Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! Things here have been completely crazy. I guess everyone has a different feeling about family. Despite all of the craziness we are having a good time. Christmas dinner is in the oven and the guys are heading out to play a game of horseshoes. After a strong fight against falling asleep, Lindsey is taking a much needed nap. This year was so much fun with her. She really enjoyed opening up her presents. How sweet kids are!

I hope that each and everyone of you has a very Merry Christmas and a safe, happy and healthy 2008!

45 Hours... Continued

It is now 10:25 am in beautiful Martha's Vineyard. We are all safe, warm and ready to spend some fun family time together. It is obvious that we are here so if things didn't continue to just spin out of control, I would leave my post from yesterday as our story. I just think you need to hear how fun our day really was.

After sitting on the plane for several hours with no food or water we departed at 1:30 pm and arrived in Boston at 2:15 pm . Continental decided to compensate us for the past two days with a generous $8 meal voucher. After learning that we would have to wait three hours for our van service we decided to enjoy a delicious Fuddruckers hamburger. After that we claimed our many pieces of luggage and enjoyed an hour of hilarious people watching in the baggage claim. One bright spot in the day was that our 15 passenger van turned into a stretch limo. So at 5:45 pm we loaded up, turned on Starsky and Hutch and headed to the ferry. We arrived at 8 pm just in time to make the last boat of the evening. After placing our luggage on the cart, we walked on the ferry. Another bright spot in our day was the ferry ticket taker only taking three tickets and handing them back to us and telling us to have a nice day. We enjoyed a nice cup of hot chocolate on the way to the island.

Michael and JoAnne arrive at 9:30 pm to pick us up and hugs and kisses are exchanged. JoAnne sees she has a headlight out, but there is nothing that can be done we must get home. We drive roughly two miles and we see the lights of the State Trooper who is pulling us over. Our caravan stops. At this point Lindsey is thoroughly unhappy and frankly screaming her head off. Her shaw is in the other car. At this point though I am hoping that the screaming will help the officer make his decision to just let us go. We sit patiently trying to calm Lindsey. The officer returns five minutes later to give us a warning (Whew) and I run to the other car to retrieve the much needed security item. We get "home" to the nice house Michael and JoAnne have arranged, drop our bags and head over to their house for a few snacks and some much needed adult beverages. At 11:45 pm we head back to "our" house for the evening. My sister needs her glasses and contact stuff which had been put in my pretty Java Blue Vera Bradley bag. John reaches in and pulls out some nice snowflake blankets and some Vitamin water. Ummm, guys, I didn't have Vitamin Water. There is no way this can be happening to me. This is not my bag. All of the stockings my Mom made by hand for each of us was in that bag. Uggggg!!!! After composing myself, I look for something with a name. Her wallet is there! (Seriously, why would you put your wallet with cash and a checkbook on a cart for anyone to handle? I mean thank you for doing it, but I wouldn't do it myself. I am guessing she was just tired like we were.) The cell phone on her check is off. We look them up in the phonebook and I make the call at 12:15 am. She answers and is happy to hear we have her bag. We agree to exchange bags at 8 am. I sleep through the knock at 8 am, but thankfully my sister makes the exchange and accepts the homemade cookies the nice lady brings us.

So, now it is 11:15 am and I am sitting here enjoying a cup of coffee with Rosemary and Robert. Everyone else is still asleep. Yes, even Lindsey is asleep.

Although this trip has been full of craziness I am thankful to be here. I am thankful to be with my family, thankful to God that he helped us get through here safely. I will end with a quote from my oldest nephew Robert, "This is the best trip ever!"

45 Hours Into A Five Hour Trip

It is now 8:50 p.m. and I am sitting on a ferry to Martha's Vineyard with a motley crew of eight very tired, slightly dirty, pretty upbeat people. Our group consists of me, John, Lindsey, my sister Rosemary and her family (Robert Sr., Robert Jr., Richard and Robin) We are nearing the completion of a journey that started some 45 hours ago in Houston, TX. Below is a brief synopsis of the past two days events.

