Oh. My. Goodness

We all know by now that I am a very proud momma. For months before Bodey was born, I researched photographers to capture that perfect photo of my little guy. I knew exactly what I was looking for - and we captured it. In these photos (by Photos by Angelique in Columbia, Mo.), Bodey Dray is only 10 days old. And he was a champ - he didn't let out a peep while his mom, dad and photographer took off his diaper for the perfect shot, lugged him outside and placed several blankets and hats on and around him.

He only pooed on us once...I was shocked that we didn't get the usual shower that he likes to shoot our way during diaper changes. I think he knew his momma was about to pay a fortune for some great photos - he didn't want to ruin it for me. He is holding out for the terrible twos to kick in before ruining family photos.

Now - the decision awaits....which one do I choose? Of course there are more - about 80 more to choose from. Oh. My. Goodness!!!!

Grandparents Rock!

"Grandparents hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever." - unknown author



Bodey is blessed - he has some incredible grandparents and even a Great Granny. Although he doesn't know it now, these are the people that spoil, dote on you and make you feel extra special. As soon as he was born, Bodey was greated by an entire cheering squad (at 1 a.m.) ready to see him - including Nana and Papa (Moore), Grandma (Preston) and Aunt Julie and Aunt Shania. These guys were some troopers - some arriving hour one and only leaving for a short few hours to sleep. 

As soon as Bodey arrived at his new home, he was greeted by Nana and Papa (& Julie and Shania) - and we were oh so fortunate that Nana spent the first week doting on little Bodey - and his parents too. You never know how much help one person can be until Nana arrives to help take care of anything needed. Yes, there were tears when Nana left. Her daughter was going to miss her momma being there to help with the lifestyle adjustment, Bodey was going to miss his Nana's hugs and kisses and Blaine was going to miss the mother-in-law that did all of his laundry and made him a fantastic dinner.

Soon, Grandma (Preston) arrived to dote on Bodey for two days and to provide even more hugs, kisses and cuddle time. He is blessed to have grandparents!



Bodey took his first trip to the lake last Tuesday....not for a boat ride (yet), but to visit his Great Granny (Preston). Granny has a way of offering many words of wisdom for the new parents - and a way of "tanking him up" which means filling Bodey up with so much milk it almost made him sick. (Not sure we will try "tanking him up" too much....the boy was about to explode with all of Granny's extra love.)

And this weekend, Bodey was blessed with even more snuggling from Nana & Papa, Aunt Shania, Uncle Ronnie, Aunt Angel and cousins Tiffani and Sophi.

Our little Moore-Preston Production is quite blessed!!

One Week Old

Bodey sports one of his winter stocking caps early for a quick photo.

Is Mizzou in our Future?

Mom and Dad think that we should start saving for that college education. Looks like someone is heading to Mizzou!

What's in a Name?

So you may be wondering, where did the name William Bodey Dray come from? Good question...even better answer.

Bodey is named after many people - as it turns out. William is a family name on the Preston side. Blaine's first name is William, his dad's name was William "Ron", Blaine's grandpa was Marvin William ("Tom") - and then on the other side of Blaine's family, his granddad was John William ("Bill"). We always knew our little boy would be William.

But we didn't want to call him William. So we came up with Bodey - just a cool name to us and is very fitting for some reason. Nana says it sounds like a football player - I certainly would agree.

The first and middle names were covered but we also wanted Bodey to have a Moore family name. With a little creativity, we combined Bodey's Papa's first and middle name to come up with Dray - after Danny Ray.

So there you have it - a little guy with a big name. We know it won't be long before he fills the shoes of a big name. He was born 7 pounds 4 ounces and 2 days ago was already over 8 pounds. Do we have a linebacker in our future?

Changing 500 Diapers!

The big day has come and the new chapter has begun in our lives. What an amazing experience!! I have been told my whole life that bringing a child in the world can change you. It doesn't only "change" you, it makes your life complete - even though you thought it already was complete.

William Bodey Dray Preston arrived in our arms on Friday, October 15, 2010 at 11:43 p.m. weighing 7 lbs. 4 oz and 21 1/4 inches. Beautiful baby boy he is.

Let's back it up to share the full story.....read more.....

Foggy Days, Sleepless Nights...

I admit - I was the first person to roll my eyes at all of the preggo women out there saying they had "baby brain", absentmindedness and were forgetful. Whatever, I thought. You already to get to eat anything you want and blame it on the child in your belly, get your own parking at the grocery store, get endless amounts of attention - you don't need another excuse.


