Texas Lou

Archive for the ‘Pictures’ Category

Here’s a really helpful infographic I found on Lifehack.org that talks about challenging and coping with negative thoughts.  I notice myself running alot of negative thoughts that involve jealousy, resentment, and judgement through my head on occasion so this infographic instantly struck me as a valuable read and something to save for later.

Nap time is almost over so here’s what I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful for nap time, especially when both babies nap at the same time, because I can actually get things done like laundry, eating lunch, checking email, or writing this post!
2. I’m thankful for my new little family.  I love being a parent despite the rough times that come with it!
3. I’m thankful for our Tula Baby Carriers and grateful to my sister, Sarah, and Aunt Mary for giving them to us.  They allowed us to take the babies to the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello this past weekend! 
4. I’m thankful for a great place to work that has allowed me to take such a long maternity leave so that I can be with my babies until they are developmentally 3 months old and not just chronologically 3 months old.
5. I’m thankful for baby smiles, coos, and babbles that make all of the hard stuff like crying, fussing, and screaming worthwhile!

Better grab something to eat before my monkeys wake up!

I haven’t written my weekly Thankful Monday post in a while and those of you who know me well know that it’s because I had my twin boys unexpectedly early on Saturday, May 3rd.  We had a month in the NICU and then it’s been almost two months of taking care of newborns around the clock.  I’ve been trying to get the chance to write down what I’m thankful for over the past couple of weeks but this is the first Monday where the boys are both napping at the same time and I have the opportunity.  So here it goes:

This week, I’m thankful for the following:

1. I’m thankful for two beautiful, healthy, amazing little boys!  Carter Mitchel “Tex” Davidson and Morgan Fox ‘Virg” Davidson were born at 32 weeks and 4 days at 3:50 AM and 3:54 AM on Saturday, May 3, 2o14.  Despite being almost 2 month early, they were both breathing room air on their own and were perfectly healthy.  They only needed to stay in the hospital to learn to regulate their temperatues on their own and learn to eat by mouth.  Especially after meeting so many parents in the NICU who’s babies were sick or came much earlier than ours and were facing a lifetime of health issues and much longer NICU stays, I thank God for our blessings!
   

   First picture of my babies minutes after being born

   

   Morgan after being inducted into the NICU

   

   Carter after being inducted into the NICU

   

   Our first family photo

   

   My angels yesterday at 12 weeks old

2. I’m thankful for the amazing doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, and all staff at both Martha Jefferson Hospital and the University of Virginia Medical Center as well as the great EMTs who transported me from one place to another.  We were all very well taken care of!
3. I’m grateful for a fairly easy birth experience and recovery.  I was lucky to avoid a C-section despite many people thinking that twins are born that way.  In addition, my active labor and delivery only lasted about 6 hours and I pushed for less than an hour so I’m very thankful for the short period of pain, especially compared to many other first time mothers who they say tend to labor for a longer period of time.
4. I’m thankful that we have formula available to us and enough money to afford it.  Unfortunately I don’t make enough milk for my babies so I am grateful we can supplement without having to worry about it affecting our finances too much.
5. I’m thankful for my husband and the father of my babies.  He was amazing throughout my short but extremely uncomfortable pregnancy, the surprise announcement that we were having twins, and the long NICU stay.  He took me to the hospital every morning on his way to work, then brought me lunch and visited the boys every afternoon, and then came back to visit and take me home after work every day.  He is a wonderful husband, father, and friend and I couldn’t have gotten through the past 10 months without him.

Hopefully this post will become weekly again as it is very helpful with my happiness and mental health and I will try my hardest but it will all depend on my sweet baby boys!  Happy Monday and don’t forget to be thankful!

Good afternoon and happy Thankful Monday!

Today I am thankful for the following:

1. I’m thankful for a wonderful visit from my mom that isn’t over yet!  My mom flew into Charlottesville on Thursday afternoon and after picking her up, we met Sarah and her mom for lunch at the new Zinburger where we enjoyed some delicious burgers (and I got a bananas foster shake for the babies).  After that, we spent a quiet night at home with Ben.  Friday morning, I made mom breakfast in bed and then we ventured out so I could  show her some of the University of Virginia grounds and then we went to the Downtown Mall and had lunch at a local diner, the Nook.  We then met Ben at the hospital for our most recent ultrasound and then followed up with dinner at Ben’s parents’ house with his parents and sister and nieces who were in town from Ohio.  Saturday, we went to the opening Farmer’s Market of the season where we tried some delicious food and bumped into lots of friends.  Afterward, we got dressed up for my amazing baby shower where we celebrated with awesome people, crafts, food, games, and gifts!  Mom’s visit would not be complete without a trip to one of our favorite places so Sunday, we continued our weekend by having brunch and the best blood mary’s in town (virgin for me) at Beer Run followed by shopping for the babies.  Then we came home and had a delicious roast and veggies that mom had made us in the crock pot.  She’s still here until tomorrow so we have some more fun times ahead of us.  I love my mom and love when she comes to visit!
2. I’m thankful for getting more done to prepare for the babies’ arrival.  Last week, I got some more gifts and hand-me-down items from generous friends and family.  I also got my TDAP shot and think I found the babies’ pediatrician.  In addition, I found a dress for my baby shower that I actually liked (I thought I was going to have to wear maternity jeans after searching for a maternity dress unsuccessfully at both Old Navy and Target).  I also had my glucose screening and passed which means I don’t have gestational diabetes…HOORAY!  In addition, Ben and I attended our first child birth and baby basics class last Wednesday which was exciting and informative!  Things are all starting to come together!
3. I’m thankful my babies are still safe and growing.  Although the doctor says there is now a higher chance I may deliver early, both my Tex and my Virg are doing well.  Tex is head down (YAY) and weighed an estimated 2 pounds and 13 ounces on Friday.  Virg is still transverse near my ribs and weighed an estimated 3 pounds and 2 ounces.  Both had strong normal heartbeats and are growing at the same rate.  Even though the doctor had some not so good news about me, I am very thankful I do not (yet) have to go on bed rest and also so thankful that my babies are healthy and have made it this far.  If they were to be born now, they’d most likely be ok after lots of time spent in the NICU (but I pray this doesn’t happen).
4. I’m thankful for beautiful warmer weather we had all weekend while my mom was in town.  It was so nice to do things outdoors with her and walk around on the Downtown Mall.  It’s also been nice to show her some of our plants and springtime blooms since the only other time she’s been to our new house was when everything was dormant and wintery at Christmas time.
5. Lastly, I’m thankful for an AMAZING baby shower on Saturday!  I’m grateful for my sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and good friend Crystal who all worked so hard to make the day so special for me.  I’m also so grateful that so many wonderful friends and family attended to help me celebrate my babies.  I’m thankful my mom could visit for the occasion, and I’m so thankful for all of the generous gifts from my friends and family.  Ben, Tex, Virg, and I are also so lucky and blessed to have all of these wonderful people in our lives.  I leave you with some lovely photos (courtesy of Sarah) from the shower:

Virginia Mom, Me, and Texas Mom

Sarah, Crystal, and I with the lovely paintings that the very talented Crystal made for us!

My sister-from-another-mister and I

Some of the adorable and creative onesies that my shower guests made for Tex and Virg!

Here’s a great video entitled “Shawn Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work” that talks about rewiring your brain to be a happier person:

I thought this slide from his presentation was great at describing the things a person can do each day to rewire their brain so that they become a more positive thinker ultimately allowing them to be happier, more successful, and more efficient at learning:

The video is only about 12 minutes long and the speaker is engaging and funny (plus he’s from Texas).  Give it a watch!

Good morning and happy Thankful Monday!

Here’s what I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful for a WONDERFUL weekend with family.  My dad and brother came to visit me and we had the best time (and my dad brought me kolaches from the Kolache Factory)!  Friday evening, after giving my dad the tour of our new house, my mother-in-law, father-in-law, Ian, Sarah, Mikey, Ben, my dad, and I had dinner at the Clifton Inn, where Ben and I got married.  The food was great and it was really nice for my dad to get to know my Virginia family even better.  Saturday, my dad, Mikey, Ben, and I went to one of my favorite restaurants in town, Beer Run, for an early lunch and then we drove out for some skeet shooting at Ben’s grandmother’s farm since it was such a beautiful day.  Afterward, we stopped off at Barboursville Vineyards and Jefferson Vineyards so my dad and Mikey could sample some local wines.  We then had a great dinner at my in-laws.  Sunday morning, I made Lebanese Eggs for Mikey and dad before they had to hit the road.  Then Ben and I had a nice day together running errands and making pre-baby arrangements.  Afterward, we had another great family dinner with my in-laws, Ian, and Sarah followed by watching The Walking Dead before bed.  It was such a fun and happy weekend!  I love my family so much and am so thankful to have them in my life.  I hope I am able to instill the wonderful sense of family and closeness in my own children that Ben and I have grown up with.
2. I’m thankful for the warm and amazing weather we had this past weekend.  After last Monday’s snow storm, it was so nice to finally have some beautiful, warm days to enjoy.  Both Saturday and Sunday were sunny with temperatures in the 60s and it was perfect for my dad and Mikey’s visit.
3. I’m thankful for yet another clean bill of health from my endocrinologist.  Typically, during pregnancy, women with thyroid problems have to be closely monitored and often have to take a higher dose of medication to help keep up with the demands on their body.  Thankfully, my thyroid levels are still normal in my 6th month of pregnancy, despite the fact that I am having twins.  My doctor is surprised and I am very grateful!  I’m also thankful for a clean bill of health from the dentist late last week as well.
4. I’m thankful for more discounted baby gear and advice last week.  I found some amazing deals at the Here Wee Grow Again consignment sale last Friday, including a Snuza for $30 (they are normally $120)!  I also got a gently used double jogging stroller for only $50 from another twin mom (these normally start at around $200)!  And I got a rocker/bouncer for $10 from a lady on Craigslist!  I am very grateful for all of the opportunities to save money when it comes to our double bundles of joy.
5. Lastly, I’m thankful for friends and opportunities to catch up with them.  I was able to get lunch with my friend Dana last week at Baja Bean and it was so nice to chat and see what’s going on in each others’ lives.

