Wednesday, August 06, 2008

We Survived!

I'd even say we thrived! Thank you so much for praying us to Missouri and back. Curtis' drive through the night was uneventful and Jackson could not possibly have done any better on both of our airplane rides. Now I'm not itching to try it again soon, but he really did great. It was one of the greatest experiences of his life just getting to watch all the arriving and departing planes outside the airport window. Then he got a huge kick out of actually getting in the plane and, after take off, seeing all the trees, buildings, and cars below get smaller and smaller. Some of the things in my bag of tricks that really worked were the little toy airplanes, alphabet cookies, m&m's, the chocolate milk in his sippy cup, the brand new tractor book with little flaps, and the Cars stickers that changed colors when you looked at them from different angles.

I was concerned about getting home because I knew we would be in the car 2.5 hours before we ever got to the airport. Sure enough, by the time we got through security Jackson was really, really testing me. He wanted to run free but that was not about to happen. Also, I had found out on the way there that Houston (Galveston actually) was going to be hit with a Category I hurricane the next day. I guess you could say I was a little anxious. I looked at the departures/arrivals screen and saw that my flight was delayed and hour and I almost cried. Then I realized it was a flight going to a different Houston airport. Thank God! Ours was only delayed a few minutes. Once we got on the plane Jackson was fine. (Also, Hobby Airport is great. It has very good food choices like Pappas restaurants, Barry's Pizza, and Hunan. I've always thought it was a dirty and gross airport but it was the opposite.)

After the flight we headed straight to my parents house because I'm a big ole chicken baby and wasn't about to go through any type of hurricane alone in my house with Jackson. We went to sleep expecting the hurricane to hit in the morning but we woke up to find that it was only a tropical storm. It rained a lot but we didn't have much wind at all. We kept waiting for it to get worse but it didn't. In fact, the day the movers packed up our house in Irving seemed much worse in terms of wind, rain, and lightning. That was a miserable day, let me tell you.

Our time in Missouri was great. It went by way too fast and I was not ready to leave. It was our nephew Gavin's seventh birthday and we were lucky enough to get to celebrate with him at Chuck E. Cheese, a pool party at Cousin Erin's house, and at a family feast at Grandpa and Grandma Dixon's house (in which I learned to play the Wii and lost at dominoes). We also went to a big lunch in honor of Lindsay's in-laws' 40th wedding anniversary (Lindsay and Matt's moms have been BFF's for years). On Sunday we had an early dinner with my father-in-law's extended family in honor of his parents' 56th wedding anniversary. So as you can see, the weekend was full of celebrations. We made the obligatory stop at the Jelly Beans boutique and I bought a replacement blanket for one that Jackson had torn up. I haven't decided whether I will save it for the new baby or risk giving it to Jackson. (It is a brown Little Giraffe blanket and it has a matching pillow.) The highlight of the trip, for me, was when my sweet mother-in-law decided to make pancakes one morning. Honestly, I have never eaten anything more delicious in all my life. I'm pretty sure it's because she didn't hold back on the butter. We had a really sweet time visiting in the kitchen that morning, although I can't remember what we talked about. I just love Cozy and I'm thankful to have such a wonderful m-i-l. Also, Lindsay is the cutest thing ever with her baby bump. It was really fun to get to talk pregnancy talk with her. The next time I see her she will have that little baby boy in her arms!

As for me, I do have a little bump starting to poke out, not just the my-stomach-is-bloated-pooch that has been there for a while. The stuff I looked okay in last week did not look good at all when I got to Springfield. So I bought a maternity shirt from Target and wore it three times. (This shirt works for now but when I get bigger I will hate it because it will look too "sweet" as I explained to Curtis. The "sweetness" of a pregnant belly combined with the "sweetness" of some maternity clothes is too much for me.) I can still wear my regular pants but they look a bit wrong with regular shirts. I bent a weird way yesterday to grab a little car of Jackson's that had gone under the couch and it definitely did not feel good. So it already feels like I have a melon on my stomach but it just isn't sticking out much yet. I might as well already be huge by the way my back hurts. I've even found myself moving around all gimpy because of it. I can't explain it except by saying that my lower back feels loose, almost like when the chain falls off the gears on your bike. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow in which I will actually meet my new OB. I'm excited! Hopefully everything will be fine with Baby.

Alright, Jackson is in his bed for a nap now and I have to do some work. I have 50 emails to catch up on, mostly about the Siesta Fiesta. Speaking of Jackson's bed, I forgot to say that he slept in a regular bed for the first time while we were in Missouri! He was so sweet in it! He never tried to get up but I think that's partially because there were no toys to play with in that room. I think we will wait it out a little while longer here at our house, but it's nice to know he can do it when necessary. He's just growing up so much!

31 comments:

debra parker said...

So glad that you had a great time.

Amy Beth @ Ministry So Fabulous! said...

I'm so glad you're back. I've missed you!

Kelly said...

