Dinner at the 'Rents

Well, we went out to Maumelle tonight to have dinner with Jenny's parents...henceforth known as Poppa and a Grandmother name to be determined at a later date...

I know all of you are wanting to see pictures of Preggo, so here she is!

Here she stands at her mom and dad's. 

Her look of shock as I roll out her gift from Grammy and Granddad Bunch

Here's a happy girl...

Showing off her surprise from my parents...the travel system. 

Daddy to be standing with the present, 

while Annabelle looks on in suspicion. 

Rackin' Up

Well, we had our first baby shower yesterday. This one was the Calvary shower...our new church. Several of the ladies either in our SS class or who were on the search committee hosted it, and it was really great. We got lots of clothes, blankets, towels, diapers, the swing, the baby gate, toys, and just lots of stuff in general. I put the swing together last night while Jenny watched (giving me moral support, of course), and when I walked through the house this morning and saw it, it was sort of a rush of panic and emotion, thinking how crazy it is going to be to see our son chillin and swingin away in a few weeks.

Jenny's best friends from high school and their moms are hosting another one this Saturday, so the fun continues.

I'm determined to get some pictures of her made and on here asap. She's all belly...

Thursday's Dr. Visit and More Progress in the Nursery

Well, we had yet another OB visit yesterday. Now that they are every two weeks they seem to be coming on top of one another...after next week, we'll start every week. I can't imagine. I think Jenny has peed in cups more in the past seven months than I have in my whole life. 

Good news...the baby is no longer breech. Bad news...he's only made it halfway to head-down. Right now he is lying comfortably across Jenny's belly.  

His head is under her left rib cage. 

If he isn't head down on Feb. 5th when we go back, they'll do an ultrasound and talk about our options. According to this OB (there are 3 in the clinic...when you count our OB in Waco, the high risk OB, and these three, we have seen 5), our absolutely official due date is March 11. Which is really better, because if they had to schedule a c-section, we can do it right at the first of March and Jenny will still work through February. 

We're still making progress with the nursery. 

We painted these canvases together and hung them last night...

...glued ball fringe to the shades on the chandelier...

...bought the mattress and hung the mobile...

and placed the chair. 

Bailey's Issues, Boot Camp, and Body Changes

Well, I was in the dog house with my boot camp comrades on Monday. Bailey, our Labrador, paced the floor in our bedroom (hardwood floor, pier and beam foundation, 110 pounds and long toenails...you get my drift) from 1AM to 4AM. Jenny took him outside twice, I took him out at least twice, fed him once, gave him water, tried to coax him either onto his ottoman or into the bed...nothing would do.



It was as if there was a tornado on the way and he could sense it. At one point, somewhere around 3:30 AM, I asked Jenny if she thought he could sense that she was about to go into labor.



No tornado, no labor, apparently just an upset stomach or other bug that kept poor Bailey awake. At any rate, I did not make it to my 6AM boot camp. We all went to bed, exhausted, at 9:30 last night, and I did get to camp today and I feel great. I haven't been getting a good read on our scales at home, so I purchased a new battery for it this morning, put it in, and weighed. Great news...I'm down four more pounds, which brings me down about fourteen pounds in fifteen days. Sadly, this is not even back to where I was at one "low" point in the summer...but I have seventeen to go to my first goal weight, and if Benjamin will stay put, I have a good five weeks or so to get it off.

No Way to Honor MLK

Well, tomorrow is MLK Day and all over America, schools are closed, banks are on holiday, and the US Postal Service gets to sleep in. Jenny, completely worn out and stricken with what seems to be a never-ending back ache, will be snoozing until somewhere around 10 or 11 AM. 

For those of us, though, who have agreed to sprint, lunge, crunch, and squat our way through Boot Camp, we press on. I'm down about 10 pounds, but I'm definitely in that "muscle weighs more than fat" period where my muscles are strengthening and thereby holding water, so I'm not seeing exactly the number I would like on the scale this weekend. Hopefully week two will not be such a shock to my body, my metabolism will kick itself up a notch, and I'll have an additional loss to write about next weekend. 

