Texas Lou

Archive for the ‘Ben’ Category

Good morning!  I’m thankful for another new week and fresh start!

Here’s what I’m thankful for this week:

1. I’m thankful for a positive diagnosis from the doctor on Friday.  Although my situation hasn’t gotten better in a week, it hasn’t gotten worse either, and for now, the medication I am taking seems to be preventing further causes of preterm labor and my babies and I have made it to 30 weeks as of today.  Just 6 more weeks until their lungs are fully developed and hopefully I can make it 8 weeks to an ideal delivery time.  I’m thankful for my doctor, Dr. T, and his expertise and the medication they have prescribed me.
2. I’m thankful for a wonderful weekend with family and friends.  Friday evening, we dined at Beer Run with my mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law for dinner before heading to see my niece in her elementary school’s production of 101 Dalmatians.  Afterward, we celebrated my niece’s birthday with chocolate cake and ice cream and my nieces and sister-in-law gave us two beautifully hand-made blankets and a handmade soft block for the babies.  Then Saturday morning, I cheered on Ben, Sarah, and lots of friends and fellow runners at the VIA 5K.  It was a beautiful day for a race and even though I would have preferred to be running or walking, I was glad to be there to support everyone running and walking for such an amazing cause and organization.  Plus I got to run into so many awesome people!  Afterward,  Ben and I attended my niece’s soccer game and got to spend more amazing time outdoors.  Then Sunday, we attended the visitation for one of my best friends, Crystal’s, mother.  Although it was due to sad circumstances, it was nice to see our good friends and run into some old familiar faces.  I’m so grateful for all of these people that make my life so full!
3. I’m thankful that I got to spend so much quality time with my mom last weekend and early last week.  She left Tuesday afternoon after we had lunch at Timberwood Grill.  I enjoyed her being here so much and she did so much for us as well including cooking us a roast dinner, helping me grocery shop, and cleaning our stove.  For anyone who knows my mom well, you’ll know that cleaning the stove is HUGE for her since my mom is not a fan of cleaning anything.
4. I’m thankful for Ben.  He has been so helpful lately with driving me places and doing things for me that I’m not able to do because of my pregnancy.  Most importantly, he has been the most calm, confident, and collective expectant father I’ve ever met which has really helped calm my nerves and anxiety about being a new mom to twins.  I love him and am so thankful he’ll be the daddy to my babies.
5. Lastly, I’m thankful for simple things that most people take for granted, like going to the bathroom.  Pregnancy combined with my medication has done a number on my intestines so I’ll just say without getting too detailed that any day I can feel like a fraction of my old self if a good day.

Have a beautiful spring day!

Happy Thankful Monday!  It’s been a busy day so I’m just now getting around to posting.

Here’s what I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful for a good checkup with my OB on Friday and getting to hear both my babies’ heartbeats!  I’m also thankful that I only have to wait 4 more days until our next ultrasound (it’s been 5 weeks) and that my mom gets to attend this one!
2. I’m thankful for an awesome girls day yesterday!  Pedicures with Sarah and Crystal were so relaxing and then we picked up Chipotle and watched an awesome season finale of the Walking Dead.  What a fun evening with great people!
3. I’m so so so so VERY thankful for all of the baby gifts we’ve received.  Of course I’ll be sending out thank you notes, but people are just so generous and I have to express my gratitude here as well!  And again I’m so thankful for the generosity of local moms who have donated so much free baby gear to us and sold us so many things for really cheap!  We are blessed!
4. I’m thankful that Ben and I FINALLY agreed on 1 baby name (just the first name) that we both really like.  Now we just need 1 more first name and two middle names!
5. I’m so grateful my mom is coming to visit on Thursday for my baby shower and staying a few days.  It will be wonderful to have her here!
6. I’m thankful that we are finally getting some warmer weather, even if it does involve rain (as long as it’s not snow)!
7. I’m thankful that Ben did so well at the Charlottesville Ten Miler on Saturday.  He did an amazing job and finished in an hour and 25 minutes, 57th out of 105th in his division, and 510th overall and he didn’t even train this year!  Plus he rubbed my belly (instead of a high five) at the finish line!
8. I’m thankful for a great dinner with our friends Robert and Crystal last week.  We always have a blast with them!

Ok, I couldn’t stop thinking of things to be thankful for.  Plus there are even more but I can’t post them.

Have a great day!  Love you all!

Good morning and happy Thankful Monday!