Glad ya'll had a good trip! We flew from Houston to Tulsa a few weeks ago and I had never been to Hobby but really liked it! We ate at Pappadeaux for lunch. YUM!
Are you sick? I haven't taken Zofran because I've just been nauseous and I was trying to handle that and then it almost went away and then today I finally threw up. UGH! If this becomes a regular thing - I will be calling for Zofran. But I'm hoping it's just one bad day!
I bet your bump is cute! You need to post some pics! :-)

Anonymous said...

A successful airport trip is worth some king of award! Great job! Its all about food, toys and a good nap when you get home! H

Marc and Charity said...

Glad your trip went well...m&m's and chocolate milk!!! YUM! :)

I commented earlier on your pregnancy post, and I finally got to see a doc here and I'm further along than first thought- so I'm due Feb 8th just before you, I'm 13 weeks now...and this being our 3rd, at night I already look 6 months pregnant I think. I'm not quite ready for maternity clothes, but my regular clothes are not looking right either....so I sympathize with you! :)

Kari said...

I am sad we didn't get to see each other!! Glad to hear I am not the only Mom out there with a 2 1/2 year old still in the crib. What's the rush, right? :-)

gomomyourock said...

just checking in after being away - congrats on your news! Wonderful!
The loose back thing got me every time (4!), sorry you're having to deal with that.

Marla Taviano said...

What a happy post full of fun and celebration and love!!

So sorry the little one is giving you fits already! I was fortunate to have healthy pregnancies, but they all did a number on my back. With my first, I literally couldn't sit down for 2 months. Had to lie down or stand up. My little sis is 23 weeks preggo right now and having almost unbearable round ligament pain. Have you had that?? Ouchers!

Praying you feel better soon!!

Judy said...

We put our daughter in a "big bed" when she was about 2 1/2. She never knew she could get out of it by herself until she was about 4. She would wake up and call for me. It was so sweet (and nice to know she wouldn't wander out of bed...)to see her wainting for me sitting on the edge of her bed. I finally felt bad enough by the time she was four that I had to tell her it was okay to get out of bed by herself. But when she heard that news, she was so excited, it was like giving her a gift! It was so adorable!

JayCee said...

Cudos on your traveling savvy. Great ideas you had to keep Jackson entertained. I'll remember those the next time I take my 4 year old grandson somewhere.

Also glad that Curt made it fine and everyone made it to Missouri and back. We live in St. Louis and I have a sister in Springfield so we visit there quite often....it's a great town....very family oriented and the people are so friendly.

Happy to hear that you "weathered" the storm okay in Houston. Enjoyed reading your mom's blog about it with the added comments you made!

See you in San Antonio!

A fellow siesta,
Janet

su said...

Welcome home Amanda. And I'm glad all the traveling went so well.

I remember that back-loosening feeling with my 2nd pregnancy too. It is certainly wierd. It's been forever ago so unfortunately I can't remember if there was anything I did to help it - other than resting more because of it.

And then it didn't happen in my third pregnancy. Some things just don't make sense!

Erin Ward said...

You should definitely get a Wii! Then Curt could practice up on his boxing and we could finally rematch at Christmas.

Fran said...

I'm so glad you thrived!!! That little Jackson is becoming a little man isn't he?!

Glad ya'll survived Tropical Storm Ed and had some down time with your parents too.

Have a good week. Hope you love your new Dr. This person is key in the life of momma to be. :)

Hugs,
Fran

rccalyn said...

Just stopped by to say hi. I have a 2 year old and am also due Feb. 17th with baby #2. I'm finally starting to feel better, but I had a long month of misery! Hope you start to feel better soon!

Anonymous said...

I hate the materinity clothes issue... The first couple months I just felt like I looked fat, the next couple/few I felt like I looked cute, then the last one I felt like a beached whale... The third time around I just tried to enjoy the middle months becuase I knew what was coming :O) Glad you had a safe trip...

Kelli said...

Glad you had a fun trip! We were supposed to get dumped on by Ed in our part of town and we BARELY got any rain! It made for a nice day for SO many people to have family day. What an unexpected blessing! :)

Melanie said...

Glad things went fairly smoothly! Your comments about feeling "loose" made me think of when I was pregnant with my second and had my SI joint out of whack, which started as a loosey-goosey feeling. My OB sent me to a physical therapist who gave me some exercises to strengthen my lower abs to keep it from happening again. I thought I was back in shape after the first baby b/c I lost all my weight, but had neglected to really strengthen those lower supporting muscles back up! It was not a big deal, just something to watch out for...my OB had never really emphasized how important it is to get those muscles back in shape! I wish someone had told me because I waited until I was REALLY in pain (which took a good long while to work up to) before I said anything and got help...

Gotta love Hobby!

Melanie

connorcolesmom said...

so glad the trip went well :)
I can't wait to see that sweet baby bump in SA - I bet you look precious
Blessings
Kim

Profbaugh said...

Hey Amanda,

I'm so glad you had a wonderful experience in Missouri. I've been thinking about you wondering how it went. I love Curt's cuz, Erin. She's such a hoot!!

