A good month or so before we closed on the house, I received some awesome news! My beloved cousin, Liz, who I'm always telling you about, got engaged! She will be getting married this November! I'm overjoyed for her and her beloved! In other news, she asked me to be her matron of honor. Not only that, I am going to be her only attendant, so I feel very honored to get to stand by her side on her big day! So, if you look back at my NYC post to see the fancy pink dress we bought at Macy's, that's the big reason Katherine has a new party dress! Of course, my mom, sisters, and Aunt Pat are all excited to have another wedding to buzz about and prep for. My family loves celebrating everything, and this is surely no exception. Even though I'm pregnant, I'm already planning an epic bachelorette party weekend. Me having a house to host everyone in makes this much easier.
We closed on our house the day before my birthday. The week leading up to closing was a bit of a mess, only because our lender had poor communication skills and made lots of last-second requests of us, in addition to giving us lots of contradictory information. The worst was that most of this happened when we were in NYC, thousands of miles from Dallas, where almost everything they needed was located. I feel pretentious for even saying this, but I fielded a call from our lender while sitting in Kate Spade right by Rockefeller Plaza. Thomas also had some words with our lender while we were at the Empire State Building, visiting Jay. It was frustrating because it took away from our otherwise great trip, especially at places that we were excited to visit, but that's life sometimes. (Also, massive first world problems. I'm well aware...)
When the big day finally came, Thomas and I were on guard, just waiting for our lender to pull something on us that would halt the whole process. We had become a bit wary of trusting anything anyone had to tell us by that point. Thank God, all happened without a hitch! Okay, one minuscule hitch. Earlier that day when Thomas went to procure the cashier's check from our bank, he realized that he forgot his wallet at the apartment, so he had to leave the bank, go get his wallet, then return. That was the hitch. It also provided a little comic relief to me, if we're being completely honest! We anticipated signing a ream of papers, but were pleasantly surprised to see the small stack. Start to finish, it only took about 30-45 minutes to close and fund!
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| Angela, our AMAZING realtor! We all inadvertently wore orange...it made for a great picture! |
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| In front of our home! |
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| Look at the awesome built-in cabinetry! |
We preemptively celebrated my birthday with Thomas' parents that night. We decided that going back to the apartment and cooking dinner just didn't seem right to celebrate an event of that magnitude. My actual birthday was almost a bit lost in the shuffle, but so it goes sometimes. Instead, we had our first meal in the house that night. We were living it up with a throw-together casserole, paper plates, a card table, folding chairs, and Thomas' old boombox tuned to an old country station. But we celebrated at HOME together, and that's all that really matters, after all.
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| I wish it was fancier, but it was what we had on hand. |
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| My birthday pie. Peach pie, specifically--my absolute favorite! :) |
Aside: I was trying to fold some laundry while waiting for her to arrive/while Steve and Thomas were carrying our belongings downstairs to their respective pickups. While in the laundry nook, I somehow bumped a shelf that had a bottle of lamp oil on it. The bump sent the bottle of oil careening to the ground. For the record, I'd like to say that the bottle was plastic and it was on our laminate flooring, so I couldn't have possibly anticipated anything happening. Sadly, I didn't realize that it was an old bottle, possibly 10-20 years old (if not older, as I was later informed by Steve), so it was nice and brittle. The next thing I know, our laundry nook floor (and my lower extremities) were covered in lamp oil, which was like greasy kerosene. I was angry with myself. God bless Thomas who kept me calm and helped me clean the mess. He is so patient with me...I am blessed to have a husband like him! The cleanup ended with Thomas instructing me to go rinse off in the shower while he and his dad worked to lift the washer and dryer and clean beneath both. The shower helped me calm down a little bit. I digress...
Kiki was great at keeping me motivated to unpack the most crucial part of the house--our kitchen! Of course, we had great conversation in the meantime, but she was so good at jumping in and providing all the help I needed!
We moved more things throughout the week, building up to the following weekend. It was big because I was having a baby shower, which my parents, sisters, and Aunt Pat (with Uncle Paul) all planned to visit for. Thomas also had movers lined up to move our major appliances and other miscellaneous boxes downstairs that weekend. Everyone arrived at various points on Friday. My parents arrived in time to share dinner with Steve, Diana, Thomas, and me. Mom and Dad arrived with belated birthday gifts and lots of treats for us all! It felt so great to show my parents our house. For the first time in my life, I felt it I had concrete evidence that I was an independent adult. (Well, then and buying my car...) It was great to host them since we're usually on the receiving end of things.
