Merry Christmas!

I had an extra 20 minutes while the baby was napping. I could (and probably should) have written some sort of update, but instead I threw this together. It is much better than my words would have been.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

from The Farrows

John, Jessica, Henry & Dog

Henry David Farrow

A month later....

Presenting

Henry David Farrow

born October 13, 2012 at 12:48 pm

7 pounds 1 ounce, 20.5 inches long

More to come.

 

 

BFFs and Babies

Heidi is my longest and best friend. We have known each other since we were 4 years old, so to say that we have "been through it all together" is an actual truth. Pregnancy being no exception.

One of the greatest phone conversations of my life was the night that we both told each other of our "secret" pregnancies and subsequently figured out that we were due right around the same time. A few weeks later it became official that our due dates were ONE DAY apart.

It has been such a wonderful thing having someone to go through this entire experience with. AND the ultimate blessing to have been able to compare my "boring" pregnancy to her horrific one. A blessing that I do not take lightly.

We have seen each other only a handful of times during the last 9 months, but it has been fun to watch each other grow. (Also, to see how great pregnancy looks on her, and how I have become much more "homely" throughout this process.)

July

August

September

Now we will see each other no more. The checkered flag is in sight. This is the week we are due. I have two days left. She has three. I'm so anxious to see when these two boys will make their debut. 

I think the best part about all of this is that we will get to start motherhood together. What an adventure that will be. Heaven help us.

Fly Girl no more

I have been flying the "friendly skies" for two years now. These have been the fastest two years of my life. Full of the word "change". It has gone a little something like this...

Job change.

Adventure change.

Boy change.

Scenery change.

State change.

Engagement change.

Marriage change.

Full-time to part-time change.

Pregnant change.

And now maternity leave/pending retirement change.

With yesterday being my last day of work before maternity leave I have what you might call "mixed emotions".

Always starting a "new adventure" has become something of the "norm" for me in my life. As I am about to embark on my biggest, most meaningful, and life-long adventure I am more excited and nervous than I have ever been before. I am also so grateful to have a teammate going into this one. :)

As per usual, starting a new adventure typically means ending another one. Closing one chapter to start the next. I can honestly say that when I started this job I figured that this would be a "career" for me. For the first time I could actually comprehend staying with the same company for 20+ years. Something that I would do until I became one of those old decrepit flight attendants that the company has to let go because they are a danger to everyone. I assumed that I would always be based and live in Utah, have my family to watch my babies, and when the kids got old enough I would be able to take them on a "field trip" to see the pyramids, the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, etc instead of just merely reading about them.

It appears as though God has a different plan for my life. I am no longer in Utah, and sadly, will probably never live there again. I have no family around me to help watch babies. (John's family is closest and they are 300 miles away.) And I am based in Houston, which is a 3+ hour drive or potentially a LOT of time sitting at an airport to fly there and back, neither of which compliment a mother-of-an-infant lifestyle. So while I have until January 14th to make my final decision as to whether I will be going back to flying the skies, I am seeing a tendency to lean one way.

I will miss the people, the ones that I work with and the hundreds of new ones that I met each day. I will miss being able to walk around on the airplane when the seat belt sign is on. I will miss "surfing" the turbulence while handing out beverages. I will miss "People Watching" in random airports across the country. I will miss all of the guilt-free reading time, guilt-free hotel room lounging at the exact temperature of my liking, and the guilt-free fact that McDonalds is in every airport and that I sometimes HAVE to eat it because it is my only choice.

As much as I have loved this job, the very hardest part will be losing my flight benefits. Although they have taken me some great places in the world, the single greatest thing about having them is that they make my family "close". Without them it is a $400, 3 hour plane ride or a 24 hour drive. That part will be the hardest adjustment for me, but I have a feeling it will all work out.

The PROs to this whole situation is that I will FINALLY be putting roots down somewhere. I will get to be home with John EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. I will get to sign up for everything that the Relief Society has to offer without having to check my schedule and realize I won't be in town. I will cease being a terrible Visiting Teacher (hopefully). And I will be able to really fall into San Antonio and all it has to offer and embrace it as my home.

Change is good. Difficult, but good. Bring on the "normalcy".

I'm in trouble.

Big trouble.
On two different sides of the spectrum.

1. This baby never stops moving. And we are talking pinball type movement here. From one side to the other, up and down, flips and rolls, all at the same time.

My thoughts are that this does not bode well for when he is his own person in this world.

We also learned recently that he has received the "stubborn" gene from one or both of his parents. This also does NOT bode well for his mother.

We had to go in for a second sonogram because they couldn't see the end of his spine the first time. With the talk about how much he moves, I assumed this would be a very quick deal. WRONG. He was comfortable and refused to move. So I moved. From my back to one side, then to the other, then to my back, then to my side again, all while the sonographer (?) is jabbing and jostling my stomach with the wand-y thing. Still nothing. Stubborn. Little. Man. We finally got the angle we needed (after basically taking my pants off and me moving in awkward ways) and all is well, but while we were waiting on the little prince she asked us if we wanted to see him in 3D.

This is where the second way I am in trouble comes in.

