Christmas in Dallas

Christmas turned out very well for us even though we were far away from our families. At first it was kind of hard on us but we realized we needed to make the best of it. We are family now and need to rely on one and another during these times. Plus, we will not be able to travel every holiday once little Matthew Thomas Barnett is born. We were blessed to be invited for Christmas dinner at a friend’s house. They made us feel very loved and part of their family.

The day after Christmas we went to Home Depot and bought a pre-lit Christmas tree for the years to come. We wanted a tree this year but did not want to pay full price. Plus it will be nice to have a large tree once the baby is born. Now I can use all the ornaments I have received throughout the years. I swear the tree next year will look like 98% Erica since I have gotten an average of 3 to 4 ornaments per year from my family and Santa. Bob's family did not go as hog wild on the ornament giving as the Smith side. Now he is learning our tradition and our child will as well next year.

New Years Eve is going to be a first for us. Bob is not playing for the first time!!! He is sad since he loves playing but I am a tad happy since it is hard one me. If this was going to be like last year I would have sat it out. For anyone not up on last year’s New Years Eve gig . . . I got up at 5:30 am to get to work at 7:00 am. Worked a full shift and left Sacramento at 3:30 pm to fight traffic to Vacaville. Got home around 5 pm and had to get ready ASAP for a show in San Francisco. We left around 6 pm and did not get home until the hours. Being 6 months prego that just could not happen.

24 Week Ultrasound

I just finished my 24 week ultrasound and everything is going well. He was not always cooperating with the doctor on moving to a new position. I told her he is more active during the day and nighttime then in the morning. It took her a long time to finally see one of his hands to confirm that the proper amount of fingers were intact. Plus she reconfirmed that it was a boy and the organs are developing perfectly. This time around he was at a better angle to demonstrate that he was a boy and Bob and I could truly see it without being told. I am glad it is going to be a boy since we have narrowed it down to two boy names. I did not want to go back through the process for girl names. The best part of we are both healthy, doing well, and cannot wait for Christmas!

Weather

Okay this does not make any sense but yesterday it was 78 for the high. Today the high is going to be 37. What is up with Texas weather?????

Quick Update

Bob has been super busy this week with Christmas shows.  I have barley seen him this week.  I cannot wait for things to go back to normal for awhile.  We are getting closer on Baby Boy Barnett's name and should be able to share it with everyone after the first of the year.  I also want my ultrasound on 12/22 to reconfirm that it is a boy!  We have held of on buying much or doing the room till we see the doctor again.  I am going to see a new hematologist on 12/29.  My OB was not getting any where with my current specialist on how to handle my pregnancy.  I did not really like my specialist so I am happy to try another doctor.  I want a doctor who cares about me and the baby not how much he is making each time he sees me.  Let's just say he told me at my first appointment that many oncologists do not see patients for hematology since it does not pay the same.  The way he said it ticked me off since it sounded like he was doing pro bono work.  I told him I was sorry I did not have cancer but still needed care.  Plus almost all doctors that are hematologists are oncologists since they go hand in hand.  

The weather here is very warm.  It was registering about 78 this afternoon.  Just does not feel right for mid December.  You would think we were in San Diego!!!!!  Oh how I would love to head to S.D. for a weekend . . . 

Road Trips

I think I am to the point where a car ride over 2 hours is my limit. We did the trek to El Paso which is a little over 9 hours one way over Thanksgiving. Over this weekend we went to Arkansas to celebrate Granny Barnett’s 100th birthday. I did not want to miss the celebration and seeing my new relatives. Well Fort Smith, Arkansas is about 4 hours one way from our house. After two hours in the car I just could not get comfy. The baby was tired of me sitting and wanted some movement. Let me tell you he can pack a punch even being a little less than a pound. We also did the AR trip in one day so it was almost the same as going to El Paso except we had a couple hour break in the middle. By the time I came home I was exhausted and started getting a head cold. But I did not want to go straight to bed since my legs were tired of being stagnant. I did some squats and cleaned up the house a bit to my husband’s dismay. No matter how much he tries to understand and I explain he will never understand what it is like to be pregnant. No matter how much I want to be with family on Christmas I just cannot do the trip to El Paso in a couple of weeks. Flights are too pricey for both of us. I am not sure what we are going to do for Christmas.

Baby Boy Barnett

Most of you have heard through calls, texts, emails and other forms of communication that we are expecting a baby boy. The name has been yet to be determined and I think it might be awhile before we decide. I am not stressed since we have until mid April to make that important choice. Funny thing was my father-in-law told us to name the child Bob. I was like no not another Bob. But he was joking since the name would be Barack Obama Barnett with the initials Bob!!!!!! I was rolling since he is not an Obama supporter. :) Got to love the input of your family. Plus my father has already kidded we use Stanford since he loves the college. He may have won that front with my mom since Russell's middle name is Stanford but it is not happening this time around. I will save that one for Russell in case he has another boy in the future. ;)