The Mattisons

Still here . . .

2009-12-14T20:10:00.000-08:00

If anyone is still checking in, we are still here and doing well!! My lack of blogs is somewhat due to lack of time and energy, but mostly due to the lack of a camera!! Our camera broke and I'm wanting to replace it with a nicer one since I have such beautiful subjects to shoot. So, I'm hoping to find a good deal after Christmas. In the meantime, I have been capturing memories with my iPhone . . so if you're on Facebook, I post pics there more often since it's so easy to do from my phone!

Mckinley is so into Christmas this year, it is too fun! We went driving in the neighborhood last night looking at lights and every 2 seconds she would say "Ooooo so pretty! Over there mama! So pretty!" She was loving it!! She's very into Santa and snowmen and every night she kisses the Christmas tree goodnight.

Reagan is also doing well, she is the happiest little baby - always smiling! And she is absolutely facinated by her big sister. It is so much fun to see them together! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a happy new year! Here is one picture that a friend of mine took for our Christmas cards:

Newborn Pics

2009-08-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

Only took me 6 weeks to post some more pictures! With 2 little ones there simply are not enough hours in the day! Or I just simply don't have enough energy to utilize the hours we do have . . . either way, I never seem to be caught up.

Reagan is doing great, she's a very good baby! Mckinley is adjusting well, but we've definitely hit the 2's. Some days every single thing seems to be a battle of wills, and I'm pretty sure I am not winning. But most of the time, Mckinley is a very sweet, very fun little girl! We had her 2nd birthday party last weekend and it was great - pictures to come . . eventually!

Reagan Elizabeth is here!!

2009-07-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

Reagan Elizabeth Mattison was born July 14th, at 7:51 am weighing 7 lbs 4 oz, 18.5" long and absolutely gorgeous!! It's pretty busy with 2, so it's taken a week to get pictures loaded and sent out. I'm still moving pretty slow from the c-section, so hopefully I will be up to full speed soon to keep up with these 2 little girlies!

Here is Mckinley's first trip to the hospital . . . she was a little overwhelmed!!

My dad's first chance to hold Baby Reagan

Mckinley didn't hold the baby on her first trip . . there were fewer people around the next day, so she got her chance then. And she's held her every day since!

Getting ready to head home!! Which one is the baby?

My mom with their 11th grandchild!

The hospital makes these cute little bow hats for the baby girls.

Is that a smile???

Finally at home. We came home on Friday afternoon and here's Mckinley watching cartoons and snuggling with her baby sister.

How sweet is this picture?!

At home with Nana (Trent's mom).

Mckinley loves to feed her babies with the real bottles!

And she like to help feed the real baby!

Trent surprised me with this huge stork in our front yard when we got home!

Ready and Waiting!

2009-07-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

I went to my last dr's appointment today and we are still planning on delivering via c-section on Tuesday, the 14th! Pretty much everything is ready for Baby Reagan's arrival . . the clothes are washed, my bags are packed, the nursery upstairs is ready, the bassinet downstairs is ready . . so now I'm just trying to keep Mckinley and myself occupied for the next couple of days!

We didn't make many changes to the nursery, but here it is . . ready for baby girl #2!

And since we didn't have to do much to the nursery, we could spend our time and energy on Mckinley's big girl room!! Trent worked his butt off painting the room pink (including the vaulted ceilings) and we both spent a lot of time on the stencils . . it was a lot of work, but we love the result!

We painted and distressed the dresser and bedside table that were already in there. We also painted the 2 canvases on the wall.

Mckinley loves her room and loves to point to the "tree" and "bird" and "bee!". She doesn't really say flower, she just wrinkles her nose and sniffs to smell the flowers! The big girl bed is still an adjustment, but we're getting there. We can't wait to see Mckinley with the baby . . I think she will be a great big sister!!

Summer Fun

2009-07-08T14:15:00.001-07:00

Between the TX heat and being sooooo pregnant we haven't done anything too exciting this summer! But I thought I would share a few pictures . . .

I mentioned to my friend Jackie that Mckinley didn't have a tutu, so she made one for her! She loves it . . .

This girl would drink 20 juice boxes a day if we let her. I used to give her "juice" in a sippy cup . . about 99% water with a splash of juice. But since she discovered juice boxes she is no longer interested in anything in a sippy cup, except milk. So, I buy those Capri Sun Roaring Waters . . flavored water so not as much juice. And I get the Motts for Totts, which is juice mixed with water . . but I know she still gets a lot of juice (sugar!) throughout the day with as much as she drinks!

I found this hat at Gymboree on clearance for 17 cents! She loves it!!

Happy 4th of July!!

Our neighborhood put on a great 4th party . . bounce houses, bbq, water slide, a band, and of course fireworks! It was a lot of fun, but HOT!!

Yummy! Sweet tea!!

Since I am usually the one taking pictures, there are hardly any with me in them! Here is a lovely 8 1/2 mo. pregnant profile shot that I didn't know Trent was taking! Check out that belly - HUGE!

Not quite as large from behind . . .

Silly Uncle Walker!

Dancin and waiting for the fireworks to start.

Mckinley actually stayed awake this year for the fireworks, until after 10 pm!!

Even though I'm tired and hot and really just want to lounge on the couch, our days are better if I muster up the energy and get Mckinley out of the house. So, we've been going to the park behind our house (when it's not too hot) or the neighborhood pool or just filling up the baby pool in the back yard. Mckinley seems to love all 3! And since the switch to the big girl bed, she sleeps a lot better if we wear her out playing outside.

Vacations

2009-06-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

We've recently taken our last 2 vacations as a family of just 3! In April, we took a long weekend in Horseshoe Bay, TX - just outside of Austin. We spent a lot of our time playing at the pool:

The resort was very pretty:

Relaxin' with a book:

There was a small beach down by the lake. Not exactly Florida, but it was still fun!

We also took our annual Memorial Day weekend trip to Scottsdale, AZ with Trent's family. We met up with them in Lubbock first and Mckinley had fun playing with her cousins!

She adores her cousin Tucker! He is almost 4 and she wants to do everything he does!

Reading with Daddy on the way to AZ:

She fell asleep in the pool while being held! Vacation is exhausting!

Higher Daddy!!

Now we're going to be close to home for awhile. With only 4 weeks left, I'm definitely in nesting mode. Most of the baby stuff is washed and ready, my hospital bags are almost packed, the nursery is all ready and Mckinley has been sleeping in her big girl room for over a week now! Still have a few more projects to get done, but trying to take it easy when I can. Still pretty nervous about taking care of 2 little ones, but I am so uncomfortable and so done being pregnant that I am ready to start figuring out life with 2!

House Projects

2009-05-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

With the baby on the way, we've been trying to complete a long list of house projects that we probably won't et to anytime soon after the new peanut arrives! We have a couple of art niches in the house and we painted 2 of them a metallic bronze. This one is in the upstairs hallway and I love the way the dark color sets it off!

Since we're having another girl, we don't have to make any major changes to the nursery. But we wanted baby Reagan to have a few new things for her arrival! We painted these canvases with a stencil kit we ordered.

We've done a few other small things, but the BIG project we're working on is Mckinley's big girl room. I'm hoping it will be done soon and I will post pictures then!!

Big Girl Bed Advice??

2009-05-19T16:47:00.001-07:00

We are finishing up Mckinley's big girl room and should be done in a week or so. (I'll post pics when we're done!) So, in hopes of not having to buy or borrow another crib, we are going to give the big girl bed a try. It's a queen bed we already had and I think we will put rails on it.

The baby is coming July 14th, so we'll have about a month and a half to either get used to the big girl bed or find a crib if we need to! Mckinley is a good sleeper now, but every time you put her in her crib she screams bloody murder when you leave the room. She screams for 30 seconds to a minute and then she's fine. So, I just think with a big girl bed she will get out of the bed, follow me to the door, and sit at the door and scream.

So, any advice? Any opinions on the timing? She's 21 mos old, 2 the end of August. It's so nice that now she's pretty much in bed by 7:30 and not up until 7:30 or 8 every day. I just don't want to have 2 babies up at night!! Any help is much appreciated!

More from our photo shoot

2009-05-07T13:47:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few of my favorites from our recent family photo shoot:

For those of you in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, our photographer was Jackie Walker, http://www.jjwphoto.com/ . I was very pleased with what she was able to get with a VERY uncooperative 20 month old!! Also, I didn't do any maternity photos with Mckinley . . .I just didn't think I would like them. But since this is most likely my last pregnancy, I though I would do them this time. I was much happier with them than I thought I would be! I told Jackie she made me look a lot prettier than I felt! I will definitely use her again - her prices are reasonable and she was very patient with Miss Mckinley.

Family Photos

2009-04-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

Almost every picture we take these days is of Mckinley, but this time I actually have some photos of the rest of the family to share!

I had my last ultrasound today, only 12 more weeks to go. The doctor got a few good shots of little Miss Reagan Elizabeth:

Profiles:

She's facing the camera in this one!

