Oh that pregnancy glow...

If one more person tells me I'm glowing, I think I'll throw up on myself. I think they are mistaken, the glow is from the oil all these zits are secreting! I have pimples that I never had in high school...and thankfully many are hidden on my ear, or neck... but the others...those nasty little buggers planted squarely on my cheek or nose, are a little MORE obvious. And my boss Mark loves to point them out. Ugh.

Then, we have the clothes. Really...I mean really? They are MUCH better than they used to be, I know... I know.. but quite frankly, you still look like a duck (and I'm not even waddling yet). I will say, when I see OTHER people I can honestly say they look beautiful or my personal favorite to hear: "You look SO CUTE" - ugh. Babies are cute, puppies are cute... still, I find myself saying it. Said it to Kristin yesterday. She DOES look adorable though, me... I look more like an orca.

I have to admit that this whole pregnancy thing is NOT for me. NO way, no how. I DO think I am cut out to be a mom, but this whole out of body experience, giving your body over to the little person inside you....bleck. I can't stand it. I'm ready for it to be over with even though I KNOW it's creating something magical, a gift from God. That part I believe with all of my heart.

Most days, I think I am at peace about it and then... there it is... my cottage cheese or just the SIZE of me. Ugh. Really... really? I mean, it gets bad enough and then for some unknown reason, God allows that. I think it's to really work out any ounce of pride that you have left so when you go to the table for delivery, you flat out don't care. God bless Holt, the man tries to tell me he still thinks I'm sexy and beautiful... yeah, as I said before.. for an orca - maybe.

Then there is the nausea. Why oh why must I still have that? Meat... nasty... veggies... still not my friend. Thankfully many things can be eaten that are covered in some sort of a sauce. I still can't even use my mint toothpaste without a full on gag. My favorite gum..goodbye... and I have a HUGE issue with bad breath so now I've taken to spearmint which I previously hated. Who would have known. Oh and let us now forget the joy of the over sized prenatal vitamin. YUM!

Then today, I had the joy of SQUEEZING into my maternity clothes and slipping on a pair of heels. yeah right... slipping. It was more like trying to stuff sausages into a pen cap. Nice. To top it all off, you have to spend a billion dollars on baby stuff and really don't have the cash to blow on stuff you'll wear (and then hate) for no more than 9 months. I have a new appreciation for baby showers and see how they are SO important for people to be able to prepare. Thank you Margie, Deb and Kimmie for my shower!! Oh and lastly, my boobs... yeah, they couldn't be more ridiculous. And it's only going to get worse. Need I say more?

The VERY large pillow that I sleep with has had a few names (Bruce or Ben I think - no clue why) but those never stick. But I have to say, I am eternally grateful for whoever made it, it's fabulous. It takes an act of Congress for me to flip during the night. I'm not sure if I wake Holt or not even though I believe I have accidentally punched him a few times. My doctor mentioned to him that I'm not allowed to sleep on my back anymore, so thankfully he wakes me and reminds me to flip on my side. All I can think of in the moment is how badly I want to sleep on my stomach. Then, I flip.

Oh...and to run again. If I ever complain about HAVING to workout...remind me how much I missed it. I know, I know.. I still could but I canceled my gym membership because I wasn't going and I have a perfectly good (and free) street to walk on. Aslan and I both need the exercise, we're just working through explaining to Simba that he needs to stay with Daddy and not howl the entire time.

Don't get me wrong, I am VERY excited about my son. I really am. I will love being a mom, because I loved it before. It's just this whole process of getting to that point that's a beating. My mom LOVED being pregnant, my sister in law LOVED being pregnant..I have friends who are begging to get pregnant so I feel bad complaining but hey, it's my blog, I can do whatever I want with it.

Tristan, mommy and daddy love you and can't wait to meet you. January 11th can't come soon enough. One of these days very soon, I'm sure) you are going to kick me and once again remind me that it's all worth it. But, for today - I think all of you "I love being pregnant" people are NUTS. But I love you anyway. If everyone where like me, the world would be a VERY small place!

Thanks for letting me vent and please don't lecture me because I will make YOU my next "can you believe this" post. And trust me, I'm not glowing... it's probably sweat because did I mention - you get HOT every 5 seconds!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Adios - JB

Nothing like 3 years...and the vet!

