Tour de South

Before Christmas, we were thrilled to be able to take a quick road trip down South to visit some dear friends before Grayson comes. We went to a baby shower for Sara and Allen, as well as our old church, Shandon Baptist in Columbia, SC. Then onto Atlanta to see the Bagwells' growing family and Betsy and new baby Ellis. Finally we drove back through Charlottesville, VA to see UVA and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. We did it all in 5 days, and EVERY part was perfect, although short. We are so thankful to have seen all of you and miss you already!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Sick Boys

I just couldn't help it. Joe came home early from work today with a bad cold. Him and Hank promptly curled up on the couch to nap it out. So now I have two pitiful boys to take care of, which makes me feel good because they have been taking extra special care of me for over 7 months now.

p.s. Went to the doctor today- everything is ship-shape with Grayson. His head is already down and I will now start seeing the doctor every 2 weeks. We're getting close! (at least that's what they say- I feel like I have been pregnant my entire life at this point. :)

Christmas Catastrophe

(Well, I guess it was technically a day after Christmas.)

Last night, I was giving Joe a haircut in anticipation of a mini-road trip we were supposed to take today (Sorry Tom and Jenny!). Hank heard someone walking by, and ran downstairs as usual to bark at them in his best guard dog voice. However, this time we heard a loud CRASH! He had broken through the window at the bottom of the stairs that he likes to jump on and paw at. If you know Hank, you know he is easily scared (yes, I know this doesn't line up with his guard dog persona) and he immediately ran upstairs with a terrified look on his face. As we petted and soothed him as he trembled, we noticed the blood on the carpet. We carried him to the tile in the kitchen to examine his little paws. One of them in particular bled quite a bit very quickly. Joe did some excellent doctoring (that may have included duct tape) to last through the night. Hank on his part had the most pitiful look on his face all night, and barely stirred at all. This morning we took him to the vet to see how deep the cuts were. Of course he needed to be put under to get stitches, recieved a cone for his head and an unbelievable vet bill, so much that Grayson probably can't go to college now. Post-surgery he is groggy and wants to be very close to mama.

The window

After being doctored by Joe- note the worried look on his face

Back home from the million-dollar vet's office

It will be an interesting week with the cone, as every time he moves he bumps into something which frightens him and makes him jumpy. The stairs are a nightmare, as he hasn't learned to pick his head up yet, so he gets scared when the cone hits a stair and then he won't move AT ALL. (And for those of you who have not been to our place, it has 3 stories). Good times ahead!

Wide Load...

Everybody watch yourself- there were TWO pregnant ladies on the prowl this weekend. One half of our BFFs came into town this weekend (Ash is writing this by the way, Joe doesn't approve of boys calling each other BFF). Sara and Allen live and work in the Middle East and are home for Christmas. We have been so thrilled to be pregnant, both with boys, at the same time. Little Ben is due about a month after Grayson. I was figuring that when Sara and I first saw each other that the babies would leap in our wombs, kind of like when Mary went to visit Elizabeth when they were pregnant with John the Baptist and Jesus. But, alas, not so much.

We shopped until we dropped (see pic below) this weekend- 2.5 hours in Target alone- and attracted quite a bit of attention with the both of us waddling around. There has been a large amount of chocolate, cake, and food in general consumed in the past 72 hours- and Joe has been a great sport putting up with the physical complaints (me) and emotions (Sara). However, I think that he will be glad to share the joy with Allen next weekend when we are all in Columbia.

We made it to Target within 2 hours of her plane landing in the states.

Grayson (30 weeks) and Ben (26 weeks) meet for the first time!

The current view in the Dickerson living room

To our South Carolina peeps (and the Bags)- we can't WAIT to see you in just a few days!!!

This weekend we got to go to Junction, TX where Joe's mom lives. Joe went hunting for a few days with his dad and brother, we spent time with Joe's mama, our sister-in-law Wendy, our precious nieces Anna and Sarah, Aunt Zee, and my parents, who were kind enough to join us there. We ate, played outside, walked to the river everyday, had Christmas and plenty of merrymaking. The girls are so sweet and snuggly, and love teasing us- it is always hard to say good-bye when they are growing so fast! Wendy is also pregnant with their third- a little boy that will be only 2 months apart from Grayson- talk about double trouble at family reunions! :) My parents brought Aggie (our old dog that couldn't handle city living in DC) and she had a great time swimming and chasing all the deer out of Donnette's 40 acres.

Wes and Bert with their spoils of hunting
I (Ashleigh) wash my hands of the whole affair :)

If you live outside of Texas and can name these items that you can buy at the grocery store in Junction, we will send you a prize.

Omi D with Sarah and Anna. Now that she works the land, she is rockin' an authentic rancher's hat.

Joe and the swollen one with Aggie.

That small black dot is Aggie. When she saw the river she got so excited that she took a flying leap into it and swam like she was on fire towards the other side. We had to call her back before she made it to the Gulf of Mexico.

Aggie and dad with Tex the horse in the background. Aggie maintained a respectful distance around the horse.

Anna and Sarah making Christmas cookies.

Our trip was such a blessing. We miss you all already!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had a great day, sans the Aggie shellacking. Our friends Michelle and Kyle had dinner with us, and we had quite the spread. We supplied the Turkey and dressing, Michelle made her famous mashed potatoes, and Kyle brought four pies. That's not a typo. Kyle baked the night away and brought us pecan, pumpkin, apple, and buttermilk pies. Ashleigh also made her world famous apple pie. So, if anyone is doing the math out there, you might have noticed we had five pies and four people. That's a ratio I can handle!

There was one minor incident on Thanksgiving that we'll report. As little Grayson continues to grow, Ash has had some tremendous pain in her ribcage. It has been so bad, that the chiropractor said he thought Ash had a "slipped rib," which occurs when the muscles and soft tissue between the ribs stretches too fast and a rib pops out of place. Well, on Thursday night, the pain was beginning to get extremely intense, so we decided to go to the emergency room just to make sure everything was ok.

Being Thanksgiving, we thought that the ER might look like a scene from "Appalachian Emergency Room," because we suspected rednecks across the county were burning their homes down with turkey fryers. (Full disclosure: I have had deep fried turkey, and it is dang good). Anyway, there was a suprising lack of culture that we expected in the ER, but we did have the pleasure of being assigned a doctor with one of the worst beside manners we have ever seen. After the x-ray revealed everything was ok, he said, "well, I don't know what is wrong. I guess you will just have to deal with the pain for the next 13 weeks." He was not very encouraging.

Also, quick note to all of you pregnant women out there considering going in to an ER any time soon for a non-pregnancy issue. They will do everything in their power to convince you that you are in labor. While you will assuredly reply to them that you are not, they will continually ask if you are having contractions, tightness in your abdomen, or a baby coming out of you at this very moment. Even if you walk in to the ER with a broken limb, they will spend an hour playing mind tricks on you to make you think that birth is eminent.

We are so thankful for all you out there, and we pray that you have a great holiday season. Hopefully we will get to see many of you during our travels this month.

Joe's contribution

Kyle's FOUR pies

+Ashleigh's one pie

Hank got a hold of a different kind of "stuffed" turkey- he's had his eye on on it for years.

Christmastime!

Michelle doing her part for the Dickerson Christmas

Ta Da!!

Baby Menke, Joe B., and Swimming

We had a very exciting weekend with new babies and dear friends.

Of the 4 couples that started our small group with us in DC, 3 of us are pregnant. Make that 2, because Susie and Grant had a sweet baby boy early Friday morning, Jefferson John or JJ.

JJ was quite happy in his momma's tummy- he was over a week late at induction and then it took another 18 hours to get him out. Susie was quite the trooper.