We also had some family photos taken and these are just a couple of preview shots the photographer sent to me:

And of course I still have to share a couple of recent favorites of Mckinley by herself!

We aren't hardcore potty training yet, but she occasionally asks to sit on the potty:

And this was this morning . . heading out the door to Mother's Day Out!

We've been working on some home projects, mostly the big girl room so Reagan can have the nusery in a couple of months. I hope we'll be done soon and I'll post some pics. We also have a couple of long-weekend vacations coming up that I am very much looking forward to!!! We're headed to Horseshoe Bay (lake resort just outside Austin) next weekend and to Scottsdale with family over Memorial weekend. Then we'll be close to home until our scheduled c-section date, July 14th!

Time for the name game again

2009-03-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

Parker Elizabeth Mattison

Reagan Elizabeth Mattison

Thoughts??

Some recent pics

2009-03-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

It's been forever since I downloaded pictures, so here are just a few favorites from the last month or so . . .

We've had some warmer weather, so we've spent as much time as possible outside. Mckinley loves it!!

Getting this girl to keep her shoes on is a daily battle . . .

Here Elmo, did you want some juice? I hope she shares this well with her baby sister!

At the Dallas Aquarium with Daddy

She loves helping Mommy and Daddy in the yard. Check out those pigtails!

Random . . . I was standing in the kitchen a week or so ago and I looked down and realized I couldn't see my feet!! So, I thought I'd take a picture:

Taking a bath in the big tub!

Miss Mckinley is very snuggly first thing in the morning . . . .

How big does she look in this one??

Mckinley is doing new stuff all the time . . singing ABCs and Itsy Bitsy Spider, carrying around her "babies" everywhere, going down the slide by herself, all kinds of big girl stuff! We are working on getting her big girl room ready so we can have the nursery for the baby. We will try the switch to the big girl bed in the next month or so, but I'm not sure if she'll be ready or not! If not, then we may try to borrow another crib for a couple of months until she is.

Pregnancy has been very different the 2nd time around! There's just not as much time to think about it. We haven't taken any pictures and since it's another girl, we haven't really bought anything either. Once we get Mckinley's new room ready, then I will feel better . . I'll be able to get the nursery nice and clean and get out the baby stuff and see what we need to get. I'm 24 weeks along (somehow the ticker is off) and we'll be scheduling the c-section the week of July 13th.

That's about it for now!

Mckinley is going to have a baby . . .

2009-02-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

SISTER!!!!!!! We found out Friday that we are most definitely having another baby girl. We are very excited! I have 3 brothers and Trent has 2 brothers so we both think it will be fun (and interesting!) to raise 2 girls.

Now I feel like anything we buy that is kid related - toys, stuff for the playroom, their bathroom, etc. - can be totally girly! We were restrained with Mckinley, her carseat and stroller are green and the other stroller is orange, the highchair is green, etc. all just in case the 2nd one was a boy. Now it will be all girl, all the time! Let the fun begin!

Flu shot and friends

2009-01-27T15:48:00.000-08:00

Not a whole lot going on around here . . . it's very cold and a little icy here in Dallas so we've been cooped up for a couple of days. So, I thought I'd update the blog. Miss Mckinley is acting more and more like a big girl . . doing and saying something new almost every day!

We've started to make some friends and this is MK's good friend Sterling.

This is another friend, Lily - the birthday girl!

We've recently turned our upstairs bonus room into a pretty decent playroom with a couple of furniture purchases from Ikea (this picture is in the middle of the transformation). It has been wonderful! Almost all of our toys are upstairs, instead of strewn all over the kitchen, family room, etc, and Mckinley loves playing up there!

Baby girl got her second flu shot a couple of weeks ago and she ran a fever for most of the next day. She was so pitiful . . she didn't get off this couch for about 5 hours : ( . But by late afternoon, she was running around just fine! And I'm glad she got the shots, because Trent came down with the flu last weekend and it was rough!

Christmas Pictures . . Finally!

2009-01-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

Since I haven't posted at all during this holiday season, here are a ton of pictures from the last month!

This is the Christmas tree lighting in our neighborhood. They had several musicians out there and Miss Mckinley danced the night away! She loves any and all types of music, especially live!

Mckinley helping out with the tree . . . she was actually really good about the ornaments, I was surprised. She would just touch a couple of them, but didn't try to take anything off.

Doin' a little Christmas dance . . .

Can you guess who all of those presents are for???

Mckinley's first car! The horn plays music and she is doing a little dance.

Check out the cup holder

My first Elmo!

I put the shape in the right hole and they get soooo excited! Grandparents are so easy to entertain!

Helping Mimi play cards

Check out what Santa brought Daddy! We're gonna start a band!

Reading with Uncle Mike

All bundled up to go see ICE! at the Gaylord Texan. Very pretty, but ridiculously cold!

Doin' a little shoppin' with my new cart.

We had a wonderful Christmas and hope you all did too! Trent's been home for 2 weeks, which has been awesome after all the traveling he's done this year. We're going to go through withdrawals next week when he heads back to work! So far all is well with the pregnancy. I'm about 11 1/2 weeks and I am having an ultrasound next week. It's definitely different the 2nd time around, there's just not as much time to think about it. I was constantly reading books, magazines, websites, anything I could get my hands on the first time and now it's hard to even remember how far along I am!

Happy New Year to you all! I hope 2009 brings you all much joy!!

Surprise!

2008-12-10T14:16:00.001-08:00

Guess who's going to be a Big Sister!!!

"Say what?!?!?"

We are (somewhat unexpectedly!) expecting baby #2! We've had an ultrasound and I'm about 8 1/2 weeks along . . due mid-July. The shock is starting to wear off and now we're getting excited! Seems like a long way away, but I have a feeling this pregnancy will go by much faster with a toddler to chase around! Anyway, here we go again . . .

Monkey Baby

2008-11-21T13:55:00.000-08:00

We call Mckinley our Monkey Baby because she will climb on, in, over, under, around ANYTHING! She can climb up on the couch by herself now which makes her seem like such a big girl! Here are just a few of her adventures that we were able to capture on film . . .

Rosemary Beach

2008-11-06T11:20:00.001-08:00

We took Mckinley to the beach for the first time in the beginning of October and I'm just now taking the time to post the pics! I took a ton, so here are just a few of my favorites. We were there for a whole week and had a wonderful time. Mckinley wasn't sure about the sand at first, but after a day or so she decided she loved the sand and the water. We look forward to many more family vacations to the beach!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere!

2008-10-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

We had a playdate last week at the Dallas Arboretum and it was a beautiful fall day! The entire place is filled with pumpkins, there are thousands. I've never seen so many pumpkins in one place!

Mckinley is such a big girl now and we are getting to do all kinds of fun things. I can't wait for the Christmas festivities to start around town, I think she will love them!

Baby Butterfly

2008-10-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hello again! We've been extremely busy since my last post, so I have lots to post about, but I am behind on everything - including blogging! But I just took these a couple of days again when we were trying on our Halloween costume and they were too cute not to share!

She's such a big girl! Hopefully I will get around to sharing more soon. We just got back from MK's first trip to the beach and the pics are adorable!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2008-09-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

A little over a week ago, our baby girl turned 1! The year FLEW by!! And from what I hear from other parents, it never slows down! We celebrated with family and friends at our house on her actual birthday, Saturday, August 23rd. It was a wonderful time, and Mckinley had a lot of fun, but I think it was a little overwhelming!

"Today's my birthday?! Cool!!"

She got her first present of the day from Mimi and Granddad, before all the excitement began.

And here's the pretty birthday girl!

Hanging out with Cousin Tripp, Chief and Grandpatti

"See my new stroller?"

And now it's time for CAKE!

"Yeah!!"

"Now what do I do with it?"

"Maybe my cousins will help me figure this out."

"Yum. I think I'll have some more of that!"

"Touchdown!" (Daddy taught her that just in time for football season!)

Time for more presents!

"I'm not exhausted. Really."

The party was a big hit and Mckinley eventually came down off her sugar high and went to bed! After a long bath to get all that icing off!

Here are a few more pictures from the last few weeks . . . little Miss M has been very busy.

She discovered the stairs . . and now we go up and down them more times a day than I can count! I'm trying really hard to avoid putting up a gate, but we'll see.

I was doing the dishes one day and Mckinley was playing in the family room. She was tucked behind the couch, so I couldn't really see what she was doing and I realized she was unusually quiet. So, when I came around the corner to check on her . . this is what I found!

"Hey mom. What's up?"

We went to a baseball game a couple of weeks ago. Every time the crowd would clap, so would Mckinley. And she would say "Yeah!!". Too cute.

Check out those teeth! She's working on a couple more . . there are 6 total!

