D.O.N.E.

I am done. Really, really done. D.O.N.E.

With what, you ask... breastfeeding.

I know that all women are created to breastfeed. It really is an incredible, wonderful thing and I had high hopes of breastfeeding Everly for a long time. While all women are created to breastfeed, I think some are better at it than others. I fall in the "not good at it" category.

I've had some guilt about "not being good at it". But, I'm over it. Seriously, our mothers didn't breastfeed us and Clark is brilliant and I'm... well, I'm not dumb.

I had issues with Walker and it turns out, I had a whole new set of issues with Everly. I'm not going to whine or complain about this, but I thought it was worthy of a blog.

I am fighting my second infection and it turns out to be staph. Seriously, how did this happen? I'm just doing what I think I'm supposed to do.. feeding my baby girl, yet I end up feeling terrible... TWICE. (have I mentioned that she isn't even 4 weeks old yet?)

How in the world did women deal with this stuff before formula?? I truly can't imagine!

I'm pretty sure I'm on the road to recovery and I can't wait. I will be very excited to be healthy! NOT being pregnant feels fantastic. I can't wait until I'm not pregnant and not feeling bad. What a treat that will be. It's been a long time coming.

Birth Day

Just thought I would post a quick update! We got to the hospital this morning at 5:30. The good news, I had progressed some on my own, so we're already ahead of the game! They had me all hooked up with pitocin at 6:15 and the doctor broke my water at 7:45.... so, we are well on our way to meeting our sweet little girl.

I will try to keep the updates coming!

Three More Days

Have I mentioned that TCU is in the College World Series? Their first game is just about to start. I'm excited!

I've decided to use the game as an excuse to post of a picture... of ME! Yikes. Here's the deal. I don't like prego pictures. And, I don't like tight pregnancy clothes. But, I'm going against those two things to show you a prego picture of me in something tight:



Two words: Go Frogs!

Okay, that's out of the way. On to more important things. Everly will be here VERY soon. If she doesn't come before, I will be in induced on Tuesday. Only a couple more days! Wow. I can't wait to see her.

Be sure to check the blog often on Tuesday... I will try to post updates during the day, and we will for sure post pictures soon after she is born!

The Year of the Frog

Wow. Seriously. Wow. My Horned Frogs are having a FANTASTIC year.

First, the football team makes it to a BCS bowl and ends the season #6 in the country. Now, the baseball team has made it to the College World Series! So exciting.

The only problem with all this success.... I've had to enjoy it from afar. We decided not to travel to the Fiesta Bowl in January because I was still in my first trimester... feeling terrible! And, now... a trip to Omaha sounds fantastic. Oh wait, I have to give birth. I guess I can't make the trip!

I'm assuming all the games will be on tv... what a great way to break Everly in to Horned Frog fever. She'll be wearing purple VERY early in her life!

Speaking of wearing purple... I have to mention that the Horned Frogs beat out the LONGHORNS to get to Omaha.

We had quite an interesting weekend in the Wood house. Clark was at work on Friday for game one. Soooo, not surprisingly, Walker wore purple that day.

TCU won.

Saturday, Clark was home and let me sleep in. Walker wore orange that day.

UT won.

So, the big question was... what will Walker wear on Sunday for game three? Mommy and Daddy put their school allegiances aside and Walker was neutral. He stayed in his church clothes. Thankfully the Frogs didn't need the extra purple to pull out the win!

It will be easy to dress him for the rest of the games... purple all the way!

Bad Wife or Just Pregnant?

Seriously, I don't know where to start. First off, I know that it's been over a week since my last blog. I've had plenty of things to blog about, but I just haven't gotten to it.

Kinda like I haven't gotten to cooking or grocery shopping or cleaning up the house or doing laundry.

I think I tell Clark every single day that I'm a bad wife. I hate being a bad wife, but at 37 weeks pregnant with a 16-month old and both of us with a COLD, I just can't help it. I keep promising that I will be better... I just hope I can follow through!

