Port Aransas 2015

This past weekend Dr. Sexypants (Brendon) and I went to Port Aransas to celebrate his little brother's 14th birthday with his parents. They were sweet enough to invite us and we were so glad to come! This was such a good trip you guys. I always forget how much I enjoy Port A, and every time I go I'm like oh yeah! This is good. This is relaxing. I grew up going to Port Aransas, but I appreciate it more and more with each trip. I told Brendon that we should totally buy a little piece of property down there. One day. In this imaginary world where we are financially flush and have time to scamper down to the beach whenever. Basically when we're 65.

There are A LOT of pictures. Prepare yourself.

When we drove down Friday night and we chased a rain storm the whole way. The next morning it was pretty cloudy for our morning walk on the beach, but by the time we headed back up for breakfast, the sun had appeared! And the weather was perfect all weekend. The recent rain had cooled it down a bit, but it was still lovely and sunny. And man, September is the time to go. It's not crowded, it's cooler, but the ocean is still nice and warm. Perfect swimming temperature.

Hello, Sunshine! Thank you for making our weekend so pretty.

Birthday boy!!! I cannot believe how much AJ has grown in the past year. He's taller than me!!! And like... bulking up. And he's a teenager. This is insanity, because the first time I met him, he was four. HE'LL BE GROWING FACIAL HAIR SOON.

This was AJ's way of seeing his phone screen in the blinding sun. He's very much a teenager in that he's obsessed with technology. He's into "vlogging", and knows WAY more about editing videos than I do. So awesome.

The idea of being buried in sand is pretty much torturous to me, but kids love that nonsense. Crazies.

We all played pretty dang hard in the ocean. Brendon, AJ, Deb, and myself swam A LOT! I loved it! I love swimming in the ocean (when there's not a ton of seaweed, which there wasn't at all!). It was seriously the perfect temperature. It felt so good. OH! And Deb, Brendon, and me were decently far out swimming and apparently a huge fish jumped right behind/over me. I was just chillin' and they both gasp and scream and Brendon goes, "AHHH A FISH!" I didn't see it at all, but oh man, their faces were hilarious. And of course I swam away from that area like my life depended on it. Not that the fish wanted anything to do with me, but you know.

SELFIE STICK! He was cracking me up.

Taking selfies with a big bulky camera is much harder than with your phone.

Preggo belly! I feel like I went from looking not pregnant to pregnant in a week. Although as AJ says, "I just look sort of fat." Kids, man. And I'm flying my homemade kite from last spring, which is still holding up like a boss!

GAH, I love this picture. These silly boys. LOOK HOW BIG AJ IS. Look at him next to Brendon! He'll be taller than his big brother before we know it.

We went for a night walk on the beach, with flashlights and lots of giggling. We saw a few crabs scuttling around, and a little EEL! That guy was cool/creepy.

Please excuse my ridiculous face sans make up plus sunburn, BUT LOOK AT DR. HOGAN! HA!

Birthday boy! (Look at that jawline, still dying.) I made him a chocolate cake with whipped cream icing, by request. He has good taste!

The next morning we went for another morning walk, and I forgot to change the white balance on my camera, thus, blue photos. Shooting in manual backfires sometimes (a lot).

Momma and son. :) And a crane:

Seahorses for the Seahorse, obviously. And no trip to Port A is complete without pictures in The Shark:

And (multiple) trips to Winston's Island Candy. THE COTTON CANDY TAFFY. Heaven.

This trip was so so so so SO good. So relaxing. We are very thankful that we were able to come along! I love the beach. I can't believe I'm saying that, because I've always been kinda meh about the beach and yesss about the mountains, but gosh, I really do love the beach. We'll be at a beach again soon next month in CALIFORNIA, so I'm extra excited to play in some waves again soon!

Trip details! We stayed at La Mirage Condominiums, and it was great! Perfect for a family, big rooms, and easy access to the beach! AJ's dad, Allen cooked up most of our meals (we were so spoiled) and then we had lunch on Sunday at Shell's, the best pasta on the island! And we stopped at Coffee Waves twice for coffee. Because of course.