Today I am thankful for:

1. I’m thankful for my husband who helped me finish painting the nursery this weekend despite the fact that he never wanted to take on the project in the first place.  I’m also thankful for the initial help of my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law in picking out paint colors and getting the project started.  It feels so good to be done painting the room and it looks so much better than it did with pink walls and ceilings!
2. I’m thankful for wonderful friends and family who are throwing me a baby shower and I’m also grateful for all of the friends and family who are coming from near and far to help me celebrate the arrival of my boys.
3. I’m thankful for the daily movements and kicks that I get to feel from my boys.  They may not always be the most comfortable sensations but they remind me that there are two miracles growing inside of me.
4. I’m thankful that my mom is able to come from Texas to attend my baby shower and spend a long weekend with me.  She might even get to see her grand babies on ultrasound at our next appointment.
5. I’m thankful for answering services and a doctor who calls me back right away on weekends for even the smallest concerns.
6. I’m thankful for the generous baby shower gifts we’ve received so far including a diaper bag, temporal thermometer, bath mat kneeler, hooded bath towels, and a humidifier.
7. I’m thankful for health insurance and all of the costs it has covered so far including $220 of my $300 breast pump I received last week!

Have a great day!

Good morning and happy Thankful Monday!

Today I’m thankful for the following:

1. I’m thankful for the support and advice from all of the moms and parents out there who have donated or sold me discounted baby gear, given me reading materials and videos to help me research, and shared their personal stories with me.  I’m especially thankful for two fairly new twin moms who reached out to me who have been such a wonderful help and have helped me feel alot less overwhelmed about the idea of twins.  I’m so grateful for their friendship, support, and help.
2. I’m thankful my father-in-law was able to have a non-invasive surgery to help with his injury and that he seems to be on the tail end of his stay in the hospital.  I’m also grateful for the wonderful staff at UVA hospital who have taken great care of him.  In addition, I’m grateful that my mother-in-law has been by his side the whole time and has been so strong and supportive for him.
3. I’m thankful for a fun weekend spent with friends and family.  Friday night, my sister from another mister, Sarah, and I had dinner at Timberwood Grill and then saw the amazing Denise Stewart perform her one-woman show, Dirty Barbie and Other Girlhood Tales at Four County Players.  The show was amazing and I could relate to it on many different levels!  Then Saturday evening, after visiting my father-in-law in the hospital, we joined Amy, Joel, Ian, Sarah, and Collin at Boylan Heights to celebrate Collin’s birthday!  Sunday afternoon, after a beautiful walk with Ben in the unseasonably warm weather we had, Lindsey and Sarah came over for girls night and to watch The Walking Dead.  We had an amazing spread of pork tenderloin, curry chicken salad, veggies and hummus, cheese and crackers, and caprese bites.  The girls outdid themselves with the food!  It was a wonderful weekend full of awesome people!
4. I’m thankful that my energy levels continue to stay somewhat high despite me poor sleep lately allowing me to be really productive and get alot done before the babies get here.
5. Lastly, I’m thankful for my husband Ben once again.  This past week he has been there for me through early-morning leg cramps and nightmares and general pregnancy discomforts.  He is so supportive and I’m so happy he is my husband and the father of my children.

Have a great day!

Good afternoon and happy Thankful Monday!

Here’s what I’m thankful for this week:

1. I’m thankful for a good report at our ultrasound today.  Despite me having a little trouble laying on my back long enough without getting sick, both babies (currently nicknamed Tex and Virg) are doing well!  Tex is 1 pound and 2 ounces and Virg is a pound and they are both growing well and have strong heartbeats.  I’m so thankful that they are growing so well thus far and that I have not had any complications.  If I’m lucky, I’ll get to avoid bed rest.
2. I’m thankful for a wonderful family who helped me start painting the babies’ nursery on Saturday.  Phyllis, Sarah, Ian, and Ben all pitched in to start turning the nursery from pink (a seemingly favorite color of the previous owner of our house) to a nice neutral off-white color.  I hope they know how grateful I am for their help.
3. I’m thankful my father-in-law is ok.  After a fall down some steps during the snow storm we had last week, he ended up in the hospital with broken ribs and a punctured lung.  I wish he hadn’t sustained the injuries but I am glad he is ok, on the mend, and in good hands.
4. I’m thankful for a job that allows me to work from home during snow storms so that I don’t have to risk driving on the treacherous roads.  I worked from home last Thursday and Friday because we were snowed-in due to the foot of snow that fell Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
5. I’m grateful for my husband Ben.  He continues to take great care of me and provide me with wonderful emotional support throughout my pregnancy.  Whether it’s building a fire to keep me warm, clipping my toenails or helping me put on my shoes because I have a hard time reaching my feet, or just rubbing my back, he has been so great and I love him.

