Beauty and the Banker

Steppin' Out Saturday 1.28.12

2012-01-29T08:50:00.002-05:00

On Momma

top: LC @ Kohls

tank: Motherhood

jeans: Old Navy

On Daddy

boring weekend bank clothes

On Sadie

(pre-party outfit)

sweater & jeans: Children's Place

bow: Target

(party outfit)

dress & bloomers: Janie & Jack

bow: Target

Ok so technically we didn't step out but I did host a baby shower at our house. And I may have forgotten to take a picture for steppin' out but this family photo works.

The shower was a lot fun and I will be sure share pictures from it later! For now, I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

Baby Gear!

2012-01-27T08:18:00.008-05:00

When I was pregnant I read a million reviews online and asked every person I knew with a baby about baby products. I wasn't sure what we really needed and then of course there are so many options of each item that it gets a bit overwhelming. Now that our little nugget is here I am so extremely thankful for the insight of those who graciously shared their wisdom with us. In the spirit of paying it forward I am going to share some of the things we that have made the last 6 weeks a lot easier on us.

1. Fisher-Price My Little Snug-a-Bunny Cradle Swing

We would not have slept the first few nights without this lifesaver. Sadie had her days and nights a little confused in the beginning and the hubs and I were so exhausted that our brains were not functioning properly. It wasn't until 4am the first night home that we decided to try the swing ::cue angels singing:: that magic machine put our baby right to sleep! She likes being in it awake now too. The thing is like a baby silencer, awake or asleep she is so content in this swing. A definite must have in this house!

2. Summer Infant Muslin Swaddle Blankets

After trying several different swaddling blankets (I got a nice variety at my shower) these are the ONLY ones that kept Sadie swaddled. They are big and stretchy enough for her to stretch her legs but still allow you to pull it nice and tight so she can't escape.

3. Chicco Keyfit 30 Infant Car Seat

Love this car seat! The transport team at the hospital I work at (who are certified in all things dealing with infant car seats) said this one was the best and I have to agree. The base is easy to install and the straps are easy to adjust.

4. Fisher-Price My Little Snug-a-Bunny Bouncer

Originally I thought that we didn't need both a bouncer and a swing but I take that back. The bouncer is perfect for Sadie to hang out in while I shower, get ready, clean, do dishes, do ANYTHING! If she falls asleep in it I can just pick it up and carry her in it to a different room. It makes life a lot easier for me during the day.

5. Chicco Ultrasoft Carrier

This was another thing I didn't really think we needed. I didn't register for or research any carriers but we got this one as a shower gift. I figured if we had it I would give it a try and I am so glad I did. If I need to go to the store by myself it is so much easier to carry her in this rather than lug around the car seat. I am surprised at how many bad reviews it has on the Babies R Us website! I think it is very easy to slide her in and out of by myself, the adjustments are simple and straight forward, she has plenty of support, and it doesn't hurt my back or bother my chest. It's also nice on her fussier days to be able to get things done around the house.

6. NUK Pacifiers

More lifesavers! Especially when we are out somewhere, if she starts getting fussy one of these beauties calms her right down. We also just started giving one to her to help her fall asleep at night the first time she goes down and it works like a charm.

7. Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breastpump

Although the actual process of pumping is not my most favorite thing, it is very helpful. On the weekends I am able to pump and let the hubs take a feeding during the night. I also pump if we are going to be out for a while because I haven't quite gotten the nursing while covered thing down yet so it's nice to have the option of a bottle if that's what I feel most comfortable with. Plus this will be a major necessity when I head back to work.

There may be more things (in fact I am sure there are) but these are the main ones that come to mind. Of course, every baby and every family is different but this is what has been working for us. Hope it helps someone out the way all of the advice I received has helped me.

Steppin' Out Friday 01.20.12

2012-01-21T17:12:00.002-05:00

On Momma

top: LC at Kohls

cardigan: Motherhood

jeans: Old Navy

(YAY!!! for fitting into normal clothes again)

On Sadie June

tank: target

cardigan: baby Gap

tiny little baby jeans: Children's Place (super clearance!)

headband: handmade by the lovely volunteers at the hospital

(YAY!!! for Sadie's first Steppin' Out)

We have finally been getting out of the house more lately. While I love our family time together snuggled in our home, a girl has got to get out sometimes! Last night we stepped out to dinner with one of our favorite couples. I got to rub her ever growing baby bump which got me even more excited for their baby girl to come! Sadie just loves being out and about. We are very blessed with a happy little girl.

Hopefully we will participating in more Steppin' Outs now :)

Wordless Wednesday: A day at the Park

2012-01-18T08:20:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was our three year wedding anniversary and we started the celebration on Monday with a family day at the park and dinner at Sonny's (our fave!).

One Month

2012-01-13T16:11:00.004-05:00

Where on Earth has the time gone? One month old already? How can this be? I swear I just brought her home yesterday. But as I look down at this sweet baby snoozing on my chest I can clearly see that she is not the same newborn I first held in the labor and delivery room. She is bigger, longer, has fuller cheeks (I didn't even think that was possible), and more hair. She makes fun new noises and toots even louder than her daddy (we are both very impressed by this).

I have never enjoyed anything as much as I enjoy being a Mommy. Sure getting up 3 times a night and cleaning someone else's poop off of yourself multiple times a day may not sound very glamorous but it is totally worth all of the smiles, snuggles, and "coo's" you get in return.

Here we will start the first of many monthly updates.

(ps- these are way more fun than the bump updates. just saying)

Farewell 2011

2012-01-02T14:03:00.003-05:00

2011 was the year I had been dreaming about for a long time. The hubs and I started the year with fresh optimism and hopes high. On April 2nd we found out we were pregnant again and although we were nervous to get excited about it we just couldn't help ourselves. The first 12 weeks were spent on the edge of seats and overanalyzing every single feeling in my body but the next 9 months were like a dream.

Being pregnant was such an amazing experience. I loved every second of it, even when I was throwing up in my car and drained of energy just so ready to meet our little girl. Every kick, hiccup, tickling of my hip bone, and jab to the ribs made me fall in love with my belly even more. Every time we heard that little heart beating or saw a glimpse of that beautiful profile or those tiny fingers and toes made it all feel a little more real.

And finally, after three years of trying and hoping and praying, three heartbreaking losses, nine months of falling in love with a belly, and over 24 hours of labor... On December 14th we met our little girl. Our miracle. Our everything. And love doesn't even begin to describe the way we feel about her.

2011 healed my heart. It reminded me that this world can be such a beautiful place and that the people in it can do amazing things. It made me believe in miracles again. For the first time in a long time I am truly sad to see a year end. But at the same time I know that 2012 and beyond holds so many wonderful adventures for my family.

And for the first time in three years, my resolution is not to get pregnant :)

The Birth

2011-12-28T13:38:00.004-05:00

False Alarm

On December 12th while in the shower (attempting to shave my legs) I felt a gush. My first thought was that my water broke but I couldn't be sure. After a lot of back and forth the hubs and I decided to take a trip to triage. While there I was checked and was 2-3cm dilated but turns out my water had not broken. Wishful thinking perhaps? My nurse was wonderful and stripped my membranes as well as making me the full 3cm dilated (ouch!). So after a couple of hours hanging out in triage we went home. Although I was disappointed to not be in labor yet, I was happy to at least be progressing since at our last appointment I had zero progress.

Could this be it?

I woke up the next morning at 2am with strong contractions. They weren't consistantly close together but they were stronger than any I had felt up to that point and bad enough that I could not lie in bed any longer. I bounced on my yoga ball (lifesaver) while watching Christmas movies, took a bath, and walked around the house until the hubs woke up. Since I was most comfortable walking we went Christmas shopping. I was doing great the first couple of hours, walking through my contractions which were still varying from 3 to 10 minutes apart lasting about 2 minutes each. Then the contractions worsened and I had to stop for each one. Finally the hubs made us go home and start timing them.

At that point the contractions were every 5-6 minutes (or so we thought). The hubs wanted to go to triage right away but after our false alarm the day before I wanted to make sure it was the real thing before going in again. After watching the hubs nervously pace the house several times I finally gave in and to triage we went. It was around 3:30pm on December 13th when we arrived.

Of course this time I saw several people I know (I work at the hospital where I delivered) and was starting to feel silly, like this was another false alarm. Only it wasn't...

The Real Deal

This time in triage they monitored my contractions to find that they were only 3 minutes or so apart and very strong. When they checked me I was 4cm dilated and that paired with my contractions meant I was being admitted to labor and delivery. They allowed me to walk around the hospital for an hour to try to get things to progress more on their own and then I was to go straight to L&D.

We made it to L&D around 6:30pm and that's where the fun really begins.

As I mentioned before I wanted to go all natural with no pain meds whatsoever. I made it to 3:30am on December 14th at which point I was 6cm dilated and my contractions were right on top of each other. By this time I had already been awake and having contractions for over 24 hours and was not getting a break in between them. I was doing great breathing through them but was so exhausted I could not hold my head up on my own. When the nurse told me I still had a ways to go I decided I would get the epidural. I saw such relief on the hubs face as soon as that decision was made.

I was very apprehensive about the epi. The thought of a needle in my spine and not being in full control of my body freaked me out. But as it turns out it was the best decision for me. I felt great after getting the epi and was able to enjoy so many more aspects of my labor. I was able to rest a little and prepare for the most important part. Pushing.

Let's Push!

At around 7am on December 14th I felt the strongest command my body has ever given me. To push! Trying not to push while the nurse got everything ready was so difficult! When it was time though, I was ready. Allowing my body to do something so foreign to me took a little getting used to but after a couple of pushes I was able to figure out what worked best for me. I pushed for a little over an hour, making a little progress each time but it didn't feel nearly that long.

When I was close enough to need the doctor the told me not to push again. I seriously thought they were crazy if they thought I was able to keep that baby in for one second longer. But somehow I managed to wait for the doctor and once she arrived it was smooth sailing. A few pushes later and there was a head! After that pushing was nothing. I was about to hold my baby girl and nothing else mattered. Within minutes there she was in my arms. Beautiful from what I could see through my tears. I looked at the hubs and his face was full of tears as held us both tight. I could not done any of it without him. The entire pregnancy and even more so during the birth he was supportive and comforting and strong, and anything else I needed him to be.

Our baby girl was perfect. Bigger than anyone imagined at 8lbs 4oz and tall just like her Momma at 20.75 inches.

My mom and both the hubs parents were there for the whole thing. I can't find another word to describe sharing that with them other than magical. Even though things didn't go according to my "plan" I had the most amazing birth experience I could imagine. And as crazy as it may sound, I can't wait to do it all again... in a couple of years :)

Welcome to the World

2011-12-17T08:28:00.002-05:00

Sadie June arrived at 8:19 am on December 14, 2011

weighing a whopping 8lb. 4oz.

20.75 inches long

The story of her birth will be coming soon. But there wont be much blogging during this adjustment period so be patient with me :)

For now here are a couple of pictures:

Steppin' Out // 39 weeks

2011-12-04T18:19:00.002-05:00

top: Forever21

cardigan: Express

capris: Motherhood

jewelry: Lucky Brand

This morning we "stepped out" to a lovely breakfast with the in-laws. After stuffing our faces with french toast and eggs of all kinds we took the pups for a really long walk and watched football the rest of the day. It was such a nice surprise to have them come for a little visit, I really wish they were closer and every Sunday could be like it was today.

I know I have been absent from the blogosphere this past week but as you can see from the picture above, my absence is not because our sweet baby girl decided to grace us with her presence. Nope. Still very much pregnant. Despite my very best efforts that is. We are only a couple of days away from our due date and this tiny lady is snuggled up in my rib cage with no desire to leave. I have had my fair share of contractions but they have yet to be time-able. My water is still intact and baby girl is still moving around like a hyper ninja.

