Friday, July 29, 2011

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

What I'm loving Wednesday

Link up with Jamie at This Kind of Love
I'm loving...

Wall Decals. My wonderful mother-in-law just ordered a decal of this quote for our baby's room... I can't wait to put it up! It looks just like this:

Except our nursery walls are a cloudy blue and we have a white crib. That's right. There's a crib in my house. I try not to hyperventilate when I walk past it. Having baby things in our home is normal. Everything will be fine. The crib won't jinx anything. Everything will be fine. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I'm loving...

"Rise Above" by Reeve Carney w/ Bono and the Edge. Heard this song on the radio.... I love Bono, and I am just digging this song for some reason, even if it's technically from a new Broadway musical that I have no interest in seeing...



I'm loving.... lemons. I mentioned this on Monday, but I would be lying if I said I didn't dream about them. Weird thing though? Lemon-flavored candies and cakes are gross. I need the actual lemon juice (or artificial lemon extract from the fake plastic lemon). So weird!
Mmmmmmmmmm......lemony goodness.





 I'm loving....

that we're only 5 days away from The Bachelorette season finale. Who will Ashley choose!?!?

Will it be cutie patootie Ben, who owns his own winery and has a goofy, endearing sense of humor?
Or will it be Hottie McHotHot JP, who has the most adorable smile and looks great in blue shirts?
Presh.
I've already read who allegedly "wins" (thank you Reality Steve) but it's still fun to watch. This show is my favorite summer guilty pleasure, and I'll be sad when it's over!

I'm loving.... the Olive Garden leftovers I have for lunch. Chicken Scampi and a bread stick. YUMMO!

And of course.... I'm loving that we get to see our nugget on Friday. 49 hours to go!!!!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Fun with Old Wive's Tales

Friday is the big day - we'll find out for sure if our little one will be a little dude or dudette. We got a "95% guess" at our last ultrasound, but as most of you know, I don't really trust statistics anymore because I've been on that "less than 1%" side before. Stats are not my friend.

As long as little one is healthy and thriving, I am so excited to find out for sure. Last time, we decided not to find out the gender until we had the baby, and I only found out I was having a son after we knew we wouldn't get to keep him. This time, we knew we wouldn't want ANY surprises; we wanted to know everything we could know, as soon as we could know it. Thankfully, my doctor has been incredible and has really helped to allay my fears and anxiety with lots and lots of reassurance that our nugget is doing perfectly.

So to help keep my mind off the fact that I have to wait 4 more days until we get to see baby again, I decided to have some fun with all of these Old Wive's Tales I've read over the last few months. I don't take stock in any of them, and you'll see why. However, I thought it would be fun to tabulate and see which one comes out on top.... boy or girl. Annnnnd, here we go!

YE OLD WIVE'S TALES
Numerical Significance
Take your age when you got pregnant and add that to the month you are due to determine boy or girl. An even number means you are having a girl and an odd number means you are having a boy.

So 26 + 12 = 38 = Even number = GIRL

Cravings
Craving citrus = GIRL
Craving meat = BOY

I have been noshing on fruit like it was going out of style. I kid yoyu not, sometimes when I need a spritz of citrus and there's no fruit in the house, I take that plastic lemon juice extract out of the fridge and drink some. So gross.

Meat has been completely unappealing, except for homemade hamburger sliders, which I feel I could eat every day. So I guess for this one, I'd vote girl.

Craving sweet = GIRL
Craving sour = BOY

Now this one is the total opposite. With Jack, I ate a bowl of cream almost every single day. With this nugget, I have not been able to stomach sweets of any kind. Ice cream, which used to be my favorite food, is so sickly sweet to me that I want to vomit. Which hasn't stopped me from having it a few times, and it never goes well. Baby wins. But like I mentioned above, I have been craving lemons, so for this craving, I'd say definitely boy.

Heartrate
Over 140 = GIRL
Less than 140 = BOY

To help with my anxiety, I got a fetal heart doppler machine on eBay, and it was by far the greatest pregnancy purchase of all time. From about 8.5 weeks onward, I was able to pick up the beautiful sound of our baby's heartbeat, and it never gets old. And even though I can feel him/her moving now, sometimes I listen to it just to make me feel better. It's always in the 160 range. But so was Jack's, and he was a boy. But for the purpose of the OWT, girl wins.

Skin
Clear & glowing= BOY
Not so clear and not so glowing = GIRL

I definitely don't think I'm glowing, but my skin looks better than normal (to me at least) so I vote boy.