Have a happy day friends!

Good morning and happy thankful Monday!

This morning, I am thankful for the following:

1. I am thankful for a fun day yesterday painting and celebrating Dana‘s birthday at Wine & Design.  It was so much fun and I always enjoy getting to catch up with friends.  Plus we got to meet Dana’s adorable kitten Pippi!        I definitely can’t wait to do this again!
2. I’m thankful for a fun evening with Ian and Sarah last night.  I made chili for us and we watched the mid-season premier of one of our favorite shows, the Walking Dead.  I’m lucky to have family on both mine and my husband’s side that I also consider to be my best friends.
3. I’m thankful for a great weekend with my husband.  Friday night, we finally tried Tavola, an Italian restaurant in town that had been highly recommended to us.  It was delicious and we finished the meal with homemade chocolate hazelnut gelato.  Then we went to Babies ‘R Us to check out baby gear and headed home to watch the Winter Olympics.  Saturday, we had a busy day together starting with Beer Run for breakfast tacos and a virgin bloody mary,  shopping at Leftover Luxuries, Lowes, Pet Food Discounters, Sam’s Club, and Giant, followed by lunch at Sticks Kebob Shop.  And since I accidentally left my wallet at home, my gracious husband paid for everything.  I’m so lucky to have him!
4. I’m grateful that I can finally feel my babies moving!  I was so anxious to feel them move for so long as I’ve been told that this experience is one of the coolest parts of being pregnant.  I have been feeling them for over a week and I have to say I definitely agree that feeling them move is my favorite part!  I love my baby boys!
5. I’m thankful for the new twin moms I have met and all of the advice they have given me and cheap baby gear they have sold me.  I feel so lucky to have such friendly and generous people in my community who have reached out to me.  Hearing their stories makes me feel alot more confident about having twins.
6. BONUS:  I’m thankful for the extra energy I seem to have found lately.  I had a super productive week and weekend and finally picked a color to paint the nursery.  After weeks of feeling exhausted and having little energy, I am glad I am getting some because I have so much to do before my boys get here!

Have a great week!

Well there is a BIG secret I have been keeping and most people who know me well, know my secret by now so I feel confident in sharing it here.  Today I am 20 weeks pregnant with TWIN boys!  This is the biggest thing I have to be thankful for!  In relation to my boys, I am thankful for the following:

1. I am thankful for these 2 beautiful gifts from God!  They are truly the greatest gifts I have ever received and I now can’t imagine life without them even though they have not been born yet.
2. I am thankful for a healthy pregnancy and healthy babies thus far.  All three of us are doing well, gaining weight appropriately, and growing as we should.
3. I am thankful for a wonderfully supportive husband who has been my calm rock through the news that it was not 1 baby but 2 babies we are expecting.  I am also so grateful for him for taking care of me when I’ve been sick and making sure I am as comfortable as possible while I carry and nourish our little boys.
4. I am so thankful for supportive and generous friends, family, and coworkers.  People have been so eager to celebrate our news and hear our updates and they have donated so many baby and pregnancy items to us.  We’ve received Pack N’ Plays, maternity clothes, a baby swing, baby clothes, a cradle, a high chair, a rocking chair, baby books, and so many other items and there are still offers coming in.  In addition, people helped us out with food, words of encouragement, advice, and such when I was too sick to stomach cooking regular meals and feeling like morning sickness all-day sickness would never end.  Ben, Baby A, Baby B, and I are all so lucky to be surrounded by such generous and loving people.
5. I am so grateful to my workplace for offering me the best maternity leave options I have ever heard of and allowing me to come back to work part time so I can spend more time with my babies and save on childcare.  I truly feel like they care about me as a person.

