Graduation. Birthday. Baby Shower.

Been a busy couple of weeks... I graduated, had my 23rd birthday, and my first baby shower.

First of all I want to start out by saying WE DID IT!! I was so terrified that I was going to go into labor during my final senior practicum, but we made it through.
It was a two day test of our skills in the kitchen basically. 4 hours each day. On day 1 we had to bake, fill, and crumb coat a two tier wedding cake, and prep about 15 other recipes for use the next day.
Day 2 was much more challenging... in 4 hours, your Momma had to make, bake, decorate, and present:

*36 soft yeast dinner rolls - 3 diff shapes (12 of each)
*9 Pate a Choux pastries (3 swans, 3 cream puffs, and 3 eclairs) with 3 different fillings and 3 different garnishes, plated and presented.
*1 - 9" French apple tart, one portion plated with Creme Anglaise. (about 4 recipes total to make this)
*1 two tier wedding cake filled with diplomat cream, fresh raspberries and italian meringue buttercream. Iced and decorated with 3 different piping styles.

I'm sure almost none of that makes any sense to you babe, but simply put ..IT WAS A LOT!!
Out of the 15-20 people that were taking this test at the same time as me, only 2 of us finished on time with everything required completed (I was one of them!)
Needless to say, I was ecstatic when it was over. An overwhelming sense of pride washed over me as soon as I set the last item down in front of the judges. I raised my hands in the air, fists balled, and shouted "I'm done!" Then began dancing and repeating "I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done!" I walked up to every Chef in that room and said "Guess what?! ..I'm done!!!" Luckily they all got excited with me.. I was acting pretty silly but I couldn't help it! that was hard work! and I did it! I was proud of myself. I spent weeks and weeks worrying about that day, and it was finally over, and I came out happy with how I did.. I never expected that. It was an extremely exhausting day, but totally worth that moment when I realized I was DONE :)

The next day (friday) my family arrived in SC and Sunday June 17th (Father's Day) I graduated, with all of them in the crowd shouting for me. It was so nice to hear my name called "Brandi Ann VanOrmer, Associates in Arts and Culinary Management with a concentration in Baking and Pastry, with Honors" ...I don't think I've ever walked so fast in my life, I grabbed my diploma, hugged Chef Snider and Chef Watson and bolted off the stage dancing! Somehow I managed not to cry during this entire ceremony until we all got back to our seats and Chef Watson announced "You are now officially graduates" I got choked up and teary eyed, it was a very surreal and incredible moment in my life, and I'm so happy you were right there with me walking across that stage.

Graduation Day ! 32 weeks 5 days :)

Grandma Tara and Daddy

The next day was my 23rd birthday
....and your Daddy help me start out the day right by sending me to a Massage Therapist for an amazing prenatal massage, oh boy did he know what he was doing.. it put me in an excellent mood for the entire day. After it was over, I came home to Daddy and my family singing happy birthday to me with a big ole chocolate chip cookie! Then we all went out to eat at Hibachi, and spent the rest of the afternoon in the swimming pool. It was so relaxing and enjoyable being weightless in a big pool of water, relaxing and playing basketball with Daddy and your Aunt Ashley. Then we returned to the house for a cook out! Needless to say, it was the best birthday I've had in a while.

The next weekend was baby shower #1

.... The baby shower was in Charleston and I had a great time, it was nice getting to see everyone from school again (even if it has only been a week, I missed them.) and all of my wonderful friends from Sumter that were able to drive out as well. There were fun games, chatting, delicious cake, and of course lots of wonderful gifts for you. We are very lucky to have such wonderful people here in SC as friends. You've got a lot of adopted Aunts and Uncles that love you and can't wait to meet you baby boy :) I cried like.. well a baby after I opened all the gifts and went to hug everyone. I hope they know how much me and your Daddy really appreciate their generosity, love, and support. 

