A crazy fun week...

Well...how can I even begin? This week has been filled with a LOT of fun and to tell the truth, I am EXHAUSTED! haha.

I guess I will start with last Friday (3.19.2011) when I got to participate in MORE wedding festivities. Friday was my best friend Stephanie's wedding rehearsal and that was fun, after all of the rehearsal-ing (lol) we got to go to Salt Grass (a delicious steakhouse). I really wish Kyle didn't have to work that night, but since they gave us so much food he got to enjoy MOST of my meal as a leftover treat. So yummy. After Salt Grass we went to my house for Steph's bachelorette party, where we played some fun games and had a sleepover...which was super fun aswell. We were all so tired, that we fell right to sleep. 

On Saturday morning, we woke up and went to IHop and then got ready for wedding festivities. The day was so much fun and I was so honored to be my BFF's Maid of Honor...she was so beautiful and I am so excited that she FINALLY got to marry the love of her life!!! :) It was also fun to hang out with Kyle and take funny pictures in the photobooth that their photographer set up! hilarious...I can't wait to see them!!

Here are some pictures from the wedding:

The beautiful bride and I :)

Kyle and I :)

On Sunday, unfortunately Kyle had to work, so I had dinner at my mom's boyfriends house that night. It was nice. It was fun though because before we went over there, we went to Target and my mom and I spent some money on the baby...lol. Kyle and I actually recieved some money from my mom's boyfriend's mom for the baby, so we picked out some outfits and an adorable pack n' play and high chair/booster seat combo that is so cute! Here are some pictures of what we got! :)

Fun onesies that were on sale...I personally love the one that says "Dad thinks I'm Rad" haha

The high chair/booster combo and pack n' play in the box...

and then built! so cute!!

Anyway...on Monday night, Kyle didn't have to work so it was nice just hanging out with him. I really do miss him when he has to work so much...but it's understandable, its crazy how we are both working hard to support ourselves now, which is hard but we are getting it! I am still working on my website...I hope to have it live soon! Just working on adding some of the last touches...it should be ready to go by the next time I work the Trade Days Market...woohoo! lol.

Tuesday night (last night) Kyle had to work...which sucked because we had originally planned to take him to the Austin Rodeo that is in town so he could experience some fun Texas culture...but he got called into work because he didn't work on Saturday...so my mom, her boyfriend, his son, and I went to the rodeo and watched the guys compete on bucking horses and bulls...it was really neat. Then we got to watch Joan Jett perform, but we didn't stay long because our butts were hurting from sitting in the bleachers for 2 hours...haha. I really wish that Kyle could have been there, but maybe next time!

So..that brings us to today! I had a doctors appointment with the blood pressure specialist which wasn't that bad because my blood pressure was down! WOOHOO! *applause please!* lol! This couldn't have been better news...and Peanut is looking to be right on schedule. He weighs 1lb 2oz which is really neat and I am really feeling him move now. He is such a wiggle worm! lol. Here are the pictures from the ultrasound! We finally got a picture of his face!! last time he didn't want to show us! :)

His arms crossed haha his hands are so cute! Can't wait till they can grab onto mine and Kyle's fingers!

Here's a foot!

Both little feet put together!

His profile. Oh my gosh I love him SO much already! I can't believe that's our SON!

and in case you were doubting it is a boy...lol I had to post this, I think it's hilariously cute!

So that ends today! It's around 8:30pm and I am completely exhausted! I am just going to wait for the boy to get home so I can head to bed! :) Oh before I forget, here is my belly shot for the week :) 

 I hope everyone is having a fantastic week...and thanks for stopping by to read our blog, we really appreciate it!! :) Love!

Busy Bee!

Wow...this week has been a crazy one!! It all started with last Wednesday when I flew up to Pennsylvania to be with my college roommate to help her with wedding stuff, and then on Saturday I was in her wedding! It was such a beautiful ceremony and I had a blast, I was really happy to be able to see her again, along with my other college roommate whom I was beginning to miss a lot!! The reception was really neat too! She had a really fun bridal party so we took some really fun pictures! 