2. This face...

This blurry (the umbilical cord is going right across his eyes), grainy, alien-ish face that has an uncanny resemblance to my dad (the square little jaw and predominate cheek bones, not to mention the bald) that I can NOT stop staring at. It has rocked my world.

I am MADLY IN LOVE. Way bad time.

Any fear or doubt in regards to having an ugly baby and or not loving him to the ends of the earth have all been dissolved by this little sneak peek. Who knows if he will actually look anything like this, but it's too late, I am already completely smitten.

In summation, I am counting on my troubles working together. Hopefully because I am so crazy in love with him I will not want to kill him for being a stubborn, Tasmanian devil. :) Heaven help me!

The Heir

Grandfather Louis Farrow had two boys, Uncle Guy and Timothy.

Uncle Guy had one boy,  Cousin Josh, and two girls.
Cousin Josh had three girls.
End of the Farrow line here.

Tim had one girl then four boys, John, David, Tim Jr., and Matthew.
Matt just called off his wedding. No babies in the immediate future.
Tim Jr. has two adopted sons from his long-time girlfriend. No Farrow babies here.
David is still piecing his life back together after his accident. No known Farrow babies. ;)
The pressure was on.
John K. Farrow stepped up to the plate and hit a home run in the first inning.

Enter Baby BOY Farrow.
The Heir.
The ONE who will pass on the name.

Although the Todd Johnson's are not well versed when it comes to boys, we are all rather excited about this little Y chromosome. The official due date is October 11th. (Three days before our first anniversary. HAH!) We are so incredibly terrified EXCITED!!

Family member visit #3

I have been absolutely spoiled the past few months with family visits.  

February = Aunt Paula

March = Kalie

April = Lacey

One family member (or friend) a month is a good program. Who wants to come in May?

 

The day after we got back from Europe, Miss Lacey flew into town for a "work conference". The conference was a real thing, but she flew in a few days early to sleep on our comfy couch (our second bedroom is currently a disaster) and spend some quality time with us.

We went shopping. Ate delicious food. Took naps. "Vacation" was still going on. 

What a blessing families are.

Germany + Amsterdam = Fun.

Thanks to my abnormal job (cough... the benefits) and John's real job (the money maker), we were able to hop over to Germany for a week,  spend some time with my German family, and play for a day in Amsterdam. It was a marvelous and much needed vacation for us. It was also so much fun for me to show him a place that is so dear to my heart.

All 10 of our pictures from the trip... :)

My very favorite walk in Kaiserswerth.
We spent the majority of our time over there walking around showing John all of my favorite things and eating my favorite foods. I loved every minute of it.

 

We took a minute to enjoy the rare bit of sunshine by the river.

Döner!

 

Absolutely amazing street food that I have missed so much.

Vanilla Caramel Brownie Ice Cream, again the Döner, Crepe with Nutella, and Vapiano's margarita pizza.

 

I love that John got to witness this moment. Dogs (or any animal for that matter) are not really prohibited from entering eating establishments. Makes me laugh every time.

We spent lots of time with the family. 

John bonding with the godson. :)

We drove up to Amsterdam for our last day and this lovely swan and her garbage nest greeted us when we got out of the car.

Our bikes.

We rented them and rode all around. It is the very best way to see the city.

 

One of the many canals (but mostly our heads).

We rode down to a rather large park and found a coffee shop, when what we were hoping for was a legitimate lunch. When we realized that they served actual food I almost cried. When the man brought me my cheese pancake I actually did. 

It. Was. So. Good.

Better than I remembered.

Last time I was in Amsterdam we rode/drove all around trying to find the "I AMsterdam" sign to no avail. This time we stumbled upon it because I smelled waffles and made us stop. 

I love this picture.

My husband remembered his rain jacket, but did not remember his actual jacket for warmth. It was windy, cold, and rainy, so we ducked into the Heineken Brewery and found this lovely green robe for him to wear around the place until he was warm again and we were off. No purchase was made.

  

My wonderfully cheesy bf picked this dandelion for me so I strapped it to my bike to keep it safe.

 

Stopped in a pipe shop to find nice gift for his brother.

It was something of an "education" for me.

 

The most delicious street waffle that ever existed, filled with sugar crystals, and topped with a generous dousing of confectioner's sugar.

Accompanied by a very Euro hot chocolate.

 

 

This is a prime example why so few pictures of John and I have ever been taken. Enjoy.

 

 Fantastic Italian at my favorite Vapiano.

Orangina. "Rocket salad". Tagliatelle. Parmesan. Pine nuts.

  

On the drive back to Düsseldorf there was the most vibrant "double rainbow all the way!". We could see them both from end to end. It was pretty magical. Sadly, this picture does not adequately capture it.

We played the airline standby game and won big time.

It was a crazy week that went by too fast, but isn't that how all the best vacations are?

What we've been up to...

I've spent a bit of time going through my recent pictures and realized that I/we have done some decently fun things the last little while. Here is some evidence.

 

 Foggy Saturday mornings at the San Antonio Temple.

