The Hamer Update

We Have a Baby Girl!!

2008-05-19T08:33:00.002-05:00

Kathleen Marie Hamer is 2 weeks old today! In case you are not aware, Kathleen was born on May 5, 2008 at 5:19 in the evening. She weighed 6lbs. 11 oz. at birth and really is the cutest baby in the world. Not that we are biased. Kathleen is named after my (Theresa) paternal grandmother, Kathleen (Kay) Burnett. Her middle name, Marie, is my middle name as well as the middle name of many women on Andy's side of the family, including his sister Emily (who has dubbed herself Aunty Em!) and his paternal grandmother, Margaret Hamer.

We have had an exciting 2 weeks complete with little to no sleep and lots of explosive diapers. :) Nothing like learning on the job. We keep laughing about the moment when they left her in our room at the hospital and both of us felt genuine panic as we became ultra aware of our parenting inadequacies and skills we still had to learn. Well, good news is we have learned that she won't break, her dad won't accidentally drop her, and she doesn't know how it's "supposed" to be done- so we're fine and the best parents she's ever had. :)

Some highlights of the last 2 weeks:

1. Daddy got to kiss away her first tear.

2. She pooped 4 times in succession during a 3 minute time period.

3. She has peed on her dad (and mom) multiple times.

4. She reached her birth weight last Monday.

5. She does this hilarious thing where she appears to be smiling and chuckling after she eats and is nestled in at your shoulder.

6. She sleeps in her own room like a big girl.

7. Kathleen's dog, Chauncy, is great with her! Although Chauncy will steal a pacifier if given a chance.

And many, many more....

We're back, and we're having a baby!

2007-10-13T14:18:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I know we have taken a mega-hiatus from the world of blogging-- we apologize. I guess we just got to the point where it's like, "Hmmmm we don't currently live in, nor are we visiting, a cool foreign country;we have normal, regular jobs; we aren't raising money for some great cause;we can only write about our little nugget of a dog so much before people think we're crazy..." You get the point. So, the blog faded out for lack of material I guess. We did go to Hawaii this summer, so we should share a few of those pics. But other than that, I got bored with blogging.

But, now we have SOME NEWS. And this qualifies as real news. We are having a baby. Yes, you read correctly...we are pregnant. There is a child in my belly. :) We are 12 weeks pregnant and are expecting our little joy around April 26. Yes, for all you educators out there, the timing is perfect for me. 7 weeks until the end of the school year, baby!!! The next question people usually ask is "Are you going to find out the sex of the baby?" No. Definitely not. We are surprise people. We want to appreciate one of the last great surprises on earth when the little guy or gal pokes his or her head out into the world and can share the moment with us.

We are handling the pregnancy quite well at this point. Probably because we haven't really started to plan for baby. I am waiting for my nesting insticts to kick in-- why force the issue? Andy may argue that I may be the one woman who does not possess nesting instincts (but at least I can cook), but I think they are in there somewhere. And they better be unless the baby wants to live on a twin bed in a room with random furniture and an ironing board.

Below is a picture of the 7.5 week ultrasound. That was about 4.5 weeks ago. Can you believe you can hear a heartbeat at that point. It was amazing. At that point I really started to believe that there really is a baby inside of me, but now I am convinced. There is no way I could have "grown out" of my clothes on my own. :) Not too much. Just enough to make it uncomfortable and a pain in the butt to find something to wear. Sigh. Small price to pay I guess. Anyway, the ultrasound is self explanatory...

Final Installation of the Ultimate Update

2007-03-11T20:12:00.000-05:00

Not much else to say.... Chauncy is getting big, Andy learned to surf in Malibu, and we're starting to count down to my spring break.

The Ultimate Update Part 4!

2007-03-11T20:09:00.000-05:00

I am on a roll!!

Happy Valentine's Day, and I got a haircut...woo hoo.

The Ultimate Update Part 3

2007-03-11T20:03:00.000-05:00

On to January...

We were able to travel to DC for Martin Luther King weekend. On a whim, we and the Wollersheims decided to visit Philly for a day. It, of course, included a trip to the Rocky steps, a stop at a cereal bar (no joke), and a famous Philly cheesesteak sandwich!

The Ultimate Update Part 2

2007-03-11T19:54:00.000-05:00

Next comes December...

We had a tacky Christmas sweater party.

We survived the loooooooong drive home. We did bring the Chaunce. She was a rockstar in the car.