But let me tell you - this Baby Brain isn't crap after all. IT IS TRUE - and evil. For starters, it has only taken me 30+ days to remember my password to this blog, then when I did, I managed to draft one of my best works of blog writing. And then...I accidentally deleted it. It took me several more days to get over it. So that’s where I am now….

Here’s the baby update – the little guy must be growing like a weed. He has soccer practice in the afternoons and practices his hair band head bang sometimes in the evening. He hasn’t forgotten about karate either – but that usually comes sometime mid-morning (after a snack.) I am certain he’s tall – he stretches from one side of the belly to the other. And if the tale is true that indigestion brings lots of hair, he just might look like an ape when he arrives. He’s had the hiccups a couple of times, decided that somersaults where fun on other occasions and locates the bladder quite often – poking at it when you least expect it.

As for the momma – I am growing too. My size 10 foot can only be squeezed into size 11’s now. I have outgrown a lot of clothing as well – and preggo clothing shopping isn’t as fun as I thought it would be. Every time I hold up a cute sundress in my size, it looks somewhat similar to a tent. I have almost resorted to a mumu – or should I say moo moo!! Just like the little guy, I have put on a few pounds (27 pounds to date) and look forward to what the next 6 weeks brings. My legs, ankles and feet still look barbaric (you’ve all seen Fred Flintstone right?) and just when I thought, “Gosh…my face hasn’t swollen too much,” I saw a picture of myself. (As Julie would put it, “well hell’s bells.” As Mom would put it, “oh cuss word.”)
My clumsiness and absentmindedness set in full force a month or two ago. I have managed to accidentally break things, run out of gas in my car, lose my car in parking lots, get lost in Dillard’s almost causing a panic attack, forget tickets to events to cause me to buy new ones, forget laundry for days in the washer (always a nice smell)…the list goes on and on. If it weren’t for Blaine tagging behind my every move at home, who knows what I would do. And thank goodness some of my co-workers have experienced this before or I would be up a creek with no paddle.

Despite the mishaps, the swollen feet, the anxiety and the sleepless nights, it’s all for a good cause. These are only small reminders of the many ways your life is about to change.

At my first baby shower, I opened gifts with the ooh & awww’s that every new mom should. Everything is so cute and I am overjoyed by how much thought my friends have put into things. The second baby shower, the ooh’s & awww’s continued – so very thankful for everyone and everything they are doing for us. But somewhere about halfway through, it hit me – WE ARE HAVING A BABY IN 6 WEEKS. **See Julie’s and Mom’s sayings above.

Not so sure why the ton of bricks landed on me yesterday but for some reason it did. I knew we were having a baby – but I guess the Diaper Genie made it real. It’s not just cute outfits, hats and shoes. It’s not just getting to redesign a bedroom and bathroom in the house. It’s about diaper changes, sleepless nights, feedings….it’s about the first day of kindergarten, overnight trips to Nana & Papas, 8th grade graduation and prom.

As Blaine and I have both realized, our days are numbered. Our days of picking up and heading to the lake at the last minute are gone, our days of sleeping in on weekends and lounging on the couch watching a movie or two, our days of going to dinner and a movie for a date night are almost gone too. But we so much look forward to the more important days – the first smile, the first crawl, the first word (which will be “momma” by the way) and the first step. We know it will be worth it in the end.

So …with 6 weeks to go, we are looking forward to our numbered days. Bring on the diapers (we have the Genie), bring on the sleepless nights (I am almost used to it), bring on the feedings, the cries and whimpers. We are ready to rock out as parents and begin this new chapter in our lives.

"I guess I haven't seen you in a while..."

As I ventured down the hallway today at work, a co-worker said, "Wow! I guess I haven't seen you in a while!" Sure that could mean more than one thing, but let's face it. We all know it means "sheesh - you are getting fat." Sorry - there is just no other way to put it.

She's right. Over the past 4 weeks, I have managed to pack on a few pounds. At my last doctor's visit two weeks ago, the doctor approved my 12 pounds in weight gain. You know pregnancy can pack on the pounds and are needed, but to hear "you have gained 12 pounds" is never fun. Believe me - my heart and pride sunk just a bit that morning.

