Rodeo!

Here's a snap from our date to the Houston Rodeo!! Yeehaw...and welcome to Texas, hubs!
This week, Henry and I are traveling to Mississippi for the run/walk. Last year, he participated in utero, so I figured he's earned a trip back to see it from the outside. I really can't wait to show Henry my alma mater...even if he is too young to remember it this time. Ole Miss is so special to me in so many ways, and it's almost surreal to think that I'm taking my son on his first tour of campus. I feel like it was only last week that I was 19 and headed over for my own first visit. *tear*

Look for pics early next week.

Avery Rose

It's been a big week for babies! I have three friends with new babies this week...but the one I'm gonna give a shout to today is Miss Avery Rose...

Nearly a week overdue, Josh and Jamie's sweet baby girl, Avery Rose, arrived on Monday, March 23rd. Remember, Jared and I met when we stood in Josh and Jamie's wedding in 2006. Since then, our lives have remained intertwined in sooo many ways. First, they stood in our wedding in '07...here they are coming back down our aisle...Then, we lived only one exit apart from one another in Orlando...which we didn't take advantage of nearly enough! Jamie and I worked together at a law firm there until the spring of '08. We enjoyed being a part of the same 'young marrieds' life group in 2007-08. When I was expecting Henry, I used Jamie as a sounding board for all of my pregnancy thoughts, concerns, amazements, and random factoids that I'd gather from countless reliable (and not so reliable) sources. :) Jamie found out she was expecting Avery on the day Henry was born...which I always thought was super cool. During the first few months of Henry's life, she often came to visit us at our house when I couldn't seem to dress myself and the baby and make it out the door - for which I am eternally grateful to her. And, now, they are 'holding down the fort' at our Orlando home (yes, sad to say, Henry's nursery has been girl-ified) and pacing the same boards of floor to put their little angel to sleep that we were pacing only 8 months ago. So, anyway, I've been waiting on Jamie to put up a photo on her facebook...so I could nab it and share it with all of you. I think you will agree that this is one beautiful baby girl. Many congratulations and much love to the newest members of the "oh-my-gosh-we-seriously-have-a-baby" club. Call us if you need any advice....you know we've been there!

It's the remix to ignition...

There is no person happier that it's the weekend than me. After two weeks without stopping, we've finally come to that glorious place where procrastination is okay, sleeping in does not equate to job insecurity, and where there are four hands on deck to corral the much-blogged-about-8-month old with the wicked independent streak. Ah, yes, it's Saturday. Oh, Saturday, you fleeting mistress, you couldn't have come soon enough. We were still up early, as usual, but Henry must have sensed something different - something calm - in the house this morning. He was awake at 7 and back sound asleep by 7:30. While he was awake, I struck a deal with Jesus that if He would help make the babe go back nigh-night, I would toss aside my 3/4 eaten loaf of idleness and tackle the two mountains of clean clothes in my living room that have been staring at me since...ahem...Monday. As I tip-toed back down the stairs from bubby's room, I was tempted to break my part of the deal and go straight for the coffee. But, alas, I knew that as soon as the first drop of the delightful beverage hit the bottom of my extra big, Saturday-morning cup, I would hear screams. So, coffee waited, and I took care of the clothes. Ahhh, a chore is complete, and it's not even 8 a.m. All the while, the hubs is sleeping soundly in our bed, which is great...because I can write a quick blog AND he can rest up for the date that we're going on this afternoon. Yes, the Chessers are going on a real date today...to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. We're going to check out the shops and livestock and rodeo competition, and at the end of all that, Brooks & Dunn is putting on a concert. Laugh away, non-Texans, but the rodeo in Houston is awesome, and I have been wanting to take Jared since we met. The weather is supposed to be perfect, and I've got enough bottles pumped to last us 6-9 hours away. Ah, yes, it's Saturday and all is right with the world.

P.S. Grandparents, as I was folding laundry, I thought it appropriate to pass along to you that Henry is now wearing size 24 months very comfortably. I even bought him a 2T outfit last night, and I think it's going to fit him fine already. So, yes, he's huge (well, more like, long-waisted). Also, he wears size 4 shoes...but they have to open way up so that his foot will set into them as opposed to having to slide in. He crinkles his toes up so his feet just won't go into slide-in shoes. I'm not dropping hints here...just wanted y'all to know in case!

We're back.

Hi everyone.

