Spa Day - Cooper Clinc

The weeks following Dexter's birth, my back, arms, feet, everything was sore.  I wasn't sleeping well, I was walking around a lot at night and then holding the little 7lb child quickly turned into feeling like a 20lb baby.  Shoulders, forearms, you name it.  Much to my joy, Preston got me a Spa Package at the Cooper Spa on the Cooper Clinic campus.  It was perfect!

Like most spas, its a cell free zone so I have no pictures of my adventure.  But don't think that didn't stop me from googling fun images so you can get the idea of how it went down.

I arrived a little before 9am.  I was greeted with a smile and escorted to the locker room where I was given a robe and slippers.  I quickly changed as I was excited to get my day started.  My first treatment was a Moroccan Body Scrub and Oil.  It smelled really good and pretty much felt like she was scrubbing my skin raw!  It was then followed up with oil.  I felt like a scrubbing whale at this point as I slide from side to side on the table.  She then turned on the shower that I had noticed in the corner, but didn't think much of it at the time.  Now I was like, whaaaaaat?  She instructed me to take a shower to get the scrubbing beads off.  Okaaaaay.  I slide on over to the shower and did the best I could while she changed the sheets on the table.  This is what I like to think I looked like.

I then got back on the freshly changed warm table and she begin my massage.  Oh was it nice!  I drifted a little into a snooze when she got to my feet.  I used to hate to have my feet rubbed.  Now it's my favorite part!  She then used the hot stones on my back.  Here "I" am again.

 



 2 hours later it was time for me to move on to my facial.  I've never had a facial before!  I was escorted to another room and greeted by a lady with a warm smile.  Right away she handed me a menu and said it was time for me to order lunch.  I went crazy and got the Pesto Penne with Chicken.  (diced toms included)  She then told me to get on the table and she would go place my order.  I got all cozy on the table again and closed my eyes.  Once she was back she begin.  Getting a facial felt a lot like she was in a pantry picking out jars of olive oil and cans of soup to smear all over me.  Some of them smelled good, some not so much.  There was something she put on my face that when I took a breath I actually coughed/gagged.  Slightly embarrassing as I said, "oh! that's strong.  I'm ok..it's cool."  Here "I" am enjoying everything but the gagging goo.

Another hour later I was fresh faced, pores cleared, eye brows waxed Sarah.  With recommendations to exfoliate more.  Sigh, I know.  I have no skin care routine.

 

It was then time for lunch!  They took me to a private room with 2 chairs, a table, and some magazines.  This was the only time I wished I had a friend with me.  My lunch was brought in on a silver tray and a smile.  All that was missing was a little vase with a flower!  I sat there by myself lunching on pesto penne with chicken comfy in my spa robe.  Here is my lunch that wasn't really my lunch.

 

 

I was feeling pretty awesome at this point.  Of course I was thinking of Dexter a lot, but felt relaxed.  I estimated it was probably around noon'ish.  My next service provider arrived and took me to my next room.  It was mani/pedi time!  I got settled into the pedicure chair and noticed the clock on the wall.  It was 1:05pm! Whoa...I've been here for 4 hours.  Cool!  Just look at "me" getting my pedicure.  So pampered.

 

 





I chit chatted with another lady in the room who was visiting from California for a Bar Mitzvah.  I had so many questions for her but was playing it cool as I didn't want to offend her by saying, "you are the first person I've ever met that is going to a Bar Mitzvah!"  She asked what else there was to do in Dallas as her daughter was with her. I told her about the Perot Nature & Science Museum and Klyde Warren Park.  I hope she is able to go!  We said our goodbyes and I fought the urge to say, "Shalom". 

 

My pedicure was complete and she moved me to the manicure station.  I originally wanted a French manicure, but really liked the color the CA lady had used.  It was a pale pink.  I told my tech that I would like her color.  She said she would ask the other tech what it was.  She came back and said, "well...she brought her own.  It was Chanel."  My response was, "Oh! Well that explains why I liked it."  We both busted out laughing and we were immediately besties.  She found a lesser brand of polish that was as close as possible and we spent the rest of the time bonding.  "My" nails.