It's been really cold here, but no moisture in the air. With February fast approaching, Jenny and I are wondering if we'll see any snow this year. It's going to be really sad if we don't see snow in Arkansas after having snow in Waco on Easter weekend last year. 

We both have a busy week coming up, childbirth class on Monday night, a visit to the OB on Thursday, a new sofa arriving Friday, and our first Baby Shower Sunday afternoon. 

Diane Keaton, American Idol, and the Utter Profanity of it All...

Okay, so I am the least likely person to get up on a soap box about foul language, but enough is enough. Let me preface the following rant with the admittance that yes, I did shout "Pass the Damn Macaroni" several times at the dinner table at age 3 while my Baptist Minister Grandfather sat at the table, but come on...the "F" word is out of control.

So on Tuesday morning, after my second day of Boot Camp, I returned home for an hour or so before work. Normally I would have headed back to the bed, but our Beagle had thrown up on the sheets that morning and the sheets were in the laundry, so I crashed on the couch. Gross, I know.

As I sat waiting for the picture on the TV to come on, I listened to the sound of Good Morning America... although usually I'm a Today Show guy. Already tuned-in to something about politics or another topic of interest, I decided to leave it on ABC. Up next was Diane Keaton...one of my favorite actresses. She has a knack for playing the classy, well-dressed, well-groomed mother, wife, career person, and friend in pretty much every role she has ever been given. Father of the Bride I and II were favorites in our house when I was a teenager, and we still sit down to watch them occasionally when we're all at home.

So, imagine my surprise, disdain, and disgust when Diane blurted out something about having to work on her "F*****g Personality" on national TV. Immediately, Diane Sawyer turned towards the camera, obviously shocked, covered her mouth with her hand, and everything went dead and straight to commercial. No reference was made to the incident when they returned, no apology made, no comment whatsoever.

My stock in Mrs. Keaton fell to somewhere below Brittney Spears, Michael Jackson, and Paris Hilton.

Hours later, still seething from having to hear that on national television, Jenny and I eagerly sat down in front of American Idol for two hours of tone deaf, somewhat talented, and largely foul-mouthed nut job personalities displayed to millions of viewers. Those of you who watched are surely wondering with me this morning just what the producers and security personnel were thinking when they allowed the sicko who sang the Stalker Song to Paula Abdul happen in the first place, much less make it onto the air.

To the producers, to the preliminary judges, and to the three judges in the room, I say that I am saddened to see you so willingly give insanity center stage and hand out humiliation to those who are obviously not ever going to make it to Hollywood.

And to you, Miss "I am studying to be a veterinarian but cannot complete a coherent sentence of more than four words" I say that, no, you do not have the right voice for the competition, but I will agree with Simon in that you probably do have the level of talent to sing in some sort of band. Should I hear one day that you are a successful lead singer in a band in a large urban setting playing mostly night clubs, bars, and discotheques, I'll not be surprised.

But to you, to Princess Leia, to you, chest hair-waxing belly dancer boy, and the rest of you who displayed your hostility so publicly - I could have done without the incessant stream of beeps which attempted, quite in vain, to cover your streams of profanity.

My solution to the problem should be to never watch the show again, or at least agree to not watch the auditions where the language fount never runs dry. But like so many Americans who are Idol-obsessed, and yes, even like you Princess Leia...I will probably tune in again tonight.

Boot Camp and Other Musings

Well, my quest for fitness and weight loss moved into the next level this morning. Immanuel Baptist here in Little Rock is offering a 6-week Boot Camp program, Monday thru Friday, beginning at 6AM. Now, I'm a morning person, but there's a definite difference between being happy to get out of bed, fix your coffee, and enjoy The Today Show and leaving the house at 540 to drive across town and work your rear end off.

