Adieu Tigers

Well, they let us down again! Peyton, I am sorry that you had to endure such a heartbreak during your first College Football Season. Look how upset he is!

Meet Duke

This is Duke. He is a Great Dane that belongs to a family that Allan delivers firewood to each year. Isn't he beautiful? Allan brings me with him to deliver to the family each year because he knows how much I love this dog. This year Duke's Mom and Dad asked us to go back to the house and get Huck to bring him over and play with Duke. I was so excited. Huck had never been around another dog this big, let alone a Great Dane. I couldn't wait to see what happened. Below, is a picture of the two of them playing together. Really all that happened was Huck jumping on top of Duke to show him that he was the boss. Duke is a little bigger than Huck, so I think that Huck felt like he had to prove himself. They did run around a little and gallop up and down the stairs to the deck. It was like watching two small horses playing. The whole deck was shaking under our feet. It was a lot of fun getting them together and I hope to do it again soon!

Beer Bath

One of these things just doesn't belong here.......
Please pardon the 70's bathroom tile and the lovely 90's feathering of the walls, and focus your attention on the far left of the picture. I have highlighted the object, just in case this is something that any of you are used to seeing in your shower. I got in the shower this morning, reached for the shampoo and what, to my surprise, did I find.... why nothing other than a Bud Light in a hugger right up on the towel rack with my bath products! Now, how did this get there, you ask? Well, there are a number of ways that it could have gotten there. But, I bet you will never guess the actual way that a beer ended up in my shower. This may be appropriate, say... if you were on vacation at the beach, completely hammered and really needed a shower. But, under any other normal circumstances, you will find that the only way that this could ever happen is in the following steps:
1. Allan was drinking a beer while watching TV
2. The baby come home from spending the day with Allan's Mother
3. Allan hides the beer in the couch cushions because his Mother does not approve of the beer
4. Allan decides the baby needs a bath
5. Allan would like to drink his beer while bathing the baby (?????!!!! Don't ask me why or blame his unsafe habits on me!) I have to believe that Allan was not BBWI (baby bathing while intoxicated.
6. Allan places his beer on the towel rack for safe keeping
7. Allan finishes Peyton's bath
8. Allan takes Peyton into the nursery to dress him
9. Allan forgets about his beer, for a little while
10. Allan searches for his beer all over the house and gives up after 3 or 4 minutes
11. Allan gets another beer, sits on the couch and proceeds to watch TV

That is how it happened. I have not asked him yet, but I can almost guarantee this is how it happened. I left it there for him this morning. I hope he drank it while he showered this morning. I hate for a good beer to go to waste.

Minivan Mom

So, I have been back at work now for a couple of weeks and am having a really hard time not being at home with Peyton. I just miss him so much! I leave at 7:20 every morning when he is still sleeping and don't lay my eyes on him until around 7:00 or later each night. But, I do have hope that eventually one day when Allan's "rich Uncle gets out of the poor house" I will be one of those Minivan Moms who does nothing but drive her kids from one practice to the next. (I would say "Soccer Mom", but Allan and I hate Soccer! We have a theory that the media is brainwashing American kids by leading them to believe that Soccer is the only sport they should be playing. No, really! Just start watching and listening to commercials, cartoons, and other advertisements. You will see what we are talking about. They never mention Football or Baseball anymore.... just stupid Soccer!) Back to my Minivan, the picture that I have added is the one that I would definitely have to get! It totally fits my newly found redneck lifestyle. The kids would have so much fun in this and would be the envy of all of their little rat-tailed friends. There are no seat belts, only strips of a Confederate Flag to tie around the bottom of the seat and wrap around your waist. Some of the van's features are; a built in (nailed to the center console) 10" TV with bunny ears, truck nuts, and spinners are optional. The van is on sale on Craig's List for $250 or 10 cases of Copenhagen (I will have to ask Allan which one is the better deal). Sure, it may not be the safest vehicle in the world, but what is a little danger when there is so much style involved!? Feedback please!

Cousins

My Sister, Mary Lee, had her baby girl on Thursday of this past week. Her name is Abbigail Marie Bush and she and Peyton will be best of friends growing up. We took their very first picture together on the day Abby was born. She already has a lot more hair than my poor baby. You can see how excited Peyton was by looking at his eyes! I am sure their will be many more pictures of the two of them to come.