Okay, on to more interesting topics...

The due date is 21 days away... I think I can, I think I can. (this is what I keep telling myself!)

I don't think I've ever posted what our baby girl's name is! Yes, we know this time around:





Yep, it's Everly. We thought we might wait to name her like we did with Walker, but it stuck because I actually started calling her Everly. At that point we knew it was a done deal!

(the funny backstory... before we knew Walker was a boy, Victoria was high on our list of girl names. Then I read a little saga called Twilight and that name was forever off the list!)

Okay, so that's some Everly news... here's some Walker news. Continuing the theme of my lack of energy and inability to do things around here, Clark has taken over bathing duties. Walker loves it!





Last thought... we purposely had Walker in the winter. I mean, who wants to be pregnant... in Houston... in summer? And, then we decided to go ahead and have baby #2 quickly. I can tell you.... pregnancy in the winter is a lot more fun than pregnancy in the summer!

The Countdown is On!

This pregnancy has actually gone pretty fast. Taking care of Walker makes it easier to NOT focus on the pregnancy part. I am 33 weeks today, which means we have 7 weeks to go.

Seven weeks... doesn't sound too bad, right? WRONG! If I was feeling fine and getting around without pain, I think I would be fine. But, I am suffering from a lovely pregnancy complication called Sciatica. It is BRUTAL. The precious baby girl is pushing something up against my sciatic nerve. I have shooting pains that race down my left leg when I try to walk. Fun. And, here's the best part... there's nothing you can do to help it! Ugh.

So, you see why the countdown is on. I've never been one to wish that the baby would come early.... I certainly don't want her to arrive until she's baked and ready, but if that happened to be a week or two early, I wouldn't complain!!!

I have to take a moment to publicly thank my husband and mother. Clark has been wonderful. As soon as he gets home from work he orders me to sit and takes care of everything... dinner... getting Walker ready for bed... even dishes!

And, my mom.... yesterday she took me to the grocery store and helped me hobble along. She did all the heavy lifting and loading and unloading. Then she ordered me to make a list next time so she can go without me.

It helps to have sweet people around to take care of me!

Our Little Buckaroo and Soon-to-Be Girly Girl

When we bought Walker's "nursery decor" a year and a half ago, we decided to buy something "neutral", that way we could use it again if we had a girl.

But, I didn't anticipate having our baby girl so soon! This means we had to get another crib set anyway, because Walker isn't ready for a big boy room just yet. So, here's what we did... baby girl got the black and white gear, but we paired it with lavender walls and a hot pink sheet! I love that the room is so girly!









And, Walker is now officially a cowboy! Check out his ALL BOY room!







So, the point of all this... I love for my babies' rooms to be gender SPECIFIC! It's so much more fun.

Already the Second Baby?

Alright, I'm just going to say it. Things are different with the second baby! I guess it's because we have the "been there, done that" attitude. It just makes me laugh!

We just found out that our little darling is a girl and I already bought the crib! The first time around I had to do lots of research and I would pick something out, then take Clark back to look. This time Clark told me he didn't mind if I go ahead and take care of the details. So, the little darling ended up with a floor model.(gasp!) I got her a crib and a chest of drawers and spent less than half of what we spent on Walker. Does this make me a bad mother? The crib is exactly what I wanted and it's the same wonderful brand as Walker's furniture... it just happened to be cheap because it was on the floor. I feel okay with that!

Now it's time to get moving on her room... since the furniture was on the floor they want to get rid of it. Oops, I guess that means we need to start cleaning out!

Next topic.. the fact that she's actually a girl. I'm really excited, but it's kinda hard to get my head wrapped around it! For the last year and a half, I've only looked at boy clothes. Seriously, I walk into a baby store, go to the tiny boy section and look longingly over at the girl section, wishing I could shop over there. Don't get me wrong, I love to shop for Walker, but there's so much more for girls... I mean, there are ruffles and dresses and bows and pink and purple! So exciting. It just doesn't quite feel right that I actually get to walk over to all the frilly stuff and shop. I've looked, but haven't actually bought... yet.