Patience was never something I had mastered and lately it has only gotten worse. It's not that I haven't enjoyed being pregnant. Because I will truly miss it when it's done. It's just that I want to meet this little one! We have been waiting to meet our baby for three years now. This may not be the same baby we longed for three years ago but she encompasses the life we have been waiting to start and makes the losses we have suffered have a happy ending after all.

The end of November marked three years since my dad passed so I have been trying to deal with a lot of emotions lately. It doesn't help that I am nine months pregnant, exhausted, and hormonal. It's also a difficult reminder as Sadie's arrival gets closer and closer that she will never know the amazing man that my dad was. Although I will tell her about him every chance I get. But let me not get started on that or the flood of emotions will pour out again.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I also hope that my next update will include a picture of Sadie outside of my womb :)

Steppin' Out Sunday 11.20.11

2011-11-20T20:13:00.003-05:00

dress: Forever 21

tank & leggings: Motherhood

flip flops: AE

Yes. This is the same outfit from my last bump picture. But once you get to a certain size you aren't left with many options. Plus this outfit is soooo comfy! Something else you may have noticed... I am officially sporting ankle rolls. I started swelling this very morning and had no idea it was visible enough to be seen in a picture but holy cow there they are! I also stopped wearing my rings today. Although they still fit they get pretty uncomfortable when I get hot (which is often).

The hubs and I had a great Sunday. It started with a visit to my momma's house for brunch with the family. Both my grandma and my brother got to feel Sadie move for the first time. My brother was hesitant to touch my belly but his face lit up with a smile when he felt her tiny little hiccups. This of course melted my heart. He is 16 and I was worried he just wouldn't be all that interested in his niece but that look on his face put me at ease :)

After some much needed family time we headed home to our pups. We relaxed for a bit and then headed over to our friends house for some delicious food and lots of baby bump rubbing.

Still not quite sure how we got lucky enough to have friends like these but I won't argue with it. I cannot wait for our little girls to meet outside the womb :)

Being 8 months pregnant changes things...

2011-11-18T13:32:00.002-05:00

As I have already confessed, I am a twilight nerd. Last year I blogged about my excitement over Eclipse and while I was just excited this year for Breaking Dawn, my current state (you know being just a few short weeks away from birthing a child) has definitely proven that things have changed.

So I present you with "Skinny Megan" vs. "8 months Pregnant Megan"

Skinny Megan arrived at the movie theater around 9pm for the midnight showing of the newest twilight movie with her bestie by her side.

8 months Pregnant Megan was fast asleep on the couch by 8:30pm and opted for the 10am showing the next day and went solo.

Skinny Megan snuck in Starbucks and other sugary snacks to munch on during the movie.

8 months Pregnant Megan finished off her entire bag of popcorn before the previews even started and gave her cherry coke the side eye during the first half hour trying so hard not to drink too much of it causing her to run to the restroom mid movie.

8 months Pregnant Megan also started crying at the very beginning of the movie... and never really stopped until it was over. Darn hormones.

While Skinny Megan managed to watch the movie like a normal person.

I did, however, enjoy the movie just the same! I found myself feeling very grateful that Sadie is not part vampire. I would much rather crave chocolate milkshakes over O+ blood. And although sometimes her kicks do feel like they are breaking my ribs I am happy to say that my insides are still in tact (for the most part).

Stay tuned for next years rendition of this lovely segment when Breaking Dawn part 2 comes out and we add the part of "Mommy Megan" to the mix :)

36 weeks!

2011-11-14T12:04:00.004-05:00

In the past week my belly has grown drastically. I mean look at that thing, it's huge! And size isn't the only thing that has changed lately either. I have been getting several contractions over the past few days but nothing regular. Just my body preparing itself for when the time comes. Which, by the way, is getting so close.

Sadie's movement in my belly has intensified this week. You are able to see just about every move she makes and are able to feel her tiny little bones in so much detail now. It's incredible to think I will be able to kiss those little cheeks in just a few weeks time.

The hubs and I have been working hard to get everything ready for Sadie's arrival. We have been cleaning, fixing things around the house that were long over do, changing out light bulbs, putting together and installing baby gear, all of her clothes are washed and put away, hospital bags are packed. We even started putting up our Christmas decorations so it would all be ready in case she decided to make an early appearance. All that is missing is baby!

Although I have really loved being pregnant and as much as I will miss having this little gal all to myself and feeling her inside my belly, I really hope these last few weeks fly by. I just cannot wait to meet my baby girl.

Steppin' Out Saturday 11.12.11

2011-11-13T10:19:00.002-05:00

top and jeans: Motherhood

boots: Candies @ Kohls

Last night we went out to dinner with one of our favorite couples (who are also expecting). Who knows how many nights we have left to hang out without kiddos so we are trying to take advantage of the time we have left.

How huge is my belly by the way? She has really popped out there lately!

Maternity Photo Preview

2011-11-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week the hubs and I had some maternity photos taken by a very talented and affordable local photographer, Shannon Smith with SNS Photography. If you're local you really should check her out! She is so awesome that the very next morning after our shoot she sent me a three photo preview. And I really love them! So much so that I had to share them with you all. I will post more when we get the rest :)

Good Morning America

2011-11-12T09:35:00.002-05:00

Yesterday on 11/11/11 Good Morning America did a special feature called "Baby Oh Baby" at the hospital where I work! They chose the nursery on my floor to film which was very exciting. It was really really cool seeing how the whole operation went down. With the camera crew, producers, assistants, and other people that I wasn't really sure what they did, taking over our floor for two full days.

The very yummy Cameron Mathison (from All My Children and Dancing with the Stars) was the chosen host and he was quite the hit with the ladies at the hospital. He was also super nice and didn't turn down pictures with all of the ladies who wanted them. I only had my phone so my picture didn't come out so well but it was still clear enough to make the hubs jealous ;)

If you watch the video (click here) you will see me and my bestie for our two seconds of fame in the nursery. I was wearing a black shirt the first day of filming and am behind the desk while she's moving baby bassinets.

The whole experience was pretty neat and the segment turned out really nice. I will be there as a patient instead of employee before I know it!

Sadie's Nursery Tour!

2011-11-09T08:54:00.003-05:00

We have been slowly working on Sadie's nursery for quite some time now so it feels pretty good to have it all done! Have a look:

Steppin' Out // 35 weeks

2011-11-06T15:55:00.003-05:00

dress: Express

leggings: Motherhood Maternity

flip flops: American Eagle

This is probably the most comfy outfit I currently own (other than jammies of course). Thanks to my giant belly this "dress" is more of a top right now and I definitely wore it on my 21st birthday but it looked a bit different on me then :)

The hubs and I took the pups to the Fall Festival downtown today and they had a great time. Wentworth is feeling much better and hasn't had anymore episodes. So we figured we all needed a day out to celebrate everyone's health. Plus it wont be as easy to pack up both dogs once Sadie gets here so we were enjoying the little time we have left before our family grows even bigger!

The festival had all kinds of crafts and goodies, not to mention delicious food. We got the most amazing soba noodles with teriyaki chicken for lunch and I am still thinking about it. I may have to hunt them down for more later.

________________________________________________

And now for a little belly update....

I decided to give a little sneak peak of the nursery with these pictures as well! It's all done other than a little organizing of a bookshelf that refuses to make me happy with it. Pictures of the whole thing will hopefully be up this week!

As I am sure you can tell, little Sadie is running out of room! The doctor says that he does not anticipate her being late since she doesn't have a whole lot of room left in there. And with as much as I love being pregnant (which I really do!) I definitely wouldn't mind her coming on time. I am really feeling that uncomfortableness now! Most positions I sit/lay/stand either make me feel like I can't breathe or pinch that pesky nerve that causes me a lot of pain in my back. Walking a lot really helps though. I always feel so good when I'm walking.

But other than that things are going really well. I am very happy to be at the 35 week mark. I hope she stays a few more weeks at least but getting to this point does put my mind at ease a bit.

Be on the lookout for nursery pictures this week!

Our Sweet Wentworth

2011-11-04T16:43:00.003-04:00

What a night/day it has been. Whew. I woke up for the 100th time to pee around 3am and my poor little Wentworth followed me in and ran into the wall. It was dark so I reached down to pet him and make sure he was ok and the little guy was shaking. After turning on the light (and putting on my glasses) I realized that something was not right.

I yelled for the hubs to make sure I wasn't hallucinating in my hazy state but he saw exactly what I did. Went's back legs were really shaky, he was panting pretty hard, and seemed delirious at times (running into the wall). Being the hormonal sap I am I immediately start sobbing but with encouragement from the hubs I collected myself and called our emergency vet. Four hours and $500 later we found out he was having onset seizures. It looks like these seizures were caused by ingesting something toxic but they can't be 100% sure. We are thinking the mushrooms that just popped up in our backyard?

He was given charcoal (never heard of this) to soak up what was left of the toxins, valium to stops the tremors, and fluids. We took a very drugged pup home and waited a few hours until our normal vet opened. By this point the drugs were wearing off and the old Wentworth was shinning through.

We still have to keep a strict eye on him to make sure the seizures aren't something that are going to be a reoccurring problem but so far we haven't seen any sign of them since the early morning.

My heart was breaking watching my poor baby act that way, it is such a relief to see him acting like himself again (just a very sleepy version of himself). Hopefully he doesn't give us any more scares and that is the last seizure we ever see.

this was the only way we could get the little guy to lay down.

is the hubs going to be a good daddy or what?

yes. he is laying on our tile floor.

Happy Halloween!! (& 34 weeks)

2011-10-31T19:53:00.004-04:00

Sadly I did not decorate our house for Halloween this year. We just had too much going on and decided it wasn't worth it this year. We also didn't really "dress up" for the first time in a very long time. But that doesn't mean I was completely without Halloween spirit this year! I was ready to hand out candy and we still had our pumpkins!

Sadie and I are ready for the Trick-or-Treaters!!

My happy little pumpkin :)

The hubs scary pumpkin

and a sweet little one for Sadie.

_____________________________________________________

Also, today marks 34 weeks! Eeek! We are so close! Nothing new is really going on this week but maybe I will have more news after our doctors appointment :)

Baby Shower!

2011-10-31T10:11:00.009-04:00

My amazing friend Antonia threw me the most beautiful baby shower for me and Sadie. Everything was homemade and so personal. I always knew the girl was good at this kind of thing but she really blew me away with everything.

There was a sweets table for favors. And yes she made all of it, I think she is missing her calling here. Delicious food consisting of tomato bisque and baked potato soups, salads, grilled cheese sammies (my fave!), pasta salad, spinach dip, fruits and veggies, pumpkin dip and more! Seriously all of my favorite foods and the perfect kind of foods for an early afternoon shower.

I requested no games in which we act like babies (such as eating baby foods, smelling things out of diapers, or drinking out of bottles) so Antonia picked games that were age appropriate (thank you!). She made a celebrity baby matching game where you matched the celebrity with the name of their baby, guess how many jelly beans are in the big baby bottle, and try to guess how big my belly is with a piece of yarn. I learned that many people think I look a lot bigger than I am :)

My friends and family are such amazing people. They made me and Sadie feel so loved. We are both so lucky to have all of these people in our lives. I can't wait until she can meet everyone.

Now I will get to the good stuff... Picture overload!

The beautiful hostess and I

(did I mention she's also pregnant with a little girl, aka Sadie's bff?)

food

drinks

my momma

high school friends

cake!

bff

favor boxes

Sadie's Grandma's :)

great friends!

sweets table

cupcakes

red velvet cake balls

dipped marshmallow sticks

the sign above the sweets table

our growing family <3

Seriously. Perfection. And thanks to all of these lovely ladies, Sadie is going to be the most stylish little girl around. I cannot wait for her to get here!!

Steppin' Out Sunday 10.30.11

2011-10-30T18:21:00.002-04:00

outfit: Motherhood Maternity (the whole thing)

shoes: Payless (I really should buy new shoes...)

