And a Baby Makes Three…

August 10, 2021August 18, 2021 ~ katdryden ~ Leave a comment

Ready or not, baby Dryden is on the way!

In typical first-time-parent-fashion, Creighton and I are equal parts thrilled and terrified about welcoming a child into the world.

It’s a funny thing, becoming a parent…it’s the most grown up I’ve ever felt while also the most out of control I’ve ever felt. But I’m (re)learning the most valuable lesson: that God is sovereign over timing, that He sustains and produces life, and that no fear should overcome us because He is in control.

To share a little more, I’ve decided to format this blog post in the form of an interview….yes, I will be answering questions that no one asked (ha), but that I as a reader would be curious to know. So here we go!

How did you find out you were pregnant?

Creighton and I had been open to the idea of pregnancy, but not super hopeful that it would come quickly for us. I have an on-going health issue that reared it’s ugly head at the beginning of 2021 and my doctors had warned that it might be a long road to conception. We had only been married a year and weren’t in any hurry…plus, we truly believed that God would give us the family we needed in the way and timing that was best. We loved the life we currently led with just the two of us, so we just lived our normal lives for a few months, knowing that we could get pregnant, while also knowing that it could never happen for us.

One really rainy Monday, I took a pregnancy test for reasons that you might expect, but strange as it sounds, I really thought it would be negative. In fact, I would’ve bet money on it. You see, that pesky ongoing health issue was not exactly under control…and, if I’m being totally honest, I also have this other pesky condition that is more of an emotional problem: I truly believe good things won’t come to me because I’m not worthy of them. I know, that’s deep and dark and not at all true, but I constantly struggle to believe God will give me good gifts. I just assumed pregnancy wouldn’t go my way.

But wouldn’t you know, I picked up that pregnancy test after the allotted three minutes and there were two pink lines.

It’s sappy, but my first response was tears of joy and gratitude. I just kept saying “thank you” out loud, knowing that God had given us a gift—one I knew I didn’t deserve (re: my ongoing feeling that God withholds me good things due to my sin), and yet, He gives and gives and gives. I truly couldn’t believe it.

Also, one cool thing about when we found out: the 22nd has become “our lucky day,” due to the following:

Our first date was on June 22, 2018
We were married on February 22, 2020
We found out we were expecting on March 22, 2021

Hooray for the 22nd and the reminder of God’s kindness to us that it continually brings!

How did you tell Creighton?

Well, weird as it may sound, Creighton was NOT the first person I told. I knew he had a busy work day, so I instead immediately texted my best friend Bailey (I think I needed another human being to verify that my eyes did not deceive me in that moment.). Bailey is such a celebrator of people and also had some recent experience with pregnancy, so I definitely picked the right mama to call. One of her texts really stuck with me…she said, “Kat, you have a little soul in you right now.” Isn’t that cool? She also encouraged me to tell Creighton in a fun, creative way, so here’s what I did…

I already had on the docket that day to buy some baby books for a friend’s shower, so I went to Barnes and Nobels and grabbed some, along with an additional book called, “Becoming a First Time Dad for Dummies.” My plan was to have the books on the counter when Creighton got home from work and tell him to check out the things I bought for our pal, Michelle. I knew he’d question why I got the Dads for Dummies book and that’s when I’d whip out the positive pregnancy tests (yes, “tests.” I took no less than THREE just to make sure they all had the same answer, HA.). But when Creighton got home, he sweetly came over, gave me a hug, and jokingly said, “You’re so pretty, I could marry you.” I seized the opportunity and said, “Am I so pretty you could have a baby with me?” He didn’t get it and just said “of course,” but when I showed him the positive tests conveniently hanging out in my back pocket, he immediately understood and a giant grin filled his face. I later gave him the Dads for Dummies book even though it didn’t become part of the actual baby reveal…and I immediately regretted that gift because he’s used the first line against me so many times. It says: “Don’t let your partner tell you differently: Pregnancy is hard on dads too.” EYE ROLL, AM I RIGHT?

Right after I told Creighton…celebratory Chinese food in the background, naturally.

Do you know the gender?

Boy

When are you due?

We will have a little Thanksgiving baby—due November 24th. Hence his nickname: Turkey.

Have y’all picked a name?

I think so, but we haven’t 100% committed. I have had a list of much-loved baby names on my phone since I was in college, but turns out actually naming a baby is harder than one would think.

Weird food aversions?

