to go back again!

Sweet little cousins holding hands! These are my cousin Bret and Tim's cute kids. They are about the same age, and could pass as twins if you ask me. I love watching them play together, it really is too cute.

Most of the gang hanging out by the lake. We went through about 3 bags of Gold Fish on the ducks, it was a happy Thanksgiving for them too!

Okay, last but not least we have the very contraversial issue of our Thanksgiving Gingerbread House contest. We have had very many differing opinions of who has he overall best, and I would LOVE for you to be the judge. So, in the form of a comment, please share with me which number is the overall best (ex. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th-you get the picture). Feel free to share your comments and opinions being your decision making. I love you all, and I am going to post again soon!

Pictures of life lately...

2008-11-04T22:10:00.001-08:00

Here are a few (well actually LOTS) of pictures of a few things that have been going on lately. I am really trying to soak up my last weeks living at home before the wedding, and have had so much fun over the past few days! Below are pictures of a few different things.

They are slightly out of order but are of my WONDERFUL wedding shower given by First Colony, our AMAZING visit with Annie and Monica (for those of you who do not know, Monica was my youth group intern while I was in high school, and lived with my family for a period of time), and a couple photos from Halloween.

Cody showed up at the end of the shower to help load the car and hang out with the family, but was in time to get to open a couple of gifts. This is us admiring the homemade cookbook my Aunt Cherly made for us. She called it "Girod Gormets" and I cannot wait to use it! Thanks Aunt Cheryl!

We also got a really pretty framed photo of of Cody and I with Kayla and Lance on our engagement night.

Monica spoke a blessing over mine and Cody's marriage, and it was so very sweet. I was totally surprised, and had NO idea she was speaking. My sister also said some very sweet, and HILRIOUS things. She gave me a list of things to expect that I would not be expecting, and said some very sweet things about Cody and I. LOVE HER!

Kayla, Monica, and little Annie Poo

My ultra supportive friends. These girls in this picture have been to EVERY wedding event and shower thus far. I could not ask for better friends!Me with my mom and future mother-in-law.

Could this picture be any cuter? Monica I hope you don't mind that I am displaying your child on my blog, don't worry, I checked the privacy settings :)

Me and Dougie on our festively decorated front porch waiting for the trick-or-treaters. I was a cat, and he actually wore a Mime hat; not sure where it is in this picture.

Being a mom is hard work!

2008-10-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

I had priviledge to spend this week in Abilene taking care of one of my favorite people in the world-Aiden Gail Hooker. When I was in grad school at ACU I became really close friends with an awesome girl named Dana who has the sweetest little girl Aiden.

Anyway, Dana had the opportunity to go to Ireland for a few weeks, and asked me if I could come and stay with sweet Aiden for a little while. Friday happened to be her 6th birthday, and I was able to spend some of the day with her. I was worried that she would be sad not waking up to her mommy on her big day, so I tried to make her morning really special.

If you knew Aiden, you would know that she is one imaginative little person, and she LOVES to pretend she is a princess. I decided to make her, her own Cinderella's castle as a suprise when she woke up (notice it's pretty lame and looks NOTHING like the real deal, but she was impressed luckily). She woke me up at 5:00 A.M. and said that the excitement was just KILLING her, and informed me that now that she is 6 and not 5 she can handle getting less sleep. Below are some pictures of our fun morning together. Sorry they are so small, I don't know whats up with that.

Aiden's Princess Castle, it looked a lot cooler inside.

Sweet girl right after she woke up posing in front of her castle.

Heading to school for the big day! She picked out this outfit, and said it was perfect for her birthday because she looked so beautiful.

All smiles eating her b-day donut holes and donuts!

Blowing out the candles on her donut cake YUM.

I had an absolute BLAST with Aiden, but now have a stronger understanding of how tiring motherhood is. You would think taking care of something so small would be a piece of cake, but it really is tough. I think I will wait a little longer before I willingly enter into that role :) Mommy for a week was the perfect amount for me!

Marriage Prep Week

2008-10-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

I have been in Nashville for the past 9 days, and had an AMAZING trip. I hadn't seen Cody since he came to Houston during Ike, and I was dying for a visit. We had so much fun, and I really got a taste of what it will actually be like to be married, see each other daily, eat dinner together, and do pretty much WHATEVER we want. This is very new for us being that we have lived long distance for almost a year.

I don't even know where to begin in sharing all the fun stuff we did. I had fun just sitting watching TV, driving to Sonic, or going out to dinner with Code-Code. I forgot how amazing those things can be, and we rarely get to spend enough time together to do the little things. Usually we get together for a big event, or a short weekend, and try to fill it to the brim with activity. This time we were just able to chill and enjoy actually getting to be together. SO MUCH FUN.