Here's our 2014 and 2012 trip to Port A, if you're interested. :) Can I be a beach bum now?

Halfway

Why yes, I went there because it's the only big mirror in the house. Bathroom selfie with Sophie. Who must be within ten feet of me at all times. She's my guard cat.

I think, we're about halfway through this pregnancy thing! I say I think, because every time I go to the doctor, they give me a new due date. And I say, "doctor", but I haven't met my actual doctor. I've been seeing a nurse practitioner/techs/financial advisers, etc for the past 3 and a half months. Weird huh? I have my first appointment with my REAL doctor next month. It's strange. I had one appointment at a clinic Austin just to confirm the pregnancy and make sure everything looked okay, and it was with what would have been my real doctor had I stayed in Austin. Because usually that's how you do things? Temple is weird. There's only one huuuuge hospital (Scott and White) in Temple so the options were pretty slim pickins. I guess it's okay though, everything is going normally so it's no biggie. The rest of my appointments will be with My Doctor. Whoever she might be. And I have no idea what my actual due date is, I'm just assuming we'll meet the Seahorse sometime in January.

So halfway! We are at a totally different stage than we were in the beginning. My quality of life has done a complete 180. I feel GOOD most of the time. Almost constantly hungry, and occasionally I just have a rough day, but mostly good good good. I get to do things! And enjoy them! It's nuts. I think back to being sick every, single, day, and I'm like... did that really happen? Gosh, that sucked. But we're past it! Even the headaches aren't as bad. My allergies are crazy and my skin is breaking out like I've never experienced in my life, but these are small annoyances compared to wanting to puke 24/7. I will take the boogers and zits. (But really, the acne could toooootally disappear. Anytime now.)

And I'm finally starting to show! I've noticed that my midsection was moving outwards for months, but it's now finally kind of obvious to the general public. If I'm wearing something tight, I think it looks more like I'm pregnant than I just ate a huge meal. I'm grateful that I didn't get real big real fast, because I know we'll get there eventually. I blame it on being tall (more room in there!), that I had a terrible first trimester and had a hard time gaining weight for a bit (ha, those days are over), and that I've stayed relatively healthy. I try not to eat a bunch of junk (okay, there are moments... carbs are just so good!) and I've kept up working out.

Although I gave up on running in July (cry face emoji). I just couldn't handle the nausea and the heat and the stress on my body. I think if I tried it now it might be easier, but it's just still so dang hot. Ugh, Texassssss. When I was running, I felt pretty good, my legs felt like they could go on forever, but I got so tired so fast. And then the aftermath was horrendous. I'd only run a couple miles but I'd feel hungover like I had run ten. I felt like I was doing more harm than good. So I stopped. It's sad, I know. I'm bummed. But I did start doing pilates. Lower impact and you can do it in the AC. Plus I don't know if it's my weak preggo body or what, but it's super challenging! And then me and Boy Wonder go on walks in the evenings when it's cool. Walking seems so silly after running for so long, but it really does wonders for how I feel. And it helps the indigestion that loves to creep up on me after dinner. I feel like an old man, Tums are my best friend.

Things are just hunky dory. I feel the Seahorse move, ALL THE TIME. She is a maniac and surprisingly strong for being itsy bitsy. I fear for my ribs in a couple months. I was driving back from Austin last week and was like, hmmm... I haven't felt her move in a while... and then "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner came on the radio and she immediately started partying. ;) I think we'll have our hands full with this little lady. But seriously, I love feeling her move. It's weird, weird as heck, but it's also so awesome. I'm like, "Yo!!! Wassup girlfriend?" and then I usually try to talk to her. I've even been reading Harry Potter out loud to her. Although it never lasts long, I read faster than I can narrate and I usually give up on account of getting sucked in to the story. Aaaaand I'm officially the weirdest person you know? Surely not, because you have to know Brendon too. And Brendon has continually been a boss about everything. No surprise there. Juggling a residency AND a crazy pregnant wife, without breaking a sweat. He's stoked about the Seahorse and even picked out her first decoration for her room! He's gotten to feel her move a few times, and he likes to try to poke my belly a little to get her to party for him. She's like, nah, most of the time though. And I don't know how it's possible, but I have the craziest school girl crush on Dr. Hogan these days. I mean, beyond the usual. Hormones? Baby Daddy things? I don't know. But dang, I like/love that boy a lot. Not that I didn't before, because I did, but gahhhhh how can you be this nuts about someone after so long? Everyday it gets worse. Poor guy. ;) END MUSHYNESS.

