Babydoll

“There is a 95% chance you are going to have a baby that is a dwarf”

This was not what I was expecting as I walked into the specialist’s office. I had had a healthy pregnancy for 27 weeks in Los Angeles. I moved to Nashville, started with an amazing OBGYN and she noticed that my baby girl’s long bones were measuring a bit short. This was no big deal for us because Craig has some shorter family members as do I. That day I had an appointment to see the specialist, we had no concerns other than her legs and arms measuring small while her head and belly circumference were accurate. Craig stayed home with our sick son Jax and I went in carefree. That sentence shook my entire being and to be honest, made the rest of my pregnancy terrifying.

I came home to Craig and I was a total wreck. I was a sensitive pregnant woman that had gone from pure bliss to fear in an hours time. I remember sitting on the porch with him praying, crying and hugging. I had done some internet research on the way home and it wasn’t the physical appearance that scared me. Dwarf babies and people in general are beautiful. It was the surgeries and additional problems that can come with having small extremities that really worried me and us. I hope that if anyone reads this who has gone through this particular experience as a pregnant woman or as a dwarf understands that I have the biggest heart for you and if you ever need an ear or shoulder I am here.

After this, we just prayed. We prayed long and hard every day for guidance, for open hearts and for His will to be a way we would be able to handle or learn to handle. We agreed not to share the news with anyone. It wasn’t 100% and I didn’t want any outside opinions on the matter. We were always going to have her no matter the situation because she was our love-child and the best thing that ever happened to me aside from Craig and Jax. We opted out of any additional tests to confirm.

At 37 weeks, two days before Daddy’s birthday, the doctor said she was running out of nutrients (After two babies I now know that my body goes until 37 weeks and then calls it quits). We decided to have a c-section on New Years Eve which is also Craig’s birthday because why not…(What little girl wouldn’t want to share her birthday with her daddy?) I called my mom in California and said “Mom, Dakota is coming in two days can you be here?” Of course she said yes. Glamma was NOT about to miss the first birth of her second grand baby. That night on the phone, I told her our concerns and that we weren’t sure what to expect but to be ready for one beautiful petite little lady no matter what.

This post took me longer than the others because… emotions. We walked into the hospital, had the c-section, and with 10+ doctors in the room we had a 4lb 13oz 17.5 inch baby at 5:37PM. She came into this world petite and screaming her lungs out. She is definitely smaller than most and her one year old brother Graydon wears her 2T shirts BUT she is healthy, happy, and my spicy little nugget. I thank God every day for her. She is what I needed to become a better person. She is what I didn’t know I was missing. She is my mini and I will never be able to express my love in words.

Dakota Lynn Boyd’s first photo shoot with Debbie Wallace was one for the books. She was so tiny we went to the American Girl store and bought her doll gowns because there were very few premie clothes available. Below are some of her best 🙂

If you are having a tough pregnancy and if you are scared to share your concerns, know that I am here. I have been through thinking I was going to have a baby with physical disabilities, I have felt like it was my fault, I have been through a miscarriage, I am a stepmom, and I know how it feels to be alone a lot. Our life may sometimes look perfect but in reality we just make it OUR perfect. Know it isn’t always easy. We are all still humans.

Teamwork makes the Dream Work

Birthdays, Humor, Mommy Blogger, Working Mom

Birthday parties. To most, two birthdays in three days doesn’t sound like that big of a deal but two birthday parties with THREE KIDS… it’s like herding cats. Craig was home this weekend so it was MUCH easier because he is amazing but there are still so many obstacles and circumstances that can affect family outings. This post will be the most relatable one yet whether you have one munch or six.

