The Lockwoods

We have a walker!

2008-09-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

After weeks of stubbornness, Mason finally decided to let go and take some steps on his own today. It took us several tries to get it on camera, but here's the proof! Way to go Big Guy! We love you!

Abigael's first swim lesson...

2008-08-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

I signed Abigael up for swim lessons through Metroparks Tacoma. Today was her first swim lesson. Her instructor, Kim, was amazing with the two kids! They worked on familiarization with the water, blowing bubbles, and kicking. There was just one other kid, a little boy named Kyle, in her class. Here is a video of Abigael when she first got started with Kim....

Spring?

2008-04-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

March 28th

(yes, that is snow falling)

March 29th

"My Oh My!"

2008-03-31T08:11:00.000-07:00

Opening Day!

Go Mariners!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

"Peeps in the news!"

Make sure you flip through the slide show.

Mason Campbell has arrived!!!!

2007-08-26T23:25:00.000-07:00

Christie gave birth Friday night to Mason Campbell Lockwood. Mason was 6 lbs 14.5 oz, 19 inches long, and 100% healthy!! Christie is doing well albeit sore. She gave birth without any drugs in less than FOUR hours from the time her water broke, 6:30pm, at the house till Mason came into this world at 10:23pm! Christie was Sooo strong and made me the proudest husband and daddy, EVER! We spent all day Saturday and Sunday till 2pm in the hospital. Mason passed all of his tests with flying colors. Mason latched immediately to Christie and started nursing with minutes of being born! He has been nursing and sleeping very well so far! The doctor let me help "catch"/deliver Mason. I stayed by Christie's side the entire time helping to coach and encourage her through the labor and delivery. Then at the last moment a third nurse came in and took my place at Christie's side and I gloved up and came around to the Doctor's side. She told me she would deliver the head and the shoulders and I could "do the rest". As Mason's head came out she suctioned his mouth and then positioned my hands around his head while applying an upward pulling pressure. The doc delivered Mason's shoulders and I helped bring him the rest of the way into this world and up onto Christie's waiting chest. Christie and I did not know the sex of our baby until he popped out and it was an amazing surprise to see that he was a boy! Abigael and Christie's dad, Tom, were out in the waiting room and when we were ready I went out and got them and brought them in to see their new brother and grandson. Tom lit up like a Christmas tree and Abigael was in total awe and wonderment. Both got a chance to hold Mason before I sent them home around 2am to get some sleep and wait till Pat arrived the next day. We had a few visitors Saturday afternoon, Wayne and Mary Lockwood and Sam and Wendi Hawley.

We are home know and trying to find some kind of a rhythm and schedule. Last night was our first in the house with Mason and it was kind of rough. Thankfully Christie's parents are here and they are doing a WONDERFUL job of helping out with Abigael and taking care of all of the little stuff. Tom was here all last week and Pat arrived Saturday afternoon. Thank you to all that have sent congratulations and well wishes!! I have posted some pictures on my flickr account and more will come I am sure....

Jammie Time

2007-06-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for bed last night, Abigael ran into the living room and tossed her pajamas onto my lap. I sorted through the pile, pulled out her underwear and handed them to her to put on.
She sat down on the floor and quickly put her legs through the holes. She recited her little mantra. "The tag goes in the back. The bow goes in the front."
"That's right! Good girl."
I then handed her the bottoms to her Strawberry Shortcake pajamas. She repeated the same steps. Left leg, right leg, "the tag goes in the back."
As she pulled the waistband halfway up her chest, she said "I do it all myself. That's how big girls do it!"
"That's right, sweetheart! That is how big girls do it! You are such a big girl now!"

She looked me in the eye with a proud look and said "Your baby is growing up!"

Already?

