Graduation Season

Well the temperature is starting to stabilize in the warm degrees and that means it is Graduation Season. My two youngest brothers are matriculating this year from their respective colleges. Unfortunately I won't be able to go to Bret's graduation up in Sioux Falls, SD because the drive is just way too far. I was, however, able to make it to Josh's graduation in Warrensburg because the drive was only 45 mins. At this point, Dan and I are just not willing to take the risk that I'll go into labor more than a few hours away from the hospital, even though I still have 6 weeks left. We have a busy schedule over the next month so I'm sure it will go quickly.

Here's a group picture from Josh's Graduation this past weekend.

Hope you're enjoying all that life is giving you this spring. I can't be thankful enough for all the happy things that are happening in our lives.

Let the Sun Shine!

Spring is officially here and everything is "blooming", including me. Just when I think my belly has reached its maximum stretching capacity, I see another picture of myself or glance in the mirror at this huge medicine ball I'm now carrying around. Little baby girl is a real mover and a shaker in there and has a pretty regular routine. She is most active after breakfast in the morning and I sometimes enjoy just sitting & watching my belly move as she plays around in there. As the big day gets closer I have mixed emotions because I really can't wait to meet her but I will also greatly miss having her in my belly. She's so safe and protected and close to me right now. I think those maternal feelings are starting to kick in... :)

Last weekend my sister and friend threw me a baby shower. It was really wonderful to see all my close friends and family all together in one place. I got so much stuff for baby Shep that my anxiety about her coming too soon is starting to settle down. We now have most of the essentials, should she decide to join us early. It felt like Christmas as Dan and I opened all her stuff and started to put it away. Dutifully, Dan help me put together some of the things that required assembly. Luckily there wasn't too much of that because he grumbled about kids being raised without any of these modern conveniences for years the entire time. Do some of you still wonder why we didn't register for more toys? :)

The girls from High School at the shower!

Alicia & Jill from New York flew in for the occasion and spent the weekend with us at our new house. I almost cried when I had to put them back on the plane because it was so good to have them here.

All in all the spring is treating us very well. I have a little more than 6 weeks left which seems like a lifetime but I'm sure will fly by. I can't believe it's already been a year since we moved back from New York. Many things have changed in one year but much has remained the same. We still miss the big city life but look forward to all the new things this new life has in store for us. Enjoy the spring flowers while they last, summer will be here before you know it! (baby shep along with it.)

Life in Stepford

I love our new life in our new house. I lovingly call the neighborhood Stepford given its picture perfect scenery and almost-too-nice people. The golf course out the back window is picturesque, the people walking down the street are smiling like they've just taken their latest dose of prozac. Can it be real?

I was asked to attend Ladies Bunko Night last night. I had the opportunity to meet many of these Stepford housewives (our neighborhood is actually called Creekmoor... but Stepford is much more fun to say) and I am happy to report that under the near perfect manicures and flawless makeup lie a group of women who are marginally insane, just like me. I relished the opportunity to hear them gossip about each other but I was almost disappointed to find that they didn't visciously whisper about the woman down the street having an affair with the head of the property owners association... Instead, they lovingly and genuinely wanted to know our story and introduce me to their clan. Perhaps I've stumbled across a normal group of women? Nah... I'll let you know when I start to see the luster fade away as I absolutely expect to see. hehe.

In all seriousness... it was a good time and I met many women of all ages who seemed to think it was funny when my sarcasm was revealed, though not completely... I mean, it was the first time... didn't want to scare them. I think I will find many ladies here who I will enjoy as good friends.

In other news, the cat has now completely settled into her new home. She tends to follow us pretending that she doesn't NEED to be in the same room... she just WANTS to... important distinction for cats.
And baby is really moving around. Still some kicking but now much more squirming. Today I actually can see my belly shift as she moves around in there which is a new experience. I have to say, there is absolutely nothing maternal coming through yet... it's just plain weird. "Hey! Who's in there?? What are you dooooing????"

Can't wait to meet her.

Goodbye Tommy

Last Friday, a dear friend, co-worker and at the time my boss, Tommy Preston died in a snowmobiling accident. Obviously this was a huge shock for all of us and I felt somewhat numb to the emotions initially. I traveled to New Jersey on Monday night to be with my other family, the employees of New Horizons and mourn the loss of a phenomenal guy.

I've known Tommy for many years since he started at New Horizons in Atlanta. Little did I know that this raspy-voiced, life of the party guy would someday become such a good friend and mentor. Tommy and I were recently paired up to tackle the marketing strategy for our company with his main responsibility being sales and mine being marketing. It was awesome. He'd call me every day and say "Sammy! what the f&*$ are you doing" in a joking yet caring way. He always was sensitive to the fact that I worked from home and how much I enjoyed hearing his voice even if it was just for a few minutes.