Susie, Grant, Joe D. and Joe B. with JJ

Am I ready for THIS??
(Joe B. ,Betsy's husband, has a baby girl coming in less than two weeks)

Joe B. is also back from Africa for about a month because Betsy is giving birth any day now. We got to spend some time with him laughing and eating ice cream this weekend before he continued on to Atlanta. Hank was so excited to see him that while I was hugging Joe B. hello, he jumped up inbetween us all the way to Joe's neck to kiss him!

Hope, Billy, Ash, Joe D., Joe B.

Joe B.'s belated birthday dinner at Lima, a latin fusion place, in DC. SO YUMMY!

And finally, Joe (Dickerson) and I went swimming at the community center this weekend. At about 6 months, I have reached a whole new level of uncomfortable (and, yes, I know it will get much worse). So even though this is the same pool that all of my current and former students swim in (swim team is VERY popular here), I was desperate enough to parade around in a swimming suit and shorts. It was INCREDIBLE! My body has not felt that great in so long. The water holding my extra weight felt wonderful and the indoor pool was semi-heated. Now, don't get any ideas about me doing a hard core workout. No, I stuck mainly to walking/running through the pool while Joe swam laps around me. I just know the lifeguard was thinking, "Wow! She is really moving now!" So we will continue to brave the freezing weather and self-conscience feelings for the end result- relief.

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Double the Fun!

The other night, Joe and I baby-sat our friends' sweet twins: Abby and Carter. We wanted to give Heather and Dan a night out and we thought it would be good experience for our own upcoming adventure.

To distract them while their parents left we got out the two strollers we currently own and bundled them up...

They looked less than thrilled with us at this point. And I know that Abby is thinking, "Why did I get the shaft with the stroller? Carter's is all big and nice and has shocks and stuff for comfort." Well, I think Carter just happened to be within arm's reach at the time.

We've noticed recently that they think it is hilarious just walking around aimlessly outside, since it's a relatively new skill. So we walked to the town green to just let them walk/run around and climb the steps. That's when we officially became a hit.

Hank and Michelle were waiting for us when we got home. Abby and Carter are pretty much at a height right now where they are looking Hank in the eye...we weren't sure how this would go, but they all got along great! While I was preparing dinner, the kids were just hanging out, graciously pointing out all the ways our house needs to be childproofed (we're pretty clueless). Also, Carter was eating a snack and subsequently dropping every other piece on the floor, which endeared him even more to Hank.

(And you can see how I am rounding out in these pictures)

Dan and Heather came back shortly after dinner to two sleepy kiddos. We had a great time playing with Abby and Carter while still wondering how their parents keep up with them. We learned quite quickly that with TWO, one of them is always wandering off towards the street, reaching for something sharp, etc. while you are tending to the other. So, hats off to Dan and Heather for making it look easy, and bring those cuties back soon!

This is SERIOUS

Five minutes after walking in the house this evening, Michelle set up her election return headquarters. She had planned on being in DC, but decided to hang with the fam in the 'burbs after considering the possibility of riots in the city tonight. (Seriously)

There are a few things you need to notice in this picture:

1. 3 different maps, one is already color-coded

2. Her Mac that she drove across town to pick up from the repair shop at the last minute today

3. The notepad

4. The cell phone

5. The blackberry

8. The "W" hat

9. Hank's "43" hat

10. The color of her shirt- she informed us she only wears RED on election day- even casual wear

On our part, Joe and I have ordered a bunch of "tailgating" type food and we have some champagne. Yes, we know things probably aren't going to go our way, but the 3 of us plan to party anyway.

From the President

Obviously, President and Mrs. Bush heard of our impending arrival, because look what showed up at our house this past week! In the midst of the election turmoil, it is so thoughtful of them to take time out of their busy schedule to pick something out for Grayson.

Coincidentally, Michelle was doing some work at the White House the same day these arrived, but I don't think there is any connection.

Mid-Season Pick-up

Team Dickerson has a new member...at least for a few months. No, Grayson didn't come early, thank goodness. Michelle has moved in. Basically, she thinks we are the coolest people she knows (which means a lot since she used to work in the White House), and couldn't stand to be apart from us anymore. That, OR she needed a place to live for a few months and we had an extra room.

