He has been named...

Trying to name your child is probably one of the most stressful parts of pregnancy for me this far.

I feel like in naming your child you are giving him his identity.

Putting pressure on him to live up to a name.
Trying to identify a personality in him we don't know yet.

Will he love it?
Will he hate it?
What nicknames can be associated with this name?

After tossing around tons of cool names, unique names, average names, one never left my mind. It seemed to fit our boy perfectly from the beginning.

It captured who he is before we even get to know him.

We have decided to name our son Everett after my Grandy. I love that he will be named after the greatest man I have ever known and we will do everything we can to raise him in the embodiment of who his namesake was. Tristan, is Drew's middle name. I am so excited that he will share his dad's name also. As our oldest child and first son I think this is a beautiful honor.

We cannot wait to meet you sweet little Everett. You have already blessed us beyond measure!

13.5 weeks to go.

Mom's story in the paper

A couple of weeks ago  I was approached by the director of the Alzheimer's Association here in Amarillo  asking if we would be willing to participate in a news article about Alzheimer's. Of course Mom jumped at the opportunity! I answered some questions via email with the reporter who then met in person with Mom, Nana, and I. The story ran in Sunday's paper as November is National Alzheimer Awareness Month. I am so proud of Mom's courage for speaking out on the disease and how it has affected her!

The story is below with the picture than ran with it...

On the floral sofa, Molly Lowe grapples for her thoughts. Her mind is scattered and hostile, prematurely deteriorating. The inability to articulate frustrates Lowe, and she begins to weep. Her hand grips a wrinkled tissue; she presses it to her face as she shakes her head.
“I know what I’m dealing with,” she manages to say. “It’s miserable. Miserable.”
Lowe, 54, of Amarillo, is one of more than 5 million people in the U.S. living with Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that damages and destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior.
No cure for the disease is known.
And yet, Lowe lives with resilience, doing what she can to inform others of the disease and raise support for ongoing research.
November marks the 30th anniversary of National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. Efforts nationwide are ongoing this month to spotlight the condition.
“Molly is such an inspiration for all of those going through the disease,” said Tracy Sommers, area director of the Amarillo chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
“She told me when I first met her that she was not going to let this disease get her, and she wants her voice to be heard for all of those going through this now.”
Lowe, formerly a registered nurse, was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease the day she turned 52 in January 2011.
When daily tasks involving numbers, writing and remembering medical terminology became an increasing struggle, Lowe sought medical attention from a specialist.
The diagnosis devastated Lowe and her family.
“I hung up the phone and cried for the years and memories I knew we would be robbed of,” said Lowe’s 27-year-old daughter, Megan Neal. “Mom was in the prime of her life. I immediately felt my world was crashing around me.”
Commonly thought to be an illness for the elderly, Alzheimer’s disease has been diagnosed in about 200,000 people in the U.S. younger than age 65, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Lowe, a single mother of three grown children, now lives with her 83-year-old mother and now primary caregiver, Peggy Blanton.
The disease has changed almost everything about daily life for Lowe.
“Alzheimer’s disease has no survivors,” Sommers said. “It slowly and painfully takes away a person’s identity, ability to connect with others and way of life.”
Lowe quit working immediately following the diagnosis.
“Being in a job where her actions affected the lives of others, she no longer felt capable of performing her tasks,” Neal explained. “It was too risky.”
As her health continued to worsen, familiar tasks like driving, managing finances and even using a cellphone became challenging. Eventually, Lowe became unable to communicate properly.
She was forced to withdraw herself from friends, church and other social arenas.
“Mom is very aware of what she is less and less capable of doing,” Neal said. “She gets incredibly frustrated when she sees her independence being taken from her.”
Lowe relies on family to care for her, a shift that has been difficult, Neal said.
“The tragedy of this disease is that you are forced to watch the person you love more than anything lose their ability to function and the memories they cherish and not being able to do one thing to stop it,” Neal said.
Of course, Lowe has good days: Days when she is peaceful and affectionate, laughing and joining in conversations about life’s simple joys, particularly grandchildren.
And hope remains.
Lowe and her family have become staunch champions of Alzheimer’s disease awareness and research. Because of her early diagnosis, Lowe has even had opportunities to tell her story at conventions and other events.
“It is more important than ever to become proactive in fighting this disease,” Neal said.
“Mom tries to speak to as many people as she can about her disease and challenge them to do something to help find a cure. She knows there is a lot left to live for.”
Finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease is an ongoing effort, Sommers said, and progress is being made.
Various treatments help improve quality of life for Alzheimer’s disease patients, and many clinical trials are offered for individuals who have the disease, caregivers and volunteers.
Especially during National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, Sommers said she encourages people to become acquainted with the disease and support efforts to cure it.
For Lowe and others with Alzheimer’s disease, the possibility of a remedy provides comfort and encouragement.
“Mom is the most courageous woman I know because every day despite the struggles she faces she gets up and carries on,” Neal said. “She confronts this disease head-on, and for that she is my hero.”

