The Maounis Fam

2010-08-13T10:13:00.003-04:00

so much for blogging more often...a summary of our summer

2010-08-13T09:40:00.009-04:00

Well, my boy is 14 months old now, and I don't even think anyone is out there reading this, but I will write for myself...

We have had the most amazing summer. Lucas turned 1 and we had a backyard beach themed bday party. Over 50 people came to our little house! Thank goodness it didn't rain! That boy is so surrounded by love it's just ridiculous.

We spent many summer days playing in our yard. If there is one thing I love about our house, it's the yard. We have an awesome yard, and I am realizing it is hard to find up here on the mountain.

In July we went to Florida with the fam. It was a wonderful week and Lucas loved the beach!

This summer we also enrolled in playgym at the Creative Discovery Museum. Every Thursday morning we went to playgym and met up with Katie and/or Kevin and Owen (and later baby Brecken came too). It was so much fun to see my boy grow and change over the 8 weeks of the class. When we started he seemed so small next to the older 1 year olds. He wasn't even walking. We loved playgym and I really wish it was something I could do year round with him.

So now as summer draws to a close, I think about how lucky I am to be able to spend these precious moments with my kiddo. And while I do wish I could stay home with him full time, it just isn't in the cards for us right now. So I will be thankful that I have this time AND that I have a job where I can bring him to school with me and have someone keep him there. I do realize how blessed I am to have that kind of set up and I don't take it for granted one minute.

I forgot to mention the person Lucas loves playing with the most-Haiden. She and Lucas have been able to see each other and play almost every day this summer. She really loves her "baby". She is always so concerned about him. She really is a great older cousin. And while she picks on him and sometimes tries to torment him, he is catching on and soon enough he will be right there driving her crazy too! She reminds me of myself when I was little...at least from what I have seen on home videos...always the boss, always pushing Hailey's buttons and making her cry. Now Hailey's child is doing it to my child! Ha! Anyway, it's fun to see them play together and I know they will be best buddies.

So for now I will say that I will post more often. But let's be honest...I probably won't

2010-03-13T09:29:00.001-05:00

9 months in, 9 months out

2010-03-13T09:07:00.012-05:00

Well, it's official. My boy is nine months old! Where has the time gone? I can't decide if my pregnancy flew by faster or if the past 9 months have gone by faster. Either way, about a year and a half has gone by since I first found out my life was about to change drastically...I just never realized how much.

Some days I still think, gosh, this kid is awesome and he is MINE! How did I get so lucky?

He really is a great baby, and his little personality is starting to show through more and more every day. 2 weeks ago he took his first crawling "steps". He still doesn't go very far, as he is usually pretty satisfied as long as there is a toy in reach. (I am very thankful for that!) But the past couple of days he has started traveling a bit more. I really need to get my house baby-proofed!

He loves his Haiden. Every time he sees her, his face just lights up and he goes in for a hug. I know they are going to be best buds. And boy does she love her baby! She is like a little mama. She likes to take his paci out and say "He's not crying. He doesn't need it."

Last weekend we did something that my friends and I have talked about for YEARS-went on a "mini-vacation" together. So 13 of us rented a cabin in the smokies and had the BEST time! Oh how thankful I am to have such great friends. Who would have ever thought that over 10 years ago when I ran out those doors of Patten Chapel that I was running into meeting some of the best friends and some great memories. It always amazes me how far we have come. From partying like rockstars at Rhythm and Brews and late night Greek show practices to getting married and now having babies (well, a few of us anyway). Our daily lives have changed but we still now how to have a good ol time! With babies in tow, we spent the weekend reminiscing, playing Jenga and Wii, and shopping shopping shopping. And who can forget the late night talks of our "deepest secrets" haha. It was a great weekend, and I hope it won't take another 6 years before we do it again!

Of course my child decided it would be a good time to get sick on me Friday before we left. He ran a fever all weekend, but luckily he acted fine. When we got back he was more pitiful and ended up with a rash which ended up being roseola. So this week I have been dealing with a sick baby. Whoever said breastfeeding would help him stay well was wrong in my child's case. I swear he picks up everything! But who knows...I guess if I didn't breastfeed he may be sick more often. Anyway, he is well now, and I am thankful for my sweet, happy baby back!

