"Too School for Cool"


(I like this picture because it's how most of them turn out when we try to get the dog and baby in one shot!)

“Is it okay if I wait to write my blog after I go back to work?” – A question I asked Joshua about three weeks ago. Funny that I overlooked the reduction in time going back to work would bring. So here I am in study hall trying to eke out a post. I’m using study hall much like I did when I was in high school (avoiding school work) and I can see many of my freshmen are doing the same (too concerned with Justin Bieber news), but at least neither of us is using it to highlight our hair with markers. Yes, we did that. And often.

So my extended summer could not last forever. Thanks be to God for the momentum of second quarter. It’s the shortest of the quarters, and this portion of the curriculum contains some of my favorite lessons. I walked into my junior classes doing a Passover Seder with Chick-fil-A nuggets and hashbrowns. I managed to turn a sophomore lesson into a wildly competitive game of musical chairs (anything for competition). And today we are playing guitar and singing “American Pie” with rewritten lyrics pertaining to salvation history. I had forgotten how much I loved and missed teaching. I like the challenge of trying to surprise and capture the attention of the girls. I like discussing ethics and Judaism and Jesus. I like the camaraderie of my coworkers. I like wearing heels. And my students this year are wonderful. One of my best groups in my seven years here. There is a lot of good to be done, and I am 100% affirmed in prayer that I am supposed to be here.

While teaching is a blessing, I cannot deny that it is what it is… Work. Joshua prefaced my return by warning me how tiring it can be. Tiring? There are days where it simply is Exhausting. I do find satisfaction in pouring myself out tirelessly. It’s nice to lie down at the close of the day and tell God, today was for you and I did my best (and to look at my son and husband and to think the same). But there are many days where I feel pulled and unbalanced and I just have to pray for grace to be the person I want to be.



I joined the club of moms who cry the night before returning to work. Everyone wants to know if I missed him. Isn’t that a given? I mean, if people can miss the McRib like they do (which will baffle me til the day I die), of course I am going to miss the time with my son. But the day I was so nervous about turned out to be peaceful. Dad’s been extra helpful. I couldn't do it without him. And right now, as long as the coffee and the bed are made, I’m good to go. My mom took care of Tressan the first week back. For no rhyme or reason, Tressan decided to give in the day I returned to work and went back to taking a bottle. Prayers answered. Now Aunt Barb is learning the tricks of the trade with the baby… or she’s teaching the baby tricks of the trade. Next step… coaxing him to nap in his crib rather than Kennedy’s swing (his flat little head shows just how determined he is to sleep in that cocoon). But it really is such a relief to know he’s in good hands. The only rule is that he’s not allowed to roll over for the first time without mom or dad present. It’s getting close with T being as active as he has been. If you want to see what I mean, check out the youtube of his affinity for the ceiling fan...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDczXnFOCRM

Other happenings around here:

The night of Game 6 of the World Series I hit a squirrel in my car. Really hit. As in dead (trust me, I went back to check on him). I called Joshua saddened for the poor squirrel who made a very bad decision, and he responded, “Oh no, you killed the rally squirrel.” With my profound respect for the Rangers (and more than slight intimidation), I went into game 6 with cautious hopes. And WOW what a game on both sides. I prayed to go to Game 7 from the get-go, and once we made it I didn’t mind how it ended. While the Cardinals are my first love, the Briones house cheered for the Rangers in Game 7. It was hard to watch, as were all the games. Joshua and I saw Moneyball (two thumbs up) on Sunday when Aunt Barb babysat (two thumbs up). It’s so true that baseball is a romance. I think you become a real fan when you believe your watching the game or not watching the game is actually affecting the game. That’s definitely how we are… and it’s such a guilty feeling when you know YOU jinxed your team. So game 7 didn’t set off fireworks in Texas but one thing’s for sure – neither Joshua nor I want the drama of our AL team and NL team competing in the World Series again. I’m still in awe when I think about what the Cardinals did – it truly was a post-season of champions. I’m also glad Missy and Joe got to Texas just in time to cheer in those final runs with us. (I will add to my gladness, the fact that they brought the top tier of their wedding cake to Dallas to celebrate their one-year anniversary with us.) I can’t wait for the spring and 2012 when the Rangers go for their third attempt (and this time WIN).

Our family and some close friends welcomed Tressan into the church on the day he turned three months old. We truly believe he is a new creation in Christ, we give him back to God, and we hope he will grow to know the special part he has in God’s plan. We are grateful for our parents who blessed us with the beautiful gift of faith. We also thank our heavenly Father for the special role Fr. Alfonse plays in the life of our family, and we are honored to have our best friends, Beth and Chris Everett, as the spiritual parents of baby T. Kennedy and Tressan will grow up as god-siblings. I’m sure they will get into as much trouble as regular siblings.







I have to add, one of my favorite memories of these past weeks was going to Tappy’s with the Everetts after their return from Europe and watching Kennedy be a ham with her sweet grin and silliness. She’s a special little girl. We rejoice in Tressan’s new prayer-group friends, Addison Grace and Elliott Joseph, just born in the past few weeks. We are living the spirit of the holidays with Halloween, All Saints Day, and Thanksgiving on the way. Even got Dad to watch baby so I could go to our annual corn maze outing (in which we were lost for over an hour and had to be guided out by the employees). God is doing great things in our lives.

