Getting Started Early...

No one could be more excited that it is football season than my husband. He loves watching it, reading about it, listening to podcasts on it, and playing it on the PS4. He also loves coaching it (and I might be biased, but I think he is pretty darn good at it, too). So when his team headed down the road for its season opener, Will and I were there to watch the blue bring home victory!

I think he likes football.

Will at 11 Weeks

This one is for you, Gege! LOVE his Chattanooga Choo-Choo outfit!! SO cute!

Our little man is growing up before our very eyes! Here is what is going on with Will these days...

* He is firmly in his 3 mos. clothing; we already transitioned out his 0-3 mos. outfits. And so many of them were so cute!

* He is smiling at us all the time. He totally charmed this couple behind us today in church; he couldn't stop smiling and cooing at them!

* He loves bath time, which is awesome considering we are trying to ease into a sleep routine (beginning with sleep associations, like bath time and reading). He loves to kick in the tub.

* He is already attached to his owl "lovey," which Clay and I affectionately call "psi u" and chi o" in honor of our fraternity and sorority, both of which had owls as their mascots.

* He went to his first football game on Friday night--and was a good luck charm. McC pulled it out in the last minute of the game. Way to go, Will!

* He and Carla are doing so well together. I love coming home and seeing them so at ease with each other--and then I scoop him up and we have hug time until I can let him go long enough to put him in the car seat and take him home.

* He is still waking up 1-2 times a night to eat, but he immediately goes right back to sleep. We are hoping he starts stretching this out so that we might get a full night's sleep here before too long. All the books say that by 4 months he will be able to sleep throughout the night without a feeding but that until then, we need to follow his lead. And his lead is asking for milk at 3 a.m.

* If you watched the video, you may have noticed some white spots on his tongue. He has a mild case of thrush (baby yeast infection), which we are treating with an antibiotic 4x a day. Doctor Dodd says its no big deal.

Saturday Mornings=Bliss

So we are settling into a routine here in Chattavegas now that school has started and Will is approaching a sleep schedule. Our work weeks are scheduled pretty much down to the minute in order to allow us to get everything done that we need to, but once Friday nights come along, we transition to relax mode. Add in a good night's sleep and we wake up on Saturdays feeling like new people.

Will has been pretty vocal lately, so I tried to capture some of his sweet sounds this morning. I didn't manage to get a smile out of him, but hopefully you can tell here that he is trying to say hi!

My Love Affair with Blogs

I was reading my highly intellectual People magazine on the elliptical yesterday when I flipped the page to see a picture of...one of my childhood babysitters. I recognized her immediately: Catherine McCord, who in addition to being one of my favorite babysitters was also a frickin' Victoria Secret and Calvin Klein runway model. I AM NOT JOKING. Man, I thought she was pretty, but dude, one of my babysitters was a SUPERMODEL. Crazy.

Anyways, the reason she was in People was not because of her modeling--no, its because she is the author of a hot blog on baby and kid food: Weelicious.com. WHAT? She was super cool in my book until now, but she has now earned a spot on my bookmark header. Clay and I have already decided to try to make most of Will's baby food (for both health and financial reasons--plus, I love cooking!), so I have a feeling this site will get lots of hits from me once we approach that milestone. For now, we are still loving the milk...especially at 3 a.m. :-).

I am also excited about the blogs I am incorporating into my classes this year. They provide us with an attractive space online through which we can discuss texts, brainstorm and draft writing pieces, and connect our studies with information on the web. My blog got me writing again--I am hoping these do the same for my students.

Senior English: Clarity

Sophomore Honors English: Reflections

Sophomore English: Inspired

We're back and better than ever!!

Most people who read this have seen all these pictures, but for those who haven't...

Meet William Bradley Gahan!

Born on June 10, 2010, weighing 7 lbs. 13 oz., and measuring 21 inches, this sweet little guy has totally captured our hearts--and our time! Hence the summer of no blog posts!

We have indulged in a summer of holding our little one and thus not blogging. I am okay with that. But now that school is back in session and we have emerged from our sleep deprived semi-coherent states, I am more committed and inspired than ever to chronicle this time in our lives.

Why? Simply put, I have never thought or felt or learned so much in my life.

While I still feel like I am the same person in many ways, I revel in the fact that I also feel more fulfilled and utterly joyful and peaceful than ever before. Will has made me see our world and live my life in some radical new ways. And I want, make that need, to have a space in which I process and record these realizations in writing.

i am ready to return to the blog.

What have I experienced this summer thanks to the gift of Will in our lives?

1. Insane happiness. Every day I wake up to Will, every afternoon I return home to Will is like Christmas all over again. I feel like my life is a dream I am fortunate enough to experience again and again each day.