 

By the time I was finished it was almost 3pm.  I was ready to go see my boy! It was a WONDERFUL time and I highly recommend Cooper Spa for any of your special moment pampering needs.  And of course many many loves and thank you to my husband who got this for me as a Christmas present.  He is always so good at presents!  They are thought out and meaningful.  Surprises me every time the time and effort he puts into his gifts.  So far this is in 2nd place for all time favorites. 1st place is still the season tickets to DSM.  I was shocked with that one. 

 

 

Valentines Day is coming up so please feel free to send this link to your special someone as a hint, or if you want to purchase for them!  http://cooperaerobics.com/Cooper-Spa-Dallas.aspx



We Have a Home!

We have officially moved into our house.  I can't even begin to explain the stress and excitement that has come with this adventure. 

Our House!



My mom came to Dallas for 4 days to help out with Dexter so we could get things moved over before the actual movers came for the furniture.  I honestly don't know what I would have done without her! We wouldn't have gotten things moved in time, that's for sure.  It was a fun week!

 



 

 

 Then the movers came. Every time I move I can never stand to watch.  It makes me so nervous and sick.  I'm just waiting for something to go wrong, even though nothing ever does.  This move, it was this book shelve that just about did me in.  OMG - just look at that thing! It was at this moment that I wanted to say, "Just forget it. We will buy something smaller to go upstairs." But it was already at the point of no return.  I am happy to report that it made it upstairs in one piece, but they did hit the wall.  We didn't complain or say anything as 1. It's small and will be covered up with paint easily.  2. We asked them to move that upstairs and you could tell they didn't want to...so we basically "asked" for it.

The weather was nice our first weekend actually living here so we packed up Dex and took a walk through the neighborhood into the next neighborhood and visited the local park.  It will be so much fun when he is big enough to swing and go down slides.

 

Now this next subject has me feeling very old.  Like super old.  I have never had a fancy washer/dryer.  I like to keep things simple with just a turn knob of 3 settings and a button.  However, we went crazy and bought some modern day washer/dryer.  Dude.  Doing my first load of laundry made me sweat.  I had to get out the guide and really focus on what I was doing! 

I haven't even begun to figure out all the bells and whistles.  I feel like it can do everything but fold the dang clothes.  Next I have picked out a color for our hallway.  Below is my test patches.  After looking at it for awhile and consulting with my Bunco girls, I'm going with the color on the left.  The color on the right though is not forgotten.  It will be used in Dexters room as an accent color.  Main colors will be navy and dark green.  Dexter's room will be dark colors. 

 Finally, there are 2 things that seem to be put together already.  Our kitchen...and Ashe.  It took Ashe all of 2 hours to make this place his home.  I realized this will be the last place he ever lives.  As sad as it makes me, it also makes me happy to know that this is also the biggest nicest place he has ever lived in.  His life started out in a 600sq ft apartment in Lewisville, TX.  It will end in a home in Carrollton, TX.  Gosh...that is horrible to even say.  He isn't even sick, I'm so sorry Ashe.  Live on with your bad self!

My Top 10

At first I felt like the list I'm about to talk about was top 10 topics of advice.  However, I have learned over the past 8 weeks that there is no such thing as advice when you are a first time mom.  Sure, people will suggest things and you will try them.  And sure, they are wonderful!  The thing I have learned is that everyone is different and every baby will respond differently.  I think the best advice was actually given my by sister who is a mother of 3.  Every time I would call her concerned or questioning something, she would always respond with, "Don't worry about what you read or what you were told.  You know what feels right for you and Dexter.  As long as he is eating, sleeping, and having dirty diapers you are doing great! Don't worry about trying to feed him every X hours bc that is what "they say".  If he is hungry 8mins later, feed him.  Do what is right for YOU."  It took me about 3 weeks of her saying that concept over and over before I finally understood and followed the advice.  Once I did my own thing, my stress and worry melted away.  In a way it's ironic to say the best advice is no advice because I am then giving advice.  But.....it is the best advice. 

