idée fixe

2012-02-09T08:13:00.001-06:00

Campbell's Kitchen: Dripping Roast Beef Sandwiches with Melted Provolone

2012-02-01T14:02:00.001-06:00

Steven and I have had this twice and they are simple, easy and delicious!

Campbell's Kitchen: Dripping Roast Beef Sandwiches with Melted Provolone

2012-01-19T09:00:00.001-06:00

Enjoying some toast and jelly this morning. Yes, this is my "sick" baby who has strep. Something tells me she rigged the test.

2012-01-10T09:13:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-20T13:11:00.000-06:00

Today someone informed me that it was not the 19th of December but that it was instead the 20th which means we're even closer to Christmas than I thought.

Here's a little video I hope you'll enjoy since I don't have time to send out Christmas cards!

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/NdgfrcYfvbSLvIAPz2i2

Thanksgiving success!

2011-12-09T15:11:00.002-06:00

We fly to Virginia for Thanksgiving and it was great. Cailyn was quite the little traveler staying in her seat or our laps and watching a movie or sleeping. She also had a special way of getting around the airport.

She was such a trooper; slept well, ate well and behaved herself at Grammie and Papa's house. It was a success for me as well. When we got back I had a doctor's appointment where I was informed I needed to slow my weight gain down "big time". How dare you say that to a pregnant woman around the holidays. My doctor dares. Anyway we had another ultra sound and it was confirmed that we are in fact having a boy!

In unrelated news today we took Cailyn's paci and I'm not sure she was or will be very happy about it. This weekend should be fun!

The Holidays are here!

2011-11-18T10:00:00.001-06:00

Halloween has passed and Thanksgiving is upon us and Christmas has been here since before Halloween. The holidays are upon us and there's nothing you can do about it! Every year I think they come sooner and sooner and everyone ignores Thanksgiving which happens to be my favorite. Due to the fact that a huge meal and naps are all that's required I love Thanksgiving most. Halloween is fun but I always end up making myself sick on bite-sized snickers and twix candy bars. Christmas is fun but let's be honest - it's expensiiiiive. I've never really succumb to the stress of holidays but I know some people do. Take for instance a Tennessee man who threw a ham at his mother. You know the holidays are here when meat starts flying.

How do you cut out stress during holidays or how do you react to it? I can honestly say I've never thrown a ham, roast, turkey or any other cut of protein.

Tennessee Man, 37, Arrested For Assaulting His Mother With A Ham The Smoking Gun

First Trip to the zoo!

2011-11-13T15:37:00.001-06:00

Today we took Cailyn to the Oklahoma City Zoo and for the most part she loved it. I think Steven and I were a little more excited about the zoo than she was but she did like the birds. She kept cooing and kawing at them. I'll post a link to the album but for now here are some pictures of the animals we saw.

The first stop were at the flamingos. Cailyn thought they were pretty interesting. She kept pointing and squealing at them.

The next animal she got to pet were pigmay goats.

This guy was being a real ass. (hee-haw)

I'll be here all night!

The bunnies were sleeping so no petting here.

We also saw a pigmay hippo which Steven pointed out had a serious design flaw.

We were there long enough to see this guy get out of the water, take a leak while fanning it with his little pigmay tail spraying all the innocent bystanders with pigmay hippo urine. That's a true story.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104368147249640126470/OKCZoo?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Baby news and other things

2011-11-06T19:19:00.000-06:00

The latest news in the Workman household is that we are having another baby! Workman #2 is due April 24 and Cailyn won't even be two yet. So yes I'm nervous to have two under two and in diapers.

But in other news Cailyn is trying to make words and so far she has down mama, dada, bye, night-night, thank you and wwwaaaahhhhh. Grammie came to visit a couple of weeks ago and we took Cailyn to a pumpkin patch and she loved it. She even carried her own 3lb pumpkin around.

A picture she'll thank me for some day. She loves playing in the water even if it's in the kitchen sink!

She's off the bottle and lays down easily. We thought this transition would be a lot harder than it has been. The next step is the paci and I'm not looking forward to it one bit. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Here she is more than ready for bed.

Puggerfest

2011-10-03T09:37:00.000-05:00

Saturday while Steven had to work my dad and I took Cailyn to the park and lucky for her Puggerfest was going on. I think she either chased or pet every dog she saw. She had a blast but I think my dad had an even better time. We went to lunch and then the park and the weather was perfect! This is a pic from lunch.

Maggie Ann Baker!

2011-09-16T13:50:00.001-05:00

Please welcome Margaret "Maggie" Ann Baker- a perfect little baby girl!

Baby Watch 2011 is finally over!

2011-09-16T10:29:00.000-05:00

Morgan had her baby this morning at 8:35. She was in labor a total of 21 hours. The only news I have now is that the baby is in the nursery and she needs sleep. When I have more details I will get them to you.

Baby Watch 2011 (cont'd)

2011-09-15T15:29:00.000-05:00

Well, there isn't a baby...yet. But if things go according to my plan (which they won't) Morgan should be having her baby today! She went to the hospital this afternoon and I haven't heard much else. Probably because she's in labor and it's kind of hard to talk when you're in labor. Unless you have an epidural. Then you can do anything but walk. I'm on the verge of tears everytime I think about Morgan having her baby! It's like this whole thing is happening to me all over again. I can't wait to report that Morgan and Nate have a healthy happy baby in their arms. In the mean time I need to go find my husband. I want one. After all it's what good Catholics do right?

Over and out.

Baby Watch 2011 (cont'd)

2011-09-12T11:53:00.000-05:00

My friend has not had her baby yet. She's 9 months and 2 days. I assure her every day it WILL happen. This baby WILL come out. What I haven't told her is that 3 and 1/2 weeks later she'll want to put her back. At least for a few moments. Regardless. I have to say I'm glad she didn't have her baby on the anniversary of September 11. It's such a memorable yet sad day for so many people. Steven and I had a hard time taking our eyes off the television yesterday. The images were horrifying to say the least and of course like most people we were taken back to what we were doing at the moment we heard about the attack. Unlike my family safe in the heartland and away from any imminent danger, Steven's family was on the east coast in Washington D.C. Even more specifically his dad was in the Pentagon when the attack happened.
Last night we were talking about the day and how that moment was our generations' "Kennedy moment". We will always remember where we were and what we were doing. (With the exception of my hairdresser who told me she can't remember the day "for the life of me". I had no words for her.) I sometimes get wrapped up in the horror and tragedy and sorrow that I begin to wonder why would I want to bring a child into this evil world and at some point I get depressed and obsess over the tragedy. That's why I have to stay focused on the heroes. I have to focus on all the people that rose to the occasion, stepped forward and made a sacrifice that day. Although so much evil happened that day there were also many miracles. Here is a link to one of those stories. I'm sure I've sent to this to all of my friends at some point but these are the kinds of stories I'd rather dwell on.

2011 BABY WATCH!

2011-09-10T18:55:00.001-05:00

Today is my best friend's due date. Stand-by for details and information regarding the birth of her little girl. This will be exciting stuff because she could be the first person in history to carry a baby for 10 months!

Sent from Brandi's phone
Apologies for typos and errors

A little bit country

2011-09-02T15:26:00.000-05:00

This is the hat my mom bought for Cailyn and strangely enough she loves wearing it!

We made it out alive

2011-09-02T15:24:00.000-05:00

We have all survived some sort of virus, infection or viral infection. First Cailyn had a virus and pinkeye, then Steven got the virus, pink eye, a sinus infection, bronchitis and a whole slew of other symptoms and ailments. Then I finally got the sinusy, virusy yucky stuff. Now we're all back to normal or as normal as we can be. Cailyn is sleeping 11-12 hours a night and aside from my random coughing I'm feeling pretty great and so is Steven. Having a sick baby is not fun whether they are 1 or almost 31.

Also in breaking news, Oklahoma has officially had the hottest summer on record. For the love of Pete please send us some rain! I think due to another regions misfortunes in the form of a tropical storm, we might be getting some cooler weather and rain. That's all that's happening here from the great state of Oklahoma!

Drooly McDroolerton

2011-08-25T16:33:00.001-05:00

Just like a bulldog...

No we are not hoarders.

2011-08-18T09:34:00.000-05:00

We just have a sick baby and I'm unable to do anything but take care of her and wash my face every now and then.

Day two!

2011-08-13T08:39:00.000-05:00

Technically this is day two because I didn't make it to the gym yesterday. I found a more familiar love on the running trail. More about that later. This is just to show you two things:
Hot sweaty women are not in fact hot
There are clouds in Oklahoma!

