A Childhood Worth Repeating

Recently I took a trip back to Amarillo to spend time with my family and be there to celebrate my cousin’s baby boy's second birthday. It is never enough time but I so enjoyed every moment with them. My family consists of the 6 of us (including Jorde) and then my extended family. The majority of us are girls and so it makes for an extraordinary family dynamic! Every time I come to town we go and get a pedicure and really focus on being a family. We have morning coffee at my mom and dads and happy hour at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Ruby Tequila’s. I LOVE my family and really wish we were closer than a 5 hour drive or 1 hour flight. I just don't know what I would do without their constant support and love.

All that said, I know our little princess (that's right! You heard it here first, we are having a girl) will feel how powerful our family bond is even if we aren't there to partake in the weekly get togethers. I am so happy to add to our "long line of love" and can't wait for her to meet her cousin Kyler and her second cousins, M'Kabry, Kason, and Trapper. She will fit right in!

Since finding out I am pregnant, I have done a lot of observing. It is almost stalker like! While I was home I noticed that we are all really good at being moms.. and dad's. It is second nature to everyone and it reassured me that I too will be a good mom. There is so much worry that is going through my mind and heart right now of the unknown. What if she chokes, what if she is allergic, what if she won't sleep, what if, what if, what if. Worries aside, I turned out just fine and have great examples to learn from.

Last night I was re-capping a conversation I had with my mom about some news we received. Jorde stopped me mid sentence to let me know what an incredible mom I have. I knew I did already, but for him to recognize that she knows all the right things to say at all the right times.. It is just so relieving. I hope I can be just like her!

We are going to raise baby girl in Dallas but I want Amarillo to be a second home to her. I want for her to never have that awkward moment of having to get to know her cousins again. I want for her to run into Nana and Pa’s arms with no hesitation. I want her to ride 4 wheelers, and play in the mud, and eat rolly pollys if her older cousins tell her she has to if she wants to play with them… I want her to have my childhood… but most importantly I want her to know what an amazing family she was born into.

Here is a picture of most the women in my family. We will be adding another one come February. Look out world Sloan Rachelle Scott will be coming before you know it!

A Note to Our Child

We have not met you yet but you are our child. We have heard your heartbeat, which made our hearts skip a beat, seen your beautiful face and counted your fingers on a screen. We have dreamed about what you will be like when you arrive and are praying for you everyday to keep up your perfect progress.

We are so in love with every ounce of you! Today you are the size of a PEACH! Can you believe it!! I can't believe that you are inside of me doing your thing, growing and listening to all that is waiting for you out here in the world. I know you are already excited to meet the voices you keep hearing; Me, your dad, Jersey, and Hattie... we are excited to meet you too. Jersey and Hattie know you are in there, they won't leave me alone!! There is so much to do to get ready for your arrival so don't come any earlier then you need to. We want everything to be just perfect. The doctors will be able to tell us by Friday if you are boy or a girl and once that news hits it will be no time at all until we have everything exactly how we want it for you.

Today we got to see you play around in my belly. You are certainly your fathers child, although he said you reminded him of my sleeping habits. You couldn't seem to get comfortable after we woke you up so you just rolled around for a few minutes and pushed the wand away anytime you felt it come close to you. Did it tickle? You took my breath away, You had me crying and laughing with joy so hard it was hard to get a good signal because the wand was bouncing with my belly.

Also, little man or princess, you should know that mommy needs some blood too! I had to give blood today and fainted because I didn't have enough to give. Don't worry, we checked on you after that and you were happy as a clam. With hiccups to boot!

You have already changed our lives and brought us so much joy. We are so proud to call you our child and know that there will not be a day that goes by we don't recognize the miracle that you are.

My Husband

If you have heard me say it once you have heard me say it a thousand times. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have married the man I did. He is smart, handsome, ambitious, caring, and to top it all off, he loves me more than I ever thought a person could.