This was the first maternity top I ever bought and wore. Last time you saw it on here, it looked a bit different on me:

14 weeks vs. 33 weeks

I have also gotten much more pale since then. At least our grass is greener. Anyway, I was headed to a cheese party for my lovely friend Amy's birthday. What is a cheese party, you may be asking yourself? Well it is a party full of cheese! Cheesy breads, cheese potatoes, plates of cheese, mac n' cheese, chips and queso, and two different baked brie's. I have been in a cheese coma ever since but it was all so yummy.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a very Happy Halloween tomorrow :)

ps- Baby shower pictures will be up tomorrow!

World Champions!

2011-10-30T10:18:00.003-04:00

As you all are pretty well aware of, I am a HUGE baseball fan. Especially when it comes to my St. Louis Cardinals! After staying up after midnight screaming and celebrating only to have to wake up a few hours later for my 12 hour work shift, I finally have enough sanity to tell you all that...

THE CARDINALS WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!

Sadie was cheering along with me during all of game seven. She was probably wondering what the heck I was getting so worked up for but I like to think that she is just already such a big cardinals fan. Thanks to a bet made between the hubs and I regarding the outcome of the World Series, Sadie is exclusively Cardinals fan and will not be cheering on the Reds :) Therefore she will soon be sporting this little number:

And one more awesome picture we found on the interwebs that made my baseball loving heart smile:

I wont go into the details of the games (because, well I know none of you care) but there were some great displays of baseball at its finest. I am so excited for spring when baseball is back and we will be able to share our love of sports with our little girl. She doesn't know what she's in for ;)

33 weeks

2011-10-25T20:18:00.002-04:00

This past week has really worn me out! I have been staying up way too late watching World Series games and combined with all of the excitement of my shower and getting things ready for Miss Sadie. Whew. I need a nap just thinking about it.

The hubs and I have been very productive lately. All of Sadie's clothes are washed and put away, along with her blankets, towels, and wash cloths. We spent a good amount of time and a big chunk of money at Babies R Us making sure we have everything we need for her arrival. Her room is almost complete, I just need to organize her bookshelf (pictures to come soon, I promise). I even started packing our hospital bag. Maybe it's a little early but if you know me at all then you know that is just normal Megan behavior.

Sadie is doing well although I think she is starting to feel cramped because it seems like she is trying to make some more room in there. Wondering what gives me that idea? Here take a look:

In case you can't tell, that's my view looking down on my ginormous belly. That bulge there on the right? That is my baby girl. Is she trying to escape? Possibly trying to make some more room in her ever-shrinking home? Either way it looks and feels weird! And sometimes it looks even crazier than this, I just haven't caught a picture of it yet.

Baby shower and nursery pictures will be coming soon but for now I will leave you with a picture from the pumpkin patch:

Steppin' Out Saturday {10.22.11}

2011-10-23T06:59:00.003-04:00

dress: A Pea in a Pod

cardigan: Express

shoes: Payless

braclet & necklace: Lucky Brand (should have gotten a better photo of them. oops)

This Saturday was my baby shower! It was absolutely perfect! Great friends & family, beautiful decorations, yummy food, sweet baby things, and so much love for my baby girl. Sadie is so incredibly lucky to have such wonderful and loving people that already care about her so much.

But more on that later. For now I am going to go eat some of that yummy left over food I mentioned (yes. at 7am. don't judge me).

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T19:45:00.000-04:00

Just for fun ;)

2011-10-19T05:00:00.000-04:00

I can't help but wonder what little Sadie is going to look like. Based on her 4D ultrasound I would say she is going to have her mama's cheeks, long fingers, full lips and overall cuteness. I dug up some baby pictures of the hubs and I to maybe get a little glimpse of what she could come out looking like :)

(I'm on the left and the hubs is on the right)

peaceful newborns

See those big eyes on the hubs? I hope Sadie gets those beauties

Is she destined to have big cheeks and a double chin? I think so!

As I look down at my belly I try to picture her outside of those profile black and white ultrasound photos. Will she has his goofy grin? my long limbs? Will she share in our similar eye color or inherit that from another family member? I know she will beautiful. I know she will be perfect in our eyes. I just can't wait to meet her!

32 weeks :)

2011-10-18T18:20:00.002-04:00

Day one of week 32 resulted in split pants before 7am... at work. I leaned over in my chair to pick something up I had dropped (new motto- if it falls than that's where it belongs) and I hear a POP. Of course my giant belly blocks my view of the crotch area of my pants so I tried to sneak into the bathroom to see what damage was done. Sure enough the seam had popped right open, held together loosely by a tiny little thread. I did my best to "mend" the tear and went about my day keeping my legs crossed when not under my desk. Let's hope that doesn't set the pace of the rest of the week :)

As you can see, Mr. Boomer here got a new haircut today. That was stop one on our list of appointments for the day. Doesn't he look handsome.

After dropping Boomer off we headed to our bi-weekly OB check and everything is going great. Sadie still has a nice strong heartbeat and is head down for now. My belly is measuring right on track and my weight is maintaining nicely now. The results from my glucose test came back totally normal, which is great news and means no more nasty orange drink! I have still been feeling great, especially now that I am walking and exercising more (how did I forget how good that feels?).

Next up was a prenatal orientation at a potential Pediatricians office. We were given a lot of information, a tour around the office, and met almost all of the pediatricians working there. The hubs and I were both drawn to the same Pediatrician and have decided that is who we will take Sadie to see! It's exciting and scary to be making big decisions like this.

We have accomplished so much this week already and it is just beginning! More things to look forward to this week include the in-laws coming up for the weekend and my baby shower on Saturday! So excited :)

31 week update

2011-10-12T18:03:00.003-04:00

Last weekend we attended a Prepared Child Birthing class that lasted all day and covered everything you would want to know about birthing a baby (even some things you would probably rather not know). This class made it all feel so real! It also solidified some feelings I had about labor and made me feel extremely comfortable with the whole thing. Which is good considering we are only nine weeks away now :)

(don't mind the sweats & glasses, I just got off work and realized I hadn't taken a picture for the week yet)

At 31 weeks I have upped my exercising a bit. And by "upped" I mean I finally started. Just more walking mostly with some squats and lunges mixed in a bit. Trying to prepare myself for the endurance it will take for a natural labor. Oh did I mention that my crazy self wants a natural labor? It is really important to me and something I have thought about through and through. So as long as everything is in my control that is the way it will be.

Sadie has discovered some new tricks this week. Her new favorite game is playing with my hip bone on my left side. Such a weird feeling! In fact she is playing with said hip bone as I type these very words. She has also learned how to curl herself up into the right side of my rib cage. Not the most pleasant feeling but as long as she's cozy I will deal.

I am still feeling pretty darn good and am in the best of spirits. The weather is finally cooling off a bit (meaning it's not scorching hot out) and I just love all of the things that come with fall. And being pregnant in the fall is way more awesome than being pregnant in the summer.

Another week down, only 9 more to go!

Plans

2011-10-09T09:39:00.003-04:00

You know the saying "We plan, God Laughs"? Well I love it. And today is the perfect example...

Sunday Plans (as of yesterday):

- Sleep in

- Wake up to coffee and pancakes

- Snuggle on the couch all day in pj's

- Watch football until 4pm

- At 4pm watch the Cardinals play the Brewers

Simple right? Those seem like harmless plans... WRONG.

See this happened at 8:30am to change our whole day:

Boomer was already ushered to the shower by this point but picture this amount of mud times about 3 covering an extremely furry dog and that's what he looked like.

Re-vised Sunday Plans:

- Give both dogs baths

- Grab a granola bar and sip of cold coffee

- Clean the porch

- Clean the floors

- Clean the bathroom

- Clean ourselves

- Hopefully catch a glimpse or two of a football game

- Finish before 4pm so I can watch the Cardinals game

Shall we make some plans for tomorrow?

ps- When I woke up this morning the pups were outside playing so I asked the hubs if he checked to make sure it wasn't muddy since it rained all day yesterday. He said he checked and was surprised himself that there was no mud. When the pups finally came to the door to come in (just completely covered in mud) the hubs went outside and found one tiny little puddle in the corner of the fence and the pups were flicking it up all over with their noses and then rolling in it... because well that's what dogs do. At least they had a good time :)

pps- The hubs in no longer allowed to make such decisions before I awake.

The evil orange drink...

2011-10-06T04:23:00.003-04:00

If you have ever been pregnant than you know the one I am talking about. At first sip it tastes suspiciously like orange soda but as you drink a little more you realize it must contain pure acid because your chest is burning. Then, accompanied by the heartburn, comes the uncontrollable burping (which is so not attractive in the quiet waiting room at the doctors office). And you have to sit there for an hour awaiting your favorite part of the visit, the dreaded blood draw (oh maybe I am the only one who dreads it... but I do so very much) only to have to wait another couple of days to find out if you pass or fail the diabetes screening.

Or you could be like me and get a phone call saying your stupid blood clotted so now we have to re-do your one hour glucose test. Maybe they didn't exactly say my blood was "stupid" but those were my thoughts when I had to go in again yesterday for the joys of glucose testing. Stupid blood. Did you have to clot? Did you have to cause me to spend my day off sitting in the doctors office? Am I not there enough as it is?

Hopefully by Friday I get a pleasant phone call saying that my blood is no longer stupid but is in fact pretty awesome and I passed. I would prefer those words exactly but I will accept other variations.

I am a little sad that we only have one ultrasound left and it is scheduled so close to my due date that the next time we see little Sadie just may be on the outside. At least her stretching, kicks and hiccups keep me reassured :)

30 weeks!

2011-10-03T14:48:00.002-04:00

Thirty weeks sounds absolutely crazy to me. We are so close to meeting our little princess now and I could not possibly be any more excited! Other than the inability to sleep or even get comfortable on the couch most of the time I am feeling pretty great. Well minus the almost constant back pain. But still, things are going pretty great.

This has been a pretty eventful week for us. We had our appointment to check my placenta on Tuesday and received nothing but good news. While my placenta is still low-lying it is no longer considered even partial placenta previa. In case you that makes absolutely no sense to you, this is great news. It essentially means that I no longer have to have a c-section. For someone who would like to give the whole natural birth thing a try this news really meant a lot to me.

As for miss Sadie, she is growing so nicely. They estimate her weight to be around three pounds and her head measuring a week ahead (ouch). We saw every bone in her little foot and the poor girl is going to have big feet like her Momma because they were measuring about 2 inches long. Our sweet little girl was sticking her tongue out at us and wiggling all around. She has found her favorite spot in my ute which is pressing her head as far out as possible creating this weird lopsided look to my belly.

Other exciting news this week came from our best friends, who also happen to be expecting. They are having a girl! I am beyond thrilled for them. We already do almost everything together as it is and now with us both expecting little girls, just three months apart, I can only imagine the trouble we will get into :)

The last bit of exciting news has nothing to do with babies whatsoever... The Cardinals magically squeezed their way into the playoffs and are now tied 1-1 in their series against the Phillies. This may cause me to go into preterm labor... I get just a little bit excited about the Cardinals in case you didn't know.

I think that is enough rambling for one day. Hope you all are having a great Monday!

Steppin' Out {29 weeks}

2011-09-25T14:28:00.003-04:00

top: H&M maternity

capris: Motherhood Maternity

bag: Coach

shoes: Dillards (clearance!)

Again the whole working too many weekends thing has prevented me from participating lately and although I worked Saturday I was lucky enough to have today off. We did a little shopping, had brunch with some awesome friends (where I almost licked my plate clean due to the yummy-ness of my eggs florentine), and are spending the rest of the day watching football and cleaning up around the house. It's a nice little Sunday.

This week we go back to MFM to check on that darn placenta of mine. Hopefully we will receive all good news and (fingers crossed) wont have to see MFM again. Other than that everything is progressing wonderfully. Sadie has been stretching and pulling my belly in every direction possible and it has become increasingly difficult not to purchase every baby item on Etsy.... I will leave you with a 29 week bump:

i heart giveaways

2011-09-19T08:07:00.003-04:00

A lovely friend and fellow blogger over at Rumsey's Ramblings hosted a giveaway for an array of Boudreaux's products and I actually won! The prize game in a cute little gift bag and I was very excited to see how much stuff came in it.