The Home Stretch

2007-06-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

After such a long time of floundering and wondering about life's little turns, it seems like all of sudden there's not just a light at the end of the tunnel but we're close to just knocking the whole thing down! Could it be that things are finally coming together for us?
Brandon is nearing the end (next week) of completing his nursing pre-requisites. While, of course, there is still a lot to work left to actually become a nurse, at least the path has been started.
We are officially now in the third trimester for Baby #2! Now that's literally a "light at the end of the tunnel." I have some sadness that I haven't enjoyed being pregnant this time as much as I was with Abigael, but maybe that's to be expected when you also have a three year-old demanding your full attention. Physically, this time around has also been much harder on me. As a result, I don't think I've been a very pleasant person for Brandon or Abigael to be around and for that I'm also a little regretful. I don't feel like I've done anything to prepare for the new baby. No shopping, no obsessive reading or list-making, nothing. I did manage to sign us up for a refresher childbirth class. WooHoo! Way to go! But as I was saying, we've now hit the last phase. Not much left to do but just get bigger. Is that even possible? I think my belly is already bigger than when Abigael was born. It feels like it's ready to pop some days, and I still have at least 2 1/2 months to go!I have a feeling this is not going to be another peanut-sized baby.
And, of course, there is the BIG news. We are "this close" finally becoming homeowners! For those of you who may not know our situation, we have been renting for a VERY long time. Brandon and I have been married for 10 1/2 years and have been in rentals for the entire time. We've lived in a variety of houses and apartments over the years, each with it's own personality. Right now we're in residence #6 and it's definitely time for our own space. If nothing else, I NEED a yard to throw Abigael out into! But more practically, with baby #2 almost here, we need more space and we've been aching to put down roots for a while now. We've procrastinated on this big step for several reasons...money, waiting on the fire department job, money, fear of commitment, money, home prices, fear of the unknown. But, we finally reached our breaking point, and decided it was now or never. All in all, the process hasn't been nearly as traumatic as I had feared. When you look the articles and tests to measure stress and possible depression in your life, buying a home (and having a baby) is listed as one of the top triggers. I, for one, was a little worried about this, the past couple of years have been pretty tough emotionally for me. (I'm already trying to prepare myself for any postpartum issues after the baby is born.)But, so far, I'm feeling really good. I'm excited about the move and have had hardly any panic attacks over the impending mortgage payments. Everything is moving along just fine, and we should have the keys in our hands in the next few days. Except for the actually "moving" part, this is going to be pretty awesome.
This is going to be a good year after all.

Saturday Morning

2007-06-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

A bird in the hand...or in the house

2007-05-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

Last night Matt decided he needed to bring his latest friend in the house.

Last Spring it was mice. What's next?

This and That

2007-04-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

We're still plugging away in our little corner of the world. With the exception of the everyday little drama, things are going pretty well.
Thankfully, I'm starting to feel much better with the morning sickness. I was beginning to think only birth would alleviate the daily puking and constant nausea. But, no. It only took a week-long struggle with our health insurance to cover a super-expensive anti-nausea medicine to fix the problem. All they had to do was approve it, and POOF, no more sickness! Go figure...
Our most recent OB appointment went really well. The doctor was very happy to see that I've stopped losing weight and even managed to put a few pounds back on in the past four weeks. In retrospect, I think the severe morning sickness I had was my body's way of putting me in better shape physically to handle the rest of the pregnancy. But it still sucked... All the tests we've had over the past couple of months came back with glowing results. The tests for potential birth defects and genetic abnormalities came back perfect. All of the ratios were at the top of scale showing no problems. Our 20 week ultrasound looked great too. The baby was moving around like crazy (I could have told you that) and even showed a few tricks, like swallowing and playing with the umbilical cord. As far as the ultrasound screening, everything also looked wonderful. No detectable abnormalities and the placenta was attached at the the back of the womb (instead of near the cervix). This is really good news because we will be trying for a VBAC (vaginal delivery after cesarean) and everything in our favor will help. All in all, things are looking very well at this point. We're past the halfway point and I'm actually starting to feel like a pregnant lady now. My belly is starting to pop so that I actually look pregnant instead of bloated. I already feel bigger than I did with Abigael at this point, so it'll be interesting to see how I end up.
Abigael is just as wild as ever and continues to entertain us everyday. As amazing as her sense of humor is, her stubborn independence is just as "challenging." We remind ourselves that we've raised her that way, and she'll be better off for it, but, oh my, the battles we've set ourselves up for. It's hard to believe that in less than a month we'll have a three year old in the house. As difficult as she can be, everyday that comes feels like the best age ever.
Brandon is just a busy as ever. The man just doesn't know how to take it easy. He's plugging away at school and almost finished with his nursing school pre-requisites. When those are done, it'll be almost time for the baby to arrive, so he'll probably take the next year off to stay home with the kids (wow, I just said kidS, as in more than one). His leg continues to slowly but surely heal. Unfortunately, almost two years of recovery has taken a toil on his poor body. While the bone continues to do what only it can do, he's still got a long road to get everything else back into shape. But, of course, it doesn't slow him down any. The itch to ride his bikes is too strong to resist and he's back in the saddle. Sunday morning mountain bike rides and the call of the velodrome keep him motivated and constantly tweaking his bikes.
That's about it for one post. I'll leave you with a rare find indeed. A family picture.