I missed the first week, so at least I only have 5 weeks of utter physical hell to endure. The funny thing is that I am one of the youngest people there and it still killed me. We began with jumping rope for five minutes. Now, my excuse here is my height...it really is a little difficult to find the proper length jump rope. But, they were prepared, so I had to do it. Then we sprinted around the gymnasium, did line drills, jumping jacks, squats, pushups, dips, more pushups, ab work, and the cool-down stretch. In all honesty, it did not seem like 50 minutes because we were doing something every minute.

I lost 6 pounds last week, but I think my body is in shock at the lower caloric intake and is holding on to everything it can. I usually do better in week 2 than in week 1, so I'm looking forward to this next week's loss...

Jenny is about to pull her hair out...she's really uncomfortable and has been having a lot of sciatic nerve pain. She was really excited last week because she thought she might have one less student this week than she did last week, but no such luck.

At least next Monday is MLK day and she is off...I wonder if that means no boot camp, either.

Our bedding lady never picked up the fabric last week which means I get to make a call about that this morning...oh the joys of the Monday morning to-do list.

Oh, and we start childbirth classes tonight...WHOO HOOO! Breathing and breastfeeding...and FOUR WEEKS OF IT.

A day off...if only.

Spent most of today tidying up the nursery. The walls still are bare for the most part. The door into the back bedroom is directly off the nursery, and lo and behold, there is no door there. So I hung curtains that can tie back on hooks. The back bedroom has another way in, through a bathroom that also connects to the kitchen...the charms of a 70 year-old house... 

This is how it stands...no mattress, no bedding...aren't we pitiful?

The armoire used to be stained and in was our living room. It took me weeks to get it like I wanted it. His initials are on inside drawer. 

The other side of the "Baby Boy" sign says "Heaven Sent"

Nursery Door.

Changer and bassinet as it sits now. 

Looking inside from the hallway. 

Start Praying Now...

It might be the most refreshing feeling one could possibly have to see a stack of "How to Know Jesus" material on the counter in your OB's office. Now, please realize I am in no way a fan of little fold-out books that lead people to Christ, nor do I own or will I ever own an Evang-i-cube." Sure, they probably have their place, but I personally have an aversion to them...however, it is STILL nice to know the first person who will touch your child as he comes into the world is a Christian.

So now it starts, OB visits every two weeks. As slow of a start as January seems to have had, this will surely keep things moving quickly, this going in twice as often as usual. Jenny had a really bad headache yesterday which actually turned into a migraine by around 6 last night. Her blood pressure was up a little but not at a dangerous level...just a typical physiological response to having dealt with 17 screaming five-year-olds all day. The nurse came in and we heard the heartbeat...134 beats per minute, which is a little slower than the last time but their rates typically slow a little towards term.

Then came the doctor. This was our first encounter with Dr. Simmons, since they wanted Jenny to rotate through all the OBs and the Nurse Pract. We knew his reputation and just like everyone said we would, we fell in love with him immediately. As he palpated Jenny's abdomen and measured the height of the fundus (I like saying that, but I'm pretty sure I don't know what it means) he took Jenny's hand and placed it directly under her left rib cage. Then he took her right hand and did the same. His gentle voice began, "Feel that? That's the head." Then with less gentleness and more directness he continued, "That needs to go here (pointing at the pelvic area). Start praying, now!"

So...we're breech for now.

Not that this is a guaranteed issue, but he definitely wants prayer that little Ben flips down. We are around 31 weeks according to Simmons, 32 and a half according to the high risk OB. If his head is still up at 36 weeks by Simmons' count, we can either schedule a c-section for 38 weeks, or wait until she goes into labor and do a c-section then. So we wait and see.

Meanwhile, we start childbirth classes next Monday PM at Baptist, our rug came in (and looks perfect), the seamstress is picking up the fabric today to finish the bedding, and my diet moves into day three. Also, we were given a bassinet... score one for not having to buy that. 

