fun times in the city

Yesterday Lou and I decided to take the kids to Discovery Green for a little Sunday brunch in the city. Discovery Green is the latest and greatest in "green" parks and this one is situated in downtown Houston. We ate a hamburger by the lake and watched little kids sail remote controlled sail boats. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the park was buzzing with families. There was a feeling of hope in the air that rejuvenated my spirits. We popped a squat on the hill and grooved to the music and just took in the beautiful day. The kids were "oohed" and "aahed" over so they felt special. Then Lou and Ryan went to the Texans game to watch the supreme beat down we gave Cincinnati, while I went to my mom & dad's so they can spend time with the belly and the grand dogs. The airshow was happening this weekend and since they live just a few miles from Ellington we got to see the awesome Thunderbirds. The baby jumped when Angus barked, but when the ground rumbling, eardrum numbing Thunderbirds flew by he did nothing. We may have a future pilot on our hands. It was a great ending to a beautiful weekend! Today, I'm searching and appliying for jobs. Wish me luck!

Early Maternity Leave

I've been granted an early maternity leave! At least that is how I'm choosing to look at it. I was fired. Yep, the heartless, gutless, sorry S.O.B., C.O.O. of my company "just can't afford me anymore." It really boiled down to the fact that he and I never saw eye to eye and I think he's an idiot so therefore I had to go. He never asked if I would consider a cut in pay or to go back into outside sales, which is where I worked for a year before being asked to do the marketing. The ironic thing is that all week I was calling and scheduling interviews for more outside sale people, so he really could have cared less that he was putting a 7 month pregnant woman out in the world without a clue on how to earn a living to support this life that is about to come. I found out last night from my former manager who is also a great friend that I have been on the chopping block twice before, but the C.E.O said no way no how, and that by no means was I going anywhere. This time the C.E.O was out of pocket, so Pat decided to make the cut before anyone had a chance to save me. Since Texas is a right to work state there really isn't much I can do. I am going to file a complaint with the EEOC and file for unemployment while I try to get hired somewhere else. I joked with Lou that now I need to go vote Democrat so I can get some of that wealth spread around to me. He didn't see the humor. I knew the hammer was coming, but I was still a bit shaken that he actually did it. I was hoping that he would actually have a soul and a conscious, but sadly I was mistaken. I was more upset that at 7 months pregnant that I would be unemployed with doctors bills, hospital bills, mortgages, and a new home under construction on which the loan requires me to have a job, and a baby to be financially responsible for. I was a bit overwhelmed. Then I sat back and took in the fact that I have been blessed with everything in my life. I have a beautiful and wonderful husband that loves me and provides for me and is the biggest source of stability and comfort I could have ever asked for. I have the love and support of a great family and a great group of friends. I have a wide range of skills that will aide me to get a great job in the future. I have a healthy baby growing inside of me that will be the biggest joy Lou and I have ever known, and now I have the ability to sit at home and finish growing him without the stress and stupidity of life at DuPure.
My birthday was also this week. I turned a whopping 28. The day started with finding a crawfish at my desk (this of course is while I still had a job). The guys in the warehouse found him outside the building and thought he'd make a great addition to my office. So, Lou and I now have a pet crawfish named Sebastian (from the little mermaid). That evening we all went to dinner at Sambuca. By we all I mean Lou, Lou, Johnie, Mom, Dad, Ryan, Alex (Ryan's friend), and I. We had some of the best steak, shrimp, and creme brulee in Houston! Even my Dad had a great time. I'm glad there was one great day from last week.
On another note, I no longer have ankles. I don't even think I can qualify them as cankles. They are just huge, gelatinous stumps. Even my Mom looked at my feet and asked where my ankles went. Thanks, Mom. So, I need to get with Dr. Moore and find out if I'm on the verge of something bad. Keep you posted.

Stupid Rules

We've had a set back in our attempt to have an 08 baby. We never really anticipated having the baby that early, but when the idea was posed we got a little excited. This week labor and delivery called and said that they will not allow an "elective" c-section to occur before 38 weeks due to serious medical and legal ramifications. The absolute earliest we can schedule our c-section is 1/9/2009, which is still ok with me. So, now the new date of arrival is 1/9/09...unless he gets excited about meeting his mommy and daddy and comes early on his own. We've been having a lot of fun over the past few weeks. Lou and I went to the Texans game and we finally won one!! The cannon that explodes after every touchdown started the baby, which was funny. The baby has been VERY active and Lou and I take time every night to feel the miracle growing inside my belly. He's found his favorite hang out spot which is just under my ribs on my left side. He curls up and hangs out for hours. It gets a little hard to bend over or breathe, but he likes it there so I don't complain. What I do complain about is the weight. It is getting increasingly difficult to move or find a comfortable position sitting, standing, sleeping, etc. Plus, I'm getting the third trimester sleepies a full two weeks early. I've had to start taking in iron supplement because I'm Anemic, so I'm hoping that helps with some much needed energy. On the home front all is looking great. I haven't been out there since Tuesday, but I know we at least have a slab. Yep! They poured our slab on Monday or Tuesday, so now it's time to stress the post-tension foundation and start the framing! I'm going to try and find our camera so we can take pictures of the belly and the home site. We are so excited that the house is under way. Now we just need someone to love our old house. We had our first showing this week, but there wasn't any evidence that someone was in the house. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Baby 08

