Friday, December 19, 2008
Friday, November 07, 2008
Halloween and TWO Birthdays
#1 I went into labor ON my actual due date, Halloween. It was probably the ONLY day I wasn't expecting to go into labor, since they tell you almost no one delivers on their due date. As a result, my Halloween costume went to waste.
#2 Harrison Byron Williams was born on November 1st at 6:52 AM. This could not have been more perfect, as his birthday is now sandwiched between two major holidays (Halloween and MY birthday) and I'm pretty sure those three days will be an ongoing party at our house every year!!
#3 I spent my birthday in the hospital. Everyone said it should have been the happiest birthday of my life. Am I horrible if I disagree? I will definitely concede that it is the best birthday present I've ever gotten, but as for spending my birthday confined to a bed and begging for more pain medication, I'll pass on that next year. And, I prefer to look a little more upbeat (and attractive) in my birthday pictures. (Although, for our first "family picture" it is pretty exciting!!)
We already have TONS of pictures of Harrison (as we have instantaneously morphed into disgustingly proud parents - I'm positive he is the smartest, strongest little baby ever born!) We'll try to limit how many we post here, but we'll add a link to an album if you want to see more. We'll just point out a few more of his best features for your viewing enjoyment.
Harrison's most distinctive feature (besides his darling mouth and chin, courtesy of Byron) is his BRIGHT blond hair. All of the nurses and doctors were commenting that they NEVER see babies with that color of hair.
He already has QUITE a winning smile. I swear I can be objective, but he is possibly the cutest baby ever.
Byron and I realized that we have taken tons of pictures of him holding the baby and not many of me. Then we remembered that 8 or 9 hours of the day that I'm holding Harrison, he's nursing. So be thankful that we are modest people and choose not to post (or even take!) those pictures.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Our Nephews!!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Keeping Occupied
Thanks for giving him the idea from your blog, Kendra. I don't know why our baby is so much more attractive than that red-headed creature you produced (hypothetically, of course). I also enjoy how Byron selected such interesting pictures of us. I look like some kind of crazed mommy-to-be, while he is rugged, handsome and brooding.
The picture of our potential daughter is also pretty funny and I definitely see a family resemblance...
Monday, October 27, 2008
Reassuring News
After 9 1/2 months of my body making an entire human (who is now probably like 9 pounds, yikes!) he feels that I may be incapable of having contractions and finishing the endeavor.
But, thanks to my love of P.F. Changs, we got another fortune on Saturday that has helped reignite his spark of hope that our child will eventually be born. "A pleasant surprise is soon in store for you." Thank heavens a fortune cookie can reassure us when modern medical science and simple common sense cannot. However, that fortune may be indicating that we will deliver a girl (is this the "surprise" it is referring to?) If so, she's going to be a tomboy, as all of her clothes will have trucks and puppies on them.
Friday, October 24, 2008
One Week to Go!!
We had a doctor's appointment yesterday, but they haven't been very helpful in nailing down for us exactly when this baby is going to arrive. LUCKILY, we had Chinese food for lunch afterwards and our fortune cookie was MUCH more specific:
Byron's fortune said "Soon, someone will make you very proud." So, we are quite confident that the baby will be here "soon."
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Brookie, You are IT!
10 Favorites...
Color- Black. Sometimes I have to put myself on a “black ban” when I’m shopping, otherwise everything I buy is black or gray. I guess I’m kind of the gloomy type.
Food- Breakfast food, for sure. Usually of the sweet variety, I mean, eggs are okay, but who wouldn’t prefer eating something that could be sugared or syruped??!! And don’t get me started on cereal, YUM.
Song- all-time favorite song is just too hard. But I do like the Chitty-bang-bang song (the Asher Merrell version, which I heard this morning on the phone)
Movie- Byron will be horrified if I put “Love and Basketball” but it is probably the movie that I’ve watched the greatest number of times. C’mon, we all have our guilty pleasures…
Sport- bowling
Season- Spring or fall. Luckily, we’re right by the ocean and it always feels like that by us!! Okay, maybe not ALWAYS, but a lot.