Each week I get a new request from a friend asking me to post "pregnancy" photos of myself on Facebook. I have avoided this for quite some time now out of convenience. You see, I am normally behind the camera and feel no need to jump in front of it. And I certainly haven't felt like jumping in front of the camera lately - only out of pure necessity or when my momma chased me down with a camera on vacation last week. (As soon as I can get a good photo from me and Blaine's beach photo shoot, I will post one.)

So each day as I count the weeks until due date and gaze into my closet trying to find something that I can squeeze my belly into, I remember that this weight gain is for one good reason...the little boy that growing like crazy in my stomach. And growing he is - I swear those kicks and punches just get stronger and stronger.

I realize that his little personality hasn't quite developed just yet, but with my vivid imagination, I can't help but see him sitting on my bladder, legs crossed casually leaned up against an organ, bottle in one hand as he bounces up and down, up and down on my bladder. I swear he does that on purpose - especially when I lay down for some much needed sleep. I was always a night owl when I was younger - so I guess he is too. If he can't sleep, well then momma can't sleep either - and she might as well be spending her nights on trips to the bathroom. Neither the hubby nor the dog even wake up anymore when I stumble to the toilet 5 times a night, bouncing off the wall, cursing.

With about 15 weeks to go, I can only look forward to more bathroom breaks, more pudginess and those dreaded stretch marks that everyone keeps talking about. Next time I see you, remember it's okay to say "I guess I haven't seen you in a while" or better yet "how much weight HAVE you gained?" I at least have a good sense of humor nowadays....you have to, right?

Holy Moly - what was that?

First - let me apologize for being MIA lately. Although I have been guilty of accusing pregnant women of using "I can't remember anything" excuse as a very lame one, I now know its true. Either that or dimentia is really setting in early.

Being preggers is one of the craziest things I have been through - now before you think I am the dullest person on the face of earth, those of you that have shared the same joys, pains and confusion on the issue know what I am talking about.

From the days of "when will I keep my head out of this toilet" to the "holy moly - what was that movement" to the "I want a girl but I know it's a boy in there", prenancy is quite the roller coaster - and I haven't even experienced the extreme moods swings yet. (Blaine is truly relieved about that one so far.)

Let me bring you up to speed a bit -

1. My nausea is gone - only proving there is a God. No one should EVER have to go through that - and it only proves the theory that if men had to have babies and go through pregnancy, we would not exist! I have been nausea free for a few weeks now and couldn't be happier. Fat & happy I am.

2. It's a boy!! I admit - I wanted a girl and I wanted her bad. I couldn't think logically of having a boy. There were too many pink frilly dresses out there for the little girl. But something deep down in my gut kept telling me it was a boy - "shut up voices" I thought...its totally a girl. Not so much. The ultrasound so profoundly proved it was a boy that a tear came to my eye - not because it wasn't a girl, but because he was moving. He was in there - alive, well and he was mine. I will tell you that the ultrasound changes everything. It doesn't matter if its a boy or girl, it doesn't matter pink or blue - nothing matters. It is truly amazing.

3. My little boy might as well be named the Karate Kid. He must know the remake came out and he was hoping for the lead role. He is a kicking machine. I had heard the kicking, moving in the belly stories before. Sure, whatever, no big deal...I thought. But this kid can kick - and I am only at 22 weeks. I can't imagine the punch he will give in a couple of months. I was lying in bed last night and my whole stomach was moving. I guess little Mr. Preston was taking an evening swim in my belly.

4. "Hey, all l’m saying is she’s got cankles, for God’s sake. What? Cankles! She’s got no ankles. It’s like the calf merged with the foot, cut out the middleman." You have seen the movie Shallow Hal, right? I had never heard the cankle term until then - and now I know more than anyone what its like to have no ankles. Not attractive - at all. Disgusting as a matter of fact - no middleman for me. On certain days, my poor legs don't even look human. I should probably give up the 3-4 inch heels, but this early. Come on now - that's just torture.

5. Your name suggestions have been entertaining so far - but we have a name (we think) and we are not sharing! Why you ask? Well...some things just need to be a surprise. Plus - if I heard one person say to me, "why are you naming him THAT?" or "I don't like that name", preggo beeyotch might come out in me and I would like to keep her packed away as long as I can. No worries though - we still love the name suggestions so keep them coming. And for those of you wondering, no we are not going with Bubba or Rufus - but thanks for your well-thought out baby names. :-)

Well thats my preggo experiences in a nutshell so far. Through the good and the bad, it has been incredible. I will keep ya'll updated on the progress.