Sadie's little tush will be rash free for a long time to come thanks to all this butt paste. Thanks Michelle for hosting this giveaway!

26...27... AND 28 weeks!

2011-09-18T19:53:00.003-04:00

Yes, I am a major slacker these days. I know! Shame on me. However there is a tiny little dancer in my belly that has pretty much taken over all thoughts and sources energy so I will cut myself a break this time.

Good news is that I have not been slacking in the picture department. See, my intentions were in the right place :) So here you have me and my luxurious belly at 26, 27, and 28 weeks:

A wee bright out that day! The belly is looking nice and round and although my energy mysteriously disappeared at this point, still feeling good.

Pretty much the same as the week before, in both looks and feelings. Although my hormones have been stepping it up a notch and the tears have been a flowin' a little too frequently.

Let's just be honest here... my belly grew about three sizes in one week am I right? It looks like I am holding a basketball under my dress. This is about the point I start feeling uncomfortable. If I walk to much my back kills me, I really have a hard time sleeping now, and little Sadie's kicks are actually starting to hurt (especially the ones directly to my belly button, someone needs to tell her that is not an exit!).

On another note... I am in the THIRD freaking trimester! Holy moly!! Only two and a half months until I will hold my baby girl in my arms. The excitement is pretty overwhelming I must say.

Speaking of excitement I have even more pictures to share with you all. We got a 4D ultrasound of Sadie last week and although she was a bit shy and hid her face most of the time we were still able to get a few shots of those chunky little cheeks.

Adorable button nose, a pair of luscious lips, and lots of little fingers.

Sucking her thumb like usual and waving away any more pictures :)

Seeing her this way was pretty surreal. I mean she looks like a real little baby. Amazing. I can't imagine the feeling of seeing her for the first time. holding her. kissing her. loving her even more than I already do.

Hopefully updates will come more frequently but I make no guarantees these days. Have a great week everyone!

Destiny's Child said it best...

2011-09-12T10:19:00.003-04:00

"It's just emotions taking me over"

Holy cow. Pregnancy hormones? They have taken over. I thought I had a good handle on my emotions... up until last week. Then, all of a sudden, BAM! Upset about everything. My feelings? They are always on the verge of being hurt. Tears? They live in the corners of my eyes just waiting for an opportunity to spring free. It's nuts! BUT I can't seem to help it.

Oh the joys of pregnancy :)

Georgia Peaches

2011-09-07T09:55:00.000-04:00

Last week the bestie and I drove up to Georgia for a week/end full of wedding things, fun, lots of laughter, and love. We got back yesterday and I honestly don't even know how I am awake enough now to be typing this because those five days wore. me. out. Road trips which include late nights and busy days are just not nearly as easy when you are six months pregnant. BUT they are still manageable and lots and lots of fun.

Our drive there took us twelve hours instead of the eight hours our GPS told us it would. We may have stopped at a mall for three hours or so... oops. The drive itself was pretty awesome. The reason I say this is because we both found a new obsession. Audio books. Not just any audio book though, this one was special because the book was so good! I admit that this probably ranks up there with my obsession with Harry Potter and Twilight but whatever, I have no shame in my teen-like interests. The Hunger Games. So flippin' good. A little on the gruesome side, kinda brutal, but really interesting and it's very hard to stop listening (or reading).

Anyway, let me stop talking about that now before I recap the entire story for you.

While in Georgia we helped the bride to be (my good friend since middle school) shop for some last minute things and attended her lovely lingerie shower where she received lots of goodies!

We also made it out to watch the Braves play the Dodgers. Even though I'm not a fan of either team, I love baseball. And baseball games. And fireworks.

The last stop on our Georgia trip was of course the wedding. And my goodness was it beautiful.

the happy and beautiful bride

the first kiss

friends. more like family.

Although I am very happy to be back in my own bed, with the hubs and my pups, I had a really amazing time with some really amazing people :)

Project Nursery, Part 2: Furniture

2011-09-05T17:59:00.002-04:00

All of our pieces of furniture are finally in for the nursery! Woohoo! That means it's time for another nursery update.

Our nursery isn't very big but it fits everything we need just perfectly.

the crib

dresser/changing table

(we are getting new knobs to dress this piece up a bit)

little bookcase and glider

(super comfy!!)

The bedding is purchased, pictures for the walls have been ordered, adorable accessories are slowly making their way into the nursery and it is already my favorite room in the house. We still need to find a rug and curtains. Which has been impossible thus far. I can't figure out what will look good. Ugh.

I am so excited to be able to start decorating now that we all of the big stuff is in place! And of course I will be sharing once it's finished :)

Details

Crib and dresser: Delta Eclipse Convertible Crib from Target

Bookcase: Ikea

Glider: Newco Jayden Recliner in "Coffee Velvet" from Babies R Us

25 weeks! eek!

2011-08-30T20:40:00.002-04:00

For once my picture is actually on the first day of the "week"! Here I am at 25 weeks with my not so little brother. We went to visit for a little birthday dinner to celebrate my brothers SIXTEENTH birthday. Ugh, why does he have to grow up so fast?

The hubs took me on a little maternity shopping trip yesterday as well. I can't explain what it is about new clothes (especially when you're body is going through such rapid change) that makes you feel so good. But it does. How did I get so lucky?

Pretty much everything is going the same this week with our little peanut. Her schedule has shifted from being up all night to being up all day. I hope this continues once out of the womb! Heartburn has become my nemesis and tums my newest side kick. I have been craving massive amounts of water and banana nut crunch cereal. Oh and gravy. On everything. Yum.

Tomorrow morning I am headed off to Georgia with the bestie so I will be MIA from the blogosphere and the rest of the internets (other than a few Facebook/Twitter checks) until Monday. I hope you all have a lovely long weekend!!

24 weeks!

2011-08-26T16:20:00.003-04:00

yes, those are cakes on my pants.

don't judge.

Sadie has continued to be a wild woman this week. The girl sure can move, and pretty quickly too! My eating habits have changed recently too. For some reason I am just not as hungry and have to remind myself to eat. Exhaustion has returned and full force. I spent almost the entire day yesterday sleeping on the couch. Luckily today has been a bit more productive but I am still just longing for the chance to crawl back in bed.

In a few days I am road tripping it up to Georgia with my bestie for a wedding. The hubs is saving his vacation days for when Sadie arrives (can't argue with that) so it's just going to be the two of us. It will be nice to have some time with her since both our lives are a little crazy and we live an hour away from each other. I have my fingers crossed that she wont want to kill me with all of the bathroom stops I will require :)

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Stache' Bash 2.0

2011-08-25T09:45:00.002-04:00

Last years Stache Bash was so much fun they decided to do it again this year! Thanks to work the hubs and I were a little tardy to the party but we made the most of it once we got there.

The Birthday boy and his lady sporting very sexy stache's.

A nice family portrait.

Sadie wearing her first ever mustache :)

Classic.

I'm not sure what got more stares, the mustaches or my baby bump at a bar. Either way it was another wonderful birthday celebration!

A little 1st tri humor

2011-08-22T08:06:00.001-04:00

I realized the other day that the hubs favorite story to share about our first trimester is one that I haven't shared here. Possibly for the embarrassing nature of it but I figured it would be good for a quick laugh. I apologize in advance for any visual it may create....

During the first trimester and beginning of the second trimester I would get sick every day at the same time. It didn't matter what I ate or didn't eat (trust me, I tried everything!). And it wasn't the actual getting sick part that troubled me, it was more the timing of it all that stressed me out.

Every morning on my way to work I would throw up... in my car. My drive to work consists of 95% highway and it is just not always possible to pull over. After the first few days of this I had a system down. I doubled (sometimes tripled) up on plastic grocery bags and kept them open and ready in the passenger seat. Most days I would just hold them open and lean to the side to take care of business. Well on a particularly rough ride into work, while driving on the highway with more traffic than usual at 6am, I didn't have a free hand or the option to take my eyes off the road for even a second.

So I did what I thought any rational person would do in my situation. I hung the handles of the grocery bags on my ears, handled my business, and kept my eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. It didn't seem like a big deal to me (or the cop who passed me in this predicament) but when I told the hubs about it he could not contain his laughter. I am pretty sure he has told every friend and family member this story and laughed his butt off every time.

There you have it, the joys of pregnancy. And with those joys comes the lack of embarrassment over many bodily functions.

Steppin' Out / 23 weeks

2011-08-21T09:37:00.003-04:00

tank: Motherhood Maternity

cardigan: Old Navy

capris: Old Navy Maternity

belt: Target (came with dress)

shoes: Payless

Friday night (after a very busy 12 hour shift at work, hence the red feet and overall disheveled appearance) we headed downtown for our friends birthday celebration. Remember that Stache' Bash I went to last year? Well we continued that tradition this year with the Stache' Bash part 2. I may or may not have worn a stache on my belly... Unfortunately my camera died and I don't have evidence of this, however, I will be stealing pictures from friends and will share them when I do :)

________________________________________________________

Whoa that's a real baby bump now! Over the past two weeks I really popped out there and I am lovin' it! The whole world can now clearly see that I am with child. And my belly has never had more action. It's like a hand magnet!

Week 23 has brought a little bit of nausea (nothing like before though!) and some more round ligament pain. It has also brought more pee breaks and a bigger appetite. But the best thing it has brought me? So much more movement! I feel little Sadie move so much throughout the day. She moves all around my belly, from my ribs to below my belly button. I love her kicks and jabs.

Other than the occasional nausea I have been feeling pretty good. There has been a lot going on around here lately and I am thankful to have the energy to handle most of it and the strength to handle the rest.

I am looking forward to getting more done in the nursery. The glider has been ordered, wooden letters for above the crib have been purchased, and the itch to start sewing has finally arrived. So hopefully there will be another update on that soon!

Summer are you still there?

2011-08-17T12:46:00.003-04:00

How in the world are we already half way through August? Preseason football is back, school has started up again, the Florida heat is in full force, and I am already pining for pumpkin bread and snuggly sweaters.

The hubs and I are trying to enjoy the summer, despite the heat, and headed to south Florida last week to visit the in-laws. It was a very nice and relaxing long weekend. I was hoping to get a little sun on my pasty skin and tried out my new maternity bathing suit.

As you can see my plan for a little tan clearly did not work. I am doomed to be a ghost :)

Due to exhaustion, pregnancy brain, and working too much I completely forgot to take a 22 week picture or do any sort of update. I will work on that for this week though!

21 weeks :)

2011-08-03T14:51:00.003-04:00

This morning we had our anatomy scan ultrasound. For those of you that don't know this is the ultrasound that looks at every little detail of the growing babe. Sadie has all of her organs and they are in the correct place. All ten fingers and toes were accounted for as well as all four chambers of her heart. Her chance for down syndrome or triscomy 13 are 1/10,000 which is as good as those odds get. Basically, she is perfect :) At least in our eyes!

During the ultrasound Sadie was pretty active! She flipped all the way around, sucked her thumb, struck a pose or two, curled up and stretched her back. It was pretty amazing to see. And she got out of that crazy "knee in face" position, which is good because I don't want her to be breech!

We were also told that she weighs a whopping 1 pound! That's pretty big for her age. She is also measuring a full week ahead of where she should be. Although they aren't officially changing our due date, they did say this put her more around a December 6th delivery.

The only not so great news we received is that my placenta is still too close to my cervix. It is a little over 1cm away, which is better than is was a couple of months ago, but we are not in the clear until it's more than 2cm away from my cervix. My MFM doctor said we have a 90% chance of that happening by the end of the pregnancy which sounds pretty good to me. I am still on a few restrictions but we aren't worried.

in deep thought or posing for the picture?

We were a little excited after hearing how healthy and wonderful Sadie is so far so we made a little stop at Caters and Barnes & Noble on the way home... Carters was having a great sale!