Day of the Week- Friday – no work!! And the weekend is just beginning…
Ice Cream Flavor- Breyer's definitely. I like the cherry vanilla, especially because Byron hates it and doesn’t eat any of mine!!
Time of Day- Right now I’d have to say 10:30 am. My achiness has worn off from a bad night’s sleep and I haven’t yet started to feel the uncomfortable-ness that sets in during the afternoons and evenings. But when I’m not pregnant – 8:00 pm.
9 Currents...
Mood- happy!! Not too much work to do, and tomorrow is my last day before maternity leave!!
Taste- I just ate a cherry starburst, which is lingering delightfully.
Clothes- Black shirt (surprise, surprise), jeans, and flip flops. Yes, I am at work. Being pregnant has its benefits. No one has even mentioned that I’ve only been wearing flip-flops for the past month!!
Desktop picture-
Toenail color- neutral/grown-up lavender (if you ask my pedicurist), teenage purple if you ask Byron (Thanks again for the pedicure, Jessica!!)
Time- 11:30 am
Surroundings- work
Annoyances- The nurses across the cubicle from me who love to laugh so loudly it is frightening.
Thought- Our baby is SO big. He is kicking so much right now, my stomach is out of control. He must like Starbursts too!!
8 Firsts...
Best Friend- Tamera Hunter, 9th grade geometry class and Mr. Turner changed our lives!
Kiss- Josh N. It was up in the mountains and very romantic (expect the part I played in it.)
Pet- Petey, my little turtle who I love and miss.
Crush- Simon, my kindergarten boyfriend (who I guess was technically my first kiss, but he wasn’t too involved.) I also had a crush on two sixth graders (Nick and Dominic) at the time. I was such a boy-crazy little 5 year old!
Music you remember hearing-This is too weird, but I have to agree with my sister’s answer on this “I just remember LOVING the song "lose control" by Eric Carmen, you know: turn the radio up/for that sweet sound/hold me close never let me go/keep this feeling alive/make me lose control. . . AWESOME. Of course my mom didn't like that song because it was about losing control (I'm not joking)” How often did that song get played in our house?? I also liked “Right Here Waiting” by Richard Marx…
Car- Little Boy Blue, my pastel blue hatchback Honda Civic. What a great car.
Speeding Ticket- Only one - a couple of years ago (in Tracy’s car – darn those Portland plates!) while visiting Utah. I hate Utah for not letting me do traffic school, so that ticket has actually cost me like $700 in raised insurance rates over the last couple years. And yes, I’m bitter about it.
7 Lasts...
Cigarette- Never.
Drink- water. Chocolate milk last night, if you want something more exciting.
Car Ride- I drove to work this morning. And I drove my young women home from our activity last night. Exciting, I know.
Kiss- This morning.
Phone Call- Byroni. Although my favorite phone call of the morning was referenced earlier, with my nephew singing me Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
CD played- The new Jack’s Mannequin. And I actually have been listening to it on CD in my car. When you want to listen to the same songs over and over, a CD really is the way to go. None of this lugging around my cumbersome Ipod.
6 Have you evers...
Dated one of your best friends- Of COURSE. It’s the only way to date!!
Broken the law- I think I accidentally shoplifted a bagged salad the other day, but I’m not positive.
Been arrested- Of course not.
Skinny dipped- Yes, thanks to my primas, what a bad influence. It was pretty fun until Carmen thought it would be funny to turn the underwater lights on in her pool. Then it was more awkward than funny.
Been on TV- I have been on the news more than once growing up. But I always end up saying these short little sound bytes (usually puns) that sound REALLY funny to me when I say them, and then are ridiculous when replayed for the world to hear. It’s humiliating, even for a 6th grader.
5 Things (5 for each)...
You're wearing-two flip flops, two earrings and makeup.
You've done today- Fallen asleep while watching the morning news and arrived at work late, gone to the bathroom three times, IM-ed Kami, IM-ed Jennica, talked on the phone. Oh yeah, I’m sure I also did some work?