Instead of Occupy Wall Street... May Heaven Occupy Us.

All our love,

The Brioni

So Much....So Little Time

Monday, October 17, 2011 9:03 AM Posted by Joshua & Mandy 0 comments
There is so much going on in our lives that we tend to not realize how fast time flies……sorry for no update in a while. We are having a blast as a family, living it up each and every day. Mandy and I vowed to each other early in our relationship and marriage that we wouldn’t let kids stop our lives….but rather we would let our kids in on our lives, so that we can do things as a family and one day look back and know that we have a multitude of memories together.

With that we decided to take Tressan to his first baseball game a couple weeks ago. The Texas Rangers were playing Tampa in the playoffs, so we (including my parents) bought tickets and loaded up the little guy for his first game. He was a hit at the game….sporting his Texas Onsie and his Cardinals socks. He did great, slept through a lot of the game…even through the hype and noise.




Last weekend we took him on his first roadtrip. My friend Ryan and Megan were getting married in San Angelo, TX. I was the best man in the wedding, so of course, baby in tow, we weren’t going to miss it. We packed our bags and hit the road early Friday morning for the 4 hour trek to West Texas. He made it 2 hours without a peep before needing a feeding and a changing, so in the lovely Love’s parking lot on the side of I-20 we did just that and continue our journey. We stayed with Miranda and Rob Houser (and Baby Harper Houser) for the weekend. They were generous enough to lend us their new home while they too were out of town for a wedding. We did get to see them for a few hours and visit, not long enough to catch up as we hadn’t seen each other in quite some time. We spent some of Friday afternoon catching up with old colleagues at ASU. Lina, Joe, and WanaDee were ecstatic to see us and……surprised when we brought a little one in the door. Like I said it’s been quite some time since we have seen these people. A quick drive through Dad’s Alma Mater to see all the progress of ASU and our afternoon was up.








The Rehearsal and Wedding were in Ballinger Texas (about 30 minutes), and Tressan was a hit. We had a blast catching up with old college friends and Ryan’s family. Ryan’s mom, Alicia became my San Angelo mother during my 5 years in college, often cooking awesome meals for us, cleaning and helping out when needed. The wedding was Saturday afternoon at 2pm. About 1:40 pm torrential rainfall moved into the San Angelo area and settled…..after months and months with no rain….it couldn’t have been more perfect. It rained the rest of the day and night. The wedding was great, reception and food were perfect, and the cake..well I have to admit…it beat our cake. Ryan and Megan called and asked what our cake was as they wanted to mimic it….well, I have to say their baker did it and did it well….Best Wedding Cake ever, White Chocolate at the Webb/Long wedding. So many people were willing to hold and entertain Tressan so that Mandy and I could a little fun too…..we got our two step on multiple times…..that’s the benefit of a true West Texas wedding dance……no trashy music…just good ole dancin’ music. We ended the night watching the Cardinals win.

As a reward for a job well done last qtr, my office gave many of us and extra two days off, we used one of those days to go the Texas State Fair last Thursday…..Tressan wanted to see Big Tex and all that the fair has to offer. Mandy and I indulged on multiple fried items including fried oreos, fried snickers, fried cookie dough, tornado taters, fried pineapple upside down cake, and for me an original “FLECTHERS CORNY DOG.” We met up with Brad and Cynthia Linder as they were headed to the fair that day also. We spent the majority of our time together in the air conditioning watching the vita-mix presentation.




This weekend as busy with Rangers games and Cardinals games, and our Young Married’s Group on Saturday, and a visit to the pumpkin patch on Sunday. The Rangers won and are headed to the World Series and low and behold the St. Louis Cardinals advanced as well so its head to head this week in the 2011 World Series. I fulfilled a promise to Mandy by purchasing two tickets to the Series….as I promised that if the Rangers and Cardinals ever made it together I would get her tickets……Its worth it….and what 3 month old ever gets to say that he went to the world series!!! More on that next week.




Upcoming Events…..
World Series Game 3 – Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlignton
Tressan’s Baptism
Mandy Returns to school

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"Luck Be a Baby Tonight" (Go Cards!)

Our baby boy is getting big! Complete with his mid-arm fat lines, some hard-to-clean thigh rolls, and a nice pudge tummy, he is such a squeezable little cherub. We love every ounce of him, especially that pudge tummy. We estimate he’s rockin 13 pounds at this point, and we are looking forward to his 2 month visit on Friday where we’ll get the official score.


He’s definitely growing and definitely changing. He is an active baby – always wanting to be bounced, to be talked to, to look at your face, to look around the room, to hear dad’s fake laugh, to hear mom fake sing, to ride in the stroller, to ride in the car, to kick in the bath… basically, he likes attention (no surprise). And he’s had a lot of it!