The Reason for the Sneezin'

2007-04-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

Daylight

2007-02-28T14:44:00.001-08:00

Maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel...Sorry for my absence, but it has been a rough couple of months for the Mom model of the Lockwood family.
My last post announced our happy news, that we are expecting an addition to the household sometime in August. Well, I'm happy to report that the little person has not failed to remind us of that upcoming occasion every. single. day.
For those of you with nothing more exciting to read, here is recap of my fun-filled 2007 thus far:

January: A couple of days after getting back from Christmas in North Carolina, Abigael came down with a bizarre 24 hr bug. She ran an fever for a day and had a horrible hacking cough. Fortunately, in typical toddler fashion, she bounced back pretty quickly. But, as usual, the "germ factory" ramped up production and hit me full-force. I ended up with a horrible stomach flu that put me down (or in the bathroom) for at least three days. Later in the week, it seemed like I should be feeling better when it hit me over the head that the dreaded "morning sickness" had decided it was time to make an appearance. "OK, I can handle this. It wasn't that bad with Abigael. Eat some crackers. Take a few more naps. No problem." For a week or two, that theory seemed to work. Until, that is, I learned first hand, that indeed every pregnancy is different.

End of January: Yet another cold decided to hit me over the weekend. It wasn't too bad. Or so I thought. A few days later I woke with a tightness in my chest and a little short of breath. Over the course of the day, it turned into full-on coughing and wheezing. It apparently was bad enough that one of my co-workers was like "umm...Christie, you really should call the doctor about that." Honestly, I was getting pretty worried because I could hardly catch my breath. The doctor was able to fit me in that afternoon. The diagnosis was acute bronchitis, some kind of upper respiratory infection. I was sent home with an inhaler, a nebulizer and antibiotics. A few days later I was breathing slightly better, but still feeling pretty crappy. Back to the doctor. "Looks like the antibiotics didn't really work, it must be some kind of virus. And your lungs sound awful, must be pneumonia." Good grief. In a nutshell, it's just something that will have to run its course. At our first pre-natal checkup, I told the doctor that I had been nauseous a lot. She prescribed some medicine for that and sent me on my way.

February: While I've been preoccupied with silly things like breathing, my morning sickness has been growing steadily worse. My appetite is practically gone and it's all I can do to force some food and liquids down my throat. And, of course, that's no guarantee that it's going to stay put. I'm now throwing up at least once a day if not more. Surely, it can't get any worse...yeah, right. The utter exhaustion that comes with the body getting used to being pregnant makes it's appearance. When I was pregnancy with Abigael, it was easy to come home and take a nap after work. Not so now. A 2 3/4 year-old does not understand the concept of someone else being tired.
Anyway, last week I finally decided I'd had enough and called the doctor. I was getting dehydrated, so I was given a full liter of saline via IV. She also gave me a different anti-nausea medicine, which unfortunately puts me to sleep. I'm starting to feel a little better, I actually went two days in a row without praying to the porcelin god. They say that morning sickness is supposed to get better when you get to the second trimester(which happened with Abigael), so I'm looking for that light at the end of tunnel any day now. I'm not so sure though, this has got to be a boy. And I am in so much trouble.

