Goin' To the Chapel

This weekend my good friend Nikki was married at the Cathedral Basilica. She had to call and reserve this date on January 1, 2009 at midnight. While others were ringing in the New Year and kissing their sweeties, Nikki was dialing the Cathedral's office voicemail and putting in a request for a wedding date 18 months in the future. If you've ever seen this venue, you would understand the demand. It houses the world's largest mosaic installation and its beauty is breathtaking. I was thrilled to be an attendant and equally excited (and nervous) that Teagan was asked to be a flower girl. The wedding party was large - 9 bridesmaids, 9 groomsmen, one flower girl and two ring bearers.
Beginning on Thursday, we were pampered and coiffed with manicures, pedicures, tans, makeovers and hairstyles. Friday afternoon I was thankfully able to get Teagan down for a decent nap and then hauled her over to Chase Park Plaza to meet the other girls so she could get her hair done while the rest of us got dressed and ready. She enjoyed the attention and being part of the group. It was rather funny at times to see her swimming her way through the sea of satin calling out "Mommy? Mommy?"... I guess we all looked similar from her perspective.
Once the ceremony began, we all waited in line for the processional while Quinn and Teagan started in on each other at the back of the line and sweet little Brendan just looked on, probably wondering what he was getting himself into. Quinn and Teagan can be really sweet with each other, but at times they're also like siblings. This was one of those times. They started using their flowers as swords and aggravating each other. After reprimanding them, we proceeded to the front and took our places at the altar. Kelly, Lisa and I held our breath as our three little ones began their ascent up the aisle. Would one of them refuse to walk? Would one start crying? Would they run? Would they trip? Would they fight? I'm pretty sure Teagan thought it was a race. She didn't run, but she booked it quickly up the aisle, leaving the boys to fend for themselves and checking out the women she passed and the shoes they were wearing. Quinn followed behind but kept up with Teagan's pace pretty well, and Brendan fell back and did his own thing. Each of the boys did as they were supposed to and walked over to their families as they got to the front of the church, but Teagan walked right up to the altar, up the stairs, turned around and stood in the center like she was supposed to be there. Poor Rog had to run up and retrieve her, which she didn't accept well. (He also forgot to stop recording, which is why the video gets a little crazy after she passes by)



Fortunately all was clear as Nikki began her walk. She looked absolutely beautiful and when her soon-to-be-husband started crying, I lost it, too. I'm so glad to see her so happy. The ceremony was perfect and the reception was gorgeous as well. Nikki has always had a very distinct personality and style and it was reflected in the decor, and it all looked amazing. It was a long and exhausting but fantastically fun day and I wish the newlyweds a wonderful honeymoon and a long and happy marriage!

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. It's going to be a hectic few days but hopefully it should be fun. Today is my last day of work until Monday. (I'm on my lunch break now.) Friday evening one of my closest friends is getting married at the Cathedral Basilica. I am one of nine bridesmaids and Teagan is a flower girl and will have a ring bearer on each arm. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly with naps and cooperation from the little ones. And that I can walk down that very long aisle without tripping or passing out.

