A bit overdue

Welcome, Orion!



Photo by Melissa Williamson :)

Orion James Sikes was born May 31, 2009. He weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and was 19 inches long. He's perfect. Seriously. Jimmy and I are so in love with the little man.

--

Wedding Bells


Jimmy and I were married April 28, 2009, on Cat Island. It was just the two of us and the woman who married us. We will have a big ceremony with family and friends in the future, but this way was sweet and romantic and very special to us.

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Goodbye, Dad



My dad, James Alliet, passed away Friday, June 19, 2009. Jimmy, Orion and I were able to make it up to Rochester, NY, for the funeral and spend some time up there with my family. This has been a very hard time for everyone. My Dad did get to meet Orion though! He was down here the day after the baby was born. I've never seen my dad happier. We had some good times in the last few months when he was here visiting. And he knew how much we all loved him. So I know he went in peace, which makes this all a little easier.

--

What's next?


More Orion, of course! But he is finally asleep. It's 7:30 and I've been up with him since 4:30. So you know what that means ... I get to sleep, too! Emma is here visiting and Zach and Rachel are coming today, so I need to catch some Zzzz's. Good night!

The mystery box of baby clothes

This morning, Jimmy brought in a big plastic bin full of baby boy clothes and other baby items. "What's this?" I ask. He said it was sitting outside the fence by his Jeep. No note or anything. The clothes are nice! Lots of very cute stuff. Some still have tags! We want to thank whoever gave this to us, but have no idea who left it there! We thought it could have been a few neighbors, but that is not the case.

It's a mystery! Who are you? And thank you! Good things surely will come your way. :) You made our day!

False alarm

Well, Orion is still in my belly.

True story: I am sitting on the corner of the couch you can't see if you look in the front door. I just got out of the shower and only have a sports bra and underwear on. (Ooo la la la! Yea, right. Nothing FITS. That's why this is all I have on.) Anyway, someone is knocking on the front door. Obviously, I'm not going to get up and answer the door like this. So I'm hiding out on the corner of the couch until they go away.

This is what pregnancy has come to. In addition to rolling off furniture, groaning every time I attempt to get up, counting ice cream sandwiches as part of the dairy food group and, once in a while, turning around on the way out of the bathroom because I have to go, again, because Orion has shifted a little. Not to mention the bruise I have from where the little man keeps kicking me.

You know how some women LOVE to be pregnant. I am NOT one of them. I just want to go for a run. And hold our little baby in my arms. Not my belly ...

7 days or less. I wonder if I will look back and miss this? Heh :)

I'm in labor ... maybe?

They say if you're not sure, then you're not.

However, I have been known to break bones and get concussions and be completely unaware.

So these "very mild" contractions might be a sign of something more significant.

Or it's all a joke Orion has decided to play. Haha, little boy, you are soooooo funny.


Song of the day: Talking Heads, "This Must be the Place." This has nothing to do with being in labor -- or not. But it's Jimmy and I's song. <3.

Getting close

I have not blogged in a long time. Eeeek!

Coming soon:

• Photos of my ginormous belly

• Baby shower pics

• Photos of Orion's room, which is by far the best room in the house

• Lots of good stories and great fun!

• Baby! 3 weeks and 3 days (or less) till Orion is scheduled to arrive.

Current obsession

Kings of Leon. Yes I know I'm a little behind the curve. I only have 3 songs by these guys, "Use Somebody," "Sex on Fire," and "Closer," and I listen to them on repeat over and over and over.

My friend Ryan and his fiance, Melissa, came down to Beaufort not too long ago and stayed here while they were going to see a Kings of Leon in concert in Charleston, so the band always reminds me of them, which reminds me of Ryan, which reminds me of college, which reminds me of the DTH and all the fun we had. Granted there were times we butted heads, but I miss those days tremendously. And F$ and Brian Hudson and Brianna and Daniel and Johnson and Ricky and Joseph and Kavita and Jim Walsh and Stace-man and Chris Cameron and the list goes on and on.

It's not just that my whole life is about to do a 180 in 2 weeks, and I'm feeling nostalgic for more "care-free" days, which is the last thing I would have called those days at the time, but looking back, I miss them. I miss the debates and the challenges. I miss so much.