Chauncy got her first stocking stuffers. Christmas at the Hamer's!

Chauncy got "lei'd". The Burnett's brought a little Hawaii home for us.

The Ultimate Update Begins

2007-03-11T19:43:00.000-05:00

Starting in November...

1. We went to Charleston. Awesome. Highly recommend it. We did not bring the Chaunce. Check out the photos.

2. We went to Chicago for Turkey Day! Yea for the Windy City. Had a wonderful time with the Gidley's, Burnett's, and Grandparents Luzum. We did not bring the Chaunce (Sharon wouldn't let us)

The Elizabethan Collar

2006-10-31T18:05:00.000-05:00

Ok, so we're back to the Chaunce. Chauncy had surgery on Friday and thus, had to wear the bucket on her head. Oh, excuse me, the "Elizabethan collar" as the vet puts it. Basically, it's a big plastic cone that no dog is thrilled to wear at all, much less for 4 days straight. So, our entertainment for the past 4 days has been to watch Chauncy navigate her way around the house. The first day she came home she was so doped up and freaked out by the collar that she would just walk up to a wall and stare at it, afraid to move. Pitiful but funny. The calm was short lived. She soon became her smart, spunky self and has proceeded to destroy her collar. This dog is too smart for her own good. You may have noticed the gradual demise of the collar as the pictures progressed. Who knew we needed an industrial strength collar? I hope you enjoy the video...it's not her funniest moment, but you get the idea.

Earthquakes in North Carolina?

2006-10-18T07:40:00.000-05:00

So, I experienced my first earthquake last night. Yep, a 2.4 on the Richter scale... Who knew? There was an earthquake tuesday morning around 5:00 of the same magnitude, but Andy and I were sound asleep. But, then last night Chauncy and I were sitting in the living room and there was this low rumble that sounded like loud thunder, but it wasn't coming from the sky. The house trembled a little, and the Chauncinator had a fit. I thought maybe I was just losing my mind. So, I called my friend, Karver, who lives nearby, and he confirmed that he had heard it too. Both earthquakes originated in Winston-Salem.
I have to be honest and say that I don't think I am a huge fan of the whole earthquake thing. It's unpredictable and widespread...not to mention unsettling.

Vernacular shmernacular

2006-10-10T21:42:00.000-05:00

For the Yankees out there....there has been some confusion regarding the proper pronunciation of the word "Appalachian". Here, in the land of Appalachian mountain goodness, we pronounce it App-a-la-chen. Not App-a-la-shen. Surprised you didn't know that...And just so you don't think we are ignorant, dumb southerners: dictionary.com agrees.

Long time, no blog....Blue ridge time

2006-10-05T17:41:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a long time since we have updated our blog. And, while we have not been galavanting around the world with grand adventures, we have actually had time to explore our local area and spend time in the beautiful blue ridge.
Our first local experience this month proved to be an exploration of blue ridge culture at its finest. Andy and I decided to drive to Galax, Virginia to the old time Rex Theater (see above) that puts on a local blue grass radio show every Friday night. What fun it was! Our night consisted of good ol' North Carolina barbecue, foot stompin' blue grass courtesy of the Appalachian Mountain Girls, and my first clogging experience. For those of you who don't know what clogging is... join the club. No really, it's sort of like riverdancing but to blue grass music and with less hand folding and upper body stillness. Giggle. Now before you try to picture me clogging...STOP. I decided not to clog when I saw an elderly gentleman who needed walking assistance to his seat go down front and clog like he was 30 years younger. I had no business being out there with him.

And I quote the Appalachian Mountain girls...
"We don't condone, and we don't condemn."
"Our men like us barefoot and pickin'."

Great place, great weather

2006-09-18T17:51:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Andy and I had one of those weekends that consisted of relaxing, eating good food and being outside alot. What more could we ask for? You might be wondering why being outside seems like such a novelty or "new" experience for us. I mean...summer did just get over, why weren't we outside then? Well, seeing that we live in the sauna of the southeast, there are about 3-4 months out of the year where sitting outside on your deck isn't an option, and it's not in the winter. I would gladly sit outside in the winter here. It's the sweltering summer that I can't stand. If you are not within a quick 40 yard dash of a body of water, you can count on being a hot, sweaty mess in mere seconds. So, now it is fall...and it becomes apparent to us again why we like living in the south. True seasons!
That being said, we spent the weekend "dining on the patio" and had a hiking excursion to the nearby Stone Mountain. Yes, believe it or not, within an hour drive is a great mountain that provides one with beautiful vistas and surroundings that are strikingly similar to those found in the movie,The Last of the Mohicans.We took our dog on her first hike...what an experience! Of course, the Chaunce loved it because she is OUR dog...but she's got a ways to go before it's effortless to hike with her. We ended up picnicking in a little meadow with a great view of Stone Mountain next to a preserved homestead. Thus, the pictures... What a day!