That Saturday was the shower, and what fun we had! Jean and Jan planned it all, and it was a lovely afternoon. We had about 25 or so in attendance. Of course, my mom, sisters, and Aunt Pat were there. Also, Thomas' side was well-represented by Diana, Jean, Jan, Juliette, Michaela, and a few family friends. Elizabeth and McKenna virtually attended, thanks to FaceTime :) Shedonna and her twins showed up--they fit right in with my family! A good number of women's group friends attended--Kiki, Katie E, Katie V, Laura, Sarah, and Joselyn. Haley was there, too! I think she enjoyed getting to know that group. Lastly, my friend Sara from OSU and her mother were able to join us. Sara now lives in Houston, so she was happy to make the trip up! Her mother (who lives in Edmond) saw it as a good opportunity to drive a significantly shorter distance to see her beloved daughter, so it worked great! Sara and my women's group friend Sarah, had great conversations, as did Sara's mother with Diana's friend Renee.
I had to smile as I saw everyone mingling together. I love events like these, because it's the one time I can bring together everyone from all the areas of my life and prove to myself that they can coexist! I also like to think that if they all get along with me, then they should (theoretically) get along with each other. I also marveled at the fact that I have such a tribe of people down here. My biggest hangup about moving down here after the wedding was that I didn't have my people. (AKA my mom, sisters, Liz, Tonisha, Rebecca, old co-workers, family friends, church family, etc.) I have such a need for community that the thought of being ripped from my large, supportive community in OK was one that didn't agree with me. Of course, I was marrying Thomas, who I love more than anyone, and his family was here, so I wasn't alone, per se, but I definitely didn't have what I did in OK. I'd like to go on record and say that God always does a great job of using these opportunities to prove me wrong and show up big time. I never would've imagined having that many people to invite to a baby shower in Dallas, but I did. God did that, I know. I loved getting to introduce them all to my mom and sisters. I loved that they were all able to meet the people who help me make some peace out of not getting to see them like I wish I could. It was a beautiful, wonderful day. Plus, Katherine is already so loved by everyone. It warmed my heart seeing the outpouring of love our little family received that day.
After the shower, all of us girls from the family returned to our house, where Thomas had a surprise up his sleeve for me. At the shower, I found out that my parents had gifted Katherine with a crib that would arrive at a later time. What I didn't expect was for Thomas to have it completely assembled by the time we returned! It was so cool to see that! Steve was sweet enough to get a few pictures to capture the moment. He told me that Thomas took the task seriously, not wanting much help. Steve smiled his proud dad smile, and that said it all to me. So much of the last few months has consisted of our respective parents realizing that we're quickly approaching a new chapter. For Steve and Diana particularly, since this is their first go at grandparenting and seeing one of their children achieve the milestones we have, they have been particularly sentimental and reflective of each step. I've tried to do my best to give them a little bit of space when the moment calls for it. I also don't mind when they give Thomas extra hugs or affirmations, because in their eyes, he's still their little blond-headed boy running through their backyard playing with his digger toys. I think it is difficult for parents to fully grasp the idea that the child you once held in your arms who was completely dependent on you is now much less dependent. It's a beautiful mystery of life. Pregnancy/pre-motherhood has a beautiful ability to open your eyes to those sorts of things.
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| Mom and Dad were proud of themselves for bringing my favorite stuffed animals and strategically placing them on our playset. |
Later that evening, Thomas fired up our grill (for the first time ever!) and made burgers for our big motley crew! Gina, Emily, and I went to the store to pick up a few last-minute things (chips, ice cream, and condiments). Mom, Aunt Pat, and Diana took over the kitchen and burger making. That night, I again reflected on how cool it was to have almost all of our immediate family together under our roof, something that always seemed as though it would never happen. I even snagged a few pictures. I know, pictures of people eating are never flattering, but it's the only way I could discreetly get these photos and everyone completely contained.
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| Little Jakub had a long day of running in the backyard like a crazy person. He suddenly crashed in the middle of eating some ice cream! |
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| Scotty and Jakub both had a long day! |
That evening and the next morning were filled with goodbyes as the OK group made their way back north. After the OK group left, we had a few more house visitors. First were Sara and her mother Joyce. They made the trip for my shower, but didn't want to leave without seeing Thomas. They both go way back with him from our St. John's days. (Aside: Sara's sister, Amanda, got married last summer and Thomas lectored at her wedding.) They came bearing a peace lily for our house, which has been a great addition. I hope I can keep it alive!