How you carrying, fool?
Carrying high = GIRL
Carrying low = BOY

I can't really tell, but if I had to pick one I'd say low. What do you think??
In the work bathroom, pondering my bumpal position
Appearance
Have you gotten uglier? = GIRL
Looking better than ever? = BOY

Um, I can't really answer that. What a rude question. Tie.

Morning sickness. 
Mildly sick/Feeling good = BOY
Feeling sick/very sick/sick for a long time = GIRL

Girl all the way here. With Jack, I was sick in the beginning, but it was gone completely by 10 weeks. With this nugget, my morning sickness lasted until 16 weeks, and I still feel sick occasionally now, especially if I eat something that baby doesn't agree with. Don't even ask me about the rotten asparagus incident.

Weight Gain 
all around = GIRL
all in the front all belly = BOY

Ok, don't judge me... I haven't gained any weight yet. I blame this on being really sick the first 3.5 months, and I had a little extra weight from my last pregnancy to start out with. I promise I am eating healthy, and my belly is obviously growing just fine! As long as baby is getting what he/she needs, I don't care how much or little I gain. Boy wins here.

Dreams
Dream of a boy = BOY
Dream of a girl = GIRL

I've had one boy dream, and two girl dreams. So majority rules on this one.

Wedding ring on a string
Back and forth = BOY
Circle = GIRL

Two times in a circle, one time back and forth. Me and Jon are thorough in our investigations. Again, majority rules.

Baby Center = BOY
Babygenderprediction.com = GIRL
TheBump.com = BOY
Chinesefortunecalendar.com = BOY
Labor of Love = GIRL
Baby2see.com = GIRL

GIRL = 10
BOY = 7


Girl might win on the Old Wive's Tale showdown, but I won't be convinced until the doctor says "Your healthy baby is a ....... " Until then, these pins and needles I'm sitting on are getting kinda uncomfortable.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Have you ever had a dream like this??



Why yes, yes I have.

What I love most about this video is at the very end, he's so proud of himself. That smile totally says:  "NAILED IT!"

Hahahahahahahahaha.

Happy Friday everyone!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Happy Birthday to my BFF!

Today shall henceforth be known as "Soul Friend" day.

You've heard term "soulmate" before. This is typically our partner, the one we choose to marry, the one we can't live without, etc.

But a soul friend, you see, is the friend that, just like with your soul mate, you know will ALWAYS be in your life. There's no wondering "Will I still be friends with that person 10 years from now?" No. With this person, you plan family vacations 5 years in advance, because you know without a doubt no matter where life takes you, you will still be friends, and you'll have a kick-ass time on that trip.

To me, that person is my BFF Jess.

We met in college (where some of the most awesome friendships form) when we worked together at the same campus job. For a little while, we rarely worked together, but were always nice to each other and I always thought she was a cool girl. She was also very tall, which made me respect her that much more :)

It wasn't until we were assigned the same Wednesday morning 8:45am to 12:00 pm shift that we realized how much we had in common. Instead of "working" we would walk around the facility and laugh at random stories and talk about how random our lives were. (They still are, BTW).
I also learned very quickly that this was a person I would always get along with. It's rare, but there are people who you just never tire of. I learned this even more during the summer of 2004. I had just broken up with my boyfriend, and was really upset. Jess saw how heartbroken I was and said "Let's take a road trip to DC and visit my family." Just like that. Even though we had barely been friends for a year, she wanted me to relax and forget about my heartbreak. So 2 days later, we were packed in the car, and embarked on one of the best road trips ever. It was exactly what I needed, and it solidified our friendship. I had never laughed so much in my entire life, during a week when I thought I would never be happy again. (Oh how monumental college break-ups seem at the time). To this day we still joke that the whole reason I was with that person was just so that we could take that trip and become best friends. Totally worth it.

Our truest test of friendship?? We lived together our senior year of college, and we LOVED it. Many times, living with a friend can ruin a friendship, but it only made ours that much stronger. We still have countless inside jokes and awesome memories from that time.

One of the things I love most about my BFF is her compassion for the people she cares about. I have been through some tough, tough stuff over the last few years. She is always there, unfailing in her support and advice. She always says the right thing, and is helpful without being overbearing. I feel like I owe her so much for everything she's given me, but I hope I can someday repay her for becoming one of the most important people in my life. (I have already promised her 10% of my winnings once I hit the Super Mega Lotto Jackpot, but I don't think even that would be enough).