At A&M, Michelle and I were in the same christian sorority, Phi Lamb, and we all had mutual friends. When we moved up here a couple of years ago, I basically begged her to teach me about how to live in DC, as she had been on the scene for about 4 years already. She's had all the cool jobs in town, and we love hearing all the inside info she's got on everyone.

The best part is that she is cooking US dinner tonight...steak and potatoes! Lucky!!!!

You can check out Michelle at http://travelsofalosttexan.blogspot.com/

Life is Good (by Hank)

Hey everyone, Hank here checking in again. I say life is good because these past few weeks have been SO great for me! First of all, Aunt Betsy came to see me all the way from Africa; that's how much she loves me! (I don't think it had anything to do with the fact that she is about to have a baby) She took me for walks every morning after mom and dad went to work, clipped my nails (she's a doggy doctor), and made mommy really happy, I think, because they were laughing all the time. Here's a pic of Aunt Betsy and some of the other women in my life:

Hope, Mommy, Betsy and Susie (the 3 on the right just had a big lunch)

Then, ALL my dreams came true, because my Gran showed up the other day. I was so excited to see her that I started whimpering. In case you don't know, Gran is my BFF (best friend forever). Gran has always been the one who truly understands me. She gives me so many treats, takes me on LOTS of walks, lets me kiss her, and pets me constantly. I have had to share my Gran's attention a little bit this trip, as Gran seems to be really interested in mommy's big tummy. They keep cooing over little clothes and shoes and stuff. Strange.

Love you, Gran!!

Last night, we all watched Saturday Night Live, a staple of Team Dickerson. It was great to see Sarah Palin taking some shots at Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. We thought she handled herself really well, but it's a little too late for her and McCain to be making up any ground at this point. I feel that SNL is usually somewhat bipartisan in making fun of political figures, which is why I enjoy it. It seems that this year though, Obama is immune to any criticism from SNL. Not to say that McCain hasn't earned some of the shots they have taken at him, but they treat Obama like he is made of Teflon. But hey, that is just a dog's opinion.

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend- I've gotta get back to my Gran now.

It's a Boy!

As you can tell from the sonogram to the right, we found out this week that we are having a boy! Grayson Samuel Dickerson is perfectly healthy and was busy moving around and tap dancing on his mommy's bladder. When we tried to look at his face, he would hide behind his little hands, and when we tried to look "downstairs" to determine the sex, he quickly put his hands in front of the goods. We are so proud our little guy is already learning modesty!

Eventually, we did confirm that he was a boy, and got a few other pics that we'll share. Because of Grayson's athletic prowess, none of the pics turned out great as the doctor was busy chasing him around the womb.



His face is towards the camera here, and you can make out a "Skeletor" eye.


Here, little Grayson is hiding behind his arms and fists.

Matt's a daddy!

Introducing Brodie Kenneth Wheat, born Sunday at 5:35 pm in Tucson, AZ to my brother Matt and his fiancee Davina. My mom (Gran) says he looks just like Matt when he was a baby, and that Brodie has the same dimple in his chin that my brother and dad do. Also, Matt has already been instructing my dad (Poppy) how to hold Brodie, which is quite ironic. He's a sweet baby boy!

Snooze...

Dickerson living room 9:15 pm ET

Hank didn't think he was hearing anything of substance in tonight's debate, so he decided to sit this one out.

Seems the only thing we learned tonight was that McCain steals candy from small children and Obama hates puppies.



P.S. We do feel sad for McCain every time we see his arm movement (or lack thereof) due to his torture in Vietnam.

There really IS something in there....

I (Ashleigh), felt the baby move for the first time this past weekend. I was laying in bed half awake, when I felt something pushing outwards in my tummy. I sat straight up and yelled," I felt the baby move!" (A little shocking for Joe who was still asleep) I wasn't really expecting to feel anything for a couple more weeks, but this was different than anything I had ever felt before; I knew it was the baby. The baby stayed busy in there for the rest of the day.