The Gothmans, our expert babysitters, watched him again while Joshua and I thankfully got a date night to see The Help (the book is SO much better). Dallas had an unexpected downpour that night (we had forgotten what rain looked like in Texas) just as we were parking which left us soaked as we tried to dry off with napkins from the dine-in theatre. But date nights are treasured regardless! Tressan had his first trip to Celina, TX to see Deion Sanders’ new paint job on his Aladdin-ish mansion and Grandma and Grandpa Briones and the Reimanns, and we got a look at the swingset Grandpa got for the kids as they grow. I see many forts and obstacle courses in the grandkids’ future. We truly enjoyed dinner with the Tripletts, Theresa, and Justin here at the house… something we have been planning since July! Tressan made his rounds at Ursuline. I’ve learned a few things in my years teaching at an all-girls’ high school: you can’t sneak in babies, boys, or cake. It’s like the girls have a sixth sense for these things when they come through the door. Last week T got a playdate invite to the Arboretum. Beth and I drove with Kennedy and Tressan in the backseat (a vision into their dating years?). We got to “play” with the Blackwells, the Thompsons, the Bradys, the Dodges. The kiddos were so cute getting their pictures taken in the piles of pumpkins. Tressan was so tired on the way home and cried when the car stopped. Beth would approach red lights going 2 miles an hour from 40 feet back so as to not stop the car completely (I love the common things parents do to keep baby happy). We also feasted on Omaha Steak cuisine with the Everetts, treats provided by Joshua’s work when baby T was born. We appreciate having our friends as neighbors more and more each day. Finally, Tressan earned his wings as he flew to St. Louis this past weekend.


Some of you know I have an irrational fear of planes since a Honduras flight a few years back and I mentally keep record of every news report of a plane going down. In a way, I actually prefer a 10-hour car ride to the 1.5 hour flight. It’s a control thing, I’m sure. So while the other passengers were busy cramming luggage and gearing up ipods, I gave Tressan a temporary 5-second baptism with my Dasani bottle. You think I’m kidding, but I’m not. Maybe it’s a sign that I studied too much theology to know that can be legit. It’s probably more of a sign that I’m a flying phobic mess. Well, we survived and there wasn’t a minute of turbulence either way. Tressan flew like a champ. You feed him and he is happy. Just like a boy. He also pulls hair. Just like a boy.

It had been almost six weeks since Grandma and Grandpa Hahn had seen him. We wanted to surprise my Dad and couldn’t believe that my Mom actually managed to keep it from him a whole week. He walked in the house and was told that a birthday gift arrived for him – turns out that birthday gift was our 2-month bundle propped up on the couch. Mom said she has never seen him more surprised. The trip seemed like a marathon of visiting beginning with the Brauners who are expecting their little one in February, and also including St. Trinity, Great Aunt Barb, and Grandpa Hahn’s work. I asked Great Aunt Barb if it was weird being a Great Aunt. She said, no she’s always been great! We agree. We have to give special thanks to the Talbott cousins (and Tina) for the lucky Cardinals socks. We call them his happy feet. Our lucky baby has them on again today for the fourth day in a row. Whatever it takes for this Wild Card! (Note lucky socks in picture.)


Other things on the homefront… I got through the fear of starting over and took up running again. It really is a “happy place” for me. Running with the jogging stroller, well the concept is a happy thing but holy guacamole it’s more tough then I would have guessed (this is coming from a girl who finds it difficult to run with keys or a water bottle in my hands). We will get there, one mile at a time. Joshua and I love the new show Up All Night. We also love that our baby is no longer up all night (hitting about 6 hours regularly). The Briones family is celebrating the arrival of Tressan’s 2nd cousin, baby Royceton Llanas, born this afternoon! And lastly, Tressan’s real baptism will be October 29 around 3:30pm at St. Ann Catholic Church in Coppell. We prefer the priest/deacon kind.

I close with four recent thoughts on motherhood…
1. Why do they not tell you how to put a carseat in shopping cart? (Had to call husband for this, thank you internet)
2. I’ve never heard Tressan cry like he did the day the batteries in the swing died. Personal goal: Never let the swing batteries die again.
3. I’m a believer when it comes to Oxyclean.
4. These are the best days of my life. Thanks, Joshua and Tressan!

Six weeks and counting




It’s been a while since I have blogged and things are rapidly getting in the way of blogging, however, I will not fail at this!!! Life is good in the Briones house, and Baby Tressan, while entertaining us with random smiles and coos, is growing like a weed and still continues to amaze us with his antics. Here are some highlights, I will elaborate further down below, but continue reading at your own risk. Meals on wheels, the art of swaddling, the special dog, and Mom and Baby alone for the weekend.

We have been blessed to have an awesome group of friends and family helping us out over the past several weeks, most certainly with the meals. So far we have had some great pasta dishes, several vegetarian meals, a couple of ethnic creations, and one “scrape it off the floor” lasagna. I came home last week to find one of our meals in the garage, I was confused, and convinced that Mandy still had some pregnancy brain and left it in the busyness of getting all the stuff out of the car. I was just thankful that she left the food in the garage and not the car seat with Tressan….two points for Mandy!! I graciously grabbed the bag and walked inside and said “Did you forget something” her response, “no; I left it because the bag was leaking, and I was going to get it shortly.” I carried it through the house and seconds before I reached the counter…..out pours the lasagna onto the floor. Mandy was right, the bag was leaking, and it was a paper bag, and it was only right that we would have pasta spread throughout the kitchen. Luckily at least 60% of it was salvageable and Lucy dined on the rest. Out of all the meals received I have decided to give out a few awards…. Best Entrée – Sarah Berry and her “Woody B’s Pulled Chicken/Veggie Enchiladas” Very very tasty!!! Best Starter – Jason Osterberger and his “Sensation Salad” Lemme just say…it was Sensational. Best Dessert – Again, the winner, Sarah Berry and her Squirrel Sugar Cookies. Looks like Sarah is following in her dad’s footsteps and is a Master in the kitchen. If you have never tried her Dads BBQ, it’s worth the drive to Richardson…..see here.

