Little Monkey Mery - First Birthday

As part of our pre-parenthood planning process, we requested both my sister and sister-in-law to have children. That way, we could learn all about babies with little to no personal sacrifice.

In celebration of the culmination of one year of our great plan ... I mean ... we celebrated Owen Mery's first birthday this past weekend (his actual birthday is on my own birthday, just another great part of our plan ;). Owen is the son of my sister Krista, and her husband Nathan.

Besides Owen, the party was attended by only one other person less than 5 years old. There was an abundance of friends and family. We gave the little guy a pop up tent. Not surprisingly, he didn't immediately scream with childhood excitement over it (see Monkey-video below). However, all the adults thought it was pretty cool. Here are some photos:

Stunned by all the people

Already walking!

The Challenged Baker

Many people know that I like to cook. I think it is fun, easy, and a good creative outlet. I particularly like the instant gratification of immediately enjoying (eating) the efforts of my labor. But baking is another story. It takes a long time, you have to be amazingly precise, and things don't ever seem to come out the same way twice.

Baking is hard, and it frustrates me to no end. The problem is that I really want to be a good baker. In an effort to solve this dilemma, I had my first baking lesson this past weekend. My Aunt Angela invited me over to learn how to make an apple pie. I could say that "we" made the pies, but honestly she did most of the work. Either way, the pies turned out great, and Lee and I have been enjoying apple pie a la mode for the past few days.

Even though I learned a lot about pie crusts, I'm not sure I will be able to make my own. The baking curse seems to be upon me, but I'm determined to keep trying. So, if you're a good baker and you're willing to take on a student, give me a call and we'll set a date for you to teach me your tricks and tips for excellent pies, pastries, cookies, brownies, cakes, etc.

The Pies

My aunt, Angela.

This is Genius!!!

Would you be happier with more M&M's in your life? I probably would be. So, how do you get those tasty little "melt in your mouth, not in your hand" morsels for free? Win a contest!

We have all taken part in a "Guess the amount of M&Ms in the jar" contest. But could you ever do more than give a random guess? Well, now you can. The guy from lifehacker.com made a video on how to shark the M&Ms game by using science and math! I have never found these 2 subjects more interesting or exciting. Finally, practical application!

Here's what you need to know:

• Volume of the container being used (mL)
• Volume of 1 M&M (happens to be ~0.715mL) -- using volume formula for ellipsiods
• Packing fraction of M&Ms (66.5%) -- yes, there was a published study done on this

Example:

If you have a 1 liter container, how many M&Ms would it hold?

Answer:

(1000mL/0.715)x0.665 = 930M&Ms

If you would like more of an explanation go to this link, it will take you to the video on lifehacker.com.


Good luck! And if you do win a contest, remember it is always nice to share with those who helped you.

What does a dream mean?

My pictoral interpretation of Mom's dream.

Well, Grandma Bobbie had her first baby dream...and guess what? We had a girl! But she was already six months old with long hair when she came out. And she talked a lot. Can you imagine OUR kid being a chatter box? I guess it would be good to have someone around to fill the silences.

Now most people have been predicting we'll have a boy. I must admit, there is a certain comfort that comes with having a boy. Most of my younger cousins are boys, both of our nephews are boys, there seems to be less trouble with adolescent boys. The list goes on. But, I guess we should consider that there's a 50% chance that there's a girl in there.

So, we'll find out in a couple of months whether my mom's dream is right. Right about it being a girl...not the other stuff because I'm not waiting til I am 15 months pregnant to deliver.

12 Week Check-up

On Friday, baby and I had a check-up with the ob/gyn. This was the first time I got to hear its heartbeat!

Finding the heartbeat took a while, and I was hoping the lunch of rice and beans that I shoved into my face on the car ride to the office would not impede the nurse's ability to locate the baby. When she finally found the heartbeat, which sounded like gusts of wind blowing into a cell phone, I thought about how much Lee would have loved to have been at this visit. It was sad to experience something so incredible without him. But he's working hard so we can pay for this kid's future college tuition, ER visits, and random pleads for more spending cash. He's a good man.

My doctor tells me the baby's heartbeat and my uterine measurements are perfect...which I translate to mean normal. So, it's looking good, and we're very encouraged.

1 trimester down...2 to go!

2nd Anniversary: Fredericksberg, TX

This year, we went to Fredericksburg, TX for our 2nd anniversary. We typically enjoy going to smaller towns where we can do some low-key hiking and take pictures. For those who are interested in going to Fredericksburg, here is a short list of do's and don'ts.

Do:

• Take a morning to hike Enchanted Rock
• Stay at a Bed & Breakfast
  
• Eat at the Peach Tree Cafe (order the mango limeade!)
• Visit the Wildseed Farms
• Go on a Winery Tour (we did not do this since I am pregnant)
• Eat lots of peaches
• Bring your walking shoes
• Consider bringing a trailer or SUV for unexpected purchases

Don't:

• Stay at a Bed & Breakfast close to Main St...if you value a good breakfast and good service
• Try to hit all of the shops in one day
• Mind the stench of beer that lingers on the street after 6pm

Speaking of Enchanted Rock...here are a few pictures from our hike. You can click on the individual pictures for a closer look.

Hiking Enchanted Rock

"Climbing the Rock"

"Trekking around the Rock"

How to: Start a Blog

The best time to start a blog is when some life-altering event has occurred that friends and family members are deeply interested in. Namely, a pregnancy. We were having some difficulty conceiving, but after several months of waiting, praying, and wondering "is something wrong with us?", we have been blessed to announce that I have something in my uterus about the size of a lime...and it's not a tumor.

Our little parasite, more affectionately our baby, is now 11 weeks old! We have been busy reading books, thinking of names, and getting as much feedback as possible from other new parents. The amount of available information on pregnancy is quite overwhelming, and sifting through the junk can be a challenge. We've decided the internet, although useful, can be a stinking cesspool of refuse. "Reader Beware!"

Well, welcome to our blog, and thanks for letting us share our lives with you. We'll try to keep you updated on the transitions and developments that are happening with us and the little one...you'll probably get some fun puppy stories as well. But hopefully not too many because that would mean they are making trouble.