Tommy leaves behind his little toddler, Connor, as well as his enormous family and love, Amanda. Its very sad for all of us to bear the loss. If I never hear Amazing Grace played with bagpipes, I'll be happy. He was buried in St. Patrick's Day which will forever become "St. Tommy's Day" in my heart. Miss you Tommy.

Our House is a Very Very Very Fine House

We close March 16th! Or so they've assured me. Dan and I felt like we'd never find a house that is right for us at the right price. I've arranged 4 full Saturdays of looking at houses since the new year and Dan about had his fill. Finally, we found the house... our house. It has everything we really wanted in a home and we were able to negotiate many upgrades while still getting it for the price we wanted. Obviously it's not quite finished yet but they assure me it'll be done in 2 weeks.

The neighborhood, Creekmoor, is a golf & lake community in Raymore, MO. For my New England friends out there, Raymore is south of Kansas City, not far from my family. It's brand new but initially really turned us off because it is very similar to Stepford... All the houses are a different shade of brown and everything seems too perfect. However, after looking and looking it ended up being the best fit and now I'm destined to be a Stepford wife. The neighbors all have young children, many under the age of 3. So I think it ended up being perfect for us. I posted some pics here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/samantha.shepard/1418DrakeLane?feat=directlink

We're really excited to move in and have our own house for the first time. I joke with Dan that we'll have to get walkie-talkies or something since I've never been so far away from him in a living space... I'll miss him!

We really are growing up! First the house... and soon baby Shep will join us. She's kicking me like crazy and now Dan can actually feel it. He doesn't believe me many times that it is actually her kicking and not me pushing my stomach out. The next doctor's appointment I have to do the glucose test, not looking forward to that one. I'll let you know how it goes.

Have a good one! Spring is right around the corner!

Bye Bye Feet

I am beginning to realize that my feet are slowing disappearing on the horizon of my belly. I have gotten quite a few comments that I've really "popped out there" which I think now explains that I've gained 6 pounds in the last month. Or, it could be the nightly bowls of ice cream that I enjoy with Dan. For those of you who may be shaking your head in disapproval... other than the ice cream I have not been "eating for two" because I'm not particularly hungry more than usual. So maybe ice cream is my vice?

So good-bye feet. I will see you on the other side.

A few weeks ago Dan and I went to New York and stayed the weekend in Queens with our friends. It was awesome to see the old neighborhood and get a chance to walk the same sidewalks we used to take every day. It was almost like we'd never left yet in some ways I've already grown accustomed to the Midwestern ways. It's difficult to explain but imagine coming home and feeling like something is different but you're not sure what.

We went to "eat the meat" with our friend Steve. He is originally from Uzbekistan and always acted like a surrogate father figure in many ways. Liz came too with her step-son Timmy and his new live-in girlfriend. We enjoyed all the wonderful things that Cheburechnaya had to offer. :) Lamb Kebabs are my favorite. This is a picture of us at the restaurant. Love you Stevie!

Other than that we've been really focused on buying a house. It turns out that its not nearly as straightforward and easy as you'd probably think. We literally just need to find a house and agree on a price... haha... not so fast... I guess we're being picky. I'll let you know what comes of the housing situation as it develops.

That's it for now. The baby is kicking like crazy and letting me know that the day is getting closer every day when our lives will change forever. I can't wait.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

We recently went to the Dr and had an ultrasound. Even though I kept waiting for the excitement to build up, it never did. Truth is, I didn't really care what we were having. I always thought that was a false politically correct thing people said but I really felt that way. We learned that its most likely a girl... and that is really exciting... but I'm not more excited than before I found out. I was excited before and I'm still equally excited.

So it's a girl! And we are very happy to know that we're expecting a beautiful little girl that Dan can visciously protect with his newly created a&*hole dad personality and guns that have yet to be purchased. Seriously he'll be a great dad. As a result of the girl news, my mom and I went shopping this weekend and explored the pink section at Babies R Us... which almost made me nauseous. Sorry baby girl, it looks like you are destined to look like Pepto Bismol. Why don't they make orange baby clothes?

Alexandra Kew - our new neice

Alexandra Kew Craighead joined our family last week. She is the newest daughter of Dan's sister, Amy. Amy already has a son, Isiah, who is 2 and half. He was born while we were still enjoying New York so we have only recently been able to bond with him. He is warming up to us but still is cautious at first... although he did call me and Dan by name this last visit which made me feel really good. Who knew the approval and acceptance of a 2 year old would mean so much to me but it really does.

Alexandra Kew (middle name for the Gardens in England where Amy interned during college) was much more prompt than Isiah was and actually arrived on her due date which also happened to be Amy's birthday. It was not only cool to see her so young but also to get to handle a little newborn since I know we'll be doing it before too long. Dan was really cute and tried to mold himself to make her comfortable. He'll be such a good dad.