Enjoy your pregnancy this time round. I was just thinking back to my baby #2 and there's about as much distance between my first two as yours. What a time that was!! I remember being thankful that I could put "The Little Mermaid" on tv and Matthew would actually sit still for 1 1/2 hours. What a blessing that movie was to me (tee hee). Oh man, he would so hate me telling that story. I'm glad he doesn't read your blog!!!!!

Praying for you, your pregnancy and of course "The Siesta Fiesta."

Much love,
~Cheryl

Anonymous said...

The DAY I found out I was pregnant with #2 I brought out the maternity clothes. Might as well be comfortable while I was chasing around a crazy 2 year old boy!

I'm glad your trip to Missouri went so well. Good for Jackson and sweet relief for Mom.

Michele said...

I am so glad you guys had such a good time and the trip went smoothly.
With all 3 of my pregnancies I could not wait to get to where I actually looked pregnant rather than looking like I was just putting on weight. I so love everything in Target, but I really liked their maternity section when I was prego.
We LOVE the Wii ourselves and have actually just gotten Wii Fit. It is the greatest!!
So glad the hurricaine didn't hit!! Don't worry. I am a big chicken myself. I don't live near my parents, but when my hubby goes out of town and I have to come to my house at night alone with my 3 kids my in-law will normally come over just to make sure all is well:)
I hope all goes well with meeting your new OB!!!

Anonymous said...

Glad you had a great time and that the traveling went well! I wound up seeing a chiropracter and that did wonders for my back when I was pregnant. Looking forward to meeting you hopefully in SA!

Mrs. H said...

We didn't do a "big girl bed" until her third birthday! Why ditch the crib (unless he's climbing out of it)!? It's great to know they are safe and in one spot :-)
I remember one of my daughter's first airplane rides. She watched Little Einsteins at the time and did the whole "tap, tap, tap.... blastoff!" as we were going down the runway taking off. It was really cute!

katiegfromtennessee said...

Hey Little Momma:)

That blesses me to know that your traveling went well and the storm wasn't all that bad! Praise the LORD! I love the fact that you celebrated some wonderful marital milestones, and got to visit with Lindsay. I hope your appointment went okay. I had my fourth fertility treatment yesterday, so I wait on the Lord again:) I really only have seven more trys after this. My husband had cancer before I met him, and he was healed, but became infertile b/c of the chemo and rad., so before the treatments, he had to donate for future baby-making purposes. So, our oppor. for bio. children is limited. The Lord knows my heart that I would want my own "fig", even if that means that I go through scary nausea, labor and delivery, and Lord knows what else; but I am cool with what He wants. It is what's best for me. As long as I know He loves me, that's all that matters. He has blessed you soo much Amanda in this area. Sorry for getting off on a tangent:) Praise the LORD! He is beyond us and beautiful to us. He is all wisdom and understanding and peace. He is all I want...I sure you feel the same way.

Love in CHRIST my Sister,

katiegfromtennessee
Luke 1:36-37 (AMP)

bethany said...

So glad that you had a good time in MO. And so glad that Edouard was not as bad as everyone had anticipated it being. Nice to be able to go to your mom and dad's during something scary! As it worked out sounds like you all had a great time together...it would not have been half as fun if you were home by yourself!
I've got my nephew Cole (1mo younger than Jackson) here and he is already up! (it is only 7am!!!!). I was hoping for a little bit of "me" time before the kiddo got up. At least he's not crying for mama. Ok...better make him some breakfast.

Anonymous said...

Hey Amanda!
Congratulations to you on your pregnancy! When do you find out what your having?
I'm glad you survived the "storm" and had a good trip to MO!

I know what you mean about those "too sweet" maternity shirts! I had a couple. Once I wore one of them to church and a friend of mine actually told me that I looked "too sweet"! I never wore it again:)

Sorry your back is buggin' you! I hope it doesn't bother you the entire pregnancy! Hey, if your ever in Round Rock come visit my hubs he'll help fix your back:)

The Schmidt Family said...

I'm sad I can't be there to help you with your back pain and to see your baby bump! I love and miss you!

BethAnne said...

Dont you find it funny that when you are pregnant with baby #1 you cannot wait to start showing and you buy maternity clothes when you are 3 weeks pregnant that you are not able to wear until you are 5 months pregnant.......then with baby #2 you try to wear your regular clothes as long as humanly possible without losing buttons and ripping seams, yet you start showing at 3 and a half months............what is up with that?

Amy T said...

Glad you made it back safely in time for a great time at your Mom's. And that you had such a great time there. Welcome back to Texas.

Amy T said...

I just looked at the pictures and Jackson looks so grown up in the pool picture! Such a cutie!

Stacie@HobbitDoor said...

I like the bike chain analogy for your back. I keep telling people it's like my spine no longer fits in my pelvis anymore--it is constantly moving. Couldn't sleep at all the other night for the pain! Hope yours improves! It definitely feels worth everytime I feel this little Nugget move!