My 1st (2nd) Mother's Day

**this is a post I meant to have up last week, but our internet went out...2 hours being on the phone with AT&T later...fixed! Anywho, that should explain any weird date reference issues. **

Here's a secret. Last Mother's Day, I was about 75% sure I was already a Mom. That Saturday, I had been totally knocked out on my you-know-what. I took a 4 hour nap and was just bloody exhausted the whole day. I googled "early signs of pregnancy" and of course, that was one of them. Obviously, if pregnancy hadn't already been on my radar, I would not have connected the dots. Sunday evening, Chris and I were driving back to Palestine, and playing the "what-if" game, and decided to celebrate Mother's Day...just in case, so we went out to eat. Afterwards, too excited to wait, we bought 2 pregnancy tests at CVS. One of the "early response" ones. It says it can be up to 50% accurate 5 or 6 days before your missed period. Well, I was 7 days out, but I took it anyway, lol. Of course, it didn't say I was pregnant. On Tuesday of that week, I took the second test and I thought I may be imagining that beautiful second pink line. I think it was there, very very faintly, but I could've just been wishing it. I didn't even tell Chris about that test. Then, on Friday, I took THE test and there were seriously seriously 2 pink lines. And the rest is history :-)

Anyhow, I had a pretty fantastic 1st (2nd) Mother's Day on Sunday. Chris knows my style. We're both pretty simple people, but we like good food, being outside, and spending time together. I got to sleep in. Chris did all the cleaning and made me a delicious Spinach Lasagna that we ate for lunch. 

I was also privy to all day hand/foot/shoulder massages whenever I wanted (no I did not abuse the privilege, just ask Chris).

We spent a few hours at the park and I got to read (this fantastic book that keeps me up reading at night called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver) while Chris foraged for wild edibles (and found some yummy stuff to snack on) and miraculously, Gianna decided to nap on the blanket. We all played together and Gianna was in her prime cuteness mode, so we had a blast!

 This blanket (made by my friend, Janell!) must have magic sleep powder or something. She literally just crashed. It was a miracle!

 Then she woke up, a little groggy.

 So duh, it's a great time to take silly looking pictures of her for her future wedding slideshow.

 

 I love her post-sleep daze.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd we're up. Quite literally. Up on Momma's knees. She loves to be bounced and rocked. I use it as an ab work-out. :-) Best part is she'll keep getting heavier. By the time she's 25 lbs, maybe I'll have a 6 pack. Haha. Eww. That would be gross.

   Really, it's fun for all parties involved. One of the best crying-turned-laughing "redirects" I've found to date. 

 Please ignore my giants calves (thanks, Mom) with a huge bruise (thanks, car seat always banging against my leg).

 

 Chris's foraging finds included wild onion :-) They are currently laco-fermenting in our cupboard

 Chris helped Gianna practice flying. (Sorry for horrible video quality lol)

Afterwards, we went to Panera bread for coffee and desserts. We ate outside on the patio and played with G. Back before G, we would do the same thing, but bring the laptop to do work, books to read, or puzzle books to do together, but playing with our Monster proved to be more fun than all of those.

 

 Gianna got to eat some ice

She got to munch on Chris while I was on the phone. Who needs teething toys when you have your parents' knuckles?

We ended the day with Mass, and once we got past the Gospel reading and sat down for the Homily (which included this quote from Father Braun on the rite of Baptism , "...and sweet baby Gianna, here in the front...I baptized the Hell out of her"), Gianna was asleep in the k'tan. Gee....only an entrance hymn, opening prayer, penitential rite/kyrie, Gloria, another prayer, reading from Acts, the Psalm, reading from Ephesians, and Luke's Gospel to separate us from a peaceful, sleeping baby....that's all LOL

 An aside: Gianna has recently gotten more ummmm, vocal during Mass now that she's "talking" a lot. It would be one thing if it was during music or something, but it's like DEAD SILENT when she has her little happy outbursts. And Chris ALWAYS cracks up. Thank God the Catholic Church is unwaveringly pro-life from conception to natural death, therefore they can't complain about sweet baby outbursts. Bwahahaha. Win. Oh, I love a good meme.

 She even stayed asleep once I put her in the car seat after Mass. Mommy Win. Buckling her up is the tricky part.

 Finally got a worthy eyelash shot. This girl and her eyelashes. Lord help us!

 

On our way home from Church, we picked up a giant bottle on wine, bought a giant ice water from Sonic (yes, their ice is worth 40 cents to me), and then ate Spinach Lasagna and drank wine for dinner outside on our porch while Gianna sat in the Bumbo and ate Sonic ice. Yes it's weird, but if we like something, we will eat it twice in a day. Totally normal for the Rendalls.

 

 Dinner on the porch while Gianna tries to escape from the Bumbo

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand eat it.

Yes, yes. Life is good. :-)

All in all, Mother's Day rocked. I got to do things I love with the two people I love the most, enjoying the simple pleasures of life in the beautiful backdrop of a Tyler, TX spring. It just can't get much better than that!