2. A deep appreciation for sleep--and the knowledge that I simply don't need that much of it. It's been at least 10 weeks since I slept for more than 5 hours straight, and there have definitely been moments when I wish I could sleep through the night, but I also love the quiet moments at 3 a.m. when it is just Will and me rocking in the chair, me making up verses to "Hush Little Baby." I will never forget those tender moments.

3. I also have discovered a whole new form and level of love for my husband. We've always been a team, but Will demanded we take that partnership to a much more intricate, open level. We have had to communicate more frequently and honestly than ever, which is often pretty hard to do, but it has led us to such a good place now. We feel like we have turned a corner in terms of understanding to be both good parents to Will and good partners to each other, but we are also constantly aware that just when we figure something out, Will throws another challenge our way. Man, parents are saints.

4. Speaking of, I have never been more grateful for the love and generosity of my parents and Clay's parents. Clay and I have dedicated so energy to trying to be good parents to Will and he is only 10 weeks old. Our parents have done it for 30 years. WOW. Thank you. We have learned so much from you--and continue to learn by your example every day.

5. We have also experienced the overwhelming thoughtfulness and generosity that exists in the parenthood community. Gifts, advice, cards, food--you name it, we've been humbled by it. This "Pass it on" philosophy is so refreshing. I love that parents help each other out so naturally. Certainly all of our children benefit. What a beautiful community we have been ushered into thanks to Will. I hope I will show the same care to other dear friends who become parents in the future...

6. Immense love from our families. Thank you all. We love you more than words can express.

7. So much fun. We laugh all the time at Will's funny faces and sounds, we coo and smile right along with him, and we delight in his embrace. We are excited to get to know him--a notion that sounds weird considering we might have some hand in how he turns out, but we have realized more than ever that he is already his own person and we are privileged to share in his life.

It certainly has been a special summer for us, one full of so much love from all directions and in all ways. We are just so grateful.

But now it is the start of a new school year and thus we must forge ahead! So I hope it is okay that I pick up the blog at this point rather than try to catch up.

Here we are in my new classroom a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, Will doesn't hang out with me in this chair every day, but he is being lovingly cared for by Carla, and I am blessed to have some awesome students this year. And every day at 3 p.m., I pull back into McC with shaky arms--I am that excited to get to hold my little man again. And it's at that moment that I know I might just be the luckiest girl on the planet.

More to come--and soon, I promise!

June 6 came and went...and no baby!

Our doctor suspected we would deliver late, and she was right: yesterday was the due date, and I physically felt...nothing. Hmmm. Of course, emotionally I was excited and relieved (that Clay made it home from Mercersburg and his AWESOME commencement speech) and thankful (that my wonderful Mama is here!!!) and relaxed (it's summer!!) and energetic...but I have to admit that I also thought a lot about how my particular labor experience is going to turn out. We induce a week from today if he doesn't arrive on his own before then, and my doctor says that my body is far enough along that my chances of a C-section aren't higher with induction now, but I still selfishly hope to "feel" labor beginning and have that experience of "Honey, it's time!" But I woke up this morning thinking about how, no matter what, a week from now we won't be waiting any longer to meet this little sweetheart. What an overwhelming realization.

So...here is what Mom, Clay, and I have been up to as await our little man:

* The upholstered rocking chair arrived! Hooray! It's huge and comfortable and adorable and perfect.
* Opening presents! Man, Mom's friends and my amazing friend Liz are SO thoughtful and generous!!! Baby G is already so spoiled! He will be the best dressed baby...
* We went to church yesterday
* We went to the Farmer's Market, where we bought ingredients for a yummy stir-fry that mom made last night--and we bought spicy mexican food for lunch :-).
* Going on lots of walks
* Going to the lake
* Reading and relaxing
* Making a playlist for the hospital
* Packing our bags for the hospital
* Talking to family and friends on the phone

I am so grateful to my fun mom for coming to stay with us while Clay was in Pennsylvania (check this out to see a picture of Clay delivering his speech--he is such a rockstar!) and continuing to put her own life on hold to be with us as we wait Baby G's arrival. As always, she is so selfless, helpful, and fun to be with!

We'll keep you updated! Love to you all!!

Nate and Kat's Wedding

Remember this cute couple from previous posts? Well, they got hitched last night! WOOHOO!! We had so much fun at Kat and Nate's beautiful wedding--and the best part was that they looked so, so happy. Love them!

Here we are! I am officially 39 weeks pregnant in this picture! We danced at one point, and I think everyone in the room was holding their breath! Hilarious.

Beautiful cake. Glad I took the picture when I did because the top layer fell off just minutes later. What is it with leaning wedding cakes?

The reception was in a popular event space here that used to be a church. The stained glass windows are stunning.

In lieu of gifts, Kat and Nate asked each guest to bring a special dish for their potluck wedding reception. What a great idea! Look at this yummy spread...heaven for a super pregnant woman!
We brought Wasabi Mashed Potatoes. Yum.

Ah, blue hydrangeas. Love them (and my dear friend Nina sent me some for Mother's Day this year--how thoughtful is she??? THANK YOU, NINA!!!)

Emily, Sara, and Sarah

Here we are with the beautiful bride!

I like this shot because you can get a better sense of the awesome layers on her dress.

And this was us just hours before the wedding! Ack! Our house has officially exploded with moving boxes! I am going to try to get these all packed up and hidden away before Baby G comes...just 6 days until due date now! At our last visit on Friday, our wonderful doctor said there was no new progress (I am currently 1 cm.) and that she suspects he will arrive post-due date. This might be a good thing considering Clay is leaving Friday to deliver the commencement address at his previous school in Pennsylvania--so proud of him! He will leave Friday morning and come back Saturday night, so we hope and pray Baby G arrives before or after then. During would not be ideal. But my sweet mom is kind enough to come on down Friday just in case...and who knows? Maybe a week from now we will be meeting Baby G!!?

Baby G's Name

Clay and I are 99% sure we know his name...but are waiting to meet him just to be sure. But I asked my students for suggestions, and here is what some of them came up with (you can tell that they know I love Shakespeare):

William Luke Gahan

Robert Matthew Gahan

Blake Alexander Gahan

Nathaniel (Nathan) Lee Gahan

Hudson Guthrie Gahan

Charlie Daniel Gahan

Ty William Gahan

Michael Sawyer Gahan

Chad Henry Gahan

Joseph Ryan Gahan

Declan Lee Gahan

Aaron Gray Gahan

Brandon David Gahan

Charlie Walt Gahan

Charlie Thompson Gahan

William Campbell Gahan

Elliot William Gahan

William Nathan Gahan

William Eric Gahan

End of One Chapter, Beginning of Another

I have so many thoughts and emotions running through my head these days...the end of a school year is always filled with bittersweet moments, but this year feels especially significant for me considering that Baby G could come any day now. We also have 10, count 'em, 10 faculty members leaving this year, and three of them have been huge mentors and friends these past three years. Lots a 'changing around here. But my main emotion is excitement. I just can't wait to meet our little guy, can't wait to hold him, lay my eyes on his sweet self and then look at Clay and once again realize that I might just be the luckiest person on the planet.

Today I officially completed all of my duties for school. Hallelujah. It is so nice to know that all of my exams are graded (my students turned them in two weeks early) and my grades entered. Friday is my last day with students, and until then they are working on helping me develop a class blog and celebrating the end of the year. Love the day of class parties--that is a fun day to be a teacher :-). Next week is exam week at both schools, but thankfully my school allowed me to plan to be off then, so until Baby G arrives, I will be working on getting things organized and ready here at home. For the past couple of weeks, I have been pretty immersed in end of school stuff, including graduation (see above). As educators love to say, schools don't wind down; they wind up.

Speaking of school stuff, I am currently getting text updates from the McC soccer team's semifinal state game in Murfreesboro--and at the end of the half, McC is up 2-0! GO BLUE!!!

We will definitely keep this blog updated when Baby G looks like he might be making his arrival. Clay and I continue to be on pins and needles (Clay has never answered his cell phone so fast as he has these past couple of weeks--it makes me laugh!). It's funny--we thought we had a name picked out for him and have been secretly calling him this name for months now...but we changed it on Sunday. The new name feels right to both of us. Definitely having the name makes us feel all the more ready to meet him. We love him so much already.

As always, thanks so much for all of your love and support, especially these past 9 months. We feel so blessed that Baby G is going to have so many thoughtful, generous, selfless, loving people in his life. We love sharing this with you all!

Team Gahan By The Numbers

Number of years old Clay is as of today--his birthday!!!!: 32
Number of days until Baby G's due date: 21
Number of days early our doctor thinks he will arrive: 0.
Number of goals McC scored in playoff game Friday night: 5. Number opponent scored: 2.
Number of days until the team's next playoff game (vs. MBA): 5
Number of class days left: 8
Number of total days left until school is officially out for both of us: 19
Number of senior classes Sara will be teaching next year: 1 (so excited!)
Number of AP English classes Clay will be teaching next year: 1 (hooray!)
Number of awesome sisters who celebrated a birthday this week: 1
Number of cribs purchased and picked up this week:1
Number of changing tables/dressers bought from sweet neighbors this week: 1
Number of boxes packed: 15-ish
Number of boxes left to pack: ummm....
Number of pounds Sara lost this week: 3 (don't worry--our awesome doctor said she wasn't worried, so I am not worrying either).
Number of total pounds Sara has gained with this pregnancy: 20
Number of pounds our doctor predicts Baby G will weigh at birth: 7.5-8
Number of nights this week Camden has kept us up by suddenly not being okay sleeping in his crate: 5.
Number of nights it took us before we finally caved and let him sleep at the foot of our bed: 5 (we needed sleep).
Number of thoughtful, generous, kind friends and family we have in our lives: too many. We don't deserve you all. Thank you for making us feel so grateful and loved every single day.
Number of new teeth Clay is going get this week: 1

HAPPY WEEK!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Clay and I have both been blessed with the most wonderful mothers in the world.