I guess that's enough of my moaning for now. I would like to say though that through all of this Brandon has been a rock for Abigael and me. Even with all the obligations he already has (school, cadet school, leg recovery, etc), he has taken on the extra burden of me being useless and taken care of us all. I don't know what I would do without him.
Oh yeah, I wouldn't be knocked up...

Estimated Time of Arrival - August 22, 2007

2006-12-18T22:06:00.001-08:00

Working

2006-12-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

If there was ever any question that I work in a "real world" office, here's a quote from a meeting I attending today:

"…we're probably going to do a desk instruction procedure on how to update our desk procedures."

Friends?

2006-12-03T21:42:00.000-08:00

Don't let the crusty, old furball tell you any differently...I think he actually likes her.

Telecommuting

2006-12-01T08:44:00.000-08:00

How to work from home with a 2 year old....

Lesson 1: a little pre-breakfast snack while watching Curious George so Mommy can call into a meeting.

Lesson 2: Don't forget the to make sure the Mute is on the speakerphone so everyone doesn't hear the 2 year old playing with the dog.

--In case you're wondering what's in the bowl, it's a nice mixture of non-healthy snacks: Cheetos, tortilla chips, Frito's, and Veggie Booty. Mmm-mmm-good!

I Do!

2006-11-30T12:50:00.000-08:00

On this day 10 years ago, Brandon and I exchanged vows before family and friends, beginning our new life as husband and wife. Happy Anniversary! Through good times and bad, richer and poorer, sickness and health, we're still going strong. We're even still wearing the same wedding bands that we bought for less than $200 (combined). Over these years, our 20's have faded into memories and, by the standards we had as kids, we're OLD now. Thankfully it doesn't feel like it. We've had many adventures and a lot of mundane, just-getting-by days. We've shared laughs, tears, anger, and joy. We've made good and bad decisions, living with each equally. Everything a marriage is supposed to be. And by a miracle, we've been blessed with another member to our family. Someone to fill in the piece we didn't even know we were missing.

For your viewing pleasure and amusement, courtesy of the scanner, it's off to the Way Back Machine...

Movie Night

2006-11-29T23:17:00.000-08:00

We just made it back home after a night out at the movies. Well, not a traditional movie, but the only cultural event that Brandon and I can enjoy together. The Banff Mountain Film Festival is making it's annual world tour with several showings in the Seattle area. If you've never heard of it, the Banff Centre, located in the Canadian Rockies, sponsors a film festival dedicated to Mountain Culture. It's grown into an international competition, attracting submissions from all over the globe. The entries span the spectrum of film-making: from amusing shorts about ducks to feature length documentaries profiling unique native cultures. There is something for everyone. I have never left a showing without learning something new and being touched in some primal place that yearns for adventure. After the big festival at the end of October, a selection of films hits the road, traveling all over the U.S. and the world. We first saw the festival in Boone, sponsored by the Appalachian State Rec. Department. From the first frame, we fell in love with the event and look forward to a new edition every year. I'm very proud to say that this is the seventh year that Brandon and I have attended and, as always, it didn't fail to deliver. I confirmed two things this year: one, our world is full of beautiful, amazing people, places and things; and two, I never win anything! There is always a door prize drawing during intermission, with the festival sponsors supplying the gifts. Brandon won an awesome prize for the second year in a row! Last year it was a Patagonia jacket. This year he won a free pair of Dunham boots. He so sucks....

Day 28!

2006-11-28T21:52:00.000-08:00

Whew! Only a couple more days and NaBloPoMo will be over! The feeling seems mutual among the participants that have made it this far. The pressure of coming up with an idea every day is exhausting! I have a much bigger respect for those bloggers that manage to do this everyday just because they enjoy it. But you know what, I did it. I stuck with something and feel like a much better person for it. It was actually very liberating to let my guard down a little, even if it was just to come up with new material. I still feel inspired, but I think I'll do better if I slow down the posts a bit.
Because I'm pretty much spent on writing for tonight, here's something from my other pseudo hobby that I want to get more involved in again.

