Go Spurs Go
jennifer
You're in for a treat. Cliff wrote about our days in San Antonio and he's a much better and funnier writer than me. 

Excluding the State Fair, there are few activities where one can walk miles and manage to gain weight.   The San Antonio Riverwalk is one of those.  
It is a picturesque walk along a quasi river with shops, restaurants, boat tours, and many opportunities for pictures Winding up, down, and over the San Antonio River.   Just add an abnormally "healthy" baby and enough supplies for any surprise homesteading, and one could be fooled that he/she was actually at the nearby air force base performing drills for a sadistic sergeant.
But all in all it is recommended.



As far as the Alamo, all of those people cooped up in the Texas heat without nary a fan. I don't think Santa Anna should get all the credit.   Those guys were looking for a way out.  Today, Charlton Heston would even be impressed at the amount of guns in the church.   Free admission to the Alamo, so even Derek Grotewiel will be able to enjoy it.  

Last but certainly not least, today we attended the Spurs v. Bulls game.  It was fast paced, energetic, and tons of fun.   After watching Mizzou all season, it was amazing to watch both teams hit shot after shot.   It was very satisfying to see all the disappointed Bulls fans head home.   I guess Derrick Rose is nursing some ailment again since we didn't see him.  I would believe fans who say he is the best around, but actually being able to play the game has to factor in at some point right? 
I could easily watch NBA should Kansas City ever get a team.   



This is Jennifer. See, I didn't lie. He's much more hilarious (and sports oriented) than me. 
We did walk more than eight miles around the Riverwalk area and I do believe we still gained weight with all the delicious food we ate. It was beautiful. And I don't really think about it until Cliff mentions it, but with the baby it is like we are traveling the Oregon Trail or something. 
We just happened to hit the Alamo on its anniversary weekend so it was filled with reenactments and lots of hustle and bustle. 
We ended last night at the market square which was full of food, live music and shops. We, the parents with the baby in the stroller, got escorted out of one establishment for having a beer in our cup holder. Keepin' it classy.  We also landed ourselves on Telemundo, which should be on everyone's bucket list. 
The Spurs game was an impromptu decision and it was a blast. Los Spurs played Los Bulls and we loved the live mariachi band (of all women!), the mariachi cam, and the super funny Spurs-related telenovas. 
After the game, we drove down to Corpus Christi, our final destination. It was rainy, but our hotel is on the sand and we are already having fun. Finley loves the seagulls, but he also bathes with a dozen rubber duckies every night. 
Cliff won husband of the year (again) by suggesting I enjoy the hot tub outside overlooking the Gulf sans baby tonight. 
We're looking forward to just beaching it the next three or four days. 







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Houston, We Have A Problem
jennifer
We watched Oklahoma disappear in the rear view mirror and headed into the Lone Star state. We stopped in Dallas to see my sister and then took off for Houston.
A little over a year ago, Cliff and I were headed back to Missouri from Gulf Shores, Alabama when I kept suggesting that we stop for gas. We didn't, and before long we were rolling down I-70 when our low fuel light came on outside of St. Louis. Cliff was driving and thought it was funny that he was pushing the gas tank to the limit. I did not find it funny. Two exits later, he finally exited off the interstate, only to pull into a gas station with sixteen of their sixteen pumps not working! We luckily made it to another station without hoofing it down the highway, but Cliff was nervous that his teasing had gotten us into a real pickle. Little did I know at the time, no lesson was learned.
Wednesday night we were barreling down I-45 when things got city-ish about two hours north of Houston. Cliff does NOT like to drive in the city. In fact, if he meets more than fifteen cars on a commute to court he comes home reporting the traffic was bad. I don't mind city driving at all, so it all works out well for us on long road trips when it comes to taking turns driving. When I-45 turned from four lanes to six, I offered to drive. When we got to a 1/4 tank of gas, I offered to drive. When six lanes turned to eight, I offered to drive. When eight lanes turned to ten, I offered to drive. And then, the gas light came on. I could not believe we were re-living our past, only this time we were 800 miles from home instead of 150. Cliff finally got off the interstate and to a gas station. We pulled up to the pump and I kid you not, all twenty of the twenty pumps were not working. Cliff didn't drive again until we were half way to San Antonio today. 
We loved Houston. We spent most of Thursday at NASA where Cliff says my "true geek shines through."  We saw the actual Mission Control room from the moon landing, several actual shuttles, rockets, and spacesuits, and a completely unrelated replica of the tallest man ever born. 

