Before I was a Mom . . .

Before I was a Mom

I made and ate hot meals.

I had unstained clothing.

I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom . . .

I slept as late as I wanted

and never worried about how late I got into bed.

I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was Mom . . .

I cleaned my house each day.

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to lullabies.

Before I was a Mom . . .

I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom . . .

I had never been puked on

Pooped on

Spit on

Chewed on

Peed on

Or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom . . .

I had complete control of my mind

My thoughts

My body

And my life.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom . . .

I never held down a screaming child

so that doctors could do tests

or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom . . . 

I never held a sleeping baby just because

I didn’t want to put it down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces

when I couldn’t stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small

could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom . . .

I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn’t know that bond between a Mother and her child.

I didn’t know that something so small

could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom . . . 

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night

every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth

The joy

The love

The heartache

Or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much.

Before I was a Mom.

Author Unknown

San Antonio - Day 3

Our first stop on Saturday morning was the Alamo.  I remember reading about the Alamo in our Texas History classes as an elementary school student.  I was in 7th grade when I made my first trip to San Antonio and I remember being so disappointed when I saw the Alamo.  I had imagined it to be this giant historical monument and in reality, it is quite small.  Several years ago, Jamie gave Jordan a book about the Alamo, so he was thrilled to finally be seeing it in real life.  He did not experience the same disappointment that I did the first time I saw the Alamo.  He was quite impressed with the Alamo and the historic artifacts on the grounds.

This walkway was on the Alamo grounds and I really thought it was cool with the stone walls and covered roof.  I was hoping to get a good picture of the family standing in the walkway.  It's too bad Julia was not cooperating.

It was a cold, drizzly day, so we decided to go indoors for a couple hours and walk around the Riverside Mall.  Julia loves horses and we stopped for a quick picture with one of the horse-drawn carriages. 

Julia had fun at the Mexican restaurant we ate at.  She got to sit (more like stand) in a big girl seat.  She loves cheese dip!

Jordan, on the other hand, was NOT a fan of the Mexican restaurant - or any Mexican restaurant for that matter.  But he was a good sport.

We walked through the historic section of San Antonio and visited the Little Church of La Villita where my parents were married.  I had seen it in pictures so many times throughout my life, but it was really neat to finally see it in person and stand on the same steps where they stood so many years ago when they first fell in love.

Jordan was impressed by the wax figures outside of the Ripley's Believe it or Not and Wax Museums along one of the main strips downtown.  Here's a picture of him posing with Tom Landry (I think!)

And Jordan's favorite - a T-Rex!

One last shot of the Alamo at night.

San Antonio - Day 2

We woke up Friday morning ready for a big day at Sea World. Before we headed to the park, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast where Julia was terribly uncooperative. She absolutely, positively would NOT sit at the table. After taking turns with Julia in the gift shop while the other ate breakfast, we were finally on our way to Sea World hoping that the rest of the day would go much smoother. Surprisingly, it did, despite the fact that Julia did not take a nap. For anyone who plans on making a trip to Sea World with your little ones, I highly recommend taking your own stroller. We made the mistake of renting one at the park, which turned out to be terribly uncomfortable for Julia. We basically carried her the whole day, which I didn't mind too much, but she does get quite heavy after a while.

We started the day at the Dolphin Cove where you get up close and personal with bottlenose dolphins. You get to lean right over the tank of dolphins. The water is pretty shallow and the dolphins almost come close enough to touch.

Next was the indoor aquarium (forgive me, I don't remember the official Sea World name for it.) The pictures we took in here didn't come out very well, but Julia had a great time inside the aquarium. She was able to get close to the glass and experience the underwater exhibit. The fish in the pictures are teeny tiny, but they also had sting rays, sharks, jelly fish, eels, coral reefs, etc, so it was definitely more impressive than the pictures would suggest.

Julia would just squeal with delight when a fish came close to her.
Then we headed on over to to the Beluga Theater to see the dolphin & acrobat show. I have always had mixed feelings about zoos, circuses, etc because I feel like wild animals should not be kept in captivity, but without them we wouldn't get to experience these amazing animals in real life. Being able to have the opportunity to see these animals in an environment like Sea World makes the experience so much more memorable and amazing that just watching them on TV or reading about them in a book.

I knew the kids would be in awe at the sight of the animals, but I have to admit, that I had a difficult time containing myself each time one of the animals jumped out of the water. What amazing power they have.

It wasn't just the dolphins that made the show incredible. The show also had professional high divers and synchronized swimmers that performed alongside the acrobats of the sea. They would dive into the water from the rafters of the building, performing flips and twirls with ease before plunging into the water without the faintest splash. Amazing athletes.

The acrobats scared Julia a little bit because I think she thought that the people were falling. She did enjoy the Butterfly Lady that floated above the pool, occasionally dipping into the water. It was a beautiful image.

Jordan posing with one of the acrobats after the show.

We wanted to make sure we saw all the shows first before wasting spending any time at the water and amusement parks. Of course, we had to pass ride after ride on our walk to the Killer Whale show, and Jordan pouted and whined asked us politely if we could skip the shows and go to the amusement park. I had to snap a picture of Jordan looking angrily at me longingly at the water rides so that you too could enjoy the look of disappointment from a child that had to spend almost the 'whole day' at Sea World looking at. . .uh. . . sea animals. Imagine that.

Well, sometimes wishes really do come true. The Shamu show was too crowded, so Keith took Jordan to the amusement park while Julia and I strolled through the gift shops. I wish I had been able to see Jordan's face on the rollercoasters, but we will just have to imagine what that was like for him.

