The 24 Hour Flu

Well, I have it. That thing that makes your body do things that just aren't natural. It was about 3:00 this morning when I awoke with the worst stomach pains! It didn't take me long to recognize what I thought was a stomach bug. After a call to Beau at 3:30 (he's in Houston this week on biz) and one quick plea via Facebook that I needed my mommy, I emailed my team at the office saying no way, no how was I making it in today. Oh, and I'll share this little life lesson with you - if you call your hubby at 3:30am and happen to be pregnant, he WILL think the worst possible thing! Intruder, premature labor, losing the baby, I'm dying, etc. Oops. Side note: This is very reminiscent of the time that I called him while he was in the middle of a business dinner screaming at the top of my lungs b/c Brinkley brought a mouse in the house and dropped it at my feet. Of course, he couldn't understand me. It was then that I had to tell him that not only was I not being attacked by a masked man, but that the mouse was dead. Oops. 

Anyway,  I digress....nurse said I have the 24 hour flu - that it's going around and one of the worst outbreaks she has seen. Lots of liquids and I'm highly contagious. Oh good. Do I tell Beau that NOW (when he is about to board a plane early to come take care of me) or after he lands when he can't get away from me. Duh! Waited until he got home to tell him. Now, he won't come near me. Boo. Hiss. But before Beau arrived home, these are the folks that were taking care of me:

Clowns to the left of me....

 

Jokers to the right....

A doggie caretaker sandwich!

Shout out to Becca Caney - the BEST Frisco neighbor ever for bringing me a care package full of Gatorade, popsicles, soup and a SLURPEE!! I haven't had one of those in years and it was soooo good!

Still havin' fun!

My recent blog updates are probably a total snoozer to those whose aren't particularly interested in babies. In fact, pre-prego Stacey would be SO over this blog ;-) So, rest assured, I still have a social life, albeit a small one. Here are some things we have been up to lately:

JoDee's 30th Birthday! What a treat to see my sorority sisters that I haven't seen since college!! And JoDee of course looking fabulous as always....

The Ft. Worth rodeo with about 7 of our friends - SO much fun! Love me some cowboys rodeo fun!

Our friends' kids' Birthdays! We have been to 2 since I have been expecting and it's definitely preparing us for all the fun to come ;-) This pic was taken at Joseph's 2nd Birthday and he is PRECIOUS!

Thea's Birthday! Sushi and then Lemon Bar and who needs to see a picture of me when there is a SHOT SKI to stare at. SO funny to watch 4 of my friends coordinate their shots. Ha!

Snuggie Pub Crawl! What a hoot! A crazy number of people in snuggies took over Uptown one Saturday and I was thrilled to be a part of it! My friends even treated me to a non-alcoholic beer made by Heinekin. It was actually really good! :-)

 

Celebrating Nikki's engagement with the girls in the private wine room at Sushi Axiom - SO great to catch up with the girls since I don't get to see them all that often (contrary to this blog post!). And Kristi was out for the first time since Emmie was born 3 weeks ago - great to see her too!!

 

The Amazing Beau

Progress is being made on the guest room/nursery conversion and it's all attributed to Beau!! He's such a hard worker - I've always known this about him. :-) He moved every piece of furniture to the garage today by himself! Not an easy task! I was perfectly content with this big step but he didn't stop there. He just kept working back there this morning so I thought I would be nice and make him some eggs, bacon and apple cinnamon muffins (ok, the muffins were for me). He's such a sweetie and after breakfast he suggested we go buy the paint today - I was pretty surprised. That's a lot in 1 day. But he did it - isn't it pretty?! I love the progress - we can go pick up the furniture now! I'm so pleased with how the paint went on - now if we can just get this stinkin' middle panel figured out! We agree on a lot - but have different opinions on this center panel. I should just give in - he IS my painter after all ;-) P.S. I should hire him out - he did this in a couple of hours and without tape and there isn't one "oops". Amazing.