You can hear right now-someone stapling, co-workers on the phone, my computer struggling to work, someone yawning (audibly, no joke), and those darn nurses laughing.
You can't live without- Byroni, good friends, AWESOME family, gossip girl (j/k, xo xo) and possibly Cap’n Crunch (with crunch berries)
You do when you're bored- plan obsessively for the baby’s arrival, pester Byron at work by email and phone, eat, sleep.
4 Places you have been today...
1. My bedroom
2. The bathroom
3. My living room
4. Work (exciting, I know)
3 People you can tell anything to...
1. Byron
2. Tracy
3. My girlfriends!
2 Choices...
1. Go to the bathroom or just sit a little longer. This is a common choice I am faced with, multiple times a day.
2. Begin working or eat another Starburst and read people’s blogs. (Not that I am the slacker I appear to be, but with only one more day of work left, I’ve really finished all of my work, now it’s just a matter of cleaning out my desk)
1 Thing you want to do before you die...
1. Own a house. Sigh.
Wow, that was long. Back to work!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Surprised to Hear From Us Again?
So, I decided that Friday the 3rd of October was going to be the REAL test date, as I didn't want to test so close to my due date that I risked going into labor during the test (although I swear, I would have tested right through any contractions!) But, I didn't want to tell anyone I was testing, for fear that I should fail and have to face my own shame and their pity.
However, this plan was slightly complicated by the fact that my in-laws were staying with us for the weekend (compliments of a Neil Diamond concert we attended with them on Thursday night - it was "so good, so good, so good!!")
As a side note, I must admit it was an AWESOME concert. Not only does his music span quite a generation gap (young people such as myself to some very gray-haired individuals in walkers) but I also found myself strangely attracted to him. I mean seriously, do you blame me??
Being the sneaky daughter-in-law that I am, I let Byron's parents think I was headed off to work on Friday morning and I went and took my test - WHICH I PASSED!! This is such a relief, as I can now fully focus on our baby coming (and everything else I've been putting off in order to study.) I first started getting ready for licensure in October 2005, so passing this test and becoming officially licensed is the end of a long road, yeah for me! However, because I am so secretive, I really had no one to celebrate with afterwards (except Byroni!)
Luckily, a couple of my friends just happened to want to go to the spa that evening, and my lovely husband agreed that it would be a wonderful way to celebrate the end of my licensure ordeal. So, I enjoyed a milk bath, a pregnancy massage, and a pedicure (Thanks for my baby shower gift Jessica!!) and had a great time relaxing with Jessica and Kami. Boy, they really do love pregnant people over at that spa. In between these treatments I enjoyed a number of naps, time in the solarium, an artistic plate of cut fruit and about 3 seconds in the steam room (way too hot!!) However, there is a downside to all of this leisure - tying a robe is just NOT attractive on a fully pregnant woman - you either tie it below the protrusion and look like a pot-bellied man, tie it in the middle and look like an extremely rotund person, or tie it above the belly - which is attractive, but you do worry about the passing gusts of wind blowing that sucker right open.
My massage was almost identical to the one above, however I was on my side (darn this big stomach) and I did not have a male masseur. I left that to Kami and Jessica, who were VERY pleased with the masseurs they were assigned!!
Long story short - I arrived home fully relaxed and extremely happy. Only to find a husband who for some reason feels that SEVEN HOURS at the spa is a bit extreme. Oops!
And to save the best part for last, we had finally reached 36 weeks. Byron's weekly pregnancy update informed us that our baby was the size of a Crenshaw melon. Hmmm.
And, we managed to fit in our 36-week appointment in between my passing the test and spa-ing it up. They gave us our last ultrasound, which we were very excited for. However, imagine our disappointment when we learned that the baby is now so big, you can't really see "him" in an ultrasound. You can just see one large body part at a time, "there's the abdomen!" and his head was so far down, you couldn't even see it!! The baby was estimated to be 6 lbs 10 oz (with four more weeks to go, WAY bigger than a Crenshaw melon) so I've adjusted my plans from wanting a 6.5 pound baby, to hoping and praying that he doesn't break the 9 lb mark!!
