He would whine a little when we tried to pull him away from our chest or hip, and he refused to ride in his little covered float we got him. However, we got him to splash his hands in the water and he was fine as long as he felt safe against whomever was holding him. Overall, I think he really enjoyed it, but he didn’t nap good yesterday, so part of the whining could probably be contributed to him being tired.

Along with swimming yesterday, we had a fish fry at the swimming pool. There were at least 50 people there, and I had never seen half of them. My third grade teacher was there (her husband is friends with my step-dad), and labor and delivery nurse showed up as well (again, her husband and my step-dad are friends). I kept thinking “what a small world,” but that’s how my town is. It’s like Cheers here…”everybody knows your name” My step-dad knows more than half of the county, so you never know who will be showing up to the pool during the summer.

I was like Papa’s shadow when I was little. I wanted to do everything like them. I watched the Atlanta Braves and NASCAR with him. I would steal sips of his coffee, even though I never liked the taste. I would go golfing with him, and I even played golf for my middle school because I knew it made him proud. He would pick me up from school 1-2 days a week and we would swing by McDonald’s for a happy meal before going to his house. Every couple weeks, he would send me home with a “poke” (bag) full of change to put in my piggy bank. He used to let me mow the yard, and at 11, I felt like a queen getting to “drive” He even let me drive his little green S-10 when I was like 13, though I did it from the passenger side by just holding onto the steering wheel.

These are the memories I choose to hold onto, rather than the ones that I have from the last couple years of his life. He had smoked most of his life, and the lack of oxygen his lungs gave him made him forget things easily toward the end. His life ended so quickly, though we knew it would happen eventually due to the baseball size tumor in his lung. He was up and moving around on Friday, and passed away the following Monday. I was so sad to see him go, but so glad that I was able to say good bye and that he is no longer suffering. I hate that he didn’t get to see me getting married or meet his great-grandson before he passed, but I know that he’s in a much better place and watching down on me and Sawyer.

I love and miss you Papa!

Anyway, back to the topic of this week going by slow, I know one reason is because Christmas is so close. Until Thursday, it will be fairly quiet around here. The 23rd starts the long line of family dinners, gift exchanges, and getting ready for our trip the following week. Thursday will be my step-dad’s family dinner. The 24th will be my mom’s immediate family dinner. Christmas morning will consist of Santa and the exchange of gifts between Sawyer, James, and I, followed by breakfast and gift exchanges between my parents and siblings. Christmas lunch will be eaten with  my step-dad’s family, thought we will be at a different house.

Saturday night will consist of packing (because I’m sure I won’t get much of it done by then). Sunday consists of getting the dog to the kennel, breakfast, last minute packing of the van, and heading out to spend four days in the mountains. I am ready for the week to end so I can get some relaxation ends before the new year begins!

Tomorrow, we have two dinners: one on my mom’s side and one on my step-dad’s side. We may hit up K-Mart in the afternoon. Hopefully we can get the tree up after we get home tomorrow night. Then, we are getting up bright and early to go Black Friday shopping. Going to be a fun, busy few days!

And now, I’m having to explain the difference between an engagement ring and a wedding band to my 20 year old sister (why she doesn’t already know is beyond me).

Speaking of food, I started tracking my calories yesterday. I am using MyFitnessPal.com to track my food and exercise. I love that they have an app that I can use for my iPod Touch, as it will make adding food and exercise so much easier. Also, I cannot wait for my first day at the gym tomorrow! Yesterday I ended the day with 30 calories to go, which really excited me. Today, however, I am -77 calories, but I blame the birthday cake! Tomorrow things start for real since I’ll be hitting the gym when James gets off work.

Sunday was a lazy day at home. We slept in, and then finished cleaning the house and doing the laundry. The rest of the day was spent just relaxing and do whatever we wanted. I was able to start a new book, something I have not took the time to do in a long while. We also watched a lot of TV, another thing we do not do a whole lot of.

Monday we went up to my parent’s house for a Labor Day dinner. My mom took some maternity pictures of us. She is coming over tomorrow to take a few more. We finally found some wooden blocks that we can use in the photos to spell out Sawyer’s name. Speaking of the little monkey, he still shows no signs of coming. I guess he is perfectly content to stay wadded up in the tiny place known as my uterus.

I cannot wait for this holiday next year, as Sawyer will be here. James will get to enjoy the day with him. Granted, he will only be about 9 months old, but I know James will love it regardless. I have the same feelings about Mother’s Day…and spending the day with my then 8 month old baby boy.

In the past, this day has not been very momentous for me. I grew up without my father in the picture. My mom married my step-dad when I was 8, but he and I have never been close. Actually, we used to butt heads a lot. Nowadays, we just kinda avoid each other. He’s more into fishing and hunting than being a family man, and my brother is quickly following suit, which annoys me to no end. Maybe it will be different next year, when he has a grandson, though  I somehow doubt it…

At least next year, I will be able to celebrate this day with my husband and son. We actually decided to get each other gifts this year, as we are currently parents-to-be. I got him a new pair of skate shoes, as his others were 2 years old and were starting to bust open along the sole. For Mother’s Day, he got me a photo album that says “Baby” on it to start putting pictures of Sawyer in when he arrives.

I feel like this post has been a little full of ramblingness, so I shall end it here. We are going to my nanny’s house today, as they are cooking ham and fish (I know, what a combo!). Then, a little swimming will probably occur.

My solution to the problem? Go somewhere other than the beach! My family are huge creatures of habit, and have no interest in seeing other parts of the world that do not have water nearby…well, my step-dad is anyway. He is a fisherman, and will not go anywhere for vacation that he cannot fish. My mom satisfies him by always vacationing near a beach or lake. I think she should secretly like to go other places, but doesn’t push it because she knows he will not want to go.

To me, this is just ridiculous. If James was that strict on where he would/would not go on vacation, Sawyer and I would be taking trips without him. I want to see so much more of the country, and I want to my son to be well traveled as well. I am not limiting myself to the coast to appease someone else. Luckily, James has no such stipulations, and we both want to visit the same cities, so I will have no problem going to places other than Florida with him!