In the first few weeks, we thought we had our baby pegged and figured out…in that he wanted his arms free to flail around and punch….. I guess we thought we would let him express himself. O Contraire…..the art of swaddling has been a saving grace and that boy is not allow to sleep without his little arms tucked tightly at his side. Its either swaddling or the sleep sack, either way…he’s in “straight jacket” stance for sleeping hours, otherwise, he finds ways to fling his little arms all around and tends to wake himself. Sorry Tressan for sanity in our home…..you are tied down….plus, you like being snuggly!! Lucy has been doing well, she has become accustomed to Tressan and they are now buddies. She definitely senses that she’s not alone in this house, and ponders “why doesn’t this new person go away” however, I think she is getting the gist that he’s here to stay. Lately, she has been able to scoot right next to where he is lying and rest her head, just a few inches, on the blanket. Her instinct is to protect, and we are starting to see signs of that. Tressan scares her at times too, check out the video below where Tressan is wiggling and Lucy doesn’t know what to do, she immediately goes into hunt mode.



Finally, Mandy and Tressan had to spend Labor Day weekend alone as I had to go out to Shreveport for Ryan’s Bachelor party. Ryan and I have been best of friends since college (a mission trip to Honduras in 2002) and I couldn’t miss it and wanted to be there to celebrate with him. Sooo…..we loaded up on Friday and drove out…..leaving mom and baby to fend for themselves for 48 hours. They did great. Mandy would send me regular updates and pictures. Luckily he was a great baby while dad was out, sleeping often and for lengthy periods of time. My mom came and stayed on Saturday afternoon to help with getting to mass and stayed the night. I on the other hand was probably getting less sleep in Shreveport than I would have gotten at home. We had a great time, enjoyed many hands of blackjack, great meals together, reminiscing with old college friends, and a round of golf, where yours truly busted out his first window in a home!!!



All in all I had a great time. I returned on Sunday just in time for mass and our baptism class. Bob and Colleen Gothman babysat for us, Colleen didn’t want to give him back!! She practically had to beg us to choose her as the babysitter, she was excited and we were more than willing as she has raised 6 boys herself (with the help of Bob of course) so we considered her a boy expert!! Back to work on Tuesday and business as usual for the week. Overall the past 6 weeks have been a blessing, full of joy and excitement. We both agree that Tressan is a little treasure and brings us so many smiles and laughs and we cannot wait to see what’s to come.

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Just the Two of Us

Tuesday, August 23, 2011 1:08 PM Posted by Joshua & Mandy 0 comments
I might take up becoming ambidextrous as I try to type this with my left hand. On Sunday, August 14, Grandma Hahn headed back to St. Louis after a two-week stay in the Brioni house. The process of saying goodbye to her grandson took nearly an hour and a good amount of tears. I think everyone was wondering Joshua and I would do on our own. We weren’t ready to say goodbye, but we knew we were ready to be a family. The following Monday was my first day alone with Tressan. That morning I got a phone call from my mom to see how we were doing, then a phone call came from Grandma Briones to see how we were doing, then another phone call came from my mom to see how we were doing. I kind of think Grandma Hahn wanted me to put baby T on the phone as she misses him greatly… and while we think he’s pretty advanced, he’s not taking phone calls at this point.



So many people have asked if I was scared or nervous to be on my own or to take him out. Honestly, the only thing that scares me is trying to back Josh’s Tahoe out of the driveway (I have been known to brush our neighbor’s fence a time or two, and that was in the Honda). It was fun to feel like a mom that day (sometimes I still think I’m babysitting and waiting for the parents to come home).

We continue to welcome visitors. Tressan visited Ursuline this past week, and I swear he will have one of the best “Two Truths and a Lie” in attesting to attending an all-girls school for seven months. We also enjoyed an evening with our married couple’s prayer group, meeting our new pastor. We stole a picture of all the babies together. Our group will add two more to that couch by October!



Another adventure was a roadtrip to Celina to see Grandma Briones and the rest of the family for her birthday. Tressan, in character, slept the whole time.



I’m enjoying the time with Tressan more and more. He will be one month at the end of this week, and we love how wide-eyed he is getting. He loves gazing at faces and ceiling fans (not to be offended that he typically opts for the fan over the face). His days are really exciting – last week I added bath time, so Tressan has quite an adventurous life between his eating and sleeping and diapering.



Speaking of the diapering, Tressan still is winning. He hosed me twice in a four-hour period last week when sleep loss had my defenses down. I guess he’s just marking his territory. In addition to our introducing of bath time, this week the rubber met the road. Dallas has been pretty brutal in its attempt to beat 100’ temp records, but the mornings are tolerable (although only a Texan would think so) so it was time to put the BOB jogging stroller to the test. I’ve been itching to run and get outside, so taking him for a walk is the next best thing. It feels so freeing to be back in motion, and I love watching his curious face as he tries to figure out where he is and what is happening. I also love that he usually naps for a good 30 minutes after a walk! Dad worked from home Wednesday giving mom a chance to go to the gym, and he also made time for me to go two additional days (even though he would have liked to go himself)… I happily welcomed the gift of that time and his selflessness did not go unnoticed. It seems we do a lot of trading off lately with getting to the gym, with relaxing in the pool, with making dinner… there’s some adjustment in that we can’t do all these things together but this is all part of the building of the team. I still am humbled at how much Joshua does for us. Obviously, “just the two of us” (in regards to Tressan and I) is the farthest from the truth.