The first was Friday night at a gymnastics place for Jaxon’s buddy Wyatt. I planned my day out perfectly so that I could utilize the most of my morning/afternoon working. But then my one year old puked in his bed because he picked up the “crud” that everyone has had this winter which includes a wet, snotty cough. Then a model had a scheduling conflict and I had to scramble to replace her. Then my daughter peed her pants 2 times (potty training=THE. WORST). Then my husband had some excellent opportunities come through that we had to work on (Stay tuned!) THEN we had to pick up Jax from school (45 minutes there 45 minutes back) and pick up a gift for the party because I like to procrastinate. All the while we have to dress (matching always) the family, crank out dishes between emails and calls, run the barf sheets through the wash so my house didn’t smell like sour milk and feed these little humans decent meals so they don’t get hangry (a very real thing in my house). And I haven’t even gotten to the party part yet…

Make it to the party with work wrapped, present in hand and my babes looking like rockstars. I feel confident, I feel that fourth cup of cold coffee kicking in and I feel ready to take on this rainbow room of amazingness. Jaxon is six and pretty self sufficient. He is incredible on trampolines so I try and keep eyes on him in fear of missing the sweet flips. Craig stays with him so he can get video and pictures. I take the two littles to the other end of the gym for bounce house and foam pit fun. You would think that a one year old isn’t that difficult and that my precious three year old is a perfect angel that stays by my side. HA. Dakota is a tiny independent monkey and this is her Mecca. She starts jumping into every pit, running from one obstacle to another trying to keep up with the big kids, all the while my “baby” is climbing the third row of a rope net. At this point we have lost a shoe, a hair bow, my sanity and I am now visibly sweating. That’s when the “team” stepped in. My girlfriends came to the rescue tag teaming, busting out baby wipes while a teething baby Gray was leaving a trail of drool on the mats, and one jumped into a germ infested bounce house to rescue the rogue bow. AND it’s not just mommys. Our super dad friend took Kota around with the big kids so she could feel included and made sure she got a piece of pizza and cake. Overall, kiddos had the best time, we made special memories with special friends and we all slept like babies that night.

Party number two tonight was “Sabannah’s” bowling birthday! Again, we leave the house confident, everyone’s dressed in purple and we are ready to party. It started at 3:00PM so naturally Graydon fell asleep at 2:50PM just in time to be woken up and forced to stay awake because mommy forgot the stroller. Strike one (and not the good kind of bowling strike). We walk in knowing daddy and Jax were bowling and Kota, Gray and I would be cheerleaders. As the guys are getting their shoes Kota throws a miniature fit because she wants to wear clown shoes too. We spend the $4.00 on the damn shoes because I am not about to get into an argument with a three year old boss lady in public. Strike two. Fortunately there wasn’t actually a strike three except that daddy ended up getting three strikes!!! The Henson family knows the hectic that comes with a musician’s life because their daddy is one too. That and they have been around our babes since they were born. So when my thighs are burning trying to bounce baby Gray to sleep Allie tags me out so I can take a break and she can smell his baby breath. When my glass of wine is down to it’s last sip Amanda is right there with the refill or something stronger depending on the stress level she can read on my face. When Jaxon needs more quarters to play arcade games Josh is already putting them into his hand. People like this are gold and when you find them KEEP THEM.

Teamwork truly does make the dream work. My dream has always been to have a big family but once you have more than two, you are outnumbered. You need to be sure you have a foundation of friends that know the secret SOS parent code. I thank GOD we do. Parent or single, friend or stranger, lover of kids or lover of cats… I hope you all know that when you pick up that bottle that my baby threw, when you open that door for my giant stroller, when you compliment us on our twinning efforts or my kids manners… you have made my day. You give us parents the courage to conquer the next birthday party, the next restaurant or the next movie. Just kidding about the movie… I have three kids under six years old I’m brave but hell I’m not stupid.

Mr. Boyd

Foodie, Humor, Mommy Blogger, Music

Last night I took babe out for the big 40th birthday to the Fairlane Hotel and ate at Ellington’s Midway Bar and Grill. For our Nashvillian friends…Best. Food. Ever. Being from the west coast I’m always apprehensive about eating seafood in the middle of the country but their scallops were a gift from heaven. We started with the tastiest truffle fries, fried pork strips with Alabama white sauce (this is slowly becoming my favorite condiment), baked cauliflower drizzled in ponzu, then a wedge salad that could have fed Craig’s whole band, bread (there’s nothing more to say than “bread” because bread is my best friend) and ended with the sexy scallops. At the beginning of this binge feast we came in confident and ready to conquer the entire menu. By the end of the appetizers we called off an entree and dessert. Amazing food, incredible view and ambience (anyone that plays smooth jazz and Brian McKnight in Nashville is a friend of mine) and the sweetest waitress of all time named Kathryn. She was the one that really made the night. Well, her and the two Manhattan’s I drank.