Well, I'll get to that in a minute... first let me tell you a few things... in order.

The day we found out that Tristan was Tristan and not Kennedy...I came to an AWESOME surprise! My fabulous Aunt Trisha sent me a box. For those of you that don't know her... we are pretty much cut from the same mold. My entire life she has taught me things about etiquette, fashion, tennis....and mostly about business. I remember being about 15 thinking that I would be just like her and when I got older I would have a job that I needed a briefcase for. Fast forward about 10 years...and I did! So, it was HILARIOUS when I opened the box and saw this.... a BABY BRIEFCASE!

The pictures are a little hard to see but basically it holds all the important paperwork and such... it was wrapped in a pink AND blue ribbon, so whichever the baby turned out to be... it covers it! Blue it was! Thank you Auntie T, I'll do my best to keep my little guy organized (and Holt will fight me every step of the way...hee, hee, hee)

First of all I mentioned that I went to see my friend Natalie (Nat to me) and her hubby Brad came here for a boy's weekend with Holt, JJ and Kevin. I had a blast and poor Nat had to answer my 3.2 million baby questions and I was THRILLED that she took to me Target and Baby's-R-Us to pick up some current must have's. My mom will do the run down the list and make sure I like what's on my registry, but Natalie ran around the store with me offering "mom advice" and it was PRICELESS! She of course couldn't contain herself and bought these cute items for Tristan! Man oh man...ADORABLE!!

Ok, so onward we go.... yesterday, August 20th, 2008 was my 3 year anniversary. I CANNOT believe that 3 years ago, on the sunny beaches of Aruba, I married the love of my life. So I woke up a few minutes early... made coffee, set out Holtie's card and his new diaper bag with a note from Tristan. It was cute! Holt woke up and read the card and was excited to see that I was buying him a Papasan chair for the sun room which we have now dubbed the fish/midnight feeding room. Debby Lane (who is pretty much a sister) was working an estate sale a few months ago and there was a 160 gallon fish tank and she sold it to us for $50. It was INSANE. Holt has been so bummed because he knew it would be forever before we could afford one, especially a decent one. Well, now he had one but he was using a lawn chair to sit and look at the fish....hence my gift! Here's a picture of the midnight feeding room... I think the little guy will like it!

**NOTE...the picture above the tank is from my friend Karen Saylor... such an amazing artist!

Isn't it great!? We even have fish!! So anyway...that day, my fabulous husband went grocery shopping to make me my favorite dinner! I came home to Kenny Chesney playing on the iPod, sunflowers on the table, candles lit and cards and gifts on the table. It was awesome! He bought me a bunch of organizing stuff for our kitchen from IKEA so we can spend the weekend getting ready for Tristan! It was SO great. So, off I went to change so we could relax and enjoy the evening. Or so I thought.....

When I came back in the room, Holt had an odd look on his face and said something like "hey, check this out...." He flips Simba over and there it is... a gash in my puppy. I could see some sort of muscle or something below. I didn't pass out, but I thought of it. It was bad. We gave a nod and new it was off to the Emergency Pet Clinic we go.

I'll pass on the really depressing stuff that we saw and heard and just tell that we arrived at 6:25pm only to depart at almost 9pm. Simba came out so jacked up he looked like Bambi (legs spread on the ice) on crack. He was G-O-N-E! Hilarious! They gave my little guys staples in his chest! See!!

After explaining that I was pregnant (like the couldn't tell from the bulging belly...) I explained I had not eaten yet and the two women behind the counter just said "ooooooh" and nodded. They understood. Mama needed FOOD. So, we arrived back home at 9:30pm, Holt made the fastest Chinese food EVER...and it was awesome! We re-lit the candles, turned on the music, poured a glass of wine and chowed on some food! At almost 10pm the vet called and said, ok...come on back down. So we went back (took Aslan for a joy ride this time) and picked up three prescriptions and paid that rotten bill.

So, in a nutshell... it was INTERESTING. I crawled into bed close to 11pm and laughed because the card Holt gave me was SOOOO perfect.....

(take special note of the cat... I don't think

I'll be getting one any time soon!!)

Dinner for two - $50.00
IKEA organizing stuff - $92.00

Papasan chair and stool - $175.00

Vet bill - $353.00

Finding the perfect card for your wife

having NO IDEA how perfect

it would actually be THAT NIGHT......