But, Bunny has... how cute is this stuff?!?!

It's a GIRL!

The poll turned out to be correct! 78% said girl and Wood Baby #2 is, in fact, a girl! We are very excited.

Now it's time to buy pink!

Four More Weeks!?

Ugh. We have to wait four more weeks to find out if Wood Baby #2 is a boy or a girl! Torture!

I went for my 16 week checkup and everything is looking good, but we didn't get an ultrasound, so we wait until next month! The one thing that is fun about this... Clark will actually be with me when we find out. I was by myself when I found Walker was a boy, so this time we can find out together!

So, since we have to wait until February, I decided to put up a poll to see what the readers of WoodWords think... boy or girl? Cast your vote!

The End of a Fantastic College Football Season

Look at my boys!



Such a cute pair! It really is too bad that the Longhorns couldn't pull out a win, but considering all that happened, I think they played well and will have another great season next year.

I just can't believe that we had so much fun rooting for the Longhorns and the Horned Frogs all season long with NO losses, then we had to endure both disappointing games in one week! But, I'm proud to say, we all handled the losses much better than I would have thought!

So, the college football season is over. Seriously, what are we going to do with ourselves! I guess we'll take the next five months to prepare for Wood Baby #2!

I'm really hoping that we will find out what the little darling is this week, but it's not guaranteed. This "not working in OB/Gyn offices everyday" has put a damper on my ultrasound perks! So, if not this week, we will know next month. I guess we can wait if we have to! I'll be sure to post in WoodWords the minute we know!

Walker has a Secret!

Yep, you read that right... Walker is going to be a big brother! Clark and I are expecting our second baby. Little Wood Baby #2 is due on June 30th.

So, if you've been wondering about my lackluster blogging lately, you can chalk it up to a horrible case of morning-day-night sickness. UGH!

With Walker, I had a little bit of nausea in the evenings. With this one, I feel sick all the time! So, let's hope it's only a first trimester thing and it will be over soon.

But, enough about the sickness... on to the good news. We are thrilled about the next addition to our family. Walker will be about 17 months old when #2 arrives... yes, very close together, but hopefully we'll be ready. And, we know that Walker will be a fantastic big brother!

I was going to put an ultrasound picture on here, but Clark and I just didn't get it done.... but, the baby looks healthy.

So, I promise to keep up the blogging... I actually have several topics (Walker was dedicated at church this morning and his first Thanksgiving is this week!) to get to soon.

But, I must run for now... Walker just pulled up on my leg and said MaMa!!!! Wow, my heart is full.

Baby Update

The pregnancy is almost over! If Baby Boy Wood doesn't arrive over the weekend or Monday, he will for sure be here on Tuesday!!! I'm being induced at 6am on his official due date!

We are very, very excited!!!!

We will have the internet in the hospital, so we hope to update the blog with all important information soon after his birth... hmm, I guess we will really have to decide on a name!

Stay tuned!

The Waiting Game

Have you noticed... the countdown is in single digits! Wow, nine months can go by really fast!!!!

There's no Baby Boy Wood yet! I will be 39 weeks on Tuesday, so as I said in the previous post, he could decide to arrive at anytime, but so far... NO signs of him showing up!

The "unknown" is the hardest part! Each and every morning Clark asks me, "are you going to have the baby today?". I just wish I had an actual answer for him! Tonight we've been playing the "what day will it be" game... Clark thinks it's going to take an induction to get things moving... his guess is January 29th. I'm leaning the same way. Last week I felt like it was going to happen soon, but right now I feel like I'm going to be pregnant forever.

The gambler in me wants to set up a pool.... at least make this whole process a little more exciting. I won't go that far... but, I will set up a poll on the blog, just to see what everyone else thinks! So, please vote and we'll see if the majority ends up getting it right!

Happy Birthday Bubba!

