Birmingham Baby Shower

The Cox girls hosted a baby shower for me on July 18 in Birmingham. Thank you Alice, Alice Broughton, and Dorsey for the beautiful shower and the chance to get together with my girl friends in Birmingham. Everything was wonderful and more than I could ask for.



It is hard to believe Hyde and I have been in Natchez 6 months aready and that Jane will be here in less than 6 weeks!

Jane: 5lb 2oz and six weeks to go.

Here is Baby Jane at the beginning of 34 weeks and weighing in at 5lb 2 oz.  She's as camera shy as ever.  She's got her hands up on the right side of the picture so it is a little blurry, but she's a Sturdivant for sure - look at those cheeks! We were also able to see the four chambers of her heart and 2 kidneys. All other organs and fluids were looking good as well. 

Namaste

Today was my last day of instructing yoga at Mainstream Fitness in Natchez. I will miss seeing everyone on Monday and Wednesday mornings, but I will enjoy being able to sleep in past 6am! I have had a great time teaching yoga and look forward to returning after Jane arrives.

Windsor Ruins

Hyde and I actually spent a weekend in Natchez! We had a wonderful weekend relaxing and visiting local ruins, Indian mounds, and historic churches. The weekend started by having dinner with Katherine and Lindsey Callon at The Castle on Friday night. Saturday morning, we had breakfast at Oak Hill Bed & Breakfast. Doug and Donald surprised us with eggs benedict, cheese crepe with raspberry toppings, fresh fruit and homemade blueberry muffins. After the house tour, we took an hour nap! We spent some of the afternoon cooling off in the pool at Hawthorne and just being able to enjoy some time together (of course, Miss Mags too). We also were able to tour the Windsor Ruins (pictures below), drive through Alcorn State University (Steve "Air" McNair's alma mater), ride along the Natchez Trace, and visit the Bethel Presbyterian Church and Emerald Indian Mound.

A Mississippi treasure, built in 1859-61. The original owner,Smith Daniell, only lived in the large mansion for a few weeks before he died. The Windsor plantation once covered over 2,600 acres.

It was built for only $175,000 (not a small sum at the time), which included the building cost and its furnishings. Tanks in the attic supplied water for the interior baths. The mansion contained twenty-five rooms with twenty-five fireplaces, with a basement containing a school room, dairy, and supply rooms. From the roof observatory, signal equipment was used to signal Confederate troops of Yankee advances. The height of each column is 30 feet.

A Yankee soldier was shot in the front doorway of the home. Given that the mansion was used as a Union hospital and observation post during the Civil War, this is the most likely reasons that it was spared from being burned by the Union troops at the time. The drawing above was made by a Union soldier while traveling through the Windsor area during the Civil War. It is the only known depiction of what Windsor actually looked like complete.

After the Civil War, Windsor burned, during a house party on February 17, 1890, after a guest left a lighted cigar on the upper balcony. The wrought iron staircase is now a part of nearby Alcorn State University.

Week 31: July 4-10

Another picture of the growing belly...

Happy 1st "Barf"day, Miss Mags!

Yes, I had a birthday party in honor of our little brown dog turning one. Her actual birthday is July 5, but we celebrated with "cat"fish, hush"puppies, hot dogs, and dog bone shaped cookies, and "paw"lines and cream ice cream. Ha! This was a trial run for all the themed birthday parties to come.
We had a great time having friends over and cooking out. In honor of the occasion, Hyde and the boys bought a brand new 3 eye, outdoor, Bayou Classic cook stand.
Happy Birthday Miss Mags!