I've been procrastinating this week. I have stories that I'm hoarding and pictures that I can't upload without finding my uploady wire (or borrowing my dad's). I've been dodging requests for photos and boycotting my computer for days. For this, I have no explanation. I just haven't felt like clacking out the weekend. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that H hasn't slept through the night since before we left (well, he did last night...but not before that). Maybe it has to do with the fact that I don't sit at the computer much because I spend most of my day chasing after an 8-month old with a WICKED independent streak. Who can tell these things. So, anyway, here's my very best, good faith offering to prove to all of you that I am, indeed, back on track.

First, a big congratulations to Karen and Chris Craxton. They're little one, Chloe, made her grand entry into the world late last week. She is beyond beautiful, and I wish them all the best as they start their family-o'-3 journey.

Alright, Charity's wedding. So, we departed on Thursday afternoon for the edge of the charted galaxy....errr, I mean...San Angelo. Whoever said that 'once you're west of Austin, there ain't nuthin' out there' knew exactly what he was talking about. Henry did great in the car. I mean, surpassed my highest hopes, great. He didn't cry once. He slept during his normal sleeping hours. He enjoyed the dinner break we took in Austin, and willingly returned to his carseat without a peep. The kid was PERFECT...until we got to the hotel. After having slept for 2+ hours when we arrived in SA, Henry thought that it must certainly be morning. But, morning, it was not....well, unless you count midnight as morning since it ends in an a.m. So, this led to us rocking and nursing and soothing and doing everything we could to bring him back doooooowwwwwn for 2 more hours. Yea, babies. He was up at 6 and ready to hang out with us -- I think it's pretty exciting for babies to wake up and actually be able to SEE parents sleeping in the bed beside their pack 'n' play. And, so, on only 4 hours of sleep, we were up. After 30 minutes of that, Jared just could not believe the kid didn't need more sleep, so he tells me he's going to turn off all the lights and MAKE him go back to sleep. As you can imagine, I am mortified. I tell Jared all sorts of know-it-all things about how the baby is UP and there is no putting him back down and that I think it's probably child abuse to make a kid sleep when he's ready for morning. heehee. 6 minutes later, as Jared gingerly placed our SNORING child back into his bed and jumped back into our bed proclaiming himself 'the babywhisperer', I rolled my eyes and thanked the Lord, just this once, for my husband's strong will. Two hours later, we really did get up for the day, and we decided to pass on the Hampton breakfast and opted for the delicious fare of IHOP (conveniently located in the hotel parking lot). It was here that two wonderful things happened. First, we were introduced to a few SA locals...complete with overalls unbuttoned to let gut hang out SIDE of pants and lots of stories about their family's medical history, including the fact that their daughter-in-law was undergoing 'in veeeeeeeeeetro fert'lization' (spelled as pronounced by said locals) this week...and, you know, come to think of it, they believed today was the day she was gettin' fertilized. I loved that story...and all of its bovine-esque qualities. The second wonderful thing that happened at the SA IHOP was that Henry tried his very first pancakes. We've been building up to this for some time...with toast last week and biter cookies on the car ride. Oh, but pancakes, the grand mecca of all snacky, first baby foods. I swear he would've eaten 11 if we'd let him.
After that, the weekend sort of goes into a blur of bridesmaid duties and baby hand-offs. The rehearsal was that evening, and we actually got there on time for it. Miracle of miracles. Then, afterwards, we attended the rehearsal dinner. I was very anxious beforehand and, truth be told, I had lost sleep for about a week over how the rehearsal dinner would go. This is, of course, because I knew that I needed to give my girl, Charity, a little speechy-speech before she took the long walk. I toiled over it and spent countless hours coming up with what to say....only to end up winging most of it using a few hotel notepad sheets of bulletpoints that I wanted to be sure to say. For the most part it went well and I feel like I was able to convey to Charity all of the things I wanted to. Those of you who were there also know that shortly after my speech (as in, the moment I sat down), I was called out by the groom's daddy for leaving out a few things (namely, the fact that I had a ginormous, ridiculous, Jonas-brother-esque crush on the groom's best friend when I was in high school...who I later dated for a few months (right before law school - 6 years ago)...which is how I knew the groom...and how I was able to introduce the groom to the bride 4 years ago). Oh, and did I mention that the old crush was a groomsman, and that he was called to speak right after me, and that my sweet husband had to bear witness to all of that excruciating blahblahblah. ugh. horrendous. But, anyway, I don't want to go into all that here. This blog is for HAPPY, NOT-EMBARRASSING details and, hey, it's mine. So, that'll be all on that.
The wedding day started very very early. I had my hair done at 8 a.m. - which meant I was up at 6:30 to get a shower and feed the baby. I drove back to the hotel to feed baby again at 9:30, and Jared had me back to the church by 10. The morning was all bridesmaidy, and pictures started at noon. After photos, Jared snuck the boy back into the bride's chambers so that he could eat again before the wedding which started at 2. The entire day, Charity was cool as a cucumber. I have never seen her look more beautiful, more happy, more calm, or more confident. This was absolutely HER day, and she truly owned it. Since we are courteous parents, Jared kept the baby completely out of the ceremony.This is something we decided, before we were married, that we would always do so long as we were unsure whether our children would make inappropriate noise during very important events. Presently, Henry cannot be counted on, because he LOVES the sound of his own voice...especially in the dreamworld of an echo-chamber as majestic as a late-19th century cathedral-like sanctuary. So, he was outside with Jared where he could scream to his heart's content, and as I was standing up front listening to the message, I was so grateful that mine wasn't the child being quickly swept out the backdoor for his screaming during the bride's father's prayer for the marriage. Gah, people, have a little foresight, would you?!? Wedding ceremonies ARE NOT for babies. Anyway, climbing back down from my soapbox...