Life with a one year old is very fun, and very busy! I feel like she learns something new every day! She's only taken 1 or 2 steps on her own, but I think she'll be walking soon. And I am working on finding new ways to keep my busy girl entertained! I'm trying to soak it all in because I know it won't be long until I'm planning a 2nd birthday party . . . and then a graduation party . . . and then a wedding . .

Ready, Set, Crawl!

2008-07-31T12:58:00.000-07:00

Weekend in Lubbock

2008-07-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

We headed to Lubbock to see Trent's family over the 4th of July weekend. Mckinley has just learned to wave and she waved at every single person in the airport, whether they acknowledged her or not!

Hello!! See me waving?!?!
We went to the country club for their festivities and fireworks on Friday. Here are Mckinley and cousin Tripp hanging out on the blanket.

This 4th of July stuff is very exciting!

But this time around, MK wore out before the fireworks even started. At least she was able to sleep right through them . . .

Mckinley also has learned to point, at anything or nothing. Look over there GranPatty!

Swimmin' with Chief

See Tripp, this is how you point!

And here we are back home. Bailey loves Mckinley, especially now that she's eating all kinds of yummy foods that occassionally drop from her highchair.

Another proud parent moment happened this last weekend . . Mckinley started crawling! She's been scooting around, but on Saturday she just got up on her hands and knees and crawled right across the room! So now that she's mobile, let the fun begin . . . .

Fire and Water

2008-07-01T18:40:00.000-07:00

We live in a wonderful neighborhood that has tons of family activities. This last weekend they did a 4th of July celebration and Miss M got to see her first fireworks!

The served bbq and hotdogs, so we went down and had dinner and Mckinley was having a blast.

She got in some good Daddy time, which is her favorite part of the weekends!

Then the fireworks began . . . .

This is great! I didn't even notice it was 2 hours past my bedtime!

Here comes the second firework . . . we're just getting started . . .

And that will do for now. Maybe this weekend she'll see more than 2 fireworks before passing out!

This is her new "wrinkled nose" smile. Pictures do not do it justice, it is hilarious! And she knows it makes us laugh, so she does it often!

She is pulling up on anything she can get her hands on these days. This girl is ready to walk!

We have quite the little water baby, so we decided it was time to put in a pool!

Here we are playing at the park with our friend Jackson.

And here is just a glimpse of bath time at the Mattison house . . . . .

We are going to visit Trent's family for the 4th, so I hope to have more pictures to share!

Teeth!

2008-06-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

We've had a pretty busy few weeks, but I wanted to share the biggest change in our little girl . . . she's getting teeth! There are 2 poking through, 1 on top and 1 on bottom. I got a couple of pictures of the top one today. She looks so different! Check it out . . .

Here are a few more pictures from the last few weeks:

This is our Pebbles Flinstone look.

We went to Scotsdale for Memorial Day with Trent's family. Mckinley loves the pool!

And she loves playing with cousin Tripp!

Feet are so facinating . . .

My parents have been to visit us several times since they moved from Amarillo to Tyler, which is only about 2 hours away!

Mckinley loves her cousins Chase and Shelby! They are so good with her!

We're already having a great summer. Busy, but great. Miss Mckinley has the funniest little personality! She is still not crawling, she can scoot backwards though. And she is pulling up on everything. She loves to stand, I think she might walk before long . . maybe just skip crawling all together!

What have we been up to?

2008-04-16T06:07:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since my last post, so I'll catch you up on what we've been up to! Life with an almost 8 month old is busy, busy, busy! Especially since I've been working more lately. Mckinley is interested in EVERYTHING! She can now sit in a high chair when we go out to eat, which she thinks is just fabulous! But now we have to be sure to clear that entire side of the table if there's anything that we don't want on the floor or in her mouth! No crawling yet (which is fine by me!) but she loves to sit up all by herself! And all I hear these days is da da da da da . . . nothing even close to ma ma.

Trent's been working very hard and traveling a lot, and I've been working quite a bit lately as well, so last week we took a much needed vacation! We had a wonderful time. We headed out to Phoenix, and the weather was perfect - mid 80s every day we were there. We stayed 4 nights and the resort had a great pool, which was just what we were looking for. We lounged by the pool all day and ate good food every night. This was Mckinley's first time in a pool and she absolutely loved it!

We got a chance to lay out in the sun and have a margarita or 2 while our sweet baby girl napped in the shade at least twice every day!

Just chillin' in the room . . .

Fascinated by the fountain

Just reading my book, I've got this vacation thing down

The only downside to Phoenix is the 2 hour time difference . . . this was dinner our last night there, about 7 Phoenix time, 9 at home (she usually goes to bed around 7:30) But she was a trooper!

Another exciting part of the last month is the fact that I have been helping our good friends Walker and Stephanie find a new house. Well, we found one . . . 4 doors down from our house! Walker and Trent have been friends since junior high and it's crazy that they will soon be living on the same street! We're very excited and are looking forward to years of cookouts and hanging out at the neighborhood pool!

We also had a pretty eventful Easter weekend. We headed out to Austin to visit Trent's grandmother and cousins and aunt and uncle. Here is Grams meeting Mckinley for the first time!

We stayed with Trent's cousin Greg and his wife Jade. On Saturday, they took us out on their boat. Mckinley loved it! This girl is up for anything! I have Greg and Jade's little girl Gralyn in my lap . . . who is adorable and Mckinley loved her.

I think next year she'll be ready for some water skiing . . . or at the very least some serious tubing.

This is Greg and Jade's backyard at sunset . . the picture doesn't even do it justice. It was amazing. If we had this yard I don't think we would ever leave home!

And this is Easter morning. Mckinley had an adorable dress and I had grand plans to get all kinds of family photos, but it didn't seem to happen. Greg and Jade have 3 kids, so it was a busy morning getting everyone out the door to church! And then they had a ton of family and friends over for lunch. It was a great weekend!

All the way back to March . . . Mckinley had a festive first St Patty's Day! We went down to the big parade on Greenville Ave in Dallas. It was tons of fun! It's sort of a drunk fest, but we were able to find a good spot sort of off the main drag and we listened to live music and watched the parade. It was a big day and as always Mckinley was great at going with the flow. She is definitely our little party girl!

So, for those of you that check in on us, you are now pretty much up to date. We are taking a trip to Nashville at the end of the month so we hope to catch up with as many friends as we can while we're there!

6 months old!!

2008-03-04T16:09:00.000-08:00

Mckinley had her 6 month checkup this week and she is doing great! She's 17.3 pounds and 26 inches long, in the 75th percentile for both. She can almost sit up by herself, but not quite. She is babbling more and more and it's almost starting to sound like words (like mama and dada, but not necessarily in reference to us!)

She's sleeping through the night pretty consistently now, about 7:30pm - 7 am, only waking up every once in a while. We're anxious for spring and summer to come along so we can spend more time outside (which she loves!) and try out the neighborhood pool as well.

My parents just moved to Tyler, TX, which is only 2 hours away, so we went to visit them for a couple of days last week. They were in Amarillo before, which is about 6 hours away, so it will be nice to have them closer.

Visiting with Mimi

Lounging in Mama and Dada's bed . . so comfy

Gooooooo Texas!!

Such a big girl . . .

2008-02-12T17:48:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few pictures of our big girl! It's hard to believe she'll be six months old in just a few days . . . . She is full of personality these days. She has the cutest laugh I've ever heard . . . . she'll start giggling and she sounds like a little girl, not a baby!

$10 off diapers

2008-01-28T14:10:00.000-08:00

I just placed an order from http://www.diapers.com/ and and I thought I would share this info with you other busy moms . . . the prices seemed to be the same on some things and definitely less on others ($2 less on Platex drop-ins than in my grocery store) and with no tax and free shipping on orders over $50, it seems like a pretty good deal. Also, there is $10 OFF COUPON CODE in Parents magazine with a $50 purchase (PARENTS4). Also, on all orders over $75, you get a 5% credit to use towards your next purchase.

For formula fed babies, the price for the large Enfamil was the same as at my Costco, but again no tax and free shipping saves me a trip to the superstore for just formula . . . Anyway, I hope someone finds this info useful. One more thought, they sell gift certificates, which I think I will add to my list of great baby gifts.

I'll leave you with that thought and with this . . .

2008 already???

2008-01-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

We had a very whirlwind holiday season and it's very hard to believe that it's already 2008! We had planned to stay home this Christmas, but Trent's grandfather passed away on the 23rd, so we headed to Lubbock early on the 26th. Poppy had been sick for a while, so fortunately we had been to Lubbock just a couple of months ago to see him and introduce him to Mckinley and he'd really had a chance to say his goodbyes and come to terms with everything. So our visit to Lubbock was a nice one, time together with family and lots of reflecting on the favorite memories of time spent with Poppy.

It was very cold in Dallas and in Lubbock, so we had to keep Mckinley bundled. Fortunately, she loves her hat!

Staying warm with my Nana . . .

Snuggling with Daddy in the airport

We flew home on Friday morning and then went over to my brother's house to be with my family for the evening.