Now that brings us to this week

... This whole week has been about doing some serious preparation for bringing you home, while also getting ready for our trip to Alabama to see our families for July 4th and also have baby shower #2. Your Daddy (luckily) acknowledges my serious serious desire to nest right now, up until this week your "bedroom" was a "junk room" and it's been driving me coo-cooo. So your Daddy and I drove to Columbia on a whim one day and purchased and brought home a storage shed we've been eye-balling for months now. Then he spent the next 3 days assembling it out in the hot and humid South Carolina weather with a couple of buddies who were nice enough to help out. Then he helped me sort and store all of the junk out of the house and into the shed. And immediately got to work preparing the walls in the room so we could begin moving stuff into the now empty space. It was a lot of work that he did, and I am so appreciative to have such an amazing husband, and incredible Father for you. Most women would have to "nag" their husbands or baby daddies forever to get that work done, and it probably still wouldn't have happened. I think your Daddy was/is going through his own nesting phase just like I am, either that or he just knows how much it means to me to be prepared for you instead of worrying constantly that you'll come early and we'll have nothing ready. I hope he always knows that I appreciate him, I may not be the best at showing it sometimes and I realize that, but I do know how immensely lucky I am to have him, and to be able to share my life with him. I hope you also realize how wonderful your Father is and always appreciate him. I keep hearing all of these women talk about how baby boys love their Moms and cling to them so much more than their Dads... and they say it like it is a good thing, they are happy that their boys love them more than they love their Fathers. I personally don't get it, I want you to have an incredibly strong relationship with your Dad, and honestly I hope in a way that you are closer to him than to me. He is the one that I want you to strive to be like... I hope you learn how to be an incredible man from him, how to treat women, how to work hard for what you want, and all of the "manly" things that I couldn't possibly teach you. Obviously I plan on being close to you as well, and being the best Mother I can be to you, but I expect you to connect with him in an incredible and beautiful way- a way much different and much more on the same wavelength than the connection that you and I will share. I know he'll do his absolute best to always do whats best for you no matter what he has to sacrifice, and I hope that when you are a teenager or and adult you will still turn to your Dad for advice, and truly appreciate all he has done for you out of love. I can't wait to see you two off on your Father-son camping and fishing trips, or outside working on some project together. I get so much joy already just from watching him play with my tummy, poking and tickling you, and seeing you react to his voice, or watching him work on your room, or assembling your stroller and driving it all over the house "testing it out." He wakes me up some nights because he is playing with you while I'm asleep, he got really excited the other night that you were cuddling up to his back on the couch when I fell asleep laying behind him. 

He loves you baby

and we are both so very lucky to have him in our lives. 

Pomp and Circumstance

First day of college.

February 2011.

Hello there my sweet lil boogerhead,

     Well we're in the homestretch my love, you'll be here soon! It is incredible how the time has flown and yet how it has also seemed to have gone in slow motion. We have done a lot together the past few months at school, and now we just have one week until we waddle across that stage together and get Mommy's diploma. Exactly one week from today, wow.  As that day gets closer and closer, I can't help but to think back to the beginning, and why I started school in the first place. I don't believe I've discussed this on here yet, but I want you to know everything from the beginning. And how important this day is in our lives.

You see, we found out that your Grandma Tara, my Mom, was very very sick in November of 2010, with a rare form of cancer that the doctors knew little to nothing about how to treat. It was one of the most difficult things I've ever went through in my life.

She had surgery to remove what they thought was a benign tumor in her spinal cord, and we all went to Florida to be with her. We waited outside in the waiting room for a lot less time than we had anticipated when the doctors came out and pulled us (the family) into a private room. They told us that when they went to remove the tumor it was an unusual color, black, which is common of cancer. So they did a biopsy and would know the results the next morning. Needless to say, that night consisted of a lot of crying, sadness, worrying, and of course praying. As me and your Daddy drove to the hospital the next morning, I turned to him in the car and said "if they say something crazy, like she only has a year to live, we are going to have a baby" then he surprised me with his reaction and said "I know babe, I already thought of it too."

