Birth Classes are done….now what?!

June 25, 2012

We wait……

The bag is packed.

The hospital is 7 minutes away.

The nursery is ready.

Bentley keeps asking who the toys are for.

I can’t tie my shoes.

I sleep in 3 hour increments and I am not sure how many more times I can vacuum the carpet and sweep the floors.

It’s go time.

A view from above

Awww how sweet.

Baby Shower # 1

June 24, 2012

I am one lucky lady.

My wonderful friends threw me a great baby shower and it really meant a lot to me.

They clearly put a ton of time and effort into planning and I appreciate every detail.

The theme was very vintage and kitschy and reminiscent of my wedding.

The wonderful hostesses with the mostesses and me!

Books!

Playing guess the baby photo game

Guess the baby food game!

My answer after unknowingly smelling the pears was that it was Hot Dog flavored.

Apparently my Preggo senses were off that day!

Also, a hot dog flavor doesn’t exist I was told by the baby food experts.

Darn.

Sophie the Giraffe!

Filling out Mad Libs cards!

Mini Chicken Pot Pies!

Delicious cupcakes!

Antipasto Skewers

( Yes, those are plates of Chuck’s donuts)

Mom & me

The spread

( Which included Mimosas and Shirley Temples in mason jars!)

The awesome Kate Spade diaper bag from my lovely mother!

( the cute little dust cover)

A few of the gifts I received

Bentley wishes she knew how to read

The cutest little snuggle pillow!

A 67 Camaro complete with Gracie Pie detailing!

An Amazingly cool Betsey Johnson diaper bag!

I love the purple stitching around the top

And of course, who can pass up clothes?!

Baby clothes are addicting.

Thank you to everyone who came to the shower and has given me tons of support and positive reinforcement throughout this pregnancy!

It was perfect and I can’t wait to put all this good stuff to use!

After many years of hearing my sister say she wouldn’t get married, didn’t care about getting married, didn’t see the point in marriage, didn’t want to waste money on a wedding…she is finally engaged.

Yes, she found a man to be the Rock to her Roll.

Everyone else already knew this though.

Glad they finally figured it out.

Of course if you know my sister, you know she would look ridiculous wearing a big sparkly princess cut diamond ring.

You know, the ring most of us would drool over?!

So her fiance’ took on the task of getting something custom designed and made just for her and her personality.

He did a great job and it is the perfect fit.

The cleverly created white gold band includes

skeletons carved in the sides of the shank and holds a black diamond center stone.

The happy couple.

Now I just have to convince her to let me plan her wedding.

Working on the Lodge….still

June 22, 2012

A few weekends ago Steve and I were down at his parent’s house to visit and help with projects.

Well, Steve helped.

I sat in a lawn chair and ate dried fruit.

At one point though, I did cut some bath tile though.

Yay for dangerous power tools!

I know what you are thinking.

“They aren’t done yet?!!”

To answer you simply, “No, they are not done yet.”

Are any of us every really done though?

*pause and contemplate*

Ok, ok I am just trying to make it sound less depressing… most of us are at least done enough that we have flooring and a kitchen.

But, hey, this will just make the ending THAT much sweeter, right?

Or maybe they will say ” F this!” Retire and move away to a condo in Arizona.

Guess we gotta wait and see how this all turns out.

Here is the latest:

Siding is up and decks are built

The soffits are finished ( that wood under the overhang)

The front is leveled and graveled, ready to be paved and landscaped

Ok, so maybe not ALL the siding is up, but it’s a big house.

The lower quarter around the house will have river rock.

This is the back side.

There is a little alcove patio area that will also be home to the hot tub and bbq.

One of the back doors

Back door into the Master bedroom that leads to the patio area.

The breezeway between the mother- in -law area above the garage and the main house.

All logs are off their property and have been hand cleaned and fitted into the house.

Check out the railing.

Steve’s dad made that!

The fire place and hearth.

One project I actually helped with!

The guest bath shower Steve tiled

Recessed shelf

Mother approved inspection before grouting

The backdoor into the master

(my favorite)

They bought this door off craigslist and then framed it all in themselves.

Isn’t is gorgeous!?