How my date ended

2011-08-12T11:10:00.000-05:00

This is how my hot date ended. Not that impressive or much to look at I know but, as The Carpenter's put it "we've only just begun".
Things can only look up from here right? Hello? Someone? Anyone? I'm hoping today's encounter will go much better.

I have a hot date today

2011-08-11T11:47:00.000-05:00

I recently registered for a 5k to spur myself back into running and hence fitness which will mean weight loss which means flatter tummy which means fitting into my old clothes which means expanded wardrobe which means.... get the picture? Ok well I have a hot date with a treadmill in just a few minutes and I'll let you know how it goes. Was it fun? Nice? How hot is this date exactly? This will be interesting.

Sent from Brandi's phone
Apologies for typos and errors

2011-08-08T13:46:00.002-05:00

http://youtu.be/WYydQXZ86W8

The saddest doctor visit to date

2011-08-08T13:31:00.000-05:00

This is Cailyn right before her one year check up. The poor thing has no idea what's coming her way. Fortunately it was just a finger poke and a shot. However the nurse seemed to scare the begeesus out of her because walking back to the room she clung to my neck tighter than ever before.

She was a trooper and got to run around the room in just a diaper for a while while waiting on Dr. P to come in. She's still healthy and growing like a weed. Her hair is getting lighter, she shakes her head no and still has kankles! Trust me- they are the most adorable kankles ever.

2011-08-02T16:03:00.000-05:00

Cailyn is one! We celebrated her birthday on Saturday even though her actual birthday was on the 28th. We hosted what was supposed to be a pool party but I'm not sure if you've heard but there is a massive record breaking heat wave just pressing down on us here in the mid-west. Needless to say no one made it to the pool. Here's a little preview of what went down. Mostly- cake.

My sweet little baby is getting so big.

2011-07-19T12:33:00.001-05:00

2011-07-19T12:00:00.001-05:00

From Cailyn Marie

This little baby nugget will be one year old in 9 days. I can't believe how time flies!

Cailyn sitting in her lawn chair enjoying time with dad!

2011-07-14T14:26:00.000-05:00

2011-07-14T14:24:00.001-05:00

Only one week until Grammie and Papa come to visit!

Sent from Brandi's phone.

2011-07-14T14:21:00.001-05:00

2011-06-28T10:25:00.001-05:00

I'm trying a mobile post for the first time! Let's see how this works.

Eating dirt and other things

2011-06-20T21:37:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of Cailyn eating dirt and other things. Oh and making some funny faces!

Cade Ryan comes to town!

2011-06-13T15:09:00.000-05:00

This photo pretty much sums it all up. Cade came to town and he and Cailyn got to play. Well, Cailyn played and Cade watched. She ran amuk in the kiddie pool and as indicated by his facial expression he was not amused. I'm not sure Cailyn even noticed Cade was there most of the time except for when I held him. Then the attitude came out in full force. When she has a sibling it will be interesting to see how she responds. If this is any indication it won't be pretty.

Yesterday was Wednesday, today it is Thursday and Friday comes afterwards.

2011-06-09T09:51:00.000-05:00

Session is over and thus begins the interim lull. It's fun for about 2 weeks and then it gets really old. Needless to say I've been answering a few phone calls, sending out some mail, playing Angry Birds and listening to a ton of Pandora Radio. If you've never used Pandora radio you have GOT to try this. It's amazing. Just go to www.Pandora.com and whammo! - you have free radio with minimal commercials. On Pandora you can choose your radio station to play whatever type of music you like. For example I have a Radio for Kids station for Cailyn and a Beatles station. I also have a Carpenters station which is newly created and I love it. Which brings me to my next point. The Carpenters station brings back so many memories. One of which is when I used to babysit my non-biological kids, Alex and Paige, we would sing Carpenter songs particularly Top of the World. Alex would sing with all her heart on the words she knew and then mumble the words she didn't. It was the sweetest thing! The same radio station also plays a lot of Simon and Garfunkel.

The other random memory from this is that after my senior year of highschool before college I went on a few dates with an older guy. I think he was about 4 years older and at first I thought it was super cool. But then...he played Simon and Garfunkel. And talked about Simon and Garfunkel and how he really liked them and was huge fan. *snooze fest* I was 18 and too cool for school. Or at least trying to be and Simon and Garfunkel just wasn't cutting the mustard on the cool scale. Needless to say that ended. However, my love for Simon and Garfunkel has not. As of just a few years ago I actually listened to their music and I like it! Now I jam out to it on my Pandora radio. Not only that- I went to the gym a few days ago and while running treading on the treadmill I was searching for some sort of motivation and I found it on the radio. The Night Chicago Died came on and that my friends is what I worked out to. I know that's not Simon and Garfunkel but still- who does that? I wasn't listening to Wiz Calefa or whatever or umm...actually I don't know who is on Top 40 radio currently. Nelly? Are you still there? Destiny's Child? No? it's just Beyonce? What about Busta Ryhmes? Oh he's gone to? Hmmm... I only listen to the Carpenters and Simon and Garfunkel. Good thing I have a birthday this month to help push me towards the old age that I'm getting to be.

Side note- this is Cailyn after a long day at daycare right after we arrived home.
That's one sleepy baby!

A few things...

2011-05-25T14:21:00.000-05:00

This is one of only 3 pictures I have with my daughter. She's so precious. And ornery.

Session is over! Yippee! This means I have the office ALL to myself. Muahahaha...
At the end of session all of the assistants get to go on the floor. I was the only one without a boss. He left early, go figure.

Cailyn makes some FUN-E faces when she's eating, talking, crawling, playing, sleeping...you get the idea.

Another one of those funny faces.

We saw this cloud while driving home from a pool party. It was the alleged doomsday.

Thunder up! Here are Cailyn's Thunder shoes which I don't think she'll be wearing during the Thunder games. We go back to Dallas and we're down 3-1. GO THUNDER!

The last 3 months!

2011-05-17T21:24:00.000-05:00

We have lift off!

2011-05-06T15:10:00.002-05:00

Cailyn is crawling and it's so exciting, tiring, exhausting and tiring. Right? Right.

She went from barely moving to this one Friday afternoon...

To doing this in just a few days...

The burps are her I promise! And no we don't live in the southeast part of the country that has been ravaged with tornadoes. That's just my living room that looks like a hobo's closet.

If anyone can correctly list all the objects found on the floor in the second video I'll overnight you a pan of homemade brownies. Nuts available upon request

Give yourself a hug!

2011-04-15T09:51:00.000-05:00

My last post was about getting in shape and I listed 6 reasons why I need to do this. This week I've been munching salads, cheated on my salad with a doughnut, repented and had another salad. After weighing in yesterday, naturally, I've gained a couple of pounds. Today I'm going to list positives and I encourage you to do the same! There are a few things that I'm proud of myself for. Not including my infatuation and unhealthy relationship with frozen custard, my weakness for cake doughnuts or that I refuse to wash a pan after using it. However here are things I'm proud of.

1) I ran a half marathon. Albeit was 2 years ago, but I did it and I'm pround and it shall happen again.
2) I had a baby last summer. 'Nuff said
3) I became a professional swaddler during those hectic months at home with Cailyn when it was just the two of us.
4) I can cook and I cook gooood. At least my husband likes it and to me that's all that counts (for now).
5) I am a laundry ninja. It'll happen before you know it.
6) I am 5 feet 11 inches tall and my resting metabolic rate is MUCH higher than my shorter friends and colleagues. This allows me to cheat with that cake doughnut every now and then and I won't know the difference.

6 weeks 'til summer

2011-04-11T11:32:00.000-05:00

There are approximately six weeks until the summer season (read: swimsuit season) and I need to get my self in some sort of shape other than lumpy, bulging and round. Here are some factors that are currently motivating me to get in shape.

1) The term "muffin top" made it into the dictionary. A friend of mine told me this but I've been too afraid to look it up myself. If you see it there please don't tell me.

2) My best friend is pregnant and although she is extemely teeny tiny (I think she shops at Gap Kids) I can't let myself be bigger than my pregnant friend. I mean, there's a baby in there for the love of Pete! I don't have a baby in me anymore. (Although I wish I did because then I wouldn't have to worry about trimming this waist line...Oh honey...we need to talk...soon.)

3) I have a green bikini that I rocked two years ago and I intend to rock it again. The fact that I only obtained ONE itsy bitsy stretch mark won't detour me. Ima gonna do it

4) Cailyn is about to crawl/walk and I'll have to be in shape to keep up with her.

5) Grandma arms, batwings, whatever you call this, I don't want anymore. Cailyn squeezes and squishes it when I'm holding her from time to time. Nothing makes me feel more certain that action needs to be taken immediately.

6) There was a huge storm in northern Oklahoma this past weekend complete with hail. No, I was not laying face down outside, that's just my bottom.