The Fat and Thin of It

Well, a new year, and yet another attempt to lose weight...a struggle I have had since I was a teenager. I managed to conquor it in college, and even got to a point at which I needed to gain a few pounds. Then I met Jenny. All of a sudden, eating out was the norm. What can I say, she's high maintenance...to our OBU friends reading this, I can't tell you how many trips to Danson's, Burger Barn, and Mazzio's we made. Then add in the weekly run to OTB in Hot Springs for Queso and Fajitas...

Next, I tore my knee up, and running bleachers ceased. Then came grad school and late night eating habits, running to the Deli in our building at UK between every class for junk food, and on came the pounds. The first year of marriage packs on an additional 10 to 20 for most people, and I was no exception. Then we have the three-years at Truett with Starbucks adjacent to our building, and no matter how many times you tell yourself your White Mocha is nonFat, it's still got 700 calories in it.

So here I am, angry for letting myself get to this point, basically back to where I was at 19 before I lost all of the weight.

Our son, our firstborn, will be here in less than two months. This is crunch time...literally. My goal is 30 pounds off by our due-date. A feat I can probably achieve. The next goal is to have the remaining 30 or 35 off by my 30th Birthday in October. What a gift to myself. Lower cholesterol, lower BMI, and more energy to keep up with a baby boy.

Excuses be gone. Last night Jenny was really wanting Blackberry Cobbler, and I headed down Cantrell to Dixie to pick up some for her. And I didn't even dip a finger into it. She has every right to eat whatever she wants right now...most people who see her can't believe she's as far along as she is. I guess that's because I'm the one who looks pregnant.

Follow me on my journey...I'll keep you "post"-ed.

TB

When Jenny's Away...

I always seem to get into some sort of trouble when the Mrs. is out of town. In the past I have hung ceiling fans, repainted furniture, etc. etc. etc, when Jenny has been away from home. Well, Jenny's in Dallas this weekend, so in true form, today was no less project-filled...although nothing disastrous happened. 

We are still working on the nursery. Today I emptied the closet completely and hung two lower bars as opposed to one high bar. We already have one bar completely filled with what people have already purchased for or given to us. Closets are at a premium in a 70-year-old house...this we have learned. We're just having to sacrifice our own space to not impose on the closet in the nursery. 

At any rate, his closet is up and running with room for all his loot. We decided to use another small chest of drawers to hold blankets and such, so I went looking for drawer pulls to match the armoire knobs I bought two months ago...note to self...inventory on that type of thing changes frequently. 

The chair has been ordered, and should come in within 4 or 5 weeks. The rug has been purchased and is being shipped to us. The last of the fabric should be here this week so our seamstress can begin on the bedding. I'm constantly amazed by all that goes into getting ready for baby. I guess if you were in great financial shape and had a few thousand bucks available at any given time, then you could just get it all done in a weekend. But when you're saving for the rug, then the chair, then buying furniture one piece at a time, it takes a while. I guess that's why God gives you nine months to get it finished. 

I'm thankful that I took the time to paint the nursery and assemble the crib, paint the armoire, etc. while I was without a job, or there is no way it would get finished. There is always something going on, this morning it was "undecorating" the sanctuary at work. Anyway, I'm staying busy, which is exactly the way I like it. More later. TB.

A Year of Change

It's always amazing to reflect back over a year and see where you've been, what you've accomplished, and where God has had his hand. I decided to post this as a timeline of our 2007 year-in-review to show just how much we've managed to squeeze into 12 months.

January - Todd begins final semester at Truett and begins Mentoring in Ministry component of graduation requirement. Begins talking with churches in Kentucky, Illinois and Tennessee. Jenny back to work teaching Kindergarten in Waco.

February - Todd and Jenny fly to St. Louis and on to Alton, Illinois for a weekend interview for the position of minister to youth and children. Three days of those people, and it was clear that we were not moving to Illinois any time soon. Todd interviews with FBC Jacksonville, TX. Todd tells church in KY that he is not interested.

