As most of you know, I spend the majority of my time with children ages 2 1/2 - 18--add to that three siblings, the youngest of which turned six a few weeks ago, and you can pretty safely assume that I know a lot about the lives of my dance student's families and the funny things children will say. Since announcing my pregnancy in November, I've had the pleasure of learning a lot from these children about the way they interpret and understand pregnancy. In fact, these little comments have been one of the greatest highlights of my pregnancy, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to share them with you, as well as preserve them for posterity--or sibling-related future rehearsal dinner blackmail :-)
Hope you enjoy these anecdotes as much as I do and did...
*During one Ballet I (2nd & 3rd graders) level class shortly after Thanksgiving, one little girl kept dashing over to touch my belly in between every combination. So sweet!
*At the end of our first class after the Thanksgiving break, one of my five-year-old students L. came up to me and said, quietly, "Ms. Brii, my Mommy says you're going to have a baby."
"You're going to have a baby?!" many of the others chorused.
Most of them seemed excited, grinning, and running up to hug me, but one little girl had a bit more to say.
"You're going to have a baby?!" E. said loudly, throwing her arms out to her sides and leaning forward with huge, round, incredulous eyes. "You are going to be in THE WORST PAIN OF YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!"
[I would like to take this opportunity to say that I almost died right then and there. After telling her mother about how E. cracked us up that day, I found out that her older sister had just gotten braces that day and after a lot of complaining about how much they hurt, the mother said, 'Honey, when you have a baby, that's when you'll be in the worst pain of your entire life.' Apparently E. was listening!]
*When my Mom and siblings came to visit in mid-February, everyone tried to prepare my almost-six-year-old brother for how different my body was going to look. I had not seen him since Christmas when I really wasn't showing yet. So when they arrived, one of the first things my Mom said to him was, "See Ba's big belly?"
He kind of shrugged, and said, "Yeah, but it's not very huge."
I felt terrible for not living up to his expectations of my enormous belly! ;-)
*Later that weekend, my little bro sat on the floor while I lay on the sofa, both of us watching as Baby T's ninja kicks made my belly jump and twitch.
With each kick, in the high, squeaky voice, Kai would squeal, "Let me out! Let me out!"
*My Dad reported to me that at the dinner table a day or two after my little brother's visit to Statesboro, Kai sat, shaking his head and muttering, "How is that baby gonna fit through a bellybutton?"
*One day in late February, while trying to finish up some choreography with my Ballet II (3rd-5th grade level) class, I kept having a brain freezes about what step I wanted to do next.
"Ms. Brii's brain just isn't working today!" I exclaimed in frustration.
"Why not?!" one of my students said, "You have two brains!"
Confused, one of the other teachers and I looked at each other and then said, "No...you have two halves to your brain." We thought maybe she was confused about the hemispheres concept.
"No. You have two brains," she said matter-of-factly. "Your brain and the baby's brain!"
It's hard to argue with that, but apparently, I'm not using my full pregnancy brain power!
*I spent a great weekend visitng my family in late-March for two sibling birthdays, but as it always does, Sunday rolled around and I had to head back to the Boro. My little brother rode with me to my Mom's house so that I could say "goodbye" and he could hang out for the afternoon. In the car, I got to hear Kai's thoughts on family planning.
"Ba, I wish I lived closer to you so I could see Baby T anytime I want."
"I know, but you'll still get to see Baby T a lot, and after school gets out and Baby T is first born, you and Dad will come down to visit and meet the baby."
"How are you going to tell if it's a boy or a girl?"
Hmmm. Tough territory to navigate. "Um...we'll know when it's born," I said. I think I'll leave that convo up to my Dad.
"Are you going to look at it's thing that it pees with?"
No arguing with that. "Well...yeah..."
"Cuz boys have longs ones and girls have little ones."
Smile.
*And Mom and Dad, you might want to get on some really good, long-term vitamins, because you're going to need to be around until you're about 100...Kai has some serious plans for the future...
"When I grow up, I've going to grow five babies! My Dad has four, but I'm going to grow five."
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Baby Registries
Since so many of you have been asking:
We are keeping up-to-date registries through
TARGET -- shop in-store or at http://www.target.com/. Search under our names "Brii Tyson" or "Travis Tyson."
Link directly via https://www.target.com/registry/baby/2AGPNC2C9IHD8.
AMAZON.COM -- shop online at various websites and on amazon through http://www.amazon.com/. Search under our names "Brii Tyson" or "Travis Tyson."
Link directly via http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html?ie=UTF8&type=baby&id=391D5JCKP9S08
Since we do not know Baby T's gender, we do ask that clothing or colorful items not be pink, purple, or "overtly girly," i.e. ruffles, bows, and butterflies. We have registered through Amazon for many of the cloth diapering supplies that we will need to get started and request that these items be prioritized.