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| Love this picture of the 3 of us! (Sara is on the right in the purple shirt.) |
Shortly after they left to make their way back to Edmond and Houston, Jay and Mark dropped in. They happened to be in town to look at their house, which they've started remodeling. They were excited to finally see the house, after only seeing pictures from the listing for weeks on end. They are both architects, so they love looking at new properties and analyzing the structural components. It was a short visit, as they were quite busy between appointments with contractors, but great to see them nonetheless. After everyone left, Thomas and I breathed a small sigh of relief, knowing that we were HOME. It was a great feeling.
Although it was great to be home, we still had a bunch of loot at the apartment. We made a trip that afternoon to get more essentials, which only stressed me out. I felt like we had a small mess at the house and a big one at the apartment. Clutter really has a way of working my nerves, especially these days. Thomas and I resolved to get it taken care of throughout the following weeks. I was only so much help in that endeavor, sadly. I couldn't do any heavy lifting or carrying things down to the vehicle. I also struggled some with finding motivation to do anything, as my feet were awfully swollen and I was exhausted beyond words. I was not helpful at all, if we're being totally honest. God love Thomas for all the work he put into everything! As time went on, this transitioned into Thomas being the sole person to go to the apartment while I stayed home and made dinner. It was probably all for the best, as he assured me that most everything was packed, it just had to be taken downstairs and maneuvered into his pickup.
I'll sum up the rest of everything with pictures.
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| Steve gifted Thomas with a new lawnmower. It was another father-son rite of passage. |
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| Zoe also made her first trip to our house! She loved sniffing and running through our backyard! |
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| My poor, swollen feet. I finally treated myself to a pedicure. It didn't help the swelling, but it made my feet look pretty enough to wear sandals again. |
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| Had to giggle at this feature at a neighborhood seafood restaurant. |
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| Thomas was living the dream and mowing his lawn. Have I mentioned how much he looked forward to this? |
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| Our kitchen is finally functioning on all cylinders again! Our spice rack has been rehung and all is well in the world! Now to reorder some spices... |
I have transitioned into bi-weekly doctor's appointments. It's annoying to take off work all the time, but I know it's for my baby, so I don't mind it too much. Katherine continues to kick and squirm all the time, as I want her to! I have been heavily plagued by hand and foot swelling over the last few weeks. I can wear my wedding ring about 2/7 days each week, but I know that's slowly fading away. I invested in some sandals that have adjustable straps to accommodate any swelling, but still provide lots of support for the times I have to stand more at work. Speaking of which, Thomas and Shedonna have seen to it that I don't stand any more than I have to. A few weeks ago, I had a bout of high blood pressure that was a little concerning. It happened during church, when my Fitbit registered that I had a ridiculously high heart rate while I was sitting. (Something to the tune of 125, which I usually only get up to after running or working out! I usually sit around 70-90 when I'm idle.) Thanks to a quick consult from Gina, we determined it was probably the result of high humidity, the aforementioned swelling, and lack of proper airflow in the church sanctuary. She advised lots of fluids, propping my feet up, and not doing much else for the remainder of the day, lest I risk falling into a preeclamptic state and potentially bedrest. Following that, both Thomas and Shedonna insisted that I utilize a document camera (i.e. a newer model overhead projector). It took a little bit for me to adjust, but the adjustment has been relatively smooth.
My students have been cooperative and receptive, not that they had much choice in the matter (just saying). They regularly ask about my baby, in addition to other aspects of my pregnancy. They approach it with a detached curiosity, if that makes sense. They don't want to appear overly excited (I mean, they're high schoolers, after all, and how uncool is that to be excited about your math teacher's baby?), but they also have random questions, like due date, name choices, how many more kids we want, how often she kicks, how big she is, if I'll end up on maternity leave, etc. It bugs them that I haven't shared her name with them yet, especially my older students. I assured my seniors that I'd tell them before they graduated. As for my freshmen and juniors, they can come seek me out next year to find out!
In other work news, we are in the last quarter of the school year, and a little less than 6 weeks from summer. (Not that anyone's counting...ha!) The days are filled with spring sports, art festivals, and the slowly increasing march toward all of the end-of-year banquets and assemblies. It is tough to keep everyone caught up, especially when I have lots of absences of my own to manage on top of everything else. Also, I have steadily decreased the amount of work I take home. Between moving and everything else, it just doesn't make sense. And I have a life to tend to outside of work that is becoming increasingly busy.
I think that's about all. We're excited to head north for Easter this weekend! I'll leave you with a picture of an iris that we have in our front garden! Of course, it only bloomed for a day or so before the wind or rain destroyed it, but it's a bloom, no less :)
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