A Love Story

Have you ever seen the 2011 make of Jane Eyre ? What an amazing film...a dark, yet romantic and beautiful story...and as all love stories do, reminds me of my very own. I love those moments of flirtation between Jane and Mr. Rochester, which finally lead to him professing his love for her, and then the kiss. I live for moments like that which make me want to run into the arms of the one I love, just as Jane loves him. It reminds me of the feelings I first felt for Trey, and that I still feel every morning when I wake to see him lying next to me. Every time Jane and Mr. Rochester touched lips, I imagined myself, standing in front of Trey, and the bursts of passion we've shared in the same manner. 

Mr. Rochester and Jane

Rochester: I offer you my hand, my heart. Jane, I ask you to pass through life at my side. You are my equal and my likeness. Will you marry me? 

(yes! yes! yes!)

Trey and Lizzie

In 6 and a half months the love I know will grow far beyond what I am able to know at this moment. I cannot imagine a love greater than what I feel for my Trey, and yet I know my love for him will grow immensely as I look into the eyes of the being we will have created together. As I rest my hand on my tiny bump, I feel the love growing already and my heart growing stronger with each passing day. It all comes back to that first kiss I shared with Trey and that I relived tonight as I lost myself in the love story by Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre, thank you for reminding me of that true love. 

Romantically from your madre in waiting, 

Boston Bound

Right now I am blogging for my first time on a train. It makes me feel very "official", like I'm traveling on business and have important work to complete before my next stop. Hah! I can pretend for a little while. 

Well, it's 7:52 PM and I am currently between Richmond and Fredericksburg riding Amtrak with my husband, father, and step-mom. My dad has started a new tradition for our family trip to happen the week before Christmas which, as it works out, students and teachers have off. Last year we went to New York City - and had an absolute blast. 

This year we are traveling to Boston, a favorite of mine - although, I've never been in the winter. I'll let you know if I regret this decision! It's weird to think I'm not "physically" alone on this trip, but have a little one joining me (in utero!). What a cool feeling. I cannot wait until our next appointment (a little less than 2 weeks from now) when I will be 12 weeks along. I feel like this will be a comforting appointment, as the fetus is larger and things are a little "safer" than they were at week 8. Today I am officially 10 weeks. Wow! Feels like yesterday we were just finding out...and what an exciting moment that was. It's still pretty exciting as more friends are learning of our news. Most of my co-workers are aware, which makes it fun at work. It was so hard keeping it a secret the first month! When you find out, all you want to do is shout it to the world - it seems like such a miracle (and well, actually, it is!). 

Did I mention that I'm a fifth grade teacher and today was the last day before break? My kids were a little nutty...but I have to hand it to them, they were pretty good for me. My patience is not quite as good these days, now that I'm pregnant (and have my list of needs which must be met every 30 minutes). But I am so grateful that they were well-behaved and that our Christmas party stayed under control...and that I am now free of all 20 of them for 2 weeks! WOOOHOOOOOOOO! 


I feel a nap coming on....this momma is heading out. 

Until next time, 

A Merry Christmas, indeed

Well friends, this mother-in-waiting has some huge news. Trey and I are no longer trying to conceive. In addition, I can no longer enjoy my favorite beverage, margaritas - at least not for the next nine months....

You guessed it! We're expecting! Now I can truly say that I am a madre-in-waiting as I wait for the arrival of my little one in July 2012. After two seasons of TTC, this little miracle has occurred and I feel so blessed to know a healthy fetus is slowly growing into our future child. I am currently nine weeks along and I discovered our good news on November 4, 2011 (ironically I was home sick from school). At that point I was four weeks pregnant and one week out from running the Richmond half-marathon. Fortunately I was still feeling well at that point and was able to run the entire half-marathon in 2:09:35....25 seconds shy of my goal. And I did not run this race without considering the possible risks it might have on the well-being of my little one. Months before when Trey and I were planning this, I spoke with my OB who assured me it would be all right as long as my body was used to that kind of exercise.

Now, at nine months, I am experiencing the not-so-wonderful side effects of the first trimester including exhaustion, raging hormones, and morning sickness. I come home everyday, fall onto the couch and into my early evening nap. I continue to nap off and on into the evening after 8 hours of teaching, the thought of exercising impossible. I feel a bit like a sloth but know I must put the health of our baby first. If my body needs rest, then rest I shall. Not to mention, half the time I can hardly stand!! I hear that my energy should come back in the second trimester, which I am really looking forward to. I hate feeling lazy! But I love my couch more than ever. Plus, we just got a new mattress - perfect timing!