Giggle & Spin

I'm Baaack

I know, I know, it's only been what, 5 or 6 months? I don't have any good excuses except that every time I think about updating I get stage fright or writer's block, or whatever you want to call it.
I don't really even have anything in particular to say, so I guess I'll just try to sum up the past few months which have been very busy.
My company was acquired about a year ago and the last 6-7 months been extremely stressful. As I keep saying, I enjoy being busy, but I don't enjoy being stressed out. I've been content with my job for a long time now. In July I'll celebrate 8 years with the company. In my time there, I've been afforded opportunities to pursue my interests and to develop a position that I enjoy. I manage my own workflow and my supervisor has never been one to lean over my shoulder. Sometimes I'll go a week without even seeing him. But going from a small company to being acquired by a large company has lead to a pretty major culture shock for me and my St. Louis co-workers. It's a wonder that any work gets done with all of the policies and procedures that we have to learn and follow. I'm surprised we don't have to fill out a form to use the restroom. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful to still have a job. Some weren't so lucky. But for the first time in a long time, I'm seriously considering looking elsewhere. I don't enjoy working in a large company environment. But alas, with the economy still in recovery mode, I figure I better stick it out as long as possible.
Speaking of large companies, Rog has been working a major project in Illinois since October of 2009. It was a blessing when he was offered the job, as he had been out of steady work for about a year and a half. However, it has morphed from 40 hours with opportunities for overtime to a mandatory 56 hour week. Add to that more than an hour drive each way, and Rog is away from us about 70 hours per week. I know it's hard on him. I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I try hard to say prayers and count my blessings and show my gratitude each day, but some days are easier than others and right now Rog is absorbing the brunt of the difficult ones.
Without question, we are most thankful for that daughter of ours. I can no longer remember what life was like before her. The words and phrases and thoughts that tumble out of her mouth humor and amaze me to no end. In the past I have been diligent about writing them down, but they've been coming so frequently lately that I've become lax in doing so. Many times I'll just post them as my Facebook status, assuming that one day I'll go back and collect them from there. Other times I can't write down and accurately convey the hilarity of the situation. She's just this little person with all of these thoughts swirling around in her head and she voices most of them. She talks almost non-stop. She's our little chatterbox. I love that she really lacks shyness and she loves to talk to people. Most often she will compliment women on their shoes or dresses. I never know what will come out of her mouth and it has led to a few embarrassing situations, but nothing that was so mortifying it couldn't be laughed about later. (Yet.) Anyway, I've rambled on enough and I'll try to post with a bit more regularity, even if it's just random "Teaganisms". I'll close with a few recent photos and a short video.

Quickie

Couple of quick funnies before I forget:
Flip flops or flippers are called "slip slops"

This morning Teagan came in stroking her tiny pink stuffed dog and had her lower lip out.
Teagan: "Mommy, Ella is sad. Look at her eyes. They sad eyes."
Me: "Oh, I'm sorry you're sad, Ella. (Directed to Teagan) "What is she saying?"
Teagan (pathetically whimpering, again with the lower lip out): "Ruff, ruff"

A Look Back

It's hard to believe as I look out the window at a sunny, 50+ degree day, that exactly three years ago, I was 35 weeks pregnant and we woke up to an ice storm and no electricity. Rog and I decided not to attempt going to work, so instead we went downstairs to build a fire in the stove and try to keep warm.
My parents' house was also out of power. With no indication of how long we would be without power, and after much discussion and debate, we decided to get in the car and start a trek down to Cape Girardeau to stay with Rog's parents. We stopped before we left town for a late lunch. Throughout the meal, I was feeling tightening and pressure in my lower abdomen. Since I had not yet felt this before, I was unsure as to whether it was actual contractions, or if my stomach was just disagreeing with me.
We were really torn about what to do and were driving down the highway when we came to a split. If we drove south, we would be on our way to Cape. If we drove north, we would head toward the hospital. At the very last second, we veered north to go by the hospital. We were able to walk right into an exam room. The doctor came in, performed the examination, and told us that we would most likely have a newborn in 24 hours. We were terrified. We still had so much to do, nothing packed for the baby, and I had only
begun training my replacement for work, so the first words out of my mouth were "My boss is going to kill me!", and then shortly after, "Thank God we didn't drive to Cape!"
They got us a room, we called some good friends to go by the house and pack some items for the baby, and they proceeded to hook me up to an IV to attempt to stop the contractions. Once the initial shock had worn off, we were thrilled and excited. Later that night, the contractions began to slow down and then eventually stopped. After another exam the next morning, we were told that we could go home. Fortunately by that time our power was back on. We drove home disappointed, but understood that any extra time the baby could stay in the womb would be better for her health.
We made it through the weekend, though I was suffering through some pretty severe back pain, which in retrospect was probably back labor. Monday came, and my office was still without power, so I stayed at home. Rog worked and came home, and that night we decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants, Minion's Cafe. We were enjoying
our meal, though my back was still in pain. I remember shifting to find a comfortable spot and then suddenly felt my water break. I didn't know what to do and I didn't want to cause a scene. I quietly informed Rog, who jumped up, ran to the counter and asked for paper towels since his wife's water just broke. (This is how I remember it, Rog, so you can contest if you feel you need to! I love you!) The owners of the cafe were
people that we had gotten to know since we were in there so often and they were thrilled. We left the restaurant, headed home to get our now-more-prepared-suitcase, and drove to the hospital. Once we were in and settled, they had to give me pitocin to bring on contractions. They were much happier that the baby had waited until
the 36 week mark before she made her appearance. Apparently a few days makes a big difference. I'm not sure the labor could have gone smoother. We were checked into the hospital by about 6pm, the contractions didn't really start until 9 or 10, I had an epidural and tried to nap, and Teagan Hope came into the world at 2:10am on Tuesday, December 5, 2006. She weighed only 5 lbs, 11 oz, which made my part really easy, only about 20 minutes of actual pushing. That easy nature has stayed with her, for the most part. She was sleeping through the night at three months and has since then been a champion sleeper. Though the toddler stage has proven to be somewhat of a challenge, for the most part, Teagan has blessed us with her easygoing and comical personality. Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Catch Up