Then, Trent's brother and his wife and their 2 boys came in from Lubbock on Sunday to spend the week with us. We had a New Year's party at our house so we could put all the kids to bed and have some adult time! However, our little party girl just happened to wake up at 11:45 . . just in time to ring in the new year. She went back to bed about 12:30, she just didn't want to miss out on the fun!

Ringing in the New Year with my sweetie . . winner of Husband and Father of the Year in my book!

Also celebrating with friends Walker and Stephanie

Hanging out with mommy (check out those awesome earrings . . made by CAK jewelry!)

Mckinley's New Year's Eve playdate . . playing with cousin Tripp is so much fun!

(10 minutes later . . ) but it is also very exhausting.

During the week we took cousin Tucker and cousin Tripp to their first visit to Rainforest Cafe. Tucker is checking out the gorilla!

Mckinley is checking out the fish with Daddy.

Then we also went with Aunt Jenny, Tucker and Tripp to the Dallas Aquarium (which is awesome, by the way!) Mckinley is hanging out with the flamingos. But she told me the penguins were her favorite. And Tucker taught me a very valuable mommy lesson . . as we walked past the snakes, my involuntary reaction was to say "Yuck!". For the rest of the week if you asked Tucker what he saw at the Aquarium he would mention the "yucky snakes!" And he likes snakes! Who knew he even heard me? They are just little sponges!

Mckinley is also working on sitting up . . . which makes her look ridiculously like a big girl! Oh how time flies . . .

So, today is the first day in over 2 weeks that it's just Mckinley and me at home. I think she is bored with me already. We both enjoyed the hustle and bustle of a houseful of people! Maybe we'll just have to start thinking about adding another little one to the mix . . . . (Just kidding! For now anyway!)

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

We are definitely getting into the holiday spirit here at the Mattison house! We've had a big year (move to TX, new house, first flip project, and oh yeah, a BABY!) so we have a lot to celebrate! The house is decorated and all lit up and Mckinley already has a pile of presents under the tree. We are staying here this year, but we are having my whole family over one night and then Trent's family is coming to visit for a few days, so I'm looking forward to a house full of people, Christmas music, all the yummy smells, etc. And I'm hoping to get lots of great pictures this year!

Here are some of the pictures that I took of Mckinley, trying to get a good one for this year's Christmas card:

She's always adorable, but I'm pretty sure I did not miss my calling to be a photographer . . . oh well, I'm trying!

Here are a couple of shots of our tree (sorry about the sweats, but I'm pretty sure sweats are considered the official new mommy uniform):

And by the way, we did get one winner out of our photo shoot. Here's the picture that made it to the cards:

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday filled with music, laughter, lights, yummy food and drinks, and surrounded by the ones you love. Merry Christmas!!

Flippin' Crazy

2007-12-10T06:39:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would share what has been keeping us crazy busy for the last month . . . we have been wanted to "Flip that House" for a couple of years, ever since I got my real estate license. Well, we finally took the plunge. Moving to Dallas made it more feasible for a couple of reasons . . . the property values aren't as high here as they are in Nashville, so it's much easier to find an affordable project. Also, foreclosure rates are insanely high here, which also provides more deals. Third, Trent's brother and his wife who live here wanted to partner with us, which provided more capital and our sister-in-law was able to manage the project with me - which was a necessity with a newborn. The timing was a little crazy, but the right deal came along and we needed to move on it! So Mckinley has been tagging along with me to a construction zone for the last few weeks, and she has been quite the trooper! Another advantage we had was that our sister-in-law managed apartments for several years, so she had several contacts for flooring, blinds, appliances, etc at the discounted prices that apartment complexes get! And since this home should sell for around $160k, we didn't need too high end of finishes, so those vendors were perfect.

We bought this house the first of November for $100k and I officially listed it last night (12/9) at $163,500. So we were able to turn it around in just over a month, and with all expenses (renovations, closing costs, carrying costs, taxes, etc) we are in for about $35k, so we should be looking at a $25k+ profit for just a couple months work. We're not breaking out the champagne just yet, but I'm optimistic that it will sell soon!! If we are successful on this one, then we would like to take the profit and roll it into the next project and try to do 3-4 houses a year.

Here are our before and after pictures, but I must say these pictures do not do the before justice - this place was nasty!!!! I'm talking hold your breath when you walk in the door, dog poop on the carpet, mold in the toilets, 2 inches of dust on the fans, NASTY! It was a foreclosure and had been vacant for almost a year. Also, the foundation had major issues. The whole back of the house had to be lifted up to get the home level again. And the amount of drywall repairs that our painter had to do from the foundation issues was too many to count.

Take a look . . .

Exterior Before:

Exterior After:

Kitchen Before:

Kitchen After:

Fireplace Before:

Fireplace After:

Master Bath Before (yes those walls are black and purple):

Master Bath After:

Master Bedroom Before:

Master Bedroom After:

Dining Room Before:

Family/Dining Room After:

Downstairs Bonus Room Before:

Bonus Room After:

Partial Garage Conversion Before:

Garage Conversion After/4th Bedroom:

Bedroom Before:

Bedroom After:

2nd Bath Before:

2nd Bath After:

So, here's hoping it sells quickly!

Just Pics

2007-11-26T16:04:00.000-08:00

Okay . . . so Mckinley is in bed, and I am shortly behind her, and I don't really have the energy for words, but here are a bunch of pictures we've taken recently . . . . .

It got cold here in Dallas for a few days, so we found ourselves trying to come up with outfits to keep our little one warm. Some of them were kind of funny looking, but they did the job!

Hope you enjoy these . . . goodnight!

To Grandmother's House We Go

2007-11-07T19:31:00.001-08:00

Mckinley had a big weekend! She took her first flight to go visit grandparents and her newest cousin, Tripp, in Lubbock. She was wonderful on the plane!! The toughest part of the trip was getting through the airport with our insane amount of baby gear . .

Here's the happy traveler . . . .

Mckinley has so much hair that people comment on it everywhere we go! And everyone keeps telling me I need to put a bow in it, so I finally tried out a clip on bow and she didn't seem to mind it. Looks pretty darn cute!!

Here's Uncle Trent with our newest nephew, Tripp. He was born about 3 1/2 weeks after Mckinley.

Mckinley and Patti (Trent's stepmom)

Mckinley and Nana (Trent's mom)

Mckinley's first try in her cousin's swing. I think we're going to have to get her one of her own!

Mckinley with her Aunt Jenny (Tripp's mommy)

Poppy with his grandsons and great-granchildren. Notice Mckinley is the only girl . . first girl Mattison in 48 years!!

Poppy and Sheryl with the newest baby Mattisons.

Uncle Tanner and Aunt Stephanie with Mckinley.

Tripp's big brother Tucker watching Cars!

Who are you???

Snoozing away . . . . . how cute are they?!

Mommy and Mckinley . . not the greatest pic of me, but since I'm usually the one taking them, there aren't very many of the 2 of us!

Mckinley is doing great and developing the cutest little personality. Every morning when she first wakes up she is all smiles and just coos away. The only tough part is the nights . . . she's 11 weeks and she only sleeps 3-4 hours at a time at night. Usually she'll eat and go back to sleep, but sometimes she wants to stay up and play. I try to give her the pacifer first to see if she can go back to sleep without eating and every once in a while that will tide her over for another hour or so . . . . . Anyway, I'm not complaining . . I'm almost getting used to surviving on cat naps . . . . but if any of you oh so wise mothers have some advise, I'm all ears!

Quick Update

2007-10-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Things have been busy, busy, busy around here. But I think that's just the way things go once kids are in the picture! Here's just a quick update: Mckinley had her 2 month appt and she is all of 11 pounds 1 ounce! She also got her shots - which made me cry and made Trent laugh at me crying! She screamed bloody murder, but it quickly subsided and she was just fine. We took our first trip - we tagged along with Daddy to San Antonio for a conference. We were just gone 2 nights, but we drove, so the amount of stuff we took was outrageous! We are leaving for our 2nd trip on Thursday and we are flying, so I will have to seriously cut down on my packing. We are going to visit Trent's family in Lubbock and we are staying with his brother, who has a 6 week old. So, that will help since they have most of the baby stuff we will need!

Mckinley is awake much more during the day, so I find myself trying to figure out how to entertain her. I have several work projects going on as well, which is interesting while juggling a 2 month old! She is a very happy baby and loves to get out and about. We're still working on getting more sleep at night, but it's getting better!

Here are some pictures of our little princess . . . .

Hanging out on the Riverwalk in San Antonio

Smiling at Daddy!

Crazy hair baby

Check out this big girl outfit!

Visiting with Chief and Patti (Trent's dad and stepmom)

Hopefully I'll get some good pictures in Lubbock. Happy Halloween everyone!!