Here’s me at Beer Run on Saturday after lunch with my family (buying some rare beer finds to drink AFTER the babies come):

Have a great day!

Good morning and happy thankful Monday!

This morning, I am thankful for the following:

1. I am thankful for a fun day yesterday painting and celebrating Dana‘s birthday at Wine & Design.  It was so much fun and I always enjoy getting to catch up with friends.  Plus we got to meet Dana’s adorable kitten Pippi!        I definitely can’t wait to do this again!
2. I’m thankful for a fun evening with Ian and Sarah last night.  I made chili for us and we watched the mid-season premier of one of our favorite shows, the Walking Dead.  I’m lucky to have family on both mine and my husband’s side that I also consider to be my best friends.
3. I’m thankful for a great weekend with my husband.  Friday night, we finally tried Tavola, an Italian restaurant in town that had been highly recommended to us.  It was delicious and we finished the meal with homemade chocolate hazelnut gelato.  Then we went to Babies ‘R Us to check out baby gear and headed home to watch the Winter Olympics.  Saturday, we had a busy day together starting with Beer Run for breakfast tacos and a virgin bloody mary,  shopping at Leftover Luxuries, Lowes, Pet Food Discounters, Sam’s Club, and Giant, followed by lunch at Sticks Kebob Shop.  And since I accidentally left my wallet at home, my gracious husband paid for everything.  I’m so lucky to have him!
4. I’m grateful that I can finally feel my babies moving!  I was so anxious to feel them move for so long as I’ve been told that this experience is one of the coolest parts of being pregnant.  I have been feeling them for over a week and I have to say I definitely agree that feeling them move is my favorite part!  I love my baby boys!
5. I’m thankful for the new twin moms I have met and all of the advice they have given me and cheap baby gear they have sold me.  I feel so lucky to have such friendly and generous people in my community who have reached out to me.  Hearing their stories makes me feel alot more confident about having twins.
6. BONUS:  I’m thankful for the extra energy I seem to have found lately.  I had a super productive week and weekend and finally picked a color to paint the nursery.  After weeks of feeling exhausted and having little energy, I am glad I am getting some because I have so much to do before my boys get here!

Have a great week!

It’s been a little over a year now since I wrote my first Thankful Monday post.  This originally started out as an experiment so I could see if practicing gratefulness would help make me a happier person.  I think I can say that after a year, practicing gratefulness at least once a week has without a doubt helped me to be a happier and more positive person.  As a result of this conclusion, I think I will continue to write my Thankful Monday blog posts indefinitely.  So without further delay, here is the first Thankful Monday post of 2014:

1. I’m thankful for a fun craft night on Friday evening with Amy and Sarah.  It was Sarah’s birthday, so we celebrated her day and I made her this flourless nutella cake.  I had so much fun just chatting with the girls, watching them make scarves, learning about different sewing techniques, and creating an ornament from the trunk of our first Christmas tree.
   
   I always cherish these fun and creative times with friends.
2. I’m thankful for a nice long phone date with my cousin and best friend Megan!  Whenever we have phone dates, we end up chatting for hours.  It’s always so much fun to catch-up and talk to the people I love!
3. I’m thankful for a very generous gift from my boss.  She was about to donate some belongings to Goodwill when she found out that I would be needing them soon so she gave them to me!  I’m so grateful to be surrounded by generous and helpful people!
4. I always say it, but I don’t think it is ever enough – I am so thankful for my husband Ben!  He is always helping me and taking care of me!  This weekend, he stacked wood and continuously made sure the fire in our wood stove was burning to keep us warm (he even taught me how to operate it).  He also did several things on my honey-do list including but not limited to changing all of the burnt out light bulbs in the house and helping me fold a tablecloth.  I love him so much and still can’t believe how lucky I am to have found him.
5. I’m thankful for my days off.  Though I work in retail and don’t get as many days off during the holidays as I’d like, I am very thankful for the ones I do get.  Last Wednesday was a nice day off spent celebrating the New Year.