I taught Isiah how to use the camera and he had a great time running around taking pictures. Not all of them are of discernable objects but some of them actually turned out pretty good. I posted them here: http://picasaweb.google.com/samantha.shepard/PhotosByIsiah?feat=directlink

This one is my favorite. He may turn out to be a photographer when he grows up!

Memoirs of a Pregnant Woman

10 Things I Thought I Knew About Pregnancy:

1. You throw up in the morning and then feel great all day during the first trimester
2. 9 months means 9 months... NOT 10 months or 40 weeks, which is actually already started by the time you actually get pregnant... very confusing!
3. If you don't watch it, you'll gain 100 lbs during pregnancy and never lose it
4. After 3 months, you start to look pregnant in this really cute belly is obviously a baby & not fat kind of way.
5. Everyone will be really happy for you and give you ridiculous tshirts that say "Hot Mama"
6. You have to read "What to expect when you're expecting" b/c that's the pregnancy bible.
7. Women who are moms change from their original selves into this loving mom mushy monster who doesn't think about anything but laundry and age appropriate topics for their child.
8. You and your baby are what you eat so I will only eat good, healthy things while I am pregnant.
9. The hardest part about being pregnant is giving up partying with your friends.
10. Whenever you talk to a pregnant woman, you should ask her how she's feeling because that's just what you're supposed to do.

And now....

10 Things I've Learned About Pregnancy:

1. Morning Sickness for me was never predictable and some days I felt like crap all day. However, somedays I felt great.
2. Pregnancy is all about the weeks. Sometimes I have to think about it to even know what month I'm in. People who've been pregnant understand weeks... others understand months.
3. I've still only gained 2 pounds despite my horrible diet, however I know weight gain is coming in the second half of the pregnancy... but there's no way I'll gain 100lbs.
4. I could still easily be mistaken for a fat chick. Dan likes to play the "She's rockin the beer gut" song for me. Yep, that's pretty much what it looks like unless I purposely wear tighter maternity clothes that show my belly more prominently.
5. Most are happy... happy to give you unsolicited advice and opinions that is. Seriously though, most people are happy but some aren't. That's ok. I'm happy enough for everyone.
6. The sheer size of "what to expect..." is way too intimidating and it has not found its way home from the book store yet. I'd rather read the gossip pages online.
7. I don't feel any different other than the fact that I'll get to impart all my wonderful thoughts onto another little one. If anything, I think motherhood will make me smarter and more insightful. I don't feel mushy... but maybe that's to come.
8. I eat what sounds good. If that's healthy stuff, great! Usually its not.
9. The hardest part about being pregnant is having your friends say or feel that you used to be more fun when you drank. Ouch.
10. Everyone asks me how I am feeling and I almost want to ask them "do you really want to know?" because what if I feel crappy? Who wants to know about that stuff? So I always oblige in saying something along the "pretty good" lines. I just appreciate that they ask. It means they care and that is wonderful.

So as you can see, being pregnant isn't exactly what I expected... and really it's just is a new reality. Sure, it's wonderful and a miracle and all that... but for me, when I get up in the morning, it's a new part of my world. It's like getting your hair dyed a different color. People who see you often, notice it the first time and then become used to it. People who see you less often may not get used to it but for you, its your reality. Often people say that the length of gestation is meant to give you time to mentally prepare for the arrival. I think that is very true. Obviously, I'm still preparing.

2008 Reflections

As the stroke of midnight came this year during a more low-key shrimp boil party over at my sister's house, I looked at Dan and thought "what would I ever do without you", and then promptly kissed him and hugged him to ring in 2009.

2008 was a big year for us although I've heard many refer to 2008 as a disappointing year in their lives. Was this a global problem that stemmed beyond the economy? Do many find themselves waiting for 2009 and a new beginning? It makes me reflect on what has happened in 2008, since it didn't occur to me that it had been such a bad year.

• My grandmother got diagnosed with cancer... and beat it.
• We lost a friend, Thor, suddenly during a routine medical procedure... and discovered that his pregnant wife is having another girl (they already had 2).
• We got to see the first African American be elected President by a shockingly large margin.
• We moved back home from New York City.
• We decided to expand the Shepard clan... and I got pregnant a few months later.
• We saved up a ton of money that we'll be putting into a home purchase sometime early 2009.

That's just a few things. I guess if you view it from a certain angle, then 2008 could have been seen as bad... but the way I see it, it was a pivotal year for the Shepard family. 2009 will be even better. I don't know how I would have done any of it without Dan and as we shared our moment during the stroke of midnight, I felt so thankful that I had the perfect person to share all my years with (new and old).

Welcome 2009. This is the year that our lives will change even more... and all for the better. Hope you have as much to look forward to as we do. Happy New Year.