Aaaahhh it's September...

2006-09-05T18:00:00.000-05:00

Well, Andy and I have survived the worst of it. The last few weeks (or months for that matter) have been a whirlwind of hellos, goodbyes, new beginnings, and sad endings. I think it's easy to underestimate the impact that starting new jobs, training new employees, losing friends to other parts of the country, and forming new bonds can have on one's life. Too often with roll with the punches and act as though we should be adjusting and moving on as though nothing is different. This has been a transitional month for us, to say the least, and now we stand on the other side catching our breath and ready to get on with life.
Both Andy and I have jobs that don't necessarily allow us to always see the products of our hard work. Perhaps that's why it's easy to pour so much energy into our little pup. It's kind of nice to say "Sit" and see the result of that statement. With that being said, I have included a new video for you of our little darling showing off some of her tricks. You may wonder why I show so many pics/videos of a dumb old dog. Well, I guess that I could tell Andy to sit, stay, and shake... but he probably wouldn't listen, and it wouldn't be nearly as exciting to watch on video...So...you get the dog.

How big is our dog?

2006-08-26T08:32:00.000-05:00

So, according to the scholarly writings of Puppies For Dummies, Chauncy is in her adolescent stage right now. And, if this is any indication/reminder of what I might have been like in my adolescence, I would like to wholeheartedly apologize to my parents. One minute she is the lovey-dovey Chauncy that we know and love, and the next minute she is the psycho dog that has to bite your for attention. And, although she is normally quite obedient about getting into her kennel...she's on to us now...and her new thing is to run around like a crazy dog and pretend she is so tough and NOT getting into that thing. Sigh. We have even had to break down and buy some of that bitter apple spray stuff to put on her leash, the bottom of a couch, and even our hands. Although, this morning I have been profusely salivating attempting to get the bitter apple spray taste out of MY OWN mouth because I foolishly wiped something off of my chin with the back of my hand after spraying that disgusting stuff on my hand. Genius.
Everyone loves the Chauncinator though, and they all comment on how well behaved she is in public. Hmmmph...if they only knew..... We'll keep you posted. I believe we have 4 more weeks of this adolescent crap.

P.S. SHe's not really a bad dog, and when I say "bite" I mean nip or mouth--but she has sharp teeth! And, isn't she so big and cute?! She is about 27-28 pounds now.

We are a "hot mess"

2006-08-22T16:02:00.000-05:00

So, today during open house my fellow counselor, Tonya, looked at a student and declared, "Lord, he is a hot mess." Hmmm... "hot mess"? I started racking my brain for possible meanings in order to respond in kind. I had nothing. So, I just had to ask..."What is a hot mess?" Tonya looked at me and responded "You can be a mess, and then you can be a hot mess". "So, it has nothing to do with temperature?", I asked. Um, no, it doesn't.
Well, I think it's safe to say that Andy and I are a hot mess right now. August is a crazy month for both of us. I am up to my eyeballs in scheduling and have figured out that I am more visual/spatial than I realized... and Andy is all over the place with Emmaus and flying out to Oregon soon. On top of all that, we are realizing that we were right when we thought that having a dog would definitely complicate our lives. We have actually had to have lengthy discussion about who will be home when to make sure we don't inadvertently leave Chauncy home alone for 15 hours. No more coming and going as we please. Sigh.
Oh, but is life that bad? Definitely not. Andy gets to go to Oregon this weekend for the wedding of our good friends, Chris and Lindsey. Not to mention he gets to hang with the fraternity brothers for 3 days...And, let's be honest, I have a job. Plain and simple. So, who's complaining?
Let's just hope this hot mess doesn't get any hotter.
By the way...the "bee" is my school's mascot, and Emmaus is Andy's college ministry.
You should check out the Emmaus website at www.emmaus.ws It's pretty awesome, and you can listen to Andy's talks online.

Birthdays and yummy toads...