I can't say I would go back if I could, only because I love what I have now. A little boy on the way. A fiance who is the love of my life. Stability.

I have had this conversation before about the grass always being greener on the other side: When you have the stability, you want the freedom; when you have the freedom, you crave the stability.

When I had the freedom, I always said I'd be happier with the stability, but was cautioned I might not feel that way once I got it. Wrong. I am happier now. I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world. It's too hard going through life alone. Not that freedom necessary entails being alone. It doesn't.

I'm going in full circles here. And I think I'm lost myself on the way of what I'm trying to say, which is: I couldn't be happier now. But I miss the old days, the friends I can't hang out with every day, what we were working for and everything we believed in.

That and I like Kings of Leon.

30 down, 10 to go

That's right. I am 30 weeks pregnant. Holy smokes. I'm going to be a mama so soon! All I can say is thank God for Jimmy. I have been so tired, and he is doing all the cooking, cleaning, laundry and all the everything. What a wonderful man. He's going to be such a great Dad, too. More to come on that.

A post not about being pregnant

For once! Heh.
So I was driving home last night at 1 something a.m. and while driving over the Broad River bridge, I see a police car pulled over with the blue lights on. I figured he/she was pulling someone over, but as I drew closer, I see there is no car in front of the officer's. So then I think, OK he/she already let them go and is doing his/her "police work" in the car.

But then I see in the police car's headlights there is a person sitting on the side of the road, head tucked between his legs. No broken-down car or bike or anything in site. So this man, who looks extremely despondent, is just sitting there. And I just want to pull over and get out and ask him what it wrong and tell him it's going to be OK. But I know I can't.

I'm guessing the police officer had found him there and was calling for backup before approaching him. I'm not sure what was going on.

The whole way home after that all I can think of is what was this man doing walking down a dark one-mile long bridge at 1:17 a.m. Maybe he was just trying to get home. But why sit on the ground and hang your head? And stay put while an officer shines his/her headlights on you and flashes the blue lights. Something was clearly wrong. I just get the feeling he was without any hope.

Ever read about "indigo children" or highly intuitive children? (If you google it, you'll get a lot of goofy, new-agey stuff.) My mom is certain I am one of these, which explains why this is something I can't get out of my mind and makes me want to find out this man's story and say something to give him some hope. I dreamt about it and am still thinking about it today. This kind of thing happens to me a lot. I have to remind myself all the world's problems are not my own, even though they hit me like a wrecking ball sometimes.

Moving around

Exercise is an essential part of my life. I'm not sure if the physical or mental benefits that matter most to me. Daily exercise keeps me sane. The Parris Island Triathlon was yesterday, which got me to thinking about how different life is right now from just one year ago -- in a million ways.

Running: I've been going on a lot of long walks lately. When I see runners, I get very jealous. I want to be going fast, feeling my heart beat fast and the rush of endorphins. But I'll be one of those runners again soon. I was able to run up until a few weeks ago, but now I'm in my third trimester and have a big belly and there are hormones in my body making my joints loose and weak, which can be quite painful.


Swimming: I've been swimming a lot, which feels GREAT. No change in my ability to swim. If anything I feel faster, the curves of pregnancy make you like a dolphin. Less drag in the water. You just glide through. It's nice. Plus it keeps your upper body strong, which I'll need soon -- to carry around Orion. :)

Biking: I can't bike. If I lose my balance and fall off, well, that wouldn't be good. Yes, I can go spinning at the Y. It's just that the room has no windows and is dark and one of the most enjoyable parts of biking is being outside. It just seems like a chore inside -- not very enjoyable.

Stretching: If yoga wasn't at 8 a.m. I'd be there every day. Wednesdays and Sundays (10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.), I can get to. But seeing as haven't slept through the night in 6 months, and do not get home many nights till 1:30 a.m., doing anything at 8 a.m. is out of the question. But it feels great when I can go!

All of this makes me wonder how the heck I'm going to have time do anything, let alone exercise, once Orion arrives. We bought a jogging stroller (really cheap! yay!) from someone off Craigslist. So there's that. I plan on running the 4th of July 5k on Hilton Head, one month exactly after Orion's due date. I also plan on doing a triathlon or two in August. But I wonder if all this is completely unrealistic.