I am the first bridesmaid on the left by the groom! :) It's SUPER small...lol sorry :)

Anyway, as far as this week goes, I came home on Sunday and have been working hard with my BFF to finish all of the last touches for her wedding that is on Saturday! I am the maid of honor, so I am getting all of my duties done! haha...it's been really fun. I really missed hanging out with her, so I am excited to do that again! I am also throwing her bachelorette party this friday which is going to be really fun and I am super excited for it! It's going to be an awesome wedding on Saturday, I hope to get a lot of pictures!

In regards to Peanut,  it seems as if the Hypertension issues are still there, but fortunately it isn't as bad as they thought it would be. Hypertension is actually pretty common in pregnancy, so that is good. I have to see a specialist sometime next week to make sure that everything is going ok, but for the most part everything looks good. Peanut has been kicking away, having LOTS of fun using my bladder as a trampoline. It's actually quite funny! 

Our dear friend just sent us some AMAZING baby stuff, and we are so thankful! Peanut is going to be one little CUTIE when he is born, especially with this fun garb! :) My BFF also got us some decision dice for when the baby is born...it's hilarious, that way there are no fights when it comes to who has to change Peanut! haha

All of Peanut's stuff so far! We have amazing friends/family...thanks so much!

Well, I better get going! I finally updated my LAST blog post (well, the one that I posted last) with my belly shot from last week so take a look if you haven't yet...but here is the one from this week! Peanut is a GROWIN!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

This quote I found earlier today and I'm definitely beginning to realize it now more than ever. My love has been away from me the last few weekends (at a trade show in Central Texas and this weekend for a wedding in PA) and I've been here at the house by myself. I find myself reverting back to old ways: working it all off to try and forget about things for awhile. While that does in fact, bring home some bacon, it's not really the best solution from a physical standpoint...I left last night super tired and nearly passed out on my bed, so I definitely am learning this the hard way.

Got more work this week and I definitely hope I can bring in the gold for my wife and for my son to be. Although I do miss my wife, I do enjoy letting her have her space and me having mine, as well. We have talked and said that independence in a marriage/relationship is definitely something both people need at times as opposed to smothering or something like that. I just can't wait for her to get home and so we can both just continue being happy together.

Life is great right now, like I said in my previous post, no drama, no crap, just downright relaxed and avoiding the drama back home. The only thing that bothers me about the whole thing is that this world is filled with more judgmental people than I thought. Honestly, the point of me doing what I did was for my son, my wife, and me. It's not in his best interest to grow up around people who didn't want anything to do with him, let alone not even want him to be born or exist in our lives. Plus, I basically brought to people's attention my side of the story and honestly, anyone who wasn't present has no right to judge either one of us based on one thing we did in our lives. All I did was call people out for doing what they did and where I stand in the whole matter is this: I said my piece and I'm fine. I'm not asking/wanting sympathy for either one of us, I'm just asking people to be happy for us because we really are so happy together.

Kyle Speaks Out...For the First Time

Well, well, well. This is my first time blogging on this whole site.

Hello to anyone out there who is reading this and or following Amanda and I's adventures in becoming parents. I honestly have not spoken to anybody about this (in detail) since we both discovered that God has given us a new life out of our love for each other, but there is definitely a reason for it.