Only during first trimester: I couldn’t stand the taste/smell of peanut butter, turkey, or mints.

Food cravings?

I don’t think I’ve had any. I eat about the same as always (just much, much more).

Strangest part of pregnancy?

Heightened senses all around. It’s very bizarre. I was deep in my first trimester during the peak of spring, and I swear there was a day in early April when I walked outside and it smelled like I was walking past a bakery. The air smelled so sweet that it was overwhelming, but Creighton promised me it smelled normal…I think I could just strongly smell the blooming flowers. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. Another time, I was on a walk and passed a pizza delivery man. I don’t know what possessed me to say this, but I asked him, “Is that a BBQ Chicken pizza.” The guy laughed and said, “good nose.” The heightened smell has pretty much subsided, but I do feel like I’m still more sensitive to smells, taste, noise, and touch even today at 25 weeks pregnant.

Did you have a feeling it would be a boy?

No! I 100% thought the baby would be a girl. I have no idea why…maybe because I grew up with all sisters and that’s all I’ve ever known? BUT, here’s a funny/weird thing. During my first trimester, I had probably 3-5 dreams about the baby and in the dreams the baby was always a boy…and always named Charlie. Weird, right? Now, I don’t think Charlie will be our boy name (though, it was a contender!), but I can’t help but wonder if the subconscious self can determine gender before it’s even proved. Who knows, probably not. Though, two of my girlfriends with multiple kids have confirmed that they’ve always had dreams that aligned with the gender of their children before actually knowing the baby’s sex. Pretty interesting, huh?

Best moment in pregnancy?

Finding out
Telling Creighton
Seeing the baby’s sonograms…especially the most recent one! See below!

Scariest moment in pregnancy?

We almost miscarried at 9 weeks. It all ended up being ok, but we definitely had a rocky few weeks.

Second trimester symptoms?

Second tri is SO much easier than first trimester (see ya never, nausea). But about week 21 I started to feel a little more “pregnant.” Here’s what I mean…

Heartburn (coconut water helps so much)
Back pain
Trouble sleeping
Constant urination
Fatigue is coming back (which for a go-getter like me, is just plain annoying)

Movement?

Yes! About week 21-22 I started to feel daily kicks.

Weight gain?

I would normally NOT talk about my weight gain on this blog, but I figured if I were the reader/had never had a baby before, I’d want to know! So, Yes to weight gain…so far about 15 lbs (I’m 25 weeks for reference). I feel pretty good about it, but my outfit choices are starting to be limited.

Prayer for the baby?

Creighton and I pray for the baby every night. My main prayer is that he would grow into a kind, humble man who loves Jesus and others well.

………………………………………..

Phew! That was a long one. Thanks for caring enough to read.

KAT
Currently listening to “Strawberries” by CAAMP

Master Remodel.

February 16, 2021February 16, 2021 ~ katdryden ~ Leave a comment

We finally finished our master bedroom remodel, and may I just applaud professional home flippers because they must be the most patient humans alive.

It was a journey, but we couldn’t be happier with the outcome. Before we go into a full explanation of the project, a little background…

Our home was a 4 bed, 2 bath upon purchase. And though 99% of the time it’s a bad idea to remove a bedroom, we decided to do it. For one, most of the homes on our street are 3 beds/2 baths or 2 beds/2 baths, so it wouldn’t be a terribly unwise move to eliminate the fourth bedroom based on the comps. Also, two of the four rooms were tiny and we really loved the idea of having a true master suite in this home.
Another thing to know: all of the bedrooms were initially off of a really long hallway (seen below). This presented a small problem…If a baby ever graced our household, we would’ve had to walk all the way to the end of the hallway on creaky wood floors just to get to our room. Rumor is that babies are sensitive sleepers, so creating a separate entrance to the master suite was a must. Thus, we moved the entrance of the master suite to the living room.
We fall in the category of people with a laundry closet, and said closet also landed at the end of the long, creaky hallway. When we combined bedroom #3 and #4 to make a master suite, the laundry area would have kept us from having a roomy walk-in closet, so it had to move. Because of these factors, we moved the laundry closet to the entrance of our new master suite.

Clear as mud? Pictures will help…

HALL // BEFORE AND AFTER

Original hallway that led to the four bedrooms, one bathroom, and the laundry closet (on far right).

A more up-close look at our old Laundry Closet. No need for me to expound much here; it obviously was not a pretty sight.

