Wednesday, December 31, 2008

I Love the Smell of Dreft

Seriously, I do. At first it smelled weird to me, but now it smells so clean. Taking a look around the house here is where we stand...
Number of loads of laundry which need to be folded: 4
Height in feet of the dirty laundry in our closet: 3
Stacks of maternity clothes which need to be boxed up and put away: 5
Dishwasher waiting to be emptied: 1
Pounds of chili which needs to be eaten in the refrigerator or else I just wasted a crap load of food: 2
Number of dogs which need to be walked: 1
Thank you cards that are awaiting to be sent: 4
Christmas presents that are waiting to be put away: Too many to count
Number of garbage's to be emptied: 3
Bathrooms that need cleaning: 3
You get the picture. And in protest of doing anything house related we will be celebrating the New Year tonight with friends while I drink my first glass of bubbly in....well, about a year!

Happy New Year!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Happy Holidays

I can not believe Christmas has come and gone. Sonya had her first Christmas! It was so much fun opening up all of the fun toys and clothes she got. This year we got some good memories, in particular, when I hosted Christmas Eve and I made the worst lasagna ever by adding two cups extra of wine to the sauce. I have made the dish dozens of times but for some reason my breastfeeding brain was in full swing. Everyone was getting tanked just off the pasta and not their glasses of wine! I think I owe my family an apology. Here are some pics from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.





O Christmas tree...

Hubbs' brother and his girlfriend
My little gift!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Cutie Patootie

Here are some recent pics of Sonya around the house, I tried to capture her smiling but only got a half smile from her and from our Christmas party we went to last night.

Smiley Smilerson!



Seriously... can she be any cuter?
Next to the dessert table where I was nibbling on EVERYTHING!

Sonya with her cousin Ava who is 4 weeks older.




Thursday, December 18, 2008

Weighing In- Part 2

The female body truly is amazing. I never really realized this until I pushed out a 9 lb. 5 oz. baby out of my Hoo Ha 6 weeks ago. Being pregnant truly was awesome but labor itself, even more amazing. I know, it was so freaking painful I thought someone had started a fire in my abdomen and back, but it was still cool. But I am getting away from the point of this post (well, it's not really a point, but the Birth Story is a whole other post).

I gained 35 lbs. during pregnancy, perfectly normal for my pre-pregnancy weight. Towards the last couple of weeks I was getting very bloated and full of fluids. Once I got home from the hospital I had lost 20 lbs. A couple more days and 5 more were off and I have slowly but surely been losing the weight since. I weighed myself this a.m. and I am only three lbs. away from my pre-pregnancy weight which I figured was pretty much the same since my milk jug boobs have probably added 3 lbs. Anyhoo, I have not been dieting and probably am eating more now than when I was pregnant. I ate extremely healthy and rarely splurged on ice cream, etc. when preggers so maybe that had something to do with it.

So basically I am almost back to normal except for my hips which might be a bit wider now, which I am totally okay with. I also need to tone my abs too but have been kind of waiting (also using as an excuse) until I got the "go ahead" on exercise from my OBGYN at the 6 week post appt., which she now has done. So that is that! I am very lucky that I lost the weight so quickly. But I also was very diligent when pregnant not to eat whatever I wanted and really focused on healthy things. Plus I exercised which I know had something to do with it. Oh yeah, I believe breast feeding is a big part of it too since you are burning tons of calories.

So at my family's Christmas party this weekend I plan on celebrating the bounce back (in my pre-preggers jeans) by putting down the carrot sticks and drinking a glass of bubbly and nibbling on not just one or two stuffed mushrooms and cookies, but heck I might even get crazy and have three....or four.

Schedule Smedule

So everyone (mom's I know) have been asking me if Sonya is now on a schedule. She is barely 6 weeks old, is she supposed to be on a schedule? Anyhoo, from what I hear, apparently she is. She does have a pretty similar pattern/routine that she does each day, however it does vary. The biggest issue I am having for her is that she does not take lengthy naps during the day (at least an hour) when we are at home. She will only take long naps if I get her into the car seat carrier and go someplace. In that case she will sometimes sleep up to 4 hours!

I am reading the Baby Whisperer which has been recommended my many people. I think the premise is pretty reasonable but the no rocking before sleep and no eating before sleep rules are much tougher, especially when it seems like she will not calm down unless I rock or bounce her or feed her. I don't know. Today I have decided not to go anywhere just to see if I can start putting her down for actual nap times in her bassinet or crib. Hopefully I will be successful at least one time!

She does sleep through the night so I can't stress too much. Also, hubbs weighed her the other day. She is almost at 12 lbs.! Her 3 month sleepers are almost too short, I started buying 6 month clothes yesterday. What a little porker! I love her. Need to post pics but I can't figure out how to load photos from our new camera to the computer. Will have hubbs take care of that tonight!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Oh, yeah Work...

I brought Sonya into work today. It was good chatting with some of my coworkers and catching up for awhile. I also found out a couple of them are preggers now too, so we ended up talking pregnancy for a very long time. Little Sonya was dressed super warmly in her snuggly polar bear fleece, it snowed on the hills around here last night, which is pretty rare for these neck of the woods. She snoozed the entire time. I could tell some of my coworkers wanted to hold her, but I did not feel like policing them to wash their hands. I am anal about germs around her.

I was feeling a bit Betty Homemaker and came home and put a pot roast in the slow cooker. The recipe is from Paula Deen and is really good. Now I just need to greet hubbs at the door with a martini wearing my pearls and we'll be good to go.

I know, random post, but hey it's all I have in my head right now!

Monday, December 15, 2008

The Nights Must be Crazy

Sonya sleeps through the night. She has been since the first week. That means that I am very refreshed every morning. It also means I wake up with boobs the size of 10 lb. bowling balls about to explode. So since she sleeps so much at night, she does not like to get naps in during the day unless we go some place. Something about her car seat and she is just so comfortable. We will run errands and she will snooze and snooze. If I am at home all day she will only cat nap.

