Baby Yi # 2

We just had a gender reveal for our family and are happy to announce that our new little one (due in February) is another girl!

I could have sworn that it was a boy until a few days before my ultrasound... I mentioned to John that I was pretty sure it was a girl because I have not gained as much weight as I did with Ellington and a boy just wouldn't be that nice to his momma.  Hahaha.  Looks like my second prediction was right.  :)

All of John's family thought that we would be having a boy and all of my family, with the exception of my older sister, thought that Baby Yi #2 would be a girl.  As my Aunt Shelia reminded me, my Papa always said 'We know what to do with girls!'

We cannot wait to meet this little girl and watch her bond with her older sister!  After all, sisters really are the best - I know I love my two sisters. :)

Memorial Day 2012

Thankful for this incredible man (my grandfather) that bravely fought in WWII and grateful that he made it back safe.  Still missing him like crazy!

Also, praying that this brave soul (John's cousin) makes it back safely.  We are so proud of him and Ellington can't wait to hang out with her cool cop cousin again!

Just a Small Attic Sale, a Birthday, & a Baby Shower

This weekend was crazy busy and I am still exhausted from Saturday's little attic sale at my mom's house. After 40+ years of junk accumulating in the attic (and most of it really was junk) and many former attempts to purge the collections, my mom finally decided that it was just time to get rid of it all.  So all of us girls unloaded the contents of the attic to the front lawn and had ourselves a little attic sale.

Some of the goodies included about 70 old bottles of Coca-Cola, at least a hundred books / magazines / cookbooks, cassette tapes (including Hanson... it's alright if you're a little jealous), 2 8-track tapes, and 6 old dented storage trunks. The weather was perfect and we sold lots of stuff.  Unfortunately, we had lots of stuff junk still leftover at the end of the attic sale.

Carney sent out a Craigslist add for free curbside junk and within minutes people started showing up to haul it away.  We didn't even have to carry most of it to the curb.  People just showed up and carried the junk straight to their cars.

On Sunday morning, this was all that was left of the attic sale rejects - a cardboard box and a coat hanger. It was absolutely crazy how fast the Craigslist people came and collected all of the leftover junk!

In addition to the attic sale, we were also in Charlotte to celebrate Halmoni's birthday.  We started the celebration off with with great Italian food from Buca di Beppo.  We had lots of leftover that I didn't mind bringing home to finish off.  Then, we finished with ice cream cake & it was straight to bed from there.

Sunday was a bit less productive and hectic, but we still had to make it back in Durham in time for the surprise baby shower of one of my favorite photographers, Melissa of Haven Love Photography.  It was the perfect baby shower (thrown by one of Melissa's dear friends and subject of her latest photography session) with yummy desserts from Foster's Market and lots of friends.

I even got to design the above baby shower game and actually won a prize for getting the most answers correct.  Sadly, I did not win the prize for the nursery rhyme game above... it was for a game involving matching celebrities to their chosen baby names.  Sigh. Maybe I need to cut back on TMZ and gossip magazines.

Almost forgot to mention this amazing rainbow circling the sun that appeared during the attic sale.  Absolutely gorgeous!  All in all, it was a very exhausting - productive - family filled weekend.

Supporting our Veterans

This post is a little late in the day, but I could not really find any free activities in Durham this weekend.  Does Durham really not have a Veteran's Day Parade?  Hopefully, we will make it to the Raleigh Veteran's Day Parade.

Details:  North Carolina Veteran's Day Parade

When:  11/11/11 (Friday) @ 9:30

Where:  Downtown Raleigh - intersection of Fayetteville and Davie St

What to Expect:  Uniformed soldiers from all branches of the military, military vehicles, local marching bands, boy scout troops, girl scout troops, and even a beauty queen or two.  Should be a great event and a fantastic opportunity to thank all of our veterans!

If we don't make it to the parade, we are definitely going to visit our local library!  I had so much fun at the library with kids I have nannied in the past, but I have yet to visit a library with Ellington.  I know.  I feel like a horrible mother... I promise I read to her.  :)

A Heart Heavy with Emotions

WARNING: This post is a bit depressing (not my normal self).  I just needed to get this out of my head.  