Wedding Day 1

I woke up super early on the day of our wedding. All my bridesmaids were supposed to be at my room at 9 to get the long day started with hair and makeup but I wasn't expecting to be up at 5:30. I laid in bed for a bit trying to wrap my mind around the fact that it was wedding day... all the planning, all the prayers, all the hoping and stress had led to this day. I promtly got a text from Neeley, saying "I'm on my way over! Happy Wedding day!"

 

I threw on my leggings, sweater and uggs when she got there and we decided to go to the main building for coffee. I had a little present for Neeley and she had one for me so we sat in the library with coffee exchanging gifts. Each of us gave the other a ring, mine for her was gold multi-band wrapped ring and hers for me was a rose-gold stack able ring. We cried on the couch as we read the letters we had written one another trying to keep our composure and headaches at bay. We spent the next hour just reminiscing on the couch by the fire of our journeys and life together. There is an unbreakable, unexplainable bond between the two of us.

Eventually we made it back to the suite where my bridesmaids were starting to arrive. Tenell and Aunt Cindy came in with the bagel platters I had ordered from Whole Foods. The excitement was in the air but coffee was very needed for the early risers!

I had hired Blair, the same hair and makeup artist from Neeley's wedding to come do my hair and makeup, moms hair and makeup, and the bridesmaids makeup. Blair definitely made the day so much funner and more chill! She instantly set to work on the girls makeup. I wanted something that would show up in pictures and make the girls stand out... the look was beautiful in photos but I do think it was a bit overwhelming for some for the 8+ hours before the ceremony they were walking around with gobs of makeup on their eyes.

I honestly couldn't have asked for a smoother more relaxing morning and afternoon getting ready for the wedding. I was surrounded by the people I love most laughing, reminiscing, beautifying and snacking. I was able to sneak a peek of Drew at one time on the sidewalk. Seeing him gave me goosebumps even though he was still in his jeans and t-shirt. His nervousness was evident from the 50 yards away I watched from. Later he would tell me that "It was the longest day of his life!"

I was so blessed to have my Aunt Tammy working tirelessly on setting up the vision of reception and ceremony I had dreamt and planned for 5 months. If I hadn't had her there I honestly would have fallen apart.

Neeley and Kelsey were constant companions at my side that day. Never leaving me unless it was to help with an errand I couldn't do. Neeley was in constant panic that I would be seen by Drew or that he would see my dress or whatnot. She was the epitome of a perfect Matron of Honor. I remember trying to convince her once the boys had all left the resort for lunch that I just wanted to make sure everything was going OK setting up. She reluctantly agreed and was very ancy the whole time we were scouting things out.  Kelsey's joy and grace shone from her like the sun as she basked in the fun of getting her hair and makeup done. She was my other constant making sure I was well taken care of that day.

Drew and I were going to do a traditional exchanging of gifts pre-ceremony, mine delivered to him via Neeley and his delivered to me via Lane. My vision was that this would happen an hour or so before the ceremony when the photographers were present and nerves and excitement was high. My Fiance' had a different idea... 10:00 am Neeley comes to me having received a text from Drew he was ready to exchange gifts. I think at that moment he was already so anxious he just wanted some kind of contact with me. I told Neeley to tell him to wait till later.... 12:00 pm he has sent Lane over with the gift... go back, It's not time yet. Finally at 2:00 or so I relented to the exchange ,just as the photographers were actually getting there.

 

I had written Drew and sweet card telling him how anxious I was to become his wife and what he meant to me.... things I would have said at the alter had I thought I could hold it together enough but since I knew even repeating vows would be emotional I wrote it out for him. When I write cards I consider it a success only if the person cries. I was sure he would be so emotional from the day and my sweet words he would cry... NOT! He did Love Love his Bulova watch I got for him! He had pawned his other one to get money to take me out while he lived in Pampa.

Drew gave me a gold and diamond ring! It was lovely but too small so we exchanged it when we got home from our honeymoon.

An Incredible Feeling

We are now 23 weeks preganant with Baby Neal and with each day it feels more and more real that we are actually having a baby! For awhile it was like "ohhh yeah we pregnant" but not really feeling pregnant and no signs of baby around to make it feel real. Now we have a actual baby crib, built and sitting in an empty room that now belongs to our son. We have a closet of clothes and knick knacks all belonging to him also... feeling very real around here. The best part though is that I am finally feeling him moving on a consistent basis. I felt little "flutters" along the way that I thought could be him, might not be but maybe it is? Now there is a very definite movement in my stomach belonging to my son. I have to say this is the most incredible and humbling feeling in the world. I am put in awe everyday at God's creativity and complexity in the creation of life. Knowing that I am growing a human being in my stomach is a very empowering thing and yet there isn't a moment that goes by that I am not thanking God for his blessings of health and protection so far for our little nut. I am very anxious for the moment Drew will be able to feel our son's movement but for now I am treasuring the sweet kicks I feel reminding me how incredible our God is!