It looks like the Vidalia area baby shower hosted by Maria Gibase will be the afternoon of Sunday, April 10; the Statesboro area friends and family baby shower hosted by Shay Morgan and Janelle Wiley will be sometime in May; and the Pike County area after shower will be held in late June after Baby T arrives.
Thank you all for being as excited as we are to meet Baby T!
We are keeping up-to-date registries through
TARGET -- shop in-store or at http://www.target.com/. Search under our names "Brii Tyson" or "Travis Tyson."
Link directly via https://www.target.com/registry/baby/2AGPNC2C9IHD8.
AMAZON.COM -- shop online at various websites and on amazon through http://www.amazon.com/. Search under our names "Brii Tyson" or "Travis Tyson."
Link directly via http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html?ie=UTF8&type=baby&id=391D5JCKP9S08
Since we do not know Baby T's gender, we do ask that clothing or colorful items not be pink, purple, or "overtly girly," i.e. ruffles, bows, and butterflies. We have registered through Amazon for many of the cloth diapering supplies that we will need to get started and request that these items be prioritized.
It looks like the Vidalia area baby shower hosted by Maria Gibase will be the afternoon of Sunday, April 10; the Statesboro area friends and family baby shower hosted by Shay Morgan and Janelle Wiley will be sometime in May; and the Pike County area after shower will be held in late June after Baby T arrives.
Thank you all for being as excited as we are to meet Baby T!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Nathan & Megan's Wedding
After ten years of dating, it has finally happened! Nathan and Megan are married!
This past weekend was amazing--Nate (Travis's youngest brother) & Megan, who started "going out" in the 8th grade, got married and our entire family was in town for the weekend. Travis's brother Justin and his wife Casie stayed with us. We were especially glad for a little extra time with them, as they are moving to Mississippi this spring (Justin technically moved on Sunday after the wedding, and Casie will follow in June after her teaching contract in Aiken, SC ends---follow their excellent blog at http://www.justinandcasie.blogspot.com/ ).
Friday night was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at Statesboro Inn. The food was delicious--chicken, ham, broccoli casserole, roasted potatoes, macaroni and cheese, fresh greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and dinner rolls. I think there was ice cream and peach cobbler for dessert, but I opted for seconds on the potatoes instead of a sweet for dessert.
Saturday, the boys helped set up the reception space, while Casie and I attended a fabulous bridesmaids brunch (we were both honoraries) thrown for Megan by her aunts. After numerous pictures, it was finally time for the big moment--and big it was. There was "standing room only" for the wedding at Statesboro Primitive Baptist. I'd estimate there were about 400 people there. The reception was held at Statesboro's newest venue The Bell House. It was amazing. The food was really outrageous with a prime rib carving station; fresh fruit, cheese and cracker table; cocktail weinies and meatballs (because what wedding would be complete without them?!); taco bar with chicken and beef; and a shrimp-and-grits and mashed potatoe bar. YUUUUM! Travis and I both overindulged a bit, but it was so worth it!
Of course, the best part of the weekend was getting to see our nieces Gabriela and Lilian. They are both growing and changing so quickly, and we miss them so much since they are all the way in Iowa! We've been incredibly lucky, though, that Eric and Emily (Travi's sister) like to travel a lot and come visit as often as they can. Again, sorry for the quality of the pictures--they are just cell phone pics, and I know that Casie will have some good ones posted on her blog taken with her fancy new camera!
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| This is my favorite picture because they both look so happy! Sorry for the quality of the cell phone pic! |
This past weekend was amazing--Nate (Travis's youngest brother) & Megan, who started "going out" in the 8th grade, got married and our entire family was in town for the weekend. Travis's brother Justin and his wife Casie stayed with us. We were especially glad for a little extra time with them, as they are moving to Mississippi this spring (Justin technically moved on Sunday after the wedding, and Casie will follow in June after her teaching contract in Aiken, SC ends---follow their excellent blog at http://www.justinandcasie.blogspot.com/ ).
Friday night was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at Statesboro Inn. The food was delicious--chicken, ham, broccoli casserole, roasted potatoes, macaroni and cheese, fresh greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and dinner rolls. I think there was ice cream and peach cobbler for dessert, but I opted for seconds on the potatoes instead of a sweet for dessert.