Getting back to how wonderful Beau is - in addition to the time he spent on the nursery today, he also had baseball practice, he's packing to leave for this week's trip, he made me dinner AND he's outside working with Brinkley right now. He does a lot and still he is always trying to keep me happy - I never thought I would be so lucky! On the subject of Brinkley, Beau and the breeder have big plans to get Brinkley into some competitions and he's ALMOST there. I'm so proud of Beau and Brinkley both! They have worked so hard and people (including the breeder) are always so impressed when they see Brinkley's discipline and intelligence. All thanks to Beau's dedication to training him when he's home. Love you Beaubs! xoxo

22 Weeks (or Moooving)

Beau and I saw my stomach MOVING for the first time this morning! It was really cool. Baby was going to town in there and, as always, I'm thrilled that Beau was there. Perhaps Baby Gray was waiting to begin punching and kicking me until this weekend when his dad would be home to see :-)

I'm officially out of breath when I run around the office or walk to my car after work. I'm a speedy mover so that just adds to the breathlessness (not a word?). But it's normal so no concerns. I have the black line now under my belly button (which is changing daily might I add - that thing will be an outie before we know it). I have lots of energy these days and still feel comfortable; I wish I could stay this size the whole time. It's only downhill from here ;-) I eat waffles like Eggo is closing their doors tomorrow. Breakfast and dinner. Thank goodness for prenatal vitamins!

How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Nursery Color Update

Dare I say we have final nursery colors?! After my sad, sad discovery that navy wouldn't work, we were left scratching our heads (ok, really it was just me) at what our Plan B would be. But I think we have it! Let's step back, originally our colors were cream and navy with cream bedding and navy walls (as mentioned in this post). And as I mentioned, the thought in my head didn't translate to the walls. Oh! I haven't shown you our bedding yet! We have had it since, oh I don't know, I was 10 weeks pregnant. :-) Loved it then, love it now! Here is the link. So the cream won't change and instead of navy, we will paint the bottom 1/2 of the walls a light green color. You know, the green that all the baby blankets and sheets come in when you don't want pink or blue. We think it's a safe, yet pretty, option and how soothing are cream and this shade of green together?! Now, where I need to stop myself is painting that center panel navy blue b/c I REALLY still want navy as an accent color. But I struggle b/c that will be a strong contrast between the two soothing colors. Ugh, already too much thought has gone into this and THAT annoys me about myself! 

We thought that picking up a baby blanket at BuyBuyBaby to match to paint swatches would be wise - after all, any accents that comes home from there will blend with the wall color! And so begins the next step of testing paint samples. I hate this part - too many options!! Wish us luck!

Valentine's Day

Beau and I have a similar take on this holiday (nothing you haven't heard before, made up holiday driven by the flower and card industries, yadda yadda) but we decided to do something regardless. I mean, who wouldn't want to go to brunch with their honey and see a movie with 15 uber-famous hottie celebrities?! So, you guessed it, we went to see the movie "Valentine's Day", which was really cute :-) 

Beforehand, we had Sunday Brunch at The Cheesecake Factory. I have been intrigued ever since my clients started talking about this part of their menu and while it's not new, there is one new menu item that is to DIE FOR! The Lemon Ricotta Pancakes! I would include a picture but they haven't been shot yet. But I assure you, they are heavenly and you must try them. Beau took one bite and said, "Your mom would love these!". I thought that was cute ;) And yes, Mama you must try them!

We then took a romantic trip to Kroger...gazed into each others eyes over High Fiber oatmeal and frozen pizzas. ;-) Kidding - but I love everything I get to do with Beau, regardless of whether it's a Hallmark-inspired day!

Here is my other Valentine!

(& me at 21 weeks before my V-Day date)

Grayson's First Clothes!

My sister Andrea recently sent Grayson some treats in the mail! His very first new clothes just for him :-) She sent us 2 onesies that are just precious and a burnt orange knit cap WITH HORNS! His very first horns - it's so cute! If my family had it their way, his first words would be "Hook 'em". ;) Here are the pics!