PRICELESS!!!!

Man...............I love my life.

The Barber clan over and out......

Who, What, When, Where, Why?

Who: The Barbers!

What: DELIVERY .........AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

When: January 11, 2009

Where: Baylor Medical Center at Frisco

Why: Because I have no choice... well, I do about the where but not about the other stuff

Waiting room....
Well, I'm technically copying my friend Kristin's blog so you can click on her link to the right OR you can just read all about my nonsense!

Some VERY cool things about the hospital OTHER than the photos:

1) We will have a camera in our room (NOT delivery..bleck) and there will be a link that you can click and it will take you right to our room so you can "knock" to see us and you can see Tristan! For all of you out of towners or those who hate hospitals or don't want to pay those ridiculous parking fees... it's for you! (And yes, we have to accept ... you can't just POP IN Poolsie) Labor and delivery below.... They do ALL tests and bathing, etc. right in front of you and then you both get low jacked. hee, hee.

2) Each room has a flat screen TV, and a pull out bed for daddy (better than a chair!) This is the room you may POP IN) Remember, the camera adds 5 lbs. in my case though... 50! This is "our" room ....

3) They allow you to either have the baby with you at all times (which I will try and do but I get crabby with no sleep). OR you can send them to this fabulous nursery below... especially during nap time from 2-4pm. Aaaaaah, dimmed lights, peace and quiet...no visitors... aaaaah.

inside the nursery... so cute!

4) They have baby low-jack so no one can steal your kid...I'm not kidding. The ENTIRE hospital goes into lock down if baby and mommy's wrist bands together don't sing a lullaby. Nice!

5) They offer a ton of free classes and Holt and I are signed up for October and November. Baby/Infant CPR and safety, Parenting class, Car Seat check class, Daddy Boot Camp (Holt only and someone save me on this one...my husband already has duct tape in his Dude Diaper bag!), Breastfeeding class, etc. Some are long classes (3 weeks, 4 hours) but some of them we are taking with our friends Scott and Kristin (the blog I plagiarized) so they will be MORE than entertaining. She will inevitable hit Scott more than once.

6) All meals are served with a guest meal so Holt (or whoever is with me when I'm chowing down... will get a free meal. The food ROCKS too! Yipppee! PLUS - We get steak and lobster (or the something and lobster of your liking) the night before we go home! Who's sneaking me in a glass of red wine?

Whew! I'm sure I forgot a lot... but for now.. this will do.

Also, I'm so blessed to borrow my sister-in-law's furniture, one less expense for us! It should be here in the not so distant future and hopefully we'll start getting the nursery set up. Kimmie, Brad and Natalie Simpson and a few others are also letting us borrow clothes, strollers, toys, etc. so my mom and I will be cleaning and setting it all up when she comes in September. There will be little I have to buy although my registeries at Target and Baby's R Us still seem very long. You need A LOT for a baby - just as when you get married I guess.

This weekend, Holt and I are reorganizing, cleaning and making the best use of space in our small little house. IKEA here we come! I think I'm hitting the nesting stage so I'm going to clean like no other, wash, fold, hang, etc... to get everything moving along! See my baseboards shine!

Here is the theme for the nursery... I prefer to say Tristan's pad.... JUNGLE (imagine that!)

I have already found some stuffed animal lions, monkeys, my Ya-Ya Lisa gave me a VERY soft turtle and I also have ALLIGATORS... yowza! The Jungle room must be an EOR (Equal Opportunity Room) for jungle creatures of all kind.

I'll be filling you in on more fun Barber stuff later... one in particular..Holt's new "room" and also on our current Little Guy, Simba. He had a rough day yesterday! More to come soon after I take a few photos!

Love, "Scared to Death of the Delivery room" OR "Will Miss seeing my toes in the not so distant future" OR .... Julie

Hewwo!? Twistan....awww yooou in deeeeewre?

Ok, I couldn't resist... this weekend I flew off to Chicago to visit Natalie Simpson and her two adorable kids. Christian will be 4 in December and Joshy will be 2 in September. Aren't they CUTE!??

I took the pic with my phone so cut me some slack...

Anyway, I held Nat's foot while Christian was being born so I have always had a crazy connection with that little guy but Josh (of course) stole my heart this weekend.