Halfway you guys!!! Another few months and she'll be here! So strange. I guess maybe eventually we should you know... look into getting some baby stuff?

Central Texas State Fair

You guys, I LOVE a good fair. I grew up going to the Comal County Fair in New Braunfels (locals, you know whats up), and that is a good fair. It's huge, there's an insane amount of food (basically all your favorites from Wurstfest), lots of animals, lots of music, lots of German. It's my favorite. The big State Fair of Texas is fun too, but it's on such a massive scale it's kind of overwhelming. Plus just thinking of getting in and out of there gives me anxiety. The parking and traffic. BUT, there's things like fried butter and queso. So...

But yesterday, we went to the Central Texas State Fair in Belton. I was pretty excited! But you guys, it was a huge let down. I don't know if it's because we went on the first day or what, it was just so... underwhelming. There were like five animals, no exhibits, and the vendors were meh. They had a few rides and games, but I'm obviously not trying to get on any carnival rides these days. The food was pretty good. They had a bunch of food trucks, so we focused on food. We basically ate, walked around, and then left. We tried waiting around for the music to start, but we gave up. The food was really good though, so I'm not counting it as a total loss!

SAVE ME A PIECE OF THAT CORN! (Guess that movie!) That boy loves some corn on the cob. He's the most efficient corn on the cob eater I've ever seen. I on the other hand am the kind of person that cuts all the corn off the cob and eats it with a fork.

I finally got some churros! We went to Schlitterbahn last weekend (SO fun, it was so dead and we got to do everything we wanted with the smallest lines! It was a Schlitter-miracle!), and they totally sell churros there! But I guess since it was the end of the season, every single churro booth was closed! It was like a conspiracy against me reuniting with that cinnamon crispy goodness. So I was SUPER stoked to find some at the fair. These are only the second churros I've ever had, the first (three or four) were at Disneyland. And damn you guys, those churros at Disney are on another level! These were good, didn't touch the ones from the Happiest Place on Earth, but still, yummmmmy. And fried plantains! We were big fans of the South American food truck.

And duh, cotton candy. Gosh, I love cotton candy. And I love a good theme. I dressed up for the fair, in gingham and cowboy boots. Because when else? I made that dress out of drapery fabric I got from work a while back. Maria Von Trapp all day every day. Also my feet are paying for wearing cowboy boots today. I've been living in flip flops all summer, my feet were like, "ummm, wtf is this? I'm surrounded AND there's a heel?"

Front facing camera with back lighting, good job us.

Regardless of the lameness of that fair, we had a decent time. I'd never go again, but still. It was something different. There was ample people watching, good food, and we had good laughs reminiscing about the Comal County Fair. I mean, what other county fairs have polka?? We will be out of town this year, but you better believe if we weren't, we'd be driving down to NB. Because they have potato pancakes at that fair y'all. And baby chicks. Obviously, if you're in the area, you should check it out. Sorry for dogging on you so much, Central Texas State Fair, but step up yo' game!

Also I almost puked last night from all that fried food/sugar. Lesson learned. (Worth it.)

An update on life, generally.

So there have been lots of fun announcements here lately, but not much in the realm of day to day life for the Hogans. So, not that people are hankering to know, but I thought I'd fill the internet in. Also here's a picture of Sophie, my hardworking sewing assistant.

Clearly she's a huge help. Not sure what I'd do with out her.