March - Todd interviews with church in TN, and had phone interviews with churches in Austin TX, Atlanta GA, McKinney TX, and Louisville KY. Todd and Jenny go home to Arkansas for Spring Break. Todd and Jenny find out they are pregnant...WOO HOO!

April - Todd interviews with church in Austin and McKinney. Turns down McKinney church. Todd and Jenny have a White Easter in Waco. Seriously. Todd and Jenny start thinking that they probably aren't going to have a difinitive answer to "Where will we be after graduation" before graduation. Todd and Jenny fly to TN for a weekend of interviews with the church there. Feel pretty sure they are headed to TN.

May - Todd and Jenny decide the church in Tennessee isn't the right fit for them. Decline further interviews with church there. Jenny diagnosed with miscarriage in first pregnancy. God surrounds us with friends and family members who have been through the same process, and we are sustained by their encouragement. Todd contacted again by church in McKinney. Jenny turns 27, and Todd graduates from Truett, WOO HOO! Todd and Jenny have no idea where life is leading them, but feel that they are being called away from Waco. Todd and Jenny pack up house and classroom and move it into two 10x20 storage units.

June - Todd, Jenny, Bailey, and Annabelle move home for the summer. Spend the next several weeks lounging by the pool. Sometime in the end of this month, the miracle of life begins again. Todd and Jenny contacted by church in Dallas. Flown into/out of Dallas for interview. Really jazzed about the possibility!

July - Todd and Jenny turned down for Dallas church...bummer! Todd very sad and feeling like he has wasted three years of his life on a degree he has no experience to use...Todd and Jenny find out they are pregnant again! Yea! But Todd and Jenny have no jobs...boo! Jenny begins applying for teaching positions in Little Rock and Jonesboro. Offered Kindergarten job in Little Rock. Todd and Jenny find a great house to rent in a great area. Things are looking up!

August - Todd and Jenny go to Waco for two missions; first: OB appt. and Ultrasound...congrats...there's a heartbeat!...second: load up contents of two 10x20 storage units. Note to self: 27 foot truck not big enough. Some items left with friends for future garage sale. Jenny and Todd move into house in Little Rock. Jenny's classroom is set up and school year begins. Morning sickness at full force. Todd just about to start working towards medical sales jobe when WHAM, church in neighborhood pops onto radar.

September - all is well with Baby at 14 week Dr. visit (still in Waco). Todd has been offered the position of Full Time Minister to Children at Calvary Baptist Church, Little Rock. Todd accepts (with much excitement!!!). Todd learns that although the living room seems like a good place to asseble a crib, the crib doesn't exactly fit through hallways once assembled.

October - Todd turns 29, Calvary Baptist calls Todd as Minister to Children with a HUGE majority vote, and we find out the best news of all...IT'S A BOY!!!!!! After 6 kids, fourteen grandkids, 21 great grankids, and one great-great grandkid, the Bunch name lives on...Benjamin John arriving in the spring of 08.

November - Slight scare early in the month...possibility of placental/umbilical cord problem. Begin visits with high-risk OB. Todd busy at work...Jenny busy with Kindergarten class, Thanksgiving spent in Little Rock and Jonesboro and for the first time since they were engaged, Todd and Jenny sat in their own living room and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

December - lots of excitement...Christmas is in the air, and we're home with family to celebrate it for the first time since we were engaged. Todd and Jenny make annual run to Dallas for the Symphony. Todd licensed to ministry. Jenny's previas ruled out...looks like it will be a normal delivery at this point. Todd and Jenny spend Christmas with both families without spending 10 hours in the car!

At this point, I'm sure we have left something out. But it has been a busy year. We have seen friends blessed with new babies and new marriages, we have made new friends and extended families with our new jobs, and we have leaned on each other throughout the whole process.

I look forward to what the year brings in our life, and in the lives of those we know and love.

Happy New Year.