One week till Christmas break and then Trey and I are heading to Boston with my dad and stepmom. We'll spend Christmas in Roanoke with family and we have our next baby appt. the week after Christmas. More updates to come then! Merry Christmas!

Xo,
Lizzie

Back to School

Well friends, it has been a month and a half since my last post. And yes, we're still TTC. No luck yet but we're hanging in there. I'm not going to lie - we weren't as "on task" during the past month because as a teacher, the month of September is absolutely draining! We also had a hurricane at the end of August (yes - a hurricane in Richmond, Virginia!) which really upset the start of the school year. And on top of that, we got our puppy during this time, which made things even crazier! But as the fall is starting to settle in, I can see the calm in sight. 

Now as I wait to be a real mommy, let me tell you about being a doggy mommy. As you know from my my earlier posts, I had been greatly anticipating this role. I had no idea how much energy, patience, and time it would really take. When I was warned by my stepmother that having a dog is a little bit like having a child, I didn't realize how true that was! Dean, our pups, cannot be left alone for one second or we will be very sorry!    The pillows may be in shreds or we may be cleaning up his "accidents" on the carpet...and of course, this still happens even when we do have our eyes on him. Trey and I take turns on whose night it is to take care of Dean. Until he is about 16 weeks, he has to go to the bathroom twice during the night - but fortunately he quickly goes "potty" and then we can put him back in his crate and go back to sleep. But it is definitely a new responsibility that takes getting used to (and one that will break us in for when we have a crying baby during the night who needs to be fed and changed). 

Dean's favorite "snooze" spot - over the AC vent

Our sweet boy

Dean is the most beautiful puppy I have ever seen. He is a sweetheart too, as he loves to curl up on our laps and take his naps. We have much to teach him and already have him signed up for "Puppy Education" courses starting October 9th. It is cute to see how worried Trey gets over the little things with Dean, and confirms what an amazing and caring father he will be to his children. Trey took Dean to the vet today and we found out he now weighs 23 lbs (he was 9 lbs when we got him 4 weeks ago) and he is healthy. Parents always want to hear that. 

Our amazing family: Dean, Trey, Lizzie, Imogen

In addition to being Dean's mom, I have also taken on the responsibility of 20 other children during the last four weeks. My fifth grade class keeps me uber-busy as I spend every extra moment that I'm not teaching planning fun, engaging lessons, grading papers, calling parents with positive comments, attending meetings, and planning more lessons. I am so exhausted, but pleased as well. I have an amazing class this year with extremely polite, motivated, and responsible students. Last year was a tough year with my first class, but I have high hopes for this group of kids. For the first time since I finished my student teaching, I really love teaching again. 


Until next time, I'm still your madre in waiting. 


xo,

The Sweet Life of Floridians

Our vacation in Florida was amazing. We slept in, played all day, and spent most of our time with family in the sun. How much better can it get? 

Trey keeps trying to get me to agree to moving there once he's out of school. Part of me says: "Let's do it! Sun and beach all year long? Heck yes!" The other part yearns to go back home where my momma, sisters, daddio, and other family are only 5 minutes away. Especially while I'm having babies - I can't imagine not having my mom nearby! I tell him that maybe once our kids are a little older. I am convinced that I have seasonal depression (specifically during the months of January, February, and March). It's cold, the world is ugly, and I'm always feeling "blah". So living in Florida would guarantee a sunnier-side to life (literally!). But I'm living in the now, so who knows where we'll be in a couple years when he finishes up. 

Back to our trip: 
We spent a couple days by the pool, a couple days at the beach, and a day walking around Miami. I also got the opportunity to see several of the players from the US Women's World Cup play - and I got pictures with them! It was amazing. I became an avid watcher of this tournament weeks prior to our trip, and had my own favorite player: Megan Rapinoe. She had some crucial moments in the World Cup, even though the U.S. lost, and she became my own personal hero athlete. And she likes to have fun :)

Megan Rapinoe on the US National Team

ME! with Megan! 7/26/11 (one week after the World Cup)

This game, along with meeting famous players like Rapinoe, Abby Wambach, and Christie Rampone, was hands-down the best night of this trip. Try the best night of the year! It got me thinking - forget ballet lessons. My little girl (assuming I have one, one day) is going to be a soccer player!