Friends

2011-04-05T16:12:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted lately and I apologize. We've been busy here. A ~~couple~~ few weeks ago the family made a trip to my hometown and Cailyn and Kinley finally got to play together. And by play together I mean Cailyn got to poke Kinley with her exploratory finger and Kinley gave her looks.

She also met her friend Cade. Cade is the son of one of my best friends, Olivia.

It was cute; they held hands.

In addition to these things Cailyn has two teeth on the bottom and she has two coming in up top. They aren't the middle two they are the ones beside it. I'm pretty sure she'll look like she belongs on Swamp People by the time they come in. Another cute development - cankles. I actually encourage this because it won't be long and they aren't acceptable or attractive any more.

Other developments- I've started going back to the gym. Steven asked me how it was and I had to be completely honest. It was terrible. Everything jiggled. And I mean everything. I'll keep going but I don't have to like it.

Since we last met

2011-02-20T07:55:00.001-06:00

A lot has happened since we last saw each other. For instance since the last time I've seen most of you I had a baby! Since last week it seems a lot has happened. First there was snow.

Then there was fire.

Then there was sunshine!

Then Cailyn had peas and her head did not spin.

Then we had Valentine's Day!

My little sweet heart.

and some interesting new faces...

As of yesterday she has two teeth! They came in over night. (Literally, Friday they weren't and then Saturday they were.)

How ya like them apples?

2011-01-31T19:35:00.000-06:00

This past weekend we started apples! It's her first food other than cereal and of course we had to document the whole process. So here we go!

"Thank you mom for feeding me and changing my poopy diapers and being the greatest..."

"...oh not the greatest!"

"Who has two thumbs and hates apples? This girl!"

"This is not cool mom."

"ECK!"

"All gone...that was brutal."

Half a year!

2011-01-28T07:57:00.000-06:00

Today my baby turns 6 months old and I can't stand it. Everyone told me that babies grow fast and kids grow up even faster but until you experience it for yourself you can't understand just how quickly they do. To put it all in perspective I've created a video. It pretty much chronicles our journey up until now.
I cried. It's ok, you can too.

Enjoy!

Snot nosed kid

2011-01-22T09:15:00.000-06:00

We've been working through and upper respiratory virus these past few ~~weeks~~ days. Cailyn is finally over it after days and days of mom and dad sucking snot out of her nose, pumping her full of benadryl and tylenol. The poor thing even sees a dropper or nasal aspirator and immediately squirms away and covers her face with her hands. Here's a quick update - Christmas was great with Steve and Angie. My parents even manages to stop by in the evening which was so great to have everyone together. I don't think it's happened since our wedding. New Year's Eve/Day was pretty uneventful and relaxing. We finally had some winter weather but it was only ice and I only had half the day off.

Everyone is pretty healthy at this point and Cailyn is almost 6 months! Hope everyone is doing well and is having a terrific 2011 so far!

Things I dislike. Vol. 1

2010-12-21T14:57:00.000-06:00

A lady called my office today to ask about something that 1) is a federal issue and 2) is a sore spot with me on a personal level. She called to find out "why come" the unemployment benefits extension didn't include her husband. I told her it was a federal issue and gave her the number to her Congresswoman's office. She then asked where she could report illegal aliens. As I'm searching for a phone number she notifies me that "...there are like 500,000 of 'em in this state...". I wanted to respond "Yes, and do you intend on reporting every single one of them?" I didn't say that. Anyway- she put me in a bad mood. That and the fact that this day is taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R. So I decided to sound off and list things that really bug the "expletive" out of me.

1- People that do not use a blinker. It's not that hard people!
2- When people are too busy yapping on their cell phone to actually pay attention to their driving. This is what causes wrecks. How have we not put 2 and 2 together?
3- This relates to #2 in that people SUCK at merging into traffic in Oklahoma. I don't think it's taught in driver's ed. courses and it should be.
4- Rude people in general but more specifically rude people that cut in line at stores, DMVs, or at stop lights.
5- When you've put something away and for the life of you, you can't remember where you placed it.
6- When people say/write Happy Holidays. It's freaking Christmas!

I hope this helps everyone's Christmas spirit out. Just to show that I'm not a total Grinch here are some things that don't grind my gears.

1- Christmas music
2- My baby girl
3- My husband (for the most part)
4- People who let a woman with a little baby and her hands full, cut in line because they can see she's distressed and the baby is about to have a melt down. Thank you strangers!
5- The smell of our Christmas tree. Steven and I both think it has a secret Glade plug-in somewhere that will randomly blast the smell of Christmas into our living room. As Miley Cyrus would say - It's pretty cool.
6- Baked goods; inparticular Christmas baked goods.

PS- If you'd like to sound off you can do so here. Not many people read this blog anyway. It's a good sounding board. Enjoy letting cyberspace know what really grinds your gears.

In lieu of Christmas cards - From our family to you! Merry Christmas!

2010-12-20T15:08:00.000-06:00

Hair today...

2010-12-17T13:16:00.000-06:00

...gone tomorrow. My baby was born with a head full of hair. So much in fact that when I was delivering her the doctor grabbed her hair and remarked "I've got her hair, she can't go back in!" She was twirling her hair and making a mohawk and all sorts of stuff. My point is that she had a lot of hair. But now all that sweet beautiful hair is disappearing.

This was the best photo I could catch of her since she moves so quick these days. As you can see it's just her little ponytail sticking up with not much else around.

and "hair" we have a bald spot. Of course it's coming back in MUCH lighter but at least it's coming back in quickly. The upside to all of this? Steven and I won't look like the babysitters anymore and will start to look like the parents of a blond haired blue eyed perfect baby girl!

New Beginnings!

2010-12-10T16:22:00.001-06:00

This post is about new beginnings!

This past week we started trying to feed Cailyn cereal. It's going ok although she gets frustrated pretty quickly with the whole process of trying to eat off a spoon, swallow and wait for more.

(Please ignore my hair which resembles that of a Who from Whoville. It's my MO lately)

Tomorrow morning I'm going to start my training regimen. For what you ask? My old clothes. I'll have to have something to wear when the new session starts up in January. As of right now I have about two pairs of slacks and just a few tops that are flattering and that's being generous. I'm going to take off tomorrow morning and go for a jog. It may kill me and if it does- It's been nice knowin ya! Hopefully it won't kill me and I'll be able to run the half marathon again in 2011. (crossing fingers tightly)

Next year will mark the First Session of the 53rd Legislature in Oklahoma and my boss is the new Chairman of Energy and Utility Regulation. This is a huge committee in Oklahoma with our oil and natural gas resources. I'm looking forward to nice dinners and good lunches...hopefully.

My BFF is having a giveaway on her blog so head on over to http://mogyver.blogspot.com and enter the giveaway! By the way - It's her first!

Raise a glass to new beginnings! I'll have a shot.

Check up!

2010-12-05T10:06:00.000-06:00

Cailyn is now 4 months old! She had her check up on November 30. She weighed in at a dainty 13.5 lbs and 25 1/4 inches long. She's been about middle of the road for her weight but a little above average for her height. She also got four shots and took it like a champ. (Or so I'm told.) She's been sleeping really great at night, only waking up once and going right back to sleep. We've just started cereal but I think she gets a little frustrated at the whole process. She does ok for the first few bites but quickly becomes frustrated. The other day she was playing with a bottle nipple I gave her to keep her occupied and when she dropped it she started crying. As soon as I handed it back to her she stopped crying and resumed playing like nothing happened! She hasn't quite got the roll down but she has found her toes and is quite fascinated with them.
Everyone is doing great here in Oklahoma!

Milestones!

2010-11-08T10:22:00.000-06:00

This morning after I fed Cailyn and started playing with her on the bed I decided to do a little tummy time. I laid her on her stomach and she started pushing up with her arms and was holding her head high. It wasn't soon after that that she surprised herself and me by rolling from her tummy to her back! We tried it a couple more times and she did it but with a teeny bit of help from mom. I'm sure in no time she'll figure it out and she will officially become mobile! Let's hear it for milestones!

Happy Birthday Elizabeth

2010-11-06T20:14:00.001-05:00

Our friends Bill and Paige welcomed Elizabeth Anne into this world last night at 11:50. She weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and 20 inches long.

Congratulations Bill and Paige and Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

Cailyn had a few words of advice for Elizabeth. "Stay in here as long as you can! These people know what to do but those two yay-hoos they're gonna send you home with are clueless!"

We are all alive and well

2010-10-17T13:30:00.002-05:00

I haven't blogged for some time so I thought I'd write down a few things while Daddy is holding Cailyn. Here come the updates-

1) Cailyn is doing great! She's growing and eating and all that entails.