But, they say that we are right on schedule and could deliver any day-which was frightening, but exciting. And the news sent me on a shopping spree that lasted a week, as I was certain my water would break at any time following that appointment. More on that later, as Byron is still recovering.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Pregnancy on Fast Forward
Notice anything getting bigger?? Sept 2008 - The Williams' family threw my sister-in-law (Stef) and I a joint baby shower. Stef is due in December with a girl. This is the cousins' first picture together, basically giving each other five!
October 2008 - Three weeks to go!! Thank heavens I'm in black, although when I'm wearing my teal sundress, I'm positive I look identical to that cake - other than the outie. This may be too much information, but my proudest accomplishment of this pregnancy is that I do NOT have an outie. Just a flattie! (Perfect for two reasons: Easy for cleaning and it doesn't pose any fashion issues!) However, the swollen elephant ankles may outshine any other positive aspects of my body at this point!!
Lest you begin to think that he is all cooking and sewing, my husband is quite the danger-seeker. How clear is it from the look on his face that I made him take this picture and he is not thrilled about it??
One thing I've learned from making this little montage is that it is hard to find pictures of Byron that DON'T have me in them. I'm going to work on that!!
We are doing great here and hoping to post a lot of updates in the next few weeks, pre-baby!!
Monday, July 14, 2008
The last three weeks . . .
So after a few months of dealing with this, we decided to take the doctor's next recommendation. . . surgery. This happened three weeks ago today. I had NO idea what this really entailed. At first, I thought it would be a good thing. I somehow made myself believe it would be like a vacation, a nice break from work. Sure, I thought there would be some pain at first. But I thought after a week, it would not be too bad and I would be healing. Not quite. The doctor performed a number of procedures (seven in total, including removing my tonsils, a couple of nose surgeries and shortening my palate and tongue muscle). Well, to say the least, it was a VERY hard experience.
My first hospital stay was not that fun. There was a lot of pain and poor Kim and my mom had to wait in the waiting from for about 9 hours. The hospital did not tell them when I was out of my surgery and in my room. Luckily, I was only in the hospital for two days and came home. However, I was on some major pain medication for two weeks. So that was fun. Unfortunately, right at the time that I started healing from my surgery, I got an infection on my foot (which they think was from the hospital). They gave me some pretty strong antibiotics, which I found out later I was allergic to. So after a trip to the emergency room and 5 visits to the doctors within one week, I am on the road to recovery again. Basically, this past three weeks stunk.
However, there are a few good things that happened as a result of the past few weeks. First, I think it helped me become more compassionate. Before when people told me that they were sick or had surgery, I thought "That stinks. . . What are we doing tomorrow?". I didn't really care. Now I do. I am afraid I may have become too emotional.
Second, I got to spend a lot of time with Kim and although I was sick, we did do some fun things. For example, Kim decided to make our new son his first two new baby blankets.
Next, we also went to the Second Annual Santa Monica 4th of July Parade. I love hippie parades. There were so many electric cars in the parade. Our favorites were all of the electric cars, the dancing elders from the local synagogue and the hippie band.
Lastly, I also felt our son kick for the first time. That may have been the highlight. Overall, the three weeks were awful and I am glad they are done, but I did learn some things. So I guess they weren't a loss overall. Especially when I have a wife and a future son like this.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
It's time to break out the blue!!
We will be taking name requests now.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Excuses, Excuses
Not so new NEWS!
We figured we had to take advantage of the fact that the baby is due ON Halloween!! Plus, any excuse I can get to make Byron dress up in a Halloween costume...Here's another cute one (to get back at him for posting the duck picture of me!)
We find out the sex of the baby in a week! I felt like we needed to make a blog announcement regarding the pregnancy itself, before I announced whether it's a boy or a girl!!