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| Me, after the rehearsal dinner, at 29 weeks. Thanks to Emily for loaning me her great collection of maternity dresses! |
Saturday, the boys helped set up the reception space, while Casie and I attended a fabulous bridesmaids brunch (we were both honoraries) thrown for Megan by her aunts. After numerous pictures, it was finally time for the big moment--and big it was. There was "standing room only" for the wedding at Statesboro Primitive Baptist. I'd estimate there were about 400 people there. The reception was held at Statesboro's newest venue The Bell House. It was amazing. The food was really outrageous with a prime rib carving station; fresh fruit, cheese and cracker table; cocktail weinies and meatballs (because what wedding would be complete without them?!); taco bar with chicken and beef; and a shrimp-and-grits and mashed potatoe bar. YUUUUM! Travis and I both overindulged a bit, but it was so worth it!
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| During the Exchange of Rings |
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| Saying Vows and Exchanging Rings |
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| The rings are on! They're married!!! |
Of course, the best part of the weekend was getting to see our nieces Gabriela and Lilian. They are both growing and changing so quickly, and we miss them so much since they are all the way in Iowa! We've been incredibly lucky, though, that Eric and Emily (Travi's sister) like to travel a lot and come visit as often as they can. Again, sorry for the quality of the pictures--they are just cell phone pics, and I know that Casie will have some good ones posted on her blog taken with her fancy new camera!
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| Gabi and Lili (in the background) waiting on the wedding to start. |
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| Who could resist that face?! |
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| A girl after my own heart--she already loves purses! Gabi really liked my hot pink purse and the Bath & Body Works hand sanitizer attached to it! |
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| Gabi on the go, as always, and Emily and Lili in the background. |
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| Her grin gets bigger everytime I see her! |
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| Lilibelle being cute. Doesn't Emily look stunning?! Best bridesmaids dress ever! |
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| Emily and Lili. |
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| Lili had little trouble keeping her shoes on :-) Last time we saw here, she barely held her head up for long--now look at her! |
Sorry it's been so long...
It was recently brought to my attention that I have been a little lax lately in updating the blog, and I'm sorry! I really do plan to update more frequently in the future--things have just been a little crazy around here with Travis and I both in our busiest time of year and getting ready for Baby T.
The Spring is always a bit frantic for Travis, since Lowes does its biggest amount of business for the year during this time. People begin renovating and landscaping, and Travis gets to deal with all the pleasantness that comes with a job in customer service. He has lots of stories, but I'll let him tell them ;-)
For me, Spring is recital time. This is what we work for all year in the dance studio, and this year, I feel some extra pressure since it's my first as studio owner--I want it to be fabulous and show everyone what a great transition this year was for Vidalia Ballet. I also have performances for Statesboro School of Dance coming up after my own, but because of my due date, it looks like I'll be missing that one this year. Good thing my girls have worked so hard!
All that said, this year's spring craziness is just a bit magnified as we anticipate Baby T's arrival. My Vidalia Ballet recital is May 7, my due date is May 28 (Memorial Day Weekend, aka Lowes' busiest weekend of the spring), and the Statesboro School of Dance recitals are June 4. Somewhere in there will be a Vidalia friends baby shower in April and a family, friends, and Statesboro friends baby shower in May. Yeesh.
Speaking of baby showers, I will update the blog with information as it comes in. I am incredibly grateful to my gracious friends Janelle Wiley and Shay Morgan who are throwing my Statesboro shower and Maria Gibase who is hosting my Vidalia shower. I could not ask for more thoughtful people in my life. We have up-to-date baby registries at both Target (shop in-store or at http://www.target.com/ ) and Amazon.com (which includes both an Amazon registry and a Universal registry since some of the cloth diapering supplies we need come from other websites but can be purchased easily through the Amazon registry. Just click on the "Gifts & Wish Lists" tab on the http://www.amazon.com/ homepage, click on "Baby Registry" on the left side of the screen under the "Browse" tab, and search for Brii Tyson or Travis Tyson.)
We actually received our first baby gift off the registry yesterday! It was so exciting getting an unexpected package in the mail and even more exciting that it was from my Uncle Dib, whom I haven't seen since my family moved from Virginia! We received two cloth pocket diapers (one in a mango color and one in a cow print) and the "Snappis," which are kind of the modern version of the sharp and cumbersome pins that used to be necessary to fasten cloth diapers. The diapers were even cuter in real life, and this baby is going to have a seriously precious "cow butt!"
Baby Tyson is continuing to grow, so I thought I'd post come new belly pictures, too.
Here's the last pic I posted of Baby T at 23 weeks:
And since then Baby T has definitely continued his or her outward growth!
Baby T has continued to be very active, especially at night. I am pretty sure that I'm growing more of a ninja than a baby, but we'll just have to wait and see.