When I was a little girl my dad always filled my head with magical stories of men who treated me like the princess that I was. Not that I didn't believe him but I just found it hard to believe that one of these immature "boys" would one day be my prince charming. Jorde was no exception to the term "immature boy" but our past is ours and made us who we are today. During our early years of dating we would argue or he would hurt my feelings and I would first ask myself why I was putting up with this but always come back to the same conclusion, there was a man inside of this "immature boy" that I wanted to get to know. He would show himself every once and a while and walking away from that seemed like the dumbest thing I could ever do. I was right.

Since going from "wife" to "mother of his child" He has shown even more of that man I was so excited to get to know. Patience is not a Scott trait that they pride themselves in but patient is what he has been! If I am tired, he lets me sleep; if I am hungry but have no energy to get something for myself he makes it for me. I have hardly touched the dishes since becoming pregnant. Our dogs are almost 100% his responsibility because they drive me mad (I haven't had many crazy pregnant lady outbreaks but my dogs are testing me daily.) The list goes on and on..

He did all of these things before but I wanted to make sure to give credit where credit is due. My husband rocks and has made this experience amazing.


Oh, did I mention he is going to be the most amazing dad!! I mean it!

Ocean City New Jersey

During our 7th week of pregnancy we went to Ocean City New Jersey with the Varga family. In case I don't say it enough, I thank God everyday for the families that I married into.

Jorde's Mimi grew up on that beach and raised her kids there in the summers. The town really is a slice of 1952. Picture perfect family town.. Which was perfect being that we would be getting a peek into the life of a family with 3 kiddos under the age of 14 had in store for us. An adventure to say the least.

Up until this point I had felt a pregnancy symptom here and there but this was the week it really set in. I was in bed by 8 and eating carbs every few hours to keep my stomach satisfied. I could have sworn that our child was doubling in size every 5 minutes.

This trip was extra special to me looking back because I have always watched the way Paul and Michelle parent their three boys and admired their approach. This week was a lot of sitting back and watching for me. It is so impressive to me that these little boys were on their way to being fine young men and it was all thanks to the constant effort that their parents and family have put into them.

They really are an inspiration and it was great to spend an entire week with the entire Varga family to drive home the value of good parenting and a good family support system.

The First Trimester

It seemed like as soon as I read that pregnancy test I felt pregnant. I have been known to have a little hypochondria now and again but this was beyond that. I noticed I had constant headaches, I was peeing more, my sniffer was smelling everything, sleepiness set in, and if I didn't have food in my stomach I was not feeling very well.

All that considered, I think I had a relatively easy first trimester. No vomiting, no asking people to pop their popcorn on another floor, nothing like that so I am lucky. We are one week away from our second trimester and I am already feeling the symptoms of pregnancy fade away. It is nice to watch the sun set again!

The day after we found out was Fathers Day and we had planned on spending the day on the lake with Jorde's Dad, Cheryl, Ryen, and Connor wakeboarding and enjoying the Texas summer. Enjoy the summer day we did but It was obvious to one perceptive person that I was not myself. She didn't say anything though, just watched me drink water instead of my normal beer or cocktail and politely decline my turn to wakeboard. For me this was going to be tough anyways. Cheryl and I are pals, she knows my habits and I knew (even though she didn't say anything) that she was on to me. It was fun though. Keeping it to myself I mean. I have never been good at keeping things to myself but this was special. We wanted to tell all the right people at the right time.

We were able to keep our secret for one week. The week after we found out was a planned trip to the lake with my entire family. How they didn't call me out the moment I got there is beyond me. If you know me at all you know I enjoy having a good time, making people laugh, and my wine. We got to the lake house with the rest of the Foster clan (My moms side of the family) where everyone is opening his or her preferred beverage. I stick with water, in a cup though. I don't want to make it to obvious. We get the boat out on the water and everyone is waking boarding. Here again, I politely decline my turn to go. I had packed one "fun" beverage for me that was to act as a distraction if anybody got suspicious. My mother loves to share drinks. I told her I couldn't share with her because I only brought one bottle and it had to last me the whole weekend. She just didn't know what to do. I always share with her. She likes to try new things... anyways, this along with many many other things I did over the course of the weekend should have tipped anybody off that I was indeed pregnant. Cheryl and Skip (Jorde's dad) joined us at the lake on Saturday night for a Fajita feast. There again, Cheryl is watching me drink water. This time though, she is asking questions like "So, did you guys have a crazy night last night" or "JJ, would you like a glass of wine" (Like I don't want a glass of wine..ahhh) and all I could do was try my best to make up a lie that wouldn't catch the ears of my family who already knew that I went to bed at 8:30 and politely decline (I have gotten so dang good at that.)