In addition to these, we can't forget the clothes my mom gave me that used to be mine! Both Grayson and I are/were June babies so a lot of it will fit him. :) I'm most excited about my winter coat - it's red corduroy - totally could be for a boy. It's such a cool thought that he will wear some things that once fit me when I was his size!

So, there isn't anything cuter than the horns beanie but this is a close second! MY very first baby outfit purchase for my very own child...(another cool thought)....isn't it CUTE?!? My poor kid will be decked out in weenie dogs and longhorns!

Front of the onesie/back of the pants

 

Back of the onesie/back of the pants 

Nikki & Brad are engaged!

Our dear, dear friends Nikki and Brad became engaged this evening in Destin! Brad currently lives there and Nikki is in Dallas. After a VERY trying day of flight cancellations and delays yesterday due to our winter snow storm, Nikki finally arrived so that they could spend, what she thought, would be V-day weekend together. Little did she know it would be their engagement weekend! :-) It's a perfect story and we are SO thrilled for them! I can't WAIT for all the wedding planning! They both have such good taste and a Destin wedding sounds AWESOME right about now! Here are 2 of my favorite pics of them - the first at our wedding and the second in the Bahamas...I'll spare everyone the pics of the 4 of us at the river ;-)  Congratulations you guys - we love you!!

21 Weeks (or Kung Fu Fighting)

I'm feeling really good! I have lots of energy and still tend to forget that I'm pregnant during the day. The baby is moving more than ever, which I love (and just realize that this is right in line w/ this week's update!). A sorority sister of mine recently told me to enjoy this time, that it's a feeling only for me. And I just love the way she verbalized that :-) It's so true and I'm really enjoying it :) However, I'm ready for this baby to be here SOON and June feels sooooo far away ;) 

In other body changing news, that dark line below my belly button is starting to show up and speaking of belly buttons, mine's comin' out! It's 1/2 in and 1/2 out and this is the first time that I've been able to see to the bottom of it! I used to have a really deep belly button so it's a little strange and it's VERY sensitive! I don't even like to touch it. What else...oh, my teenage acne has cleared on my face but not on my chest and back. TMI? Just giving my non-prego friends something to look forward to ;-)

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. Your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

Let it Sneau...

I think all  spellings of the sound "o" should be spelled "eau" just like Beau's name - it's just prettier ;-)

Moving on...is there anything more beautiful than my office closing because of snow?! It all began Thursday and continued to worsen overnight into Friday. We had about 10 inches of snow at the house and it was SOOO beautiful!! We loved watching Brinkley and Shelby play in it and I'm so happy it happened when Beau was home. He did have to drive in it Thursday coming home from his project in Arkansas. I worry about him on that drive every week like I've never worried before. I did read where once one begins having children their sense of mortality hits - no longer feeling invincible the way I spent my teenage years & most of my 20s. 

I digress...here are some pics of our snow days! Beau and I both worked from home Friday, which can be difficult with 2 dogs and the two of us on conference calls. Who said dogs barking in the background was unprofessional? Pssh.

Baby Reynolds has a name!

Exciting news....we announced earlier this week that our little boy's name is Grayson Luke Reynolds! We are very excited and I have to admit I got chills last night when Beau called him by his name for the first time ;-) It was truly special!

Although still very much developing inside me, Grayson likes to play this game that has proven a little frustrating to Beau and me.  He's moving like crazy and sometimes feels like he's somersaulting around....that is, until Beau puts his hand on my belly so that he can feel too. Then. Nothing. Still as can be. Beau will then walk away and he starts right back up. Another round of calling Beau back into the room for him to feel....and. nothing. All while (I imagine) Baby Gray is snickering on the inside.

More to come on our developments!

Share Your Love Story

We officially have our February promotion up and running for The Cheesecake Factory's Share Your Love Story Contest. We are really excited about the response we have received so far and it always solidifies all the crazy rushing and late nights when you see people engaging with the brand like they are. Dr. Phil will do a blurb this Friday on his show about the contest and anytime we get national attention at that level, the participation levels sky rocket! Which is good but not for those of us who manage the weekend monitoring of the site ;-) We will have record #s of entries this weekend and yours truly (and a few recruits from around the office) will be right there reading every story to ensure all follow guidelines (no inappropriate pictures/stories). 