Well, it's been a whirlwind month without much spare time, so this blog has gone by the wayside. Rog got a job, which we are thrilled about, but he leaves the house at 5:30am and returns at 7pm during the week. He also works on Saturdays. I hadn't realized how much I had taken for granted his ability to take Teagan to daycare in the mornings and pick her up at night. My mornings are spent getting an extremely-independent-I-want-to-do-everything-myself-and-oh-yeah-I'm-potty-training-so-I-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom-every-10-minutes toddler ready to get out the door and then scrambling to work, then leaving the office immediately at 5pm and fighting traffic to pick her up on time. However, I have been writing funny Teagan quotes on random scraps of paper and finally have a day to compile them! So here are the latest laugh-out-loud moments with which Teagan has blessed us:

- Completely random and brought on by nothing, she tells me: "Mommy, chill out!"

- After telling her to be careful, she replies: "Ok, mommy. I be careful. Are you happy now?"

- "Mommy, I get the mote (remote) cuz I a big gor (girl)."

- "Cheese gor fammich" = Grilled cheese sandwich

- "McDonald's House" = McDonald's (Said with a lot of enthusiasm and pointing every time we pass a McDonald's)

- "McDonald Duck" = Donald Duck

- "Cozen mustard" = Frozen custard

- One day when I asked Teagan to please cooperate, she responded with "Ok, Mommy. I craperate"

- Rog and I started to notice that any compound words with "corn" in them were automatically "popcorn". She called candy corn and cornbread "popcorn" within a couple of days. We corrected her on each account, but a couple minutes after finishing her cornbread, she thought for a second and then asked for "more Pop Bread, please".

- Mimi and Poppi bought her a new baby doll, which she promptly named "Baby Chappy."

- After a coughing fit, she declared, "I very got the coughes"

- After I complimented her behavior one day she responded with "Yes, I very sweet. I a cutie pie!"

- While putting a thermometer under her arm, she said "I gon take my tentchular." She then pulled it out from under her arm, looked at it, and said "Thirty pounds!"

- And finally, the most recent story that I love telling:
When we go to the store, I will sometimes promise her a mint once we get back to the car, as long as she behaves while inside. One night in the grocery store she was really misbehaving. I walked out with her throwing a tantrum and I put her in the car seat while she was screaming "I want a mint!" over and over again. I told her that until she calmed down and spoke to me politely, I would not be responding. So she proceeded to whine and scream a bit more, then suddenly said, "I don't lush (love) you, Mommy". Again, I did not respond or give her a reaction, I just drove. She said this a few times, and then after a few minutes as I thought she was calming down, she said "Excuse me, Mommy", and then waited for me to answer. When I responded with "Yes, Teagan?" She quickly answered, "I don't lush you." It stung a little, but I had to stifle a laugh, too. She later apologized and assured me that she did in fact love me. Phew...








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