Sunday morning is all a bustle with everyone packing up to get back to their respective homes. Right before we say our final goodbyes we ask my parents to meet us in their bedroom to discuss a few things. We walked in and my mom asked "what did we do? Are we in trouble?" At that, Jorde grabbed my hand, we looked at each other with a huge grin on both our faces and ..."YOU'RE HAVING A BABY!!" mom exclaimed. It was perfect, we told then that "yes, we were going to have a baby." Tears of Joys streamed down both mine and mom's face. My dad and Jorde hugged and I got my much loved forehead kiss from my daddy. It was at that moment that I knew you never stop being a daddy's little girl. Here I am embarking on parenthood myself and I knew that all he could think about was bringing me home from the hospital and watching me grow into who I am today. What an amazing moment in a parent’s life.

Next up, my mother in law, Holly! She has been on to me for a week as well. We work at the same company and she knows my moods... The week before we told my parents Holly could tell I was a little on edge and she had made the comment that maybe I was pregnant... She was trying to calculate it and the only way I could throw her off was giving her wrong data. It worked... kinda. We told her the Monday after we told my parents. I IMed her at work asking if she wanted to go to Houlihans (our favorite) for a salad. She agreed and met me down at the lobby at 11:30. When we walked in she had made the comment that we were going to have to wait to be seated since it was so packed. Little did she know that I had made reservations AND her son was already at our table. The hostess knew it was me by my description and escorted us on back to our table where Jorde met her with a dozen red roses and a hug. She was beyond excited and proud.

After Jorde met me and his mom for lunch he called his dads house to see if we could have a last minute dinner. He made plans with Cheryl and told me "they don't suspect a thing"... wrong!!! We met them at the Keg in Irving with Ryen (Jorde's little sister.) We walked up and they were calm and collected but were very glad to see us.. more glad than normal. Cheryl had her glass of wine and Jorde was leading the charge with our orders so the wine ordering took a while. Finally, I said I would have what she was having (since I was going to pass it off to her once we broke the news) and Jorde ordered a bottle for him and his dad to split. Once the wine came out Jorde lifted his glass, held my hand and told his dad and Cheryl that we were going to have a baby. Tears streamed from both women at the table and Skip (FIL) was smiling as you would imagine a proud father smiling down on his son who makes him so proud. Ryen exclaimed that she was going to be an Aunt and I confirmed.

Back to the "they don't suspect a thing"... wrong!!! Statement. After Cheryl and Skip left the lake house with my family they were sitting at dinner and Cheryl told Skip she thought I was pregnant. I am not sure what else the conversation consisted of but the call from Jorde pretty much confirmed that they were going to be Grumpy and Grand-monster.

The siblings were next all over the phone. After that we each told a friend a piece and slowly let the news spread. I told Ashley Allen, my college roommate and best friend for 8 years and Jorde told Dave Barret who is a frat brother, former roommate, and best friend for over 10 years. I also had to tell my cousin Kiri. She and I were like sisters growing up and I have taken note on all of her parenting skills.

We found out at 4 weeks. Told our families at 5 weeks and had our first doctors’ appointment at 9 weeks. When I say it is an emotion like you have never felt before I mean it. To see this little body growing inside of you and when you hear that heartbeat so fast and strong it just makes you feel so small compared to our creator. There is a person inside of me. Counting on ME to do the right things. I am honored to have that responsibility.

The day I became complete

Since I was old enough to have a doll I knew I wanted to be a mother. It was as natural to me as it was for a boy to play in the mud. When I met Jorde in September of 2003 I had no idea that our journey would take us here but I was hopeful. He is the love of my life and I knew early on that he was the one I was going to raise babies with and grow old with. Our wedding was a picture perfect fall day and set a beautiful frame for our marriage. We were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. George Theodore Scott!