Little Smiles

I like to think that I have the happiest baby in the world. But, the fact that the only thing that makes him smile is looking at the side of his changing table, makes me think otherwise. Peyton is just now beginning to crack a smile here and there while he is awake. You can get about 100 out of him while he is sleeping. Some people say that is gas and some say it is Angels talking to him in his dreams. I like to think that he is dreaming of my face. Anyways, we can't wait for him to smile more and more. For now, I guess we will just have to let him lay on his changing table all day so we can get the perfect picture.

Bath Time

I just love this picture so much that I had to post it. When we put him in the bath he looks really surprised that the water is touching him. Sometimes he even looks like he is gonna cry and whimpers a little. This makes me think that the water is too hot for his little tookus, but then he settles down. I think it just takes his breath away every time. I love it.

Gallstones

So, thanks to my Son... that is really weird saying that, "my Son", I can't believe I have a Son and I am a Mother... anyways, thanks to my Son, I had to have my Gallbladder removed on Friday. (They say that pregnancy is a common cause of gallstones, something about the increased levels of estrogen) The surgery was quick and easy and I was actually was up and walking around that night. I am still a little sore and cranky, but for the most part have recovered well. Allan might say otherwise. :) I asked my doctor if I could keep my stones, but I guess they don't do that sort of thing anymore. I kind of gathered that from the burst of laughter that followed my question. I have attached a picture of some gallstones for those of you that have never seen them. I wish I could say that these are my stones, but unfortunately they belong to Joe Schmo. They are nasty little boogers. Yuck! I can't believe I had those inside of me. One of my nurses, she was really old, said that one of her patients actually kept her stones and had a necklace made out of them. She brought the necklace back to the nurse as a gift. Ummmmmm..... I think that I would have screamed and ran away. I mean what kind of freak thinks that someone would want that as a gift. I can assure you that if I had the privilege of keeping my stones, I would have kept them in a little box (probably one that was bedazzled to say "My Stones") and showed them to everyone that I met, but never, I mean never would I have jewelry made and give it to a stranger.

Peyton Is Here!

He is here! Well, he has been here for 5 1/2 weeks, but I am just now able to get this post up. He is the most beautiful baby in the world. I know because I am up all hours of the night looking at him, no voluntarily either! :) But, I do it with more love than you could imagine. He is the new love of our lives. I am so excited to see him grow up. There will be plenty more Peyton posts to come!

2 1/2 Days!

WOW! I can't believe it. I only have 2 1/2 days to go! I am sooooo ready. There is still a lot to be done at the house, but at this point I just want this little guy out of me. It has been a lot of fun being pregnant, but most of all it has been uncomfortable. I just have to keep telling myself that it is a small sacrifice for what is about to be the best day of my life. Elissa, me, bringing life into this world, it is so surreal.
Allan is super excited. He felt so let down when the Doctor could not give us the exact time that Peyton would be born. I tried to explain to him that it just does not work that way. He is so confused as to how he is going to let his family know when to be there. I told him that I think that will be the last thing on his mind at that point in time. Besides, I am sure that everyone will be camped out from Dawn to Dusk waiting and pacing impatiently. I don't think that I would be terribly sad for Geki (Allan's Grandmother) to miss the opportunity of barging in the birthing room and filming the whole thing! You think I'm kidding, then you don't know Geki!
My Dad is flying in from Cancun that morning and is begging me to hold Peyton in until he gets there. Once again, I tried to explain to my Dad that it doesn't quite work that way, but I would do my best.
Well, next time I write I guess I will be a Mommy! How strange that feels.

The Handicapped Stall

Allan and I went on an adventure this past Friday. We drove all of the way to Slidell, LA. to get a check cashed. This was the closest Chase bank that we could find and our local bank wanted to hold the check for 7 to 10 days for some ungodly reason. Once we got the check cashed, which was practically a miracle once it was said and done with, we were starving. We headed back in the direction of Mobile and ended up at the Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis (which turns out was totally out of the way) to stand in a line for an hour just to eat Snow Crab until our eyes popped out. We definitely got our money's worth, at least until we got home and it all went down the toilet, if you get my drift. I, being 9 months preggo, needed to use the little girl's room before we left the casino. Of course all of the stalls were full, but one.... dundundun.... the handicapped stall. Well, I thought to myself, "maybe I should wait for another stall to come available, but then again, my current situation is kind of a handicapped one". So, in I walked, set down my wallet and phone on the diaper changer, and proceeded to accomplishing what I had gone there for. Just as I was trying to finish up, of course the one time in my life that I had second thoughts about entering the HC stall.... (enter old lady with a walker, a mean disposition, and the need for a toilet).....