Trey and I also got to have our own personal photo shoot with his cousin, Blake, who is a professional photographer. Here is one of many photos that I love from our shoot!

hopeful daddy & mommy in waiting

So last entry I touched on the fact that I thought the Woolwine family in Florida was perfect. I learned that no family is perfect. Everyone has their moments. But they are still high up on the list of families who have a really strong base: their parents. Mom and Dad are caring, yet strict, and have high expectations for their children being responsible. I did see a few arguments, but that is to be expected with seven children. 

Trey and I are still TTC. No word yet. But hopefully sooner rather than later. Waiting is so hard! Until next time, still a madre in waiting.
  
xo,

  

More Practice

While Trey and I are actively TTC (and in case you didn't know, we officially are) I am spending my time practicing for future mommy duty. I went home this week to get my hair done (my step-mom is my hairdresser) and visited with my big sis, Natalie. I am enjoying being an aunt more and more, especially now that I can't wait to have little ones of my own. Plus, I'm constantly learning so much from my sister and from helping her out.

Little Knox fell asleep in my arms at the pool

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow Trey and I are flying to Florida to stay with his aunt and uncle who have seven children! They range from ages 6 to 23...and are so incredibly fun. We visited them last summer for a couple days and had such a blast that we are going back for a whole week this year. I plan on taking some lessons from their parenting because they are such a great family. I have never seen such well-behaved, helpful, respectful, kind, thoughtful, and fun kids. They are not only good to their guests, but they get along better than any family I've ever seen.

The Woolwine Cousins: 6 of the Florida kids, 4 of the Virginia kids

This photo was taken last summer during our visit. Livie, the tiny,adorable girl I'm holding is one of my favorites. I cannot wait to see her again, as well as the rest of their clan. Keep your fingers crossed as Trey and I continue TTC :) 

xo,

Doggy Momma

Three days ago on July 14, 2011, our puppy was born! Unfortunately, we were not there to see it, and we actually have to wait several more weeks until we are allowed to visit. Trey and I have been anticipating the arrival of this puppy since the middle of February, which I recently realized has been like waiting for the arrival of a human baby - without the whole pregnancy bit. 

So here's the story behind our puppy...

Trey has always been a lover of dogs.

Trey and his family's golden retriever, Cohen

I, as you may have noticed, am a cat person. Imogen is my sweet baby girl and the love of my life (besides Trey, of course). I got my first cat when I was in elementary school, as a reward for reaching my Accelerated Reader goal. My mom provided great motivation, right? Since then, I've had a couple cats (R.I.P. Morgan - my sweet baby boy, before Imogen). I have a true connection with them and love their presence. 



Fortunately, Trey has grown to love Imogen (and cats) as well, even though he grew up with only dogs. He has been such a wonderful cat daddy to her, so I knew when we got married that I would need to cater to his desire to have a pup. Don't get me wrong, I love all animals. I just don't like being slobbered on...or being knocked over when I walk in the door...or listening to really loud barking in my house. I guess I'm my own little princess (like Imogen) in that way. I know you're thinking, "This girl is crazy! She's getting a dog and she doesn't like all the things that dogs do!", but I know that once I have this dog of my own to take care of and protect, I will care for him no matter what. And hopefully he will be the most wonderful dog in the world, who with proper training, will not slobber excessively, knock me over when I walk in the door, or bark loudly every time a person walks by our house. (I have high expectations). 

Moving on with the story...we moved into our home this past January and about a month later, Trey began talking about getting a pup. Naturally, he had been talking about it since we got married, but we both agreed that having a dog in our small, two-bedroom apartment would have been miserable (plus we'd be breaking the rules). We decided on a male yellow lab (I've always thought they are beautiful and usually well-behaved: a must for me!) and Trey began his research of breeders. He found one that we both agreed on and who was expecting the lady pup to go into heat at any time (this was February). Every week after we made our decision, we would check in to see the progress. It wasn't until May that she finally went into heat (delaying our plan a bit) and got pregnant with her baby pups. So as you can see, we have been patiently awaiting the arrival of our puppy for quite awhile. 

The cutest lab puppies!

All we know as of now is that he was born three days ago - and we are hoping for pictures soon. We know he will be absolutely adorable (aren't all puppies?) and it kills us having to wait about eight weeks till we can take him home. However, we are busy getting ourselves ready for his arrival (just like with a baby), with the biggest project being the building of a fence in the backyard. So, yes, there is lots to do!


