roofing, packing, shopping, biting

It's an exciting day today! The roofers are here, AGW and I went shopping, and we are still packing.

I'll start with the roof. Pretty ordinary to me, but a world of fun for AGW. She loves the noises, machines, and trucks! She is constantly looking out windows to catch a glimpse of what's going on outside and shouts "Wow!". It's so new and thrilling to her! Cash and Emma on the other hand, are having nervous breakdowns. They're fierce and terrified at the same time. They both pace back and forth throughout the house barking and then hiding.

I've been very busy packing. AGW and I are fully packed for our week-long trip to Ohio and for the entire month of April. We are equipped with clothing for all types of weather and in varying sizes- my belly is growing and she grows and inch a month! Our closets and dressers are empty, laundry is done, and we are living out of suitcases. Carey however, hasn't touched a thing. Oh, I would pack for him, believe me, but he won't let me! We both have control issues. My control issue right now is having everything packed and ready to go in advance. His control issue right now is packing his own things, his own way, and knowing exactly where everything is. He does have a lot going on (he is finishing up this last rotation and a huge research project) so I'm trying to be patient. My job though is to pack everything in the house, do you see the problem I have here? I'm trying to keep my control issue from giving me a panic attack! :) Below you'll find my closet, Carey's closet, and AGW's closet. Ha! Poor guy will have his work cut out for him this weekend!





I've even gone so far as to pack specific toys for our flight to Ohio with AGW and a separate bag of toys for our long drive to Ohio. I got an awesome new diaper bag that is HUGE that I'm hoping the airport will accept as my "purse" so that I can also carry on another bag. I refuse to pay $100 for checked luggage, so I will have my "purse" and our rolling carry-on bag and Carey will have his backpack and garment bag. We'll try to get away with checking only one really large suitcase. The problem is packing for all 3 of us and all of AGW's entertainment in those bags. It should be fun!Because I've packed up most of her toys already, I had to plan ahead and pack certain toys for each trip. Rarely do I think ahead like this, but I'm trying to avoid buying things that we don't really need!

Speaking of buying things :), I'm ashamed to admit that I broke down and bought something I swore I'd never buy: a harness backpack. I just think there is something very wrong about having your child on a leash. I still think this, but I also realized that AGW will want to walk like a big girl in the airport and with all of our luggage, stroller, and car seat, we will not have an extra hand. So, she has a brand new pink backpack to carry her baby in through the airport and I will have a 3ft pink leash around my wrist. Oh the shame. But, better safe than sorry, right? She also got her very first pair of flip flops and to my surprise LOVES them!

Now, on to the tough news. AGW had a very rough day at the baby sitter's yesterday. I knew something was wrong when I opened the door and Patty was sitting beside AGW looking exhausted. She said "I have to tell you something". Uh oh. That's never good. Apparently, AGW didn't want to eat lunch so she threw her plate of spaghetti on the ground. She got in trouble for that and it all went down hill from there. I'm positive that she doesn't handle discipline very well which leads me to believe that I"m not doing my job at home. Getting in trouble at lunch pissed her off for the rest of the day. She kicked Patty during a diaper change and got her bottom spanked. So she retaliated by peeing all over Patty. This made everything worse. At nap time she rolled over and bit the little boy next to her on the cheek. Not just a little bite. A "I'm so mad that I'm going to tear into you" kind of bite. He wasn't a fair skinned boy and she sent him home with a bloody, bruised, whelp on the side of his face. She also sent the daycare bully home with bruises upside his head and ripped the flower off of a little girl's shirt. I could not believe it. I'm still amazed that my sweet little girl could act out in so many terrible ways. Carey and I had a long discussion last night and established a better game plan for discipline. Grandparents: be ready next month. We know you love to spoil your grand baby however, for her very own good, we will be taking a much more firm and even slightly harsh approach to discipline. We have to nip this behavior in the bud! I sound so tough don't I? I hope I can follow through!