I must say, I did live the high life this week. Cody had to work, and happens to drive a dandy little stick shift vehicle (which I am terrible at driving), therefore, I couldn't even borrow his car while he was at work from 7-4. This led me to be very creative in my daily activities while I was pining away waiting for him to get home. My activities included walking a couple miles down a busy highway to go see a movie, spending some quality time working out on campus with the students at Lipscomb, or convincing Cody's roommate to take me to get a pedicure. I also watched about 6 movies, slept until noon, starting writing a book, and then would make a yummy dinner for when Cody got home. Oh the things you can do with unlimited time at your disposal!

I also got to spend some time with one of my best friends in the world Ally Ferrell. She was my roommate in college, and just moved to Nashville in August. She is also to thank for these awesome pictures she took for Cody and I. Like I said before, we are NEVER in the same place long enough to get anything done, but I really wanted to get some engagement pictures. Ally just happens to be a great photographer, and took all of these pictures for us. THANKS ALLY, WE LOVE YOU! Below are a few of my favorites. Take a look :)

Father/Daughter Bonding continued....

2008-10-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more photos of our camping weekend. Enjoy! My dad and I were talking about it after the weekend, and realized that the liklihood of us ever going on a trip with just the two of us again in extremely rare, so we made sure to make the most of it, and soak up the time together!

We decorated the site with halloween themed pumpkin lights!
Me making my portion of the Sunday morning breakfast. YUM Belgium waffles!
There is something terribly wrong with this photo. Look closely at the two creatures in the water swimming toward Dougie!
Gaterville!
The perfect waffle!

Scary Gater coming toward us
Pumpkin Patch!

Cute Dougie
Me posing by Alligator Lake.

The campsite.
Huge spider I almost walked right into!
Father/Daughter bonding at it's best!
The creation of "The Maze"

The Maze & Maize

2008-10-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

This portion of the post is dedicated to my mom and sister :)

So my Dad and I went on a camping weekend, just the two of us, and it was AWESOME! Kayla and my mom actually had a little girls trip planned in Lubbock the same weekend! When we arrived home from our camping excursion we realized the shocking resemblance of the two trips! Below are a few photos of the activities that took place at Brazos Bend State Park. Please refer to Kayla's blog to see the trip similarities!

One of the weekend activities was a firedwood maze. Not to be confused with the corn maize in Lubbock. This is me ready to tackle the challenge! I sure do want that prize at the end of the maze! About an hour into the task. I was getting a little bit frustrated by this point! Who knew a maze could be so challenging!
Stuck between a rock and a hard place here! I just CANT figure it out!
Trucking right along, pumpkin in sight (this photo should be before the previous photo).

Nightfall has approached, and at this point I'm just not sure I can find my way out. The state park provided complimentary lanterns for emergency situations like mine.
Exhausted, but the end is in sight. If I can JUST reach that pumpkin......
After a LONG day of hard work, determination, willpower, and skill, I still fall short just before the prize in mine!

Kid's Say the Darndest Things...

2008-10-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

So I have become a substitute teacher at Westbury Christian School while I am deciding where my life will take me. I was recently the substitute in a high school Chemistry and Physics class and learned how hilarious that age is. I decided to record a little conversation that went on during my day of being their teacher for your reading pleasure. I hope you find this as funny as I did!

1. Student #1: "Ms. B. Freede can I ask you a questions?" (yes he said B. Freede)

Me: "Sure, what's your questions?"

Student #1: "Were you a cheerleader in the 80's?"

Student #2: "She wasn't in highschool in the 80's stupid, you're just thinking that because of her 80's hairstyle."

Student #3: "No thats totally a 70's hairstyle!"

Student #4: "Don't worry about them Ms. Freede, I think you are still in your prime."

Anyway, I though that little interaction was pretty humerous. As many of you know I taught Speech class during my assistantship at ACU, and thought substitute teaching might give me some insight into whether or not I might also enjoy teaching at the high school level.

I'm not sure if teaching is my calling or not, but I know I would be constantly entertained if I taught high school!

I'm back in the blogging game!

2008-10-10T14:00:00.001-07:00

Oops, I did it again....uploaded the photos before the post. Please see post below, and then the photos might make more sense.

These are the pictures you get to take when the party is in your honor.
Lauren & Heather. Sweet Heather traveled in from Dallas to be here for the shower.
Opening the "shower curtain rings." Not really, but they were in there somewhere.
Cute table, adorned with antique linins and fresh flowers.

I am SO very sorry to whoever my readers might be that I have been HORRIBLE about updating my blog. I am going to make an effort to post often, and keep everyone up to date.

I would hate to become a fare weathered blogger!

Anyway, there have been a few exciting events over the past couple of weeks. I had an AMAZING wedding shower at the home of Susan Ehlig, and the hostesses really went all out to make everything special. This was my first big wedding event, and it was overwhelming to know that it was just for me! I felt extremely blessed that these women would take the time to do something so special JUST for me.

I still have a lot to learn though before I become a "wife," I had to put that in quotations because it still sounds a little strange to me. Don't get me wrong, I am EXTREMELY excited, but the title will take some getting used to. Anyway, I say this because the first gift I opened were a set of napkin holders from my sister, and one of my best friends/bridesmaids Lauren Simmons and I instantly said: "Oh shower curtain rings! How cute!" This is not the first gift identification issue I have run into. It might take some time for me :) Nonetheless, it was a great day and I had a blast!