Anyway, add to this my worries about setting up a nursery when we have NO money. I have also started fretting about child care. Jimmy and I both work mostly nights; how are we going to find child care? How are we going to afford it?

Then my hippy mind chirps in and says, "Oh don't worry, you have time, everything will all work out. It always does. You'll figure this out." And I stop worrying so much. But now I worry I'm not worrying enough!

See this is why I need to exercise, clear my head and get some fresh air. Otherwise, I would drive myself insane.

I'm going on a long walk. And bringing the camera. If I get anything good, I'll post it here.

"Every time my mother became pregnant, [my father] ... would announce to her that 'the glorious walks' must begin. These glorious walks consisted of him taking her to places of great beauty in the countryside and walking with her for about an hour each day so that she could absorb the splendor of the surroundings. His theory was that if the eye of a pregnant woman was constantly observing the beauty of nature, this beauty would somehow become transmitted to the mind of the unborn baby within her womb ... "
-- Ronald Dahl

Wedding song

We haven't given much thought to our wedding yet. I have no idea where or when or anything. All I know is it needs to be cheap. And it needs to be outside. And I want my lawyer friend Dan to marry us.



Reasons for holding off on the wedding planning:
1. Too busy planning for Baby Orion.
2. Too busy expanding at the belly and dreading the thought of a wedding dress
3. Too busy looking for a job. (Not me. Jimmy. Although McClatchy is sinking ...)

Jimmy lost his job a few weeks ago. OK 4 weeks and 2 days. Yes, I've been counting. And losing sleep. And losing my marbles. It's not his fault. He's just a victim of budget cuts and layoffs like so many others. Bills are stacking up. One of my two $933 paychecks each month will almost cover rent ($950). Other monthly expenses include:

Heating and electric: $200 (Too high. The house is not properly sealed.)
Water: $50
Internet: $40
Maternity care/medical fees/prescriptions: $200-$300. Seriously.
College loans: $100 (Or much more. I'm not going to get into that.)
Car insurance: $40
YMCA membership for Jimmy and me: $54
Gas for car to drive to work: $75? At least
Total: $759 and these are modest estimates.

That leaves $174 for groceries for the month. Less than $50 a week. Then we're out.
Oh, then there are things like dog food and Bailey got an ear infection and needed to see the vet and get medicine ($100). I need two serpantine belts and the tension belt replaced on my car by the next oil change (in the next week or two -- $400).

Where to cut costs? Well. We can cancel the Y membership. (I might lose my sanity.) And we can cancel Internet. OK, that pays for Bailey's ears.

Jimmy is applying for any and every job out there. The economy is BAD. Things are very bad. It is scary scary scary. We aren't quite poor enough for food stamps.

So needless to say, UH OH! But hey at least we're not losing our home! What are we going to do? No clue. Survive. Breathe. Smile. Tell jokes. And ...

Pick out a wedding song! We think this is the one. It brings tears to my eyes every time. And is quite fitting. Right down to the little baby boy. So this makes me smile. Everything's going to be all right. :) I have faith in that.


Loggins and Messina - Danny's Song
Watch/listen to it on YouTube.

People smile and tell me I'm the lucky one,
And we've only just begun.
Think I'm gonna have a son.
He will be like she and me, as free as a dove,
Conceived in love.
Sun is gonna shine above.

And even though we ain't got money,
I'm so in love with you, honey,
And everything will bring a chain of love.
And in the morning, when I rise,
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me everything is gonna be alright.

Seems as though, a month ago, I was Beta-Chi,
Never got high.
Oh, I was a sorry guy.
And now, I smile and face the girl that shares my name.
Now I'm through with the game.
This boy will never be the same.

And even though we ain't got money,
I'm so in love with you, honey,
And everything will bring a chain of love.
And in the morning, when I rise,
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me everything is gonna be alright.

Pisces, Virgo rising is a very good sign,
Strong and kind,
And the little boy is mine.
Now I see a family where the once was none.
Now we've just begun.
Yeah, we're gonna fly to the sun.