Sunday
3 am - alarm goes off in Houston, TX so we can ride the hour to the airport
5:30 am - group arrives at Houston airport for a 7:15 departure, all is well despite taking more than 30 minutes to check in
7:50 am - we depart for beautiful Martha's Vineyard for a 11:50 am arrival
12 pm - the first round of bad news arrives, we must circle Providence before clearance into Boston is granted due to poor weather conditions
1 pm - low on fuel we are diverted to Bangor, Maine (look on a map, there are a few states and several airports on the way to Bangor
1:15 pm - we arrive in Bangor and are told we will fuel up, de-ice and get back in the air
3 pm - still on the plane, we notice the snow is coming down a bit harder
4 pm - fueling is complete and we are de-iced, we sit on the runway anxious to to take off, after 10 minutes, we are informed we are iced over again and must return to the tarmac
4:30 pm - our pilot informs us that we will be spending the night in Bangor
5:30 pm - we finally deplane into 15 degree weather and wait in line for hours for information on flight and hotels
7:30 pm - we are informed that our flight will depart at 6 am so we must arrive at 4 am
8 pm - after much frustration and very little food our four pizzas arrive to baggage claim
9 pm - we begin our journey to a hotel 5 miles away, oh, did I mention that there was a blizzard in Bangor
10:30 pm - we arrive at our hotel after plowing through several snow drifts
12:30 am - we turn in for the evening, whew, what a day

Monday
2 am - our wake up call so we can get on the 3 am taxi to get us to the airport by 4, it takes this long in 20 inches of snow
3:45 am - we await in line to re-check in, only to be told that we were not on the flight, oh yeah, tell a lady with a 19 month old, two diapers left and no milk, that I am not on that flight. Needless to say, we made it on the flight.
4:30 am - we are waiting at the gate to board
5:30 am - waiting at the gate
6:30 am - waiting at the gate
7:30 am - waiting at the gate
8:30 am - board the plane, we are on our way, yeah, right

Okay, I know the suspense is killing you, but I am about to hop off the boat and see my brother Michael and his wife JoAnne for the first time in two years. He is going to meet my Lindsey. I am so happy and frankly could almost cry at this point. I will complete the story of our journey tomorrow if possible, I even have pics! Was it Harley Davidson that says something about its not where you are going, its all about the journey? Oh please!!!!!!!!!!! Good night all.

How Time Flies

It seems like just yesterday I held my oldest nephew Robert just minutes after he was born. Richard wanted to make a grand entrance into the world and decided to arrive very quickly, so even if my sister had told me she was in labor and had stopped me from driving back to College Station to start the Spring semester, I probably would have missed it. After waiting a few years, my precious little niece Robin arrived. Just look at them now. How can this be? (Richard, Robert, Robin)

Family Pictures

A few weeks ago we took some family pictures. Aside from my muffin top and my dark hair, I am very pleased. Hats off to Michael Kellett. He had to work very hard for the smiles. He does a great version of "Singing in the Rain" with a baby doll and an umbrella. I highly recommend him!

http://www.kellettphotography.com/

Click on "Recent Events" and then Williams Family Portraits. :)

All Clear!

I am happy to report that I received good news from the doctor. The mole was nothing. Yeah!!! The anticipation of waiting was terrible and I am glad that it is over. I had my stitches removed today and thankfully I can shave! John just knew if I tried to shave we would end up in the emergency room getting new stitches. Here is to healthy skin and clean armpits! :)

Wednesday Rambles

There are so many things I want to blog about so I guess I will just give a brief rundown of the events of the past few weeks.

1. Halloween was a blast. After many failed attempts of getting Lindsey to wear a lady bug costume, we resorted to plan B. Mommy made a piggie costume complete with curly tail. My pictures are stinky, but thankfully the video is pretty good. We all went around the neighborhood. Lindsey managed to get out "Tri Treat" and even snorted for some lucky neighbors!
2. After many weeks of smooth drop offs and pick up from MOPS, Lindsey cried when I left her in the nursery. It was horrible. One of the worst feelings in my life. She also cried when I picked her up. My heart broke for my little girl and I was just thankful that I did not have to do that everyday.
3. Lindsey got rave reviews at her 18 month check up. She is 22 pounds and 32 inches long. The doctor asked me how her vocabulary was and thankfully Lindsey was very happy to show him that day. It is amazing how many words she picks up on now. We are working on please (peeeze) and thank you (nank you). It is so fun.
4. We are on day four of Operation No More Bottles. The transition has actually gone pretty smoothly and for that I am thankful. I just hope that it continues to go well. We have also pulled out the potty chair. She knows to go sit on it, get toilet paper and to flush. Now we just have to work on explaining the actual using the potty part. These things are all huge milestones and although I am so thankful because I think life will be easier, not to mention cheaper, it is a little sad. My baby is growing up so quickly!
5. I am out of places to put things in my house. I think I might just need to build a shelf right by the ceiling. Climbing on top of things is very popular right now, as is going into my underwear drawer and wearing them around her neck. How does stuff like that get started?
6. John has been off since Monday and I have loved having him around. He has done several home improvement projects despite of the yucky weather. I am so thankful I have a husband that is willing and able to do so many things to make our house look even better.
7. I had a mole removed on Monday, so I am currently nursing a few stitches on/in/under?? my right underarm. Let me just say that this is a terrible place to have stitches and not bending or moving your arm is not an option, not to mention that fact that going without deodorant is just plain gross. It is standard for them to biopsy these things, but it makes a little nervous. Feel free to pray for good news! :)

Go Big Blue!