Tressan’s latest accomplishment is an entertaining production involving alternating pterodactyl noises and horse sounds that sometimes lasts as long as 40 minutes. Hence, we think our baby is advanced for his age! I couldn’t be more proud of his choice of animals. His favorite time to do this is between 12 and 6am. I couldn’t be more perplexed by timing. There was a middle-of-the-night occurrence that lasted so long, I had to take the little dinosaur out of the room so dad could go back to sleep. We still feel VERY BLESSED at having such a good sleeper, a blessing we counted twice after he decided to drop sleep (almost altogether) on Thursday night. Mom and Dad had not opted for that plan. Now I understand how the Everetts felt pushing their newborn around the neighborhood in the stroller from 3-6 am, and I recall what the Bradys said of their new baby, “Pray for us because this baby is rocking our world.” Instead of 2-5 hour stretches of sleeping, T decided to do 3-5 hour stretches of waking. I couldn’t decide whether to laugh in amusement or cry in exhaustion when he had finally fallen asleep after 3 hours: I put him down so carefully (even keeping my face next to his for 15 minutes while I was awkwardly and uncomfortably bent over his Pack N Play in hopes that it would coerce him to stay asleep – it’s amazing what you will and for how long you will do it in desperate hope for sleep), climbed back into bed with such relief, five minutes later he has the largest audible poop and wakes himself again… so it was back to the beginning. I told Joshua that I am amazed by the sense of accomplishment felt when we manage to lay the baby down and he stays asleep. We often find ourselves holding our breath for those first five minutes, and it has definitely become part of our prayers. I was so tired earlier this week I had a dream that I was feeding Tressan and when I woke up I couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t in my arms and what I did with him. I started searching the bed thinking he must just be lost in the covers and starting to get panicked. Turns out he was in his Pack N Play the whole time; I just couldn’t distinguish between the dreams and reality. I’m starting to think alertness is a secret gift of the Holy Spirit they forgot to include with the other seven. I’d surely trade wisdom for alertness these days. Sometimes it’s a pure mystery how Joshua and I are awake at all, especially when I think about how he still manages to go to adoration on Tuesdays at 6am and pray for our family.

The challenges are nothing compared to the blessing it is to have him in our lives. In the past week and a half, we said goodbye to a family friend after a long fight with cancer and then, days later, to a 2011 Ursuline graduate after her battle with leukemia ended. While in labor with Tressan a few weeks earlier, Joshua suggested I offer up the pain for someone – both were at the forefront of my prayers. Now, I see their families and I imagine the loss of my husband or child, and it’s hard to fathom healing from the emptiness you would feel. I think it would be hard just to breathe. While I prayed at Steave’s memorial and Micaela’s funeral and thought of Joshua and our little Tressan, I remembered something our friend Whitney told us when we visited her last year. We were talking about her little girl and the fears/worries/concerns that come with parenting. Whitney said there was a day when she let go and had to give her daughter to God. She said all the worrying will drive you crazy until you realize that your child is God’s – you’ve got to give him or her back to him. Then the fear lessens, because God has him no matter what happens. We thank God for the time he has given us. I give it all back to him.








Daddy Do's and Don'ts

Monday, August 15, 2011 5:07 PM Posted by Joshua & Mandy 1 comments


We are 15 days in and this new dad loves his little guy and all that comes with him!! So many people asked over and over…..Are you ready to be a dad, are you ready for a baby, are you guys ready and excited……my usual response, “Are we ever ready for what God has in store for us?” I now whole heartedly and without hesitation make that statement.





We came home only about 40 hours after Tressan came into this world, I was shocked, as I thought C-section mom’s always had to stay little longer. But don’t get me wrong….an offer for this 6’4” guy to not have to sleep on a circa 1979 pull-out-chair-makeshift-sorta-into-a-bed ….sign me up, if mom and baby are ok of course. I quickly made sure that I strategically grabbed all the items in our room that we would be billed for anyway and tucked them away in my bag, then I buzzed the nurse and said, “I think we need more diapers, and wipes, and towels, etc..etc..”


We were stoked…..all our bags were packed….gifts loaded up….I still had the camera, the one that makes me look like a Chinese tourist, around my neck. I was a bit nervous..mostly about the first drive with this little creature in the backseat and the fact that we were about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. I was also about to have to introduce Lucy, the somewhat special Lab, to the newest part of us, which was ultimately way more important than her. We arrived home safely and Lucy did great….She was quite curious, and still is, but she is doing awesome and still needs attention and walks and feedings etc….we haven’t forgotten her, although, she makes it apparent that she is still here. She often wedges herself nice and snuggly right next to us, making sure that we don’t forget she is around. She’s a needy dog.