While in SA, we also had the opportunity to catch up with some great friends. Stephen and Geneva drove in (bless their souls) from Gulfport, MS, and Laura and Joe survived an airplane debacle in Dallas during their connection coming in from Jackson, MS. I love these folks dearly, and it was so great to see them IN PERSON and have a little visit. I hope we will see them again very, very soon. On the ride home on Sunday, Henry slept for a good part of it and played quietly for the rest. He truly was a CHAMP at car-travel this past week. I was relieved beyond words for the peaceful trip there and back...it could have been oh-so-much worse.

Since we've been home, we've all been playing catch-up. We've cleaned house, started to unpack, tried to sleep full nights (we're getting there again), and just have as much down-time as possible.

In Henry news, for all you grandparents out there, he is now 'pulling up.' I actually caught the first time he ever did it (with my eyes...not my camera, sadly) and it was adorable! He is also learning to sit up from a lying down position. He's been trying for about a month, but I think he's got it now. From what Jared's family has told me, I have also concluded that he has energy like his daddy. The kid NEVER stops, and he does not want to be held and snuggled unless he's tired (like once every 17 hours). He wants down and away and to do it all by himself.

I'm headed to my parents' to borrow their picture uploady wire. I'll post the pics tonight or tomorrow. And, just like that, we're back.

T minus 2 days

With only 2 days until we depart on the 6-hour road-trip to Charity's wedding, you can imagine how busy we are. Between laundry, packing, cleaning, etc. etc., we've had little time to do anything but prepare for the trip. Well, unless you count 1) PICKING OUT NEW FURNITURE for my girly formal living room; 2) cutting 2 MORE TEETH; and 3) learning how to eat cut-up toast all by yourself!! I'll post pics of the furniture after it arrives, but here are a few of Henry's fun with food this week.

So, there are 8 chompers in there now, and these last two were by far the easiest for him. I didn't even notice a change in his mood -- just lots of drool yesterday and then BAM two new teeth this morning. 4 on top and 4 on bottom...let's hope he can catch a break for the next few months before the big molars come in.

Have a great week and weekend...we'll be back next week with wedding pics and stories!

While daddy's away...mommy and Henry will play!

Jared is traveling this week, so Henry and I have been whoopin' it up with Aunt Heather, Baby Jayce (and mom, Kristi, and Stephanie and Lindy), and each other. I have loved all of the one-on-one time with my little man...but we miss Jared/daddy and are ready for him to be home. Now.When daddy is home, we do not play on the carpet naked. When daddy is not home...WE DO WHAT WE WANT...and put hexes on anyone who tries to mess with us for rugrattin' in the buff...
and here's Henry's version of peek-a-boo. He crawls around then stops and peeks back to make sure someone's watching. Soooo adorable! Oh, and if there was any doubt that Baby Chesser is a pigmentless sunburn-waiting-to-happen...I present you with, Exhibit A.This is Henry's first play-date. We learned that he is a TERRIBLE sharer and that the ugly/adorable-picture-taking face also comes out when meeting new friends. sigh. At least Baby Jayce was a good sport about it. Hope we can try again soon!