A few weeks ago we attended John's 20th High School Reunion. (I still find it hard to believe that it has been that long) After a few disappointing experiences with my high school reunions, we almost didn't attend. I am so glad we did though because both of us ended up having a really great time.

The organizers did a spectacular job. They had a section for us at the pep rally, a great happy hour and football event for Friday night, a family picnic Saturday afternoon and a nice semi-formal event Saturday night. Even though the Vikings lost in the cross-town showdown, we had a great time. The picnic was so much fun with great activities for the kids including a train, bouncy thing, sand art and pinatas. Lindsey even had a little male suitor chasing her around. He would come over and touch her and just giggle. So cute...but hands off buddy! It was fun to get dressed up a bit for the evening event since my normal uniform is jeans and t-shirt these days.

Just a few thoughts on pep rally's. I went to a school that had little school spirit, a band that consisted of about 12 people and a football team that lost almost every game. Therefore, I had some preconceived notions about pep rallys. Bryan knows how to do it! The band was so loud, the kids were screaming and crazy excited, it was fun to see. You could tell all of us old folks though as we gasped when some of the cheerleaders did a few of their moves. Wow, we certainly didn't do those sort of things when we were their age, did we? ;)

Pregnancy Does Not Cloud the Brain...Ha-Ha-Ha

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who is pregnant. We had a little chuckle over some of the things that happen to pregnant women. So, when I read this article I had to laugh.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081010/hl_afp/healthaustraliawomenpregnancy

I am all for girl power and I really believe that we are the stronger sex where it is really important, but I think that the researcher has not had children. I believe that our mind shuts down to non-important things like how we usually drink our coffee, whether our clothes are on inside out and if we only managed to get mascara on one eye that morning since we are growing a little life in us and we must prepare for the challenging days ahead of motherhood. Maybe I am just crazy and only my friend and I have experienced the "Duhs" of pregnancy...but I doubt it!

A Constant State of Being Behind

Once again, I have fallen far behind in the blog department. Do not worry however, it is not the only department that is suffering. It is right there with boxes still cluttering my house, pictures trapped in my digital camera, birthday presents still not mailed. It is official, I am in a constant state of being behind. Since I haven't posted pictures in a while, I thought I would do so. Granted these are old, but something is better than nothing. The first is a picture of Lindsey and John at Greene's Smokehouse. Lindsey fell in love with the stuffed armadillo that could hold a beer bottle. The second picture is of Lindsey right after she was finally big enough to turn around and face the front of the car. Can you tell she was happy about this? :)

Besides being behind, life is great. Sixteen months is such a fun age. Lindsey pretty much runs everywhere. She is talking up a storm. We can't understand everything of course, but her vocabulary includes: Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, Ro-Ro, Ra-Ra, (Ro-Ro and Ra-Ra are my sister Rosemary and my niece Robin), doggie, woof-woof, meow, easy, cat, bye-bye, hi and the always favorite, diddle-diddle. There are others she has said once but these are the ones we have mastered ;) Currently Sissy is her favorite word. First thing in the morning she runs to Sissy's room (our master bathroom) and stands there and yells, "SISSY, SISSY, SISSY!" It sounds bad to say this but I think it is a blessing that Sissy is deaf and can't hear the craziness.

We start Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) tomorrow. I am so excited. It is going to be a good experience for us both I am sure. Lindsey goes to the nursery and there are programs for the moms. Lindsey has no problems with separation, but Mommy might so we will just hope for the best!

Lindsey's Eye

Good news! For now, it appears that we are not going to have surgery on Lindsey's eye to open her tear duct! :) Isn't that great?!?!

It seems that our a frustrating experience with the doctors, multiple trips to Temple and several co-pays was all for a reason. As Murphy's Law would have it, when we went to see the new doctor, Lindsey's eye was clearing up. He saw a little inflammation so suggested we go ahead. Well, that was back in July and her eye has been clear ever since! No medicine, no yucky morning eye boogers...just my pretty baby girl smiling up at me.

Our pediatrician says there is no medical way of knowing for sure if it has really opened, but we are taking the chance for now and just saying NO to surgery. Thanks to all of you for your prayers.