Play Time

2007-10-01T11:54:00.001-07:00

Miss Mckinley is starting to be awake a little more often and so I have been trying to find things to entertain her. She likes to be held a whole lot, but it's pretty hard to get all the things on my to do list done with a baby in one arm . . so I've been trying out the play mat and the boppy to see if she can entertain herself . . She will actually play by herself for a short little while and I can at least get the dishes done while keeping an eye on her!

The Baby Bjorn is also a new favorite. When she's just set on being held, I can strap her in and still get some things done . . she's actually strapped to my chest right now allowing me the privilege of typing with 2 hands!

Of course she still does a lot of snoozing! Just still not for very long at a time . . . 4 hours is about the longest she'll go at night, and not all the time, but that's better than just 2 hours!

Getting some love from Granddad . . . .

Also, in true mom fashion, I have chopped all my hair off! I let it grow through the pregnancy, but these days I'm doing good to get a shower, much less fix my hair! I'll have to get a picture someday when I actually have some makeup on.

One more thing . . . for any of you experienced moms that happen to read this . . . how long was it before you could wear anything that was not maternity or sweats? It's only been 5 1/2 weeks, and I've lost a lot of weight, but all my proportions are so different! Every few days, I'll pull out some pre-pregnancy clothes just to see how far off I am, and I'm not even close! I'm trying not to get frustrated, but I would love to hear some of your experiences so I know what to expect . . . . I can't afford a new wardrobe and I'm awfully sick of maternity clothes, so any advice is much appreciated!!

Splish Splash

2007-09-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

So after about 3 1/2 weeks, Mckinley's umbilical cord finally fell off, so it was time for a real bath! Daddy snapped some great pictures while Mommy gave Mckinley a good scrubbing. It was great fun for all 3 of us!

Mckinley also spent some time over the weekend cheering for her favorite football team, the Texas Longhorns. Gooooooo Texas!

Our baby girl is also starting to sleep in slightly longer stretches at night . . last night she stayed asleep from about 10 until 2:30 am. It was wonderful! Let's hope it wasn't just a fluke . . . .

Photo Shoot

2007-09-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Mckinley had her first professional photo shoot on Friday, and I must say, she is a natural! I know I am extremely bias, but I think these are some of the sweetest photos I've ever seen!

Here are just a few of my favorites that I wanted to share with you all . . . .

The photographer also did a slideshow set to music if you want to check it out . . . make sure your volume is on, it's a very sweet song.

http://www.poeticexposure.com/mckinley

We have a total of 200 pictures, in either color or black and white, and they're all so sweet it's going to be hard to choose which ones to frame. I have a feeling that our home is soon going to be full of pictures of our little one!

My First Bath!!

2007-08-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

Mckinley had a big day today! She had her first outing - we went to the doctor and they determined that her jaundice is getting better and she can ditch the lights. Yeah!! Then we made a quick trip to Babies R Us to get a couple of things - mainly some clothes that actually fit our tiney tiny girl, and then to top it all of - she had her first bath!

She seemed to really enjoy her bath and she didn't even cry when mommy struggled to get her little arms through those long sleeves. She has been so good!!

We hope you enjoy these pictures . . I'm sure more will follow soon. Taking her picture is quickly becoming very addictive! Thank you all so much for your sweet comments and for sharing in our joy over this precious new life!

Mckinley Grace

2007-08-28T10:29:00.001-07:00

For those of you that haven't heard yet, Mckinley is finally here! Some of you have heard the details of her arrival, but here's a summary for those of you that haven't.

We went into the hospital Wednesday night to be induced on Thursday morning. Unfortunately, there were several issues that arose on Thursday due to extensive back surgery I had about 15 years ago. The first was that an epidural was not possible. So, I went through labor for about 12 hours on Thursday without an epidural. Plenty of contractions, but I never dialated past a 1.5 (which we also learned later was due to the surgery and the shape of my pelvic opening). So my doctor called for a c-section that evening - but with no epidural possible, they attempted a spinal block 3 times which never took full effect. Therefore, the only choice was a c-section under general anesthesia. This is never ideal because of the risk to the baby, but we had excellent doctors and they were able to perform the procedure quickly and minimize Mckinley's exposure to the anesthesia. Unfortunately during the procedure they don't allow the father to be in the room, so Trent had an agonizing wait during delivery. Mckinley was officially born at 10:22 pm on August 23 and weighed 6lbs 12 oz. and was 18.5" long.

After a very tough day for all 3 of us, they took me to my hospital room to recover and Trent opted to send Mckinley to the nursery to be looked after so that he could fully concentrate on taking care of me. About 3am we received a call and then a visit from the neonatologist letting us know that they were moving Mckinley to the NICU due to fluid in her lungs. So the first time I saw our baby girl was around 4am in the NICU - hooked up to an iv, breathing tube, and feeding tube. Needless to say this was very difficult for all of us. They kept her in the NICU for almost 40 hours and that was by far the most difficult time that Trent or I have ever endured. But our little girl made a great recovery and was in our room by Sat night at 6 pm. We all stayed in the hospital until Monday am just to make sure everyone was alright.

We are now home and so incredibly happy to have our family all together! We are very blessed to have wonderful family and friends that have surrounded us through this time and we appreciate everyone's love and prayers and help so very much. I am also grateful beyond words to have such an amazing and strong husband and father for our little girl. He has been taking amazing care of us and I can't imagine going through what we did without having him by my side. He has held me up, literally and figuratively, every step of the way.

Here are some pictures of our beautiful princess. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Being cleaned up . . . just a few minutes old!

Later that evening . . this is the first time I saw her.

Finally in momma's room . .where she belongs!

Mimi and Grandad are so happy to hold her!

With my Nana . . .

And now we're finally at home!

I promise more pictures as we get settled. To top things off, she has a slight case of jaundice and so they sent her home with a special bed with lights on it. She has to stay on that as much as possible until tomorrow when we take her back to the doctor to be re-evaluated. Hopefully we can get rid of the lights then and spend much more time holding her!

There's an end in sight . . .

2007-08-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like we won't be waiting much longer . . . I am currently 37 weeks and had a doctor's appointment yesterday. We had an ultrasound and Mckinley looks wonderful! Her lungs are developed and they estimate her weight at 6 lbs 10 ozs. However, the doctor feels that I am showing some early signs of preeclampsia - elevated blood pressure, swelling increased heartburn. So she is running some blood work and we should get the results today. The doctor was going to check the schedule and try to get us scheduled for an induction on Thursday, the 23rd. I will be 38 weeks by then and she feels it's better to go ahead and deliver and not run the risk of developing full blown preeclampsia. She did prepare us that if something shows up on my blood work, or if my symptoms get worse (she wants to see me on Monday) then she could decide to induce earlier. So to summarize, she basically wanted us to prepare for the fact that we were going to have a baby within a week or less! You could tell she was trying to break the news to us easily so we didn't freak out, so I told her that it would be okay with us if it's early - we're ready. She said "Oh good! I was trying to figure out the best way to let you know that you're basically a ticking time bomb." Gee thanks doc!

So as long as we make it to Thursday, then the plan would be for me to be admitted on Wed. evening and then the induction would begin early Thursday. Then she should be born sometime Thursday afternoon or evening! We're not thrilled about the possible health issues, but we are thrilled to be meeting our little girl a little sooner than planned! Although there is a very small part of me that is totally freaking out . . . but that's only normal, right???

Here are some random pictures to check out. One of Mckinley's grandmother's wasn't able to make it to the last shower, so she asked that I send some pics of all her precious little things. So, I posted a few of them for those of you that love all the little girly things as much as I do!

This belly shot was a couple of weeks ago . . . and it's actually bigger now, and lower!

Daddy getting some practice with our current baby, Bailey! He looks like a natural, doesn't he?

So this will probably be my last post before the big arrival . . . If anyone has any advice on how we should spend our last few days, please let me know! Our anniversary is on Monday, so we'll probably go out to dinner at some point, but other than that we don't really have any plans. . . that is other than wandering around in a daze, thinking . . "I can't believe we're really about to have a baby!!!"

And now we wait . . .

2007-08-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a family baby shower here in Dallas and that was the last big event on the calendar until Miss Mckinley's arrival. So now we are pretty much just sitting around staring at my belly and waiting . . . I'm 36 weeks and my doc doesn't seem to think I will make it to 40 weeks, so that means there will actually be a baby sometime soon!! We have an ultrasound scheduled for next week and my doctor said "If it looks like you're growing a toddler in there, then we're going to talk about scheduling a day to have her come a little early"!! My stomach has been measuring ahead of schedule, so we just don't want her to get so big that the delivery is too difficult for everyone involved!

Trent is so excited and ready (and so am I!) and so with every little Braxton Hicks contraction he asks . . are you having the baby today?? I am really looking forward to being able to say yes! I am a little worried about how I'll know when I'm actually in labor, but everyone keeps saying "Don't worry, you'll know!" so I guess I will.