OK, OK... I know, it's been over a week since I updated the blog. I've gotten several phone calls asking me to get on it and post... so here I am!

First things first: I'm very sad that college football is over. I'm excited that TCU beat Boise State in their bowl and that Texas beat Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.

The final AP poll came out today... Texas finished #4 and TCU finished #7. Here's the funny part. Clark and all the other Texas fans are disappointed that the Longhorns finished 4th, I get that... they only lost one game. The thing that is funny, I'm THRILLED that the Frogs finished #7... seriously, #7 is amazing! A top 10 finish.... I am a proud Horned Frog.

OK, now on to a baby update: I'm not sure how much detail I should include in the blog about this (I don't want to put anything on here that would freak people out!), but I will say that I went to doctor today and my body is starting to prepare for labor. What does this mean? Basically it means that our little man could arrive anytime! WOW! It also means that if he hasn't shown up by my due date (the 27th), my doctor will induce me either that day or soon after!

So, we will have a January baby! That might not sound like a big deal to most, but to the Wood family, a January birthday is important. Check this out:
Jan. 6th -- Wendy's bday (Clark's sister)
Jan. 9th -- Bubba's bday (Clark's dad)
Jan. 20th -- Wes's bday (Clark's brother) AND
Kyle & Anna's bday (our niece and nephew) AND
Bubba and Sheila's Anniversary

As you can see, it's a big month and we will soon add to it!
And, speaking of the big month:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBBA! We hope you have a great day. I don't think your grandson is arriving today to celebrate with you, but it won't be long!

Happy New Year!

Well, I decided to take a moment out of my hibernation to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Yes, I said hibernation. I've been off from work for more than two weeks, and I can honestly say... at least HALF of the time I've been curled up in my bed sleeping soundly. I truly feel like a hibernating bear.

I've always been a sleeper, but I've never experienced this... for the past two weeks I've gotten at least 10 hours of sleep at night. Many of those nights were 12 or more hours!!! I know, it sounds crazy. Pregnant women are supposed to have a hard time sleeping! I will admit, there's a lot of changing sleeping positions and bathroom breaks in all those hours, but the bottom line, I'm always able to go right back to sleep.

It's amazing what sleep will do for you! I'm feeling really good, considering I'm more than 36 weeks pregnant. In fact, I went to the doctor yesterday and my nurse practitioner made the comment, "I never thought you looked tired or worn out, but seeing you well rested, I can tell you really were tired!"

So, as you can tell, I've really enjoyed my time off. I can't believe I go back to work on Monday... more importantly, I can't believe it's January!!! The month our baby boy is scheduled to arrive! Wow, time has flown by and Clark and I are getting really excited.

I'll give everyone an update on the baby name debate. The update is, there really isn't one. Clark and talked at length last night and still didn't make a decision... we're really going to have to meet our little man before deciding. The good news, we don't have to wait too long!

Happy New Year to everyone.... 2009 will be an exciting one!

Baby Shower #3 (Yes, #3)

I felt very lucky and blessed at my first baby shower... then I felt even more lucky and blessed at my second baby shower... and, if it's even possible, I feel EVEN MORE lucky and blessed after baby shower #3. Seriously, our little man will want for NOTHING!

Clark's office threw us a shower this week, and they went above and beyond. First of all, take a look at this cake (it's adorable!):



And, look at all the people that showed up:


So, all the showers have been great fun, but the thing that was special about this shower is that Clark got to do all the opening and he truly didn't know what all the gifts were or what they did. I loved seeing his face as he opened each present. It was priceless:


There are few things that he opened that did not result in the confused look:



If it's Burnt Orange... he understands!

So, our little man will be well-dressed and riding in style... the great people that Clark works with basically finished our registry. The car seat, video baby monitor, swing and tons of other great supplies!!!!

So, now we don't have any excuses... when people ask us if we are ready, we HAVE to say yes!

