Family Tradition...

JBB and I have thought a lot about how we want to raise Cookie; what kind of little person and eventual adult we want her to be. It goes without saying we want he or she to be kind, happy, and really, really good-looking. (HA! Just kidding! Zoolander reference.)While I imagine parenthood is one of those "trial by fire" situations that we can't really plan until we are in the trenches, one thing we both really agree on is that we want to build traditions in our family. Something that, as an adult, Cookie will look back on and smile and say, "Every year my family did...fill in the blank."

Fresh from trimming the tree.

I think traditions are so important. They give you a sense of belonging, of continuity, and of roots. Family traditions were a big deal in the Lambert household growing up, and still are today. I love that I have that shared experience with my brother and sister. That, even as adults in our 30's with our own families, we instantly remember all of the words to the Beach Boy's "Little Saint Nick", as the Beach Boys Christmas CD was played every single year while we decorated the Christmas tree. Nothing makes me happier than hearing songs from that CD; I'm immediately taken back to my parent's family room, with our crazy 1970's orange and brown carpet, with the big tree in the bay window by the door leading out to the pool. I can still recall the exact ornaments we hung on the tree - Nate's orange and green construction paper garland, the green bell ornament with a 5 year old Krissi's face displayed front and center, and the clothes pin angel I made during "craft-time" with my Mimi.

One of JBB's favorite traditions growing up was spending weeks in the summertime at his Grandma and Grandpa Blythe's in Edwardsport. I'm pretty sure that if his parents dropped him off there for the whole summer, he would have happily stayed. What little boy wouldn't love a steady diet of his grandma's pancakes, shooting his BB gun in the junkyard, tinkering on cars in his grandpa's garage (and learning how to drive a car at the age of 11!),  catching crawdads by the creek, and getting to stay up late and watch TV while drinking homemade chocolate milkshakes?



Trying on hats at Churchill Downs!

Last summer, JBB and I went to Churchill Downs so I could experience another Blythe family tradition - a day at the track, betting on horses. I loved everything about it, but mainly I loved how much fun JBB had, and being able to share in such a fun part of his history. When he told me I was the only person he'd ever taken because it was so special to him and he didn't want to invite someone only to have them not like it, I melted inside. A lot.

Traditions, at least in my mind, make everything more fun. The anticipation of the drive to Canada is made a little sweeter knowing that we'll be stopping for dinner at Trapper John's on Friday night, sitting on the screened in porch having a great meal after our long drive. The morning after a sleepover was always extra fun because I knew I'd be getting my dad's biscuits & gravy as a special treat. As adults, we've started a few traditions of our own. JBB and I's "thing" with Henry and Maggie is to take them to the movies. Henry told his mom that he loved going to the movies with us, and it made me so happy to share that with him. The last two Labor Day weekends have been spent in Saugatuck, MI with the Miller family, a tradition I hope to keep going for many years! Someone has to keep Kilwin's ice cream shop in business!


The gang on Labor Day weekend.

I'm not sure exactly what traditions we'll make for Cookie and the Blythe family; some, I'm sure we'll carry over from our own childhoods. I can already picture Cookie jumping into the French River as soon as she unpacks her suitcase in Cabin 16, as her Aunt Kiki and I have done for the last 20 years. I hope our kids love going to the horse tracks with their daddy, just as JBB did growing up. I imagine we'll also make traditions of our own...maybe it will be Saturday morning donuts. Or annual pumpkin carving contests with the cousins. Breakfasts at Betty's in Seymour with the grandparents. Memorial Day pool parties at Muggy and Papaw's. I can't wait to see what evolves and what become favorite memories for our family. I do know one thing - Cookie will love the Beach Boys Christmas CD. I will make sure of it.


The whole family on the deck at Lochaven Lodge.

What are some of your favorite traditions from your family growing up, or new ones you've created with your family?

Me vs. The Pre-Natals

I have a nightly routine, and it goes something like this:

• 5:00 - quittin' time! I call JBB on the drive home and ask him the question I've asked him every night for two years: "What do you want to do for dinner?" He's grown to hate that question.
• 5:30 - 7:00 - we eat said dinner, usually involving a potato. Then we walk around the neighborhood and I try to spy in the windows of neighbors and see if there is anything good going on I need to know about.
• 7:00 - 7:30 - Wheel. Of. Fortune!! Where Jason shouts out answers like "Bertie is a stuffed octopus!" after Vanna puts up an "E". (I'm Bertie. And I laugh every time).
• 7:30 - 8:00 - Jeopardy. Where we marvel at Alex Trebec's arrogance for 30 minutes.
• 8:00 - up the stairs we go. Yes, 8:00. No, we are not 150 years old.

Now - this is where the wheels fall off. Out go the contacts, teeth are brushed, rings come off. I get in bed, fire up episode 919 of House Hunters that I've DVRd. And then I stare at my pre-natals on my night stand, while they stare right back at me. I pretend to not notice them, and concentrate on if the buyers are going to pick the "cute fixer-upper", or the "turn-key ready, but out of their price range" house.

Then, JBB arrives from his bathroom (separate bathrooms = yay!) and reminds me that I have already watched this House Hunters and tells me which house they picked. THEN - "Bertie, it's time to take your vitamin." And I act all nonchalant, like "I know, I'm getting ready to", when inside I'm chanting "It's not that bad, it isn't as big as it looks, it doesn't smell, it won't get stuck in my throat, women lift cars off their children, pony up and take this effin' vitamin woman!!!"