If anyone has any tips on how to pass the time over the next few weeks, please let me know! All of her clothes and blankets are washed and the nursery is ready and waiting. I'm trying to work on some house and work projects to stay busy, although I run out of energy way too quickly. Oh well, soon I'll probably be looking back and longing for anything that resembles free time!

Here are a few pictures from our wonderful shower . . Mckinley is already one spoiled little girl!

My sister-in-law Lana and her 2 girls Savannah and Sunny . . . . Savannah is actually heading off to college in 2 weeks! I can't believe it . .it doesn't seem like all that long ago since she was a baby!

Showered with love!

2007-07-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

About a week ago we headed to Nashville for our first 2 baby showers. We started the weekend with a shower at Trent's corporate office on Friday and we were blown away by all the sweet things that his co-workers and friends brought for Mckinley. The centerpiece of the gift table was this amazing diaper cake that was loaded with goodies!! We counted about 350 diapers - which sounds like a lot, but we've been told it's probably less than 1 months supply!

Then on Saturday we headed out to Jamie and Clark's house for a couples shower. It was so great to get together with everyone and to top it off we got even more lovely things to help welcome our baby girl into the world!

In honor of our recent move to Texas, Stacy made me this adorable corsage. There was also a matching pink suede boot so Mckinley now officially has her first pair of cowgirl boots.

There were yummy monogrammed cupcakes . . . .

And plenty of other yummy dishes to go with them! Also another beautiful diaper cake bringing the total diper count closer to 500 . . it will be so nice to have to rush to the store for diapers (at least for a few weeks!).

The whole group of sweet and beautiful hostesses! The fact that most of these girls have had children and are now back to their regular beautiful figures gives me great hope for the future of my waistline!!

Stacy also made Trent a daddy diaper toolbelt - so he is all ready to tackle those first few diapers! He is going to be such a great daddy!!

We had a wonderful weekend and we headed back home with 2 huge suitcases full of gifts! We are so grateful for wonderful friends that help make this such a special and exciting time. I can't wait for Mckinley to finally meet everyone!

My favorite room in the house

2007-07-23T08:46:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my new favorite room in our house. The nursery is all ready for Mckinley . . her bed is made, her clothes and blankets are all washed, and the drawers are full of diapers! I love to sit up there in the chair and fold her little clothes or just look around at all her little things. I hope she likes her room as much as I do!

Babymoon and other updates . . and finally some pictures

2007-06-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am finally going to post some pictures for your viewing pleasure. I have not been taking many pictures, much less showing them off, during this pregnancy because I seem to be gaining weight everywhere (face, arms, legs) and not just getting a cute little tummy!! And it certainly doesn't help that there are several young ladies on this blog site that appear to not have gained an ounce anywhere except in their tummies and look absolutely adorable! The only thing that keeps me from going completely insane is holding on to the idea that it will all come off after the baby is born (with some serious workout sessions of course!). And I'm sure it doesn't help that I was about 5-10 lbs heavier than I needed to be when I got pregnant . . .

Oh well. I love seeing everyone else's pics, so I figured I'd let you in on a few of ours. Just to give you a frame of reference, here is a picture from Feb. at about 2 1/2 or 3 months. . . .

Already starting to get a tummy, but still a somewhat normal size . .
Fast forward to our babymoon last week . . . at 27 weeks. Full blown Budda belly!!! And my face is as round as my tummy!!

We had a wonderful time on our babymoon, regardless of my roly poly shape! We got away for 5 nights to Ft Lauderdale, just the 2 of us, and had lots of time to relax and talk about how drastically our lives our about to change! Our resort was great, we lounged by the pool quite a bit. We also hit the beach one afternoon and tried out several excellent local restaurants. We even went down to the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, FL one afternoon. We both played in a Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament, which was tons of fun . . until we lost. Also, it was the night of the Sopranos series finale, and for some reason the entire cast came to the casino for a viewing party. So, we got to watch all of them walk in.

Here are some pictures of our room . . which was wonderful! The hotel just opened in January, so everything was very new.

Daddy-to-be relaxing by the pool . . . .

Here are a few more pictures . . .

Trent, his mom, and brother Tanner on Mother's Day.

Trent and my parents from a visit a few weeks ago . .

And there's roly poly again . . . .

And here's Trent doing what a good daddy should! The room is all painted now and we've hung drapes and we got a dresser/changing table. I'm still waiting for the bedding to come in and we're looking for a bookcase and a chair. I promise more pictures when it's all put together.

So that's all for now. I hope these pictures have brightened your day and made you feel nice and skinny!

50ish Things About Myself

2007-06-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Jennifer tagged me to tell 50 - 100 things about myself, so I will give it a try and see how many I can come up with . . .

1) I don't like silence - I have music or the tv on all the time.
2) I am a horrible procrastinator.
3) I always feel sooooo much better when I start doing all the things all my list that I've been procrastinating about and swear I won't put things off like that again . . . but then I do.
4) I have been about 90% sure I was having a girl from the day I found out I was pregnant.
5) I do not really enjoy being pregnant.
6) I've always wanted to be a mother more than anything else in the world. I've never doubted that I would be a great mother . . until I got pregnant - now I'm terrified.
7) I enjoy being self-employed and working from home, but sometimes it gets lonely and I miss the energy of being in an office.
8) I have very big goals and dreams about building my real estate business into a huge empire, but wonder if I have the energy and drive to ever make it a reality.
9) My husband is my absolute favorite person in the whole world.
10) I absolutely love my house, but I am never satified - I have a list of decorating/improvement projects a mile long.
11) I often wonder how I would feel if every single thing on the list was done. Would I be satisfied? Or just come up with more projects?
12) I was adopted when I was 2.
13) My birth mother and I have been good friends for the last 9 years.
14) I sometimes wonder if I should track down my birth father.
15) As crazy as it sounds, I think having a child will make me more productive in my work - I tend to thrive under stress.
16) I want so much to be a good example of a strong woman for my daughter.
17) I know it's bad for me, but I absolutely love to be tan.
18) I would like to learn to play the guitar.
19) Christmas is one of my absolutely favorite things - the smells, the food, the music . . just thinking about it makes me feel warm inside.
20) I'm enjoying my adulthood so much more than I did childhood/adolescence.
21) I miss martinis.
22) I'm not really scared of labor or worried about the pain.
23) I am scared about being alone with the baby when Trent starts traveling again.
24) I love being on a boat. Or anywhere around the water.
25) I think having twins would be one of the most overwhelming things in the world.
26) I'm trying to learn more about politics and what's going on in the world.
27) I love to cook and try new recipes. I make an event of it - music, dim the lights, glass of wine (when not preggos), and use about every bowl and utensil we have.
28) I want our daughter to have things that I didn't have, but I don't want her to be spoiled.
29) A good fitting pair of designer jeans is my absolutely favorite thing to wear (when not pregnant).
30) I have a physical reaction to shopping (raised heartrate, surge of energy, etc.). Even just walking around, not even buying anything.
31) I prefer to shop by myself.
32) I take a lot of bubble baths . . every other night or so.
33) I came very close to getting a tattoo in my early 20's . . . now I'm so glad I didn't.
34) I really need to read more books and watch less tv.
35) I don't like wearing a bra.
36) I would never want to be famous.
37) I wish I could relive my wedding weekend- it was the most fun I've ever had.
38) I have asthma.
39) I feel like a dork when I use my inhaler.
40) I love living in/near a big city.
41) Just putting on my wedding rings makes me feel prettier.
42) I am horrible at geography. There are only a handful of states and countries that I could accurately point out on a map.
43) I'm pretty handy around the house - changing light fixtures, minor plumbing, etc.
44) I like balancing my checkbook to the penny.
45) I'm looking forward to my 30's.
46) I wish I were more artistic.
47) I really need to make some girlfriends in Dallas. Ones with kids.
48) It's hard to believe that I'm actually going to be someone's mom.
49) Getting a massage at a spa is one of my absolute favorite things . . but I always feel guilty about how much they cost.
50) I don't like mascots or anyone in a costume where you can't see their face. They make me very uncomfortable.

Okay, that's about all I can come up with for now . . . so I think I am supposed to tag a few people now. I'm not sure who's been tagged already, but I'll tag Jamie, Chris Anne, Becky, and Amy H.

The Name Game Continues . . .

2007-05-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your comments on our name game. We finally have a big winner! Just one more issue . . the best way to spell it! We have some grandparents that are anxious to get gifts made with her name on it, so we need to make a decision soon. Your thoughts are welcome!! Here are the choices . . .

McKinley Grace Mattison
Mckinley Grace Mattison
Mackinley Grace Mattison

Whatever the finally decision is, we can't wait for our little Kinley Girl to hurry up and get here!!!

Breakdown

2007-05-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

Overall, I'm a pretty laidback person. I've never had mood swings with pms and I can let most things roll off my back. I'm extremely clumsy when I'm not pregnant, so I fully expected more than my share of spills and messes during pregnancy. They usually don't phase me, I'm used to cleaning up after myself! I've always hoped this would be a good quality as a mother, since there are that many more messes to clean up. Anyway, I've always heard about the mood swings that come with pregnancy and all the crazy hormones running through your body. So far, I have not been very affected . . . until last night.