With that being said, here are my top 10 things I have learned that works for me during my night feedings.  These work for me and I would be thrilled if they ended up helping out another new mom, but I know that everyone is going to have a different story.

Top Ten Must Haves of Late Night Feedings

10.  Don't feed in bed: I found that getting myself up and out of the bedroom to another room to feed not only awakens me, it also allows Preston to continue to sleep.  This is 2 fold as I am not fighting sleep all cozy in my bed with a sweet warm baby cuddled up to me.  Try keeping your eyes open, that's hard.  Making sure Preston gets a good nights rest has helped me during the day and weekends as he is well rested and able to help out in other ways around the house as well as allow me to have my little cat naps.  Plus it makes me personally feel better as he is working 5 days a week while I'm not and I feel guilty waking him knowing he has to be up at 6am.

9. Headphones: I started off with the TV volume really low.  This was working, but when the AC came on it made it difficult to hear.  It's not that the AC is loud, but when you have the TV on level 5 in the middle of the night, you really can't hear a thing.  It was about week 2 that I started streaming Netflix and Amazon Prime from my iPhone with headphones.  Made it waaaay easier to hear AND I was able to put my phone on my lap, arm rest, etc so my line of sight was better to view.  Which brings me to my next item.

8. Apps: I already had Netflix and Amazon Prime, but never used them on my phone.  Once it clicked in my head I could use the services on my phone it was amazing!  I could watch TV shows or movies.  If you have a tablet, same concept.  It was so much easier than flipping channels with a remote trying to find something to watch.  My apps allowed me to watch things on demand.

7. Set up station: Breastfeeding makes you very very thirsty.  Once you are sitting down and feeding your child, you can't just hop up and go get a drink of water.  At least I haven't mastered that task yet.  So before I begin feeding, I would always make sure my water cup is full, my headphones are within reach and anything else that I may need.  I also would take this time to use the restroom and such.  Basically anything that I could think of I would need in the next hour.

6. Watch only at night: If you have found a TV series that you like, only watch it at night.  This allows you mentally to have something to look forward to at night.  It also prolongs how long you have the show.  This was something else I learned after plowing through a 2 season show in 2 days because I watched it all day and at night.  I now am watching a 4 season show and am only in the middle of season 2 and it's 2 weeks into me watching it.  It makes me feel excited to wake up sometimes because I want to know how the episode ends!

5. Time trick: This little gem was something that I learned from Preston.  After telling him how hard it was so look at the clock and see it was 2:20 or 3:17am, he said that he looks it as the afternoon to help trick himself. GENIUS! So now, when I'm having a sleepy night or feeling drained, I look at it like it's only 3:17pm.  Mentally it helps. 

(side note - I'm realizing that a lot of these top ten items are all mental comforts. hmmmmm)

4. Bottle option: Because I'm nursing, it isn't possible for Preston to do any of the late night feedings.  "But you mentioned Preston and late night feedings in #5" you say.  Yes...that is because I started pumping a full bottle during the day.  This allows me to have at least one feeding during the night that I skip and he feeds.  This creates a nice solid block of rest for me.

3. No scary movies: I love a good scary movie! Watching one late at night alone though has come to an end.  I do not recommend doing this.  It took one movie with my headphones in to get royally freaked out. 

2. No forcing:  Sometimes I found myself trying to force Dexter to go to sleep.  Some nights he will fall asleep eating and will be out.  A good deep sleep out! Then other times he will eat for over 20mins with no end in sight.  I was forcing him to stop and would try to rock him to sleep.  This only created him to be fussy and then sleep wasn't coming any time soon.  So, now I don't force anything.  I just let him do his 'thang.

1. Acceptance: I finally have accepted that he WILL wake up in the middle of the night and he WILL stay awake for at least an hour.  Once I accepted this as a way of life, it made it less dreadful.  I felt less exhausted the next day and less fearful of the night time hours.  I no longer tried to get him on a timed schedule or tried to make rhyme/reason of his actions.  There is no pattern to a baby.  You just let them be a baby and follow their lead at night.  Once I accepted this game, life was better. 