So I look forward to the next 9 months...watching Lucas grow more and more. And seeing him start to really interact with all the friends he has around him. He has 3 more friends who will be born in the next 5 months-Yasmine, Katie, and Abby will all have their babies by July...and Yasmine is due any day now. So exciting to share the joys of motherhood with these girls who have been my friends for SO many years. Lifetimes really!

OK enough blabbing. I am really going to try to update this more often. If not for anyone else, for myself so that I can remember these days more easily!

Some highlights of the last few months

2010-02-08T16:57:00.006-05:00

Lucas's first boat ride on the Blue Moon in November

Lucas's first Thanksgiving and getting ready for Christmas!

Lucas's first snow! December 2009

Ok now it's being stupid again and won't let me upload more...computers are not my friend

Time flies when you're a mom!

2010-02-08T16:39:00.005-05:00

Where have the last 8 months gone? My baby is inching his way towards the one year mark and I don't know how I feel about that! I just read my last post and realize how much has happened since I wrote last. I really don't even know where to begin...so I will try to be brief (haha)

We are having a great year at school. Lucas has a great time with Bri and Katie in the nursery. He and Katie are so cute together.
We had a great fall and were always out and about enjoying the weather. This winter has been a weird one. We have had 3 snows that actually accumulated. It has been fun sticking Lucas in the snow and taking pictures.
We made it through Lucas's first holiday season, and everything went as smoothly as possible. Lucas was spoiled rotten with all of the presents from grandparents. Of course, it was also our first Christmas without Nana. I was so worried that I would be a basketcase, but I really just had this peace come over me around the holidays. I know she was with us and watching over all of the festivities.

Cute story about Haiden- Sometime in early January Haiden told Hailey to go to Walmart and get some purple balloons. Hailey asked why, and Haiden said she wanted to fly on a balloon up to Heaven and get Nana and bring her back. So on Nana's birthday, January 17, we went to Peggy's and released 3 purple balloons. It was a bittersweet moment.

So we just keep trucking along. Lucas is growing sooooo fast! He hasn't started crawling yet, which I am ok with :) He is just so chill and content to play with whatever toy is in front of him. Everyone is always saying what a good baby he is. Lately he has started playing peek-a-boo with us, and I am trying to teach him to clap. He really tries and has started randomly doing his hands like I do when I sing "pat a cake" on the "roll it roll it roll it roll it throw it in the pan" part. I hope you can get a visual.
Lucas is also babbling all the time. He babbles dadadadadada to everything, and then he says bababa and sometimes a maammamama. Not sure if he has put meaning to any words yet, but the other day it did seem like he looked at evan and said "dada". I hate to admit that!

We have been battling a lot of illness in the house. Evan is sick as I speak, and Lucas has an ear infection for 3 weeks and while he had that Evan got a stomach bug. Hoping for some good health in the coming weeks!

I feel like this is a big ramble of randomness, so I hope I don't bore you. If anyone is actually out there...

What a summer!

2009-08-31T17:21:00.002-04:00

Well, I don't really even know where to begin. The last 3 months have been a whirlwind. Some of the absolute best times and some of the saddest. As I type this I am getting a little weepy just thinking about it. I guess I will start from the beginning...
School got out May 29, just in time to celebrate Hannahkah. I was very pregnant and very ready for that baby to get out of me! I was pretty much miserable. Whoever said I would miss being pregnant was wrong. I much prefer my baby on the outside.
So June 1, Dad called me to tell me Nana had been put in the hospital that night, but she was ok. Just had some back pain. Of course, he was trying to keep me from worrying since I was 38 weeks pregnant. Needless to say I worried. She spent the next week in the CCU at Memorial. I went to visit almost every day. I pretty much spent my time at the hospital. She had blood clots and was not doing well. It was probably the worst week of my life. I didn't even have time to think about my upcoming delivery. All I wanted was for Nana to meet Lucas. But she was in so much pain. She kept holding on though.
The last day I visited her was Sunday, June 7. I knew as I left that night it would be the last time I saw her. I just held her hand and told her Lucas would be here soon.
Monday Dad didn't want me to come down to see her. She wasn't doing well, and everyone was very upset. Dad actually tried to tell me that they weren't allowing visitors, but he eventually told me the truth. Evan took me to Greenlife to try to get my mind off things and get excited about the baby. I truly could not get excited. I was so upset. We went home and relaxed on the couch and tried to get some sleep that night.