2) I went back to work which means she has started daycare. I'm happy with the place although I worry about how much attention she's getting since she is such a good baby. (I'm not the only one who says that. The teachers tell me.)

3) We've started home projects to include new windows for the downstairs and new sliding doors. Kitchen here we come! That should be the next project we take on.

4) There was an earthquake in Oklahoma this past week. It registered at a 5.0 and was about 6 miles east of Norman, OK. I called my mom that morning and she felt the after shocks all the way in Pawhuska which is almost 200 miles away.

5)Fall weather has set in here and it is fabulous! The highs have been in the mid 80s and sunny most days.

6) Ben Affleck is filming a movie in my hometown of Pawhuska. My best friend Morgan was there this past week for a visit and saw some of the production. How cool is that?! Filming in P-town! They were filming scenes in our Catholic church and the Triangle building. Yes, we have a building that is a triangle. It's hella cool.

Other than this things are pretty much the same around here, no where near enough sleep but more than we used to get so I'm definitely thankful for that. Hope everyone is doing well and I'll do my best to keep everyone updated on how Cailyn is doing.

Help me Rhonda!

2010-09-22T14:42:00.001-05:00

No, that's not a shout out to my cousin Rhonda. I need help. Tomorrow Cailyn has a doctor's appointment and she is supposed to get 4, count them -1,2,3,4 - immunization shots. I'm going to cry more than her. Please help me fight back the tears!

Other than that she has been and will be doing great. She's growing and eating like crazy. I'm thinking she's not a huge fan of naps but I finally fought the good fight and she's been alseep for almost 2 hours. (Thank God for swaddling.) I shouldn't have even typed that because I'm certain she's going to wake up any minute now because I'm bragging. Anyway just wanted to let everyone know what we're doing great!

One more thing- my BFF is moving back to Oklahoma! Although it will still be an hour and a half away in Tulsa I'm super stoked. That's a drive I'm sure Steven won't mind letting me make. See ya soon in OK Morgie!

Check out her blog for some funny stuff at http://mogyver.blogspot.com/

A good morning

2010-09-16T09:01:00.000-05:00

I've managed to do the following in only a few minutes this morning:

Shower
Fix hair
Get dressed
Put on makeup
Paint my toenails
Check my email
Eat breakfast
Type this post

Gotta run- duty calls!

Cailyn is starting to talk!

2010-09-09T19:55:00.000-05:00

Our little nugget is making all the usual advancements that babies at this age are making including cooing at us. She's also found her fingers and her tongue as evidenced by this video. Enjoy!

PS- Don't judge my singing.

Doctor's appointment

2010-08-30T14:28:00.000-05:00

Cailyn had her first shot last Wednesday. She handled it pretty well but definitely felt "the pinch". Her face turned bright red then purple and her mouth was wide open for about 15 seconds before she even made a sound. Then she let it loose! We go back in a month for a set of shots and just thinking about them makes me nervous. My poor baby has to go through all that again times 4 and then again in a few more months. She handled it pretty well and even got a pretty band-aid to cover her boo-boo.

A day in the life

2010-08-21T11:26:00.000-05:00

Things are definitely getting easier around here but it's all relative. Just last week I was unable to shower for two days, wore a lactation stained t-shirt and had a pony-tail oily enough you could host a fish fry with.

I've since showered on a semi regular basis and manage to fix a meal once every 4 days. My house remains un-dusted, vacuumed, swept, mopped or picked up. On a positive note I can now nurse Cailyn without flexed feet and a clenched jaw for 10 minutes. It's starting to be somewhat -dare I say- enjoyable to feed her. The only thing is I'm having trouble keeping my supply up with the little boogers demand. I took her in for a weight check on Wednesday just to make sure she was gaining weight and she was, but after visiting with the pediatrician she recommended I take an herbal supplement to help increase my milk supply. It's called Fenugreek and it smells like maple syrup. Coincidentally I smell like maple syrup and I think this is driving Cailyn to want to eat more and more which I'm positive is like eating pancakes at this point. She's above her birth weight and we go in for the one month check up on Wednesday the 25th! I can't wait to see the results and I'll be sure to let everyone know how it went as soon as I can manage to have a few minutes.

Our little Sweet Pea with Dad-

1 handed post

2010-08-21T10:24:00.000-05:00

I can't type much or very well. I only have one hand.

baby is asleep in other hand

we r doing great

keep checking online photo album for new pics!

love,

mom & C-dub

About the only thing newborns do...

2010-08-17T15:19:00.000-05:00

This is about the only thing newborns do besides eat and poop. (This video is for the Grammies!)

This was right before nap time and it all went down hill after this. =)

life as we knew it has vanished

2010-08-10T13:06:00.000-05:00

It's 12:55 p.m. Tuesday, August 10 (I had to look because I honestly had no clue what day it was.) and I still haven't brushed my teeth, showered, changed clothes or had breakfast. I just finished lunch after a crazy morning trying to decipher whether or not Cailyn was hungry, gassy, bored or still upset that she got us for parents. I want to thank everyone for the wishes and prayers and please keep them coming. These next few weeks could be pretty brutal as Steven has gone back to work and it's just Cailyn and myself.
Here are a few new pictures I took of her yesterday. We love our little sweet pea!

pictures are here!

2010-08-09T12:50:00.000-05:00

View all

Get your own

or follow this link

http://picasaweb.google.com/brandi.ps/CailynMarie?feat=directlink

Cailyn Marie

2010-07-30T20:27:00.000-05:00

Cailyn Marie entered the world on July 28, 2010 at 9:35 a.m. She weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce and was 21 1/4 inches long. She has a lot of dark brown hair and is so perfect in every way. I'll try to post more pictures at a later time.

There's a new plan- No plan!

2010-07-26T09:18:00.002-05:00

We received a call from the hospital yesterday letting me know that I had actually been scheduled for a "stand-by induction" which is basically the same as a stand-by flight. If they have room later today then they will let me know and I can come in to be induced. If there is no room today then tomorrow and no room tomorrow then Wednesday. I'm not sure if it was the full moon or not but yesterday a lot of women went into labor and were admitted into Mercy.
As soon as we hear something I'll let everyone know! Until then we will just be waiting (im)patiently.

Update

2010-07-16T08:26:00.002-05:00

The appointment yesterday went relatively well. I had convinced myself that if my doctor didn't tell me I was dilated to a one I was going to cry. Fortunately there's no need to shed any tears! I'm dilated to a 2 and about 70% effaced. While doing the exam she decided to strip my membranes (ouch!) and told us that if my body is ready for labor this will help move it along a little faster. She also said there is probably a greater than 50% chance she'll show up before July 26th which is the day she planned on inducing me. We were both so excited after we left the doctor's office and Steven mentioned to me that he feels like he should be doing something- he just didn't know what exactly. This morning I went on a walk in hopes that it will help bring our D-day that much closer but I know that it won't happen if she isn't ready yet. Now we're just trying to hurry up and wait. This should be fun!

Doctor Appointment!

2010-07-15T08:24:00.002-05:00

Today I have my next to last doctor's appointment and I can NOT believe it! Even though the past few weeks have been extremely uncomfortable I still feel like they have managed to creep up on me. Next week will (hopefully) be my last week of work and then our baby will arrive soon! It sounds like we're receiving a package in the mail. She has been very active at times and then resting for the big day, but when she moves she really moves. I'm pretty sure my right rib cage is bruised if not fractured on some level. Everyone at work is speculating when I'll have her based on the fact that I "haven't dropped" or "...you just don't look that big!". I try explaining that I am tall therefore I don't look huge and also that we are pretty sure she's a big baby. Even if she did manage to "drop" it might not look so different with all the space she's taking up. Check back this afternoon for an update after our doctor visit later this morning!

I was mean once...but just once.

2010-07-13T09:57:00.003-05:00

I have a vivid memory from 4th grade and for some random reason it came to me today so I'll share. When I was in the 4th grade I had one of my favorite teachers ever- Mrs. Daniels. She was very sweet, kind, nurturing and made learning fun. She taught me long division even though it used up all of her patience in one lesson. At one point during a normal day I had to use the bathroom and so I was excused to go to the restroom.

(There is somewhat of a backstory to this. At this point in time my mom had agreed to take one of my classmates to school every morning due to the fact that A) my mom is very sweet and B) sometimes she can't say no even though she may want to. This particular person would be dropped off at our house at what felt like the butt crack of dawn because her mom had to go to work very early. Often times said classmate would feel the need to wake me up before it was time and referred to my mom as Dalia. These things annoyed me greatly and as a 9 year old I didn't understand what a nice thing my mom had volunteered to do, I just knew that my sleep pattern had been greatly interrupted and I did not like it.)