That night we enjoyed the weather, palm trees and water along the boardwalk. 

This morning we took a cruise around the port, had a good lunch recommended by Guy Fieri, shopped at the Texas Junk Company, saw a house made entirely of beer cans, and drove down some beautiful tree-lined streets. 






We made it to San Antonio this evening and had the best Tex-Mex of our lives (minus the part where a waitress kept calling herself Finley's grandma {super creepy, right?} and saying she wanted to take him home with her.)
I have two snoring boys in bed with me so until we see what tomorrow brings, good night!
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(Again, all on the iPad mini. Seriously.)

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Okie in Muskogee
jennifer
There are most definitely bonuses to owning your own business, but owning your own law business--it can be stressful. So because Cliff is really good at marking vacation days on the calendar way in advance, we were able to make a nice getaway on Tuesday. We left Huntsville and blindly took off on a very long road trip with a six month old. The Jeep is packed to the brim, because if I wasn't guilty of overpacking before traveling with a baby...
Finn actually has turned out to be a model traveler. Perhaps better than his mother even. He did great in the car and his naps and feeding times just fell into place perfectly with our schedule. 
We made our first impromptu stop at the Joplin, Missouri sale barn. (Guess whose idea that was.) 


There was no sale on Tuesday, but  they just happened to be hosting a presentation by the USDA on judging cattle. None of it was new to Cliff, but I learned a ton, along with 100 high school FFA students. I even aced most of the live practice rounds!  We got back in the car and dreadfully drove into Oklahoma smelling like cow manure. 
We stopped in Muskogee for the night. Cliff's cousin works for a hotel chain so we use her Friends and Family discount whenever we can. It always makes me laugh when we check in though, because the front desk doesn't know if you're the employee or a friend or family. In Muskogee, they weren't going to risk anything though, and I think this front desk woman imagined that I was the CEO. She was sweet as pie, not just nice like all the others have been, but over-the-top, I-can-not-lose-my-job-nice.  She had our reservation out and ready to go, and it went down like this:
"Hi, we have a reservation."
"Oh, thank goodness!  I was so worried that you weren't going to make it!"
"Really?  Isn't it only 8:30?"
"Well yes, but the weather!"
"Oh, it's 60 degrees out there."
"Oh, but it's coming. There's supposed to be ice and even snow.  And it's so cold!"
"Really?  When is that supposed to start?" (Getting worried about getting out of Muskogee the next morning.)
"Well, I can't tell you that, but I can tell you that the Muskogee public library has already cancelled all of their programs for tomorrow."
"Oh my!  Okay..."
"And the courthouse isn't going to have court."
(You should have led with that one, lady.)
"And Auto Zone isn't going to open!"
(Am I on Candid Camera?)
"So, you better get in your room and bundle up and stay warm!  Oh, you work...oh, don't you just love working for [insert hotel chain name here]. It is just the greatest. I can't think of a better job or place to work."
Then we finished up the paperwork and got into our room expecting to wake up to Snow-M-G. 
After we were in our room about five minutes, the phone rang. I answered and it was the front desk lady. 
"I just wanted to check with you all and make sure you made it in and everything in your room is okay."
When I hung up Cliff and I laughed wishing people thought I was from Corporate everywhere we went. 
In the end, I felt terrible though. We went down to check out the pool and spa only to find two employees in the hot tub and the front desk lady hanging out with them. She whispered quickly and the guys jumped out and they all left hastily with her reminding us again to stay warm...and calling Finley a girl. 
I hated to ruin their fun evening, but no one ever said being top dog was easy. 
And that weather--it was Snow way, Jose--just raining the next morning. In her defense, I think they may have gotten some snow and ice later in the day. I just hope no Muskogians needed new windshield wipers in that rain, because we all know Auto Zone was closed. 
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Oh, and before any creepers go trying to break in The Manor while we're gone, both brothers are on a housesitting schedule, which is good for keeping all our belongings, but bad for keeping all our belongings clean and unbroken. *unless we previously discussed which of Cliff's vehicles and a certain smelly pillow to take, and then all systems are go for the staged robbery. 
Also, is there some kind of blogger award for typing on an iPad mini, cause that's what I just did, ya'll.
It really is nice to have a third driver now. 