As far as Tressan goes, I cannot get enough of him. I took off a few days to get situated, catch up on sleep, and spend some time with Mandy and T before going back to work. Since he has been home he has been surprisingly easy to deal with. He sleeps a ton, makes funny noises, grunts a lot, has cute sleep smiles, makes funny faces with his tongue and mouth, grabs dads finger, likes to bounce around, does squats while in dad’s arms (this is an effort to workout while holding him). I could seriously watch and hold him for hours. Going back to work was tough; I couldn’t wait to get home to see him. I know all this will be temporary and one day Tressan will emerge into an angry, moody tween whose ability to cry for food or sleep or diapers will be matched by his mastery of not talking to me and slamming doors. One day I will be uncool to him, I will be looked at as mean and not understanding, and I of course will have no idea what it means to be young. This is why I am taking a million pictures; I am gathering a gaggle of photo memories that will one day embarrass him to no end. At the moment he gets out of line I will reach for them and heap them upon him and his friends just to show him who is boss . But as for now….I will enjoy his tiny feet, I will kiss his fuzzy head, I will change his dirty diaper with joy (even though it’s not joyful at all sometimes), I will smile at him, I will continue to get teary eyed when I look at him and think “I created life”, I will snuggle with him and bounce with him and hold him tight because I know these days are short lived and I want to remember every moment I can with him.


To conclude here are the 8 things I learned over the first two weeks about babies:


1. Change a diaper - yes I had managed to live almost 30 years and have maybe changed three diaper, and believe me I didn’t know what I was doing. While I am no expert yet (and we have some pee soaked clothing to prove it), I am getting the hang of it. I still need to buy one of those PeePee TeePee’s.


2. Pooping - I had no ideas that babies, even newborns can strain so much when they poop. Tressan’s grunts sometimes are too much to handle. I thought that since he only drank his meals that pooping would be easy….not so…his face turns red at times and the noises commence.


3. Feeding – much more of a process than I anticipated. A….it takes quite a while sometimes and B….you have to add time for number 2 above as this often takes place before, during and/or after feeding. Add in changing a diaper and burping him this time can easily stretch to an hour and a half. Much more than dad, I can down a meal in two minutes if needed .


4. Importance of Mom’s - I am amazed watching Mandy and the natural instinct that comes to her. She nurtures him and I love to watch her…she is more beautiful than ever as a mom.


5. Baby Sleeping - For some reason I thought that babies were up all the time screaming. I think our friends scared us, I thought that we were going to have this ridiculous baby that screamed and cried all the time and we never knew what he wanted etc….quite the contrary. We have a quiet baby, I have heard him cry a whole 2 hours total in two weeks…..he sleeps all the time and the past few nights we have been graced with 5 ½ hours of sleep at a time. All that prayer for months has paid off!!!


6. Boxing Matches - You definitely know when T is super super angry, he starts to throw fists and his hands quiver….he’s boxing with air and it makes me smile!


7. Importance of Teamwork - Not sure how single parents swing it…because it’s definitely taking two of us, especially in the evenings when we want him to close his eyes. I don’t know how long I could bounce with him, but we trade off and makes it easier. Middle of the nights also, Mandy is stuck, as she’s got what the baby wants, and no matter how much love and kisses dad offers, Tressan still wants his food, so helping out by changing diapers, getting things, making sure she is situated to start feeding requires great teamwork.

8. Joy – Need I say more?



Until next time…..


J & M

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"It's Been One Week Since You Looked at Me"

Tuesday, August 9, 2011 5:18 PM Posted by Joshua & Mandy 2 comments











Actually, we are entering 11 days with Tressan. I meant to post after a week, but I’m finding that timing is a new challenge. Tressan is 100%, which means letting go of plans to do the laundry and water the plants, which means balancing phone calls and emails, which means eating breakfast at 11 and lunch at 3, which means sleep when you can. Luckily I have my mom here to help – and she certainly has (attempting cleaning projects and recipes I’ve never touched)! And thankfully, I have Joshua who always reminds me, “One day at a time.” I love lists and planning and scheduling, but this family has taught me to live without and I lovingly accept.

So, here are my reflections on this first week as a mother…
I start by looking back at what I wrote in my journal in adoration with Joshua on the Tuesday before he was born:

“…Joshua and I have been preparing ourselves more vigilantly this past week – bringing in more daily mass and intentional prayer. It’s been a grace to our marriage. While the thought of the responsibility of parenthood has led to a few moments of fear and doubt and the subsequent disagreements, we come together as a team (with the Lord) bound and determined to hold each other up… We celebrated our last Sunday mass as a couple on Sunday. God spoke to me the entire time, helping me understand more about the magnitude of what is about to take place in our lives. He calls us to greatness, and once again I find the emotions overtake me. What struck me most at mass was the prayer, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” Isn’t that so true for us as parents getting ready to receive Him in a day or two? He has said the word; He has healed. He promised to be with us until the end of the age. Our inadequacies are irrelevant in the shadow of the grace he is pouring out on us. One day at a time. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Thanks, Jesus, for it all. We love you and go forward with you.”

The prayer from mass comes back to me many times every day. What an honor it is to welcome Tressan into our lives. I never would have guessed how much I would love having a little boy. I honestly treasure the gift it is to hold him, and I will never be able to give him all the kisses he deserves. No, we are not worthy of this gift, but still God gives and trusts and blesses us. It says a lot to me about God’s love.
