One last thing! AGW just said "up" and climbed all the way up the chair, planted herself in her booster seat, buckled it, grab the tray and snapped it on, then said "eats"! Wow. What a big girl!

We hit the big-time today folks. The Watson family was made famous in a small town via the Plainview Daily Herald. On the very front page was a great article explaining the Match process and where we are going for residency. Our blog was also mentioned so that friends can follow us even when we move across the country. Welcome to all of our new friends and faithful followers alike! Let me take this time to add my disclaimer: This is our family blog. Here you will share in our laughter and tears as we begin our residency journey. I'll do my best to keep everyone updated on how Carey is surviving, try not to complain too much about being a surgeon's wife, and of course, report often on the ones you are really here to see: Miss Aisley Grace and her sibling (Due October 2010). I hope this serves as a way to keep all of our family and friends informed, but it will also be my personal journal and a way for me to express my joys, worries, and frustrations (and there will be many!). You may find that I don't stress too much about editing or proof reading and I'm not focused on being grammatically correct. So consider yourselves warned: this is the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Watson family!

My running partner. Seems a little unfair, doesn't it?


Moving Coordinator hard at work!


First "choo-choo"


Cash's flab :)

A Week of Lasts

Carey reminded me today that this is our last week in Lubbock. How sad and exciting is that? It's a good thing that men aren't typically sentimental because Carey is leaving his home of 8 years! I am very sad to take AGW away from her beautiful nursery and 1st childhood home, but I know that we have many fun adventures ahead.

It's Sunday night. That means increased stress as we prepare for this crazy-busy week ahead. This is Carey's very last week of his very last rotation of medical school. He is not a bit concerned about school. A looming research project is the only thing he has left to finish (he was suppose to finish it in December :) and he will be preoccupied with that this week. Our next big objective this week will be deciding what moving company to go with. We have one in mind but storing our stuff for the month of April has changed the game a little. Hopefully we will get that figured out tomorrow and I will spend the week packing for our stay in Plainview and then boxing everything else for the move.

I was able to book our house hunting trip in April. This is too exciting for words! we will be gone for 6 days to tour the city and hopefully find a comfy new home. We are taking AGW along with us, so it will be a very interesting trip. I hope to come up with enough entertainment ideas to satisfy her during the many hours that we spend roaming from house to house. I have to keep reminding myself that we have a goal of finding a house; we are not strictly on vacation. Today I was caught planning all of the local eateries that we must try out instead of searching for homes. I can't help it, I'm pregnant and hungry! I learned that there is a very strong German culture in Cincinnati and we will get to experience lots of new foods and beer! Our arrival date is Opening Day and it's a huge event in the downtown area. There is a booming downtown district, hosting all kinds of events and festivals throughout the year. When we arrive we will be able to watch the Reds game on a huge screen projected over Fountain Square. I can't wait. I'm sure I'll blog daily with enough details to bore everyone!

We are staying in a great hotel on the Kentucky side, with views of the Ohio river. I'm sure AGW will love seeing the riverboats drive by, we may even have to ride one!

AGW has become very interested in trains lately. We spoiled her with her first train set this weekend and it's in many pieces in the living room floor. We plan on turning our coffee table into her train table instead of buying the pricey ones at the store. Right now she just loves to play with her "choo-choo" even if she stepped all over the wooden tracks. She doesn't care if it's put together or not!

Last night I woke up to the sweetest voice. At 4:00 a.m. a little munchkin stumbled into our room and said "Hi!". That was it. Just hi. I scooped her up and she cuddled in bed with us for awhile. I loved every second, but she doesn't sleep well except in her own bed so I didn't get to keep her.

We also visited the Easter Bunny this weekend. You can tell by the picture that it must not have gone too well. Carey and I are never eager to get pictures taken with the Easter Bunny, but we wanted one of AGW. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow even if you're just wearing sweats and didn't fix your hair.

Match Day Success!