It's getting better and I know it will continue to get even more better!  I love our little guy and when he looks up and smiles at me at 2:15am....I can't help but enjoy our time alone together. 

D is for D......

For several years now I have watched my friends get or make letters of their children's names for their nursery's.  They are adorable! My sister did the same thing and I even helped find some of the letters as she did them all different styles.  I thought about doing this, but none of the letters I had seen really stood out to me and I felt like it was so done these days that it was hard for me to find something unique.  I had given up on the idea.  And then I found these.....

They are books! I was I awe when I saw them.  They are exactly the style and concept that I want for his room.  I almost got just the letters D, E, X, but when I laid out all the letters I fell in love with the way it looked.  It didn't help that a random customer walking by stopped to say how cute she thought that was and loved his name.  Then I had to get his whole name. 

I probably spent 15 mins looking at every letter picking out the covers that I felt looked the best together.  At first I was going off of the title of the books, but that quickly went out the window when I realized they were Readers Digest books and you wouldn't really see the spine anyway.  Who came up with this idea? I just love it. Here is a closer look at the letters.

It was as I was walking out of the store I realized I only have 2 things for his room so far.  These letters and his custom painting by our friend Mike.

Once we get in the house (5 days, not that I'm counting) I will get to put everything together.  I think I'm going to go a darker grey/sage/navy color for his wall color.  I really want to do strips! Man I can't wait to move.  I'm literally dreaming about decorating.  I feel like I could go on and on about my ideas.  Sigh......no doubt I will cry our first night there with joy. 

 

 

On a random note, a while back while at a local movie theater I saw a sign for an event they call Crybaby Matinee.  I remember saying to Preston that we need to remember that for someday when we have a kid!  Well, I just remembered!  I gave them a call and they still do it, yea!  What is it you ask?  Every Tuesday and Wednesday they show a movie at 1:30pm.  It is specifically designed for mothers with babies to come watch the movie with the comfort of not worrying if the baby gets fussy, needs to be feed, or changed.  The lights are dimmed slightly so you can see what you are doing and everyone in there is understanding.  I wish I would have remembered it back in December, but I still have close to 4 weeks left so I'm going to try to go to at least 2 movies! The movie itself changes every week.  I'm going to call tomorrow to see what is this weeks showing.  Fingers crossed it is Wild or Catching Fire. 

It's Almost Time!

I haven't written about the house in awhile.  There was kind of a pause as the holidays got into swing.  Inspectors don't work during the holidays apparently.  The time has come though....we close next week!  I am so unbelievable excited about this next step.  The house is officially complete.  We had our walk through this morning to mark off anything that needed fixing.  Paint chips, dinged gutters, etc.  We made some measurements AGAIN to make sure our furniture will work.  It still will.  By the end of the month we will be living there!  Here are 3 pictures of the finished downstairs.

On the Dexter front, he is doing fabulous!  We are settling into a day time routine that I like.  Nap in the morning, playing in the afternoon with little cat naps in the afternoon.  He is 7 weeks now! Getting so big.

 

The whole thing is getting more fun by the day.  He is smiling and cooing at me.  I also have some set songs that I'm singing to him everyday in hopes that they turn out to be his favorites.  One of them is the 80's Gatorade commercial song Like Mike.  We want him to appreciate that one.  Till next time.....

2014 Was So Much Fun!

It's been a long time since I can say a whole year was awesome.  Not that the prior years were bad, but I can't think of anything about 2014 that I didn't like.  2007 was the last time I felt like that.  Here is my year in review:

January 

We kicked off New Years Day with brunch at our favorite place State & Allen with our friends the Hess' then just Preston and I went over to Nodding Donkey for the afternoon.  I remember this day as it turned out to be warm and I was wearing my new Christmas sweater.  We had so much fun hanging out together doing nothing.  I snapped my first selfie of 2014 at this fine establishment.