Above are a few pictures of the event. The theme was "English High Tea," and we had everything from lemon curd to clotted cream, topped off with an instructional lesson on how to properly butter your scones. LOVED IT!

Ode to Code-Code

2008-09-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

Cody came into town this weekend from Nashville! Our shower was cancelled, but he decided to come and ride out Ike with the family. While he was here it occured to me how little time he has been able to spend with my friends and family because he lives so far away. It's sad to think that all of the people I know and love have not had the opportunity to know and love Cody too! I decided I would find a few pictures that I think capture the "essence" of Cody, and showcase his quirky little personality. I am sure he is going to love that I am doing this for all the world to see ;) Oh well!

Cody and I in Estes Park, Colorado taking old time wedding photos.

Cody and I in Honduras touring ancient Myan ruins.
Cody working hard to build a church in Honduras.
Trey and Cody at Shelbi and Preston's wedding.
Dancing the night away at the wedding!
Lance and Cody a few years ago on Easter.

IKE IS SO SELFISH

2008-09-11T15:12:00.001-07:00

So it looks like good ole' Ike has decided to come to town after all. Yesterday I wrote of my concerns about hurricane Ike, and was worried that he might prevent Cody and I from traveling to Austin for an awesome wedding party Cody's mom was throwing us. Unfortunately we had to cancel the party because of all the Ike uncertainty. I guess it was the safest idea, but man was I bummed. On a different note about Ike, we need to keep praying that those who live on the coast and evacuated will be able to return home to an entact house. I can't imagine how that would feel returning home having no idea how your property weathered the storm. I was particularily worried about my cousin Jamie who lives in Clear Lake. She has been working so hard to get her soon to be baby boy's nursury finished and had to take everything apart! So sad! Hopefully everything will be okay when she gets home too. That's all for now I suppose. Everybody stay safe!

Our Engagement Night!

2008-09-10T23:07:00.000-07:00

This wasn't exactly recent news, but since I am just starting a blog, I wanted to include the recent events in my life that were very momentous. Cody and I got engaged on May 16 in front of City Hall in Downtown Houston. It was a wonderful night, and below are a few photos from the occasion

A few minutes after the proposal
In the actualy act of proposing!
The family before Cody popped the questions. I had no idea he was sitting back there behind us. Look closely, you will see someone in the background holding a newspaper. IT'S CODY!
So happy!

The Family is Complete

2008-09-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry the photos are before the post, I am new at this :)

Dougie and I posing in front of a nice mountain view
Kayla admiring Lance
Vicki & Doug looking cute as can be!
Cody and I looking as cheesy as can be!
The whole gang after a long day of fly fishing

Since I am new in the blogging world, I feel compelled to post a variety of things so my new readers won't get too bored. I though it would be a good idea to share some about our recent family vacation to Colorado.
I truly did feel like our family was complete when we went on this trip. Kayla got married to Lance a little over a year ago, therefore, he was allowed to attend "Freede Family Functions (FFF's)." Lance has been on quite a few "FFF's" but Cody has just recently been allowed technical admittance to "FFF's" which has been amazing! When we got engaged on May 16th I suppose my parents knew this was for real, and decided he was worth the trouble :)
All this to say, Cody Girod was able to go with us on our annual family vacation. It was AWESOME, and I had such a great time. Here are a few pictures from out trip.

I DON'T LIKE IKE!

2008-09-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

I have fought this for quite some time now, and as many of you know have been very resistant to starting a blog, however, today is the day! Today is the day of my inaugural post, and today I will be speaking my mind about a terrible, horrible, inconveniently strong ball of wind and rain named Ike. Ike is the evil destructive hurricane man who is truly messing with my weekend plans. As I am sure many of you Houstonians already know, there is a hurricane creeping in from the gulf that is "most likely" going to cause some issues in Houston. Usually I would not mind too much, because it doesn't look like the Sugar Land area is going to be hit (not that I don't worry about the other coast dwellers) however, my soon to be mother in law is planning a big wedding shower shindig in Austin, and has been working VERY hard to make everything perfect. Cody, my wonderful future husband is flying into Houston tomorrow evening, and we have to decide how to get to Austin amidst the uncertainty of the possible poor weather conditions, and possible road delays. The very frustrating key word here is "possible!" There is really know way to know what to do. Do we wait in 20hr traffic because people are evacuating to Austin? Do we risk our lives in a tornado? Is nothing going to happen at all, and I will regret every worrying about this? WHO KNOWS? All I know is that I want to get to Austin by 1:00 p.m. Saturday, so everybody pray that somehow Ike decided to show us some mercy, and turn around and dissolve in the ocean. He is not welcome here! On a happier note, I am thrilled to have finally started a blog. I will try to think of good things to write about, and keep you wedding watchers happy by posting some of the lastest planning details and upcoming wedding events. Thanks for reading :)