We've been here in Temple for... almost three months? Is that possible?! I'd say we're pretty settled in. Brendon has been doing the residency thing, which recently has consumed all his free time. Kind of like being in school again. Lots of research, lots of projects. No tests though! He's also been working the odd weekend a month or so as a pharmacist at CVS, just for extra cash and to keep up his tenure there. I think he secretly loves it. And I think Brendon also secretly likes it here in Temple. He likes the slower lifestyle, the convenience of small town living. Plus he's surrounded by like minded folks at work, doing what he loves. There are a few things that bother both of us about Temple, but I think out of the two of us, he's more at home here.

I on the other hand, can't help feeling a little out of place. There are wonderful things about living here. It takes ten minutes to get any where (whether in Temple or Belton), no where is EVER busy, and it is cheap cheap cheap. Living here is saving us a ton of cash compared to Austin. Also, our neighborhood/apartment is SO NICE and quiet and safe and just really the polar opposite of our place in Austin (yet cheaper?). But, there are also downsides to living here. Here goes my rant, bear with me. I often think of living here as going back a decade. Life in 2005. Or earlier. I am a millennial, for sure, that just came from a tech driven city so this slide back into the past has been... frustrating at times. I mean, we'll look up restaurants and there just wont be a website? HA, how tech reliant can you get, right? I think it's because there just aren't a lot of young people here. There is a giant retired population, and then families. Not many young folks. The young folks that are here are mostly all doctors and medical folks. And the majority of those doctors and medical folks don't even live here, they commute from Round Rock or Georgetown or Austin (understandably). So there aren't a lot of "young people" things here, because there's no market for it. And man, being a vegetarian in Temple is challenging, to say the least. If you don't want Asian or Italian food, your options are pretty much nilch. Which is saving us lots of money on eating out! Silver lining! There is also a shocking lack of good coffee, but I'm a coffee snob. So. Unsurprisingly, the Temple/Belton area is VERY conservative and VERY... Texas. We are bleeding heart liberals as my dad says, so that can be a little frustrating. And NO ONE CAN DRIVE HERE. I swear to you, the Hogans drive faster than 95% of the the population of Temple and Belton combined. Driving below the speed limit is a thing here. There's no traffic, but there are figurative turtles on the road you have to dodge. Aaaand, no one will visit you when you live in Temple. I mean, at least in Austin we had the "oooh Austin is cool, lets go see the Hogans", we got nothin' here.  I don't blame them. If we want to see people, we go to them.

OKAY. Rant over before my head falls off. To be fair, most of the three months we've been here, I was basically sick. So that's not a good start. And I hated Austin (and Denton) when I first moved there, but ended up loving it. And obviously Austin makes any other Texas town (especially a small one) seem like a foreign country. I get that. And I was born and raised in Texas, so you'd think I'd know. I guess I just got spoiled. And Austin sucks in many ways. It's overcrowded, the traffic is horrendous, hipsters everywhere (I secretly miss y'all though), and it is expensive. Settling down there and purchasing a house would be challenging. So I think Temple is good for us. As much as I grumble and moan about it, it's a smart place for us to be right now. Did I mention how cheap it is? And Austin is just down there road and I'm there once a week.

Which brings me to, what the heck am I doing for a living? I'm 70% a housewife, y'all. I work once a week sewing at my job down in Austin, but aside from that I chill at home. It's weird, but it works for us right now. I'm going to have my hands full with a Seahorse in a few months so we decided just to forgo me trying to get a, well, lets be honest... shitty job just for a few months. So I'm at home! Which has been perfect, because the past few months of being knocked up have been real rough for me. I'm doing mostly better now, but I still have the occasional date with my face in the toilet, so it's nice to do that in the comfort of my own home. I've been keeping my self busy with sewing (for me!! for fun!), cleaning, cooking, you know. House crap. And I don't mind! I've worked my ass off since I was a teenager, so it's nice to have a break. And the cats think they've died and gone to heaven. They loooove having a human around all the time. Just wait, y'all. Soon there will be a tiny human with hands that love to grab cat tails. (None of this would obviously be possible without my super hero husband, Brendon. That boy is the hardest working person I have EVER met. And he is also the kindest and sweetest, and always makes me feel... important. No matter what. Damn, I love you Brendon, and so does the Seahorse. She told me.)