Camera Shy

I've mentioned before that I get to have way more ultrasounds than I deserve... with all those little sneak peeks at Baby Boy Wood, you would think that I would have tons of pictures. Well, I don't. It seems our little man is very camera shy! And, the sad part, Clark and I bought a new printer that is also a scanner, so I had this great idea of scanning in ultrasound pics so I could post them on the blog! Oh well.

I got to see him again today and the ultrasound tech did everything she could to get a good shot, but he wouldn't cooperate! We started with his leg in front of his face, then he put his hand in front of his face, then he completely turned around and faced my back.
This is the third time we have tried to get a good shot and he always reacts the same.
Maybe he is trying to teach me patience... I guess I can wait until he arrives to know what he looks like!

The good news, everything looks perfectly normal. He is measuring right on track and they estimate his weight at 4 pounds, 11 ounces. I can't believe how fast he is growing! And, I can't believe how fast time is going. We are almost under 50 days... he'll be here before we know it!

So, we know his growing and time is flying by, the real question... will we be ready?!?!?! I sure hope so!

Baby Shower #2, A TCU Party

My shower last weekend was a blast! My sweet sorority sisters planned a TCU themed baby shower for me at our favorite Fort Worth restaurant, Joe T. Garcia's. First of all, I have to say... the food was FABULOUS! Being able to celebrate there was extra special, because I literally crave the Joe T's guacamole from Houston, I could use "eating at Joe T's" as a reason to go to Forth Worth!

But, on to the shower... check out the cuteness:




And, of course, I got tons of great gifts for the baby... including TCU outfits! Now Baby Boy Wood can wear Longhorn gear when UT plays and Horned Frog gear when TCU plays. Poor little one, he won't know who to cheer for!





The best part of the shower, catching up with family and friends!
Check out Aunt Trisha and cousins Carson and Savannah:

And, of course, the other pregnant friends. Tiff is due any minute and Julie will have her baby girl not long after Baby Wood arrives:


I had a WONDERFUL time and appreciate all the hostesses so much! Girls, thanks for throwing such a fun party for Baby Boy Wood. Here they all are! Well, most of them... Sara we missed you!
Julie, Maren, Rachel, Tinsley and Tracy:


Coming home that day was pretty hilarious, unloading all the gifts and trying to put them in the Little Man Room was interesting. All Clark could do was scratch his head and say, "this room used to be so empty, what are we going to do with all this?!" It's amazing how fast it starts to build up!

Again, we feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives to help us prepare for our bundle of joy!

Woo Hoo, Back in the Land of the Internet

Finally! The new laptop arrived today and I'm having so much fun getting "connected" again! I've come to realize that I'm addicted to having information at my fingertips!

But, now on to important things! Blogging about baby showers! I'll start with the first shower. It was too fun. My sweet hostesses color coordinated the shower with the Little Man room.


I promise, I didn't mean to match the decor, it just happened!


I have a picture of every single present that I opened (thanks Kelsey!), but I won't make you all suffer through that, so here are just a few:
'
I ended up with lots of handmade stuff... I'm very impressed with the fact that I have a lot of friends that sew! Nea's special burp cloths!

Um, we got lots of Longhorn gear... I'm only showing one pic, but I promise... there was lots more (a mobile, burp cloth, blanket, etc.)

Again, a very talented friend... Teri made Baby Boy Wood this beautiful quilt! It's so wonderful, we are considering hanging it on the wall for everyone to see!

Thanks so much to Sandra, Gwen, Melanie and Jeanette! They made everything so special and I enjoyed having so many family and friends get together to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Baby Boy Wood!

Here are the fabulous hostesses:



And, Baby Boy Wood's grandmothers:


Another really fun thing about baby showers... coming home and going through everything and trying to put things together... Clark is starting to get really good! Although, if there is a project that needs to be done, Frosty is the man to do it!



Yep, that's our pack n' play... Clark and Frosty did an excellent job!

All in all, it was a WONDERFUL day. Baby Boy Wood ended up with lots and lots of precious outfits and tons of "gear". Clark and I are very lucky and feel very blessed!!!