3 years...

Today I am celebrating 3 years with this amazing man I get to call my husband. 3 years ago today Drew picked me up from my house for our first date and first face to face meeting. He took me to a restaurant 45 min. before our reservation and as we sat in the bar waiting on our table he spilled water all over my new dress. Nerves! In alot of ways he swept me off my feet 3 years ago from today but I wouldn't admit it at first... I wasn't convinced. But 3 years later I am so thankful for the memorable first date we shared. For all the incredible days inbetween and all the ones to look forward to.

Thank you Drew for taking me out that first night and taking care of me ever since. You truly are the man of my dreams and God's gift to me and our son. Thank you for making me laugh, making me realize when I am being a ninny and always supporting me.

3 years of dating, 7 months of marriage and being parents in less than 4. What a wonderful life!

Wedding Week: Part 7, Bridesmaids

Choosing who would stand beside me as my bridesmaids for the wedding was really about the simplest decision I had to make.

I have been blessed with some unbelievably wonderful friends and amazing cousins who I wanted to serve in my bridal party.

I didn't really have the opportunity to share at the wedding why I chose each of these girls and I thought here was the perfect place. I was determined to find a place for all 6 of these girls in my wedding even though Drew only had technically 2 groomsmen. I ended up having 3 of the girls sit throughout the ceremony but that in no way represented them having less significance in my life.

Whitney Ann Davis- (She will always be Whitney Mann to me!)

Whitney an I met the summer before our Freshman year of high school. We were assigned to the same "home" for a weekend church retreat. I had known Whitney for years before since we went to church together but we traveled in two different packs of friends, she the private school kids and I the public. It wasn't until that summer that we actually intermingled with one another. Through highschool we were inseperable. We took every class together, walked the halls together and hung out every night we could. Ryan would drive us home from school together where we would hang out all day until her Mom got off work to pick her up. There was no Whitney or Megan in highschool it was always Megan and Whitney, we were a packaged pair. Our friendship survived highschool, divorces, re-marriages, deaths of loved ones, heartbreaks, new beginnings, familiar endings and everything in between. In college we could often be found eating kids meals at cracker barrel. We traveled to Thailand and Africa together while in college, pretty sure no one else could have talked me into that. Whitney has been a precious and supportive friend to me for 13 years now and I was beyond honored to have her leave her newborn baby at home to come participate in my wedding!

Kelsey- Maid of Honor aka Number 1 Bridesmaid

If you know me at all, which you must if you are reading this, then you know how important Kelsey is in my life! Her smile gives my heart the warm fuzzy feeling that is much needed. Her constant love is a reminder of the unconditional love God promises his children. Kelsey is single handedly the most amazing and spectacular girl in the world. She has overcome some great adversaries and maintains the precious gift of Joy she was given. Simply put there is absolutely no way I would ever think of having a wedding and Kelsey not being a significant part of it. She kept me fired up and excited about the wedding for months, weeks, days before it actually arrived. She took delight in every small detail she could throughout the planning process. She asked me continuously how much longer till the wedding. Kelsey is an Angel to me and our family and I am so blessed she served as my maid of honor on my wedding day!

Laura Beth-

I am not sure when exactly Laura Beth and I became friends, sometime in college. What I do know is I cannot picture my life without her in it. She has been the most loyal friend to me since our friendship began. In college Laura Beth would be at my side as we would cruise around with my Mom and usually Whitney. We put the convertible top down and jammed as we went to eat or pick up some Eskimo Hut drinks. After college Laura Beth went to Law school, she is so stinking smart! and we kept in contact via phone and occasional visits. She now lives Lubbock which is where she met Drew for the first time. We were driving through on our way to Abilene and stopped to eat with her for dinner. It wasn't long after she first met Drew that LB said she thought he was "the one" for me. I wasn't even convinced at that point that it was true. She knew even before I did! I have loved watching the friendship the LB and Drew have formed with each other through their individual relationships with me. Laura Beth has been such a caregiver to me and my Mom, especially throughout the wedding. She helped clean up after the wedding and instilled confidence in my Mom with a few texts and phone calls while I was on my Honeymoon. Peyton couldn't keep the two of us straight and ran up to LB several times over the course of the weekend calling her Aunt Meg! Laura Beth is such a beautiful and precious friend! I was so excited she was able to join me on my wedding day!