Tuesday, June 9 I went in to the hospital for my scheduled c-section. I was excited at this point and just ready to meet my little boy. But in the back of my head I was so sad. Mom met us at the hospital and they started prepping me for surgery. It happened so fast I didn't have time to think about the fact that I was about to be cut open! Evan and Mom both got to be in the room with me during the surgery, and at 7:51 am my life changed. Lucas was perfect, and my world had a whole new meaning. Dad and Evan's mom and grandmom were there waiting for us when we were rolled out. The next couple of days were a flurry of visitors. My family spent most of their time with Nana, which is what I wanted, but they came to see Lucas when they needed some happy time. Nana was moved to the hospice wing on the afternoon of the 9th. The doctors didn't think she would make it past that day. Dad was able to take pictures of Lucas and take them to her to show her her 12th great-grandbaby.

Early Thursday morning, around 1:30 or 2 am, I woke up from a dream about Nana. I knew she was gone. I just sat there and cried as Evan slept and Lucas was in the nursery. That morning I called dad around 8, and he told me. She had passed around 1:30 that morning. I knew her pain was gone, but it still killed me inside. I miss her so much. I still can't believe she's gone. But I know she is watching over us.

So that morning we were released from the hospital and made our first stop at Papa's house. He hadn't gotten to see Lucas yet, and we knew it would be good for him to see him. I really believe the timing of Lucas's birth and Nana's death really helped the family deal with her being gone. Lucas certainly helped me find some happiness in an otherwise depressing time. The next day we went to the visitation, and Saturday was the memorial service. It was very beautiful, and really captured what an amazing woman she was. I am so blessed to have had such a remarkable woman as my grandmother. I always looked up to her, and some of my happiest memories were made at Nana and Papa's house. I just hope I can be as good of a mom as she was.

So we truly experienced the circle of life this summer. I haven't even begun to explain the joy that Lucas brought into my life. He is absolutely perfect, and while there have definitely been some moments when I thought the sleep deprivation was going to kill me, it has all been worth it.

More later...Lucas is up and he's hungry!

Changed due date

2009-04-16T09:28:00.003-04:00

Well, two weeks ago at my 31 week checkup, Dr. Brown decided to tell me he was setting my due date at June 13, based on the ultrasound I had around 18 wks. I was feeling overly emotional that afternoon anyway, so when I got in the car, I just started crying. A man should not be allowed to change a woman's due date at 31 weeks! Ugh. So I decided to boycott, but now I am just confusing myself. So I will go ahead and start saying June 13 is my due date as much as I hate it. This little booger better come before then!

So yesterday I had another checkup, at which I would have been 32 wks 6 days, but now was 31 wks 4 days. I am a numbers person and routine person so changing things is not easy for me. So now I will be 32 weeks on Saturday. I know it doesn't matter at all, and he will come when he comes, but it's just the principle.

I still think June 3 would be a good day because then it's 6-3-09 and 6 plus 3 is 9. 6-12-09 would be ok (except that it's entirely too far away) because all those numbers are multiples of 3. (all the numbers in my wedding date are multiples of 7. I didn't choose that date because of that, but I did like how that worked out. I know I'm a math dork!)

So on another topic-I have two showers coming up this weekend, which I am so excited about! I can't wait to start organizing all of Lucas's little things. I am also really just excited to see some good friends. I will post pics after the showers.