OL (old lady): Every time I come in here there is someone in that Damn Handicapped stall! I see feet under there! Hello? (bang, bang, bang) Is there someone in there?

Me: Yes, ma'am. I am so sorry, all of the other stalls were full.

OL: Yeah, Yeah.

Me: I am almost done. It's just that the toilet paper is stuck and I can't get any to come out at all. (It really was! I had my hand all of the way up in the dispenser and at the same time was praying that it wouldn't get stuck up there. Panic struck. I just knew this lady was about to go seek out the Manager.)

OL: Oh, great! Well, I guess while I am waiting for YOU, I will get some toilet paper from one of these EMPTY stalls. (By this time everyone but a couple of people had cleared out.)

Me: Oh, here it comes, I got it. (Victory, thank you Jesus!)

OL: Oh good, so are you almost done in there?

Me: Yes, ma'am. Here I come now.
I then came out and held the stall door open for her. She was a witch of a woman and it didn't help that she probably arrived at the casino on one of those charter buses full of old people.
Next thing I knew, I heard my named being yelled from the other side of the bathroom by a stranger.

Me: Yes, that's me, I am Elissa.

Stranger: Your Husband is out there looking for you. He says that he has been waiting for a while.
Great, Allan! Thanks a lot. Now everyone in there thinks that I have been playing a different kind of Craps this whole time.

Me: Okay, thanks.
I rush out the door.

Allan: (rolling his eyes) Where in the Hell have you been?

Me: Where does it look like I have been? In the bathroom!

Allan: What took so long, I have been waiting out here forever. I got worried and started to think that you had gone wondering off without me. Where is your stuff?

Me: Oh no! I left it in that stall.... with the old lady... oh no. That means I have to go back in there and talk to her again.

Allan: What? Just go get your stuff.
So, I walk back in the bathroom and say politely...

Me: Ma'am, I left my wallet and phone on the diaper changer in there. Would you hand them to me?

OL: Are you kidding? I can't reach that. You will just have to wait like I waited on YOU!

About 5 minutes later, out comes the old crotchety lady and I run in after her to get my stuff. Man, did she ever stink up that stall! Yuck!
Needless to say, I will think twice about using a HC stall next time, especially in a casino. What a disaster that turned out to be. And, I hope I don't see that old lady in an abandoned parking lot anytime soon. I am not opposed to hitting an old person.... with my car.

The Most Important Birthday

Well, my Doctor has decided to go ahead and induce me on the 17th of this month. This is 4 days earlier than my actual due date, which is fine by me! The sooner I can get this little guy off my innards the better. The best thing about Peyton coming on the 17th is that the 17th is also my Birthday. This will be the biggest and best Birthday present that a person could ever ask for. I will be exactly 27 years older than my baby boy. My last day at work will be the 16th and I will check into the hospital that night. Allan and I are both ecstatic! I will have to post pictures ASAP.

Huck "The Killer Dog"

<----He looks like a killer, doesn't he!

I don't know who to feel more sorry for, Huck, Macy, Myself, or my poor Husband. I got home from work around 6:45 yesterday evening and Allan made me sit on the couch and told me he had some bad news for me. Of course, I immediately started freaking out and letting my pregnant hormones get the best of me. He said, "He didn't mean to, he was just playing, but Huck hurt Macy (my 6 year old cat) really bad today and she died." A couple of characteristics about both animals that you have to know are:
1. Huck absolutely loves cats. I mean he is pretty much obsessed with them. Especially when they are scared of him and won't go near him.
2. Macy was scared of everyone and everything, except for me. She spent her entire life hiding out under a bed. She would only come out if I was the only one around.
So, you can imagine the scenario. Macy was hiding out in the baby's room and Allan wanted her out of there. Allan began shooing her out and in struts Huck. He wanted so badly to play with Macy and was very excited that she was actually out in the open. Allan said the next thing he knew Macy had gone screeching under Huck's legs and into the living room. Well, all it took was one second for Huck to pounce on that poor kitty. She ran and hid behind the couch. When Allan went to check on her, she had already passed away. All I can say is, thank God that I was not there to witness this! Allan buried her and took all of her belongings out of the house. Allan and Macy had a mutual hate for one another, so for him to go to all that trouble really meant a lot to me. He is the best. He just let me cry my eyes out on his shoulder all night long. Today, I feel better about all of it. It was really sad that things had to happen that way, but everything does happen for a reason. With a new baby about to be here, Allan was not thrilled with having a cat, who shed constantly, in the house. I am sure it was all God's perfect timing. But, I do miss her. I will post a picture of that pretty girl as soon as I can.
Just because I don't want to forget: My top 3 favorite things about Macy were......
3. She would sneak into our room at night while Allan and the dogs were still up watching TV
and snuggle with me
2. How retarded she was b/c she was an inbreed from Magen Quiroz parent's house - they
always had like 100 cats running around that were not fixed. They had a new litter of kittens
just about every 6 weeks and they were all each other's brother, sister, mama, daddy, cousin,
and lover.
1. I could always coax her out of her hiding place by singing to her. I know that is weird, but I
swear it is true. :)
And, the top 3 things that I will not miss about Macy are.....
3. She shed more than any other cat that I have ever known
2. Finding a lump of barf stuck in the carpet somewhere was never a surprise.
1. She was so hairy that she always had dingle berries! Gross, but true. I had to get her
behind shaved on a regular basis.