The first four days were beautiful and so hard at the same time. I did not expect how painful it would be to move; sitting up in bed alone proved to be a great physical feat. Tressan would cry at night and I couldn’t get up, and I even dreaded showering. Between the c-section and feeding Tressan, my body was so sore. This was the first time since our wedding day that the phrase, “This is my body given up for you,” took on a deeper meaning.

I don’t know how people do it alone. Joshua was there, constantly serving and encouraging. He was more patient with me than I was with myself. He takes such good care of us. I still lay claim that I am the luckiest.

What has Tressan been up to? On August 3rd, we celebrated dad’s 29th birthday with some family and friends. Tressan was an early birthday gift! I found out that I was pregnant with him on my birthday, and he arrived just in time for dad’s birthday. God’s timing is beautiful. Tressan also went to the “beauty shop” and dad heroically gave him a manicure. I wanted nothing to do with cutting those tiny nails, but Joshua was great and stepped up to the task. Mom might have to give him his first hair cut soon as he is borderline rockin a mullet. He also went to mass for his first time post-utero and slept the entire time. He sleeps at random anywhere from 30 minutes to a whopping 5 hours (a record from last night). My favorite is his little sleep smiles. They usually come after he eats in the middle of the night and sometimes are simple smirks and at other times are wide-mouthed grins. I adore them and sometimes I hold him a little longer after he eats to see if I can catch one. I told Diana Thompson yesterday that I think God created those spontaneous smiles as a hint of grace for sleep-deprived parents in the middle of the night as a reminder of how special these little souls are. He makes us smile and laugh. He has peed on Mom, Dad, and Grandma Hahn, and he successfully shot poop across the room and my arm during a diaper change fail. Little boys are an adventure!

I feel very blessed that so many friends have stopped by to visit including the UA crowd, neighbors, church friends, and family. Joshua took me out on a date this past Friday while Grandma Hahn babysat. It was refreshing to get dressed up and out of the house; and I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed seeing strangers (I hope that’s not too creepy!). We filled ourselves on Mexican cuisine (of course), shared conversation about each other and our new family, and closed our evening (in our Brioni fashion) with ice cream!

The past week(ish) has been AMAZING. I didn’t know my life could be better. I did know instantly beyond a doubt that I wouldn’t want to be anyone other than Joshua’s wife and Tressan’s mother.

Lord, make us a holy. St. Tressan, pray for us.

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BEING BORN IS HARD!!!!

Saturday, August 6, 2011 3:17 PM Posted by Joshua & Mandy 0 comments
It is without question, in my opinion, that God has a special place for mothers in Heaven…….watching my wife on Friday endure the pains of bringing life into this world was a beautiful, grace filled and joy driven culmination of 9 months in waiting……and this first time dad was giddy and ready and excited and could not wait to meet the little one. Mandy looked beautiful as ever, and we were both excited that Friday would be the day. All week we kept saying things like “This will be our last mass with just the two of us” or “This will be our last time to sleep in our home just the two of us” etc. We even helped ourselves to Tappy’s and other special treats several times that week in celebration of the long-awaited event! Needless to say, we were ecstatic about the thought of bringing home a new baby.

Friday July 29th would be the day. Mandy had been to the doctor on Tuesday who said the baby should come any day now, he/she is ready. We kept waiting, thinking Tuesday might be the day… then Wednesday might be the day… then Thursday might be the day… waiting on our world to change. We loaded up Friday morning for an 8 am induction, drove the 15 miles to the hospital, unloaded our stuff and went through the doors toward Labor and Delivery. I pushed the call button and the nurse responds, “Good morning, may I help you”…..Mandy replies, “Hi we are here to have a baby.” It hit me then….WE ARE HERE TO HAVE A BABY….I FAINTED…Just kidding, I didn’t faint, but it did hit me…The Nurse led us in, took us to the delivery room and we began a long day…. Mandy was suited up shortly, I was all settled in my corner of the room, camera was out and ready….Mandy was getting hooked up to all sorts of machines, I had strategically placed phones, chargers, cameras, books, snacks, etc in their places……and as a focal point I set a crucifix and a Holy Family Icon on the shelf where Mandy could see…..these would soon be our saving grace. After a series of questions and signatures, we were ready…..the Doc arrived and gave his orders to begin the induction and we began…..while the Doc was there, he and the nurses did give us a few warning situations and briefed us on a few “Malfunctioning” inductions/labors just so we would be prepared if nurses and docs came in during the process and started giving orders…..at about 9:55 the Drugs started and we were in process…..the nurses advised that Mandy should be able to feel mild effects within about 30 minutes. Five minutes later, Mandy said wow my hips are on fire…..this is already working….Two minutes after that 6-7 nurses rushed in, spouting off orders and pushing buttons; things got risky and scary really fast. I stood there trying to keep composure as they gave Mandy instructions and moved her all over the place. I hear words that I never thought I would have heard that day “C’mon Baby, C’mon Baby” and “ Call the NICU….Prep the OR….C’mon Baby, you can do it…..Flip over, deep breaths of oxygen…..Page Dr. McDonald…..Joshua, get her rings and bracelet off we will likely move to the OR and get this baby out.” Mandy and I were of course scared…..what was supposed to be a joyous day quickly had taken a turn to “worst nightmare” status. Not that there was an extremely high risk of anything….but hearing those words for our Briones Team and being a first time delivery, we could only think the worst and pray for grace. The whole thing took 7 minutes…..and finally……relief. We hear, “There you go baby, its coming down. It’s coming down…..It’s coming down…..It’s back to normal…..The heart monitors begin to beep at a normal pace and our stress levels begin to decrease….