I did finally break down and buy some maternity clothes at right around 27 weeks. I had previously gotten one pair of maternity jeans from a local boutique (bought at about 25 weeks) that I've been wearing, but for everything else I've stuck with my normal t-shirts, more forgiving cuts on my dressier tops, and my athletic/dance pants for work. I started to get a little worried, though, about stretching my t-shirts out too much and not being able to wear them in the future, so I went on a little shopping trip. Motherhood Maternity and JCPenney ended up having the best scores, and after a verrrry long day of shopping (by myself!) in Savannah, I came home with 7 new shirts, two dresses (one maternity, one not), and several new undergarments. Yay! And I have to say, the shirts and jeans are especially comfy! It's nice not to have to worry about if my t-shirt is completely covering my ever-expanding belly! :-)
We did finally snag a crib, thanks to a friend-of-a-friend and a very kind brother-in-law (Nathan) who loaned us his truck and man muscles for the morning (on the day of his wedding rehearsal, no less!). It needs a fresh coat of paint, so I'll post pics once that's done. I am also hoping that week after next I'll be able to get going on painting the nursery and getting things set up in there while the dance studio is on spring break. I can't wait to get started!
The Spring is always a bit frantic for Travis, since Lowes does its biggest amount of business for the year during this time. People begin renovating and landscaping, and Travis gets to deal with all the pleasantness that comes with a job in customer service. He has lots of stories, but I'll let him tell them ;-)
For me, Spring is recital time. This is what we work for all year in the dance studio, and this year, I feel some extra pressure since it's my first as studio owner--I want it to be fabulous and show everyone what a great transition this year was for Vidalia Ballet. I also have performances for Statesboro School of Dance coming up after my own, but because of my due date, it looks like I'll be missing that one this year. Good thing my girls have worked so hard!
All that said, this year's spring craziness is just a bit magnified as we anticipate Baby T's arrival. My Vidalia Ballet recital is May 7, my due date is May 28 (Memorial Day Weekend, aka Lowes' busiest weekend of the spring), and the Statesboro School of Dance recitals are June 4. Somewhere in there will be a Vidalia friends baby shower in April and a family, friends, and Statesboro friends baby shower in May. Yeesh.
Speaking of baby showers, I will update the blog with information as it comes in. I am incredibly grateful to my gracious friends Janelle Wiley and Shay Morgan who are throwing my Statesboro shower and Maria Gibase who is hosting my Vidalia shower. I could not ask for more thoughtful people in my life. We have up-to-date baby registries at both Target (shop in-store or at http://www.target.com/ ) and Amazon.com (which includes both an Amazon registry and a Universal registry since some of the cloth diapering supplies we need come from other websites but can be purchased easily through the Amazon registry. Just click on the "Gifts & Wish Lists" tab on the http://www.amazon.com/ homepage, click on "Baby Registry" on the left side of the screen under the "Browse" tab, and search for Brii Tyson or Travis Tyson.)
We actually received our first baby gift off the registry yesterday! It was so exciting getting an unexpected package in the mail and even more exciting that it was from my Uncle Dib, whom I haven't seen since my family moved from Virginia! We received two cloth pocket diapers (one in a mango color and one in a cow print) and the "Snappis," which are kind of the modern version of the sharp and cumbersome pins that used to be necessary to fasten cloth diapers. The diapers were even cuter in real life, and this baby is going to have a seriously precious "cow butt!"
Baby Tyson is continuing to grow, so I thought I'd post come new belly pictures, too.
Here's the last pic I posted of Baby T at 23 weeks:
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| 22 weeks 5 days |
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| 24 weeks 5 days Sorry it's a bit blurry--I was still getting used to the new phone! |
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| 26 weeks 6 days This is from the day that I finally broke down purchased maternity clothes :-) I'm wearing my first maternity t-shirt in the pic! |
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| 28 weeks 5 days I hit 29 weeks this past Saturday, so I'll be taking another pic soon! |
I did finally break down and buy some maternity clothes at right around 27 weeks. I had previously gotten one pair of maternity jeans from a local boutique (bought at about 25 weeks) that I've been wearing, but for everything else I've stuck with my normal t-shirts, more forgiving cuts on my dressier tops, and my athletic/dance pants for work. I started to get a little worried, though, about stretching my t-shirts out too much and not being able to wear them in the future, so I went on a little shopping trip. Motherhood Maternity and JCPenney ended up having the best scores, and after a verrrry long day of shopping (by myself!) in Savannah, I came home with 7 new shirts, two dresses (one maternity, one not), and several new undergarments. Yay! And I have to say, the shirts and jeans are especially comfy! It's nice not to have to worry about if my t-shirt is completely covering my ever-expanding belly! :-)
We did finally snag a crib, thanks to a friend-of-a-friend and a very kind brother-in-law (Nathan) who loaned us his truck and man muscles for the morning (on the day of his wedding rehearsal, no less!). It needs a fresh coat of paint, so I'll post pics once that's done. I am also hoping that week after next I'll be able to get going on painting the nursery and getting things set up in there while the dance studio is on spring break. I can't wait to get started!
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