Happy Birthday Friend. Here's to the next 28 years of friendship and more! :)

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

What I'm loving Wednesday...

Here's what I'm loving this week...

Link up with Jamie at This Kind of Love

I'm loving.... that one of my besties, Holly, scored us free passes to see "The Help" tonight. It's an amazing book, so I'm stoked to go see it. Check out the trailer!


I'm loving.... sliders! I made some for dinner last night, and baby Fry LOVED them. I felt lots of movement and some nice big kicks, and now I want to eat them everyday so he/she will keep kicking with obvious delight at mommy's food choices. I haven't really been able to stomach meat very well this pregnancy, but for some reason mini burgers hit the spot!

Speaking of food, I'm loving this Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese recipe. We made it for dinner on Sunday, and I may or may not have eaten it 4 more times since then. It's delish!

I'm loving.... zulily.com. We're trying not to buy too many baby things yet until we know for sure what we're having, but this website has SO many adorable baby room decor items and precious little outfits. My heart melts every time I visit.

I'm loving... that we have Book Club tomorrow. Yes, I'm in a Book Club, and it is awesome. I'd say about 90-95% of the time we spend is actually not talking about the book we've read, but I love getting together with these girls and having some laughs. This month we read Tina Fey's Bossypants. Well, truth time, Jon and I listened to it on our road trip, but it was read by Tina Fey herself and I almost peed my pants a few times. She is SO SO SO funny and awkward.... I feel like we could be related.

Best/worst book cover ever
And lastly ***Cheesiness alert*** I'm loving...  my amazing husband, and how sweet he is with our growing bundle of joy. He never forgets to give both me and the baby a good morning and goodnight kiss, and I love that he talks to my belly all the time - it makes me fall in love all over every day. I have no doubt that our little one will think they've hit the parental lottery when he/she meets their daddy :) *** End cheese***

Monday, July 18, 2011

Priorities

Last night, Jon was eating some Doritos on the couch. They looked great. But I wasn't very hungry.

I left the room to go do the dishes.

When I came back, I saw that he had closed the bag, but there was one Dorito laying on the coffee table. "Why didn't you eat that Dorito??" I asked.

"Because it fell onto the carpet and I was gonna throw it away" he said.

I stared at said Dorito for a solid minute. I swear, the little bastard was enticing me. I felt sorry for it. With it's bright orange nacho cheesiness... I couldn't just leave it there. That would be abandonment.

So I ever so casually picked up the Dorito and ate it. Instantly, I tasted the very distinct taste of our shag rug as I realized I ate a piece of carpet fuzz, along with my Dorito. I coughed and coughed, drank a full glass of water, and watched as Jon looked at me with "I told you so" eyes. I brushed off my pants, stood up, and promptly left the room in embarrassment.

But hey, at least I didn't waste food.

PRIORITIES people. Priorities.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Cell phone mustache


*If seeing baby bumps grosses you out, you may want to skip over my blog for the next 5 months*

I love documenting all of the little moments of pregnancy, and the grandmas who both live 2 hours away like seeing their grandbaby growing away. So here we are, 17 weeks of belly love and growing every day!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

What I'm loving Wednesday...

My first edition of this blog favorite. "What I'm Loving Wednesday" is popular in the blog world, and it's a great way to remind yourself of all the fun things in your life during a time when most people are feeling a mid-week slump. So here's my edition!


I'm loving..... Pawn Stars and Hardcore Pawn. I jsut diccovered these two shows, and I am HOOKED. They are very different in their formats, but the concept is basically the same.

I love Pawn Stars because the viewer gets to see all of these amazing and unique collectible items and learn the history behind them. And since I'm a history nerd, I practically salivate when I watch it. I am praying there's a marathon on this weekend because my Sunday is totally empty and screaming for some pawn action.


Hardcore Pawn I like because it's reality TV at its best/worst. If you've ever worked in retail, then you appreciate the fact that the owners of this shop have no problem dropping f-bombs on their customers when they get sassy. It's hysterical! Kind of sad, but hysterical.

I'm loving..... Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt.


If we're friends on FB, you may have stumbled upon my new addiction. It's a self-serve frozen yogurt shop that lets you pay by the ounce. Brilliant! They have 30 rotating flavors of lowfat or nonfat frozen yogurt, plus a topping bar that has literally every.single.topping you could ever imagine. When my friend Holly took me there last week for the first time, I made a "sundae" that was so good I almost cried. I'm not kidding. I have been  back there 3 times in the past 6 days. I am probably gong today. I am okay with this. (Update: I went at 1:15pm. It was glorious).