Since I've been slackin' on this, here are a few shots of the nursery.Have a great weekend from me...and Wild Man.

Baby Jameson's memorial service is this morning in Orlando. We are praying for the Setsmas and hoping that they have abundant peace and grace on this glorious spring day.

Baby Jameson

I am heartbroken to tell you all that Baby Jameson passed away this morning. I am rejoicing that he has gone to be with Jesus...but absolutely devastated for his mommy and daddy, Melisa and Todd, and his two big brothers. There is so much more to say, but I cannot find my words.

Please just know that your prayers are helping to sustain this family right now.

www.jtsetsma.blogspot.com

Yeehaw...life is GOOD!

Well, my much-anticipated visit from Sue has come and gone, and we are SO happy that she was able to come hang with the Chessers for a fun Texas weekend. There is nothing like a visit from an old, sweet friend. Sad to say, Henry wasn't in top-form, because (as I suspected) he was cutting a tooth all weekend...it finally emerged on Sunday, and I think this is the last one for awhile because he has no more puffy spots on his gums. Anyway, this is how we all feel about cutting 3 teeth in 2 weeks...On Friday, we all went to Chimmichurri's in Kingwood. This is a new South American restaurant on W. Lake Houston (by the bridge), and it became an instant favorite with Jared and me after going for a date in November. Once Sue and I started planning her visit here, I knew that we MUST take her there. As I suspected, it was an instant favorite for her too! If you haven't been yet, you MUST go asap. We recommend the crab finger appetizer and the Dessert, No Thanks for dessert. All of the entrees are divine, but we like either steak or the flash-fried crab. Anyway, the ambience is delightful, the wait-staff helpful, and the price....well, worth it. Trust me, you WILL NOT be disappointed. Here are a couple of old college roommates reminiscing about their glory days back at Ole Miss...On Saturday, we tried to sleep a little after Henry's 3-wake-up night, and by the late afternoon, we were ready to head to the Houston Rodeo Cook-Off. Sue even picked up her first pair of cowboy boots while she was here, and we got all dudded up for the event. A big thanks to Jared's friends for hooking us up with tix to a sweet booth with a rockin' Elvis impersonator providing live entertainment...and to Justin's friend, Will, and Will's fam for also hooking us up with tix to their booth as well. The food was awesome, and I do believe that Jared is sated until St. Patty's (as I also foretold). Here are those silly old roommates again...Now, if anyone had an amazing time at the rodeo cook-off this weekend, it was Henry. We took him to see HORSIES for the very first time in his life. Since he loves DOGGIES so much, we thought horsies (which, we imagine, look like doggies on steroids to babies) would probably blow his little mind...and we were right. Here's Baby Boy taking it all in...One nice cowboy even brought his horse over for Henry to pet. I thought he would jump right out of Jared's arms with excitement.And, here's a family picture of our first time at the rodeo together! That scrunchy face that H is making is his new "smile" face. He is doing it almost EVERY time we put a camera on him. If anyone knows how to make the baby make a prettier face for pictures, I'd love to hear your tips! Here's one of the baby and his mostest favoritest guy in the whole wide world...note, shark teeth abound.

High chair pic of the week...

And, so none of you get pissy about me not giving you any house pics, here are a few. First, the mantle. Jamie, look, I used STICKS to decorate...crazy, I know. Bets, thanks for the candles...don't they look pretty next to the picture. And, Belinda, thanks so much for the candlesticks...I love old family stuff for our house!!

And, here's kind of the direction I'm going with the living room. The colors don't show up as bright as they really are, but I'm all into reds, greens, and golds. Eventually, I want mostly reds in here, but we already had so much green that I had to try to coordinate that in for now. The print over the couch is an awesome find that we picked up at Bed, Bath, and Beyond of all places. As soon as we saw it, we knew we must have it! I'm also looking for a nice set of end tables, and I'm going to get some more traditional lamps for the room as well. All in time, though...Oh, and I almost forgot to put these up. We went to the park the other day, and Henry was a wild man on the swings. He LOVES those darn things so much. So, here he is letting out his barbaric yawp.

And, here's one that Sue took...always nice to know that this kid actually has a mom...she just doesn't end up in pics much since she's always the one taking them!
And, we're done.

Please keep praying for Baby Jameson. Thanks.