Growing bellies, baby showers, and baby's room in progress

2009-03-31T17:22:00.015-04:00

Saturday we went for our 3D/4D ultrasound. We got to see our growing boy, and it was so cute! The whole fam was there (well, not really but mom, dad, mammaw, hailey, haiden, margaret, and dino were there). Lucas was all nestled against my uterine wall and would not let us see his face from the front. He even flexed his muscles for us, and shot us a peace sign, as well as playing with his nose with his thumb. We also got a shot of his profile, and I still stick with my original thought that he has Evan's profile (it's probably inevitable). I drank some caffeine before the ultrasound, and he was a wiggle worm. So here are some pics of our boy. Can't wait to meet him!

So as baby Lucas grows, so does my belly. Here are a few pics of my ever changing wasteline...

St Patty's day I think, so about 28wks 5 days

And here I think I am somewhere a few days before hitting the 30 wk mark.

This past Sunday, Lissa, Jen Ankar, and Brandi threw Tammi, Jen Horton, and me a "diapers and wipes" shower at the KD suite since we are all due around the same time. It was fun to get together with the girls and reminisce about the good ol days. Our baby boys all got teddy bears from KD :) So we spent the afternoon talking baby talk and looking through scrapbooks. It was a nice afternoon with good friends. Here are some highlights. (Tammi is about 36 wks, Jen is about 33, and I am 30 and a couple days)
And while I was at the shower, my dad came up to help Evan work on the room some more. The finished putting in the baseboards and painted some doors. Monday night, Evan and I put together the crib. The room is coming together!

No cute title here... :)

2009-03-24T10:06:00.004-04:00

Well, it has been a while since I updated. Nothing too significant has happened around here lately except that I continue to grow. I love it when people say, wow you are big, or wow I don't think you will make it to June. Seriously...make the pregant woman feel good about herself please :) But really, I am feeling pretty good. Baby Lucas has really started kicking and punching hard. I am still trying to decipher body parts, but I think I have a good idea of his feet from his hands. I could be completely wrong though. Saturday we go for the 3D ultrasound, and I can't wait to see how much he has grown since 18 wks.
I will be 30 weeks on Thursday. AH! Time really is flying by. We are continuing to work on the room. I am trying to get my dad up here to help Evan out with the painting of the crown moulding, windows, doors, baseboards, etc. Evan has been busting his butt trying to get the Signal Deals business going, which doesn't leave much time for work around the house. Hopefully, the room will be finished soon, because I am dying to organize things. I have already cleaned out just about every closet in the house!

I will post pics of my growing belly soon. I need to upload them to my computer first. Meanwhile, I will go back to playing spider solitaire ( I am seriously addicted)

The squares are finished!

2009-02-21T18:02:00.007-05:00

Evan taped the wall off Friday night, and I painted today. It looks so awesome!

YAY!

Pink it Forward

2009-02-21T08:41:00.000-05:00

In honor of Emily Ransom, I decided to pink-up my blog for the month. Emily is the first daughter of Wendy and Jonathan Ransom, and 3 years ago yesterday she made her way to Heaven. She was 2 1/2 years old and had been diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. So yesterday we celebrated her life at school with a Pink Day parade to her garden. Jodi Martin, a mom at school, lead us in prayer. All the kids (and teachers) paid to dress in pink and bought pink mardi gras beads to raise money to help find a cure.
So this month the Ransoms are asking you to "pink it forward" I copies Wendy's explanation of pinking it forward:

"First of all, I want to let you all know of how we will be honoring Emily's and Carrie's journey into heaven this year. We will be having a month long Pink it forward event. Beginning on Feb. 20 with Pink Day at St.Peter's and ending on March 19, we will celebrate the lives of 2 amazing young women who were taken from us far too soon. You can Pink it Forward in many ways! The idea is that you just do something kind for someone else, and let them know you are doing it in honor of Emily and/or Carrie, and ask them to Pink it Forward. It can be as simple as saying a prayer, buying a cup of coffee, cooking a meal, volunteering at a hospital, animal shelter or community kitchen, anything like that. In these economic times, it's a great way to make a difference, without spending a dime. Emily and Carrie did so much in their short lives to change the world, it is our job to continue that for them. So, first thing is to forward this website on to everyone you know and ask them to Pink it Forward. I'd love to see this go all around the country, please help me make that happen. Also, if you have a Pink it Forward story, please let us know we love to hear how our girls continue to impact the world."-Wendy

So go out and pink it forward! http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/emilyransom

Valentine's Day

2009-02-17T21:45:00.000-05:00

Well, I have never been much of a Valentine's day person. Evan and I have always done something, but when the restaurant was open, we would just always celebrate on the closest Monday to Valentine's. Last year he wined and dined me and got a hotel downtown so that we didn't have to drive. I seriously had no idea what to expect this year because I told him not to spend a lot of money. But he doesn't listen to me...