The day we found out we were going to be parents came about three months sooner than expected. Jorde has always had it in his mind that we were not going to embark on parenthood before his 30th birthday. I think the man upstairs had something else in mind. I won't go into all the details but just know that it really can and does happen just like that!

The weekend we found out was the wedding weekend for our dear friends Hunter and Lauren Jarvis as well as Father's Day weekend (appropriate, don't ya think!) That Friday was rehearsal dinner. We were having a great time with all of our friends but I just felt off. Very tired and couldn't seem to enjoy my wine, which is not like me at all, so I just switched to water. Later that night we were getting ready for bed and Jorde walked behind me and in typical Jorde Fashion he pinched my toosh and asked if I had been working out, I quickly turned around, gave him an "are you nuts face" and said "are you kidding me, I haven't had time to go to the grocery store, let alone hit the gym." But the thought lingered... I had read that when you become pregnant your body will take fat storage and use it as needed during the first weeks of pregnancy. I told myself that I would go get a pregnancy test the following morning to put my mind at ease and enjoy the wedding that was to take place the following evening.

As planned, I went and ran a few errands before making our way up to the wedding festivities where Jorde would be a groomsman. One of my errands was to stop by CVS and grab one of those trusty ole sticks. After that it was all hustle bustles. I had even forgot about the test and opened a bottle of wine for me and two of my girlfriends when I remembered that I had some business that needed tended to. The boys were all getting ready in our room so I asked if I could get ready in Chris and Leslie Coxon's room where I took the test. I was all by myself and took a deep breath and let it run. Now, I have taken more than a dozen of these tests so I know by now that if you aren't pregnant there is no hint of color that will show up where that plus is supposed to be but this test threw me for a loop. The line was sooooo faint.... hummm I thought with a HUGE grin on my face... I looked at it at least 10 more times and finally came to the conclusion that I was indeed pregnant!!!

But wait, how was I going to tell Jorde, I had always hoped of doing something really creative when I told him.. I couldn't just say "hey, we are having a baby" after all these years of planning and waiting... but I wasn't going to be able to drink tonight and he would find that suspicious and I didn't want to tell him at the wedding... what a great conundrum to have.

He came to check on me while I was putting on my makeup. My face was hurting I was smiling so hard. He asked what was going on and I said nothing.. he asked again and I decided I had to tell him. So, I pulled the stick out of my bag and said "I think we are having a baby" he joined me with a huge smile and looked at the stick.... "where's the other line" he asked. I told him I have taken my fair share of these tests and never have I ever had any sort of coloring show up on that line and if you look really closely you will see the coloring I am talking about... He looked again and said "ok, I don't want to get excited just yet because I don't see anything. Will you please go and get another one." that was fine with me. I didn't hardly believe it myself.

I went to Target and grabbed two more tests that read pregnant or not pregnant to make sure there was no further confusion. Sure enough: PREGNANT real big and pretty was printed on the test reader. "Oh my gosh, I am going to be a mom... Jorde is going to be a dad.. Our life together is going to be different... we are going to be a family... what is my Father in law going to think.." I had so many thoughts as I sat there by myself soaking in the realization that there was a baby growing inside of me. After I had my moment I felt a strong sense of empowerment. It was weird. I was walking through Target to get Jorde a Father’s Day gift (since it was in the morning) and I heard a little girl asked her mom why I was smiling so big. I wanted so badly to tell her it was because I was going to have a baby! I wanted to scream it!!

Like I had mentioned earlier, Jorde was a groomsman in the wedding and was running around doing pictures and such while I was digesting all of this information. He called me while he was in the car with the boys and said "how are your errands going" I paused and said "they are going... positive..." with that he was elated. We got to the church around the same time and he gets out of Chance Louis' truck and comes to swoop me up. I start crying and Chance, being the ever so observant one says "I know what's going on!!!" we both looked at him and acknowledged that he was correct but not to say anything.

I became complete that day. There is something more important than my own wants and desires that is completely dependent on me. I am a mother, Jorde is a father, and we are a family.