I know we are about to embark on a wild and crazy ride soon but I am already thankful for the opportunity.  I’m sure there will be sleepless nights, tears, and stress, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Good morning and welcome to my Thankful Monday post.  Here’s what I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful for a husband who took great care of me all weekend while I was sick.  He brought me food, went to the store for me, and comforted me.  I really am a lucky girl to have him!
2. I am thankful again for my husband for consoling me after some not-so-good news on Friday and also for running into a good friend and her kiddos who helped cheer me up and distract me as well.
3. I’m so thankful for 2 girls nights in a row.  Tuesday, I met up with my former women coworkers at Travinia for a girl’s night out and we had so much fun catching up and enjoying each other’s company.  Then Wednesday, I enjoyed an impromptu happy hour at Bonefish Grill with 2 friends from work.  I always count my blessings for the wonderful women in  my life!
4. I’m grateful that my husband’s car, which has continued to have problems, had an easy and cheap fix this week.  Luckily the tow truck driver who came to tow it to the mechanic found and fixed the problem and only charged us for the mileage after several other people (mechanics included) had looked at it and failed to diagnose the problem.
5. I’m grateful for longer days and more daylight.  I’ve noticed that the days are slowly but surely getting longer and I am so thankful for this!  Can’t wait for spring!

Have a wonderful day!

Good morning and welcome to my weekly Thankful Monday post!

Here’s what I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful for a wonderful weekend spent with people I love!  Friday night, I had a nice quiet evening at home with my husband and kitties.  Then Saturday morning, I went with Sarah to support her school, the Virginia Institute of Autism, by participating in a pancake breakfast!  I met several of Sarah’s coworkers and we enjoyed playing with all of the cute babies that came along with their mommies.  Afterward, Sarah and I had a girls day and did some shopping.  We found alot of post-Christmas deals at the mall and then headed to a new restaurant in town, Pasture, to belatedly celebrate Sarah’s birthday!  As if that wasn’t enough fun, when I got home, Ben and I went to his parents house to visit with our nephew Brandon and two nieces Abby and Elise.  It was a great day spent with my Virginia family!  Sunday, I got to spend the entire day running errands which wasn’t bad at all because I got to do it with my husband.
2. I’m thankful for a great lunch catching up with my good friend Kristen at Baja Bean on Thursday.  I rarely go out to lunch and spend most days eating at my desk while working so it was a nice change of pace to take a long break from work with a friend.  Plus Kristen and I rarely get together since we are both so busy so I love getting to hang out with her whenever I have the chance.
3. I am thankful for a clean bill of health from my endocrinologist.  Another appointment last Monday revealed that my thyroid levels are perfectly normal which is great news!
4. I am thankful for working for such a wonderful company.  I recently talked with my boss and the Human Resources department at work about taking some important upcoming leave from work and coming back to work part-time.  I am more than thrilled with the options they have provided me and they have proved that they really do care about me as a person.  I am truly blessed to work at such a great company that treats their employees so well and recognizes the importance of a work-life balance.
5. I am thankful for the kindness of the people around me.  My husband and I are soon going to have a dramatic change in our lifestyle and people have been so wonderful to offer help, advice, support, and items that will help us along the way.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

It’s been a little over a year now since I wrote my first Thankful Monday post.  This originally started out as an experiment so I could see if practicing gratefulness would help make me a happier person.  I think I can say that after a year, practicing gratefulness at least once a week has without a doubt helped me to be a happier and more positive person.  As a result of this conclusion, I think I will continue to write my Thankful Monday blog posts indefinitely.  So without further delay, here is the first Thankful Monday post of 2014:

1. I’m thankful for a fun craft night on Friday evening with Amy and Sarah.  It was Sarah’s birthday, so we celebrated her day and I made her this flourless nutella cake.  I had so much fun just chatting with the girls, watching them make scarves, learning about different sewing techniques, and creating an ornament from the trunk of our first Christmas tree.
   
   I always cherish these fun and creative times with friends.
2. I’m thankful for a nice long phone date with my cousin and best friend Megan!  Whenever we have phone dates, we end up chatting for hours.  It’s always so much fun to catch-up and talk to the people I love!
3. I’m thankful for a very generous gift from my boss.  She was about to donate some belongings to Goodwill when she found out that I would be needing them soon so she gave them to me!  I’m so grateful to be surrounded by generous and helpful people!
4. I always say it, but I don’t think it is ever enough – I am so thankful for my husband Ben!  He is always helping me and taking care of me!  This weekend, he stacked wood and continuously made sure the fire in our wood stove was burning to keep us warm (he even taught me how to operate it).  He also did several things on my honey-do list including but not limited to changing all of the burnt out light bulbs in the house and helping me fold a tablecloth.  I love him so much and still can’t believe how lucky I am to have found him.
5. I’m thankful for my days off.  Though I work in retail and don’t get as many days off during the holidays as I’d like, I am very thankful for the ones I do get.  Last Wednesday was a nice day off spent celebrating the New Year.

Have a great week and happy New Year!