Kathryn was truly the sweetest waitress of all time. She was professional, informative and all around a cool person. She is from Brooklyn so we got to chat about my knowledge of New York and Long Island being that my dad and stepmom live out there, and she also lived in California which is where I’m from. She was a big fan of The Voice and told Craig “You were probably the last season I watched because I figured after you there wasn’t much better”. Apparently the entire staff googled him and watched his blind audition on The Voice before we got there because she knew his name from the reservation. (A. I love that she told us that B. If you ever see someone you love in person go say hi and take the picture. If they get upset they shouldn’t have chose entertainment as a career) It was special that she knew who he was and was a fan because Craig’s order of loves goes GOD, Family and friends/fans… oh and the Cowboys.

Annnddd this is where my post probably should have started before I shamelessly promoted an incredible restaurant and gave a shout out to an awesome friend we made… my husband. His heart is his most attractive quality. I will never make fun of him but I will let you in on jokes I have that I’ve told him to his face so here’s one. He’s like living with a super hot Grandma. He loves fancy dishes, cooking, flower arrangements and matching BUT he also cheers on the Cowboys every Sunday (Yay Sports!!!), works on cars, loves a fine whiskey and eats steak like a caveman. So really I’ve got the best of everything.

40 is a big birthday and last night was a beautiful night of reflection. As we sat chatting with Kathryn about his career and experiences it really hit me just how incredible his life and now our life is. He went from scraping money to pay for diapers and cans of tuna (he still eats canned tuna weekly but by choice now) to playing a residency at The Hard Rock with Rascal Flatts in a years span. You can tell in his humble and soft spoken personality where he came from but when he’s on stage he becomes CWB. Guitar in hand he commands everything around him like the pro he is. And his voice…. I know I’m bias but it’s just the best.

Baby, you are a force to be reckoned with. Own 40 like you do everything else and I’m just so very proud of you. Thank you for the perfect dinner, thank you for always getting up on stage when I ask you to on our date nights, and mostly thank you for loving me and our kiddos with all your might. Oh, and NO thank you for my pounding headache today. Topshelf baby topshelf.

Intro to BoydsRUs!

Fashion, Humor, Mommy Blogger, Music

Alrighty everyone (you will learn I refuse to say y’all…) I’m doing it. Biting the bullet. Taking the polar plunge. I am joining the army of mommy bloggers. Now I’m not doing this for the fame or the Fab Fit Fun boxes. I’m doing it because I don’t have the time to sit at my window, gazing at the sunset, quill and leather-bound journal in hand, Josh Groban playing in the background as I write and reflect on each day…Typing in bed at 11PM when everyone is finally asleep, dishes are no longer in my sink, maybe I showered maybe I didn’t, and of course with a hefty pour of red in my hand is my reality.

Fair warning: I’m a little sarcasm, a little nerdy, a little blonde and a whole lotta love wrapped up into one 5’7, 130 LB package (Ok ok 135 after the holidays). Born and raised in Southern California I am now based in Nashville and LOVING it. I am an almost 30-year-old mama of three munchies named Jaxon Wayne (6), Dakota Lynn (3), and Graydon Scott (1). I work for a Los Angeles based modeling agency (Yes I will talk about this often, NO I can’t get you a date). And my husband Craig Wayne Boyd is a country artist who won season 7 of The Voice (#yaller!!!)

There are super highs and plenty of lows that come with this wild ride but I try to keep our life on a steady “live love laugh” roll. I won’t preach at you, I won’t judge you, I won’t give you advice because I’m learning as I go too. I went from eating Top Ramon every day with Sriracha on it to trying to keep three humans alive. I am the last person who should be giving advice. I just figure we are all in this together so I’ll throw my $#!+ out there and hope a few laughs come from it. Cheers to 2019 let’s do this!!!

PS Expect a ton of posts the first couple of weeks then they will dwindle because #life. My goal is 1-2 a week.

PSS If anyone has any WordPress tips please share. This is a foreign language to me. SOS