With this movement came the realization that there really is a baby inside my tummy. As in, there is no going back (not that I want to). Kind of overwhelming. Sure we have seen the baby on ultrasound, I went through the morning sickness, and I have a little belly, but this gave confirmation that it is a living being that can move and stuff. And FYI, we find out the sex next week.

On another note, I had to post this picture of Hank because it is just so darn sweet. He dragged this stuffed sheep out of the back of the closet while we were at work. (Since we don't actually have the baby yet, Hank gets all the cute points).

Hank's First Post

Dear Friends, Family, and Fellow Canines,

After last night's Presidential Debate, I knew the time had come for me to write my first post. Overall, I thought the candidates came out pretty even. McCain clearly knows his foreign policy and can name drop the agricultural minister of Kerplakastan and has likely had tea with his grandmother. Obama was calm, collected, and organized. I do wonder who age is effecting more, as at one point, Obama referred to John McCain as "Tom". However, whenever they really started sparring, it must have really made mommy uncomfortable because she kept getting up and walking out of the room. Not sure if it was nerves or her bladder.

I thought it was my obligation to do some fact-checking for you:

At one point, McCain mentioned that Eisenhower wrote 2 notes on the eve of D-Day. One intended to congratulate the troops, and the other to tender his resignation if the mission failed.

FALSE. Eisenhower did write 2 letters, but in the one written in case of defeat he did not offer his resignation. He in fact blamed the whole mission on his dog, Heidi. I'm not sure that's the historical lesson McCain was going for.

Obama claimed that Henry Kissinger supported the President meeting with Iran without any preconditions.

FALSE. Kissinger did say in some instances he thought it might be helpful to meet with Iranian leaders, but at the Secretary of State level. I don't think this is a good idea under any circumstances, as generally speaking, the Muslim culture does not favor keeping dogs as pets. You won't catch me on a flight to Tehran!

Did you know that Obama does not have ANY pets? He needs to make a decision: be a cat person or a dog person. He can't make up his mind. Kind of like when 129 times in the Illinois state senate he voted "present" instead of "yes" or "no".

McCain, on the other hand has fourteen dogs, six cats, two turtles, three birds, fourteen fish and a ferret. If this isn't a clear case of political pandering, I don't know what is. Obviously, he is trying to cover every constituency.

My last comment is that I have been thoroughly disappointed this campaign season by the lack of one piece of proposed legislation in particular: top-to-bottom treat subsidies. It is getting hard out there for a dog to get a Milkbone these days, and I know this is one law we can all agree on.

I gotta go, my Aunt Betsy's on her way here, and she's going to clip my nails!

Fifty Degrees

...in my classroom that is. Ok, maybe it is closer to about 56, but still that is ridiculously cold for an air-controlled building. My nose has been cold and running all day from the temperature, and even my sweet Spanish-speaking students have found a way to communicate how cold they are. To revolt, I am wearing sweatpants, T-shirt, sweatshirt and even a jacket on top of that (not exactly normal teacher attire). Still chilly. I have put in work orders to the county because of course the air is controlled from a remote location (I am sure there is a reason for this that my dad or Jeff can explain). Oh, and p.s., the classroom next door has a nice balmy temp.

P.S.

Our slogan is in honor of a campaign season full of promises, what with McCain promising to find oil under every rock in the US and Obama promising every household a personal physician.

Team Dickerson...scratching and crawling our way into the 21st century

Well, Al Gore invented the internet about 20 years ago, so we figured it was about time we joined the information revolution. We're starting this blog to keep everyone updated on the upcoming Baby D, and the other exciting comings and goings in our life. Clearly, you all have been holding your breath, waiting for us to give you a window into the inner workings of our lives. So, between dealing with grad school and 26 kindergartners, we'll do our best to keep it real.

And just in case you were wondering, Hank will have a guest spot at least once a month where he will give his own point of view about what is REALLY happening at 704 Lions Pride Dr. , as well as his thoughts about the upcoming election.