And even though we ain't got money,
I'm so in love with you, honey,
And everything will bring a chain of love.
And in the morning, when I rise,
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me everything is gonna be alright.

Love the girl who holds the world in a paper cup.
Drink it up.
Love her and she'll bring you luck.
And if you find she helps your mind, better take her home.
Don't you live alone.
Try to earn what lovers own.

And even though we ain't got money,
I'm so in love with you, honey,
And everything will bring a chain of love.
And in the morning, when I rise,
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me everything is gonna be alright.

Oh and while we are on Kenny Loggins, try listening to this and not smiling thinking about being a kid again. I won't tell anyone. :)
Watch/listen to Pooh's corner

(And in case there was any question about this, yes, I'm quite doped up on all those wonderful pregnancy hormones.)

You know you love Wall-E

Perfect Valentine's date? A homemade dinner and renting a romantic video. In this case, Wall-E. Like we have any money to spend. Ha!

My belly

is rapidly expanding. Apparently, I am in "that phase." In about 1 week I went from having a belly that easily could be mistaken for the middle of someone who just really enjoys ice cream — to whoa, baby, that's a belly.

I'm starting to get my first random comments. At Walgreens the other day, the cashier says, "So, do you know what you are having?" I paused. See, pregnancy makes you confused. Was I at Friendly's? Well, I would like chicken fingers and a Cone Head sundae. Oh what am I having? That's right. I'm pregnant! And you can see that! Holy smokes!

"It's a boy," with a Big Smile.
"Your first?"
"Yes." (How does everyone know this? I admit I am sort of young at 24, but how do they know I don't have like 7 kids at home?)
"Are you scared?"
"Sometimes. But I know it's all going to be OK. What an adventure ... !"
"Well, good luck." Smile :)

And I left with my Tums, lip gloss and Life Savers Sour Wild Berries Gummies.


(This is just the "she might just really like ice cream phase" of a week or so ago at 22 weeks. It's bigger now at 24 weeks. Those 2 weeks DO make a difference. New pics to come.)

Sweet Treats

The Beaufort Gazette's Food & Friends front from Tuesday, February 11, 2009, designed by yours truly. And I drew the hearts and the little pink frame for the recipes myself :) Fun with Illustrator!

Sorry, I fell off the blogging wagon

You know how life gets. Busy, busy, busy.

But I've been thinking since I don't really talk about my job much or post my work anywhere, I'm going to start posting some pages I design. Or at least try. And I also plan on blogging more. Life is good, by the way :) Baby Orion is fantastic. He is very active. Yay! I am 23 weeks and 4 days pregnant.

Here is a Beaufort Gazette features front I designed yesterday (for today's paper). When we work features sections, we do the whole inside C section. In this case, 5 very text-heavy pages. We edit stories for spelling and grammar, write headlines, place photos, design pages, write the text and find photos to use for promos and more. The main story on this front is about a Beaufort County School District Dance Festival. I think it turned out OK. I like the color scheme.

Morning sickness in a nutshell

I'm sitting here waiting for this bout of nausea to pass so I can drive to the pharmacy and pick up pills to help with the morning sickness. If I get in the car now I will definitely get sick. And I already took my vitamins, which are expensive, when I got up to take Tylenol for my head, hip and leg aches. So I don't want to throw up and waste the vitamins. It's funny. And I'm staring at a glass of water dying of thirst, but if I drink it, that also will make me sick. And this is how most mornings go. So fun!

I promise to blog things of more significance soon.

Jimmy calls me at work, "Do you want a minivan?"
Me: "What?"
Jimmy: "Well, I just saw one for sale and I was thinking about how one day you were saying how so many people have to go through life alone and how lucky we are to have each other."
Me: "Yea, but what does that have to do with a minivan?"
Jimmy: "Nothing. And everything."

Well put.

Barefoot in the kitchen

A sample of things being 18 weeks pregnant does to you:

• Causes you to sleep in until 1:16 p.m.
• Makes you cry for stupid reasons, like the guy didn't come to fix our front door lock this morning
• Tells you to eat blue corn chips and salsa for breakfast
• Delays you from getting up off the couch and going to run
• Says it's OK to wear your slippers to work
• Prevents you from buttoning your pants