I made my way to the restroom only to be followed shortly by this classmate of mine and I honestly can't say what came over me but as she started to enter one of the stalls I shut the door and told her that one was closed. She tried to go in anyway and I refused to let her pass. I told her she had to use the smaller stalls because this was for teachers only and that if anyone else saw her she would be sent to the Principal's office- immediately- and would surely be expelled or her mother would be called. She went into the stall anyway and as I left the restroom I informed her that she was about to get into big trouble. I had no intentions of tattle-telling but she did. To this day I'm not sure why I felt the need to be so mean to her and honestly it never happened again. Needless to say she told on me and I got in trouble but Mrs. Daniels took it easy on me. She understood that sometimes the devil may come over you and this was out of character for me. She called me to her desk and I got the whole "respect your fellow classmates" talk and that was that.

My story has no moral or point really. Just a random memory I thought I would share with you.
Next week I'll tell you how Rickelle and I got a Speak and Spell and typed out all kinds of cuss words for it to say because we felt like being bad. At least we weren't being mean to anyone.

Baby Bump Update

2010-07-08T11:53:00.006-05:00

I'm almost 37 weeks as you can see by the ticker at the top of the page and I'm feeling every bit of it. Cailyn is making quite an impression on my belly throughout the day and night. According to my doctor it's looking like I will be induced on the 26th of July unless something happens and my baby is HUGE then our last option may be a c-section. I like to say that- "my baby" -but everytime Steven gives me a look as if he had something to do with it and I quickly correct myself and say "our baby". This pleases dad. So, we are expecting our baby on around July 26th if not sooner. Let's all say a prayer that she'll decide to come on her own before I have to be induced. (I've heard not pleasant things about induction.) Either way we can't wait to meet her, hold her in our arms and kiss her (most likely) chubby cheeks. I even packed a couple of bows in the event she has enough hair for that. In the meantime here are a couple of pictures of me in my full on pregnancy glory...that was sarcasm.

*Do not view if you are eating, about to eat, have an appetite or want one within a few hours.*

Side view

Full on frontal

Guest writer! (Sing it in the "Ghost Writer" theme song tune)

2010-06-25T15:49:00.002-05:00

A guest post my clever husband didn't know would be featured on the blog today. Enjoy the little article/letter he wrote to somehow commend both our daughter and the "King of Pop" simultaneously.

I started this day by looking at the "Man in the Mirror" for a simple moment. I thought to myself about becoming a Dad in a few short weeks, and what a "Thriller" that adventure will be. For a second, and only a second...I considered naming her "Billie Jean". I can't wait to meet her, look her in the eyes and tell her "I Just Can't Stop Lovin You". l already have so much TLC for this "P.Y.T". We will have so much fun learning her "ABC"s, and given the blood line...I am sure she will be a "Dancin Machine" who loves to "Jam". Nervous, anxious, excited...all of these emotions ran through me, but I guess that's just "Human Nature". I thought about her growing up and how I might handle her if she acts "Bad". Or what it will be like when she starts bringing boys around. It really doesn't matter if they're "Black or White", but if they don't treat her right then I will have to tell them to "Beat It". I laughed when I thought about chaperoning her middle school dance, and busting loose with what the kids will perceive as some "Off the Wall" dance moves (mostly just to embarrass her a little). I imagined what it will be like when she learns how to drive...how it could be "Dangerous" and as much as I might want to "Scream", I will try to stay calm and remind her to simply "Ease On Down the Road". I thought about unruly Dad's from opposing sports teams at her games...and how I might just have to stand up ask if they "Wanna Be Startin Somethin". I know those teenage years will come and I should get ready to hear her yell "Leave Me Alone" a lot. BUT, even through those times she will never have to ask "Will You Be There", because always "I'll Be There". My first child...wow...fatherhood will most assuredly "Rock My World", but in a great way because the "Girl is Mine". I look forward to holidays, like Christmas, when I get to put toys together and secretly leave Santa presents under the tree like a "Smooth Criminal" undetected. Then the day will come when she is all grown up, and I just sit back and "Remember the Time" that we shared. Cailyn Marie...we haven't even met yet, but "The Way You Make Me Feel" is indescribable.

Sham-on,
Daddy
(In memory of Michael Jackson, The King of Pop, August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009)

If laundry could talk...

2010-06-22T09:30:00.003-05:00

...what do you think it would say to you? Would it express how it feels neglected through most of the week? Would the laundry talk about how great you make it feel? Would it speak of how it's always a priority or constantly neglected? If my laundry could talk it would tell me how much it appreciates the attention I give it. And it would apologize for being so high maintenance day in and day out. The boy laundry in our house would probably thank me for washing it regardless if it's dirty or not and for not putting it back on the hanger after only having been tried on. The senior citizens of our laundry community would thank me for not cutting them off and putting them to good use in the cleaning closet with the furniture polish. Although I'm pretty sure I put one of them out of "his" misery last weekend. It was time to say goodbye. I should do more but I can't. (Someone insists they are perfectly good undershirts.)

The laundry would probably write a poem to convey the apprecation it has for me for always taking care of it. I suspect it might go something like this:

Ode to our caretaker!
She washes, dries and folds us all
Neatly in organized piles so we won't ever be alone
And will always find our home

She treats our stains
And always picks the perfect temperature so we won't be uncomfortable
The wash is always pleasant and amicable
Thank you for always taking care of us!

Love always,
Your laundry pile

Missed Connections

2010-06-15T10:52:00.004-05:00

While doing minimal facebook stalking this morning I saw that someone I know was craiglisted. As in missed connections on craig's list. Not only can you sell furniture on craig's list you can also find out who the hottie was standing at the slurpee machine at the 7/11 around 10:30 on Tuesday night. I decided to go to the lost connections to see what people actually write. Thankfully the person I know didn't receive an entirely creepy message via craig's list but others aren't quite so lucky. For example:

"Chick in the mini skirt at grocery store on express and portland (nw)
Hey this is for the chick at the grocery at nw expressway and portland on sat.. I sure liked that jean skirt u was wearing.. I was at the register behind u.. Tell me wat my boy said to u and maybe we can talk.. U gave him a dirty look ... So it shouldnt be hard to remember wat he said.. "

that's just creepy and sad
Next:

"Lady in Black on Sunday - NW Xpressway Homeland - m4w (OKC)
I was behind you in the checkout... you were serenely cool behind your shades, in your dress, and heels - you got to your black Impala before I could catch up to talk... contact me - I think you know why.... "

Were you chasing her? That's probably why you couldn't catch up.

Next:

"Jimmy's Mom - m4w - 52 (SOKC)
I know this is way a long shot, but figured what the hell. Hope that helped Jimmy get his truck running better. Think it probably did, but was trying more to not make it obvious how attractive I found you than to help him find the problem. I know that you are married and I am spoken for, but there aren't many women who I meet only once and think, damn, I wish I knew her better weeks later. If you read this, and are interested, let me know. You will not be disappointed."

That sounds like family drama...but wait! There's a response:

"re-jimmys mom - m4w (sokc)
You are an horses ass to asume a married woman would hook up with you a married man. That is an insult to character. Your wife should be told, jackass "

Wow- don't mess with Jimmy's mom!

If you ever have a lost connection it's so easy to post- punctuation, spelling and grammar are not applicable!

baby quilt

2010-06-12T10:15:00.007-05:00

My aunt, Maryellen, is quite the quilter. (Say that fast 5 times.) She has a real talent and makes the most beautiful quilts. When you read quilt you may think of some blanket that was on grannies guest bed for as long as you can remember. That's NOT the kind of quilt I'm talking about. Maryellen makes beautiful quilts and has for years. In fact she's made one for just about every member of my family except me. I don't say that to sound jealous it's just that her work is like art and frankly I'd like a piece of her art work in my house. Basically you can tell her what types of colors you like and what size and something about your style and a few weeks later a beautiful quilt is produced and it's so unique you almost would rather frame it than put it on the bed. Here is a quilt that she made for Cailyn.

I told her the basic colors of the nursery and this is what she came up with.

It looks like something you could only find in some expensive couture baby store.

The opposite side is contrasting but complimentary too.
Thanks Aunt Maryellen!

more baby stuff

2010-06-09T17:35:00.005-05:00

This is my lovely, happy, sweet niece. She makes the cutest faces and aside from being the sweetest little baby, she's also too cool for school.

She loves these sunglasses. If she doesn't love them she at least doesn't mind them.

Steven told me I'm obsessed. I don't see a problem here.

Middle Name Announcement!