I am very much ready to be a doggy mom and know this will prepare me to be a real mom, as I continue to be a madre in waiting.

xo,

Mommy Practice

This past weekend my older sister, Natalie, came to visit and brought along her two little darlings, Carter (2 yrs, 11 months) and Knox (6 months). Now you know why I haven't written in awhile...having two children at these ages keeps you quite busy! It was also excellent preparation for my future mom plans. In fact, when I would start to look overwhelmed Trey would whisper, "Having second thoughts?". My response? Silence. But no, I assured him I was definitely still ready, but I didn't mind waiting a few years to have another one! 


God bless the mothers who have multiple babies around the same age. What a handful! Especially when the toddler is used to having mommy all to himself and then this new baby comes along, seeking all her attention. This leads to much acting out and behavior issues, which I observed greatly with Carter. I do hope it gets better for Natalie's sanity! 


But we had a great time. Living three hours away from my sister means I only get to see her and the boys on occasion, so I was thrilled they came to visit us. 

two sisters & two brothers, bonding time!

Here's a description of our daily adventures:


Friday night: They arrived around 7:00. We unloaded the van and let Carter roam around the house. We ate some food from the fridge and caught up on all the latest happenings while playing with the kids. At bedtime I took Carter upstairs and read him a story (my favorite) and fortunately I have a book about firetrucks (his favorite). I turned out the light and pretended to fall asleep while he tossed and turned for 20 minutes (I got lots of practice with this when I used to babysit). I finally snuck out and joined the adults downstairs before we all went to bed. 


Saturday: Rise and shine! Carter banged on our door at 7:30, "Lizzie! Lizzie! Lizzie!" (this was an everyday occurrence that I was not used to!). I eventually got up, ate some breakfast while trying to help out with the kiddos, and got dressed in my running gear. My sister and I are training for a half-marathon in November (you may have noticed my new widgets I added with my race schedule) so I wanted to show her this great route I love to run. Fortunately, Trey agreed to watch the babies (see? he's going to make a great dad!) so we could do our thing and have some sister time. 

future daddy getting practice

Once we got back we took turns taking showers and watching the kids/eating lunch before heading out for the day. Carter LOVES "choo choos" - especially riding them - so we took him to the mall where they have one outdoors. 

a happy, happy boy!

Next we went to the Children's Museum where they had another choo choo!! Carter was ecstatic. We ran a few "adult" errands (checked out some shops) before the meltdowns started because the poor kiddo was exhausted. When we got home we grilled out chicken (in this amazing orange/thyme marinade I made), along with corn, and then relaxed at home the rest of the night. 


Sunday: Trey and I were exhausted by this point - having kids is hard work! We all laid around in our PJ's half the day, watching the USA ladies soccer game. It was an awesome game and Carter loves soccer because his mommy plays in an adult league. I baked some blueberry & mascarpone turnovers while we watched (they were delish!) and then we gradually made our way out to a couple shops before coming home for dinner. I cooked one of my favorite dinners, penne with butternut squash and goat cheese. Yum! We were all exhausted and crashed not too long after dinner. 

Penne with Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese

Blueberry and Mascarpone Turnovers

    

                                         recipes courtsey of Giada, source: foodnetwork.com


Monday: Time for big sis & the boys to head home. They got packed up and we said our goodbyes. "Love you Lizzie! Love you Trey! Hugs!" (Carter's so sweet!) 

So, what did I learn about being a mother from this visit? Lots. Here's a few:

1) Don't pack too much into one day when the kids are with you. It's exhausting not only for them, but for you!

2) Make sure the kids take naps on time : with a baby, they can nap anytime, any place. A toddler? Not so much.

3) Take everything you might need with you. Food, bottles, diapers, extra clothes. My sister showed me this awesome little container for holding baggies to put dirty diapers in. Super cool! She has this one:

                                                               source: expotv.com

4) Don't make promises you can't keep. They won't let you forget it! 
5) Be strict. They will be quick to test you (just like with teaching!). 
6) When both kids are screaming and crying while you're driving and there's nothing you can do about it, sing "Baby Got Back". Yes, we did this and believe it or not, things quieted down! Plus, we got a good laugh out of it. (We memorized every word to this song about 10 years ago so it only seemed natural to pull it out at that moment).

I learned loads more, but those are some of my favorites. Now that the kids are gone, it's so quiet in our home which makes me even more excited about the possibility of a new little one in our family. I can't imagine just how much love I will feel for him/her! Natalie tried to explain this to me during our run, but I guess I'll have to wait till I get the real thing. Until then, I'm still a madre in waiting.


xo,

 

TTC (my new favorite acronym)

Through my extensive internet research on having a baby (and by extensive I mean whatever Google Search gives me when I type in a new question), I've learned a new acronym "TTC". 