More snow

2006-11-27T20:08:00.000-08:00

After being dry and cold in Seattle today, it's snowing again this evening. Not much, maybe another half an inch, but enough to be absolutely beautiful piling up on grass and blowing through the air. The big, white flakes are glistening under the street lights and occasionally the dog will bark as one hits the window.
Sitting here on the couch, watching the snow fall against the living room windows, I can't help but feel a little homesick for Boone. A small town in the northwest mountains of North Carolina, it was home to Brandon and me for the first four years of our marriage. We moved there to finish college and to start a new life on our own. It will always be one of my favorite places. It's an isolated little town (or at least it used to be)in the Appalachian Mountains. It's home to limitless outdoor beauty, Appalachian State University, and a whole community of the most friendly, sincere people you'll ever meet. We left because we knew that this place did not hold the keys to our future, but it will always hold a place in our hearts.
Back to the snow...Growing up in eastern North Carolina, snow was a big deal. It only came once a year, maybe twice if we were lucky, and was usually gone within a day or two. In Boone, you could easily expect to see snow a few times a month from mid-Fall well into the Spring. Most of the time it was just the right amount, enough to remind you that it was winter, but not enough to cause any problems. I remember those times fondly, but it's some of the bigger storms that stand out in my memories.
The first place we lived in Boone was a nice apartment at the top of the hill above the University. If not for the trees, we easily could have seen football stadium. We moved in at the beginning of January before Spring semester. During that first week, a huge snow storm swooped in, dropping about a foot of snow. We bundled up and headed out to play. We met some other students out doing the same. Soon we were sledding and having snowball fights like we were 10 years old again. Being veterans of the area, they took us to a nearby hill to sled. It was huge. I'd never been so frightened and exhilarated at the same time before. I loved it.
The next big storm I remember was one year later. For some bizarre reason, we decided to rent a small house about 30 minutes out of town. It was literally in a holler right on the Tennessee border. It was a great place to live, but I still wonder what we were thinking sometimes. We planned on moving the week before school started. We made all the plans, picked a day, and rented a truck. How were we to know that a massive snow storm was slated for that day? Being young and naive, we decided to carry on with the move. I'll tell you there are not many things scarier than driving a moving van full of all your belongings, in frigid weather, near white out conditions, along windy mountain roads, with at least six inches of snow on the ground. The highlight of the move was not settling into our new home, but meeting some of our new neighbors. In attempting to back the truck into the driveway, the tires slipped on the snowy incline and one wheel fell into the ditch alongside it. While we stood there trying to figure out what to do, a pickup truck came down the dirt mountain road toward us. It had to stop because we were blocking their passage. An older man got out and asked if we need any help. (Not the sharpest stick, huh?) Mind you it's still pouring down snow. After assessing the situation, he generously offers the use of his sons to help us unload the truck and then try to pull it out. Yeah! We might make it out of this after all. While talking to us, he turned to his pre-teen son and said "Boy, go git me my beer out of the truck." Which he promptly did. (It was an open beer too. You just can't make this stuff up.) Eventually, it all turned out OK. Well, maybe except for the bumper of the man's truck that didn't fair so well when he tied the chain to it instead of the frame when trying to yank our moving van from the ditch.
I could go on with the snow stories and others, and maybe another day I will. However, the point I wanted to make is that there are places and times that will always be special in some bizarre way even if you didn't realize it at the time.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2006-11-26T20:25:00.000-08:00

The cold, rainy weather we've been having has finally paid off. It's snowing! It started with flurries mixed with rain about 3 o'clock this afternoon. By 4:30, it had totally changed over and the flakes just kept getting bigger. Right now there's a good half an inch on the ground and the road in front of the house is lightly covered. I think we lucked out living at a slightly higher elevation than most of Seattle. It'll probably be gone by morning, but it was really fun tonight.
I took Abigael out into our parking lot to show her the falling snow and she loved it! I finally managed to get her back to our patio, but she refused to come inside. We ended up playing outside for at least another hour. The only times she came inside was to either get the dog or stick her hands under some warm water. We caught snow flakes on our tongues and threw snowballs for Zak to catch in his mouth. She had a blast. I think we'll definitely have to take her up to the mountains this winter for some real snow.