It all goes back to when we broke the news to my parents and they responded in the worst way possible: I won't go too into detail about it, but you can refer to my Facebook note if you want to know the full story. However, my quick side of the story is that the night we broke the news, the single worst things were said by my parents: one of which was "there are only 2 options: abort it or adoption." I honestly can say I would never be able to live with myself and I know Amanda wouldn't either if we had considered either of those options. My heart would ache for her and my unborn child knowing that we either killed it or pawned it off for adoption, I could not live with myself under those circumstances. The other things that were said were just completely horrific and the worst things I've ever heard in my life, but I'm not gonna go too far into detail on that. The only other things I can say that broke my heart on that day and the days following when we revealed the news were my mom calling her "controlling, manipulative, overbearing, always taking (instead of give and take)" were just the worst things ever. I'm sitting there listening to my mom spew at the mouth and Amanda trying to hold back the tears and the anger and thinking to myself: what in the hell is going on? This is not my mother, who is this raging woman to say these things to the love of my life when we've been together for almost 4 years. In regards to the entire situation I'm also thinking: this isn't how this situation should be handled, this isn't what's supposed to happen when you find out you're gonna be parents or gonna be welcoming a new child into the world" and I was ashamed, embarrassed, and for the first time in my life, completely helpless. I went into deep workaholic mode to avoid both of them and just completely shut down from them and from everyone else in my family because both parents had the nerve to basically tattletale and tell Amanda and I's story and news before we even got to have a voice. What I was most surprised about is how quickly certain family members turned on us when in the past they accepted us a couple: bf/gf, engaged for the past years and then something comes up and there's a complete 360 response and I can quote "how could you do this? You're a scumbag, you're basically stealing something away from us."This whole workaholic exterior I put out I said was for financial reasons cause I knew I needed to get out of my house in Maryland because I mean, hello, why would I want to stick around in a state and a house where people are not going to support us and completely disapprove of us being together and being parents for that matter?????? If someone can enlighten me and give me a legitimate reason, I will be damned, and I'm very serious about that. While my savings weren't exactly the highest, the majority of that workaholic and tough guy exterior is about 10% the reason, the 90 percentile is that I needed some space where I was around people who I would hope would not judge me on one thing I did in my life like my family basically did to me and still treat me the same regardless of the situation: and luckily that was the case in the work environment that I used to belong to. People there always told me, you know, "You're a good guy, we're proud of you, you're doing the right thing, you're manning up and taking responsibilities and accepting the consequences and repercussions for your actions and not taking the easy way out by like, being a wimp and walking away alone a scared man." Those words definitely confirmed what I had been wanting to hear from the moment I broke the news to my parents while they took my role and broke it to my family, instead the roles were unfortunately reversed and still to this day, I'm embarrassed by that. People who knew me for 6 years or less were being less judgmental than people I knew my whole life, which again reiterated my whole theory and thoughts of: this isn't what's supposed to happen, why should I be feeling like a jerk and a sellout for something that Amanda and I created out of our everlasting love for one another? Being at home with people who 'til the day I left for Austin never looked at me the same way before this situation happened was the most alone I felt in my 23 year history.

Moving to Texas
 I remember just packing and thinking like "nothing will ever be the same again." I started developing panic attacks and I still just completely shut down emotionally. I remember on my final day at work, it was a very busy night, so I didn't really get to talk with anybody about what was going to happen, but after it was all over, it was nice to let loose and be real with everybody at our bar and just have fun and chitchat late at night and I remember just telling everybody goodbye and hearing em all wish me the best of luck were what I wanted as closure that I do have friends and people who support me regardless of whether I'm married or not and going to be a father. Sadly, once again, nothing like that came from my family: no genuine goodbyes, just disapproving statements like "I feel very uneasy that you will be on your own" came from my aunt, all that completely just disgusted me and still to this day does. I won't let it go, sorry.

Getting There
Meeting up with Amanda in Detroit and seeing her again after leaving her for a few weeks back at college and knowing we would be together forever regardless of parenthood right now or not, that moment, nothing else mattered, I'm with this incredible person who I love and who loves me back and we give and take so much to, for, and from each other.

My Life Since the Move

If I could describe it in one word it is this: is absolutely fabulous or drama free one word??????????????? My life since I've been down here is the happiest I've been since I did the Disney College Program 3 years ago, while maybe not as exciting as it was back then, still fabulous. OK, it is exciting I'm gonna be a parent, but the excitement of being in Disney is just a different kind of excitement emotion than this kind is all I'm trying to say, LOL. While I was skeptical about finding employment down here after the move, within I think 2 weeks or so, I found one through a website and applied and interviewed and was accepted. While it is exhausting and soreness erupts after a few hours, I really love my job and love the people who I work with, as well. They are also very understanding of my situation and are still getting to know me as a person but I feel have accepted me with open arms regardless of my social status, marital status/situation, etc. I can whole heartedly say that there was one day at work where I was telling a few people my story/situation where I just said in my head "I don't care anymore. I'm with an incredible woman who I'm in love with, and we created a life out of love for each other, why should we worry about what other people think? Who gives a crap? If they ain't with us, they're against us, and having people like that are like sore thumbs walking around and that puts us down and creates drama, man, we sure as hell don't need that in our lives now.