Demolished hallway. Now, the hallway only includes two bedrooms and a bathroom…oh! and a fun, little addition…

A linen closet! We were barely able to sneak one in, but we are so thankful for the extra space. If you’re not impressed while reading this, you probably live in a newer home than we do. Let me tell you: homes from the 1950s have very little closet space. Even this infant sized closet brought tidings of great joy to our household.

The shortened hallway. Still looks a little long, but I promise it’s a much shorter, less creaky trek.

NEW MASTER SUITE ENTRANCE AND NEW LAUNDRY CLOSET HALL // BEFORE AND AFTER

The picture below is not great, but it’s the only one I could find with the original built in bookcase. Yes, that charming little bookcase unfortunately got the boot, but for good purpose—it became the new entrance to our master suite.

Bye bookshelf; Hello new entrance to our master suite

There you go! New entry to the master suite complete.

If you walk inside the new master suite entrance, you’ll first be welcomed by a tiny hallway (with doors on both ends) that houses the new laundry closet. Though we would’ve loved a full laundry room, that was just not possible with this house (but at least this new laundry closet is a bit of an upgrade!).

Our washer/dryer basically had to make a 180 and move up a few feet. Sounds like a simple project, right? Surprisingly, it was one of the most time intensive parts of this remodel. A whole breaker panel had to move, along with so many pipes, etc. It took a good, long while (and a pretty penny), but the new location of the laundry closet is much more practical, so we are happy folk.

MASTER BEDROOM + CLOSET // BEFORE AND AFTER

The pictures below will make this part of the remodel look much smaller, simpler, and faster than it actually was. In all honesty, Creighton did the initial merging of rooms as soon as he bought the house three years ago, but it wasn’t until this past summer that we finally tackled the rest of the project (trim, bookcase, closet, bathroom, entrance change, laundry closet, etc.). We still have a ways to go when it comes to decorating, but it’s getting there!

This was the other bedroom that was combined with the original master to create our suite.

Flash forward to this summer. I’ll spare you the demo pictures and jump straight to the framed project.

Voila. A finished project. To help with perspective, the door to the left leads into the small hallway/laundry closet, the door in the middle is our master closet (see more pictures below), and the door to the far right is the master bathroom.

MASTER BATHROOM // BEFORE AND AFTER

This master bath was quite petite when we got our hands on it. We knew that we’d never be able to have a huge master bath, but our hope was to make it feel light and airy by extending the shower and sink out a bit.

We wanted a double vanity and rewrote the plans many, many times to try to get it to work, but alas…it just did not work with our space. That being said, we actually love our new vanity—one sink and all. We added a mirrored wall above the vanity (instead of a decorative framed mirror) to create the illusion of a larger space and to allow two people to get ready at once without fighting for the mirror.

I was certain I knew the exact finishes I wanted for the master bath—French blue penny tile, white cabinets, and marble-toned quartz countertops. But when we went to buy the tile, the white penny tiles were a whopping $10 less per sq/ft than the blue. My love for a good deal won out, and I’m honestly so glad it did. With the switch to white tiles, we decided to bring color to the vanity instead and settled on this greenish shade called Mizzle by Farrow and Ball.

There you have it! A long project (and a long blog post), but I do hope you enjoyed. Thanks for following along.

KAT
Currently listening to “Singin’ In The Rain” by Gene Kelly

Weekly Rundown.

July 31, 2020August 2, 2020 ~ katdryden ~ Leave a comment

A lovely Friday to you!

Covid has obviously not cramped Princess Beatrice’s style at all. Who needs thousands of wedding guests when you can have thousands of flowers? Still daydreaming about this pretty scene.

For those in need of a fool-proof summer recipe, look no further than this: turky + feta meatballs with lemon orzo salad (c/o Hello Adams Family Blog). It’s easy, summer-y, and consistently good. Honestly, I’ve never been much of a meatball fan, but I do like these (and Creighton says these are top-notch, while still feeling light). What really gets me is the lemon orzo salad. If dinner parties were a thing in 2020, I’d be making a side of that all the time!

2. Creighton sent this article from Apartment Therapy my way last week, and it’s too cool a story not to share. The article features the home of a woman who has a rare disease called Grapheme-Color Synesthesia, or in other words, her “brain “sees” letters and numbers as having specific colors.” So, her brain associates specific colors with words. For example, here are some color schemes associated with the words that best correlate to each room in her house…

Check out the article to see how the homeowner decorated each room of her house with colors that “meant something.” My favorite of her rooms was the sweet little sunroom below.