Hair Trauma

For those who know me, they know that I have battled the attack of the grey hairs for many years now. I had a stylist in Houston who was amazing. My higlights were pretty darn natural looking, the cuts were great and the best thing of all was that she was so affordable.

So after going for almost ten months and coming close to looking like the Cousin It from the Addams Family, I embarked on the task of a finding a new hair stylist. It is no easy task. After grilling several friends and family members I settled on someone.

Let me begin by saying that I really liked her, she was fun and spunky. I should have known when she said, "You have really pretty eyes, we just need to do something to bring them out." She recommended full color rather than highlights to give me more coverage. She said it would be really natural and very close to my natural color. Now, I know I had highlights and maybe my natural color was a little hard to detect, but I don't recall ever seeing black in my hair anywhere. Okay, it is not really black, but it is sooo dark I scare myself in the mirror sometimes. Several people say I look much younger, but then I just think, man, did I look that old?

Anywhoo, it is just hair, it will grow out and until then I guess I will just enjoy this new Susanne. :)

Just a Little Behind

Well, lets see it has only been about four months since my last post. Much has happened in this time and I will have to take some time to put a nice, informative post together complete with fun stories and pictures. For now however, I just wanted everyone to know that we did not fall off the face of the planet.

Some of the most exciting news is that Lindsey turned one! Okay so that happened 2 1/2 months ago. We celebrated with "The Big One" theme and partied with friends and family until we feel asleep in our cake. Well, really, Lindsey is the only one who fell asleep in her cake!

We also purchased a home and after what seemed like months of painting and carpeting and cleaning, we are officially moved in. I still have boxes left to unpack, but it is slowly, slowly getting there. This is the first time I have unpacked with a 14 month old and it definitely adds a new dimension to the project! I will post more on the house later, but Casa Williams is officially open for business and welcomes all visitors!

Thankfully, we are all well. We will have to correct Lindsey's clogged tear duct with surgery so please say a little prayer for her. Although this is considered a "simple procedure" it involves anesthesia and that scares her Mommy a little bit.

One last bit of good news. A dear friend of mine is pregnant! I am so excited for her and so thankful that she is going to be a Mom. There are few people in this world who I can think of that will be a better parent. Say a little prayer for her too that she will begin to feel better and that the arrival of her little bundle of joy arrives safe and sound.

Enough for now. Once I figure out the wireless internet at the house and get back to work on my computer I will post some pictures.

Happy Anniversary!

Our wedding was many years ago.

The celebration continues to this day.

Gene Perret

Nine years ago I married my best friend. On one hand it seems like yesterday, on the other it feels so long ago. I think about when we first met 15 years ago and I think wow, 15 years, that is such a long time, almost half my life. (Okay, not really but pretty close!) We were babies and such different people. How we have grown and changed. Love seemed so different at 21 than it does now. We have been through so much together ~ changing jobs, moving away from home, losing parents, buying homes. All of the things you have to do as a grown up. I can say it is so much easier to do all of these things with a loving, supportive person standing next to you and sometimes holding you up when you simply can't do it alone.

I thank you John, for being such a fantastic husband, for loving me even on the days when it isn't so easy, for balancing me out and making me realize I don't need to worry if the sun is going to come up ;), for allowing me this time to be home with our daughter, for being a great provider. The list could go on and on, but I will end with this. I love you and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you.

Grow old with me, the best is yet to be.

Robert Browing

Confessions of a Human Kleenex

****Warning-This post is graphic and not for the faint of heart****
Over the past ten months, I have been pooped on, peed on, thrown up on, burped on...I think that is it...and you know it is true, these things get to where they don't bother you, I guess some sort of badge of motherhood. ( can you see the merit badges for those things!) I remember the first time I got poop on my hand, how I quickly wiped it off with a baby wipe and ran to to sink to disinfect my hands. Today, it's like, oh there is poop on my hand, I better finish putting this diaper on before Houdini makes another great escape!

I guess it was inevitable that at some point Lindsey would get a cold. It has not been a terrible ordeal by any means, mainly just a cough with a runny nose, but it is the nose that is getting me. Why is there never a kleenex when you need it? It is like a little faucet that won't stop running...and when she sneezes, watch out! I guess everyone has those moments that make them really feel like a mom, getting sneezed on by a baby with a cold is definitely one of those moments.

I know this seems like a silly post and I guess what prompted it was as I was getting ready for bed the other night, our second night of almost no sleep, I looked at my clothes. I had booger residue on both arms of my shirt, across my chest, down each pant leg and yes, even a spot in my hair. I sat on the bed, laughed and thought to myself, it is official I am a Human Kleenex. The great thing is, I wouldn't have it any other way!