Prepare for a long-winded story...
So I had a long weekend. He kept telling me that on Friday he needed me to pick up some paper work at 3:30. Ok ok...I kept telling him. He told me it was some paper work on some motors he was trying to sell. So whatever, Friday morning comes and he is all giddy and I am about to slap him because I am trying to sleep in (I am a mean wife...I know this). So he tells me I need to also go pay his Blue Cross bill b/c he couldn't find the bill he got in the mail and not to be late to pick up that paperwork at 3:30. I told him on his day off I would make a list of errands for him to run ( I know, I'm not a morning person so I tend to be a bitch)
So 3:15 rolls around and he calls..."are you on your way..." Of course I was, and I was getting a bit annoyed with the fact that he thought I wouldn't remember. He had also left me a note on my purse. So I pull up at the place and can't find Suite F. I called him and I had a headache and was annoyed and was like, "There is no suite F, what is the business name" He said he didn't know...this goes on for a few minutes then he says there should be a cursive sign above the door. I asked if it was "Restorative Body Therapies" and he said yes. I was like, you said you didn't know the name of the business (it didn't click that that had nothing to do with motors). He finally told me he had gotten me a surprise pregnancy massage. I felt bad for being mean all day...but then I was like crap, Evan, I haven't even taken a shower today! Haha...I got over it though and enjoyed my massage. It was a wonderful treat. I really do have a wonderful husband who puts up with my crap more than he should. I know I don't deserve him.
So Saturday, he took me out to dinner at Terra Nostra and got a hotel at the Staybridge Suites. He said he just wanted me to relax and not worry about cleaning the house or anything. Once again...why he puts up with my bitchiness sometimes...I don't know. I guess since his son is growing in my uterus he has more tolerance these days. But let's be honest...I've always been a bit moody!
So we enjoyed a nice evening out and slept in a bit Sunday, then had a yummy breakfast at the hotel. It was a great way to spend the weekend.

Sunday we headed to Home Depot to get paint for the baby's room, and Monday I painted the 3 walls blue. It is going to look great when it gets finished. Hopefully this week we will tape off the 4th wall to paint the multi-colored squares. I had ordered a sheet from babygap that was my inspiration for the colors, and it came today and matched perfectly. I am so excited to see it all come together!

Over half way there....time flies

2009-02-17T21:29:00.000-05:00

Well, I started this blog months ago and never came back. Now that I am over 24 weeks prego, I figured now is as good a time as any to get started again.

I have been feeling Baby Lucas kick and wiggle quite a bit lately. The past few days he has changed positions and seems to enjoy kicking my bladder. What a sense of humor he has already! But last week he was kicking straight out, and Evan was able to feel some kicks from the outside. It's pretty crazy to think that in just about 3 months he will be here on the outside.
Me at 24 wks 2 days

Haiden seems to love talking about "baby Lucas". She says "baby Lucas. he's comeeeeng" She rubs my belly and tells how she will give him his "paci" and that he will cry. She is precious. I hope she loves him when he gets here to stay! I am a little afraid she may beat him up...haha.
We celebrated Haiden's 2nd birthday this past weekend. It is hard to believe that she has been in our life for 2 years now. She has changed our whole family's world. What did we all do before Haiden came around? I can only imagine how much I will love my own little one, because I love her like she is my own. She is hilarious and such an entertainer. She is quite bossy, too...Hailey seems to think she gets that from me...ha. I think it's the first born in us. We just naturally like to take control.

First Blog

2008-11-01T17:55:00.000-04:00

I thought I would join the blogging world. Just playing around right now to try to figure it all out!