Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of  July!!!

Thank goodness for a long weekend.  We've had time to relax for a change which has been really nice.  We're heading to the in-laws today to celebrate Danny's mom's birthday.  We went and watched fire works last night which was fun.  Marissa slept through most of them but towards the end she started bouncing around in there!  I wonder what she was thinking!?

This morning I made some DIY pacifier clips and I'm really happy with how they turned out.  I want to go buy more ribbon and make more.  =)  Know anyone who needs pacifier clips?  Stores like Target want $5.00 for a pacifier clip and I made 4 for about $5.00.  Can't beat that!

Love the polka dots!

We also got our lamp stand in the mail yesterday so Danny and I put it together.  I think it looks pretty good.  I'm so in love with the nursery.  I just like sitting in there and taking it all in.  I guess it's a good thing I like the nursery because in a few short weeks I will be spending  A LOT of time in there.

I found this adorable little box that says "baby" on it yesterday at the store.  It matches our pink and brown theme and it has cute polka dots on it.  Marissa's first doll is to the right of the box, it's handmade which is really neat!  My mom's friend gave it to us.  

The letter "M" that I painted awhile back also found its home on Marissa's door.  It's not perfect but I still think it's cute.

I can't believe my family/friend shower is next Saturday!!!  I'm so excited to get together with everyone and eat lots of yummy food!  We are going to have a full house.  My parents are coming in to stay with us, my best friend, my brother and his girl friend and my cousin is coming as well.  Plus, I think some of the guys are going to be hanging out, drinking beer while the girls are at the shower.

Eli and Sadie haven't made a blog appearance lately, so here's some pictures that I took yesterday:

 Our handsome brown hound

Miss Sadie being shy for the camera

I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July!!

My Poor Blog Has Been Neglected

I've been wanting to blog all week but haven't found the time or energy to log in, so here it is Thursday and I'm just getting around to last weekend's adventures.

To begin, last Saturday we went to a friend's 1st anniversary cook-out/pool party.  It was a lot of fun.  I got to sit my big fat belly in the pool, eat delicious food, take a boat ride and relax with friends.  I can't complain.

The view from the pool

Pretty Hibiscus

Danny & I on the boat

The sun beginning its closure on the day

And of course, what's an anniversary party without the bride and groom - Sean & Kristin

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Sunday I did three large loads of baby laundry.  Talk about exhausting!  But with laundry comes a finished closet thanks to my wonderful husband and Father in Law (FIL).  It was so much fun going through all of the clothes.  I can't believe how tiny some of the outfits are.  Here is the GRAND reveal....

It is such a relief to have the closet finished.  Now all we need to do in the nursery is order the wooden blinds for the window, possibly install a new ceiling fan and put away any items we get at my showers.  Oh yeah, and have a baby. :)  We've already received all of these clothes from friends and family, did I mention I haven't even had my showers yet?  Miss Marissa ought to be one stylish little girl!

I'm really proud of the nursery, Danny and I have both put in a lot of hard work, and I'm glad to see it has paid off.

I sit in my glider quite often, thinking about how in just a few short weeks, our little angel will be here.  

I was a good wifey on Sunday and made Danny his favorite dessert...strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese icing.  And he didn't even have to ask me to make them.  I think that deserves some brownie points, but who is keeping score?

Monday, June 28th marked 32 weeks for me.  I've gained about 21 pounds total (on a good day, the above mentioned cupcakes for breakfast probably don't help the scale) and Marissa appears to be growing on track.  I've been feeling her hiccups lately, which is really neat.  She has been pretty active, some days it feels like she is doing somersaults!  I wish I had x-ray vision so I could see what exactly she is up to all day.  I still haven't had a single craving, which is kind of a bummer!  You think that when you are pregnant you will have lots of cravings, sooo not true for me.  I guess I eat a pretty rounded diet so maybe that's why I don't really crave sweets, salt, etc.  So here we are at 32 weeks:

Marissa is getting B-I-G!

I'm ready for the long Holiday weekend ahead of us.  We don't have any real plans other than celebrating Danny's mom's birthday on the 4th.  We need to get some yard work done and I need to do some stuff before my shower next weekend.  Hopefully we will have some time to relax and spend some quality husband and wife time together.

Have a Happy and safe 4th of July!!!

Adult Drinks and Quiet Time

So being pregnant puts a bit of a damper on the whole adult drinking thing.  To be honest, I haven't missed the hang overs, binge drinking and sleeping until early afternoon.  I haven't craved a beer, a glass of wine or any fruity concoctions (yet).  It doesn't bother me to be around other people who drink, I can still hang out with my friends and have a good time.  But tonight, I wanted to jazz things up a bit!  So Danny poured me a glass of the finest 100% White Grape Peach Juice in my all time favorite wine glass.  He looked at me like I had three heads when I pulled the wine glass down and asked for it to be filled up.  I like to live on the edge!

I remember the days of "Thirsty Thursday's" and "Whiskey Wednesday's!"  Not that I partook in any such events. :)  Hahaha! 
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I will say that I look forward to being able to enjoy a glass of wine again, or to have a beer after a long day at work.  I hope that I can have girl nights where we open a bottle of wine and catch up, but don't feel the need to open 3 more bottles before the night ends.  I don't need beer pong, flip cup or beer bongs to entertain me.  Not that I'm above any of those things, I'm just in a different place now.  But, what I really need are friends and family that support our decision to take this step into parenthood.  To be there when I'm frazzled and need a break from diapers, laundry and the never ending chores.  Friends who make sure that I talk about things other than just diapers, laundry, chores and how much I adore Marissa.  I hope that my friends and family can come to our house and not expect everything to be in perfect order.  Anyone that knows me, knows that I like things a certain way, that I need order in my home and I feel good when at the end of the day the floor isn't covered in dog hair, the coffee table doesn't have a layer of dust on it and the dishes and laundry are put away.  I take great pride in our little home.  It isn't the nicest house, the fanciest or the biggest, but it's our home and there's a lot of love in it.

I know I'm going to have to let some of my OCD ways take the back burner while I figure this whole "parenting" thing out.  So if you come to visit us after Marissa gets here and you see the house a total wreck, don't be surprised.  Not that our house is the cleanest on the block (I mean seriously, we have two labs, anyone who has ever had a lab knows that it's nearly impossible to have a spotless house, let alone a spotless house with two of the rug rats).  Anyway, I digress...I know our house will probably never be as organized as I would like, so I guess I better get used to the idea, huh?!  One day I know I will look back on these pictures and think..."What happened to our home!?"

So I will cherish these photos as I sit here quietly with nothing but the sound of fingers tapping on the keyboard.  The dogs have settled into their cozy spots, soaking up every inch of AC they can, there's a quiet rumble of the battleground coming from downstairs as my husband plays World of Warcraft and the rest is just silence.  No TV, music or the sound of shuffling dog feet are heard.  It's nice, it's peaceful...yes, I have too much time on my hands, and yes, I know I need to get a life, but these are moments that will be few and far between in my near future.  So I'm going to kick back and enjoy it while it lasts!

*Father's Day 2010*

For Father's Day we went to New Market to visit my parents.  It was a nice relaxing time, the dogs got to run and play, we ate too much and also visited with some friends. 

My brother and I ~ "Uncle Fuzz"

 Now if this isn't the way to soak up summer, I don't know what is!

A little gift from Marissa to Daddy

Somehow I managed to not get a picture of my mom and I over the weekend. :-(  I think I secretly didn't want to look bigger than her.  Ha, ha!  If you are reading this mom, I'm just kidding!  Love you!

We also spent Sunday with Danny's family, we kept it simple and ordered pizza!  Who doesn't love pizza? 

Another weekend slipped through our finger tips like an ice cube on a hot summer day.  I'm down to 62 days until Marissa's estimated arrival.  I had a doctor's appointment this morning and everything is looking great.  I now have to go every two weeks, which means we are getting close to go time. 

I got some goodies in the mail yesterday, which is always exciting.  A friend from the Monastery (thanks, Doyle!) that we've known for years sent me a couple baby books, a pink boppy cover (that just so happens to match the minky dot pillow with Marissa's name on it) and a few other things. :)  I can't wait to start the books!  I guess I don't have much time before Marissa gets here, with my energy starting to drain, hopefully I will have some time to read them.  Once these next three weekends are over, I'm seriously not planning ANYTHING!  I know, I know...I say that all the time, but we really, really need a break before Marissa gets here.  So I'm hoping that there will be lots of reading, pool time, relaxing in the AC and spending time with my hubby in the near future.  We just have to make it through an anniversary/pool party this weekend, July 4th and then my shower and we'll be in the home stretch!  Someone please kick me if I try to plan anything that doesn't involve relaxing!

Happy Father's Day to all the father's and soon to be dad's out there!  Especially this guy:

 

Holy Hormones

So far during this pregnancy my hormones have pretty much been in check.  I've only cried a few times and for the most part I had a valid reason.  Today however, things got a little crazy!  I was crying one minute and then laughing hysterically the next, I'm talking the I'm hyperventilating, can't breathe, just about spit my Pepsi on Danny's face laughing.  This all took place in about 3 minutes.  You should have seen the look on his face!  He clearly understood that it was just my hormones gone wild, but at the same time he was clearly confused as to what just happened.  After the tears and the choking on my drink subsided, I felt EXHAUSTED!  Like I just ran a marathon.  My body was just completely drained. 

So you might ask what was so funny?!  My Pepsi can had a coupon for $6 dollars off some water park and Danny said "Oh $6 dollars off, huh."  I briefly imagined me in a bikini, climbing to the top of the tallest water slide, going down feet first with my big white belly splashing through the water only to arrive at the bottom and not be able to get up.  What a site that would be.  Apparently I thought it was funny, but I can only imagine that Danny thought I had really lost it this time.

And those tears just moments before?  Danny and I had been talking about how much I've changed in the past 7 months.  Not just my physical appearance of that big belly referenced above, but just how I've changed in general.  I started to have this fear that Danny was no longer going to be attracted to me after seeing me give birth to our child.  What if my body never returns to it's previous state?  What if he can't look at me the same as before?  All these thoughts raced through my mind and it just became too much for a pregnant woman to handle.  So on came the water works.  Don't get me wrong, Danny has told me that I look beautiful carrying his child and that I'm "glowing" but that I'm different.  He isn't used to seeing me with a big belly, he's always had a set image of who "Alicia" is and that girl has transformed into a beach ball smuggling, baby carrying, "hippie." 

YEP, he said it folks...he thinks I'm a hippie now.  He blames it on "the bump" for my eco-friendly ways.  So we've started recycling a little bit, cans, metal, plastic and glass bottles.  I have tried to cut back on how many paper towels we use, I try not to run the water excessively, and I've been using reusable containers rather than a ziploc bag every time I want to take some chips or crackers to work with me.  I've started returning our grocery bags to the store and I'm slowly starting my collection of reusable shopping bags.  What's the big deal?  What is so wrong with reducing our waste?  It's the least I can do and it makes me feel better when I do it, though I should have been doing it a long time ago. 

Okay, so maybe there is one big sign that screams HIPPIE -- cloth diapering.  Danny said he never pictured me as a "bag of poop carrying mom."  Nice, huh?  I don't know if he's just scared of the whole cloth diapering thing or what.  It's poop, they are diapers, they are cute, more eco-friendly and they are better for not only our wallets but for our baby's bum too.  I just don't see the big deal.  He still supports my decision to want to give it a try, I just really hope it works for us because he isn't 100% on board.  Only time will tell.

So this post got really off topic from my original start of crazy hormones.  But life is full of ups and downs and today I had both.  So there you have it, the good, the bad and the ugly. 

Good night blogger world and my one follower who very rarely gets on anymore.  :)  Though no one probably reads this mumble jumble of a blog, it's a great way for me to get things off my mind and to journal life as I know it.  I hope to one day look back on this and see how much I've changed, and to see how I evolve into a mother. 

30 Week Belly Update

Wow, my belly has expanded quite a bit in the past 30 weeks!  Let's take a look-see!

 Here's my 8 week picture, look how giddy I was!

And 30 Weeks!

I have a feeling Marissa is going to be a good sized baby!  What do you think? 

In other news, my shower is rapidly approaching and I'm getting so excited!  It will be so nice to get together with friends and family and celebrate our new bundle of joy.  It's all becoming so real but at the same time it hasn't really sunk in yet. 

On Monday Danny and I met with a potential sitter, who just so happens to be our neighbor right around the corner.  We both got a really good vibe from her!  She has a one year old and a three year old daughter, so they will make great play mates for Marissa.  Her children were really well behaved, even for the hour and a half that we were there visiting.  That to me, says A LOT!  So many kids these days are just bratty, disrespectful, don't listen and their parents just let them run all over the place and do whatever they want.  Don't get me wrong, I know kids act up and even the most well behaved children can get out of hand, but I think a lot of it comes down to parenting.  Too many parents would rather let the TV watch their children, or they are too busy sitting in front of the computer or on the telephone to watch their kids and actually interact with them.  I really don't want to be one of those parents.  Maybe I'll be sticking my foot in my mouth 6 months from now, but I want to be a good mom.  I want to teach my children to be respectful, to be able to take them in public without being embarrassed and really cherish each milestone we have together. 

Holy cow...I'm going to be a MOM!  :-P

30 Week Check-In (A Day Late)

Still no cravings!

But I did just polish off another jar of these last night...

Aches and pains - Sleeping is starting to get a little uncomfortable.  My hips and back are starting to hurt from the extra weight.  I have to reposition quite often which leads to not much sleep!

Speaking of sleep, with the amount of times (I think about 3 times a night now) I'm running to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I'm not getting much sleep and it's definitely not quality sleep.

Weight gain - I've officially gained 20 pounds.  I was doing so good but I really hit a growth spurt in the last 4 weeks.  As long as I'm not putting myself or Marissa in danger, I really don't care what the scale says.

Appetite - Do I really need to explain?  See point above ^

Heartburn - None recently, maybe some indigestion if I eat too much or if I lie down after eating. 

Movement - Kicks and punches are getting stronger, but nothing painful as of yet.  I think Marissa is still head down which could explain my frequent urination.  But I'll take frequent urination over a C-section ANY Day! 

Milestones - At 30 weeks, Marissa should weigh about 3 pounds.  We gotta keep working on plumping up those cute little cheeks!

Signs of Labor - No, keep cooking baby girl!  Less than 10 weeks now!

Rings - Note to self: Do not go to bed with rings on, your hands will swell.  I woke up this morning to my wedding band stuck on my finger.  With a little bit of patience, soap and squirming, I got it off.  I decided to give my fingers a break today so I'm not wearing my rings, but my fingers look like they are back to the normal size.  I just need to be a little more careful to take them off at night and I think I will be able to wear them a little while longer.  I feel so naked without them. 
 
I haven't had any other swelling, so that's good.  My energy has been pretty good as well, I haven't had that 3rd trimester dip yet. 
 
Danny took my 30 week pictures yesterday, hopefully I'll have them up soon!