Kay, you are "a really good mom" (Clay's words).

So faithful and honest and fun and caring...and "you're a mean cook too!" (Clay).

We love you!!!!

Mom, you are my best friend, my role model, my inspiration, my greatest cheerleader, and the most selfless and thoughtful person I know.

We love you!!

As Clay and I anticipate the arrival of our little one (four weeks from today is the due date!), we thank God we were given two beautiful women to serve as examples for us of who we hope to be as parents. We honor you, we thank you, we cherish you!!

Best Family Weekend Ever

My family is seriously AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL. Here are some more fun pictures from their weekend visit. Mom, Dad, and Brittany, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING TO CHATTANOOGA to help us welcome Baby G! We seriously could not be more grateful to you!

Notice Camden helping me open this amazing gift from Lynne...he was very intrigued.
Dear friend Lynne gave us her own son, J.P's, baby blanket and outfits. Once again, I feel so honored to have such thoughtful, generous friends. These are clearly family heirlooms, and she is entrusting them to us. I know Baby G will love them dearly. His mom and dad already do!
This blanket is SO soft. I WANT to sleep with it :-).
Love the family!
Look at this cute onesie from dear Suzanne Woods! It has a treasure island theme! Ah, I can't wait for Baby G to wear it!!
Isn't my sister the cutest? She is about to be Aunt B!
I mean, for real. The belly is HUGE.
I mean, our baby is going to be THE best dressed, especially in this three-piece outfit from Sally, Bill, Allison, and Shanoon. The vest is what got me--adorable. And so little!!
I love my mama!!!!
Camden definitely has no idea what is about to happen. That said, I think he knows something is coming. He has always been cuddly, but lately always wants to be right. on. our. laps. Could he be trying to establish his place? Hmm...

I just LOVE this picture of Clay holding sweet baby Joseph. Joseph is Clay's cousin Rachel's baby boy...and the CUTEST thing we have ever seen. Man, he is a sweetheart. Pretty crazy to think we might have a picture of Clay holding our own son here before too long!

The Little Yellow House Shower

We are drenched. We have been showered so much here in wonderful Chattanooga that we honestly don't know where to begin thanking people. Let's start with these amazing friends:Nick, Ashley, Sara, Clay, Nathan, and Kat

These dear friends threw us the most beautiful, elaborate, warm, fun, loving shower at Kat and Nate's Little Yellow House--so much so that I burst into tears when Clay and I got home because I was so overwhelmed with gratitude. Sure, pregnancy (especially third trimester--woah) makes you emotional, but this special event would have made any expectant mother tear up.

My special, special family. How lucky am I that all three of them made the effort to be with us this weekend. I have the greatest family ever.

Could this look any more appetizing?

Blue baby booties on petit fours. Precious.

Ashley MADE this centerpiece: sparkling tree branches featuring the shower favor:

Couldn't get any sweeter.

Yum. Wish I could have one (a mimosa that is. Don't worry--I have been eating so much chocolate that I think this little guy is going to come out crying for KitKats)

These guys are fun.

Awesome girlfriends Sarah, Kat, Mary, Lindsay, and Ashley.

The beautiful hostesses.

I am slightly obsessed with this picture of Joe, Rachel, and baby Joseph. Aren't they the cutest family?

Mary and KatAugusta and precious Mary Mae

Our "thrones" for the shower.

Kat's stepmother MADE this--special.

Reading baby advice from Amanda

Blue and white baby booties from Dodd and Ross. Perfect for McC football games.

My Crimson Tide devoted husband was not thrilled with this gift. I have a feeling our child will never wear this TN onesie--at least not during football season.

I just love Kat's laugh on this one.

How cute--and tiny--are these shorts? Thank you Carey and Mark!!!

Woohoo! We now have a high chair!

This is the moment I started to lose it. Mom, Dad, and Brittany wheel in this final gift...and I have a really exciting suspicion that it is the Chicco Cortina Travel System Stroller I have researched and fallen hard for these past few months.

Look at all those fancy Johnson&Johnson products in the seat--my sister rocks.

We now have a car seat! We can now have this baby!
Once again, a humbling, exciting, overwhelming baby shower.
I am so, so grateful.