2010-06-08T09:44:00.005-05:00

Steven and I have decided on a middle name for our sweet baby girl. After much deliberation I am back again at Steven's orginal suggestion. We will be naming her Cailyn Marie Workman. I have a feeling Steven will be naming all of our children due to the fact that he is practical, creative, unique and traditional. All characteristics we were looking for in a name. We are just a few weeks away from the due date and it can't get here soon enough. I've started singing to her in the morning on my way to work hoping that when she's outside I can do something familiar to appease her. Of course if you've heard my singing voice you may wonder how she couldn't cry after listening to it.

She is kicking and squirming like crazy. I can definitely tell that the space is getting tight and I feel it most of the day. We can't wait to meet this little miracle! Someone once told me that pregnancy has to get so uncomfortable to make labor bearable. I am certainly growing more uncomfortable every day. Enough about me though, have you seen my niece?

She's the cutest!

"Aunt Brandi, why are you so weird?"

Brag time

2010-06-03T13:48:00.005-05:00

I'm worse than a grandma when it comes to showing off pictures of my niece. She's just the cutest, sweetest, softest thing ever! I beg my brother or Suzi every week for a picture of her and they are usually pretty good about sending something my way. Well, Suzi is good at sending a picture to me anyway. Here are the two most recent pictures of my precious niece from when she was in Branson (without me :::waaa::: ) this past weekend.

The most ridiculous advertisement for a baby product ever

2010-06-01T14:26:00.003-05:00

I was checking the baby carrier on our registry to make sure it was the one wanted. I bothered a couple in Target one day with a question about what I thought was the same baby carrier we (read Steven) registered for. While making sure it was the same one that included a breathable mesh, same brand etc. I came across the following photo used to advertise the sling.

This picture is ridiculous for a number of reasons.

1) he is wearing acid wash jeans

2)the baby is facing in which means he or she is a pretty small baby which means no mom to a baby that small would have abs like that.

3) no hat for the little one

4) a mom's pants would never be that white with a new baby or any offspring for that matter

5) did I mention her abs???

Cailyn "Chunk" Workman

2010-05-27T19:52:00.008-05:00

Today we had what we thought would be our last glimpse of Baby Workman before she arrived. After taking a few measurements the ultrasound tech asked us if either of us were big babies. I told her that I was 8 lbs 4 oz. and that Steven was over 9 lbs. She responded by saying "Ok, well, you're going to have a big baby." Cailyn is currently weighing in at 4.5 lbs and average for 30 weeks is 3.5 lbs.

The first thing our doctor said when she walked in the room was "What are you feeding this baby?!?!" Steven responded "Protein shakes!" So, we thought this meant our due date would be moved up but it doesn't. It simply means that we are having a big baby! Below I've posted some of the ultrasound photos and tried to label them to take away the guessing. Enjoy!

Baby Workman Update

2010-05-24T15:26:00.002-05:00

We are now at 30 weeks and 1 day which means we have less than 10 weeks left until my due date. I have a feeling she might come early but that could be due to wishful thinking and the fact that I'm growing more uncomfortable by the day. She is approximately 3.2 pounds at this stage and about 18 inches long. Let's hope she won't triple in weight (which is possible) before she's born. I'm hoping for a maximum of 5 more pounds however Steven was over 9 when he was born and I was over 8 pounds, a weight I thought was average most of my life until I learned that something closer to 7 is normal. That having been said I'm afraid we could have a big baby on our hands.

Our next doctor's appointment is this Thursday and we get to catch a glimpse of our little girl the last time before she arrives! I'll be posting pictures as soon as we have them.

A baby shower and too-cute baby things!

2010-05-20T14:47:00.008-05:00

Sunday afternoon some lovely friends of mine threw a baby shower for me. (Maybe that should be Cailyn had her first baby shower.) She received so many cute things and some very functional items as well. One of the first gifts was a new baby!!!Just kidding- this is Harper and she belongs to a set of great parents. But Jenn let me hold her for practice. She's a chunky happy baby with a LONG set of eyelashes. I'm glad she was there. She held the attention of everyone in the room and I didn't have to deal with all the pressure of being the center of attention. (Which is always awkward at a shower of any sort.)

Another cute item was this onesie from Emily. I can't wait to get her picture while she's wearing this one.

Lynn bought us a bath tub along with some really cute accessories, one of which I was amazed with. The little duck lets you know if the water is too hot for baby and you can read on the bottom "HOT" when the water is too hot. Sweet, now we don't have to worry about burns.

This is a onesie from Ashley; it's a kick-arse Puma onesie.

In addition to cute things I also received blankets, daipers, nursing pads, hand sanitizer and books. Thank you ladies for a wonderful shower!

Featured from left to right are Lori, Kathie, Pregzilla, Samantha and Katie.

Weather

2010-05-19T14:58:00.002-05:00

I know all of you have been concerned about Steven and I since hearing the reports of the terrible weather in Oklahoma. (That was sarcasm.) We are doing great and so far nothing too terrible has hit our home or cars. In the meantime we've been getting to know our local weather men better than ever.

2 steps forward 12 steps back

2010-05-10T11:16:00.002-05:00

This morning I awoke after sleeping through the majority of the night. These days 2 bathrooms breaks at night time are a God-send. I was also pleasantly surprised that I slept so well seeing as how I went to bed with a horrible stomach ache due to the fact that I ate almost an entire bag of movie theater popcorn by myself. I don't know why I do it to myself. It's just that it taste SO good! All of this was after eating a frozen yogurt covered in candy which came after Sunday brunch at Mama Roja's. In my defense it was the BEST breakfast quesadilla I have EVER had. (Me? Exaggerate? Never.) So anyway, I woke up this morning feeling energized and decided to do some prenatal yoga in the living room. Cailyn loved it, or hated it. I'm not quite sure but she wiggled the whole time. When I arrived at work I took the stairs as usual and even took the stairs down to the basement and back up. It may not sound like much but please consider I'm toting around a few extra pounds these days and quite frankly I'm out of shape. This day will be great! Except for the fact that although I tried to snack on an apple, an evil lady I work with told me there were evil doughnuts in her office. Low and behold there was a doughnut iced with chocolate and covered in sprinkles. (No, I do not count that as my extra 300 calories a day.) Of course I didn't restrain myself, after all I did Yoga and I took the stairs. It wasn't until I looked at the sprinkles strewn across my desk and the napkin with the delicious chocolate icing stains did I realize that I just took 2 steps forward and 12 steps back. This week's weigh in should be fun!

Cinco de Mayo: the Myth, the Mystery, the Truth

2010-05-05T09:28:00.004-05:00

Maybe Cinco de Mayo isn't that mysterious, however many people believe that it is a celebration of Mexico's independence. This, my friends, simply is not true. In fact the holiday is celebrated more widely here in America than it is in Mexico. So the myth? That it's a national holiday in Mexico when really it's just a highly commercialized day in the U.S. It gives thousands of American's a reason to drink on a week day and eat more mexican food than one should ever be allowed. I personally love this celebration. So the mystery? What is Cinco de Mayo if not a celebration of Mexican independence? Here comes the truth. The truth is that Cinco de Mayo originated from a battle that took place in the state of Puebla, Mexico between the French and Mexican armies in 1862. The French army had dispatch 6,000 soldiers who were to launch an attack on the city of Puebla. Led by Texas-born General Ignacio Zaragoza, the vastly outnumbered and poorly supplied Mexicans fortified the town and prepared for the French assault. The battle lasted from dawn until early evening until the French retreated having lost some 500 soldiers to Mexico's 100. The victory was more of a moral one and helped to tighten Mexican resistance. Needless to say Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in Puebla every year but mostly it is observed as a day to recognize Hispanic heritage among Mexican-Americans.
There you have it, the myth, the mystery the truth. As Paul Harvey would say "..and now you know the rest of the story."

La-ove and sweet things...

2010-04-29T09:19:00.005-05:00

4 years ago today my best friend in the entire world got married. I hated her decision. I had no idea why she had to get married and move away and live in Texas and have a husband and a whole life without me. It made no sense to me. (Until I met Steven that very same weekend, then I quickly understood. Fate is funny.) Steven and I have a conversation about couples that we either just met or couples that are recently together. Not everyone receives this conversation of approval.

Brandi: I really like her.

Steven: Yea, she seems nice and he's good people.

Brandi: I like them together, you know as a "couple".

Steven: Yea, I know what you mean, I like them together too.

Happy Anniversary to one of our favorite couples that we like together...

Another class tonight

2010-04-26T10:27:00.002-05:00

On the eve of our second wedding anniversary Steven and I are going to attend a newborn feeding class. We've agreed that he's responsible for all introductions and speaking engagements hence forth. I'll let you know how the class goes but I suspect it will be very similar to the same lame-o group of pregnant women as last time. I'm thinking I may bring a box of wine just for kicks.