Julia loved the Shamu stuffed animals and I had to get her picture with one of the displays. I wanted to set her right in the middle of the display and take her picture but I was too afraid that she would tumble off, so we just took a picture of her standing in front of it. Rest assured, Daddy ended up buying sweet Julia one of these Shamu dolls to take home with her!
And then we had a quick chocolate milk break while we waited for the next Shamu show. This was Julia's first taste of chocolate milk. Yum!

We finally made it to the show we had been waiting for all day - Shamu!! What breathtaking displays of power and beauty.
So cool. Wouldn't you just love to do that??

Jordan is sitting on the front row right in front of the spot where Shamu is in this picture. He didn't want to sit with us because he thought we were sitting too far away from the tank and he wanted to be close enough to get splashed. And "did he get splashed?" you ask. He was drenched from head to toe!

SPLASH!!

How can something so enormous be so graceful?

Julia was very tired at this point in the day because she didn't take her afternoon nap. But she still enjoyed watching Shamu!


Julia stops to smell the flowers!

And the moment we have all been waiting for . . . . well, at least the moment JORDAN had been waiting for . . . . . the WATER PARK!! The frigid water in the wave pool gave him quite a chill. He was able to get a new beach towel out of the deal.

And one last look at the dolphins before we head out for the day. Look at Julia leaning as far over the wall to get a closer look at the dolphins.

What an incredible day! Boy, am I exhausted. Time for a nap!

San Antonio - Day 1

We arrived in San Antonio on Thursday afternoon after a much longer drive than we expected. Julia was not very fond of being strapped in her carseat so I spent most of the trip in the backseat trying to keep her entertained. We stayed at the Hotel Contessa Luxury Suites, which was right on the Riverwalk. It had a living area with a pull out sofa and a separate bedroom that could be closed off, which was nice since Julia goes to bed so much earlier than the rest of us. There was a swimming pool on the rooftop, which Jordan thought was amazing, but he was the only one of us that could brave the cold water. After we got settled into our room and had freshened up, we went to the Riverwalk. We rode on one of the riverboats and were shocked at how hot it was in San Antonio compared to home. Every one of us looks dazed in the pictures from the first day of the trip. I guess it was a combination of being tired from the drive and the scorching San Antonio sun. Here are a few pictures from our first day in San Antonio.

Julia taking in all the people along the riverwalk.

If there is a tree nearby, Jordan is going to climb it.

Jordan on the riverboat.

View of the river

Jules and Keith on the riverwalk.

Getting a little bit cranky.

Julia and mom on the riverboat.

Julia enjoyed watching all the people on the riverwalk.

To be continued . . . .

The world according to Julia

Julia is almost 18 months old now and I'm just amazed at the things she is able to do. Although she has always been quite vocal, we couldn't understand a thing she said until about a month ago. I thought it would be fun to do a post in Julia's own words. Here is the world according to Julia (in no particular order, mind you).

Mommy = "Maw Mee"

Daddy = "Daah Dee"

Bubby (Jordan) = "Buh Buh"

Penny = "Pihh Pihh" (like Pig)

Georgie = "Sheesh Sheesh"

Papa Jerry = "Paw Puh"

Philly = "Fee Fee"

Grandma = "Umm Mom" (this has progressed - Julia used to call Grandma "Bobby")

Grandpa = "Umm Pom"

What does a dog say? = "Haa-huh, haa-huh, haa-huh" (breathing with tongue sticking out)

What does a cow say? = "Bwooooo"

What does a duck say? "Wack Wack"

What does a snake say? = "Ssssssss"

What does a sheep say? = "Baaaaaaaaaaaaaa" (stretched out forever)

What does a kitty cat say? = "Mouw" (like how)

What does a baby say? = "Ehh hee, hee, hee (baby crying)

What does a lion say? = "Arrgh"

What does a bird say? = "Tee Tee Tee" (high pitched voice)

Please = "Peeeeeas"

Cheese = "Cheeeeeee" (ridiculously fake smile with teeth clinch together)

Thank you = "Tay Too" (sing-song voice)

Night Night = "Ny Ny" (simply the sweetest sound I've ever heard.)

Daddy's Girl

It has been a long busy season, but now that it's over and I'm no longer working through lunch, I'll use this time to post to the blog. San Antonio pictures are coming soon - I promise. But for today, I can only post a couple pictures that I happen to have at work with me. These were taken by Kevin at one of Jordan's basketball games. Julia loves to go to the games with us. She doesn't watch the game, of course, but she enjoys waving at her big brother on the court and wondering why he never waves back. She is starting to become more independent and is venturing out away from mom and dad every now and then to explore her surroundings. This is good, I know, but it reminds me that my little girl is growing up - she's not a little baby anymore. She is now an exuberant little toddler with quite a personality of her own. She is a very stubborn child (hmmm.... wonder where she gets that), with a sweet smile that warms your heart (from me, of course) and an extremely goofy sense of humor (got to come from dad and bubby). We love our little Julia Gulia.

I love this picture of her peeking out over daddy's legs.

There's that goofy sense of humor I was talking about.

Givin' daddy some love

Basketball

I apologize for such a long break between posts. As you know, it's tax season, and I don't get a whole lot of free time to spend blogging. Now that our first deadline is passed, I can take a breath and post an update. Here are some pictures of Jordan's last basketball game. He has gotten so much better this year and really had a lot of fun playing. The fact that he's about a foot taller than he was last year probably helped! Her are a couple action shots for you . . .