First let me explain that my midsection is growing very fast and very big. I went to the dr yesterday and she said my weight gain is right on track, however, because I am so short waisted the baby is pushing all of my other organs up and out. So, even though my weight is in line with being 5 1/2 months pregnant, she said my stomach looks like I'm 7 months! Because of this, I have started getting very uncomfortable and even the smallest tasks seem very overwhelming. So I'll start out the day with a list of 20 things to accomplish and I get about 3 of them done and I'm exhausted. This has started to really stress me out because there are a lot of things I need to get done before the baby comes . . like decorate the nursery for instance!

So last night I finally had my first breakdown. I was making dinner and emptying the dishwasher and I dropped a glass measuring cup on the floor and it shattered everywhere. I could feel the tears coming immediately. It had nothing to do with any attachment to that particular measuring cup. It had everything to do with the fact that bending over is no small feat these days and very uncomfortable. As I started bending over to pick up the many pieces of glass, I began a full on cry. Trent was sitting at the kithen table and looked up at me with wide eyes and asked "Are you having a break down?" I said "I think so." He said "Why? Do I need to run out and buy you another measuring cup?" I said "No. Bending over just HURTS!" Well, he immediately got up and took over the cleanup. Then he took over the dinner making and the dishes and told me to go sit on the couch. I didn't have to move the rest of the night - he brought everything to me and every time I made a move to get something he would say "What do you need? I can get it for you." So while I did not enjoy the overwhelming feeling of my first breakdown, I must say the result was nice! Trent is wonderful anyway, but I have a feeling he may go above and beyond for a little while to prevent his ever growing wife from having another melt down any time soon!

Our New Texas Home

2007-05-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

Several of you have asked to see photos of the new house, so here are a few. These were the only rooms clean at the time . . . so I'll try to post some more after I do some cleaning! Also, I took these about a week ago and we've hung a few more pictures on the wall and done a little more decorating since then, but you get the idea! There are several projects we want to do, but overall there wasn't much we wanted to change about this house - we love it!

Eventually we'd like a new front door and our electrician said he can run the wire to hang some lanterns on the stone on both sides - which we'd like to do soon.

I can't wait to decorate this staircase for Christmas!! We also might eventually put in some iron balisters . . .

Bailey loves his new home and the new couch!

Here's a view of the kitchen from the family room . . . we had the pendants put in and the above cabinet lighting. It's a gorgeous kitchen, it was just a little dark. We've also picked out cabinent hardware to add . . just trying to decide if that's something we can successfully do ourselves or if we should get a professional. I think there were dishes in the sink at the time, so I'll have to take a picture from inside the kitchen some other time!

Dining room is immediately to the left when you walk in the front . . sorry for the blur!

Family room with a woodburning fireplace - yeah!!! They seem to be hard to find in Nashville . .

Another view of the family room . . . I want to do some kind of window treatment on this wall of windows, just not sure what to do yet . .

The puppies love their new backyard!! And so do we!

One of the things I love about this house is all these little areas throughout the house . . this is in a hallway upstairs, and there's another little reading nook with builtin bookcases upstairs as well as a planning desk in a seperate nook downstairs off the breakfast room. Lots of places for kiddos!

This guest bedroom is on the other side of the upstairs from the nursery (which I'm sure will be a good thing for our guests!) and has it's own bathroom. We had it painted this color and added the lantern light fixture.

This is the bath for that room. All the baths have slate flooring as well as in the kitchen, foyer, and breakfast room. I had never really considered slate, but I love it! The colors are great and it is so easy to take care of and doesn't show dirt! I would highly recommend it.

This is the other guest room and it's connected to the nursery by a jack and jill bathroom. So, eventually it will be a big girl room when we're ready to make room in the nursery for another little Mattison!

We haven't touched the nursery yet (except for Trent putting together the crib!) so I'll share more photos after we get it all ready for Baby Girl.

Here's a glimpse into the baby's closet . . of course this was before we knew it was a girl, so this collection is already grown!

That's all I have for now. We have plenty of room, so if any of you are in the mood to head out to the exciting city of Dallas we'd love to have you has our guests!

The wait is over!!!

2007-05-03T06:50:00.000-07:00

We finally had our ultrasound on Monday! The baby looks wonderful!! Everything is developing right on schedule and looks nice and healthy! To top it all off, the baby cooperated and we were finally able to find out the sex . . . . . so take a look at our baby girl!!

So sweet . . . .

Sucking her thumb!

Posing for the camera

So now it is time to play The Name Game. My husband is ready to for this baby to have a name ASAP! We've narrowed it down to 3, but I'm having a tough time making up my mind. I know once we pick one it will grow on me and by the time she's born it will be perfect, but it's such a big decision! So, if anyone wants to cast their vote, here are the finalists:

Parker Grace Mattison

Mckinley Grace Mattison/Mackinley Grace Mattison

Taylor Grace Mattison

Trent is crazy about the name Mckinley/Mackinley but I'm not sure about it. The more you say it, it really does starts to grow on you, but I'm not sure how to spell it . . . .

Anyway, that's all the big news I have for now!

Houseguests

2007-04-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

A week ago we had our first houseguests in the new home. We had a wonderful weekend with Trent's family - his dad and stepmom, and his brother, sister-in-law and nephew. It was so much fun to have a little one in the house! Tucker is 20 months and such a big boy now! He has so many new words . . it's amazing. He knows what the frog says and what the duck says and even where his nose is! It's hard to imagine that our little bitty sweet potato (that's what size the baby is this week - a large sweet potato) will one day say "Wibbit, wibbit" when we ask what the frog says!

My sister-in-law Jenny is also pregnant with their second, she's just 2 weeks behind me, so we did a little shopping over the weekend. It was fun to have someone else to maternity shop with - especially since we both needed swimsuits. If I thought swimsuit shopping was tough before . . now it's just ridiculous! Will I ever wear a bikini again, or should I just kiss those days goodbye? Only time will tell . . . . .

Our neighborhood has a park with a little lake in the middle of it and there's a restaurant across the street. On Sunday we had brunch at the restaurant and then took Tucker over to the lake to see the ducks (one of his favorite words - Duck! Duck!!). Here are some pics:

Big momma and the excited daddy to be!

Trent's dad and his wife Patti

Tucker with Daddy (Trae - Trent's oldest brother)

Duck!! Duck!!

We had a lovely weekend and we're looking forward to many more houseguests in our new home!

Belly Shot

2007-04-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

Check it out - it's HUGE!!!!! This picture wasn't very flattering of my face, so I just zoomed in on the belly . . which makes it look that much bigger! I've hit the 20 week mark, so I'm officially half-way through. We find out next Monday if it's a boy or a girl that's making me so fat! Just in the last few days, I've felt some flutters that I'm pretty sure are the baby. I only feel it maybe once or twice a day, but it's reassuring to finally feel something.

We're getting settled into our new home and I'm learning my way around the big city of Dallas slowly, but surely. I'm working on my real estate license and hope to be up and running in a couple of weeks. I already have a couple of clients lined up, so I'm looking forward to getting back to work. Trent told me yesterday that he travels pretty much every week except one between now and September (when the baby's due)! So, I need to keep busy so I'm not just sitting around staring at my stomach for the next 4 1/2 months!

Texans Once Again!

2007-04-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, life has been a little crazy lately. Here's a quick update for any and all interested: We got a contract on our house in Nashville and they wanted to close in 2 weeks . . . so the whirlwind began! We flew to Dallas the next day to find a house and long story short, I am now officially a Dallasite! Once I can clear a little more of the clutter I will post some pictures of our new home and maybe even of my expanding belly.

The last few weeks have been exhausting, and there's still a lot to do, but I'm looking forward to beginning our new life here. The move has not slowed down my husband's baby crazy mode, in fact it's probably made it worse. We bought a pac n play and a crib while we were still in Nashville, but I wouldn't let him set them up until after we moved. So, the mover's finished unloading us late last Saturday night and by noon on Sunday we had a fully assembled crib and pac n play. Surrounded by boxes, but the baby (who is currently the size of an onion) has not 1, but 2 places to sleep comfortably!

I have my 20 week ultrasound on April 23rd and then the real fun can begin! We have the perfect room to decorate as soon as we know if pink or blue is the color of choice. Until then, I'm planning to focus on getting all the other rooms situated (especially the guest bedrooms since my inlaws are coming to visit in 2 weeks!!).

I promise some new pictures soon! I just have to find the camera . . . .

It's not a 2 headed monster!!

2007-02-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

Since the moment I learned the good news, I have been filled with worry about all the things that could be wrong with our baby. Well, I had my 2nd doctor's visit today and she confirmed that there are 2 arms, 2 legs, only 1 head, and a very strongly beating heart!