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Review: Phil &Teds Lobster
jennifer
When preparing for the babes to arrive, we almost decided to skip the highchair completely.  Most of them are ugly.  Most of them are huge.  And most of them are disgusting germ and filth factories.  Then we happened upon Phil and Teds Lobster.

We ended up receiving this as a shower gift, but it sells for around $80 at Target and Amazon.  We absolutely LOVE this high chair.  It clamps (hence the name) on to the table with just a few twists of the handles, but they're out of reach for baby so there's no chance of him loosening them on his own.  It takes up so little room in the kitchen, that we don't even notice it.  It seats Finley right at the table with us, which he loves and which makes feeding time simple while we are eating also.  And as you can see below, the back of the chair comes up so high that he is supported very well.


It comes with a plastic tray that slides right in between the clamps and can just be thrown in the dishwasher after meals.  (And the tray had the cutest lobster coloring sheet in the box.)



But you don't have to use the tray; baby can belly up to the table just like you.


The chair fabric is great quality and can be easily wiped down (like after Finn turns to put his mouth on the side of the chair before swallowing all of his pears and carrots.)  And you can even remove the fabric completely and handwash.  (I'm betting you could even toss it in the washing machine if you wanted, but we haven't tried that yet.)

But our very favorite thing of all, is how portable it is.  The fabric and handles collapse in upon themselves when removed from the table and the whole thing folds up flat and has a little carrying bag. So, we take it with us everywhere--the grandparents' houses, the office, the patio, and best of all, to restaurants.   No more using those germ-ridden, dirt-laden chairs at eateries.  We just bring in the lobster, clamp it on, and we're good to go.  Then we can wipe it down or wash it once we're home.  

I believe it comes in black and red.  And it does have a safety harness....oh, yeah, which we always use...  Of course, you're not supposed to use it on a single center pedestal table, and the book that came with it had a bunch of other precautions about types of tables (like card tables and glass top tables).  It is supposed to accommodate a child up to 3 years or 37 pounds.  We'll see...it does seem like it would be quite a tight fit for a 37 pound three year old, but as of now, our 20 pound six month old has plenty of wiggle room.

If you have questions, leave them in the comments below, but overall we have yet to find a complaint about this chair.  

We give it five clean diapers!
👍👍👍👍👍





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I'm back...I think.
jennifer
It turns out the third trimester of pregnancy, having a newborn, running a local political campaign, and keeping a law firm up and going takes up any free time for blogging.  It's been awhile.  And since I have a peacefully napping 6 month old beside me, I'm going to skip the "Everything You Need to Know about the Third Trimester" and "Everything You Need to Know about Birth/A Newborn" posts and move right on into the here and now.  For me, there wasn't much to tell about the third trimester anyway, except that you get so huge you can't do much more than flounder around.  (I clearly remember the day I was literally rolling off the couch and my brother said, "Man, you are huge, aren't you?"  Thanks, for that...) We did end up having quite an eventful birth, so maybe on a slow day I'll get around to sharing that story.