Once we arrived, apparently the Doctors had already came in with the bad news, so I kicked everyone out of Mom's room and we laid on her bed together, crying, absorbing it all- just me and her. When I finally collected myself much much later, I asked her what she thought of me and your Father having her a grandbaby. Her face lit up, and I could tell she wanted it, wanted you. But then she (being the incredible sacrificing and loving Mother that she is) told me "no." She knew that me and your Daddy had planned on being married or together for at least 5 years and it just being the two of us for a while before we wanted to bring a little one into the picture. As much as she wanted a grandbaby, she wanted me to have you when I was ready.

(This is where school came into the picture)

Your Grandma had been asking me for years when I was planning on starting college (aka harassing me ;) So I finally gave in to her wishes, no grandbabies yet, but I could give her this, I could go to college.

It took me a little while to decide where to go, and what to do, but The Art Institute kept coming up over and over again. I prayed about it a lot and all the signs were pointing towards that school. The next open house was just a couple weeks away, and I was super motivated, more motivated for it than I've ever been for any one thing in my entire life. It was two hours away from home, and I knew I'd be on the road a lot, but nothing could stop me- my mind was made. I was gonna do this, and do it well. And I did.. 4.0 GPA taking 20+ credit hours every quarter (which is a lot). 

I was doing it for my Mom, for me and your Dad, and in preparation for you. 

In a way, you were the motivation for this since the beginning, before you were ever conceived. 

The day we found out about you, and the date you were due, it was as if God had planned this all along, for me to be waddling across that stage while pregnant with my Mom's first grandbaby, graduating college, and guess what!! -it's been almost 5 years since me and your Daddy started dating :)

Everything has lined up perfectly for you to come into this world my dear. You're our blessing, the biggest blessing anyone could never dream of, and we all can't wait to meet you ❤

I pray that I'll be even half of the wonderful mother to you that my Mom has been to me.

And I can't wait for next Sunday, and to see the look on your Grandma Tara's face. 

I hope I'm making her, you, and Daddy all very proud. 

"A moment in my tummy... a lifetime in my heart."

Quick Update

How far along? 31 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain: 21 lbs

Maternity clothes? Oh yes.. At this point even they seem restricting. I've been wearing a lot of long flowy dresses, plus my Chef's clothes that don't fit anymore of course.

Stretch marks? Nope, I've went through about 7 gallons of Burts Bees and Cocoa butter with all this itching though!

Sleep: Super hot and sweaty, poor Ryan has to freeze everynight with the a/c turned way down.

Best moment this week: Finishing one of my 3 finals for school to graduate.

Miss Anything? Being able to see all my parts..

Movement: Less kicking and hitting probably because you're running out of room, but you are doing A LOT of rolling around and repositioning, and the hiccups of course.

Food cravings: Still craving the BBQ and lots and lots of STEAK, my iron is low so it only makes sense. 

Also, still loving the Fruit Loops with Marshmallows, and huge glasses of milk. Starting to want veggies a lot again like in the first trimester. And had a couple weeks there where I couldn't drink enough of Burger King's chocolate milkshakes.

Food aversions: Yellow cheeses. Even the word "cheese" makes me cringe, you must be taking after your Meme who also dislikes cheese. Bleh.. cheese YUCK!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Car sickness is a new one, which should make our drive to Bama here in a few weeks very interesting. Also been having a lot of blurred and shaky vision.

Labor Signs: Some braxton hicks, cramping. Hopefully I won't go into labor during my final practical exam at school this week. My friends and Chefs have made lots of jokes about delivering you in the kitchen... catching you in a pot, cutting the umbilical cord with a Chef's knife etc.. 

as funny as that all sounds.. it's a real fear of mine.

Symptoms:  Serious pregnancy brain and forgetfulness. Swelling and back pain/leg pain. Anemic.

Belly Button in or out? Out, probably will go even more out in the next month.

Happy or Moody most of the time: The tears have been very abundant. Good and Bad ones.

Looking forward to: Graduation, my 23rd birthday, and first baby shower all next week!!!
Song I've been listening to a lot: Always be my Baby - Mariah Carey. There are no words to explain my love for you but that song expresses a lot. Plus you seem to like it when I sing it to you and dance around ;)