So that's basically it! We've got a fair bit of traveling ahead, in state and out, the next few months before the Seahorse arrives, so I'm pretty stoked about that. Especially since I've been feeling somewhat normal again. Lots of fun adventures squeezed our ever shrinking time as a family of two. Plus two cats. Life is pretty good you guys. I know I just whined about Temple for a good paragraph, but I do not want you to think for a second that I am not LOVING life and thrilled at where we are in it. We are lucky ducks. Actually, eff luck, we both worked real hard to be where we are. So we are enjoying it. Even if Brendon is up to his ears in medical articles every free moment and I'm wondering if my esophagus will survive this never ending heartburn and oh my god we will be responsible for a tiny human very soon, WE ARE HAPPY. Because we're together. And it is almost FALL, praise the pumpkin gods.

What kind of human is the Seahorse?

So, as you've probably read on the Facebook, we found out what we're having! We had the BIG ultrasound yesterday. The one where, baby willing, you find out the gender. Turns out I'm a week less along than they originally thought (seventeenish weeks instead of eighteen), but luckily the Seahorse cooperated enough that we were able to see everything we needed to.

Now, telling gender by ultrasound isn't a perfect science, but Brendon called it right away and the technician wholeheartedly agreed; it was kind of obvious. The seahorse is a girl. Duh. I mean, what else could it be? How could I not end up with a girl? (Although to be fair, Brendon is to blame for this one, biologically we ladies have no say in the gender.) Everyone said it would be a girl, including Brendon, and boom, you were all right. I honestly had ZERO preference, I would have been thrilled either way, but a girl just makes a lot of sense. I mean, right? A boy would have been wonderful as well, but it was just not in the cards for the Hogans. A lady Seahorse it is!

Awesome news to find out, obviously. We can now say she, instead of it, which makes the Seahorse sound much more human and less alien like. And SHE is a little party animal! I've been feeling her move for a couple weeks, and every day it gets crazier. But both the nurse practitioner at my last visit and the technician yesterday remarked on how active she is. And she was seriously making moves! Kicking and turning and waving those little arms. Kind of like, "Hey! What the heck, stop pushing on me!" It's crazy to actually SEE her move, instead of just feel it. Also, science you guys. It's so awesome. We could see the heart pumping and we saw her BRAIN and her spine (and her lady parts). I mean, there's a little skeleton in there! And she looks pretty perfect to me. Looks clearly like a badass.

One day the kid is going to be like, YOU POSTED WHAT ON THE INTERNET?

AND yes, we are having a girl. Yes, there's a pink bow on that hat up there. And yes, I am a wannabe Disney Princess. But NO, that does NOT mean pink everything. We thought about not telling everyone just so we could avoid the stereotypical blue for boys pink for girls thing. I want the Seahorse to be surrounded by the rainbow! I don't want to pick her favorite color for her. We're going to try keep everything fairly neutral. Don't freak out, there will still be dresses. And maybe a couple bows. But some people just go so far overboard with the pink. No frills please! If she grows up and decides that she's the girliest of the girls (I wouldn't be surprised), that's totally cool! I just want to give her the opportunity to decide. NOT that she'll remember what she's wearing when she's a few months old, but you get the gist. We're just weird hippies, roll with it.

So like I said, we also found out I'm a weekish less along which means homegirl will be making an appearance at more like the end of January instead of the middle. January 26th is the date our tech threw out. I'm cool with that! Just means I'll be slightly less about to pop around the holidays. And for that trip to New Orleans in December!

And for fun, we tried to get Sophie and Greg to celebrate their new sister with some pictures, but they were fairly uninterested. Even when bribed with treats. (My crazy-cat-lady-dom knows no bounds.)

I love those two. They've been the best support team. Always game to cuddle when I'm feeling down. Plus they're adorable. They've got their work cut out for them, but I think they'll be perfect older siblings.

Now we all know what kind of human we're cooking up! Honestly you guys, I'm just thrilled that it appears we are growing a healthy human in there. This has been a relatively rough pregnancy for me, it's nice to know that the Seahorse seems to be doing just fine regardless. A healthy Seahorse is all I'm asking for! But a girl Seahorse is also very awesome. :)