3. My beloved sister Sarah is moving home to Texas after an 8 year detour in Birmingham, Alabama. She’s set to arrive in her new home of Austin tomorrow, and believe me when I say that I’ve been counting down the days. Here’s to you and your new adventure, Sarah!

4. I’ve worn this cute new headband every day this week. How much do I love it? Let me count the ways: it is not too big or bulky; it covers quarantine hair; and it looks like the Mi Golondrina ones that fancy girls wear, but it’s cheaper. win, win, win.

5. This last Sunday night, we experienced the most beautiful, full double-rainbow while grabbing some ice cream at Andy’s frozen custard. Just a small, but timely reminder of hope.

KAT
Currently listening to “Seven” by T-Swift

Weekly Rundown.

July 17, 2020July 17, 2020 ~ katdryden ~ Leave a comment

It’s Friday, friends! Here are some highlights from this week…

It’s no secret that the band formally known as The Dixie Chicks has been a love of mine since the single-digit years of my life. Well, the girls are back with their brand spankin’ new album “Gaslighter,” and I’m here to tell you it’s good. Even if you’re not a fan of country music, you should give it a listen. The song “My Best Friend’s Weddings” is so sad and wonderful all at the same time.

2. A few weeks back I took a stroll around my favorite Marshall’s in Dallas (which also happens to be sketchy as heck) and found these whitewashed wicker ottomans for only $50. I love a good deal, so they made their way back to the Dryden home (though I still haven’t decided if I’m keeping them for good). Currently they’re living at the end of our bed, but I think they’d be cute under an acrylic console table too.

3. It’s been a minute since I’ve loved anything I’ve read, but I am definitely intrigued by “The Guest List,” a thriller written from five different perspectives. Only 30 pages in, but so far I’m hooked. That Reese Witherspoon really knows what she’s doing, huh?

4. Not much else is going on here in Dallas, Texas. Our city’s Covid numbers are shamefully high, so Creighton and I are hanging at home a lot and enjoying time together. It’s such a funny season of life (and let’s be honest: we’re talking “strange funny,” not “haha funny”), but I keep seeing glimpses of God’s loving kindness and faithfulness during this time. I am confident that He is loving us well through this.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble, but take heart; I have overcome the world.”
-John 16:33

These are the glory days, folks!

KAT
Currently listening to “My Best Friend’s Weddings” by The Chicks

And So, We Go.

July 16, 2020 ~ katdryden ~ Leave a comment

Below is a devotional I wrote to coordinate with this sermon from Park Cities Presbyterian Church. The article is a part of their “Every Thought Captive” weekly devo, which you can subscribe to here. Enjoy.

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Today my boss at PCPC asked me to answer the following prompt: What would you ask God about, concerning youth ministry, if you knew He would answer you immediately?

My honest answer was: “How, Lord?”

How do we reach students with the Gospel when we can’t meet them through Sunday school or youth events?
How do we disciple students when we can’t meet in person for Bible studies?
How do we send students into the world when it’s not safe to go anywhere?

Perhaps you can relate to such “how” questions in your life or personal areas of ministry as well.

It is not that God has not left us without any guidance. We know many things to be true:

As Pastor Mark said on Sunday, we know that our nature and mission does not change with our circumstances.
We know that wilderness seasons are a part of God’s glorious design.
We have learned to trust Scripture and the Holy Spirit’s guiding as we navigate uncertainty.

And yet in our sinful flesh, we still may not be satisfied. We desire to know the “hows” behind our mission as His followers. And those holes in our understanding can lead to doubt, frustration, and apathy (this one is especially prevalent for me).

So, how do we face our unchanging mission when we don’t understand the “hows” that accompany our situation?

The words from our closing hymn on Sunday brought a lot of comfort to me:

Facing a task unfinished
That drives us to our knees
A need that, undiminished
Rebukes our slothful ease
We, who rejoice to know Thee
Renew before Thy throne
The solemn pledge we owe Thee
To go and make Thee known

We first go to our knees in prayer, and in those moments, our faith that God knows the answer to all of our “hows” is renewed. And so, we go—praying for faithfulness this day as we face the many uncertainties in our lives. God’s Spirit and Word will lead.

KAT
(Currently listening to “Facing A Task Unfinished” by Getty Music)