What I learned from newborn care class

2010-04-22T10:25:00.004-05:00

Last night Steven and I had a class teaching us about newborn care. The topics covered were bathing, diapering, umbilical cord care, daycare and child seat safety just to name a few. The class started up with everyone introducing themselves and their spouse, what they were having and when they were due. If you knew of some great baby item or had questions about a baby item you were also able to bring that up and it would be discussed. Steven shot me a glance and whispered "What are you excited about?" and I replied "A jogging stroller" and I thought I heard him say "That's what I was going to say." but what he really said was "That's a good idea." (baby brain on my part) So when it came our turn (next to last) to introduce ourselves I thought he had it covered but instead he looked at me and I stared at him. Finally I spoke and said "I'm Brandi and this is..." thinking he would say his own name but he just looked back at me instead so I uttered out "...Steven, my baby daddy." I thought it would get some laughs-it did not. I went on to completely forget to mention we are having a girl due in August 1. Yea, I forgot to mention the baby. Don't say anything! Steven already let me know that I left her out to dry.

I'm sorry Cailyn, I didn't forget about you I was just nervous because I hadn't prepared anything for that brief moment when your Father left me hanging.

So I went on to mention that I was excited to get a jogging stroller so I could run again and also that I was excited to be able to drink wine. Again- crickets. Steven just looked at me, shook his head and laughed. I'm sure these people thought I was a lush who got knocked up by some guy whose name I couldn't quite remember. I miss my friends because I know that if they had been there I would have at the very least heard an Amen! So what I learned from parenting class is apparently I'm the ONLY pregnant woman who misses wine and husbands don't introduce themselves. Oh and I'm not good on the fly. No matter how little I'm asked to speak. We have two more classes to take and Steven said he would have introductions covered from here on out.

15 years ago...

2010-04-19T09:23:00.003-05:00

It was 15 years ago today at about this time (9:40 a.m.) that one of the most vivid memories I have from childhood came about. 15 years ago Oklahoma was attacked and although tragedy struck our city and state, we came out stronger in the end. I remember being in Mrs. Cabler's 5th grade class when we were told that there had been a bombing in Oklahoma City. At the time it may as well have been on the other side of the globe. I had no idea what was going on or just how close to home it actually was. There may have been a few 10 year olds that did but I didn't know them. The teachers moved the four 5th grade classrooms into one room where we were shown live footage of the absolute terror that had struck our state. To this day I'm not sure why they felt it appropriate to show 75 ten-year-olds the graphic news coverage but in a strange way I am glad they did. I will never forget the images I saw, the destruction that was created and the bewildered and tormented looks on the faces of the victims and onlookers. I saw the destruction that hatred caused that day but I also remember very clearly the firefighters, the policemen and even everyday Oklahomans making their way through the crowds to try and help those that had been injured during the explosion. I remember seeing the debris everywhere and still unclear about what had happened, as I'm sure many were. I will never forget the live images and I will never forget the way our first responders reacted that day. Obviously someone who was there in person will have much more detailed stories and events, but for me it is an event I will never forget. In addition to this memory from when I was young I also partook in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon almost a year ago. It was truly a remarkable event and I wasn't quite expecting what I experienced. A couple of days leading up to the race I heard someone on the news say that the race isn't about running or trying to beat a record it's about remembering the victims and survivors of the tragedy itself. Although I wasn't expecting to feel any sort of emotion relating to the actual event (after all I had been training to run the half for quite a few months, this was my moment) I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for our city and other runners. People had t-shirts memorializing their fathers, mothers, children and relatives who had not survived the blast. I can honestly say that the race was ran by many (to include myself) in the memory of the lost loved ones on April 19, 1995. There is always a silver lining, however hard it may be to find, and this is no exception. During the ceremonies people don't reflect on anti-government extremists, or Timothy McVeigh but instead they focus on the strengths of our city, state and society. If you ever have the chance I encourage you to visit the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial and museum. It is truly remarkable to see what was created out of such a huge disaster. The museum places you in the building on April 19 and takes you through a small portion of what it must have been like on that day. Today this particular event hits especially close to home now that I'm expecting. I can't even begin to imagine the pain mothers and fathers felt across the state that day. I do know that people came together that day and through the tragedy there was also a great amount of courage and love displayed by people.

Dr. Barki, 2 - Brandi, 0

2010-04-16T09:15:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday I had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon at 1:30. It was a regular visit for a checkup and of course everything was normal and the baby is growing at just the right rate. However, I'm not certain I'm growing at a normal rate. Allow me to explain. After measuring my uterus my doctor said I seem to be right on track, not too fast, not too slow. Of course, as usual, an appointment won't pass without mention of my weight gain. Thankfully this is never the first issue addressed but I can assure you it is always addressed. Dr. Barki told me I should shoot for a weight gain of 3 lbs each week. This is a feat I haven't been able to obtain yet and I doubt I will at any point in my pregnancy. I know that weight gain is healthy and that even though a woman is pregnant it is not a green light for her to eat anything and everything in sight and I haven't given myself a free pass which was the point I was trying to make to my doctor. At her first mention of my weight gain I told her that I used my pants as a reference and I can still fit in to them it's just the waist part that won't reach. My ambiguous point was that obviously the weight isn't going to my ass and thighs, it's going somewhere else. The following dialogue ensued.

Dr. Barki: How much did I say the baby weighs at this point?

Brandi: A pound and a half.

Dr. Barki: Yea, (smirking) so even if you subtract that from the weight gain you'd have a couple of pounds left over so....It's not all going to the baby. (smirk)

I could have punched her but instead I just nodded and said "Ok"
I'm sure you may be wondering "Geez, how much has this woman gained?" and my answer is a total of 15 pounds and I'm almost 6 months AND I'm not ashamed. I know the baby still has some growing to do, as do I, but I'm active and I still try to eat right. Of course when I told Steven his response was "Oohhh, ZING! Dr. Barki 2 - Brandi 0!"

I'm angry- I'm going to eat some Hershey kisses now.

The cutest thing ever

2010-04-13T11:46:00.008-05:00

This past weekend I got to babysit my niece however I want it to be clear that I do not take any responsibility for the following photo. In all honesty I wasn't even around when this picture was taken. If I had been I would have done something to stop this abuse.

I was around for the following photos. Grammy was moving Kinley's hands as if she were playing a piano while she was singing songs. She loved it and you can absolutely tell!

At first she wasn't too sure but she's getting the hang of it.

She had so much fun with Grammy and I LOVE the smile!

Check out this baby bumpage

2010-04-06T08:40:00.000-05:00

I'm not a HUGE fan of my baby bump pictures but have no fear, Steven and I are keeping track weekly of the incredible growth of our baby and coincidentally my belly. I've never felt more unattractive and this whole "belly" thing is something I'm really going to have to get used to for just a few more months. Yesterday a security guard at work asked me how much longer. I was somewhat confused and replied "I guess until 4:30.". I know that was confusing, I could tell by the look on his face. I quickly responded, "Oh, you weren't talking about the work day were you?" and he kindly shook his head while thinking - That's a real blond. I explained that I'm not used to looking pregnant and therefore having people ask me about it.

Below is a picture Steven took on Good Friday and I think I'm looking especially pregnant. I promise that's my belly (which I know will only get bigger) and not something the Easter bunny hid underneath my shirt.

This is my mother-in-law...

2010-04-04T07:48:00.003-05:00

This is my mother-in-law on Rock Band Beatles...

More baby things!

2010-04-04T07:24:00.004-05:00

Baby things have been consuming me and I guess that's normal seeing as how we are having our first baby around August 1st of this year. For some reason I feel as though I let it take over, control my inner psyche and the rest is history. (You'll see what I mean.) This past week Steven's mom flew out to Oklahoma for her spring break. She wanted to help us with the baby room and that's exactly what she did. In two magical days she painted the room and even the trim. On the first day she was here she helped us pick out this beautiful, sturdy crib and below you can see the finished (bed) product. Of course there is a lot more left to do in the room, but I feel we have plenty of time...ehem...August 1. But this is what I mean - the crib is done and we still have at least 3.5 months left! My name is Brandi and I'm a baby things addict. I love the soft yellow of the walls. Angie picked out the color I love the stain of the crib. I'll keep you posted about my baby addictions in the coming weeks.

Baby Name Announcement!