SO quick story... Sunday morning, I'm sitting on the couch with Christian. He says "Aunt Juwee, do you still have a baby in your belly?" and I said "yes! I do!!" and he said "Twistan wight?" "Yes... Tristan". He said "Can I see him?" and I said "Yes, after your birthday in December, he will be born." so he stuck his hand on my belly and pointed at my belly button and said "does he come out of there"? (after laughing) I said "um, maybe..." and then he proceeded to cover my belly button with his mouth and yell "Hiiiiiiiiiiiii Twistan!! Awwww yooooou in deeeewre?"

I almost peed my pants. The end.

Tristan Holt Barber it is!!

Well, it's official...we've got ourselves a boy! Holt wanted to perform the sonogram....

yeah...um...NO! He'd tell me we were having a chicken!

The tech literally TOUCHED my stomach and BAM! LBB was showing his goods! Tech was great..and hilarious!

So as he points out his "part" I said "Man, just like Holt flashing people" which Holt quickly chimed in "I don't FLASH PEOPLE JULIE" - I said "You pee in the backyard" and the tech (with even better timing than Holt says...) "Um, who doesn't?"

PRICELESS!

This next one...he had two pics in a row and was saying "are you a good boy" and he was flipping back and forth and Tristan's head was nodding "yes, I am...yes I am!"

these are the feet and hands...you'll probably have to take my word for it. All fingers and toes are present!

other random parts like and ear..... (only my mom and dad will care about these...hee, hee)

Ok, that's it...we have to go back in 6 weeks for another one because, I'm of... ADVANCED MATERNAL AGE. If they say it to me ONE more time!!!!

Ok, I had to include my favorite quotes from friends who found out about Tristan!

Debby Lane - "I win the bet with the girls"

Carol Taylor - "Congrats to you who couldn't wait 9 months to find out!" (ain't that right!)

Chrissy VanScoy - "Wait a minute, I thought I saw a hamburger bun!!!!"

Jenny Paleczny - "I knew it!!!" (This chick is basically me in another body!)

Lee Kinson (brother-in-law) - "Um they weren't looking at the umbilical cord were they??"

Kimberlee May - "Damn!"

Angela Floyd - "It’s raining men (boys) hallelujah…"

Margie Stadler - "It totally sucks that they block blogs here"

Brigitte Green - "oh my gosh! Yay!! A boy to carry on the "Barber" name :)Little boys are heavenly by the way...they LOVE their mama's!!" (that's right...mama's boy!)

Kimmie Davidson - "Congratulations!! It’s a triple B, Baby Boy Barber! Yeah!!!"

Kristin Durbin - "Shut Up!!! - Really??"

Tracy Poole - "wow! congrats! so its a real boy and not a tom boy!! "

and drum roll please.....

Mark Layman (one of my bosses) - "Can’t wait till he pee’s in your face!"

Man, I love my job............

What a man I have!!

Most days, I realize how blessed I am...but today I came home to a complete surprise and fabulous reminder. As I mentioned, this weekend I was planning on cleaning out LBB's room and then going to get a move on painting it. First I needed a nap!

Before I headed for a snooze, I was quickly filling my dogs water bowl when I realized that their "cookie jar" was sitting there...empty. Why is this odd you might ask? Well, because it's always on the dog crate and when a pooch misbehaves we give a quick "crate up" and off they run to go get in their crate. It's a little baby time out for them and the cookie is because they did as they were asked. Anyway.. as I mentioned, it was empty. Usually I bring cookies IN to fill it, it never makes it way to the kitchen for a refill. So suddenly, I KNEW something was up. Then, I remembered my in-law's had been here. I was on to something.... I ran in LBB's room only to see a completely SPOTLESS, almost empty room. All that was in there was a bassinet and a dresser (that will later be moved) but it currently has baby items set on it. To top it off - IT WAS PAINTED. I almost fell over. It looks so cute! (Yes, I know it's empty but in my mind, I see all the little stuff that will fill it!!) I asked him where all of the "stuff" went and he said in the office closet. Sure is a lot of stuff for that little space.... here's the bedroom and closet.

My boys lounging in LBB's room

closet organizers, compliments of my mom! Idea from my friend Jennifer - great for VERY limited closet space!