That adorable little bear goodness is my favorite thing ever! That should definitely keep our little December baby warm :)

Half way there!!

2011-07-27T15:30:00.005-04:00

20 weeks!! I can hardly believe it when I say it out loud but we are halfway through this pregnancy. The first half of this pregnancy has been absolutely amazing. My belly is becoming so round and my belly button is slowing disappearing.

This picture just does not do my belly justice. I swear it is much larger in person.

According to our baby books Sadie is now the size of a cantaloupe. That is huge! She has also developed taste buds meaning she is tasting what I am eating now. So I have been attempting to cut back on the cookies and eat more veggies. But honestly just mentioning cookies makes me want them. Like now.

Also this week we started registering. We went to Target totally unprepared and registered for maybe fifteen items. It was fun and exciting but made me realize I have no idea what I am doing. So, if you know me at all you know what happened next. I went home and googled, searched sites, and asked my mommy friends/co-workers and made a very long, organized list of all of the many things we need. We are now prepared for our trip to Babies R Us next week!

But just because we are just starting to register doesn't mean Sadie has received gifts yet. My mom is out of control! She ordered Sadie her first doll/toy and it should be in later this week. I will be sure to post about it because it is pretty awesome. Other things she has purchased include the nursery furniture, maternity clothes for me, and lots of clothes for our little lady. We received our first box of diapers as well from my moms boyfriend (that's right. my mom has a boyfriend now). I have got to start taking pictures of some of the adorableness that is filling our guest room.

Now, at 4pm, I am going to go shower and change out of my pj's before the hubs comes home :)

_______________________________________________

ETA:

Better belly picture. Told you it was bigger :)

Already testing my nerves.

2011-07-22T04:26:00.000-04:00

Being pregnant makes you paranoid. Period. Every funny little feeling makes you question yourself.

"Oh my goodness I just got a little cramp, I bet it's because I drank a soda earlier. Oh, I knew I should have had water instead. I bet my baby just grew a third leg!" - Thoughts of a pregnant woman... or just me??

Add a few miscarriages to the mix and the paranoia reaches an unhealthy level of insanity. And although I am doing my best to keep all of that under control, it does slip out from time to time.

When my abdominal pain didn't let up I started seeking advice from the ladies at work (two of which are also pregnant). They all agreed that if I am stressing out about it than I should go see the doctor. Just making the appointment made me feel a little better.

I started getting nervous the night before but once we got there my nerves really kicked in and I was sick to my stomach. As much as I try to stay positive I couldn't help but imagine the worst. Once the ultrasound started and I saw my little Sadie and her perfect little heart beating away I felt a little better.

My cervix is nice and long and my placenta (which was right next to my cervix) has moved 1cm away from my cervix. This doesn't put us in the clear quite yet but it is a good sign that it will continue to move further away. The doctor also confirmed that my pain was due to round ligament pain. He said some women get it so bad that they can't walk! I'm glad that's not the case with me and that everything checked out just fine.

One bonus of a little scare is that we got to see our baby girl a little sooner than we expected. If only we had unlimited funds I would totally invest in an ultrasound machine just so I could see her every day!

She has gotten so big! And apparently she has been practicing her contortionist skills because this little lady was in the strangest position....

Yes. that is her knee in her face and her foot above her head....

She stayed in that position the whole time. Silly girl.

A little closer view of Sadie kissing her knees.

Project Nursery, Part 1: Paint

2011-07-21T16:20:00.000-04:00

First of all I can't make a nursery post without saying how awesome the hubs is. He has been doing all of the work and everything looks just as I imagined so far. Seriously. He is beyond awesome.

If you are wondering what the room looked like before it was a nursery check out my post, Where the magic happens, there are a few pictures of it there from when it was my sewing room.

__________________________________________________________

Part 1: Paint

The hubs painted high and he painted low.

Two lovely shades of pink for our lovely little girl.

All painted and ready for the next step!

The finishing touch was the chair rail.

I really love how the colors turned out together and the chair rail really pulls it together and makes the room look bigger. I am so exited to get all of the furniture in there and decorate! Ah! SO excited!

Stay tuned for "Part 2: Furniture" as soon as we decide on a glider....

Details

Paint on top: Southern Beauty by Behr

Paint on bottom: Colonial Rose by Behr

Chair rail: Home Depot

19 week update

2011-07-19T16:18:00.003-04:00

The first trimester dragged on for what felt like an eternity. And here we are at nineteen weeks with the time just flying by.

A couple of nights ago I got a little scare when I woke up with some pretty sharp pain in my lower abdomen. It kept me awake for a while and returned again the next morning only less severe. At first I passed it off as gas pains but my paranoia got the best of me so I called the doctor just in case. The nurse said not to worry and it just sounds like round ligament pain. Whew. It's not that I mind the pain or discomfort, I can deal with that no problem, it is the fear of something being wrong with my Sadie that scares me.

The discomfort is still there but no more pain. It also helps that I have felt Sadie kicking like crazy the whole time. She is so good at reassuring me :)

Other than that I have been feeling pretty great. I still have the occasional dose of morning sickness but it is becoming less and less. My belly is growing bigger by the minute and I can't help but smile when I catch my shadow or reflection. I just love being pregnant.

As you can see from the picture on the right as well as my Steppin' Out picture this week, I have a new shadow. Wentworth has always been a mamma's boy but lately he wont let me out of his site. He is always on my lap or at my feet. Poor guy doesn't know what he's in for come December.

I will have to write another post later on about the things we are doing to prepare the pups for Sadie's arrival. We want to make the transition as smooth as possible for everyone. If anyone has any tips I would love to hear them! My biggest concerns at the moment are jumping, barking, and toy snatching. But I have a lot of faith that they are all going to love each other.

And just for fun I thought I would share some of my latest cravings (which are getting stronger!):

- Captain Crunch

- Popcorn

- Chocolate chip cookies

- Peanut butter (spoon fulls!)

- Slim jims

Steppin' Out Sunday 7.17.11

2011-07-17T08:43:00.003-04:00

top: H&M Maternity

capris: Old Navy Maternity

shoes: Payless (yes, the same ones from the past two Saturdays!)

Saturday we put together the nursery furniture! And by "we" I really mean the hubs put it together while I fell asleep in the chair watching. But either way Sadie's crib and dresser are assembled and looking fantastic!

After furniture assembly the hubs and I stepped out to a yummy italian dinner with our favorite couple. It was nice to put on something other than sweats (even though I love my sweats) and spending time with great friends.

Now on to the good stuff:

19 week belly bump <3

My belly is getting so big and I love it! We are almost to the halfway point, which is really exciting and also means that we are getting closer to our next ultrasound. I get so excited and anxious to see her. Luckily her tiny little karate skills keep me reassured and calm until our next glimpse.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Reality.

2011-07-11T08:21:00.003-04:00

This weekend the hubs finished painting the walls of our baby's nursery. Not only does our baby have a room of her own but also a name. And ten perfect little fingers that I have counted a thousand times in our ultrasound picture. I can feel her kick on a regular basis and two nights ago the hubs felt her for the first time. We have seen her heart beat, her chest rise and fall with each breath, and her arms and legs extend and wiggle around. My belly is constantly growing and I am very visibly pregnant to the outside world.

This is real.

Sometimes that is still a difficult concept to grasp. Because for a while there we weren't sure if it ever would be.

Today Sadie is 18 weeks. I realize we are not quite half way there and the journey ahead of us is still long but I am so happy to be where we are today. Each week feels like a giant milestone and every new thing we experience is a tremendous accomplishment. My husband tells me daily what a great job I am doing growing this baby and I remind him it's because he takes care of me so well. We will not let a single moment of this go unappreciated.

As I stand in Sadie's empty room and stare at her precious pink walls I am overwhelmed with happiness and anticipation. We cannot wait to meet you Sadie.

Baseball!

2011-07-06T12:52:00.001-04:00

As I have mentioned before, the hubs and I are huge baseball fans (well sports in general but baseball holds a special place in my heart). The only problem is that we are both big fans of different teams who just happen to be in the same division. And for the first time in our relationship I went over to the dark side and put on a Reds shirt for my first Reds game.

The hubs would probably say that this is long overdue since he has worn Cardinals gear on many occasions but he also agreed it was worth the wait.

I got the hubs tickets to the game for his birthday and the little surprise was that his parents and one of his brothers would be joining us. We had such a great time and I did my best to cheer for the Reds.

At the game we kept noticing all of the little girls there to cheer on their favorite team. We started to get really excited about taking Sadie to games to experience the things we both loved growing up. We already have spring training game locations picked out based on which fields have shaded grassy areas.

There is just so much we are looking forward to! And of course, I have already searched etsy to find some adorable outfits for her to wear to the games :)

Adorable ruffle butt onsie

and of course a matching headband!

Nursery Ideas

2011-07-04T20:57:00.002-04:00

As soon as we found out we were having a girl I started picking out things for the nursery. The hubs finished painting today and the bedding and furniture has been ordered. Some may say I am crazy but I like to think of it as well prepared :)

Here are some purchases/ideas for Sadie's Nursery so far:

1. Delta Eclipse 4-in-1 convertible crib in white. After much research and many trips to the store we finally decided on this crib. It seemed sturdy and solid and had great reviews but was still very affordable. We purchased it online from Target because it was much cheaper there than anywhere else.

2. Print from Trafalgar's Square etsy shop. I fell in love with several of these whimsical prints and paintings a long time ago and knew we would use them in our nursery some day. Right now the plan in to go with a few from the crown collection. This little fox is one of my faves!

3. Behr paint. Southern Beauty & Colonial Rose. Even brighter on the walls and I love it!

4. Lily nursery bedding from Pottery Barn Kids. No longer found on the website but I was able to snag the quilt and some accessories before it disappeared. I love the color combo.

5. Another print from Trafalgar's Square. So cute!

6. Delta Eclipse 6 Drawer Dresser. Also purchased from Target, with rave reviews. We plan on using the top as a changing table.

I can't wait to get everything in and start decorating and organizing!

Steppin' Out Sunday 7.3.11

2011-07-03T19:43:00.002-04:00

henley top & capris: Target maternity

shoes: Payless

baby bump: 17 weeks

I look a bit of a mess but that's because we were only steppin' out to Home Depot to get some things for miss Sadie's room.

Last night I stepped out to a movie with some very lovely ladies but I went straight from work so I was still in my scrubs. We went to see Monte Carlo, and no none of us are 13 year old girls. It was very cheesy but right up my alley. I am such a sucker for those kinds of movies :)

________________________________________________________

In Sadie news we had another appointment on Friday with my OB. It was just to get more blood (my favorite thing), a tummy check, and to have a little chat. Sadie seems settled pretty nicely in my ute in right in place. My OB gave me the all clear to attend one of my dear friends wedding in Georgia Labor Day weekend (so excited)! And he answered all of my silly little questions including the fact that pregnancy has made my eyes swell. Yes my flippin' eyes. Therefore I cannot wear my contacts... Have I mentioned I loathe my glasses? Crazyness.

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July and enjoy watching fireworks with your non-swollen eyes (I'm jealous!).

Hairbows and Ponies and Ruffles, OH MY!

2011-06-28T15:21:00.003-04:00

IT'S A GIRL!

We had an ultrasound appointment this morning to see if we could see the sex of the baby (which caused to to stay up all night in anticipation). I had all of my usual nerves - praying there has been growth, longing to see that little heart beating strong. And on top of that the excitement of finding out the sex while still keeping in mind they may not get a good angle.

But our little peanut behaved like always (she likes getting her picture taken) and showed us her girl parts briefly before covering them up (she is a lady after all). It was as clear as can be that we are having a little girl :)

She put on a nice little show for us. A little bit of sucking her thumb again, she fell asleep and we got to see her belly rise and fall with nice deep breathes, she stretched her arms all around but preferred them close to her face. She's already so perfect and precious.

The ultrasound tech was nice enough to throw in a little 4D action for free. So we got to see a little preview of what our little girl is going to look like.