Attack of the Flu Bug!

I guess it had to happen, one of the Williams was bound to catch a bug at some point. I went to Houston to work with my brother-in-law for a couple of days last Thursday. Who would have thought it would be Tuesday and I would still be here. John called me on Friday and told me to stay away because the flu bug had attacked him. He was achy, his head was pounding and he had a really high fever. Thankfully the doctor got him on Tamiflu quickly but it has still been a long process to get him well. His mom has been taking care of him. It is so hard to be away from someone you love when you know they are sick and could use your help. Hopefully, the flu shots Lindsey and I got will help protect us from the nasty bug!

PS - Another good lesson for me to remember, always pack more clothes, diapers, formula, etc than you ever think you could possibly use! :) Thank goodness I am at my sister's house and it is easy to do laundry!

Lessons from 2007

Out with the old...in with the new! It is so hard for me to believe that we are already in 2008. Remember when we were little and the year 2000 seemed so far away?

2007 was a year full of lessons. Some of them were happy and fun, some of them were miserable and scary. The biggest and best lesson of all has been becoming first time parents. My mom was right when she said there is no greater thing than a mother's love for her child. It is amazing how that happens, all of the sudden, boom, this little life comes in and takes over your world and you fall head over heels in love. I am so thankful that we have been blessed with a baby, but not just any baby, a baby who is really, really happy! Everyday is a learning experience and it just gets better and better.

Hard lessons stink, but they make us stronger. I learned many things this year.

1. I moved away from my family and friends. Even though you only live 100 miles from them, sometimes it seems like a world away when you just need a friendly smile or a warm hug. (Thank goodness for IM!)


2. Hearing "You know she is smiling down on you from heaven," falls flat as you are celebrating having children of your own and want to share that joy with your parents.


3. I learned that women still do get fired for having babies. Hard to believe that still happens in this day and age. I also learned that people you respect and who are supposed to be leaders can turn out to be the biggest liars of all and can hurt you more than you ever expected...if you let them.


4. I have learned, okay am still learning, to accept help from others. Having watched my mother struggle to take care of us, I learned quickly to be independent and try to make things work on my own to help take the load off of her. I pride myself in not needing to rely on anyone to support me financially. So, this not working, staying home to take care of our daughter has been difficult for my pride. I know this is the most important job I could and will ever have, but it still makes me struggle sometimes. Feeling guilty about wanting to spend any money is a new concept for me, but I will get over that ;)

I guess if you read those four things above you might think I am complaining or unhappy. What is weird is that I am happier than I have ever been. I think the struggles of the past year are just making me stronger and preparing for whatever is in store for us this coming year. Each night when I say my prayers I thank God for all of the wonderful blessings he has given me and I want all of you to know that I count you among them!

Lindsey's First Christmas

Okay, so we are only what a little over 2 weeks over due with our Christmas wrap-up. Oh what fun we had on Christmas! Honestly I have no real clue of how Lindsey enjoyed her first Christmas, but she did look like she was having bunches of fun. I can say for certain that John and I had a blast. Now with a little one, the anticipation of Santa is so much fun again.

We traveled to Rosenberg on Sunday to spend the holiday with my sister and her family. John was off on Christmas Eve for the first time since we have been married. It was so nice to have a leisurely day rather than hustling around trying to finish everything. We went to the Christmas Eve Vigil mass in East Bernard which is where my brother-in-law was born and raised. Holy Cross is a beautiful little church and every year they put on the Christmas pageant. The school children act out Mary and Joseph's journey and the pageant ends with everyone singing Happy Birtday to Jesus. It really is uplifting.


We went back to opening gifts on Christmas morning. I know it makes things hectic, but I really do enjoy it more. Lindsey woke up to the delightful surprise of finding out that Santa had left her a musical rocking lion to match her nursery gear, a musical walker type thing that can help her continue her path to brilliance ;) and last but not least, she got a fantastic tri-cycle. She is still a little small for the tri-cycle, but it is something she can grow into and will be perfect for when we build our house. I do have to say that Santa left quite a mess on the carpet with sooty footprints everywhere. I will have to ask him to wipe his feet next year. After the festivities at my sister's, we headed over to my cousin's house to spend the day with my Mom's family.


I did finish Lindsey's stocking. After a few late nights, early mornings, sewing in the truck all the way to Rosenberg and one last minute visit to my Aunt's house (thanks Aunt Veta and Cindy!) the stocking was complete on December 24. Whew!