In regards to my family: I have NOT spoken to my parents in the last month and a half and quite honestly don't really intend on it (maybe forever) for the simple fact that they won't take back what they said to Amanda and apologize and try mending the bridges they broke with her, her family, me, and my soon-to-be-son. Hell, we extended an olive branch the night after the news was dropped and offered them the chance to be clued in on everything that we were thinking, doing, and everything in general regarding the baby. That was until the next day, they cut the branch off with their words and then set it on fire with their actions. So, from my point of view, they will just be Rhonda and Paul to my son, not Grandma and Grandpa after what they said and did.

In regards to fatherhood: I'm nervous and excited about it. This whole thing is just so surreal to me like every man dreams about the day he holds his newborn and I sure had my dreams and whatnot about it and it's happening and I'm anxious but excited at the same time. I just know that I'm in store for a journey of indescribable feelings and emotions revolving around me, my soon-to-be-wife, and my future son. It's a journey that I'm ready to take and I'm excited about it.

20 weeks! Halfway there!!

Wow! I can't believe we are already at 20 weeks pregnant, I never thought it would get here this fast! It's pretty crazy!! We are just so excited! We are halfway through the pregnancy, which is AMAZING! Kyle and I are so excited to meet Peanut, and we already have a name picked out (which we have decided not to share on here for safety's sake...so he will be lovingly referred to as Peanut :) )

Anyway...I guess it's time for a little update!
This past week I went to work at a Trade Days Market where I did pretty well for the first time being out there. Booths usually bomb their first month (the market is every month, the weekend before the first monday) and so I am glad to see that I was able to pull through! I also got to see my cousin whom I haven't seen in years, so that was nice! It's always good to catch up with family. Kyle stayed home for the week because he had to work, and has been doing REALLY well with tips. I am so proud of him, we are learning to budget things so that way we can support ourselves and also be able to do fun things aswell! :) It's a tough process at times! Peanut and I missed him though and are glad to be home! hehe :)

One crazy thing that happened when my mom and I were gone was that my car (lovingly known as Susie Belle :) ) decided that she didn't want to cooperate, so she broke down in my front driveway! Poor Kyle had to figure out what to do, and luckily my Mom's boyfriend has more than one car so Kyle was able to get to work this past weekend!! Right now as I write this, Kyle and my mom are on the way with the tow truck to the car repair place...and unfortunately any money that I made this past weekend at the Market has to go to the car...but such is life!!!! haha.

I had a doctors appointment last Tuesday...everything is looking good except for the fact that I might have some hypertension issues...(which is quite normal in pregnancy, but could be bad). I am just asking for prayers at this point in time, that this doesn't turn into anything serious! We want Peanut to stay safe and sound until July 23!! I started drinking tons of water, I think that some of my problem has been dehydration, because I NEVER drink H2O...so that's gotta change!!!

This week is going to be a busy one for me, especially because on Wednesday, I fly to Pennsylvania to be in one of my best friend's weddings that is on Saturday! (3/12)! I am so excited for her, it's going to be amazing and beautiful! I will be home Sunday, after her wedding. I then have a doctors appointment next Tuesday in the early morning, and then next weekend (3/19) is my BFF's wedding! Crazyy...I am just thankful that I still fit in the dresses! haha. I am going to be one tired mama to be! I wish that Kyle could come with me to Pennsylvania...but unfortunately work is more important at this time, and since my work is mobile (starting my online business!!!) I can leave...and plus, I wouldn't miss it for the world!

Well, that's basically it for this week so far...I will probably update with some more belly pictures soon, Kyle and I have decided that Mondays are the days when we will take pictures of the belly! I will update this post when we decide to take the pictures..but right now Kyle is at the car repair place...so we will have to do our pics later!! :) Kyle wants to start posting on the blog too...(which is awesome!) so don't be surprised to see a post from him every so often as well! :)

**UPDATE 3/16/2011** Here is the picture I meant to upload the day that I posted this blog...I totally forgot about it until now! :)