(You can see a few more photos here.)

Traveling

2006-11-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

How ironic that a few days ago I posted a picture of my visit to Westminster Abbey in London. I just found out that one of my cousins, Melissa, has relocated this month to London for a job. That is so awesome. I'm really happy for her. What a great adventure. But as Brandon read some of the posts on her blog aloud, I couldn't help feeling a little (or a lot) jealous. She's at the beginning of a beautiful new journey. My trip was a big check mark on my life list of "things to do." I feel so fortunate that Brandon was so supportive and encouraging of my solo venture. But there's got to be still more, you know?
When we got married I told myself (and Brandon) that we would offer our children views of the world that we never had. Not to mention a good excuse for me to finally visit those places. How cool would that be to walk with your children along the Great Wall of China or thru the jungles of Costa Rica. To climb the pyramids in Egypt and the stairs of the Eiffel Tower. Let's face it, everyday people spend thousands of dollars to take their kids on trips to Disneyland. Do we have to do that? Why not take that same money and turn it into something unique and, yes, maybe even a little educational? The more time that goes by, the more I wonder if we'll be able to do those things. Of course, Abigael is still pretty young, but life has a way of passing by much too quickly. Well, I'm determined not to let that happen. I guess it's time to break out the maps and Google searches to plan for that trip in a few years.

Friday Night

2006-11-24T22:44:00.000-08:00

It's getting late and I still need to make my daily post. Unfortunately, my eyes are very, very heavy and the synapsis in my poor brain are just refusing to fire. The movie "Titanic" is on TV right now. I had forgotten what a good movie this is. In all the overkill in the media when it was popular, it's easy to forget that it was so romantic, dramatic, mesmerizing. Even ten years later, how can you not fall in love with both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet while you watch the story unfold?
Wow...I'm really reaching here. Oh well, we can't be charming and entertaining all the time, can we?
I almost forgot, my friend, Rob, now has a part-time gig as a morning radio host in Boone, NC. His show is now streaming on the web, but that is waaayy to early for me. I may have to wait until I'm back on the East Coast for Christmas. So if you get a chance, check him out and let me know how his show is.

Happy Turkey Day!

2006-11-23T14:28:00.000-08:00

It's a quiet Thanksgiving Day in the Lockwood home (except, of course, for the cranky two year old.) All of our family is out of town and our local friends are with their's. That's OK, we've been looking forward to a nice, easy day for a while now. The weather is perfect for being lazy (rain, wind and cold), so there's no guilt about sitting in front of the TV all day, watching football. I wasn't going to go through the work of making a big, traditional meal for just the three of us, but things got a little out of control at the grocery store last night. Needless to say there's now a 7 1/2 pound turkey breast in the oven and a bag of my folks' North Carolina pecans waiting to be turned into a pie.

In the spirit of the Holiday, a few things that I am thankful for (or at least are pretty cool):
-Brandon. My husband, my best friend, my PIA, my motivator, the love of my life.
-Abigael. The best thing that every happened to me.
-The continued reasonably good health of all of us. Despite the hardships of this past year with Brandon's leg, it could have easily been much, much worse.
-Both of our parents. You couldn't ask for more loving, giving people. People who are there through good and bad, always there with a helping hand, an encouraging word, or a just a hug.
-Our home. Although we are still living in an apartment, it's a roof over our head that we pay for ourselves. It's not the lap of luxury, but it's warm, dry and full of love.
-The ability to have the little things in life. Those amenities in life, that while aren't necessary, definitely make our day-to-day life easier, more entertaining, and sometimes more complicated.
-The USA. It may sound corny, but living in a country where all of the above things are possible and attainable. It's not perfect by a long shot, but it's a lot better than some of the alternatives out there.
-The Future. It's never too late to make changes, learn new things, or reach for new goals.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Hug someone you love!

***LATE EDIT***

MMMMMMM...Thanksgiving Dinner!