Match Day was a blur. A very exciting blur. I got up early to actually shower, fix my hair, and put on makeup. That's how you know it's a big day. Not only do I never get up any earlier than I have to, I never make it a habit to get all gussied up! Typically I just throw rollers in my hair without brushing it and put on makeup in the car.

Carey, AGW, and I got dressed in our Sunday best and loaded up in the car making sure to bring the camera and video camera. I'm not sure why. We didn't use them. I unintentionally lied when I promised lots of pictures. I'll get them from someone else and post them ASAP.

We arrived at the International Cultural Center on the Texas Tech campus in true Watson style, just a few minutes late. We were still there in plenty of time to mingle with all of the classmates and family who were already anxiously waiting for the big event to start. Immediately AGW was startled. There were many, many strange faces and lots of loud voices. Not to mention the dozens of huge and brightly colored flags that hung from the ceiling. Talk about sensory overload. As long as I held her she was fine but timid.

I completely forgot that the envelope opening was at 12:00 Eastern and wondered what we would be doing for an hour. I was pleasantly surprised when just a few minutes before 11:00 everyone sat down and speeches began. Luckily the talking was kept short and sweet and all of the med students where invited to grab their addressed envelopes and engraved envelope openers before we all got too restless. It seemed like it took forever for him to locate his red envelope and get back to the table. I was just so ready to read it, I didn't think I could wait another second! He opened the envelope and to my surprise handed it to me! He stated "You open it. We do better when you find out first!". This is how we have revealed exam results over the past several years and it's worked so far. I didn't hesitate to unfold the paper. I scanned quickly for bold letters that said the name of a city. No luck. Had to patiently read the dang thing. First line read: Carey Watson "yep, that's us". Second line: Congratulations! You matched! "Duh! Get on with it!" Third line: University Hospital "OMG! WHERE ARE WE FREAKIN GOING????" Then I finally got to it: CINCINNATI!! I forgot that Carey and his family were waiting on me to actually state out loud where we were headed. Instead I started screaming and jumping up and down. Carey grabbed the letter from me and at the same time I finally was able to announce that we had gotten our 1st choice. I had also forgotten that I was holding AGW and scared her to death. Poor baby!

So, it was a thrilling and blessed day. We feel so fortunate to move to the city that we desperately wanted and for Carey to begin residency at such and amazing program. We know that this is God's plan for our family and we are eager to see all that awaits us in the Queen City.

I spent most of the day researching events and activities in the Cinci area. I am completely amazed at all there is to do! We definitely won't be bored. The city and each suburb has awesome parks and recreation programs that host hundreds of events and festivals EVERY day! So exciting!

Carey and I are also house hunting online. This has proven very challenging because of our lack of knowledge of the city. We are planning a week-long trip in early April to scout things out. We'll take AGW along with us and get a good feel for our new hometown!

CINCINNATI!!!!

We got our top choice! Yay! We are headed to Ohio for 7-9 years! I am currently chasing my toddler and babysitting a sweet little crawler for my cousin so this blog will be short and sweet. I will give all of the Match Day details later tonight when I am not interrupted. For now, here are just a few of the many AWESOME things about Cincinnati that we can't wait to experience and explore!

Ohio River
Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Cyclones
Cincinnati Zoo
Findlay Market
Riverbend Music Center
Newport Aquarium
EnterTRAINment Junction
Riverboats
many adventure and water parks
Horse Racing
60 Hikes with 60 miles!!!!
70 parks
34 nature preserves
7 nature centers
many, many museums including a childrens museums, underground railway museum
4 hours from Lake Erie
9 hours from Toronto
11 hours from New York City
8 hours from Washington DC

blah blah blah blah blah

Today we are waiting for tomorrow. Tomorrow is Match Day. Today is a beautiful St. Patty's Day and there isn't too much going on. So, I'm just going to blab about the 50 million thoughts going on in my head. 50 million maybe an exaggeration. Maybe closer to 5 million. Either way...

I didn't think I would be able to sleep tonight, but judging by how exhausted I am right now, I don't think there will be a problem. It doesn't seem like AGW will have trouble sleeping tonight either. I know this because I put her down for her nap an hour and a half ago and she is still singing to her baby. Very loudly. I love hearing her sing, it makes me smile every time.

Yesterday she learned the words "I know". Her favorite responses are "Yep" and "I know". Oh, there she goes knocking on the door. She really doesn't want to take a nap! This usually means that she is getting very tired and instead of getting in bed, she's fighting sleep and hoping that I'll come get her. I'll have to wait a few minutes to see if she gives up and finally goes to bed.

I am currently attempting to pack the house and pack all of our necessities for the month of April (we'll be living in Plainview with the grandparents until we find our new house). April is a tricky month is West Texas. It will snow one day and and then get up to 90 degrees the next. I've backed a good variety of winter and spring clothing for both AGW and myself. Then I ran into the size problem. Will she wear 18 month spring clothes or 24 months? Crap. Guess I better pack a little of both. I have the same problem. This baby is suppose to double in size in the next 3 weeks. Will I be wearing regular clothes or maternity clothes? Again, packed a little of both. AGW and I each filled a 57 gallon storage bin with clothing for just 1 month. Can you believe that? Carey is on his own! :)

I have been packing for so many months, you would think that I would run out of things to pack. Just when I think I'm getting close I realize that I missed a cabinet or shelf or the entire back yard. How exactly do you pack a full swing and frame? If we take it apart we'll never get it back together again! Carey had hell putting it together with the instructions, I can just imagine him trying without them! I guess we'll figure that out when we get there.

She's quiet. Must have gone to bed!

Today is the last day of life as we know it. Starting tomorrow, everything will be based on our new life in a new city. It's very sad to think that this is the end of our road in Lubbock, Texas. It's the fear of change that makes it so sad I think. We are so comfortable here. Our family and friends are close. Everything is familiar and predictable. Soon everything will be bright and shiny and new. It's time to embrace the change and accept the challenge.

I can't help but think I've been here before. Hmmm, I have. Almost a decade ago (wow, that makes me sound old!). I sat in the classrooms of Plainview High School vowing to take off for college and never come back. I wanted to spread my wings and all of that jazz. Typical 18 yr old. I did spread my wings and I'm still working on that today. I've decided it's a life-long process. I had a high school teacher who knew of my vow and told me that I would probably marry someone from Plainview and end up right back where I started. At the time, the thought made me sick. Ha!Ironically, in 2 weeks I will be moving back to Plainview. What the heck??? I made a vow and meant it! Fortunately for me, God is in control. He has a funny way of saying "Oh yeah? I'll show you!"

I haven't posted many pictures lately. I will have lots of pictures to post on Friday along with all of the Match Day details so stay tuned!

Counting Down!

We are anxiously counting down the days, hours, and minutes until Match Day! Thursday will bring a day of decision making and planning for us. Not only will we learn where Carey will begin his career as a surgeon, but we will also finally learn where we will be relocating. At noon on that day Carey will open an envelope and our lives will change forever. So exciting! That afternoon we will come home and book a flight to go house hunting in our new city and contact a realtor. We'll have a week or so to browse real estate online before jetting off to spend a week finding our next home. We also have to be out of our house by March 30th. We have roughly a week to figure out which moving company we want to use and how we want to go about storing a houseful of stuff for a month. We hope no longer than a month because we really want to have found a home and closed on it by the end of April. That also means that we have to decide where we are going to stay for the month of April while we are in this process. Of course, we'll be with all of our parents in Plainview, but which one do we actually burden with are presence every night for a month? Who can tolerate our dogs? We will be spending lots of time at each house, but it's not easy to decide who has to put up with ALL of us! Who knows what we'll figure out....

AGW is finally kicking her cold and is feeling much better. She is suffering from something even more terrible now: Terrible Two's. Actually, I am suffering right along with her. It may even be worse for me. I don't know for sure.

"Yep" is her new word. At least it's positive! Everything you ask her gets a "Yep" response, whether she means it or not.

Carey...hmmm. Not much new with him. He was on-call over the weekend. This means that he had to be at the hospital by 5:30 both Saturday and Sunday. Yuck. He is off Thursday - Sunday this week but will have been at the hospital 10 days in a row. I guess this is good practice although it will probably be lots worse when we start the real deal! Good thing he loves it!

Until Thursday I will be busting it to pack as much as possible. Goodbye clean, chaos-free house. Goodbye garage I can park in. Welcome back piles of boxes I trip over during my many trips to the bathroom.

Which brings me to a baby update: We still think it's a boy. 1st reason is that this pregnancy has been totally opposite of AGW. I've been sick, less emotional, and I'm eating lots of meat and cheese. 2nd reason is that all of the old wives' tales point to a boy. They were right about AGW! I won't be disappointed it it's a girl though, I've had some recent practice! We are almost at 11 weeks and finishing up the 1st trimester. Until the last day or two, I would forget I was even pregnant, but the fact that I can no longer button my "fat" jeans is an obvious reminder. That and my face is fuller. In my clothes I just look a little chubby, not clearly pregnant. It's all starting and won't be long now...

Sold!!!

Great news! We sold our house!!!! I hope I'm not jumping the gun, the buyer still has 7 days to back out. I feel like it will stick though. The tough part is that we have to be out by March 31. That's not too much time to get out of the house and into a temporary home. It looks like we will be living out of suitcases at all of the grandparent's houses! With our dogs and agw, it might make us really eager to find a house asap after Match Day. The grandparents will probably be really eager too! ;) I am looking forward to a few weeks (hopefully no longer than a month) in Plainview. That will give us lots of time to visit grandparents and great grandparents before the move.

Our very own escapologist!

My Monkey continues to grow up much to my dismay. This afternoon I will be flipping the door knob on her bedroom door so that she can't lock herself in. Last night she was a very proud Houdini when she realized that she had mastered the art of escaping her bedroom. It will forever be one of my favorite memories of her. I sat with Carey at the dining room table and had a clear view of her closed bedroom door. Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement in the doorway and noticed an outline about 36 inches tall with wild blonde hair. When she saw me looking, she grinned from ear to ear and started clapping for herself! She was so impressed with her new trick! I laughed hysterically and scooped her up with a big hug. I couldn't be mad when she was so sneaky and cute about it. She continued to clap and smile all the way back to bed feeling very clever. Now that she can open doors by herself, our house will never be the same.

We've been enjoying the beautiful weather lately. I'll take the allergies as long as we can get outside and play! However, I am noticing some identity confusion in AGW. She seems to think that Emma and Cash are her siblings and not dogs. She hasn't been caught eating dog food yet or chewing their bones, but everything else they do, she does. Most kids would wonder around the backyard playing with their MANY outdoor toys or at least roll around in the dirt. Not AGW. She noticed that the dogs where lounging by the fence in the shade and decided that's what she should do too. So she did. Despite my coaxing and begging her to come play, she sat against the fence just like her puppies. Happy as could be. She makes me laugh every single day.



Poor girl also suffers from her 1st skinned elbow. Unfortunately she got her momma's grace and tripped over her own feet on the driveway. The whole event was pretty traumatic, but putting a band-aid on was the worst part! Next time I'll just leave her be unless it's bleeding profusely.



Is it just me or do I insist on learning the hard way? Maybe we all do... We had a great weekend full of rest and relaxation. Other than take a single load of junk to the storage unit (with help!) we didn't do a thing around the house. I know good and well that we can get a call at any minute to show the house. You would think that would motivate me to keep things picked up and clean up after everyone. Did I? No way! I slipped back into my regular habits of leaving toys scattered throughout the house, dog bed and blankets everywhere, bathroom counter covered in every beauty product and allergy medicine made. I also decided to wash our bedding last night and did not replace the duvet cover or pillow shams. That task is such a pain. Naturally, at 8:30 this morning I was jolted out of bed by a request to show our house. I should have known better. My morning began in a whirlwind of getting AGW up and to the baby sitter's and back in time to do the best I could with the house. This time I was able to poop scoop (Beware: I don't actually "scoop" the poop. I just scatter it throughout the yard so it's less noticeable. Carey loves when I do this and tries to make sure that he is the one who cleans the yard. He actually scoops and throws it away. I've got this one figured out, don't I? :) I'm sure it'll come back and haunt me, I'll step in one of my scattered chunks this afternoon.) Anyways, I got the job done and got out of the house. It was exhausting. I learned my lesson and will do a house check before going to bed.

As far as home improvements, we're just about done. Finally. We need to paint a couple of doors and touch up some trim, but those aren't big projects. It feels so good to be able to just sit back and wait. Hopefully we won't have to wait long. I'm praying that spring break will be nice and really throw people in the house buying mood. Fingers crossed!

I'm attempting to blog from my phone for the 1st time. It's a little more difficult, but worth the convenience. Today is a beautiful day in West Texas so I'm doing what is only natural for me, laying out in the sunshine. I needed a few minutes a vitamin D and I'm pretty sure I was turning a lifeless shade of gray. I wish I was playing in the dirt and taking care of a fresh garden but I'll have to wait until we move. I don't have a green thumb but I pretend. It's just another way to play outside and make a mess!

We showed our house for the first time this afternoon. In my rush to make it spotless and keep agw from undoing everything I was doing, I forgot to pick up the dog deposits in the backyard. I bet the giant mounds were really welcoming! Lesson learned.

Agw is still feeling yucky today. That combined with terrible two's and pregnancy hormones has me a little on edge. I'm trying to remain positive and think of it all as a great distraction from Match Day. Carey tries to remain positive and stay the heck out of dodge!

Nu-ness!

Wow. This week flew by. I can't believe it's practically Friday! We are 2 weeks away from Match Day! I'm beyoned excited!

Carey is still enjoying his surgery rotation. He dreams about cental lines and ventilators in the 5 or so hours of sleep he gets each night and loves it. We get to expect him home between 4-6 each night and love the early afternoons. The poor guy doesn't get a break though, he's busy with home projects until 9 or 10. We have our first official showing tomorrow and our fingers are crossed that they will love it. In a perfect world we would have the house sold in the next 2 weeks so that we can buy a house in our new city in April. I've learned that my perfect world clashes with reality, but I'm still hopeful.

AGW is still sick. If I wasn't married to a soon-to-be doctor, I'd be panicing. Carey says that it's most likely viral and we just have to wait it out. I've never been a big fan of excessive use of antibiotics, so I'm glad that we have similar theories when it comes to illness. A week of fever makes me question my theory though and I'm happy to have him reassure me that it's a virus. (Grandparents- don't worry, if it gets any worse we'll take her to her doctor. Just so you know, he has the same theory as us and won't give her any medicine if it is viral :)

I must say "goodness" a lot. It's better than what I could say... Appearantly I said it early this morning and I had an echo! "Nu-ness! Nu-ness, nu-ness!" That was the best thing I heard all day!


We've been enjoying the sunny weather lately and hoping it will clear up the crud!


Sick but still precious!

Uneventful Monday

AGW and I didn't get out of our pj's today. In fact, we didn't do much of anything. She is still sick so we took it easy today. Carey wasn't so lucky. Well actually, that's just my opinion. He's not late to work on surgery rotations and he isn't grumpy when he gets home, so maybe he is lucky. He loves surgery. He doesn't mind leaving the house at 5:30 a.m. or running around the hospital all day with little time to think of anything else. He's back to himself! As far as the house, nothing got done. I'll just leave a note on the garage door explaining that we'll have it done this weekend. That's the best week can do for now! Hopefully the house will be a fresh find for someone and sell in the next few weeks. It's all so exciting right now!

She's such a big help to her daddy!


This cracks me up! Can you guess which is Carey's and which is mine? Did you even know they made them this small? It's so unfair!



AGW and her very best friends!