Have a great week and happy New Year!

I fount this great infographic on the Science of Happiness on this website.  Check it out!

I had a wonderful holiday celebrating with my family and hope that everyone else did as well!  Here’s how it went!

Saturday morning, I woke up early to finish cleaning before my family got here.  My brother, Mikey, got in around 2 so he, Ben, and I decided to go have a late lunch at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza.  Afterwards, we did a little Christmas shopping and then went over to my friend Collin’s house for a Christmas get-together with friends.  After a fun night and a white elephant gift exchange, we headed home.  My mom and Carrie didn’t get in until about 3:30 AM.  Ben and I woke up to let them in and gave them the tour of the new house since they hadn’t seen it yet.  After a short visit, we all went to bed to rest up for the next day.

Sunday morning, we got up and took it easy.  I made everyone coffee and cooked bacon, eggs, and toast for breakfast while Mikey made us all bloody marys.  After breakfast, we watched our Texans play and hung around the house visiting and looking at the fun stuff that my mom brought from Texas that she’d been storing for years.  We decided we needed to get out of the house for dinner and went to The Local since it is one of the few restaurants in Charlottesville that Mikey, Carrie, and Mom had never been to.  We had a great dinner and all ordered something different so we could each try a few bites of everyone else’s dinner.  Afterward, we stopped by our condo to show them how the renovations looked and then watched for Christmas lights on our way home.

Monday morning, we got up and all enjoyed some light breakfast and visited.  After everyone had showered and gotten ready for the day, we headed out for lunch.  We went to Basil to have some great Mediterranean food complete with tabouli, hummus, baba gannoush, lebne, grape leave, and complimentary baklava.

Complimentary Baklava from Basil

It was a delicious lunch and we were all stuffed!  Then we went to see the movie American Hustle.  We enjoyed the movie and then headed to Pier One to exchange some gifts and then to the grocery store to buy ingredients for Christmas dinner.  When we got home, we all helped to make sausage balls and pralines.  Then we sat down to watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (one of my favorite Christmas movies).

Tuesday was my birthday and we headed over to one of my favorite restaurants, Beer Run, for brunch.  I got my favorite dish, nachos, and we all enjoyed bloody marys and beers.

My Sister’s First Growler

We did a little Christmas Virginia wine and beer shopping before leaving and then headed home to make some baklava and caprese kabobs to take over to my in-laws house where we celebrated Christmas and my birthday.  My mother-in-law Virginia Mom made the most amazing spread of food…she had everything and it was all so delicious!  Then we ate some of this amazing cake:

Amazing Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cake

My Virginia Mom made the cake out of black beans but it tasted just like chocolate and it had layers of chocolate and Reese’s Peanut Butter cups on the inside!  It was delicious AND full of protein!

The family sang happy birthday to me:

And I blew out my candles making a wish (it’s a secret):

Making a very important wish!

Then we opened gifts and enjoyed each other’s company for the rest of the evening.  We went home and everyone scrambled to finish putting the last minute touches on their gifts and complete their wrapping.  Our tree looked like this:

Our First Christmas Tree

Christmas morning, we awoke to this:

The Stockings Were Hung By the Chimney with Care

And my mom surprised Ben by hand-making him a stocking to match the ones she made my sister, brother, and I as babies:

A fishing Santa because Ben loves fishing

We all opened presents, enjoyed mimosas, and ate sausage balls and had a wonderful Christmas morning!

Mom and her kiddos

The kids

Then we went to work on dinner.  Mom made augratin scalloped potatoes, tenderloin, creamy horseradish sauce, bacon-wrapped green beans, rolls, Granny Scott’s Wilted Leaf Lettuce Salad, and blackberry cobbler for dessert!  It was all so delicious and she outdid herself once again!  Ian, Sarah, and Phyllis joined us for dinner:

 We finished the evening by spending time together and Skyping with some family in Texas.  In was the most amazing holiday and now I am so sad that it is over and so sad that my family had to leave.  However, I am so happy and grateful they could be here and can’t wait to see them again soon!

Merry Christmas everyone and happy New Year!

P.S.  Thanks to Sarah, Mikey, and Carrie for many of the pictures!