The front door Steve’s dad made from scratch.

It’s massive.

I believe they are planning on adding iron work to the window and I totally support that.

Maggie the lodge keeper

Nezzy the gardener

Ya’ll come back now!

And I’m back like Scoliosis

June 21, 2012

Apparently being pregnant takes a lot of energy.

Since my last post a lot has happened!

Thank you to everyone for stickin around and checking in to see my updates.

Sorry there haven’t been any!

I have a ton of posts ready to go to catch you all up though!

So read them.

When you run out, it probably means that I squeezed a fetus outta my hoo-haw and am running on 2 hours of sleep, desperately needing a shower and realizing I haven’t left my house in 6 days.

So bear with me.

I will be back again and better than ever.

Growing and growing and growing

May 4, 2012

I am starting to get pretty uncomfortable.

Only 2 more months of struggling to get out of bed and feeling completely exhausted.

After passing my glucose test, we found out that I am anemic.

So now I have to take iron pills, which hopefully will help my energy since I have zero.

We also had our first 4D ultrasound appointment and got a good look at what the future fetus is going to look like.

He even opened his eyes and stuck out his tongue during it.

I am anxious to get on with it and start this next chapter of our lives.

There is so much anticipation in the changes to come.

Right now I just feel like I am treading water.

I know this wait is necessary to prepare myself for what is yet to come, but waiting is the hardest part!

Finally some storage!

May 3, 2012

I have been searching for the clear acrylic makeup cases as seen on the Kardashian’s bathroom counters for a good year now.

I have grown tired of my ratty Rubbermaid totes that I have been keeping my makeup in for the last 6 years.

With all the time and effort we have put into our new master suite and making it matchy matchy and glamourous, I hated having these ugly mismatched totes sitting out.

I had found a variety of these acrylic cases online but most of them came with a pretty steep price tag of $200.00-$400.00.

Seriously?

They are acrylic!

Probably made in China for $5.00.

It is a rip off in my opinion.

But, I NEEDED one!

So I finally bit the bullet when I came across this jewelry storage case on Amazon for $80.00.

That was still above and beyond what I am sure it is worth, but I figured if I can get another 6 years of use out of it. So maybe I could justify the price….kinda.

So here it is, all organized and pretty on my newly painted vanity.

Aint she purdy!?

You want to eat THAT?!

May 2, 2012

Being pregnant and all, I have spent a lot of time online looking at baby stuff…. shower stuff…maternity stuff.

It is never ending.

What I have found most disturbing though is the array of horrible baby shower cakes that people have made.

Given, some of them could have been jokes, but you KNOW most of them probably were not.

I am going to assume those all came from the Midwest.

That just seems like their kinda thing.

Behold.

Yum, doesn’t this cake just make your mouth water?!

Belly cakes

I don’t really get them.

But I have never had a craving for an amputated torso either.

The tattoo and crop top add a touch of class

Zombie labor?

I am sure the mother in law in your life would appreciate this one

Who would have thought an ass cake was a great addition to the buffet line?

Last but not least, I kinda like this one… just because it’s so ridiculous and pretty…

It lacks a unicorn though I think.

I’m glad you are taking this seriously, Grace

May 1, 2012

The hubs and I starting our birthing classes this week.

I thought, it was a right of passage and something all new parents signed up for.

Apparently not.

After talking to almost all the new moms and pregnant ladies I know, it looks like I am the only one signed up!

With my history of anxiety and worry though, it only makes sense that I do everything I can to avoid a nervous breakdown. Knowledge is power, right?!

So far, I haven’t learned much I didn’t know, but they did make us watch a video.

A birth video.

It wasn’t nearly as gruesome as I remembered the birth video we were forced to watch in 7th grade though.

Unfortunately, what was seen, can not be unseen.

Anyway, let’s get to the part where my husband wants to pretend I am not his wife.

When we first got to class, we were instructed to write down what each of our biggest fears is.

Steve didn’t find my answer humorous when I quickly wrote down

“Not knowing who the father is”

When I wrote this, it was in hopes that we would drop our cards into a hat and the teacher would then read them out loud and it would be anonymous.