Tears of joy and fear seem to come at the same time these days. Maybe I have just become an emotional person who breaks into the ugly cry every now and then or maybe every new mom goes through this craziness.

Ugh... where to start?  After reading this article about raising a child with a terminal illness, I could not help but selfishly thank God for Ellington's health.  I immediately felt guilty for my joy and cried for the 'dragon moms' out there while holding my baby girl a little tighter.

On occasion, I find myself staring at Ellington as she sleeps and a wave of emotions washes over me. Ellington is named after my grandmother's grandmother, so my grandmother is often on my mind when I watch little 'e'. I start to think of how amazing it is that my little girl will get to know her great grandmother, it's such a blessing. And to hear my grandmother talk about Elli... I can't describe in words how happy it makes me. My whole body smiles when I look at Elli and tears of joy fill my eyes, then the ugly cry starts... 

Reminded by this article, sadness creeps in and my heart aches for my grandparents. They lost a son, my mom's older brother, when he was barely a toddler and somehow they pushed forward to live life after his death. I have only spent 8 short months with Ellington and I already cannot imagine my life without her. I can't imagine doing everything that you know how to do to comfort and save your child, only to have that precious being taken from you.

When my grandfather was still with us, he would say the prayer at every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. He would say, "Thank God for those who are with us and those who are not"... a sweet simple prayer. I remember always knowing that Michael Quinn passed away during the winter holidays and that my grandmother was always a little sad during that time, but I didn't really get it until now. As children, somehow we knew not to ask why my grandmother often left the table after the prayer. We simply let her be and continued on eating, not realizing the sadness that still lingered in her heart.

There is no cute little way to end this post.  I have no conclusions or solutions, just emotions and a little reminder...

"Parenting, I’ve come to understand, is about loving my child today." 

-Emily Rapp, Notes from a Dragon Mom

Is there anything that a Classic Coca-Cola can't cure?

Recently, I've had a few bad migraines and I am trying very hard not to cure them with meds. It has been rough, but I have the sweetest husband who will go get a Classic Coke at 10 pm. The first time I requested one, he brought back a can of Coke. :( Although I was grateful, it just wasn't the same as a Coke in a glass bottle. I tried to explain to him that it just taste different, but he wasn't convinced. Nevertheless, he found a store in Birmingham that sold classic Coke in a glass bottle and stocked up for next time.

I don't know if the secret is in the glass bottle itself or it just takes me back to a comfortable place where my grandpa would hand over a Coke in a glass bottle for the cure to a stomach ache. Nowadays, whenever I'm ill (headache/cough & cold/stomach ache), all I want is a Classic Coca-Cola in a glass bottle. It seems to cure all of my illnesses and reminds of simple times with my Papa.

My Grandfather is My Hero!

I never had the school assignment to write about my hero, but my grandfather would certainly qualify if the topic ever came up in conversation. His life was so amazing! He came from nothing and ended up with the American dream without sacrificing his values and beliefs. He lived through so many historical events that he never really talked about because all of his memories focused on his family and nothing else.

He graduated and passed the Georgia Bar without the support of his parents, who thought a high school education was more than you needed to get by in life. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and witnessed the aftermath of WWII, but he always claimed that he never shot anybody. He even consistently retold one story about a freezing cold night during WWII; He almost shot a German soldier, but his gun jammed because it was so cold and the soldier ran away. He was always so proud of the fact the he never harmed another person, even though he served in the military and went undercover for the Secret Service on many occasions. He lived through way more than I could ever imagine. When he was my age, he was married with his first child on the way. I don't know how he did it, but he managed to support his family and succeed in his career without sacrifice.

By the time I was born, he was retired. We immediately connected. It's hard to explain, but I somehow knew that I could do no wrong in his eyes. He truly loved his wife, children, and grandchildren unconditionally with all of his heart! I always wanted to make him proud, but I knew that he would be proud of me even if I did not accomplish anything.

I miss him more than words can express. I am so lucky that I was able to meet him and learn from him. I only have happy memories, but it makes me sad to know that my children will not be able to meet him on this earth. One day I hope to be the hero in my grandchildren's eyes, but my Papa leaves some pretty big shoes to fill!

Happy Birthday Papa!!