Dreams

So, everyone and their Mother has told me about a dream that they had about me and the baby. I got to work on Monday morning and 3 different girls dreamed that I had Peyton over the weekend. Two of them dreamed that their cell phones weren't working and I couldn't call them to tell them that Peyton was here. My sister, Katherine, had the most disgusting dream though. I won't go into details, but she said that I pretty much was walking around with Peyton half-way delivered. Gross! To put everyone's mind at ease, and hopefully to stop the obnoxious dreams, my Doctor says that I should be right on time. That means July 21st and no later or earlier! But, to be honest, at this point I would jump up and down with joy if it were going to be sooner. I am so hot all of the time. My feet totally look like Shrek or Fat Bastard b/c they are so swollen. It really is pretty nasty. I have had to resort to wearing flip-flops all of the time. I am just thankful that I don't have to go all the way through the end of the Summer.

The Puppies

I just had to put our Angels, Huck and Bud on here. These are our babies, for right now anyways! Huck is a 160 pound Great Dane and Bud is a 100 pound Black Lab. Allan has had Bud for about 8 years now and Huck has only been with us for about 1 1/2 years. They are both full of life and energy, which is not shown well by the picture to the left. Huck is always getting hurt and we have probably spent more on him at the Vet's office in just one year than we have on doctor's visits for me and Allan combined. Bud is probably close to being the smartest dog in the world. He has taught Huck everything he knows, but Huck sometimes chooses not to listen. Huck is scared of everything! He avoids a whole room all together if there is something in there that he doesn't like. Such as the vacuum, a cooler, a balloon, a box, or even just a bug on the wall. Allan and I now refer to these things as "Monsters". And boy, are there a lot of monsters in our house that we never knew about. Thank goodness we have Huck to point them out for us. Because Allan is working on renovating our hall bathroom, Huck has decided that any tools or materials left in the hallway are grounds for him not even attempting to walk down the hall. We literally have to clear a path for Sir Huck in order to get him to go outside and potty or eat. Huck also loves to sit on things. He sits on the couch and watches TV or on our laps, but his favorite place to sit is right on Bud's head. He will walk up to Bud, turn around, back up, and plop down right on Bud's face. It really is hilarious, but I can only imagine what is running through Bud's head right at that moment of terror! I guess I could talk about them for hours, but I will wait until another day.

Peyton Traywick

So, now I need to start updating this a little more. I will start with the most important part of our lives at this moment. That would be that we are expecting a little boy to arrive around July 21st. We are very busy trying to get the house ready. Allan is remodeling the guest bathroom and the nursery to make things a little less 70's for baby Peyton. I will post pictures once it is complete. My Husband is a very talented carpenter/tile layer/plumber/electrician/everything else and I could not be happier with how things look so far.

Other than the baby, we are both really hard at work in our individual jobs and trying to keep up with life. Well, that was short and sweet. I will have to do a little at a time, I guess.

Hello Bloggers!

Well, we are finally here! We are so excited to be one of you cool Bloggers now. Well, I am anyways. Allan does not even know how to turn a computer on, much less what a Blog is, so I can't say that he is that excited or even cares for that matter. But, I have a feeling that a couple of months into this he will be asking me for the password to make known his political opinions and "coming soon" end of the world. Yes, he has many interesting opinions and I love him for them and many other things. With so much going on, I am not sure how committed I will be to all of this, but I promise to do my best in keeping all of you noseys updated. I will have to add some pictures and more fun stuff soon. Until then....