On top of all of these visions of pink, last night I felt the little flutters of our baby for the first time. Lying in bed on my side I felt a few little tickles in my belly. I wasn't sure at first but as they continued ever so slightly I became more and more sure that it was our little one. She must have been excited to finally have a name instead of being called a peanut all the time.

Speaking of names... You're probably wondering what we are calling her now huh?

Sadie June.

Sadie came from a character in a book I read on our honeymoon in Italy and June after my grandma who is the most incredible woman and we hope our little girl shares at least some of her wonderful qualities.

We could not be happier or more excited!

Steppin' Out Saturday 6.25.11

2011-06-26T13:30:00.003-04:00

dress: Dillards (clearance!)

clutch: Francesca's Collection

shoes: Payless

(and a side view to make the belly appear)

baby bump: 16 weeks!!

Saturday was the wedding of one of my good friends from high school. It was a very entertaining wedding and it just fit the bride and groom perfectly. The bride looked absolutely stunning, the food was great, the decor was so pretty and so were the bridesmaids :)

It was nice seeing friends that I hadn't seen in a while and getting dressed up (although it was a pain finding something that fit!). I hope everyone else had a great weekend as well :)

the big FIVE-OH

2011-06-23T20:25:00.000-04:00

On Monday my Momma turned fifty! Since getting pregnant I had to change my original plans (girls night at a cocktail bar) to something a little less dangerous for the little babe (a day at the spa).

It was nice and relaxing and allowed for some great momma-daughter time. We got massages, facials, body scrubs, and momma got a body wrap.

The spa was small which was nice because we had the place to ourselves and plenty of time to relax, drink some tea, read some gossip mags, and talk before and after our treatments. I'm already looking forward to another spa day although it will probably be a while!

Steppin' Out Sunday 6.19.11

2011-06-19T17:42:00.003-04:00

top & shorts: Maternity Motherhood

(finally starting to fit into the maternity clothes)

shoes: gift ?

bump: 15 weeks <3

We actually did step out on Saturday to a friends birthday celebration (in which the hubs competed in various beer games and I refereed, more to come on that later) but I forgot my camera. So I will post pictures of that event, because it was truly awesome, as soon as someone else posts pictures and I can steal them :)

Instead you get to see my lame/this is all that fits me/I would rather be in sweat pants look.

My bump hasn't gotten a whole lot bigger but I am anxiously awaiting it's full arrival. However, my energy levels have been a lot better and my nausea is pretty rare these days as we approach 15 weeks. Food is once again my friend and we have been spending a lot of time together. I sure missed being able to eat full meals without getting sick! Overall things are going well and baby is still strong and healthy.

We are starting to get anxious to find out the sex, which isn't too far away now. The only struggle now is with darn names. Our girl name is perfect and pretty set in stone but good heavens boy names a tough! We might need someone to move in and referee our discussions because we just do not see eye to eye on boy names. The hubs is so picky and I swear he can sense if I love a name and immediately hates it, no matter what it is. I need a new strategy on introducing names to him. Your suggestions are welcomed! Or if someone just wants to pick a boy name for us that would be great too.

Enough changing subjects and rambling on. I'm going to go snuggle my puppies in my pj's and watch a movie with the hubs. I suggest you all do something similar :)

Father's Day

2011-06-19T11:07:00.004-04:00

This is a hard day/week for me. I miss my Daddy more and more everyday and Father's Day is yet another reminder that he is gone. But you know me, I try to make the best of it. Luckily I have an incredible father-in-law to celebrate and a husband that is going to make the most amazing father thanks to him.

Even though it's not really his first Father's Day yet, I decided to celebrate a little "pre" Father's Day with the hubs. I got him a couple of cards (one from me and peanut, one from the pups, duh.) and woke up early to make him breakfast and coffee in his brand new mug.

The boys showed their daddy some love while the hubs was on the phone with his dad. There was a lot of man love going on so I had to take a picture.

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's and those that are soon to be! Being a good and loving father is the most important thing a man can do. I am lucky enough to have witnessed a lot of that. And a very special Happy Father's Day to my Daddy who I know is watching down to hear it :)

Now we are spending the rest of the day picking out paint colors and bedding for the nursery!

Steppin' Out Saturday 6.11.11

2011-06-12T09:41:00.004-04:00

top: Motherhood (first maternity top!!!)

shorts: Old Navy

shoes: Kohls

baby bump: 14 weeks

Last night we headed over to our friends house for a little BBQ. It was a nice relaxing night with great friends and delicious food. We seriously have the best friends! I don't know how we got that lucky.

Plans for today include some tv time, maybe a movie, pj's, pancakes, a nap, and puppy snuggles. That is all :)

13 weeks!

2011-06-09T11:18:00.003-04:00

Sometimes (like at todays ultrasound) I am just in awe of what is going on inside my body. There was a time when I thought this may never happen for us. At least not in any traditional sense. So to see that baby grow so much each time and to catch that perfect fluttering heart right away just amazes me. And every once in a while I tell the hubs to pinch me because it feels so much like a dream.

Today we had our ultrasound for the nt scan to check for possibilities of the baby having certain birth defects and/or complications. The ultrasound measurements came back completely normal and we will know in a few weeks about the blood-work they did.

How is our little peanut already so cute? Peanut stayed perfectly still, just sucking that thumb while the ultrasound tech (who was awesome) took the measurements and as soon as she was done little peanut started wiggling around and kicking to give us a little show. Already so well behaved :)

Little tooties! I could just eat them up!

Remember when I said I missed the morning sickness? Can someone just slap my hand next time I try to say that? That only lasted a couple and now it's back with a vengeance. I will be more careful what I wish for in the future!

Other than that though everything is just perfect. We are so unbelievably happy and feel extremely blessed.

Some thing I've been craving

2011-06-06T17:27:00.002-04:00

that I shouldnt be...

Ok really I can eat the pizza and the fried but I shouldn't be eating them as often as I want to. As in all the time.

I have already told the hubs the locations of the nearest Jimmy Johns and Einstein Bagels to the hospital so he can have them ready for me to eat asap. Maybe with a side of Dunkin'?

caramel with cream & sugar

Steppin' Out Sunday (because they're the best)

2011-06-05T18:59:00.006-04:00

After working three twelve hour days in a row (not recommended) I was in need of a break. The hubs was sweet enough to let me sleep in and take care the pups this morning so I woke up feeling great!

We started the day off with a trip to the Farmers Market. Where we got a cute little UCF onesie for the peanut (the first thing we've bought!) and I got some stuffed olives, which made a reappearance a short while later and officially ruined olives for me for a while.

Steppin' Out

dress & shoes: American Eagle

bump: 13 weeks <3

Next we headed to a new little place for lunch that someone recommended to the hubs called Tibby's. This place was AH-MAZING! It's a New Orleans style restaurant with delicious food and a really cool atmosphere. I ordered a fried crawfish po boy with a side of hush puppies and the hubs got roast beef po boy with sweet potato fries and jumbalaya. It was all so yummy!

Every Sunday they have a live band so this may be a new Sunday tradition for us (as long as the food continues to agree with peanut).

By the time we got home I was pretty exhausted so we just snuggled on the couch and had a little Netflix marathon followed by another great meal of steak dinners made by the best chef I know (the hubs of course).

A little sad the weekend is over already, especially since I only got one day of it this week. But we sure made the most of what we had. Now looking forward to Thursday when we get to see the peanut again!

A Family Weekend

2011-06-02T19:54:00.005-04:00

For Memorial Day, the hubs and I ventured down to south Florida for a lovely long weekend with the in-laws. It was full of snuggles from my favorite niece, delicious meals of food, funny stories about the hubs and his siblings, and lots of good ole quality time with family that I wish we saw more often.

No post about my weekend would be complete without pictures of the most beautiful little girl on this planet!

playing on grandpas lap

hanging out with Aunt Megan

snoozin'

Giving Uncle Kevin a chance to practice :)

dancing away to Ellen

I warned you she was a cutie right?

12 weeks!

2011-06-01T13:08:00.002-04:00

Phew! Let me just wipe off the sweat from my forehead and say so long first trimester!

I can't even explain what a relief it is to have made it this far in our pregnancy. The nausea is lessening but I am still pretty tired all of the time. It will be nice having my energy back but as crazy as it sounds I kind of miss the constant nausea. I know, I know, it's crazy! But it was a nice reassurance.

My belly is still pretty non existent except when I eat a lot haha but my clothes, especially pants and shorts, are awfully snug. And by snug I really mean they don't fit at all. It seems too early for maternity clothes but I am running out of options!

Our next appointment is next week for an ultrasound and blood-work to determine the chances of the baby having downs or other early complications. Fingers crossed for a good outcome.

I attempted to take a 12 week picture but it didn't turn out very well. Plus there just really isn't a whole lot to see other than the only pair of shorts that currently still fit while buttoned.

I hope you all had a great long weekend! I will be posting some adorable pictures of my niece later today so be on the look out! She sure is a cutie :)

10 Weeks!!

2011-05-18T13:25:00.003-04:00

My nerves were about shot as we sat in the waiting room at MFM for almost two hours waiting for our ultrasound. This was a big appointment for us. We hadn't had a baby make it this far. When they finally called us back and put that lovely gunk on my belly all of my worries disappeared.

(waving at mommy & daddy)

I could not believe how much bigger our baby had grown in those few short weeks. I immediately saw that little flutter of a heart and my own heart melted in that moment. There it was. The miracle we have been praying for for so long.

Our ultrasound tech felt so bad that we waited so long (apparently there was a bit of a mix up on their part) that she made little videos for us! The little angel had hiccups and when they finished he/she continued stretching his/her arms and legs. It was such an incredible moment. We were able to see both arms and both legs and I could have sworn I saw a little penis peek out but I am no expert. Only time will tell :)

I cannot explain the amount of joy and excitement I have right now. I feel like I might burst!

Since things are going so well we don't have to return to MFM for another ten weeks. We see my regular OB on Friday so I'm sure there will be more pictures then :)

Steppin' Out Sunday 5.15.11

2011-05-15T14:00:00.003-04:00

dress: Anthropologie

cardigan: Old Navy

shoes: American Eagle

There was no steppin' out on Saturday except to work (boring) so I'm using today instead. I stepped out for a little work meeting this morning and then brunch with some of my very favorite ladies. We ate yummy flatbreads and I drooled watching them sip on different flavored mimosas. Now a little relaxation before the hubs and I head off to Universal for a last look at Harry Potter World and some yummy dinner before our annual passes expire.

Even though there is not a lot to see (other than my rapidly expanding bust line) I figured I had to include a 9 week(ish) belly picture as well :)

Happy Sunday everyone :)

Oh my!

2011-05-11T16:08:00.000-04:00

Is it bad if this looks like the most delicious thing EVER to me right now?

Damn you listeria for keeping me from this goodness.

(but really thank you for keeping me from the calories!)

9 Weeks!

2011-05-11T09:58:00.005-04:00

First of all I have to say a huge thank you for all of the comments, emails, text messages, etc. You all have been such an incredible source of support for me. The kind words during our losses, the prayers you've said on our behalf, the encouragements you gave when I was feeling low and the praises when I remained optimistic. You have shared your stories with me and given me advice at all hours of the night.

I just want you all to know that I appreciate it so much. And I still need you. Things are going great so far but I'm still scared. Mostly excited but the fear does creep in from time to time. With each week that passes I feel a little weight lifts off my shoulders but a lot still remains. It's nice to know that I have so much support and prayer on my side though.

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I had every intention to start "belly pictures" this week. But as I woke up on the morning of our ninth week I considered what this picture would look like. I currently have an eye infection (yuck), look like I have eaten one to many cheeseburgers in the last few weeks, have a face that is covered in pimples like I haven't since puberty and honestly would rather opt out of putting on a bra on my first day off of work. Clearly the decision to wait until later in the week was a wise one. You're welcome.

The morning sickness has really kicked in this week. I thought I knew nausea a few weeks ago but I had no idea! It's always worse at work until close to lunch time and then makes a grand reappearance before and during bedtime.