The evenings are always crazy. She seems to be much more hungry and only wants to eat. Hubbs and I take turns soothing her by bouncing or by me busting out the boob. I heard evening crankiness is common because your milk supply goes down through the day.

I have an ongoing list of things that I need to do in my head. Fold laundry, finish addressing Christmas cards, print up photos, wrap presents, pack up maternity clothes, make cookies, etc. Hubbs and I have decided it might be time to hire a housekeeper. We will start out at once a month and see how that is. That will not be the only time it is cleaned, we will clean in between, but it will be a nice break. Having a housekeeper seems so luxurious to me. I have never had one before.

I have decided to be much better at reading my blogs and posting better. Coming up with topics has been a challenge, not to mention eating a full meal. Off to bed.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Good Weekend

Since our last post Sonya has been much better about me putting her down for a nap throughout the day. She is a sleeper at night in her bassinet, it is during the day that she sometimes is only comfortable while snuggled on me. Which I do love.

She has been starting to smile, which is all gums and pudgy cheeks. I truly melt every time she does it. Every little coo, grunt and squeal I am soaking in because I know they grow so quickly!

This weekend we went out to a local Taqueria on Friday night with her and then went to a real restaurant on Sat night with a friend. She woke up and we fed her a bottle of pumped milk there. She was perfect. We even took her out to breakfast yesterday. We had lofty plans to walk around the lake but since it never got out of the 40's we decided it was probably not the best idea, even if she was super bundled up. Here are some pics from Thanksgiving, she was wearing her first dress!

On the couch digesting after the big meal.

My cousin's daughter and Sonya. Sonya's look says "Get me out of here!"

My cousin Amy, her daughter Anna, my mom and Sonya

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

How Long Does it Take to Decorate a Tree?

Yesterday was crazy. Sonya did not want to sleep at all. She would fall asleep after nursing and I would transfer her to either her crib, the bouncer, the swing or pack n'play and within two minutes she woke up. Each time she fell asleep I raced into the living room to try and put up at least a couple more ornaments on our tree. At this rate the tree might be finished by Christmas (actually I finished it last night, two days after getting it).

She loves to sleep on me or the hubbs. Last night Hubbs busted out the Baby Bjorn which she loved. He folded laundry as she just chilled in the little seat.

Today we are going to Target to do some Christmas shopping and spend money on the usual things. I also will be picking up our holiday photo cards. They are adorable. It is a picture of three of us on Thanksgiving.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, it already feels like it was ages ago. I ate as much as a horse with the excuse I am burning 500 extra calories due to breast feeding. Either way, that second piece of apple pie which I opted not to endulge in, probably would of been a bad idea. We visited both of our families that day. Always a bit crazy when we try to do that. Next year we are going to one or the other.

I have not read my regular blogs in ages. Still learning how to multi-task with a newborn. Did I mention I love being a mommy? I love being with our little pumpkin. She is the apple of our eyes!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Getting the Hang Of It

I am getting used to this being a mommy thing. Took me a little while to remember I have a child I need to care for and that I can't just run to the drugstore without orchestrating a game plan as to how I will do so with Sonya around her sleeping, eating and getting changed. I have made a couple of trips out of the house by myself so far. Once she gets into her car seat she either zones out or just falls asleep.

Either way, I am loving being a mommy. Even with the lack of sleep, sore boobs and inhaled meals in between 2 minute naps, I think I am getting the hang of it.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Sore Boobs and Being a Mommy

Okay, who forgot to tell me that your nipples get so freaking sore in the beginnings of breastfeeding? Seems like little Sonya is a little barracuda therefore each initial latch on is quite painful and causing strained facial expressions on my part. Oh well, the pain is worth it. I do think they are slowly beginning to get better.

Today is the first day on my own. Hubbs had to go to a couple of meetings so I am alone with the little peanut. So far, I have had a cup of coffee, breakfast and even squeezed in a magazine read, but still no shower. The shower can wait. I have changed about 15 ass-plosion diapers, this girl really knows how to drop bass!

Yesterday we ventured out to Target together. I just was not confident enough to go by myself with the little one. I keep on worrying that she will wake up mid-shopping demanding the boob. So the Hubbs came along to steer the cart and watch over little Sunshine. Hopefully within the next few days I will be okay with starting to run errands on my own.

Lucy and Patty don't know what to think about this new addition to the home. Lucy had sneaked in a couple sniffs and licks but for the most part, she is staying away. Patty is pretty butt hurt that someone else has taken her place as a snuggle partner. She will not even jump on the couch if we are on it. I hope she comes around soon as I do like snuggling with the kitty.

Another interesting thing about postpartum is the amount you sweat. I seriously break out in a sweat throughout the night and most of the time when I am breastfeeding. I think I have sweat my pregnancy weight away. Just shows how much fluid you retain.

I am working on Sonya's birth story but with my pace around here, it will not be up for a couple of days. In the meantime, I am going to go back to snuggling with my girl.

Monday, November 17, 2008

In Love

Words can not express how much I am in love with our little girl. She is so perfect and cute, I could stare at her all day long. Since being home, the days have flown by. Been trying to learn the ropes of this whole parenting thing. Now I know what lack of sleep really feels like, but it is so totally worth it. I love her so much.


Wednesday, November 12, 2008

She's Here!

Sonya Dixie arrived Friday November 11th at 9:55 p.m. She weighed 9 lbs. 5 oz. and is 20.5 inches long. She had some fluid in her lungs so she had to stay in the NICU for the first three days. We went home on Monday. It was such an emotional experience that I will go into later when I have more time! I am SOOOOO happy to be home with her and I love her so much. Hubbs and I are smitten!
















Thursday, November 6, 2008

Random Thoughts

First I would like to say how glad I am that the election is over. I was so tired of seeing all of those proposition ads on t.v., it was just getting to be too much. Especially in between watching The Office and Grey's Anatomy.

I am also happy and hopeful about our new president. This is a very moving moment and I am glad to say I took part in this history making election.

Hubbs woke up today with the nesting bug. He finished putting together the Rainforest Bouncer which I attempted at assembling the other day. Mid way through I realized that our child would be sitting on this and I did not want to be responsible for any chair collapse so I left it for the technical mind of the hubbs where I knew it would be put together securely.