On a similar but different note, things are more stressful than ever at the office as my dear co-worker is moving on to another opportunity. I will miss her (both personally and professionally) a great deal! She brought so much to the table, the 2 of us were a great team & operated very well being short staffed. I am officially doing 2 1/2 people's jobs! ;-) We don't have an Account Director at the moment so that compounds things. This at a time where I should keep my stress levels to a minimum with the pregnancy and all. They say they are getting me help though so I'm looking forward to that!

Here is a screen shot of the promotion since the link above won't work after Feb. Moving on - our Q2 promo is RIGHT around the corner!!

Hot Air Balloon

So this is kinda neat. The other day I was driving down our street and saw a hot air balloon flying right over our house! I've never seen one this close up and didn't realize how fast they travel! From the time I saw it to when I pulled out my phone and snapped this, it went from just to the left of our house to just to the right of it - speedy little sucker! My favorite part - Beau arrived right after me and he pulled over to take pictures too :-) Naturally, his photo (2nd below) is MUCH better than mine (the first one). Anyway, we think so much alike! :)

20 Week Updates (or 1/2 way!)

Sooo happy to be at the 1/2 way mark! What an achievement, although I can't say I've really done anything ;-) We are making progress with things. We have our stroller (as you know), we have selected our car seat (just need to go get it), and have cleaned out the guest bedroom. And by "cleaned it out" I mean all the "stuff" is now in the other bedroom and the furniture is ready to be moved to the garage! We are now testing paint colors and I have to admit they don't look the way they do in my head! :( I'm now second guessing my one and only plan and am worried we may have to start from scratch on nursery colors. I don't really do dark paint colors so I can't figure out if the navy really does look terrible and that we need to abandon the idea or if I'm just not used to it and we need to go for it and it will all work out....this is tough!

Here are a couple of options (that I'm hating). And you can tell me that the pics from my camera phone stink but it's just so EASY. So, sorry for the poor quality....

Now, I know what you are thinking...."Wait a minute. You are having a boy and have baby blue walls and you want to CHANGE them?!"....my answer, "Why, yes I do" :) I know, nuts. But again, IN MY HEAD it is all so pretty!! Navy and cream - how could we go wrong?! Well, it appears that we may be wrong. And then there's the whole decision about what goes in that annoying little stripe between the chair rails. Hmmmm....I'll keep you posted....

How your baby's growing:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

The Talker

I have always loved a good massage and they have been ever-so-important here recently! Not only b/c of back pain due to pregnancy but b/c I'm dealing with more stress & responsibility at the office than I ever have before. (Yes, perfectly coinciding with a time in my life that I need the least outside stress.) I have now had 2 prenatal massages and BOTH therapists talked throughout the ENTIRE massage! Shouldn't Chapter 1 in Massage Therapy school be all about WHY people come to see them? De-stress, relaxation, muscle tension come to mind....so a massage should be a quiet, relaxing experience, right?! I know therapists stand in those dark rooms all day with no one to talk to and I feel for them but I just don't want them talking to ME.;)

I specificaly don't want to hear about your daughter's stressful job at Bank of America (remember, I'm trying to FORGET work), the abuse your adoptive daughter experienced at the hands of her father (break my heart!), your ex-husband, your ex-boyfriend, how your lab saved your life at a rest stop, how you arrived to Texas from Boston via Scottsdale, and I REALLY don't want to be asked 20 questions about MY stressful job...[sigh]. She was so sweet but really?! And this is less than 1/2 of the topics...her 2 pugs, her dancing career (not THAT kind of dancing!), her middle name (Faye), muscle education, her pregnancy and her daughter's boss are all new things I have learned about. All that said, she did an excellent job and I feel great. :)

I just really need a quiet massage therapist and I KNOW it's my job to tell them to be quiet. I just can't bring myself to address it. :-(