My co-workers (mother and baby nurses) have somehow talked me into trying all sorts of things that I normally would have turned my head to. Like eating straight up ginger, the same kind that comes on the side of your sushi. I could only get a few bites in before running the bathroom so not sure if that works or not. They have also made me ginger tea, which is really strong and burns the throat a bit but worked to calm my belly.

Honestly though, as much as it sucks, I don't really mind it. It's a part of pregnancy and I knew that going in so I just suck it up and feel a little relieved because this is yet another thing I never experienced in my past pregnancies.

Next week we get to see our little peanut again. Our MFM appointment is a week from today and according to the doctor this is the big ultrasound for us. If our measurements are what they should be and that little heart is still beating strong than there is virtually no reason we would miscarry. That's an awful lot to put on one appointment. So keep those prayers coming!

Mothers Day Announcement!

2011-05-08T18:27:00.004-04:00

What better day than Mothers Day to announce that I am going to be a Mommy!

Our little peanut was only 6weeks 1day in that picture but we are now almost 9 weeks.

I tried to wait as long as possible to announce our news, hence not blogging in forever, but I just could not wait any longer. Our first appointment with my OBGYN was at 6 weeks 1 day, although we thought I would have been almost eight weeks. I've mentioned already that my body does what it wants right? It clearly ovulates whenever it wants, which was very late.

We were a little nervous when the ultrasound tech said how far along we were. We wanted to see that little heartbeat so bad and thought it might be too early. But then she point to that little flickering bean and then we cried. The first heartbeat we have ever seen. Our little miracle.

A few days later we went to see a MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine) doctor by recommendation of my OB just to keep a closer eye on this pregnancy. We were not only able to see the heartbeat but we got to hear it as well. What an amazing feeling. All of my blood work and ultrasounds have come back completely normal and no one is worried thus far.

I feel absolutely AMAZING! But let me clarify that my current version of amazing = nauseous, extremely bloated, always tired, and a bit on the moody side. It's amazing though because it is all so normal.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Mothers Day! We sure did :)

Happy 30th Hubby!

2011-04-18T12:45:00.002-04:00

As I am sure you can tell, the hubs is a pretty awesome guy. And since he is so awesome he deserved to be celebrated to the fullest for his thirtieth birthday!

We both love the show Mad Men and decided that would be the perfect theme. You know we enjoy a good theme :)

there were bubble gum cigarettes and balloons.

I made a cake and I promise it tasted better than it looks!

we had a martini bar :)

the fellas played pool and smoked cigars.

our friends looked amazing!

And we all had a great time!

Steppin' Out Saturday 4-16-11

2011-04-17T11:06:00.004-04:00

top: banana republic

skirt: forever 21 circa 2006ish

shoes: dillards

Thursday was the hubs thirtieth birthday! So last night we celebrated with a bunch of our friends for a Mad Men themed party! I went for the housewife look. It was a blast and I can't wait to share more about later. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Me & the road

2011-04-01T21:08:00.003-04:00

There is something so beautiful about the world as you run by it. Catching little glimpses of peoples day as you swiftly pass them by.

Soothing music blaring into your ears as you smile at a dad playing catch with his son in the front yard. Sweat beading up on your forehead and sliding down your back, you can feel the stresses of the day melting away with each drop. Waving to your neighbors as they arrive home from work. Your feet creating that steady beat on the pavement and your heart pounding in your chest. That refreshing feeling and sense of accomplishment.

It's just you and the road. Free to focus on what matters most to you or to clear your mind completely. Something I have been lacking lately and was so happy to rediscover today.

My legs might feel like jello now. And there just may have been a few times when I thought I was going to see my lunch again. BUT I feel incredible now and definitely ran away a lot my stress and negative emotions tonight.

Now I just hope I remember this feeling at 5am when I wake up for work tomorrow...

My Best Friends Wedding....

2011-03-30T20:28:00.002-04:00

It seems like I have been doing a lot of picture only posts lately. But really what captures the essence of a wedding better than the photographs? Now I don't have any of the professional pictures yet but here is the day summed up in photos taken by myself and some of the other bridesmaids:

We woke up early for a nice stroll on the beach before getting our hair and make up done.

the wedding

the bride & groom

the cake

(made by the brides grandma)

the matrons

the centerpieces

the shoes

the speech

my favorite boys

The wedding was beautiful and as for the bride, there are no words to describe how incredible she looked. They are currently on their honeymoon and as I stare out my window to see nothing but dark clouds and rainstorms I hope that their view is a lot better :)

Twenty Five

2011-03-29T09:05:00.003-04:00

Steppin' Out Friday 3-25-11

2011-03-27T11:59:00.005-04:00

dress: American Eagle

shoes & cuff: Francesca's Collection

belt: Forever 21 (came with an oufit)

earrings: F21

This was my outfit for the rehearsal dinner which was held at the hubs favorite place to eat by the beach. It was such a great time and so was the wedding! Pictures of that to come soon!

2011-03-24T11:30:00.003-04:00

My best friend is getting married on Saturday! The rehearsal is tonight and rehearsal dinner is tomorrow night. That means I am one busy bee for the next 72 hours. I'm off to pack and head to my momma's house. I will be back after the weekend! And with lots of pictures to share :)

Relaxation FAIL

2011-03-21T14:03:00.003-04:00

Between work and Love, Megan stuff and cleaning and preparing for my best friends wedding, I am exhausted. All of my work days (I work three 12 hour days a week) collided last week and this week making me a very sleepy girl, with very little patience for anything.

So on my way home from work last night I decided I needed a bubble bath. and wine. lots of wine. The hubs was out for drinks with a friend so when I got home I quickly took the pups out and started filling up the tub. As well as a big glass of wine.

I sit down as the tub starts filling up and think how this is just what I needed. But apparently the flowing water was too much for Wentworth to handle and he peed all over the bathroom floor. I get out of the tub to clean it up and slip and fall right on my butt. Ouch.

After a quick clean up I hop back in as the tub is reaching it's halfway mark. That's about when the hot water ran out... I quickly turn off the water and sit back in my bubble-less, half filled tub and sigh. I sat in there for about as long as I could (maybe 4 minutes or so) but because I was freezing I was forced to get out.

Fail.

So much for relaxation.

And now I must try to put my house back together before I leave on Thursday for the wedding. Oh and did I mention I still need to write my Maid of Honor speech?

Yikes!

Lucky

2011-03-17T18:02:00.002-04:00

In honor of St. Patty's Day I thought I would share one of my favorite memories from this green holiday.

Thanks to my creative babysitter I spent a week building a trap specifically designed to catch leprechauns. Actually, I built several traps. And in these traps I placed things that I was sure a leprechaun could not resist. Legos, cheeto balls, pennies, a barbie. You know, typical leprechaun things.

On St. Patricks Day I set my traps up all over her yard. I peeked around the corner of the house and hid behind trees for hours (or at least it seemed like hours). I wasn't hoping for gold, I was strictly after the luck. So when nothing happened I was really disappointed. I went in for a snack... and may or may not have eaten those cheeto balls that had been on the ground all day. Don't judge, I was five! When I came back out low and behold there was a little leprechaun waiting in one of my traps.

For some reason I didn't question the fact that this "leprechaun" was a little potato man figurine dressed in a green vest and top hat. Not really sure what he was actually supposed to be but to me he was real. I truly believed he brought me luck and for the longest time whenever anything good happened I would thank him for it. He currently lives in my mom's attic but I haven't been able to throw him out even all these years later.

Maybe I should give him another chance and allow him to live on my shelves again. It couldn't hurt right?

Drink lots of green beer and be safe tonight! And don't get tricked by any leprechauns :)

Aunt Megan

2011-03-16T12:08:00.002-04:00

Monday afternoon while I was on my lunch break I received a text from my dear mother-in-law letting me know that my little niece was coming two weeks early. That meant that by the end of the day I would become an Aunt!

I was an excited/nervous wreck at work! I was constantly checking my phone waiting for an update but it didn't come while I was at work. Once my shift ended I met up with the hubs at Carters and bought everything I could think of that a newborn girl needed (like a stuffed elephant and adorable frog towl with matching slipper. just necessities of course).

While we were out shopping we got the text with the beautiful baby girls picture in it. She was perfect. Momma and baby were both doing great and we just knew we had to be there for this special moment.

The next morning we packed ourselves into Greta at 5am and made the three and a half hour drive to see my perfect little niece.

And my goodness was she perfect! The most beautiful little baby I have ever seen. We were so sad to only have a few hours with her but the hubs still had to close up at work. It was completely worth it though. She will never be that tiny again and we just could not miss out on those first few days.

Her parents are doing great and are going to be such amazing parents. This little girl is so lucky to be surrounded by so much love! I cannot wait to go visit her again. But for now these pictures will just have to do :)

Meet Greta!

2011-03-13T20:03:00.003-04:00

She's pretty right? I sure think so.

A few hours at the dealership and a couple of free t-shirts later and she is all mine :)

She's not all looks either, she's also pretty smart. She is great with directions and doesn't even need a key! Fancy. Well that's really all. Greta just wanted to say hi :)

Steppin' Out Saturday 3-12-11

2011-03-13T08:56:00.002-04:00

shirt: old navy

jeans & shoes: american eagle

necklace: kohls

purse: vera bradley

This is my "going shopping with my momma for clothes for my birthday" outfit. I was in dire need of some momma time and was very happy to get it. We had a lot of fun and she spoiled me per usual.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and isn't suffering too much from our loss of an hour this morning!

The Baby Blues

2011-03-11T19:53:00.002-05:00

I have them.

Bad.

You would think that working directly with tons of women who just gave birth and their always adorable new born bundles for the past four in a half months would make me immune to these feelings but nooooo. It's weird too because nothing about my job makes me sad (other than when drugged out momma's make drugged out babies).

But seeing the babies make me happy, not sad. And seeing the proud momma's and daddy's makes my heart melt into a giant puddle instead of filling me with envy. I wont lie and say I don't daydream about the day it's finally us being wheeled up to my floor with our very own little person wrapped snuggly in my arms. It's just that those daydreams are filled with happy, not these crummy blues I have going on right now.

My faith is still as strong as ever, I am just a little sad it hasn't happened for us yet. Patience has never been a strong attribute of mine but I am certainly learning that it's going to be a role I have to play.

Now quick, someone show me a picture of a cute baby so I remember why I am going through all of this to begin with!

Key West in a nutshell

2011-03-09T20:04:00.004-05:00

As the days keep getting closer to my best friends wedding I keep getting more and more excited for her! Last Thursday we ventured down to Key West for a Bachelorette weekend to celebrate that best friend of mine. And celebrate we did.

We fed tarpons, drank margaritas, sang extremely loud karaoke, wore masks and feather boas, danced, tanned, rode bikes, took a sunset cruise with all you can drink champagne, ate delicious cuban food, got free cab rides and jello shots, pretended like we were on spring break, were serenaded by a rock cover band on stage, shared clothes, laughter and lots of food.

Here, let me show you a little bit.

Such a great weekend! Can't wait for the wedding, just two more weeks!

Steppin' Out Saturday 3-5-11

2011-03-07T08:59:00.002-05:00

top & shorts: Old Navy

bathing suit: Target

sun glasses: Ralph Lauren

Sunset cruise in Key West. One of the many highlights from my trip! I cannot wait to share some fun and hilarious pictures with you all. But right now? Right now, I am exhausted! I got in late last night and am now planning to watch my DVR'd shows and snuggle my puppies on the couch.

Vacation time!

2011-03-03T07:25:00.002-05:00

I will be MIA for a few days. It's time to celebrate my best friends last weekend of semi-singleness. We are off to Key West for an incredible weekend. Expect lots of pictures when I return.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Steppin' Out Saturday 2-27-11

2011-02-27T05:21:00.002-05:00

top: Lauren Conrad @ Kohls

jeans: Express

shoes: Gap

It's another working weekend BUT I still went out to celebrate one of my best friends birthday! We celebrated with beer and cupcakes. It was wonderful :)

Letting my nerd flag fly

2011-02-25T11:06:00.004-05:00

My love for Disney movies is probably pretty apparent given the title of this blog. I grew up pretending to be Ariel in the swimming pool, trying on my moms shoes as if they were all glass slippers, reading fairytales, and calling my dad prince charming. I suppose I just never outgrew it.