I'm loving..... Elliot Scott!

One of my besties Monica and her 18-month old son came to visit me yesterday, so I took a half day of work. This little guy could NOT be cuter if he tried. He melts my heart. He's just so happy and sweet and innocent, and I love having him as a "nephew". We took him to Orange Leaf yesterday and he loved that too. Check out this cuteness:

Seriously, it should be a crime to be so precious! Being around him and his amazing mommy reminds me how lucky I am to have such a great friend, and to have a healthy baby on the way. I loved joy in Elliot's eyes when he did, well, pretty much anything, and it's one of the things I'm looking forward to most about being a mommy. Seeing the world and all the "little things" from their perspective (e.g. squealing with joy when he comes across a giant plastic gorilla) will never get old.

I'm loving..... that today is a beautiful 82 degrees, as opposed to the 95 degree weather we've been getting. Don't get me wrong, I will take the sun over the cold any day, but 82 degrees is perfect!

I'm loving..... that I get to have lunch with two awesome girls today, Skye and Heather, who I haven't seen in weeks!
Lastly, I'm loving..... this adorable long-sleeved maternity top from Forever 21. It's $10, how could I not get it?? It looks so cozy and would be perfect for fall.
Forever 21

Monday, July 11, 2011

I love my friends, and my yoga baby

Whenever I head up to my hometown, it's usually only for 24 hours at a time, and I always feel rushed because there are so many people I want to see. I put about 250 miles on my car this weekend, but it was totally worth it... there is nothing better than seeing the people you love the most. Even though today is Monday, I still feel energized by such a great weekend.

I'm also smiling this morning because my little one must be going through a growth spurt. His/her little wiggles and flutters have turned into big kicks in the last two days. It is the most incredible feeling in the world. I'm happy our rainbow baby is doing so well, and it's impossible not to smile when he/she is tap-tap-tapping away in there.

This is what I imagine is going on in there:

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Caylee's Law

I normally don't give my personal opinions on hotly debated topics, but I just have to share this. Thinking about this precious little girl, and how no one will be held responsible just breaks my heart.

If you're interested, there's a petition you can sign to encourage the passage of a new law. The goal is to make it a felony for parents to refrain from reporting their child missing in a timely manner. Look it over.

http://www.change.org/petitions/create-caylees-law

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Bump Watch Twenty Eleven

a.k.a I think I need a new tanktop...

I had just woken up from a nap yesterday evening (what, lots of people take naps at 5:00pm!?) and I thought to myself: "Self, you know what you need?? CHIPOTLE." Splendid idea, I said.

So I change out of my PJs into clothes that looked less like PJs, including a favorite purple tanktop. Note that said tanktop fit perfectly one month ago. Warning, warning. Belly shirt forthcoming!
Please excuse bedhead and tired  nap eyes
BAM!! Now that is a baby bump. Where did that come from??? Sure, I'm looking rounder in the midsection these days, but I've been blaming it on pregnancy bloat (for those who have been pregnant before, you can vouch for this. It is a real thing, and it is FIERCE). But there's no denying it, there's a sweet little baby in there growing away. Love <3

You know what else I love??? Chipotle.

I decided against taking another post-Chipotle belly shot. I feel good about this decision. The end.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Friday Funny

I can't believe I've never noticed this before....

We bought our house about 3 years ago. It was built in 1912, and it's a brick farmhouse. It's home. I feel like one should know their home well, right??

Well imagine my surprise when I was locking the front door this morning, and I looked to my left, and I saw something written in the mortar between one of the bricks. At first glance I looked away and turned around, but then, desperate to know what the hidden message was, I turned back around. This is what the message said:


Bob. It says Bob. Someone named Bob christened our house by writing his name. I almost peed myself. Who has "Bob" written on their house??? THIS GIRL.

So now I'm all curious wondering, how long has "Bob" been there?? 3 years? 10 years? 60 years???? 100 years?!?!?! So far we've found lots of evidence that our house has been inhabited for 100 years. The door frame leading to the basement has a height chart that has dozens of names and height marks dating back to the 1970s. The ugly as sin layers of wallpaper I ripped out of the kitchen looked at LEAST 1960ish. And when Jon ripped down the plaster in the living room, we found newspapers from the 1950s stuffed into the walls (was that a 1950s version of insulation?? Because it did not work).

Well Bob, if you're out there... come clean up after yourself...it's rude. And awesome.