At this point the Dr has arrived and the he and the nurses begin to explain what had just happened. Mandy’s body didn’t respond normally to the Pitocin (drug to induce) and basically Mandy had one long contraction that would not let up, therefore squeezing the baby too long and causing a loss of oxygen to the Baby and his heart rate to fade. Typically this can be solved by moving mom into all different positions to relieve the contraction….but shouldn’t take 7 minutes, hence the possible C-Section and need for NICU. We went from normal to risky fast….and we would need to start over with a much lower dosage of Pitocin to induce….Mandy went from a 2 to a 4 in a matter a minutes. The doctor had originally hoped we would be dilated 4 by 12:00 and have the baby by 5:00pm. With the change in plans, he broke her water, and we thought maybe this baby would come before noon with a quick and easy birth. I even called the grandparents and told them they better hurry to the hospital because she was progressing so fast. Long story short…..hour after hour went by with not much progress. A few hours later we were still at a 4, and a couple hours after that we were finally at a 5……by this time contractions were rough and painful….Mandy was great through it all….and we worked as a team and it was rough but fun as we knew the outcome would be beautiful. Mandy got an Epidural at around 3:30 that afternoon with the hopes of relaxing a little more and getting that baby to move along. Still nothing a few hours later…..and with that came a shift change of nurses and our doctor. We had hoped for our Doc to delivery Baby B, but knew that if Baby didn’t come by about 6:00 – 6:30 PM the chance of that were slim as he had been on the floor for over 12 hours and had to go. At the same time, we knew that our family had been waiting many hours and Beth and Chris Everett had postponed their departure to Austin in hopes of seeing Baby B. We knew what a gift it was to have everyone there, and we prayed the baby would come before they had to leave. Yet the realization that we might not have the baby until Saturday started to sink in, and we were mentally prepping ourselves for a 24-hour labor. In spite of bribery and guilting, we were unable to convince Dr. McDonald to abandon his evening plans, and we accepted that there really are no “birth plans” when it comes to having a baby; it’s all in God’s hands.

The amount of Pitocin continued to increase. We continued to wait. Around 8:00, a new nurse arrived to check fluids and vitals. In her check, she discovered that Mandy had not been connected to the Pitocin since the incident that morning. Apparently somewhere in the chaos they took her line out of the IV and had plugged it up back into the bag, so the Pitocin had been dripping down into the line and running back up into the bag the past ten hours, a clear explanation why labor was progressing so slowly. We were disappointed and frustrated at what seemed like wasted hours… all we wanted was to see our baby. Yet, thanks be to God she found the mistake before it went any longer. They reconnected Mandy to the Pitocin at the lowest dosage since there was uncertainty to how the baby would respond as the previous experience cautioned. About seven minutes later, it was a replaying of the scene from the morning. Several nurses, oxygen, reversal injection, similar talk about the baby not doing well and preparing for a c-section. We looked at each other fearful – why was this happening again? Someone, please tell us the baby is okay. I repeatedly told Mandy the baby would be okay. Holding back tears and on to each other, we prayed. The baby’s heart rate stabilized. I called our family in the waiting room to tell them what was happening. It was decided that we would go ahead with a c-section as soon as the doctor on-call arrived. At this point we just wanted them to get the baby out safely. The preparations began for surgery. They gave me scrubs and told me to change. We waited for the doctor. I looked out the window and saw Chris running around – the Everett’s were still there and were now probably a half-day behind schedule for Austin... a true testament to the kind of friends we’ve been blessed with. We were overwhelmed with love, especially at such a critical time.

It’s a BOY!!! Our surprise baby finally made it at 9:32pm, weighing in at 6 lbs. 13 oz. and measuring 19.5 inches long. Mandy and I had prayed together throughout the day. We prayed for our Baby, for us, for our family, for his/her future, for our future family, for all the nurses and doctors, everyone involved…. We knew God’s grace was within the walls of our room and we knew that the Holy Family had their hand on us and Mary would protect us under her mantle. We also had a group (a large group) of friends and family stretching across the U.S. spiritually supporting us. We never expected how much those prayers would be needed and the ways in which they would be answered. Thanks be to God for His divine presence through it all.

The hospital discharged us on Sunday, and we were more than ready to take him home. Here we are beginning to feel like a family. He is absolutely perfect. He has entirely captivated our hearts. It’s true what they say about babies: they eat, sleep, and poop. He has mastered the art of doing all three simultaneously. He already is back to his birth weight after losing 7 oz. in the hospital. He sleeps all day long, and we find it hard to let him sleep when we want to carry him and hold him all day. We are happy that he’s starting to figure out how to sleep at night as well. It’s amazing the graces God gives you between 11pm and 5am when you are taken over by love for your son. Parenthood gives us a new kind of patience and strength that we didn’t have before. And it really has made us a great team. Together, we love this adventure and look forward to what is ahead.

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