Meanwhile I am trying to get all of the laundry finished so that when we get home from the hospital I won't have to go searching for a pair of clean socks. I'm determined to have the house super clean so that when I get home I will be comfortable. I also stocked our house with antibacterial soaps so I can make sure all visitors have snot free hands when they visit and want to hold the baby.

My mom will be staying with us for a week after the baby is born. She lives locally but it will be easier if she just stays with us to assist in late night wake ups if need be. She is the best cook in the world so I can not wait to have her busting out some Paula Deen style recipes for us.

I am so excited that tomorrow is the day! Hopefully I will be able to sleep tonight because I know my body will need to rest up!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

I Voted and An Update

Just voted, will be dropping off my ballot this morning. Whoo Hoo! Such an exciting election.

So went to the doctor yesterday. If this little one does not come naturally within the next couple of days, I will be induced on Friday morning. Since I am dilated 2-3 cm. and 75%-80% effaced, my doctor says I look good. I am tired of waiting, I want a safe birth and healthy baby! Until then, I guess I will continue my walking, eating spicy food, etc.

I will continue to fill my days with baking, movie watching and maybe even some shopping!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Pregnant

Yup, no action this weekend. Just the usual contractions here and there and ridiculous indigestion and running to the bathroom, but all in all, I am fine! Going to the doctor today to see what the next step is in getting this labor on the way.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Peeing my Pants

Thank you to Multi-Tasking Mama and Christy who pointed how out that maybe I have just been peeing my pants lately hence the reason for the amniotic fluid trips to the hospital. If that is the case I need to get me a plastic sheet on our bed! I am sure hubbs would love to hear I was possibly wetting the bed in the middle of the night, especially on our brand new mattress. Hey, at least it's warm, right?

He he, some pee slippage or not, I watched two movies today and did not even take a shower but did take two walks. Did a couple loads of laundry and fell asleep on the couch and woke up to Patty laying on my belly. She only wants to lay on my belly, which really is not that comfortable considering the amount of heartburn I still get. She must know that the baby is coming soon or something.

Tomorrow is the day. Supposed to go to my brother and sister in law's house to answer the door for trick or treaters while also hanging out with our nieces. As much as I love being around them, I am really hoping I will be in labor instead!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Two More Days...

Had another false alarm today. Thought I was leaking amniotic fluid, again. Was in and out of the hospital within an hour and 20. Starting to recognize the nurses by now and even know the drill when I get there. Anyhoo, having tons of contractions just none with pain and not close enough together. In the meantime, my father in law sent us a bassinet/cradle for next to our bed. Originally I was planning on the baby sleeping in the crib right away or using our pack n' play next to the bed. He saw that plan and said "hell no, you need a bassinet" so he sent us one. It is super cute and I think it will work out better.

Also, when I was at Target yesterday I picked up two blazers for $15 bucks each! They were on sale. One is dark plaid and the other is short sleeved black and tweed. Super cute! I am sure I looked funny trying them on with my big belly. People must of thought I was nuts.

Ummm.... just remembered I was going to make baked apples for dessert. Must do that before I fall asleep.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Coffee, Weather, and Shopping

How much am I loving the fact that all of the tasty holiday coffee creamers are now in stores? Right now I am drinking my decaf coffee with my Pumpkin Spice creamer, not exactly Startbuck's but a nice treat for these cool fall mornings.

Speaking of weather, we are finally supposed to get some rain this week. I am thrilled because I love cool weather. I love the first big rain of the season when the leaves are still falling and you can smell all of the chimneys in the neighborhood.

I can't help but notice how many freaking cute shoes are out this year. Especially boots. I am eyeing these bad boys right now. The sweater selection is also super large. I think I might need to pick up this and this.

Plans for today? You guessed it, off to Target to get detergent or something....

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Grumpy

I am just down right grumpy.

What am I grumpy about?

-That it was about a week ago that we were headed to the hospital thinking that "this is it!" and here we are still waiting.
-That it is Sunday night and NOTHING is on TV.
-That another week of hanging around the house is coming and I can not handle anymore t.v. watching.
-That it is still warm outside when it is almost November.
-That I can not seem to sleep good at night and wake up at all hours to either pee or get comfortable.
-I am grumpy about the fact that people keep calling to see if the baby has arrived. I know, they are just doing it because they care.
-I am grumpy about the way that I can't fit into shirts anymore without exposing a portion of my belly because it is so low.

I think it is rather apparent I am READY to go into labor and have the baby anytime. Seriously. Bring it on. I can do it!

Friday, October 24, 2008

A Housewife

I have officially completed three weeks of maternity leave with my due date in just one more week. Of course I would love an earlier arrival. The first week or two I filled my days with random things, washing baby clothes, baking, Target trips, grocery shopping, cleaning, etc. Now I simply am out of things to do. Granted, I am always cleaning, but my projects are mostly done (except for the picture organization project which just can not seem to motivate me). I just finished my book One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell (good, I recommend it). So now here I sit, a housewife. Clinging to the stories of hubbs daily happenings because they are much more interesting than the four A Baby Story episodes I watched and the two loads of laundry I ran.
At least the house will be ready when the baby does come!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

It's a Major Award!*


Stephanie gave me an award the other day but I have been eating too many things to cause heartburn to realize I needed to follow up on my duty as a recipient. Anyways, thanks Stephanie! I love your blog, you are always so calm and sweet!

Part of accepting the award is (I took the driections straight from Steph because I am lazy):
-displaying the award
-linking back to the person who gave it to you
-paying it forward & nominating 7 blogs
-adding links to those seven blogs
-leaving comments on their blog telling them you gave them an award
-enjoying the award

Besides Stephanie's blog, I throughoghly enjoy and nominate the following:

Cakerwakers: She is such a good writer and I love her dry sense of humor

Lost in Transation: Very relatable blog, I seem to have a bunch in common with this fashion savvy and real gal.

Multi-Tasking Mama: Just started reading this one and I love everything she has to say

Yellow Polka Dotted Slugs: Such a genuine and sweet girl, her posts always seem to warm me up

Just Jiff: Down to earth and real, this lady is tackling it all!

Kickyboots: Her stories about her two daughters always crack me up

Misguided Mommy: One of the blogs I have been reading the longest, always good for a nice laugh!

*Title taken from A Christmas Story for anyone who watches it on TNT for 24 hours starting on Christmas Eve. The BEST Christmas movie.


The Waiting Game

Okay, false start. Apparently I am in still in pre-labor or early labor. Lost the mucus plug/bloody show so that's a sign but my contractions have calmed down a bit, although still strong but painless. I have looked up every stinking symptom of labor in the book. Every slight cramp or feeling of indigestion has me wondering "is this it!!!???" I keep having some stupid idea that I won't know when labor is actually starting. Yeah, alright. Today I go see my doctor so maybe she can tell me if I am getting any freaking closer.


In the meantime I have eaten spicy food, pineapple, taken 19 walks (which Lucy is loving by the way), wolfed down pizza, massaged my pressure points, hanky panky and tried to stay as active as possible.


Also, hubbs made a new and exciting purchase. We got the Nikon D60 camera so now we can take fancy photos like some of you bloggers out there that are super talented and stuff. To test out the camera, we took a little nature walk around the neighborhood yesterday. Mid-photo shoot a 12 year old girl came riding by on her Vespa look alike mini bike and stopped and watched hubbs take photos. Kind of awkward. So here are some photos, 38 1/2 weeks!





So obviously we need to read the manual a bit more to check out all of the camera's features, plus maybe even take some classes. But still, the camera is cool.

Monday, October 20, 2008

It May be Starting....

Had contractions 5 minutes apart since last night. Not painful, just uncomfortable. Thought I was leaking amniotic fluid so we went to the hospital where they said I was not and I was only dilated to 2 cm. and barely 60% effaced. Now back home trying to move things a long. Going to go for a walk, eat some spicy food and pineapple. We'll see if that gets the real contractions going or not!

Friday, October 17, 2008

I Got it at Ross!

We bought a new bed last weekend. No more squishing into a Queen size any longer, nope we will now be sleeping peacefully and comfortably in our new Euro King size bed. Anyhoo, with buying a new bed comes the buying of the new bedding. Feeling like a bargain shopper I set out to Ross where I found a mattress pad, down comforter and hotel collection sheet set for a grand total of $107.00! Then at Macy's I found a duvet cover on sale and seriously discounted for $30! Now I just need to find a bed skirt and some shams. Unfortunately, everything is available in Cal King, not Euro King so that has been making things a bit more difficult. Oh well, at least I am saving money!

Oh yeah, I have two weeks (2) until my due date. Cra-zeee!!!!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Still Pregnant

Yep, still here. With my basketball belly in all of it's glory. Went to the doctor's yesterday and I was 1 centimeter dilated and 50% effaced. Still having tons of contractions so we'll see if our little one will want to make an early appearance!

Got into the nesting mode yesterday, finally. Started reorganizing the closet, cleaning out other closets and throwing out more things for Goodwill. I even whipped up a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies which were absolutely scrumptious, if I do say so myself.

The hospital bag is about packed. I still need to squeeze in a pedicure and use up a prenatal massage gift certificate. Gotta get my pampering in!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Kind of Nesting

So now that I am home I figured I would be a ball of fire organizing photo albums, alphabetizing my spice cupboard, making casseroles to freeze for later, etc. but in all actuality, all I have been doing is running damn errands. I think in one week I have made it to Target at least 3 times. Getting what? Oh, maybe some toothpaste, Corn Chex, curtain rod, Halloween candy and a sweater dress. Clearly items which required three trips.

I just don't have the drive to do the crazy nesting things I have been hearing pregnant women do prior to going into labor. I do have a couple of home projects to tackle this week and I did put out my Halloween/Harvest decorations, so that counts for something. Plus I have been doing endless loads of laundry, cleaning and made two loaves of pumpkin bread! I guess everyone is different. All I know is that no project can take that long where I miss lunch because I learned my lesson last week when I was shopping for a birthday present over the lunch time hour. I had to high tail it out of Macys because my hands were shaking and I knew my stomach needed food soon or else it would be me and McDonalds for a lunch date, which just was not going to fly.

In other news, Lucy has apparently discovered that our bed is the comfiest thing since the couches downstairs. She spends her days passed out on our bed, literally all day long. Hubbs put together the pack n' play this weekend as well as the stroller and infant car seat. Getting closer!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

My Niece

My niece arrived on Tuesday evening at 9 p.m. Her name is Ava Elizabeth. It was just Sunday that hubbs was telling Lisa to get ready for the baby because she was coming soon! Sure enough, she came 12 days early. She is such a doll. Lisa was great during the labor and delivery. I visited her yesterday right when they were introducing my other niece Leah to her new little sister. It was soo freaking cute. All she wanted to do was to just hold her "new baby sister!".

Being pregnant with my sister in law was really fun. She is only 2 weeks ahead of me so knowing that she has already given birth brings the reality that labor for me is just around the corner. Seeing the baby that was just in her tummy and that we talked about and shared stories about for the past 9 months hit me very strong. I am so excited for our baby to get here.

Meanwhile, I have been attempting to pack our hospital bag while shopping for a curtain rod for the cute nursery window valance, stocking up on any last minute baby necessities, purchased some post partum "comfy clothes" and two nursing bras, and gotten a facial. Next on the list, clean out my car and install infant car seat, put together pack n' play, bouncer, and monitor, shelves on nursery wall and clean the bathrooms. I imagine I will be completely done with my "to do" by the end of this weekend which will mean I will be prepared if our little one wants to come early too!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Day 2

Day 2 of maternity leave. Went to the OBGYN yesterday. Our baby is head down facing the right way and really low which is good. My sister in law Lisa lost her mucas plug yesterday. She is due on the 19th, but hubbs predicted today the day and at 8 a.m. I got a phone call she was having some pretty regular contractions. If the hubbs is correct that will be the second time he has called a birth day. Their first daughter, our niece, he predicted when she would be born as well and she was!

At the gas station the other day a young guy approached me saying that he and his girlfriend were taking a poll as to how far a long they thought I was. Apparently he thought I was 4 months a long and his girlfriend guessed 6 or 7 months (they had recently had a baby themselves). I was surprised by their rediculous guesses and laughed at their shocked facial expressions when I told them 9 months! I guess everyone shows differently.

I headed to Target on Saturday and was amazed at how busy it was. It was probably the busiest I had ever seen it, more than Christmas time. By looking at the mobs of shoppers, you would never guess our country is going through difficult financial times. Maybe they were just stocking up on Halloween candy.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Oh Fun!

It is my official first day of maternity leave. I am so happy. I keep thinking I need to rush around to get the house cleaned because I will be going back to work tomorrow but then I remember.... oh, wait, I don't have to! So far I have a doctor's appt. scheduled and various errands, not to mention picking up my new Blackberry since I dropped my other one in the the dog's water bowl on Thurs. night.


Yesterday we went over to my brother and sister in law's house for a BBQ with the family. I made "Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding" which was a hit. My cousin brought her three kids, so with them and my niece it was a bit crazy! Here is a shot of Lisa and me, notice all of the toys all over the place in the background!



Friday, October 3, 2008

Career Thinking

Today is my last day before I take off 5 months for maternity leave. My company is very generous when it comes to mommy and baby bonding so I am taking advantage of all they offer. A couple of fellow co-workers who are also preggers or just had a baby are coming back sooner after their babies are born. My theory is that you don't ever get back the time after the baby is born and rushing to get back to work is not worth it to me, although they have they reasons.

However, my company is about to make some organizational changes, plus I have been working on getting a promotion forever now (my company is generous with maternity leave, however, stingy with promotions) and I can't help but worry that I will be overlooked while I am out or that my time away will effect how long it will take to get my promotion once I return. I know these worries will be out the door once the baby arrives, but I just wonder. A lot of people wait until they are at the top or almost at the top of their careers before they have kids. I knew I wanted to be a younger when I started having kids and with that you some times are not as established in your career as you would like. I have come a long way since graduating college, but I have even longer to go before I reach the top of my game. I am highly competitive at work and the thought of coworkers getting promoted before me because I have been out makes me fired up.

Anyways, I guess what I am trying to say is that I want my cake and eat it too. I want to be young with a baby and a blossoming career (which I know I will still get), but I can't help but wonder if I am going to be treated differently when I return because I am now a mother (even though still on my game and sharp as a fox). My boss is super cool and laid back and has already agreed that I can have a very flexible schedule and will promote me within a short period of time upon my return, but I keep worrying. Is this worry normal? Maybe these worries will be tossed out the window when I meet my little girl and I won't care about climbing the corporate ladder like I do now. I don't know. I guess I will find out, and at the end of the day what I care about the most is being with my hubby and my baby, and not about having the corner office.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Fall is Here!

So on Friday it is supposed to rain. Woo Hoo! How excited am I? Very excited. I actually love the cold fall and winter. Maybe because I am more of an indoorsy kind of gal and prefer to just curl up with a good book or watch a movie rather than take a hike or something. I love fall and winter clothes. Sweaters and scarves are what I live in. Tomorrow we are going over to our friend's house for dinner and I can not wait to bust out a fall dessert. I am thinking some sort of apple spice cake. Not sure.

In pregnancy related news, my maternity clothes are getting tighter and tighter. The fronts of my shirts are starting to creep up revealing the maternity waistband on my pants/skirts. I don't have any maternity cold weather clothes (sweaters, jackets) and will just have to tough it out for another 30 days or less.

Since it is my last three days of work before maternity leave and I am boycotting bringing my lunch and have decided to go out. I am wild, I know.

Monday, September 29, 2008

So about that Labor thing....

Went to childbirth class Friday evening and all day Saturday with the hubbs. Did not know what to expect. Figured I would be sitting cross legged on the ground with hubbs behind me as I practiced breathing in and out in. I also figured there would be a lot of couples for me to people watch at. Turns out I was wrong. We did very little breathing exercises (fine by me) and there was only one other couple in the class.

We walked away very informed and I feel pretty comfortable about this whole Labor thing which is just around the corner. I even feel quite calm about it. Even the hubbs was thoroughly impressed by the level of information we received. Of course, there were the occasional movies showing women's London and France clearly exposed, at which time hubbs ducked his head and asked me to tell him when it was "okay to watch again".

Aside from the classes, I washed the crib bedding, and all of my newborn and 0-3 month clothes and they are nicely put away in their polka dotted pink paper lined drawers in the dresser (my mom is an avid drawer liner). My favorite things to fold were the many pairs of Trumpette socks which I received in both the Mary Jane and Cowgirl styles. Seriously, are you kidding me? Can socks be any cuter?

It is my final week of work before I am off on maternity leave. Trying to get things organized as much as possible for while I am away but so far I am procrastinating like crazy, focusing more on finding a table lamp for the nursery.

In other news, I am have been going to physical therapy for my sciatica. Today was my second time and I have to say I am feeling a bit better. Quite better that I can actually walk upstairs without hurting too much or yelling out to many profanities. It still hurts like a mo fo when I switch sides in the middle of the night. Not a fun task.

Friday, September 26, 2008

35 Weeks

Here I are am in all my glory at 35 weeks! Five more days of work before my maternity leave. I am counting down the minutes and seconds.




Wednesday, September 24, 2008

They are off...

I have officially taken off my wedding ring and engagement ring. Yup. I held out until 5 weeks before the due date. Pretty impressive I must say considering I usually hear you take the rings off earlier. My ring finger now as an indentation. My fingers look like nice and juicy, fat breakfast sausages, Jimmy Dean maybe.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Clock Watching

Lately, I have been obsessed with trying to guesstimate when I will have our baby. It is just so crazy not knowing when it will be. I am on my way to 35 weeks and curious to know if she will be early or late. I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions all the time now for the last week and half. Not sure if that is a sign that labor could be just around the corner or not. I only have a week and a half before my maternity leave starts (whoo hoo!) and will be so glad to be able to not have to carry my belly and sore back around in the morning trying to get ready for work. My morning routine is taking about 2 hours, ridiculous!

On to other news, at my sister in law's baby shower on Sunday I feasted on desserts like no other. Yes, I indulged and have been doing more lately as I realize how pissed off I have been about my lack of sugar intake. Plus my weight gain is pretty on target so I don't feel like sweating it anymore. I still it very healthy so I think it is okay to work dessert back into my diet.

Monday, September 22, 2008

The Saga Continues....

Okay, I ate my words about what I said about strollers. Last weekend at my baby shower my mother-in-law gave us the stroller we wanted. Unfortunately, I immediately noticed a couple of snags in the fabric right at the front. I am a stickler for having things perfect. No way was I going to keep a stroller that was already defective in my eyes. Then as we were loading my car full of the gifts, I soon realized how large the stroller ended up being when folded. It took up 3/4's of the trunk of my Volvo sedan plus weighed about ten tons. That was it, I was over the stroller and realized that I needed to trade up. It looked like a great stroller in the store and handled well but the snags, fold up size and weight were not going to work. So we cruised back down to the baby store and returned the Graco and purchased the Peg Perego Pliko in Moka. I had checked it out before and liked it but decided to go with the Graco for some other reason like the extra cup holder or something. After reading raving reviews about the Peg online, I decided that I wanted something I was going to be happy with. The Peg is 10 lbs. lighter than the Graco. TEN POUNDS! Plus it folds up vertically and much smaller than the Graco Family Truckster. Plus you can remove the seat lining to wash which I love. More expensive, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

Friday, September 19, 2008

"Gonna be a Nice Little Saturday, Maybe a Little Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond...I don't know, I don't Know if we'll have enough time"

I love Old School. Seriously, who doesn't like that movie? Anyways, I have a nice little weekend planned. Tomorrow I am taking all of my gift certificates which I accumulated at my shower last weekend and my work shower yesterday (pics to come) and stock up on all of the remaining necessities. I have a couple of returns, mostly because I got the same thing twice, and I need to also start washing all of the clothes. Then on Sunday my sister in law, Lisa, is having her baby shower. It is baby #2 for them so it will be smaller and more intimate. I am making Carrot Cake Cupcakes with coconut on top. Yummy! Hopefully between all of the nesting the hubbs and I can sneak out for a nice movie and dinner. I am thinking Burn After Reading, we'll see.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

One and Two, Three and Four....

Yes, she is nudging my ribs as I write this. My little baby girl is trying to do step aerobics off my rib cage. There is one rib in particular that is super sore even when I touch it. It must be bruised. I feel her squirming all day. Her quarters are getting quite cramped I am sure. My hips feel like they have been pulled apart like a piece of bubble gum. According to all my pregnancy newsletters she is weighing 4.5-5 lbs. I am confident she will be on the large side. She is already measuring big (according to my doctor and 28 week ultrasound). Plus, I was 9 lbs. 12 1/2 oz. when I was born and hubbs was a little over 9 lbs. himself. I guess we'll see. Despite all of her aerobic moves, I still love feeling her squirm around and can not complain. This final stretch really is fun, even if uncomfortable!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

My Baby Shower

Saturday was my baby shower with family and friends. I had so much fun! My cousin through it for me. She completely out did herself and made sure every little detail was perfect down to the pink M&M's. She really is a Martha Stewart. We played some really cute games, ones I had not even heard of before, ate a fabulous brunch followed by the most delicious and beautiful cake from a local bakery. We topped off the day by opening a sea of presents where I got so many cute things!
The fabulous food, and that is before three of the main dishes.


The gifts before everyone arrived!

My aunts hard at work.

The hostess (my cousin) Amy and her daughter Anna and me.

The outside area. Little bottles of water on the table with little vases filled with Gerbera Daisies.

My Aunt Kathy and Me


My Mom and Me


My Sister in Law, Lisa, and I, she's due two weeks before me.

I received some fabulous gifts. My favorites included a cute yellow antique rocking chair for the baby to rock in when she is a little girl, a super lush raspberry color Little Giraffe blanket and snuggly and last but not least my diaper bag which my sister in law Juliana got me. It's Juicy Couture and super big, exactly like the one pictured here. I loved all of the onsies and cute outfits. Everyone was so generous! This baby will be styling, that is for sure!

Friday, September 12, 2008

I Am Desperate

Today I did the unthinkable. I shoved myself into a pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans just out of shear frustration with maternity jeans. The pants I got my self into (after some shimmying and squatting) are a nice worn in pair of Sevens a size larger than my rest. Obviously I did not get one notch of the zipper done but I was able to wrap my belly band around the waist and "Wah Lah!" I am wearing Sevens that make my butt look like it should! Not like a flat pancake. They are slightly more comfortable than my maternity jeans and look fine. I am wearing a long maternity tunic to cover any waistband unevenness. I don't think I will make this a regular occurrence, but I just had to do something.

On another note, my shower is tomorrow! Yeah! I am so excited. I will make sure to take TONS of pictures. My cousin is throwing it for me and I am sure it will be so cute. Off to get a pedicure after work so I look all spiffy for the day.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

This is what I do when Hubbs is Away

This is me this fine evening. Frustrated that I have not taken belly photos in about 4 weeks. So I took matters into my own hands and took this very flattering picture of myself...and is one of the better ones out of the batch. Clearly the top I am wearing is not maternity. Also, please excuse the mess. We are still unpacking and my sciatica has delayed the process of organizing our bathroom, but I still have enough energy to take Glamour Shots!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Lonely

Hubbs is away on a business trip this week. I am bored. Since my back is still out of whack I can not unpack much at all. I want to get things organized, hello nesting, but this handicap is prohibiting me to do so. My family/friends shower is this weekend followed by my work shower next week so hopefully I will be able to get the nursery all perfect once those happen. I am so exited.

Hubbs painted the baby's room pink over the weekend. It turned out pink alright, very pink. The furniture is assembled, now the room just needs to be filled. My mom is going to make some curtains so I need to pick out the fabric this weekend. This is so much fun. I love decorating!

The downstairs t.v. remote's batteries are done so now I need to go to the store to buy some more, oh and also a plunger....

Lucy kept me up all night because she wanted to go outside and play in the backyard, which means, bark at critters and wake up the neighbors. After realizing that she really was not going to stop whining, I finally ended up letting her out at 5 a.m. to go to the bathroom in which she ended up super wet because apparently it rained overnight! Nothing like looking for a towel in your barely unpacked house at the butt crack of dawn.
Oh well. I still love her.

Monday, September 8, 2008

The New Status Symbol?

Why is it that strollers seem like they are the new status symbols? It used to be cars, clothes, hand bags, etc. Now it is baby gear.It seems like there is a plethora of extremely expensive strollers out there. At a wine festival we went to on Saturday I noticed a couple with a Stokke stroller. Those things are just plain goofy looking and also look rather unsafe and the price tag for those puppies is $1,200!!! This is wine country people, not New York.

What happened to practicality? When did the baby industry get so focused on having the coolest gear at top dollar? I see normal couples spending thousands of dollars on baby gear just so they can have a Bugaboo just like their favorite celebrity. I did a ton of research on strollers and while I considered getting the more expensive Peg Perego or MacLaren, I realized that both did not have the features I wanted which I ended up finding in the Graco Quattro Tour Sport. It is one thing to put a hefty price tag on something that really is worth the top dollar, but another thing to not offer all of the amenities is just weird. It's like buying a Lexus without leather seats and electric windows. Those things are just standard in luxury vehicles, so why can't they be in strollers?

Friday, September 5, 2008

Ready

I am so ready for summer to be over with. We have had one too many heatwaves. I am tired of sweating before I go to sleep each night wondering when it will cool down. Tired of wiping away the sweat between my boobs. I want to hear the rain pattering against the windows as I snuggle up in the covers. Since we leave the windows open at night to let air in, Lucy can hear all of the dogs barking in the neighborhood which she in turn decides to answer them and wake up the entire house. She does this every night when it is hot.


I am ready for my sciatica to buzz off. This is getting out of control. Maybe if I start eating sugar again, it will feel better. Interesting rational.

I am so proud of Hubbs for starting to cook. I am the only the cook of the house and when he wants something to eat it either needs to be a quesodilla, grilled cheese, sandwich or a frozen burrito for him to cook. Lately, he has been venturing out more and making eggs in the morning, and even helped me make calzones last night. I know, look out. But this is big, coming from someone who rarely sets foot in the ktichen. I have been encouraging him to learn to cook more since pretty soon it will be a lot harder for me to turn out nutritious and hearty meals every night (except weekends, we always eat out on weekends). I think he will do just fine.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Supermarket Sweep

Today I stayed home because my back is still not better and being at work moving around is just not in the cards today. Yesterday the flats I was wearing made my feet super swell up. After work I swung by a local market and came close to getting plowed into by some stupid woman with a shopping cart who was in a hurry. I was ready to literally pounce on her if she did so as it would of caused major pain to my poor little back. So that's what I am doing, oh yeah, and attacking the ridiculous ant problem we have in our kitchen. Those effers keep on coming back no matter what I am doing.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Moved

This weekend we moved. We moved to a house back into our home town (about 10 miles away). Before we were living in a little suburb town with three restaurants (okay more) which we thought would be fun to live in but turned out to be super isolated. Anyhoo, we are back in town. Moving sucked like moving always does. We started bright and early on Saturday and still were moving things yesterday evening. We still have a bunch of crap at our old house which needs to be a carted to the new house, but we can handle that this week.

My body is worn out. I obviously did not do any heavy lifting, but standing on my feet and getting things organized was one tough chore for an 8 month pregnant chic. My sciatica is on fire and I even have to walk with a limp it is that bad. Sunday was the day we had the moving truck so that was the roughest day. Even being worn out, we still ended up making it to a BBQ that evening where I planted my ass in the chair and barely moved the rest of the night.

One of the most pain in the ass things about moving is not being able to find necessities for those first couple of days, i.e. your toothbrush, face wash, shoes, etc. The first night Peppermint Patty decided to investigate the new digs but wanted to check back and make sure we were still there and would wake us up every hour by prancing on top of us meowing and then bouncing off the best to go explore again.

Baby furniture is ordered and should be getting it next week so we can begin working on the nursery!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Jeans

I am hereby retiring maternity jeans. Will at least I will try. They have become so uncomfortable and unflattering. I have had enough! First off, no matter if you spend $10 or $170 bucks on a pair, they all suck. "Why?" you might ask or others might say "Duh".

Maternity jeans are just not built right. I have one pair that is comfy but always stretches out in 3 seconds in which it looks like I am carrying a load around in my pants. Then I have one pair which are fancy with rhinestones on the pockets and expensive that I think are the worst. The elastic band around the top is horrible. The crotch is always sliding down to my knees and I am always pulling them up. I even wear my bella band around the waist band for extra hold, but it barely helps. Then there is a pair from GAP which basically are already too small. They fit me when I was about 4-5 months pregnant and that was it. Plus they are a size larger than my other GAP pants which fit way better. Don't get GAP sizing. Last but not least, I have a cute pair from GAP with little back flap pockets (my favorite style for gals with nonexistent booties like myself). They are the closest to fitting fine except they also seem to fall down.

I love jeans. I can wear jeans pretty much every day at work if I really wanted to (dressed up of course with heels and a cute top) since our office is somewhat casual. Am I just finding the dud pairs of jeans or are they really built weird? I have almost a month left before I go on maternity leave and once I do I can wear sweats and my comfy clothes. Until then I will be battling my jeans, thinking of creative ways to keep their asses on my ass.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

My Brain is Mush

Today I had a day long meeting where we conducted "organic brainstorming" for one of our wine brands. An outside agency came in to help us get our asses together in the thought process, but let me just say I was not doing much thinking. Pastries were brought in with coffee in the a.m. I willfully refused to indulge in the chocolate filled one I was eyeing and pretended to pay attention to other people's ideas. Secretly congratulating myself for eating my oatmeal and banana instead of that buttery goodness.

Then trays of sandwiches, Kettle Chips, cookies and brownies and salad were brought in about an hour prior to lunch time. I sat for an hour thinking about how everyone needed to cut the crap and "let's eat!" while I kept stealing glances at the buffet of food. It was like they had no regard for the pregnant woman in the room. Lunch was not as tasty as it was supposed to be so when it came time to savor my cookie, I was disappointed. I picked an oatmeal raisin (thinking it was a more healthy choice than the delicious looking brownies with gooey frosting). The fricking cookie was littered with walnuts. I like nuts, just not in my baked goods, especially cookies. I wasted my daily sweet treat on a walnut cookie. Boo.

When it came time to leave I couldn't get out of there quick enough. I ran off to eat my peach and apple because I was famished. It is so hard being good when pregnant! All I want to do is eat crap, but my sensible side always kicks into gear and thinks about all of the nutrients I need to be eating, not sugar, butter, and chocolate. Doesn't chocolate have calcium?

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Sore Suzie

Yesterday evening I tried out a new Pregnancy work out DVD. In this case, I really should of judged a book by its cover. The front of the DVD case showed a super burly pregnant woman flexing like Hulk Hogan. I got over that and popped it in. It was set up much differently than my pilates videos which I am used to. There was a narrator (with a thick foreign accent....odd) telling you what to do while that ripped looking body builder lady did the moves. I noticed the film quality was slightly amateurish in which I began doubting the legitimacy of it. I had to make sure I did in fact order it from Amazon and not download it from YouTube. Once I got over the burly lady, the weird narrator, and low quality, I decided to focus on the work out. The work out kicked my ass. Kicked it with a soccer cleat on. I was sweating and wore out. I feel I am rather in shape for a 7 1/2 months pregnant chick, but after that DVD I thought otherwise. Today I woke up sore. Very sore. Might have to take tonight off before I do it again.

Monday, August 25, 2008

The Three Pregmigos!

Photos from Friday, here I am 1 day shy of 30 weeks. This is of my co worker Sharon, who is due Sept. 16 (35 weeks), my sister in law Lisa who is due Oct. 19th (31 weeks) and me who is due two weeks later! We all work together so we had to get a preggo picture of the three of us since it was Sharon's last day before maternity leave. Oh yeah, our office is super casual on Fridays.



Thursday, August 21, 2008

Wind Down

Well folks, summer is starting to wind down in these parts of the North Bay. Although the weather is still in the 80's, the nights are turning cooler (except for last night), the fog is taking longer to burn off, the Maple leaves are changing colors and the grapes in the vinyards are almost ready to get picked.

I love the end of summer because I know that fall is just around the corner. Fall is mild in this area and we only get a little bit of rain before the wet winter starts. I love Halloween and the smell in the air of smoke from fireplaces. In no time at all I will be preparing pot roasts in the slow cooker, hot cider and cinnabon rolls while decorating my house with Halloween/Thanksgiving stuff. Sundays will be filled with football watching and being lazy.

In other news, I woke up last night from the most horrific leg cramp. I have not gotten any in the last couple of weeks. I had to jump out of bed to straighten it out while yelling as many swear words possible. The hubbs woke up thinking something more serious was going on. I woke up this a.m. with a sore leg.

Also, yesterday in the shower I noticed a VARICOSE vein right above my knee on the left. I had been warned by women and pregnancy books that this happens when preggers, but I always doubted it would happen to me. So much for that thought.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

A Few of My Favorite Things

Took this idea from Jen. At 29 weeks pregnant, here are a few of my favorite things. Watch out Oprah, these could be freaking published.




MAC Lipglass in Viva Glam VI: Just enough color for my fair face. This stuff takes forever to wear off and I don't need a mirror to apply it. Have a couple other colors, but this one is a staple.

Frizz Ease Mousse: Takes the frizz away while also giving my hair more of a "done" look.

Carl's Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger: When asked what my favorite cheeseburger is, this is it. It is so delicious, but I can not remember the last time I had one. Maybe when I was wild and crazy at 21?


Love Actually: Every time I watch this movie, I fall in love with it all over again. The ultimate "feel good movie". I usually throw it on before Christmas and drink cocoa.


Pearl Necklace: Hubbs gave it to me for our 1st Anniversary. I love it. I have not worn it lately as my maternity clothes are not as preppy as my normal clothes. Anyhoo, it is a wardrobe staple and every woman needs to have one.

Dale and Thomas Popcorn: I love popcorn. It is my snack of choice. One trip to New York City, I stumbled upon the Dale and Thomas Popcorn shop in the middle of Times Square. We took bags of it home and it was the best and most fresh popcorn I have ever eaten. Although it sounds a bit crazy, I think I might need to order me some, Kettle Corn flavor.

Caramel Apples: These things are so good. Since fall is just around the corner, my mouth starts watering for a crisp granny smith dipped in buttery caramel.

That's it for now. I have not had lunch yet, hence the reason for three food mentions in my favorite things. Must make lunch now as Carl's Jr. is dangerously close to my office.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Happy Birthday Hubbs!


Happy Birthday to My Hubbs! It is your day!

To My Birthday Boy,
You deserve the best day ever. You have been working so hard lately, with work, the house, and taking care of my pregnant self, you truly deserve a great time. I am so lucky you are my man. You stand by me 100%, make me feel better when I am feeling down, scratch my back when I am itchy, make me peanut butter and banana sandwiches with WAY too much pb whenever I want one, always say my cooking is great, take the dog out in the middle of the night when she has to barf, do loads of laundry without complaining, wait on me hand and foot when I am sick, send me pretty flowers, treat me like a lady and always am protecting me from anything.

You are going to be the best daddy ever to our little girl. I already see your natural way with kids and know that will shine through when she is born in just over two months. You are an inspiration and I will always be your girl.

XXXOOO,
Mrs. Pickles