Any guesses? And no it's not "Totally Too Cool". 

My new favorite acronym that makes me feel totally too cool when I say it stands for "Trying To Conceive". Clever, eh? I think so. Especially since in a few weeks I will officially be TTC. Eeee! (squeals of excitement).

What makes me nervous about TTC is the whole planning bit. Of course this may change if I discover that TTC is not as easy as I think it's going to be. And I know for some future moms, it's not. My mother insists that if I'm anything like her, I'll get pregnant the first try (and I sensed some sarcasm when she said this). Hah! 

So we'll see. I'll worry about that when I get there. But for me, Mrs. Type A - all the way, I know exactly when I want to get pregnant so I can plan exactly when I will have the baby. And for good reason. I'm a teacher and I'm getting ready to start my second year, so I only have so many saved sick days. I have been told by my older sister who is also a teacher, and has had 2 boys in the past 3 years, that you only get paid for the days you have saved up -- even though you are given a leave of six weeks. As I am our main provider while my husband is in dental school, I do not want to miss more days than necessary. So naturally, I want to have the baby sometime close to summer break. That way, I'll get paid for the few weeks I miss (which I do have saved up) and then I'll get summer off to be with my new little one. Perfect plan, right? 

Maybe. However, as most of us know, no one can really "plan" for a pregnancy, as we are all different.  When I discussed this with my OB-GYN, she advised "start when you are ready" because there is no way to know when you will conceive or how long it can take. She said for some it can take 1 month, for others it can take a year - or more. So much for my need to plan. But maybe I'll get lucky and it will work out just right. The main thing is, I know I want this baby no matter what. Even if we have to be extra frugal  for a while. So I keep telling myself not to stress about when it will happen. God will make it happen when it's right for us. 

                My husband (Trey) and my oldest nephew (Carter) : He's such a natural with children, lucky me!

 

Our plan is to start pretty soon. Ideally I would like to get pregnant sometime in August/September/October. But again, what I like may or may not be the plan. We're keeping it quiet for now (a handful of my closest friends + my big sis know the plan). That's the main reason my husband suggested I start this blog: in order to voice my thoughts during this whole crazy TTC phase but not sharing all this until it's officially official. Until then, I'll be a madre in waiting. 

xo,

 

Nursery Ideas

So keep in mind, I'm not pregnant (yet) but boy, have I been bitten by the "mom" bug! My latest obsession is wondering when (and if) I do get pregnant, will it be a boy or a girl? And what will the baby's nursery look like? I want so badly to start decorating, but of course don't want to jinx anything. Plus, my husband and I have both agreed we like going with the traditional blue for boy and pink for girl, making it impossible to do any decorating until we know the gender of a baby who doesn't exist yet! I know, I'm entertaining, huh? I've been reading through blogs of other mommies and there are some really unique nurseries out there! I'm getting filled with lots of inspiring ideas for the future. Here is one nursery I think is absolutely adorable.

If you have any awesome ideas, let me know!

xo,
Lizzie

Future Mommy?

Hi friends! Well, here it is, my first entry. Actually, this is the 2nd time I'm writing this but the first time I was out on the deck and my iPad got too hot..figures.

So I know after reading my blog name you must be wondering...am I a mom? Maybe I'm pregnant? What's the deal?

No, I'm not pregnant. I'm a fifth grade teacher who graduated with my Master's degree a month ago, and who has been on summer break a little less than a week now, and who loves sunbathing, reading, exercising, and margaritas. In fact, I'm spending this afternoon tanning on the deck and just made a "marg" refill while working on this entry. Perhaps I can thank the tequila for the inspiration.

Anyways, why am I talking about being a mom, you ask? I have reached that stage in life where all I can think about is babies. It happened after the season finale of Grey's Anatomy (if you saw it then you know my point). Thanks, Meredith. Since then, all my conversations with my husband consist of having a baby and YES! he is as excited as I am. Weird, right? I'm gonna go with it while it's hot. My husband and I got married a year and a half ago before I officially became a teacher and while he was in his first year of dental school (mind you, we dated 6.5 years prior) and now we own a home and I planted some flowers in the front yard yesterday. Next step? Obviously, a baby!

But seriously, we are planning for the future and right now it looks like Baby Woolwine, IV (hubby is the 3rd) is in the mix. No worries, once we start trying I'll put my margaritas on hold.

With love,
Lizzie