It was much easier to make everything out while she was conducting the sonogram than it is on that picture, but I just thought I would post some proof that there's actually a baby in my already expanding tummy!

I'm sure there will be many other things to stress over, but today I feel really good about the fact that I was able to see what resembles a normal, healthy baby. So, I'll try to hold on to my joy for the weekend and worry about that possible third eye on Monday!

Pregnancy = Completely Craziness

2007-02-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

My husband and I have turned into complete idiots with this pregnancy. We are so excited for the baby to be here that we don't know what to do with ourselves while we wait. So, we kill time in the baby stores. We've pacified ourselves so far with little purchases like a baby blanket or a teddy bear . . . but this weekend we felt the need to make a larger purchase as if to make a statement to prove to ourselves that there's actually a baby on the way.

So, we are now the proud owners of a stroller and the matching car seat! And yes we have been pushing the teddy bear around the house and we've thought about pushing it around the block . . but we haven't gone that far, yet. The car seat had to be ordered and we should have it in 2 or 3 weeks. We must've looked disappointed that we weren't going to be able to take it home with us because the salesgirl looked down at my fairly normal size stomach and said "It doesn't look like you're due any time soon, so I think you'll have it in plenty of time."

Once the carseat does come in I'm sure that we will drive around with it in the car for the next 6 months like the complete idiots that we have become! Maybe we'll take teddy for a ride.

Are we the only ones to be affected by this craziness? My stomach has expanded a little bit, but most of my clothes still fit. However I feel the urge to clear out everything in my closet and replace it all with maternity clothes! I guess if the pregnancy had been a surprise or if we'd only been trying for a month or 2, then we'd still just be getting used to the idea. But after trying for 12 months, it feels like we've waited long enough! I'm trying to remind myself to relax and enjoy this time since I know our world will be turned upside down soon enough. But sometimes it's hard to wait! Please let me know if any of you went crazy like we are. And even if you didn't, maybe make something up . . . .

Happy New Year!!!

2007-02-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

So, we started our New Year off with a bang! I had a suspicion, so first thing on the morning of January 1st I peed on a little stick and sure enough! We'd been trying for a while with several disappointments and frustrations, so I assumed that if I ever did get pregnant my immediate reaction would be overwhelming joy. Well, I had a little bit of a different immediate reaction . . . one of overwhelming terror! I instantly became consumed with the thoughts of every single thing that could go wrong with the pregnancy and the baby, and then the sudden realization that my life and my body were no longer my own, and all of this was in a matter of about 30 seconds.

After standing there in shock, I finally decided I needed to go downstairs and share the news with my husband. As I was walking, I tried desperately to come up with something cute and clever to say that he would always remember . . . unfortunately, words failed me and all I could do was hand him the stick. To which all he could do was say "What? No. What? No. Really? No. Are you sure? No." I'm sure it would've been a comical moment to an onlooker!

Fortunately, after some of the shock wore off we both began to get very excited! For a while, I was still very unsure that it would actually "stick", but now that I'm about 9 weeks along I'm feeling a little more confident about the fact that we are most likey actually having a baby! Plus, I feel horrible - which isn't fun, but it's supposed to be a great sign that the baby is progressing!

I will keep you updated as we know more. Reading all of the blogs will certainly help me to prepare for the role of mommy! Just today I learned something . . . so many of you seem to have those little infant seats - what were they called, Boppers? something like that? Never heard of it, but I'm definitely getting one now!

Texas, here we come . . .

2007-02-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

So, we've known for a while now that a possible move to Texas was in the works with Trent's job, but we got the official word right after Christmas that it's all systems go! Trent will be opening a regional office in Dallas the first of April. So, we have our house on the market and as soon as it sells, we'll begin the move to the big D!

I have to admit, I'm a little bit sad to be leaving Nashville behind. This town has been a great place for me to grow into adulthood and find my true self, as well as find my true love! But we both grew up in Texas and all of our family is there, so we knew the time would come when we would head home. Along with the sadness and anxiety over moving across the country, there's also the excitement of starting our new life in a new town!

So, if anyone's in the market for a lovely home in Nashville, just give me a call!!

FOR SALE!!

Christmas in February

2007-02-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

So, we didn't actually celebrate Christmas in February, it's just taken me that long to get back to this blogging thing. I'm not sure how all you busy mommies have the time to post all those wonderful updates, but I'll give it another try!

There's been a whole lot going on in our world, so I'll post a few blogs to try to bring you all up to date.

First of all, we had a wonderful Christmas in Lubbock, TX with Trent's family. The whole thing was just absolutely lovely and we got to spend some quality time with our nephew Tucker who is at such a fun age!!! He was 16 mos at Christmas and full of all kinds of new tricks! His vocabulary is growing daily and it's so funny to hear which word he comes up with next. When we were there everthing he saw was either a "ball" or a "duck"!

We thought Tucker's Christmas would not be complete without a Vince Young Titan's jersey!

Here's a sweet pic of Trent and his lovely momma!

So the holidays were fabulous, but hectic and busy as always . . . especially with some of the other things occupying our minds!! Read on in my next blogs . . .

Hook 'Em Horns!!

2006-09-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

So, I never cared a thing about college football before Trent. However, I must say, I think I actually enjoy it now. Trent is a University of Texas graduate and he is a very dedicated fan. For example, his only request (more of a demand actually) regarding our wedding was that it not take place during football season. So, I figured out early on that I could either learn to watch and enjoy the games, or not spend any time with him on Saturdays in the fall. Since he's my favorite person to spend time with it, I've slowly learned to enjoy.

Since Lipscomb didn't have football, it's actually pretty nice to be able to cheer for a very large, very successful football program. We went down to Austin last weekend for the UT/OSU game and it was amazing! It was my first time in Austin on game day. There's burnt orange everywhere you look! We had a blast! Of course, we didn't play as well as we would've liked, being the defending National Champions and all, but we do have the rest of the season to redeem ourselves.

I've actually become a big enough fan that I felt the need to put a silver longhorn symbol on the back of my car. The things we do for love . . . .

Married for 1 whole year!!

2006-09-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

So, I'm not a very punctual blogger, but here's an update. Trent and I celebrated our 1st anniversary on August 20th. The year FLEW by!! It still seems strange that I actually have a "husband". Trent took me to New York for the weekend. It was fabulous! I love the city, the energy, the lights, the architecture, the people, the shopping . . . It was Trent's first trip to the Big Apple and sadly, he does not love it as much as I do, but he still had a good time.

I held back on my shopping urges and we did more sightseeing than I've ever done in New York. We spent an afternoon in Central Park and it was just lovely! Who knew?

We heard beautiful sax music floating out from under this bridge and it was so romantic. A very New York moment.

We had dinner on the evening of our anniversary down in the West Village. Very cool part of town, more residential, very artistic . . . That's where the Meat Packing District is. They're developing a lot of cool lofts in the area. Remember when Samantha (sex in the city) moved to the Meat Packing District?

Of course, we still did a little shopping! It is New York City after all. Our hotel was on Lexington Ave., which is right by Park Avenue, Madison Avenue, and Fifth Avenue. The shops on all of those Avenues are amazing! The window displays are like something out of a museum. Of course, the price of a scarf in any of these shops is the same as our mortgage payment, but I can dream can't I? On Sunday, we literally bumped into Annette Benning window shopping with her daughter on Madison Avenue.

Rosemary Beach

2006-08-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

About 3 weeks ago we headed down to Rosemary Beach, FL with Trent's brother Trae and his wife Jenny and son Tucker, and their friends Brady and Anne who have 3 children. We had a wonderful time relaxing at the house and the beach. It's an adorable community and we look forward to going back!

This was the view from our balcony. I took this picture as I was enjoying my morning coffee. Not a bad way to start the day!

All of the houses down there are adorable! Everyone's riding their bike, playing ball out on the lawn, great place for a family vacation.

We all headed down to the beach one night at sunset. It was beautiful! There's my gorgeous husband and myself over to the right. And below is Trae, Tucker and Trent hanging out.

Trae, Jenny, Tucker, Trent and I went down to this little wine bar one evening and this is how Tucker entertained us as we enjoyed our wine and cheese!

Some photos

2006-08-15T06:56:00.000-07:00

Here is Bailey the day we brought him home. He's doubled in size now, but he's still pretty small. Isn't he adorable??!

Here he is at about 3 months old. He has since destroyed that football!

Getting started . . .

2006-08-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, Jennifer talked me into it, so here I am on blogspot! It's been a lot of fun seeing what so many of you have been up to, so I'll share a little bit of what we've been up to. We've only been married for a year (our anniversary is this weekend!) and the year has flown by! We have 2 "boys" - Revo is our 8 year old Maltese and Bailey is our newest addition, a 6 month old Shorkie. They're both adorable and spoiled rotten! We both look forward to the day that we have human children, but for now they get all our attention!