We got the green light from our tax guru to have the baby on December 30th, 2008! We've already called and got on the waiting list for an end of year c-section. Dr. Moore can only schedule c-sections within 60 days, so it can't be officially go on the books until 10/30. Ready or not here he comes...

Glucose...Yum!

I took my glucose test today and it wasn't bad at all. I was given a fruit punch flavor and it was just like a Hawaiian Punch. I sucked that baby down in about 3 minutes. We discussed with Dr. Moore dates for the c-section. He only does surgery on Tuesdays and Fridays, so he looked at the calendar and said we can choose January 2nd, 6th, or 9th. Then he said that if we wanted to that we could even choose December 30th. That of course perked our ears, so I'll be contacting our tax guy to see if we can still get the tax credit for the entire year. We heard that sometimes the government will only prorate the year, which means having him on the 30th won't mean a thing. Now we know what our dates are, so we can plan accordingly. Exciting!!

Build baby build

Our house started last week! I drove out to our lot on Monday expecting nothing to be done, but to my surprise there was a foundation form and 9 loads of dirt. The construction manager has to set up a meeting with us now to go over all the in's and out's of our house, so I'm anticipating that meeting! Most of you probably don't know that I have EXTENSIVE construction knowledge from my years selling for Coventry Homes. It was part of our job description to have knowledge of the construction process, but I worked with only NASA engineers so I had to be well equipped to hold my own against those know-it-alls. Our construction manager won't be able to put anything past me. Our house will officially go up on MLS tomorrow for sale or lease. We've listed it at $259,990 so if you know anyone that wants to live downtown give me a shout! We're also listing it for lease at either $2200 or $2000 a month. Last weekend we totally gutted the house minus the absolute essentials. We left our bedroom furniture, a couch, our big tv, the coffee table, and our dining room table. That's it. We packed and loaded storage last weekend, which went very well. We had Lou, Johnie, Lou, Ryan, and useless me.
All is going well on the baby front. I go in for the glucose test on Thursday. There has been much action in the belly lately. Baby Lawrence is shaping up to be a mover and a shaker! My belly button is all but gone, and Lou just loves touching it and making fun of it. He's so supportive. **eyes rolling** The baby punched me the other day as I was feeling around to find him. I think he was face up when I found his head and as I pushed in he punched me. It startled me! I can't wait to meet this little guy! Jenna and Gretchen are preparing for the baby shower to come in November. We have finished registering at Babies R Us and JC Penny.
Ok, gotta go. Lou just put on the Presidential debate, so now I have to go get mad at stupidity in prime time. Check in soon!

IKE pictures

I know most of you have gone to Bolivar via the ferry, but there is a back way in. If you take I-10 East and head South on 124 you go through the Gilchrist, High Island, and Rollover Pass areas. At the end of the highway where you merge onto the road in Bolivar there were huge mounds of grass and dirt. The mounds had to be 16-20 feet high. They are gone. The beach is also gone as you can see from the water coming all the way up to the road.






On the drive down...







This is the Chevron that marked the entrance into Stingaree Marina.



The storage area across from the Chevron.

My parent's went down to Bolivar yesterday to assess the damage to their place caused by IKE. While there they took some pictures of what is left. To appreciate the damage I need to describe what was there before. My parent's had a pretty sweet setup with a camping trailer, which was next to the house with all the debis under it.

They had a HUGE awning/covering for a drive up garage that housed the truck and boat. There was a storage shed to the left of the trailer that housed all the lawn equipment and fishing stuff. Behind the shed there was a covered patio area with a bar-b-que pit, picnic table, and chairs, etc. They had it all decked out with festive lights. Behind the trailer was a fish cleaning station with a table and sink. Before the storm they were able to remove the boat and trailer, but the rest had to be left to the mercy of IKE.

This is the skeleton of the shed protecting someone else's 4-wheeler in the marsh.

Their neighbor's boat is on the bottom.

The rentals across the canal from my parent's. The boat in the slip is upside down.