So, I do. And it is dramatic, and I truly don't mean for it to be. Since I've been little I've had a horrible time swallowing pills. My mom used to crush up medicine for me and give it to me in M &M's while she sang and danced "Swallow, swallow, swallow!" That is true. Ask my sister. She still gives me crap for it. Anyway. I brace myself, getting the pre-natal in one hand, and opening my bottle of water with the other. I've figured out that the problem arises when the pre-natal sits on my tongue for even a nano-second; that's when I start to gag, sputter, and generally lose my mind. Sherman had an easier time marching to the sea than I have taking these hogs.

I sit up, take a deep breath, open wide, and in a flurry shove it in my mouth and drink half of the bottle of water, reasoning that the more water in my gullet the faster the vitamin will slide down. Jason watches, warily, and then cheers me on afterwards. "Bertie, that wasn't so bad!" Or, "Bertie, that one went down really fast." And he is serious, bless his heart. He is my biggest cheerleader. And I am getting better. I shouldn't tell you about the pre-natal taking low point, but I'm going to.  A few weeks ago, I was off my game...and...I threw the pill along with the gallon of water I drank right back up onto our new bedspread. It wasn't my finest moment. Speaking of not finest moments - JBB fished the pill up, rinsed it off, and triumphantly announced, "I got it! You can still take it." I didn't; I'm sorry, Cookie.

So - only 196 more nights of this. It gets easier, right? Please tell me it gets easier.





After. Exhausted.

Before. Very nervous.

During. Sheer determination.



Babycakes...!

So...it's been awhile. As in almost 12 months. What can I say; I've been busy. The past year has literally been a whirlwind - in addition to the normal things like working, sleeping, and eating, I have: gotten engaged, planned a wedding, moved THREE times, bought a house, gotten pregnant, and gotten married. I'm exhausted just writing that. I need a nap. You can see why blogging hasn't been top on my list.

However...with the impending arrival of Baby Blythe, or "Cookie" as her Daddy and I affectionately call her, I've decided to give this blog new life. I thought it might be a fun way to track Cookie's progress, and once she's here, all the shenanigans she gets into. (Disclaimer - JBB and I are NOT finding out the sex of our bambino; I just don't like to call the baby "It", so although I will refer to Cooks as a girl, there is no hidden meaning behind "her." Just a pronoun. I think...right? It's been a long time since I've studied the parts of speech.)

So, as of today, I'm 11.5 weeks along. Just hitting that stage where I look chubby but not pregnant. Coincidentally, that's also what I look like after a weekend at the Pork Festival, or a week in Canada. The bummer is, however, unlike with those events, I didn't eat lots of glorious, calorie-laden food to achieve that puffy look. Quite the opposite, in fact. I have no appetite. Which is strange for me. I actually have to remind myself to eat; I used to roll my eyes and scoff at people who said that, and now that has become me. This baby has sucked the appetite, along with any energy I might have had, right out of me. I'm ashamed to admit the amount of nights that I've been asleep before the credits roll on Wheel of Fortune.

Because I'm a sucker for a good list, I've compiled the top 5 pregnancy moments that have occurred this far. I can't wait for the million more the next 6 months will bring!

1.) Telling Jason. We've had a lot of amazing moments together in two years, but that one is hard to top. I wish I could have captured the sweet look on his face at the exact moment I told him. We were sitting on the dock at Canada, eating toast and looking at the beauty of the French River. Fitting that we were in my favorite place in the world when I told him the biggest news of our lives. I'm so, so happy that my kids will get JBB as their dad.
2.) Hearing the baby's heartbeat for the first time is the only thing better than getting to tell Jason we were going to be parents. When I heard that thundering heartbeat, the feeling that washed over me was surreal. I started shaking and crying from head to toe. I didn't know how badly I needed to hear that heartbeat until I did. I didn't ever want the ultrasound to stop.
3.) Speaking of crying - it's something I do a lot of. I'm a crier anyway, so throw in a case of raging hormones, and whoa buddy! Perhaps the most memorable moment - home sick from work, I watched E!'s Fashion Police. If you've seen this show, you know it's not known for its tenderness. However, when the usually withering Joan Rivers gave a very touching tribute to her friend and mentor Phyllis Diller who had just died, I. Lost. It. Called JBB at work, and in between hiccups, managed to choke out, "Who's Phyllis Diller?" If Cookie is in fact a girl, we just might name her Phyllis.
4.) The Invasion of the Stuffed Animals. For those of you who knew me as a child (...or an adult) you may remember I have a serious soft spot for stuffed animals. In a moment of genius, I decided who better to watch over Cookie in her nursery than my favorite animals from childhood, already full of love? Soo...to our house they came, from the attic of my parent's house. A lot of them. At this point, they are in their 30's, and are kind of a motley looking crew. Jason is such a good sport; he gamely gave them all nicknames, and I must say, we're having a high old time with them until Cookie arrives. I've come home to animals in the crisper in the fridge, head first in the cookie jar, and chilling in my bathtub. Cookie is in for some fun with JBB as her dad!
5.) Telling our parents and siblings about their coming soon family member! For my family, this will be grandchild #5, and for Jason's  #1. Both sides were equally thrilled. I'm so, so happy Cookie will have both sets of grandparents and aunts and uncles living so close. This little guy or gal won't be lacking for family.


I'm so glad we got a picture of the exact moment we told JBB's family!

For those of you reading who are parents - what were your favorite (or least favorite!) parts of pregnancy? (And please, keep any terrifying stories/labor horror tales to yourself, as I will vow to myself and Jason to not read them, then I will secretly end up reading them, and then end up googling until 3:00 am, at which point I will call my dad in sheer terror asking him if I really am going to have a 3 headed baby/92 hour labor/etc. So, please, for my dad's sake, spare us.)

Until next time!