2010-04-01T09:42:00.004-05:00

After dozens of days of deliberating Steven and I have agreed on a name we both love. The baby name game began a long time ago for us so don't think this was a snap decision. It is certainly one we have been thinking about and discussing thoroughly. The process for deciding on a name wasn't an unusual one. We simply started a list contributing names that we both liked and then one by one we marked off names that we didn't like. I would add names and Steven would mark some of them off and vice verse. The name we decided on is one that we deem worthy of our first daughter and one that just seems to fit. It's feminine yet sporty and we all know how sports prevail in our household. We have chosen the name: Cailyn Workman
I feel the spelling isn't unusual or strange but just so everyone knows it is pronounced k-lin, not kay lynn. (It's a weird issue I have but this is a one word name, not two.)

We haven't decided on a middle name yet but as soon as we do we'll put it all together for everyone to see!

Dream Girls

2010-03-23T13:06:00.005-05:00

I know that strange dreams are common especially during pregnancy. Hormones are so out of whack and every day there is a new thought of anxiety- Will I make a good mom? Is the baby ok? What if something strange happens at delivery? - that increases the risk of strange, bizarre and nonsensical dreams. However last night I had a dream that was especially disturbing. It started off in high school in Pawhuska. There was a pep assembly in the cafeteria (strange in itself, they were always held in the field house) and my best friend Morgan was there in her cheer leading outfit. Also the rednecks I graduated with were there all wearing their usual wranglers; Tony Brown, Justin Carr and D. Easley. None of this is sounding shocking right now, I know, but it will. The band was playing and we were all singing Loyalty. All of a sudden everyone forgot the words and I had to direct them and keep singing. After I had directed the entire school in the singing of our school song I glanced down (this is where it gets weird) and saw that I had on acid washed, tapered leg jeans with Velcro shoes. Maybe not so strange but I graduated high school in 2002. Acid wash was out and this is way before skinny jeans. This is a pretty good idea of what I saw.

These dreams are getting so crazy and I don't understand. It might have something to do with having a girl and extra female hormones and fashion sense. I can't put it all together but I hope that I never have a dream like this again.

(P.S. I love Google Images. You can type in anything and you'll find it!)

Baby Bedding Time!

2010-03-19T08:48:00.006-05:00

So I'm a freak and the second I found out I was pregnant I started browsing online for bedding and cribs. While browsing one day without regard for sex I came across this and fell in love with it. It had great colors, versatility and most of all wasn't covered in pink. Not that I have anything against pink it's just that it can be a little overwhelming at times especially if there's just too much of it. Then I had a (wrong) feeling that we would be having a boy so I decided to move on and stop looking at the cute things available for a girl and started looking at unisex and boy things. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that the very day we found out it was a girl, immediately after work I purchased the 6 piece bedding set. It came with the blanket, sheet, crib skirt, diaper stacker valance and the bumper pads. All the unisex bedding logic went out the window and this is what was left. Sundae bedding by CoCaLo. Hope you like it baby Workman, and even if you don't it's ok. Your eyes can't see color for a few months anyway!

My baby brain strikes again

2010-03-16T09:06:00.003-05:00

I don't mean to overshadow the excellent news from yesterday, but it is my blog and I can do whatever I want. I decided to wear tennis shoes to work today and then change into my heels once I got to the office. It's a small trek into the building and then another 3 flights of stairs to my office. This morning I did the normal chores, a few dishes, put some lunch together, grabbed the things I don't need but afraid to leave the house without and out the door I went. I opened the garage, started up my car, backed out, called my mother to tell her other good news and it wasn't until I was 5 minutes from work that I realized I forgot my dress shoes. I was so excited about being able to feel our baby move this morning at 5:00 a.m. and about Steven being able to feel her kick (hard for weighing just 10 ounces!) that I left home without my entire wardrobe. I have a feeling this will only get worse.

IT'S A GIRL!

2010-03-15T19:44:00.004-05:00

We found out today that we are having a baby girl. We were able to see her face, her eyes, arms, legs, feet and hands! A name has not been determined but I will let everyone know as soon as we figure it out! In the picture above you can make out her eyes, nose and lips. I know these pictures are hard to decipher and the only reason I can make things out is because the tech pointed everything out to us. During the ultrasound we could see her twitching, flexing her legs, cossing her feet and she even put her hand up by her face. She is about 7 inches and 10 ounces. The bottom picture is of her lying on her back with her looking away. You can make out the spine on the bottom and her head is on the left and her body is on the right. Let's hear it for baby Workman and as for names leave your suggestions- we're compiling a list.

2010-03-14T18:19:00.002-05:00

Today I had 2 servings of breakfast casserole, 1 bowl of cheerios with half a banana, grapes, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, bean and cheese nachos and a slice of pizza. I knew pregnancy can make you feel hungry but today was exceptionally bad. I kept eating and eating and eating; you get the idea. Tomorrow is a doctor's appointment and a weigh in. I'm sure today put me over the edge but I won't mind because we'll be finding out what we're having!

Happenings in a Hallmark

2010-03-09T14:20:00.004-06:00

One day quite a few weeks ago I went to a Hallmark store to purchase cards for a late birthday, an upcoming birthday and something else that I can't recall. While browsing the birthday cards a very old lady crept up next to me in the aisle with her snazzy walker. She casually picked up a card and just as casually passed gas. It wasn't exactly quiet but it wasn't loud. I shot a glance in her direction but not wanting to stare or make her feel uncomfortable I just went back to my card ignoring anything written on the inside. I just needed to shift my focus. This lady never paused and I'm not sure if it's because she didn't hear it or if it was because she just didn't care. I had to walk over to a different aisle, take a seat and laugh silently. I came to realize a few things that day: 1) Getting older isn't so bad especially if it means I don't have to hold uncomfortable gas inside until I reach a restroom and 2) I believe even if I had stared at said lady, she wouldn't have felt uncomfortable once and that I can respect.

2010-03-04T13:45:00.005-06:00

If my baby could hear and understand language, I would communicate to him or her to please get off my bladder. Although it's great excercise I can't keep making trips to the bathroom every 10 minutes.

Also I would like to notify everyone that in 11 days we will find out what we are having! It will be posted, texted, emailed and yelled. But check back here anyway. You may even get a sneak peak!

Things that went wrong on April 26

2010-02-26T09:57:00.003-06:00

In exactly two months Steven and I will be celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary. I was browsing through some photos from our wedding and reminiscing about the day. It was so exciting and pleasant, exhilarating and care free. The day went so smooth, almost better than planned but there were definitely things that just went wrong. Things that went wrong after our reception site had called me two weeks prior to our wedding date to inform me that we had been double booked and could no longer use the facility. I argued with the guy for a few minutes, certain that Steven or one of his friends had "Punk'd" me. (They had not.) Fortunately for our guests the bride had an extremely uncharacteristically chill factor about her that day and nothing phased her out of the zone.

-First thing that went wrong was my makeup. I asked for a smokey eye look from the make up "artist" and obviously judging by the pictures there was no smokey eye. She had deemed that what I wanted and what she thought I should look like were two different things. (Grrr)

-Second thing that went wrong was my bra. The silicone cups weren't quite sticking how and where they should. I moved along. There was nothing to do at this point.

-Third thing was the Trinity. I forgot it in front of everyone and Steven had to remind me. For some reason I wanted to say Holy Ghost instead of Spirit and at the last minute I couldn't remember which was which.

-Fourth thing was directions. I left Steven with the task of bringing the directions to the church so all of our guests would know how to get to the reception site. Steven forgot but it didn't matter because the roads we mapped out were blocked off due to the Memorial Marathon the next day. (A race I would run myself one year later.)

-Fifth thing was extra cups for the kegs we provided and dessert plates for the cake. Luckily since the caterer had covered EVERYTHING they brought plenty of cups for our keg and theirs and dessert.

-Sixth thing was the cake topper. I forgot it and it never made the top of the cake at our wedding.

This all just goes to show how much you can plan and prepare and things still won't go accordingly. This also shows just how much those things don't matter.

Things that went right April 26, 2008- we were married!

The End.

Boots

2010-02-25T10:19:00.003-06:00

Is it strange that rain boots remind me of my mother? For some reason over the past 2-3 years when I see a cute pair of rain boots I want to buy my mother a pair and this I can't explain. Maybe it's the cute designs on each boot or the fact that each pair is so unique, much like my mom. This year just may be the year I actually buy her a pair. I know this is very strange but the polka dots remind me of her perky personality and the psychadelic paisley ones remind me of what she must have been like as a teenager. (She handed down her posters to me from her teenage years and if you could see them, the former statement wouldn't seem so strange.) Then when I see green ones I remember it's her favorite color and she MUST have these. I'll end the post with this- I have no idea whether or not my mom even wants/likes/longs for a pair of rain boots. As she used to say to me on shopping excursions when I was on the fence about an item, "You just have to have this, you need this." Mom, I just feel that you need these boots.