Tenell-

Tenell, Neeley, and I are all within a couple years of one another. I am in the middle and Tenell is the oldest. We used to spend our summers together at our family's cabin in Blue Haven, NM. I remember one summer we formed a singing group, called Angel Fire ( I think. ) We stood in the woods in a circle practicing our harmonies together. Tenell was the leader and helped Neeley and I find our pitches. During our talent shows for our family in the summer's there the three of us would put pony tails on the top of our heads, gel it to make it stand straight up and sing "Ba Ba Ba , Ba Ba Baran." Ohh memories. Tenell and I roomed together at some of ACU's leadership camps and really became close while we were in school together. She was a year ahead of me at took me under her wing my freshman year. I sat with her and her "cool" sophomore friends and ate lunch with them when I could. Tenell was a constant place for me to escape to while I was at ACU. Her door was always open willing to hear out my struggles, give me advice or just take me out for a coke run. It was very important to me to make sure Tenell was in my wedding and I was so glad she flew up to be there.

Bailey-

One of the greatest things about my time in Amarillo has been getting to know Bailey! We often call her a grown up Kelsey because her Joy is contagious. She is hardly ever in a bad mood, She is always willing to lend a hand for a friend, She is a wonderful listener, and She makes you laugh with weird spontaneous dances! When I first met Bailey, at a local coffee shop, I was stand-offish to her. I wasn't in the mood to meet new people at that point in my life. I left Amarillo and she and Neeley formed a friendship bonded through their annoyance of their boyfriends band. I came back and hanging out with Bailey was like a breath of fresh air. She immediately made me feel comfortable and involved in the friendship she had already formed with Neeley. I adore everything about Bailey! She tries to accomodate everyone around her and reach out to those in need.  There was absolutely no way I was going to not have Bailey in my wedding and she honored me by being  a bridesmaid.

Neeley- Matron of honor

 

Wedding Week Part 6: Lingerie Shower

I have to say that I think I had the best lingerie shower ever... like EVER!

Neeley was in charge of the shower along with help from her Mom, Bailey, and Tenell.

La Posada had this amazingly cool library filled with whimsical southwestern artwork, book shelves, two couches and some tables and a big fireplace to add a cozy feeling. After visiting La Posada I knew I wanted to have something in this room and as soon as Neeley and Aunt Tammy saw it they decided it would be a great place for the shower.

All the ladies who had been invited to the wedding were invited to attend and most of them did. It was a wonderfully fun moment to let loose and hang out with the girls.

Neeley and Tammy did an amazing job decorating with delicious food and drinks and lots and lots of victoria secret bags. The cookies and cakes were toted from Amarillo with a special lingerie theme to them. Neeley had worked tirelessley on a ton of suprises all packaged in Victoria Secret Bags. There would first be a little card to read with a clue as to what may have been inside naught and nice things. Utterly Embarassing in front of some of the conservative Christian people in attendance but all in good fun... really she was trying to pay me back for her lingerie shower!

Among the naughty gifts were, plastic handcuffs, "tickle me there" dice, PromisQuous wine, and edible panties, oh and a box of condoms.... LOVELY! The nice gifts included some lotion, sweet panties, hello kitty lip gloss set, and  a white garter with a gun attached, not sure if that was naughty or nice really. The girls went above and beyond and I was truly blown away at all the fun stuff I got!

In between the Victoria Secrets bags from the girls I was given gifts from attendees. Some of the most beautiful lingerie ever and some of the most comfy stuff too! Needless to say I was going to be set for a very happy first year and probably second, third and fourth of marriage with this stuff. It probably has something to do with why I got pregnant so early on but nevertheless... Peyton was there and she was eagerly handing me bags to open. After I opened a bag everyone would oohhh and ahhh and little Peyton went right along with it...then the smarty pants would say "that's pretty Aunt Megan." or she would say "whats that whats that." Pretty sure it was a little inappropriate for a 3 year old but it was fun having her there!

I had gone with Mom and Nana about a month before the wedding to pick out their gifts for me. Mom got me two items, one for the night of the wedding, a beautiful ivory and white lacy number and a fun floral nighty robe set. I loved them immediately! Nana and I picked out a black little set and I have to say it is mine and Drew's favorite!

Moving on... during the shower there was a bar across the hall so the hostessess decided to only provide punch and coffee. Somewhere along the way someone decided to go across the hall and purchase a bottle of champagne. Next thing I know that one is empty and Polly Sumrow, a longtime friend and member of the Church of Christ with my grandparents was walking in with two bottles she had bought for the party. I died of laughter and shock! I was so excited that she was enjoying herself and our group enough to jump in on the fun.

It was a shower I could have only dreamed of and full of people I love! The memories from this shower will last forever!

I honestly cannot thank Neeley and Aunt Tammy enough for their hard work to make the shower as perfect and special as it was.