 Jerry, our Hibiscus tree, blooming

A day trip up to Utah to take a nap on my parent's couch and to borrow boxes (and a suitcase) full of goodies for a wedding I was planning.

 

Spending LOADS of time and having many adventures with this wonderful girl, Kyle.

 

One such adventure involved Sir Dudley the Donkey, who tap dances.

 

And rescuing her parents who ran out of gas in their Prius on their way to the temple.

(Please note the Romney bumper sticker. This picture is priceless.)

My favorite purchase of 2012. Thank you wedding gift certificates!

 

Pulling off a pretty superb wedding party.

 

 A Spurs game in a box suite for husband's work. The dessert cart was the best part.

Discovered McDonald's real-life-play-sized french fries.
I love getting to have lunch with John every day. I am spoiled.

 

Italian themed date night. Capriccosia's Pizza. DaVinci Gelato. Two Italian Plumbers.

 

Kalie came to visit for a few days. This is the only proof that I have of that wonderful time.

Went to the fair out in East Texas with John's sister's family. We drank gallons of fresh lemonade, ate anything fried we could get our hands on, rode some kiddie rides, and had one fantastic time.

John's new Easter tie. The only picture we have from that day.

John has made me breakfast twice in the last month. He is so good to me.

Lastly, we were able to go to the Cannery for our first time and start ourselves a very modest food storage. It was a lot more fun that I had imagined and it was so neat to work with ward members to help each other stock up on the essentials.

We live a good life.

FOMO

FOMO = Fear Of Missing Out

I have always suffered from this "condition". This is nothing new. Over the years my FOMO has gone through different phases. A social phase. A rather long traveling phase, which transformed into a nomadic-lifestyle phase.

My current FOMO focuses primarily on the small things that I am missing out on by not living near my family and friends. Examples... party/wedding planning, Johnson Girls family time at the cabin, and Disney On Ice. This is definitely the most difficult FOMO I have had to deal with thus far and it is just the silly, simple, little things that are the hardest.

I love Texas. I love having this adventure of living in a new place, but it is hard to be an island with no family near by. So I have come the the conclusion that everyone should just move to Texas. It is going to be great!

Power of the P!

I have been sick this week. I am talking miserable-can't-sleep-can't-move-want-to-die kind of sick. AND IT WAS JUST A COLD!! The meanest, nastiest cold ever. I blame the passengers of United Airlines for it. No thank you.

After living in agony for a few days (minus the one hour where I had to teach my class... the big man clearly has his motives...) I finally conceded to having the Home Teachers come over and help give me a blessing. Growing up I always thought that blessings were reserved for very special occasions or if you were literally on your death bed. John assured me that was not the case, and proceeded to give me a very simple, yet straightforward blessing. He put great emphasis on how the blessing was entirely contingent upon my faith.

Not to boast here, people, but I am in a pretty good place spiritually these days. I cannot speak enough about the truth in surrounding yourself with good and wholesome things. I am working hard to be where I am and it is worth it and I am loving it.

That night I slept for a solid 6 hours without a single cough. First time the entire week. That made all the difference in the world and I am almost back to normal. The Priesthood is such a neat gift.

Now we just need the Home Teachers to come back to give John a blessing... The downside to being married and sharing a bed.

Time...

Yesterday I was hit with the anxious thought that there are not enough hours in the day. John, and his male thinking, suggested that perhaps I should try managing my time better. (He is right, as always.) But that still doesn't change the fact that I feel a bit panicked.

I went part-time in December, and for moi, that equates to working (flying and being away from home) about six days a month. Meaning that I have potentially 24/25 days a month full of 24 hours in which I am free to choose how I spend those hours. That is more time than any one I know. I don't have children. I don't have a second job. I don't even volunteer anywhere. HOW CAN I BE USING UP ALL OF THOSE HOURS AND STILL FEEL LIKE THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME?!

When I found out I was going to be awarded part-time back in November, my mind started reeling with all of the trips and new countries I would be seeing (I'm at 20 countries, I need to make it to 30 by 30. 2.5 years....). Then came the rather rude awakening that God was not granting me this blessing so that I could be idle and/or selfish with all of this time. I have lived a truly charmed life with very little responsibility thus far. Where much is given, much is required and apparently it is pay-back time. Turns out The-Big-Man-Upstairs has quite the sense of humor.

Fast forward to today. I have been called to be the Gospel Doctrine teacher. The ONE AND ONLY Gospel Doctrine teacher. To say that I feel inadequate is a GROSS understatement. I taught my first lesson last Sunday and we will just say that there is room for improvement. On top of that John and I have been set apart as temple workers in the San Antonio Temple. We work the Saturday morning shift, every Saturday at 7:00 am. An added bonus to this upcoming weekend is our "Introduction" talk in Sacrament meeting. Our topic... "How the gospel changes lives..." How fitting.

I openly welcomed all of these new challenges, but at the moment I feel as though I am drowning in Mormonism. I have no doubt that I will come to love this new life where "time management" is so vital, but I am not quite there yet. In the mean time I will be spending a lot of time on my knees until I get my swimming strokes perfected.

In the wise words of a cartoon fish... "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming."