Official Burnette's Blog
The Blog
(Our baby! I wish the print-outs were clearer, but regardless, I love them!)
Marcus and I found out about sweet Baby Burnette on Monday, January 4th and we couldn't be more excited! Our baby's due date is September 17th and so far, we've been able to see him or her twice. Once at 7 weeks 4 days and the second time at 12 weeks and 3 days. I can't accurately put into words how incredible it is to see our tiny growing baby.
Our second ultrasound was this past Monday and it was amazing. Our baby was moving, moving, moving! The baby would flip, turn-over, open his or her little mouth, put his or her little hands to his or her little face, cross his is her little legs . . . while Marcus and I watched in fascination, the ultrasound technician was trying to get the baby to turn and be still for just a few moments for measurements. The baby finally settled and posed for a few pictures before moving again. I'm not sure the baby liked the pressure of the ultrasound instrument! Seeing our baby was just so incredibly humbling. I still can't feel anything yet and knowing that our little baby is growing and dancing inside of me is amazing. We are so blessed.
So far, my pregnancy has been great. During weeks six through seven I experienced a little bit of nausea, but nothing severe and I've never thrown up. I have not had most of the "common" pregnancy symptoms. The most noticeable one I have had to deal with is fatigue. In weeks six through eight, I was very tired - especially after work. Some afternoons I took a nap and most nights I went to bed early. Toward the end of week eight, the fatigue started to ease up and by week nine, I was back to feeling myself again. Now, I'm feeling great and my most obvious pregnancy sign is my baby bump. (Oh, and I drink A LOT of water.) According to my Aunt Linda, she and my grandmother both were showing by the end of their first trimesters. A coworker told me that many short girls tend to show early since they don't have a lot of abdomen to begin with.
My second trimester begins on Friday! We've got 27 weeks to go!
Last year, I signed up for the Disney Princess Half Marathon . . . this January, I found I was pregnant. (More on that later!) After finding out about Baby Burnette, I asked my brother if he'd like to do the half for me. He was more than fine with that. Katie, his wife, had also signed up and they would do the run together.
But . . . when I went with Katie to pick up our registration packets, I just couldn't fight the urge to try and complete the half myself. It was something that I had really wanted to do and being surrounded by all of the running women was inspiring! I had to do it - or at least try! I went home and got in contact with a friend of mine who is a doctor and she gave me the go-ahead and some great advice. I also googled information on women who walked and ran marathons while pregnant. According to my friend (and the articles I read online) as long as I didn't push myself I would and should be fine, especially if I had been walking and running before the pregnancy.
Before I found out about the pregnancy, I had been training, but I hadn't done very much since. I worried about that a little bit, but told myself that I wouldn't strain myself and if I felt like I just couldn't do it, I would stop and be picked up from the course.
The day of the Disney Princess Half Marathon was so much fun! Kate and I woke up at 3am, so we could arrive at the course by 4:30am. (Yes, participants HAD to be there at that time!) It was freezing, but we were decked out in warm clothes. (During the race, runners shed their layers and all the clothing tossed aside is donated.) I jogged a little bit in the beginning and a little at the end, but mostly I just walked quickly and enjoyed EVERYTHING.
Disney definitely knows how to put on a running event. There were lots of Disney characters along the course, as well as local high school bands and drum lines. There were Japanese percussionists. There were employees and family members cheering for us along with ample water and Powerade stops. And of course, there were Disney princes and princesses! I wished I could have taken pictures of it all, but if I had, I wouldn't have finished. Participants of all ages (male and female alike) were decked out in tiaras, tutu's, princess costumes, and Minnie ears. It was fun to see. I wore a tiara and Katie wore a tutu and Princess Minnie ears. Katie finished in under an amazing two and half hours. I finished in close to four hours . . . but, hey, at least I finished! And I can't wait to tell my child that he or she finished a half marathon before he or she was even born!
Bobby, my brother, was more than happy to let me participate in the half and didn't mind that he wouldn't be running. He, Marcus, and TJ came out to watch me, Katie, and Emily (Emily signed up for the event when I did!) from various points during the event. Seeing them throughout was so encouraging. It definitely kept me going!
I'm so glad that I decided to go for it. Will there be more endurance events in my future? Not until after Baby Burnette arrives in September!
Valentine's Day of 2010 marked eight years of togetherness for me and Marcus. (Yes, "me" is correct in that sentence. You only use "I" when it's the subject.) Marcus went a little overboard and completely surprised me with tickets to Wicked in Tampa. For those that don't know, Wicked is a fantastic musical about the untold story of the witches in the Wizard of Oz. He also brought me roses and gave me a nice eye-shadow set that I had wanted. He really is the best husband.
We went to see the show on February 28th and had a lovely evening. We hadn’t picked a place for dinner, but Marcus had already found out beforehand that there was a Seasons 52 close to the theater and made my night by pulling into the parking lot without even saying anything. (I love Seasons 52.) It was really sweet of him to make the night so special. The show was amazing and even Marcus enjoyed it.
(Elphaba and Glinda from Wicked)
(Left: Toto and Lisa; Right: Toto and Daddy)
I wrote the entry below for Toto's (pronounced "tutu") funeral service. I know that she is in Heaven, but I still miss her. She was a remarkable, wonderful woman who was very much my mom for many years. I think about her often and she's visited my dreams occasionally in the last few weeks. Before she passed away, Marcus and I visited her and were able to show her our baby's first ultrasound picture. I am glad she got to know about her great-grand-baby before passing on.
For Toto. Love, Lisa
Grandmothers. Grandmothers hold a significant place in most of our memories. Whether we remember being given an extra cookie after dinner or being told sternly to mind our manners or simply being smothered with hugs, we all have a thought or two about our grandmother. Now, it may sound cliché, but I can promise you, the memories of my grandmother expand far beyond that of the typical grandparent. I grew up with my grandmother. As a child, I spent most of my weekends with her and from the age of 10, I, along with my siblings, lived with her and she did the very best job she could in raising us and raising us well.
“Home is where there feed you” is a humorous, but very true statement. I fondly remember my grandmother's cooking and the rotation of meals that she kept. My grandmother's vegetable soup - a simple and savory salt flavored beef broth with veggies was always a favorite that I looked forward to, as well as her taco salad night - the one night other than pizza night where we were allowed to have a soda with dinner - which was such a rarity in our house where every dinner was served with a glass of milk. Almost every meal during the week was one cooked at home; eating out was a treat reserved for special occasions and Sundays. She never mentioned how much cooking she did, even though I'm pretty sure it wasn't her favorite thing to do.
Shopping, on the other hand, was one of my grandmother's favorite things - and instead of shopping for herself, my grandmother did most of her shopping with us and for us. It's easy for me to recall us arguing over different styles and tastes. When I was a teenage girl, she had a hard time adapting to the trends that were considered "cool", but eventually we were always able to find common ground. Still, my grandmother had no problem tugging on a shirt that she thought was too short or tossing a pair of jeans that she thought were too tight. One of the very last clear disagreements I can recall is of my grandmother and I arguing over what dress I would wear to my senior homecoming dance. I wanted to wear a solid violet dress with rhinestones and she wanted me to wear a blue velvet dress with glitter. She let me have my violet dress, but not without pitching her side for the blue velvet very strongly. It may seem silly, but it's one of my favorite memories.
In addition to driving us all over the place, meeting all of our needs, and cheering us on at our piano recitals and basketball games, my grandmother did another key thing that changed the entire trajectory of our lives. My grandmother brought us to this church every Sunday that it was possible. She helped introduce us to Jesus and read us stories from the Bible. She volunteered during Vacation Bible School and made sure we attended. She encouraged us to go to youth group when we were teenagers. Through youth group and many people of this church, my siblings and I were able to heal, grow, and discover what it means to look more and love more like Jesus. Jesus has changed us and we walk with Him daily. Out of all of my grandmother's gifts, her gift of bringing me to church has had the deepest and most profound effect on me.
Toto went to be with the Lord on Thursday, February 18 and I know she is in Heaven – completely well and better than ever. Once when I was very young, before I had come to live with her, I asked her if she was afraid of dying. She didn’t hesitate at all when she said no and told me about how good it would be to see Joan again and be with God. I don’t remember many conversations from when I was a tiny girl, but that is one that has always stuck with me. While my heart is grieved by losing my grandmother, my grief is not completely fresh. I have been missing her since the summer of 2002 when my grandfather passed away and the onset of her dementia began. Though the dementia had taken a part of her away, I know her love for us remained.
In December of 2007, as I sat and waited to walk across the stage to receive my college diploma, I thought of my grandparents and how incredibly grateful I felt for all that they had given me. While I am thankful to many family members who helped make my college career a possibility, my grandparents were the ones who had fostered the possibility of college for me and made it a reality.
My grandparents sacrificed their golden years for me. What was supposed to have been a time of retirement, traveling, and togetherness, became instead years of homework, shopping for school clothes, family dinners, after-school-activities and keeping up with the schedules of three growing children. Never once did I ever hear my grandmother complain about all that she had given up on our behalf. Never once did she ever ask me for anything in return. She just loved me and to be loved that unconditionally is truly something beautiful and life altering. My aspiration is to live a life that reflects the gratitude I have for my grandparents’ ardent love. Toto, thank you for everything. I love you. You raised me well. And, oh, how it has made all the difference.