I'm finally starting to feel like my head is above water.  The campaign is over, the office is on fire, and every day the babes is giving me more and more time to do something other than nurse, change diapers, and entertain him every second.  So, with this new found time, I'm not cleaning my house or doing laundry, or preparing meals ahead of time, or working more at the office...I'm hoping to blog more.  I will still share funny stories as they happen--like the crazy Friday I had last week that started out as my first innocent outing alone just to get a manicure--but I also plan to change things up a little here too.

By no means am I an expert mama.  I mean, on the scale of mothers, I would have to be in the bottom one percent when it comes to experience.  This is my first baby and he's only been in our nest for 26 weeks.  But, I do spend a lot...maybe too much...time trying to perfect this new full time job of being a parent.  I am constantly trying to do things better, find the right tools, and make everything fun and enjoyable at the same time.  Besides the sheer happiness that our little man brings to us constantly, I really have enjoyed all of the gadgets and gizmos that come with having a baby (except for how much room they take up in our little abode and how many of them we have to drag around with us when we go anywhere).  I am always trying to find the "just right" everything and I thought maybe it would be helpful to share some of that here for others.  I also am thrilled when I learn a good tip from another parent, so I thought I could pay it forward and share anything insightful and helpful that we've come up with here too.

And lastly, when I moved from the city back to my hometown, I wanted to blog more about the things I really appreciate about small town living (of course, there's lots of things I don't appreciate too, like Target being an hour away from me), so I hope to do some of that here also.

But for now, the new boss is starting to stir, so I'm going to go back to nursing, changing diapers, and entertaining--until I have another free minute.
 Hope you'll stick with me, even though I've been so intermittent over the past few years!

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What You Really Need to Know in the Second Trimester
jennifer
We have now survived the second trimester and are headed straight into this Missouri summer for the third.  Just as everyone told me, the second trimester was a breeze.  Most days, I even forgot I was pregnant.  No nausea, no headaches, no aches or pains, no aversions to food, and for me, not even any crazy cravings.  However, there were still a few things I didn't fully expect.

Shopping is no longer fun.
I love shopping, so this whole needing a completely new wardrobe thing should have been fun, but has turned out to be a real downer.  First of all, there are so few places to even shop for maternity clothes.  And then, after you find those places, they have one rack (or less) in their maternity "department".  Sure, there's Motherhood Maternity, but I have found it to be overpriced for the quality, and somewhat out of style.  Also, why would you cram as much as possible into an extremely small space with teeny tiny aisles for a bunch of women with protruding bellies, when most of them are pushing a stroller?  And, if you are going to cram your little space with clothes, then carry all the sizes.  Every time I finally find something I like, they don't have it in my size...and they don't plan on getting it in stock, either.  So, I've resorted to doing a lot of online shopping...and returning.  Why make a dress for anyone, much less a pregnant woman, that you can completely see through?  And who knew pregnant women weren't allowed to wear white capri pants?  I started looking for that summer staple back in February.  No luck at all.  Motherhood Maternity finally got a pair in a few weeks ago, and they are exactly what I was looking for, but unless I want to go commando underneath, they're not going to work.  And what about skirts above the ankle?  We're hot!  Make some shorter skirts!  And while you're at it, make some in white!  And last but not least, as if trying on everything before you were six months pregnant wasn't exhausting enough...

You will pee when you sneeze.
I swore this was not going to happen to me, until it did.  I remember standing in front of the oven, working on dinner, when I sneezed and simultaneously peed.  It happened very early on in the second trimester, actually, so I thought I had a long road ahead of changing my underwear several times a day.  But, I started a prenatal fitness class which incorporates a lot of Kegels and pelvic floor exercises, and I swear it has worked.  I've sneezed, coughed, and laughed a lot since, and haven't peed again...yet.

Prenatal classes can help you meet other pregnant women.
But they won't if you're the only person in the class.  I signed up for a prenatal fitness class thinking it would be a fun way to stay fit during the last two trimesters and meet other pregnant women.  But, apparently no one else out here in the country wants to stay fit while they're pregnant.  It's great for me though, because now I basically just have a personal trainer every week.

You won't be able to breathe when you bend over.
I thought it would be the eighth or ninth month before this happened, but no.  I already dread tying my shoes or rolling up my jeans.  Haven't yet figured out how I'm going to put my new Jamberry nails on my toes tomorrow for my cousin's wedding.  I feel bad taking them into the nail salon and asking them to do it.

Everyone has an opinion.
And no one's opinion is the same.  One person says you've gotten "really chunky."  Another says you haven't gained any weight.  (I've gained thirteen pounds so far.)  One person thinks you should name your baby after a family member.  Another thinks you should name him after royalty.  One person says you MUST have the wipe warmer.  Another says it was a total waste.  But no matter what, women will share, which leads me to...

Pregnancy is the way women connect.
I can't believe that all of my adult life I have been an outcast.  I didn't realize until I was showing, that pregnancy will make you tons of friends.  Women that never would have talked to me before will approach me at the gas station and have my ear for ten minutes.  They have questions, they have answers, and of course, they have opinions.  Cliff's theory is that before you have kids, women think you will steal their men.  I just think it's a way for women to connect over something that only we can experience and something that consumes our lives completely.

You will have more energy.
But no matter how much energy you have, you won't get everything done.  We had planned to get the nursery completed while in the second trimester, but we didn't even get started on it until I was already in the third.  I already regret it...see the paragraph on not being able to breathe when you bend over.

Pregnancy brain is real.
I am so tired of being dumb.  I don't mean the time I was looking for my keys and they were in my hand.  I did that before I was pregnant.  I mean the time I paid for everything at the store, then walked off without it.  Or, the time I went to the wrong school for my brother-in-law's graduation.  Or the time I parked in Kansas City and then couldn't remember where I had left the car until we had walked around for 40 minutes.

Husbands and partners may put up with more than we do during pregnancy.
This whole experience may be even tougher for our support systems.  They put up with so much (see the paragraph on pregnancy brain).  Cliff is smart enough to say that he hasn't even noticed I'm cranky, that I haven't gained any weight, and that I don't keep him awake while I toss and turn at night.  He also jumps through hoops to try to accommodate me before I even have to request it.  He eats what I want to eat, he agrees to do anything and everything pregnancy and baby related, and pulls more than his weight in helping around the house.  I can't imagine what it would be like to put up with a real life Russian nesting doll for nine months, but he does it, and he does it with a smile on his face.

So, on to the third trimester, where I'm already freezing Cliff out of the house keeping the A/C at 64 degrees, getting new aches and pains daily, and struggling to sleep comfortably.  But, on the bright side, still no migraines, constipation, or heartburn!  Two months and counting...


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What You Really Need To Know In The First Trimester
jennifer
By now, you probably know that I'm pregnant.  Said pregnancy explains my absence for the past three months.  I wish I could say I was gone because we were wintering in Spain or something, but no such luck.  Instead, I was hibernating, but not the good hibernating where you get to sleep a lot.  I mean hibernating where you are completely withdrawn from the rest of the world, barely able to move, and completely miserable.  Which now brings me to share with you all the things I learned about pregnancy in the first trimester.  Things that I'd heard about, but no one told me the nitty gritty details about.  Because if mothers around the world really shared this stuff, there would be no future generations; no sweet grandchildren for our parents to spoil.  Because even though we planned this baby, and are extremely excited about it, being in the throes of the first trimester made me wonder why anyone would ever choose to go through it again.  That, or just wish we were having twins and get it all over with at once.

You will vomit.  A lot.  All day long.
Sure, we all hear about morning sickness.  (And although it's the most common pregnancy symptom, for some reason I never believed I would suffer from it.)  But what I had heard was that you might be a little nauseous, but a few crackers would help.  Not even close.  I was sick all day long, every day.  For weeks on end.  And not just nauseated, but so nauseated that I was vomiting.  Like, please-let-me-have-the-flu-so-this-will-at-least-end-soon vomiting.  Crackers didn't help, ginger didn't help, eating before I got out of bed didn't help, exercise didn't help, motion sickness bands didn't help, eating small meals didn't help.  Nothing helped.  Except moving into the second trimester.  (And now a shout-out to Cliff who endlessly researched and came home with remedies for me to try.)

You won't want to do anything.
Of course I'd heard about how tired I would be.  But no one told me that I would be so exhausted (from doing absolutely nothing except lying around and vomiting) that I wouldn't want to get dressed.  Or shower.  Or leave the house.  Or eat.  Or even move.  And I especially didn't want to work.  (And now another shout-out to Cliff who worked, and worked, and worked--covering everything with the law firm while feeding himself, taking care of me, and keeping up the house.)

You'll un-crave things.
Obviously I'd heard about all of the insane cravings pregnant women have, but I didn't really know about the aversions to food.  I didn't want anything.  Nothing sounded appetizing.  (Except for two days when all I wanted was Chipotle Burrito Bowls and my sweet husband was buying them in bulk to keep on hand at the house.)  I could barely enter the kitchen without gagging.  I would think I wanted fruit, so we would run to the store and buy two of every fruit they had for sale, only to get home and I couldn't stand the thought of biting into it.  Then I'd think I wanted Jell-O, so Cliff would bring home an assortment of fourteen flavors of Jell-O only to find me unable to even look at the boxes.  I wanted salad, so we bought warehouse sizes at Sam's of all the fixings, just to let it rot in the fridge.  And onions, don't even get me started on onions.  Just the thought of them sent me straight to the bathroom for another bought of upchucking.  (And now yet another shout-out to Cliff for all the emergency runs to the grocery store.)

Your sense of smell will increase.
I think I'd heard something somewhere about this one.  But no one told me that it would be so strong that you could practically smell your neighbor cutting an onion.  And there I went, back to the bathroom.  (Yes, another shout-out to Cliff for ridding our house of every onion-containing product we'd ever purchased.)

You'll be bloated.
I was expecting to eventually grow out of my regular clothes, but not before we had even told anyone we were pregnant.  I was bloated so badly in the first trimester that I think I was bigger then than I am now.  (That's right, shout-out to Cliff for surprising me with a couple of sweet pairs of maternity pants early on, just so I could be comfortable.)

Your boobs will hurt.
Those bad boys won't just hurt, they'll practically render you unable to move.  Ouch.

It will get better.
It will and it has.  (Although I understand that some women are actually diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum and it doesn't get better--and my heart goes way, way out to them.)  Now that we've made it to the second trimester, I am practically symptom-less.  Some days I even forget that I'm pregnant.  
Except for all of that extra peeing.  And it's not just a regular urge to urinate.  I don't even know I have to go until I. Have. To. Go.  And by then, it's almost too late.
Except for having "pregnancy brain".  Which as it turns out is a real thing and not just something we get to use as an excuse.
Except for people now telling you how fat you are.  How you "look bigger."  Or "are getting chunky."  Which is extremely annoying when I haven't even gained a single pound yet.  Thankyouverymuch!  (And now a shout-out to the guy that installed our new furnace and A/C units this week and looked at my abdomen with bugged out eyes and exclaimed, "In there?  You have a baby in there?")
Except that we're learning that a lot of our doctor's appointments seem to be a waste.  We drive an hour each way for a ten minute check-in.  Boo.

But on the very bright side, I haven't been having migraines, I haven't had heartburn, and I haven't been constipated.  Plus, we got to have fun buying a crib and planning a gender reveal party for next week.  And so, I'm sure by the time this is all over, I will be easily persuaded to do it all over again.  Cliff's already working on talking me into the next one...
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