2006-08-10T15:48:00.000-05:00

Well, as of yesterday I am one year older and maybe a little wiser. The big 27 came and went with just enough hoop-la and celebration. A great dinner at Paul's Italian and a glass of wine downtown at 6th and Vine makes for a good day. A big thanks to Andy and our friends, Karver, Todd, and Kelly for joining in the festivities.
That being said... I may be one year older, but I am definitely poorer because my dog decided to eat a toad today. You know... just eat a toad. Apparently Chauncy didn't get the memo that toads secrete nasty toxins on their skin for the very purpose of deterring such attacks. What a shame that I never taught Chauncy this lesson... I literally left Chauncy on the deck for 2 minutes and when I came back to the door she was dripping this foamy crap from her mouth. After prying her mouth open, trying to smell the foam to see if it was soap, and looking around for clues (the things we do for our dogs??) I called the vet and rushed her in for an exam that included a rectal thermometer, the vet searching down her throat for a toad, and loads of benadryl and atropene shots (poor dog). Keep in mind that this was after she proceeded to puke a pile of foam in my front entry way...All I have to say is that Visa really loves my dog, maybe more than me. (Sigh) Oh, the Chauncinator is such a part of our family now... when the vet tech told me the bill...she said "It's like having kids with fur" Hmmmm... I used to make fun of people who said things like that. Shame on me; I am standing right here in their shoes. :)

What do Savannah, giant sloths, great sushi, and the beach all have in common?

2006-08-07T20:01:00.000-05:00

The Drake wedding weekend extravaganza, of course!
What a weekend....
Our friends, Karver and Helen, and us decided that we would like to drove to Savannah a day earlier than our planned departure for the Orlando wedding. Which sounds like a fabulous idea until you realize that we are planning to camp in Savannah, GA in the beginning of August. Perhaps not the brightest idea ever... But, honestly, is it really THAT bad when the temperature guage in the Bolton family minivan reads 97 at 10 PM. Um...yes, yes it is that bad. Hot sweaty-ness aside, Savannah was great- AND the state park we camped in had a replica of a giant sloth skeleton. Way cool.
The Drake wedding could go down in history as the beautiful wedding I have ever attended. What an amazing way to honor the Lord...The ceremony was worshipful... The food was fabulous- I don't even like sushi, and it was great...the band was rockin' and people just had a great time. Don't you think I look southern in my dress? :)
And, now that Andy and I have officially become beach bums, we couldn't pass up an opportunity to hit the beach on the 9 hour trip back with our friends Jill, Justin, Holly, and Karver. Thanks to Katie Parker and her family for hosting us for a few hours at their Jekyll Island beach home. By the way, this house could qualify as the most amazing beach house I have ever seen. And, they rent out the top level suite for vacationers. The website is jekyllislandsuitesanderling.com and I can bear witness to how fabulous the accomodations are!

What a wonderful weekend with friends!!

A job, yes Theresa has a job...

2006-08-07T16:52:00.000-05:00

Well, after 1 fake interview, 2 cancelled interviews, 6 real interviews, 2 turned down jobs....I am gainfully employed by the Winston Salem Forsyth County School district to be a school counselor at the one and only Carver High School. And, to be honest, I couldn't be more excited.
It has been such a huge journey of faith and trust, but I really feel like God has designed things just so I would end up here. I am really looking forward to the upcoming school year (just 1 week away!), and I feel very blessed to be doing something that I love for a living.

So, what does a school counselor do? Interesting question... YES, a high school counselor absolutely works with scheduling and advising on registration....but that is just part of the job. I will be doing personal counseling on individual and small group levels. I will also be working with parents and teachers on developing strategies to help students who may have learning difficulties that don't quite qualify for special education services. Another important part of the job involves advocating for students who are unable to advocate for themselves or whose parents are too uninvolved or uninformed to advocate for them (or even advocating for kids to their parents). I really hope to be an integral part of my students' academic experience on many different levels.

You can check out Carver's website at
http://web2k.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/carverhs/
You might find that it's an interesting school on many levels. Many (but definitely not all) students are minority students from families designated as low SES. Carver also has a great football team and a dedicated staff.

Welcome to our blog!

2006-08-07T16:36:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our blog! Here we are, one big happy family. Andy, myself, and Chuancy are so glad that you are going to be a part of this experience with us. We hope that we can use this as a tool to keep you involved and connected to our lives here in Winston-Salem. Please feel free to post comments or questions and interact with us on this site! You can count on hearing everything from in depth life reports to funny little anecdotes about the latest happenings in our lives.