( And hilarious)

Instead, we had to go around the room and read them ourselves, so as not to make Steve completely regret ever agreeing to come, I changed my answer.

I must say that even after changing it to something more conservative, it was still probably the most outspoken concern in all of the class.

Most of the expecting parents wrote things like:

“I am worried about stretch marks”

“ I am worried about breastfeeding”

“ I am worried about getting to the hospital on time”

Then I get brutally honest and say:

“I am worried I won’t like my baby, because I am really not a baby person…at all.”

I am sure this mortified the majority of the class.

Leave it to me to bring up the taboo, the unmentionable, the unmaternal -istic of all concerns.

But, hey, that really IS my biggest worry!

I have never met a baby I fell in love with before, so how can I possibly fathom what it will be like to have an instant bond and love for this little screaming, pooping human?!

The rest of the class consisted of me goofing off and whispering things under my breath to Steve in response to what was being taught.

He asked if this was how I handled uncomfortable situations, making jokes of everything.

( i.e. “ That’s what she said” and sketching a baby popping out of it’s 10 cm space… ya know, the usual stuff. )

I said “No, I’m not uncomfortable, I am cleaver, I thought you knew this!”

But also, I was just plain bored.

Hopefully next class will be a little more intriguing.

Nona says the darndest things

April 30, 2012

This weekend I went along with my mom on her weekly visit to see my Nona.

As far back as I can remember, she has always tried to force feed me.
It has gotten progressively worse since I have gotten older and now has reached its ultimate capacity with pregnancy.

Now that I am in my third trimester, my stomach has gotten considerably smaller from being squished by all other organs.
I can’t eat nearly what I did earlier and even prior to being pregnant.
I have mini meals and then basically feel starved in between.

After arriving at Nona’s house, she offered me coffee, but I already had my decaf Starbucks.
She said, “Well, then some cookies to go with it”.
I said “No, I already ate breakfast.”
She tried to push a slice of bread or how about some bologna?
“No… I am fine, thanks.”
She says “ Alright……”
Five minutes pass, she asks if I would like a glass of milk.
“No, I am fine and if I need anything, I will get it myself!” I reply.
She turns up her nose and wanders off.

We go to the grocery store where anything I touch or look at she asks if I need.
“No, Nona, I am just looking while you shop.”
She convinces me to get a pie for dessert though.
I said “ Only if you will eat some too! “
She agrees .

Once we get back home she starts making lunch.
During which she offers me more cookies.
I have a few.
She tries to give me coffee, After refusing twice, I appease her by taking a glass of milk.

We sit down to eat lunch and she hounds me that I need to eat more.
I am eating like “a little bird” she says.
I tell her, “I am full already, my stomach is small right now.”
This doesn’t phase her, “ No, you are eating for two, you should eat more!
More!
The baby is hungry!
Here have some more!

I tell her “No, I am full, why don’t you believe me? I am 28, I know when I am full!” She is relentless and growls under her breath.
I’m all “Nona, I really can’t eat anymore right now, when I burp, I throw up a little in my mouth”
She looks at me and without pause ,says

“ Yeah, me too, it’s alright”

As soon as I finish what is on my plate.
She says “ You want some pie?”
“Yes, I will have some pie.”
“ Do you want some ice cream?”
“ No thank you.”
“ What’s wrong? Don’t you like ice cream?”
“ Yes, I do, but I will just have some pie.”
“ Well, why not with ice cream? Ice cream is good on pie!”
“Yes, Nona , it is ,but I will just have milk.”
She turns her nose up in disgust and gets the pie.

As soon as I am barely finished eating my slice, she says “ Have another slice”
I am still swallowing!
“ No, one piece is fine” .
” No it’s not, don’t you want some more?
You should have another slice.”
So I make a compromise with her and ask if instead it would be alright if I took home a piece for later.
She says fine, but when I pack it up, she wants to know why I don’t take 2 pieces and how about 1 for Steve too.
I tell her Steve isn’t home, I just need one slice.
Plus, “You promised you would eat the pie too! If I take 3 pieces, it will all be gone.

“Fine”, she says…
“But do you want some ice cream before you go?”