The beginning stuffed "safari/jungle" animals...let the collecting begin (someone stop me! If you knew how many I had as a kid - my family bought me a TON!)

a onesie from a friend...

Then, Holt came home. Mind you I haven't seen him in over a week and I was so happy jumping up and down so I ran out and gave him a hug. I asked him when he cleaned out the VERY messy room and he said "Oh, you saw that, how'd you know?" So after explaining my detective skills, I asked him when he did all that. Apparently, he, my sister-in-law and mother-in-law cleaned, moved and painted the room!! Can you believe that? The crazy part is he had oral surgery the other day so he has been in intense pain taking care of it and they chipped in to boot!

SO SWEET! Thank you Bebah, Kimmie and my VERY sweet hubby!

So as Holt and I are sitting in the office (which he moved furniture around in and made it look fabulous) he said reminded me that I'd have to help clean the office closet out this weekend because he shoved everything in there. So I said, "man...I'm scared I have to look!" Here is what I found!!

HE EVEN STAMPED ME UP A NOTE!!!

He organized the entire thing and put shelving in there so I could still use all my Stampin' Up stuff, make cards, and have my own little space to create. SO SWEET!

I know how blessed I am but sometimes you just take life for granted. I adore my husband (99% of the time hee, hee) but it's days like these where I realize how much he loves me and THAT is a gift. Believe it or not, I didn't cry...but you can bet your booties, he can have/do/request anything this week... this baby thing is all right!!!

Talk to you Tues! LBB and family.....

It's official...I had a meltdown!

Lisa (Frankie), me, Tracy (Pookie, - A.K.A BANDIT), Nanc, Trev, Chrissy (Meyers - A.K.A BANDIT), Debbie, Jenny (Benny Jell)

Me, Lisa and Nancy

Tracy, me n Deb (been friends since we were 5!!)

THE YA YA's!!!

Well I was full of pride over the fact that I really haven't had much of a meltdown during my pregnancy. Other than a fit for ketchup, all has been pretty calm in my world. No crying over Kleenex commercials or pictures of babies and puppies. Well, then it happened.

It all began when I was off to my annual girls trip with my Ya Ya's (we have the book and all) - we were off to Hilton Head. Last Thursday, I flew to Atlanta to meet with my friend Lisa and we drove to Hilton Head. Above I've attached some pictures... well, those that I could show, hee, hee. Anyway, Sunday Lisa and I made the 4 hour trek back to Atlanta and I thought I was being smart getting there 5 hours early and I could fly standby. You guessed... no dice. After 4 flights, I was stuck on my 7:40pm flight. "Lucky" for me, the flight was delayed for over 2 1/2 hours. So basically, I made it home close to midnight, and kissed my hubby then dogs and passed out. Only to get up the next morning, pack for Vail and kiss my husband goodbye. It didn't help that he "pouted" while waving goodbye, he looked so cute and BAM! My heart was VERY sad!

Ok, you would have thought Holt wanted a divorce. I cried like a baby on the way out and then SOBBED my ENTIRE way to work. REALLY, REALLY? Yes...... sobbed. I mean, I know I love Holt, he's the greatest thing that's every happened to me....but WOW. So, after calling my more pregnant friend Kristin..and she convinced me that I wasn't insane - I headed into work.

Anyway, been in Vail since Monday night and I'm headed home tomorrow. Sheesh.... emotions can be a girls worst enemy!

LBB and I are fine, looking forward to seeing the little one on Tues. Can you believe it, we'll know if it's Kennedy or if it's Tristan. SO excited.

Tomorrow I will be home cleaning out the spare room converting it to LBB's very own pad. My mom is coming in Sept and she and I will get the room all set up and I can't wait. Then of course, everyone will be heading over for the shower. I have a ton of friends flying in from Chicago so we will have a BIG slumber party at my house and it will be a blast.

Oh yeah...and off to Chicago a week from tomorrow to see Nat, Christian and Josh, Brad is coming here for a boy's weekend with Holt. Never EVER boring in our world.

I'll be back on Tues............ I'll even give you a few shots of LBB - maybe we'll get lucky and get a wave. If this kid is anything like me, LBB will probably be sticking it's tongue out or something worse - ha!!

Love, Julie, Holt, Aslan, Simba & LBB