I still watch Disney movies. I saw Tangled in the theater and was not accompanied by a child. I cried during Up and Toy Story 3 (and own them both on blu-ray). But my all time favorite has always been Beauty and the Beast (obviously). A daddy's girl who loves to read and lives in France, who shoots down the town jerk and falls in love with a beast turned prince. What's not to love?

So you can imagine my excitement when I saw the previews for Beastly.

Ok I admit they could have come up with a better name but still. It's a modern day Beauty and the Beast so it must be wonderful. Plus Neil Patrick Harris is in it. And Mary-Kate Olsen plays the witch/spell caster/something evil-ish looking.

I am probably more excited than I should be. I will be in Key West next weekend when it comes out but when I get back I will be dragging the hubs to see it! Anyone else crazy enough to want to see it? oh, just me?

Adventures in threading

2011-02-24T17:17:00.001-05:00

I had absolutely no desire to ever have my eyebrows threaded. After a horrible waxing experience in high school (which resulted in barely there brows) I haven't let anyone near my poor little eyebrows. I have been completely content just slightly plucking them when they began to grow wild.

That is until today.

After a deep tissue massage with my bestie we headed to the mall for some retail therapy. In the midst of shopping my bestie casually mentions that she would like to go check out the threading place and get her eyebrows done. After a long side eye from me we went and sat down in the waiting room.

We watched a lady get her brows done and she didn't flinch a bit. Then she moved onto the upper lip. After in depth discussion of our flattering upper lip fuzz we both decided the upper lip was a must. As I sat in the chair and told the threader that I only wanted my lip done not my eyebrows she pretty much begged me to do my brows as well (were they really that bad?). She also offered me a huge discount. I caved.....

Although my eyes watered like crazy it really wasn't that painful. No worse than plucking! And the result? Fantastic! They look great and it's supposed to last at least a month! I definitely think I am going to be a regular.

How an iphone snuggie is born

2011-02-23T09:41:00.009-05:00

First there comes an idea. Sometimes those ideas come from my brain and sometimes they come by request. This particular idea came from a friend. She wanted a camera snuggie for her grandma whose black lab recently passed away.

I start by googling images of a black lab. I'm looking for angles that would clearly depict a black lab (which is difficult considering he is all black). Finally I come across an image that I think will work. Then it's time to draw that image in a way that will translate well to felt.

I take that image and cut it into a template to trace onto the felt and cut out the pieces.

The next step is to pick a background color. In custom orders they sometimes pick their own colors but in this case my friend trusted me to pick something I thought would look good. So I tried a couple different colors.

I didn't like the way the red made the charcoal look. The light blue had a more subtle look and didn't hide the definition of the lab. Once that decision was made I cut out the background and sewed on the black lab. This is where I add all of the details that really make the characters come alive.

The edges of the snuggie are the finishing touch and then voila a camera/iphone snuggie is born!

This was one of my favorite custom orders. The meaning behind it inspired me and I wanted to create something that as just perfect for her.

I just love making these :)

"Backyard Creatures"

2011-02-20T10:09:00.003-05:00

That is what I titled a photo album on my computer that is dedicated to my obsession with all things living/passing through our backyard. Weird, I know.

I blame the fact that I have always lived in a house with a fenced yard that backed up to other houses or buildings. So now that our house backs up to a lake and an open field to the side I am just amazed at all of the creatures we see out our sliding glass doors.

I am ~~deathly afraid~~ not a fan of birds but if you recall, here and here, a certain momma duck and her babies warmed me up to the idea them living in our backyard. Since then numerous types of birds have come and gone as the seasons have changed. I try to snap a picture of any that will let me get close enough.

Then there are the unknown amount of turtles that for some reason I find fascinating. And Goliath (who I think is part turtle, part loch ness).

can you tell who goliath is?

We have deer that run through our backyard and eat our flowers and ducks who lay eggs against our porch. Just when I thought I had seen all of the wildlife our home had to offer this little guy appeared....

And soon after his arrival two of his buddies joined him. Three otters just chillin' in our little lake. Coolest thing EVER!

They must have come from a bigger lake nearby but as far as I am concerned they can stay forever. Too flippin' cute! Just one more picture, I promise!

My obsession has now worsened. And the eight year old inside me is squealing with joy.

Steppin' Out Saturday 2-19-11

2011-02-19T21:26:00.003-05:00

dress & belt: target

shoes: american eagle

purse: nine west @ macys

jewelry: brighton

nail polish: sally hanson in "commander in chic"

(in love with this polish, I will have to get a better shot later)

Shape Up

2011-02-16T19:33:00.003-05:00

The temperature is supposed to be all the way up in the low eighties tomorrow and continue to stay up there through the weekend. You know what that means right? Sundresses and bathing suits. Let me just say that my body is so not ready for that!

If you look at the pictures from the bridal shower I just threw you may notice that my skin is a ~~horrendous~~ lovely shade of stark white. I could give Casper a run for his money in a "paleness" competition right about now. And when you combine that with the five to ten pounds of holiday weight I put on (and seem to keep adding to...) it is not a very pretty picture.

So today I busted out my Shape videos that promise a "bikini body all year long". In college I would do these videos everyday for a week or two before spring break and it would work like a charm! Then again I also ate dorritos a bag at a time paired with a mountain dew for breakfast and never gained as much as a pound. So I guess there is no guarantee it will produce the same results as it used to but it is worth a try.

My goal is to eat a little better and do these videos every other day until my best friends bachelorette party (which happens to be in the Keys, meaning I will be wearing all of those things I am not prepared for!). I have two weeks... maybe I should make that video everyday.

Vday at it's finest

2011-02-15T09:34:00.003-05:00

The hubs and I had a wonderful Valentines Day. We set a ten dollar limit for gifts and since we were both working all day we decided on takeout for dinner. Since the hubs gets home before me, he picked up the takeout and this is what I came home to:

Candlelit takeout. Wine for me. Beer for him. A romantic comedy on the tv. Sweet Valentines day gifts (all of which involved chocolate!). Perfection.

And of course we couldn't leave out our pups!

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T05:30:00.000-05:00

To My Valentine,

I love you even more than ice cream.

And I love ice cream a lot.

Love,

Your Forever Sweetheart

Steppin' Out Saturday [Bridal Shower Edition]

2011-02-13T09:03:00.003-05:00

If you have been reading my blog over the past few months than you know that my best friend is getting married! She is wonderful and deserves lots of celebration so yesterday we did just that. We showered her with lots of love and lots of presents :)

(the bride in the middle with her matrons of honor on each side)

what I wore

top: Lauren Conrad from Kohls

black under shirt: AE

jeans: Express

shoes (you might see in other pictures): Dillards

earrings: forever 21

the hostesses and our lovely decorations

(sign from Define Your Space)

And you can't have a shower without a few games. We wanted to try something a little different since everyone has played toilet paper bride a million times so we made up a new game and I think it went over really well!

We had the guests split into five groups and each group was given a small cake and lots of decorative goodies. They were supposed to decorate the top layer of the bride-to-be's cake and they turned out so cute! Everyone got really into it and had a great time!

Before:

During:

After:

Winners:

(that's my Momma there on the end)

We are headed to the Keys in a few weeks for her Bachelorette Party Weekend and then a couple weeks after that is the wedding! So be prepared for lots of pictures!

Steppin' Out Saturday 1-29-11

2011-01-30T19:08:00.003-05:00

sweater: american eagle

jeans: aerie

boots: steve madden

For the first time in a while we actually went out on a Saturday night... but this is actually from Friday night. I'm such a cheater. We went out for dinner with the hubs co-workers on Friday and I stayed up way past by bed time.

Then after a fun day at work (no really. that's not sarcasm, I actually have fun at work most of the time) I quickly changed and went out with our friends for some cheese and wine. And by "some" I mean a lot! I was in such a hurry that I forgot to snap a picture. Luckily I was expecting myself to be a grandma and stay at home so I had taken one the night before.

Can't wait to see everyone's outfits this week :)

My new lover

2011-01-27T10:24:00.002-05:00

Up until about a month ago I have been a Walgreens/CVS make-up kind of girl. Any brand you can find in their make-up aisles, I have tried. With no success I should add. But it was all I knew! I have never been good at applying make-up, my "day time" and "night time" applications were identical, so I figured why spend a ton of money on make-up I don't even know how to apply. It seemed like it would be a waste on me. Boy was I wrong!

Once I started working my lovely twelve hour shifts at the hospital I finally realized how crappy my make-up really was. By the end of the day my face was shiny and any presence of makeup had completely disappeared. I looked tired (which I totally was but no one needs to know that by looking at me!) and felt like I needed to wash my face before even leaving work. That's when I knew it was time to shell out some cash and graduate to some big girl make-up.

I took a trip to MAC. Need I really say more? It's make-up heaven! A lovely man helped me pick out the perfect foundation, a brilliant concealer and an eye shadow that would complement my scrubs. This stuff rocks! I totally fell in love. Not only did I receive compliments the next day at work but I left at the end of the day with my face still in-tact and looking just like I did when I walked in that morning (only more awake).

The hubs saw how much I liked my new stuff so for our anniversary (which was amazing) he made me an appointment at MAC to have my make-up done and bought me what they used. I know, the hubs rocks!

This is the beginning of a beautiful, and very expensive, relationship.

Not only did they do my make-up beautifully but they also showed me how to do it myself and other little tricks I had somehow not learned in my twenty four years of life. I'm trying to be a little more adventurous with it and it's just so much fun!

Next big girl venture: learning how to do my hair.

Why was I such a tom boy growing up?

Absence

2011-01-25T19:26:00.002-05:00

Let me point out the obvious, I have not been writing much lately. But I am going to be completely honest with you all in telling you that I have not written for all of your benefit. The thing is, my mind has been completely and utterly occupied with only one repeating thought. The inner workings of my brain have gone a little something like this over the past couple of months:

"baby. baby. baby. i really want a baby. when will it be our time? baby. baby. am i pregnant? my boobs hurt, that must mean i am pregnant. baby. baby. cramps. negative pregnancy test after test. baby. baby. baby. why is this so hard for us? i must be pregnant. these hormones are killing me. i am two weeks late why are all of these tests negative? baby. baby...."

I think that pretty much sums up the loop my mind has been stuck on. And in case any of that was misleading, no I am not pregnant. The whole process has really taken its tole on me as of lately. My optimism takes a beating each month as my hopes rise and fall so rapidly. I am finally feeling all of that stress I had building up and it's just making me so tired.

We are still trying and I am doing my best to just relax and let things happen. It's just hard for me to think of anything else at the moment but I am working on it. Bare with me.

Steppin' Out Sunday 1-23-11

2011-01-23T14:56:00.003-05:00

tank: old navy

sweatshirt: forever 21

jeans: old navy

slippers: target (from monkey costume)

Again, I was boring and worked all day on Saturday so there was no stepping out then. Which I will also be doing the next two Saturdays (awesome). So this is from today while watching the hubs cook :) My momma and little brother came over today for a math tutoring session (for brother, not momma) and some lunch (for all). I can't believe I had not seen since Christmas! It was nice to catch up, I wish they lived just a tiny bit closer. Now onto some football watching!

Steppin' Out Saturday 1-15-11

2011-01-15T19:11:00.004-05:00

top: forever 21

cardigan: express

belt: target (I think)

jeans: express

shoes: white house / black market

awkward/stiff pose: that's all me

This is my "let's go shopping and plan a bridal shower for my best friend" outfit. And it worked like a charm because plans are underway and I am feeling really good about it. Can't wait to share the details when it's all done :)