 

February

 

February was spent celebrating my birthday and our anniversary.  We went back to Vegas as we hadn't been in back in almost a year.  Vegas is our place. We treated ourselves on this vacation to several shows.  Although a Cir show was our favorite, we only have pictures from our 2nd favorite...Boyz II Men.

 



 

I almost forgot! Before we went to Vegas we both hit a milestone and goal we had set for our running.  I ran my 1st half marathon and Preston ran his 1st full marathon.

 

 

On our way back from Vegas, our flight to Dallas got canceled.  Because we had a connecting flight in Phoenix, this left us there for the night arriving back in Texas late the following evening.  The layover was awesome as we got to go to the Texas Rangers training camp and watch them play.

 

 

 

March

 

March was your classic month of hanging out with friends and celebrating St. Patrick's day! My BIL was in town so we joined him and his friends on Greenville Ave for the parade.  This picture was taking on a Saturday, that Monday....we found out I was pregnant!  At least I had one last party before I couldn't drink, right?!

 

 

April

 

Our good friends Derek and Kacie got married in April! Although they knew we were pregant, this was our first social gathering of me not drinking.  I was nervous as if people would notice.  I held a wine glass in my hands the whole night, haha. So silly looking back.

 

 

May

 

We traveled to Indiana for our other friends wedding, Kyle and Alysia! The whole weekend was so much fun with lots of memories made.  Again we had flight delays and didn't get back till late that night instead of 2pm.  However, this time we were with about 8 of our friends so it made the whole thing entertaining.  It was also our friend Summer's birthday that month.  She had an awesome party on boat at a local lake.  The weather was perfect that day.

 

 





We also ended up selling our townhome downtown that month and buying a lot to build a house in Northern Dallas. 

 

 

June

 

This was another big month for us.  We went to Europe for the first time together! Germany to be exact.  We also got to see George Strait in concert on his final tour.  It was so good and I also felt Dexter move for the first time during that concert!  I will never forget.

 

 

 

 

 

July

 

This was Preston's birthday month! We had a group dinner with about 15 of our friends and handed out scratch off cards to everyone telling them the gender of our little guy.  I also gave him a new Xbox which he was super happy to have.  One for upstairs and one for downstairs. I get the old one which I will mainly use for Netflix and Amazon Prime.

 

 

 

August

 

August was Dexter's first football game at AT&T stadium as well as his first OSU game.  Technically he had no idea he was there, but none the less we documented the event.















 

Our friend Kacie turned 30 this month! Earlier in the year when we picked Kacie and her husband up from the airport we went to dinner and had discussed a theme for her big party.  As much fun as our crazy ideas were, a Luau was the final plan.  A group of us also all pitched in and had her yard "flocked" as a celebration.  It was a fun month!

 



 

 

 

September

 

We took a trip to Austin this month as a one last get away! It was so relaxing.  We golfed, hiked, and had an afternoon at the spa.  Can't wait to go back with Dexter as it was a family friendly resort!

 



 

 

 October

This was a big Oklahoma trip month and Baby Showers!  We went to OK for my 1st baby shower thrown by my 2 besties from High School.  Since we were in town, we also celebrated my mom's birthday with our annual lobster boil.  It was great because my Aunt and Uncle from CA were in town.  I love having everyone together! A couple of weeks later is was my 2nd baby shower in Texas thrown by 3 of my good friends here.  I liked the month of October....I felt very loved by the people in my life.

November

It's no surprise what happened this month! Sir Dexter Own was born!!  Best month EVER.

 

 

 December

This month went by very very quickly.  A lot of time figuring out how to be parents.  It was so stressful, but fun.  One of my favorite parts of this month was taking Dexter to see Santa.  I am soooo excited about December's to come and photos of Santa.

 

 

 

 Man I loved 2014.  These are just some of the few awesome moments.  I'm looking forward to 2015.  January is off to a great start as we move into our new home this month.  Once we are in the house, I will feel complete and back to normal.  I can start getting everything back to order AND organized.