Pregnancy Brain

We've all heard it... a woman gets pregnant and she loses her mind... along with many other things.

Yesterday, I drove myself to work, headed up the elevator, set my stuff on my desk and got to work... my usual routine.  I worked hard all day trying to finish up our budget (I'm a financial business analyst) and when the end of the day arrived, I was SO ready to head home.

Enter the problem.

I look at my desk, and my keys are not there!  What the heck happened to my keys?  I ask my coworkers and several came over to help me search my desk.  I looked in my cabinets, my drawers, under the desk, behind my computer, in the trash can... even in my Kleenex box!  I checked the bathroom, the receptionist desk, the kitchen, and the fridge... nothing.

Okay, definitely not in my office.  So I head down the elevator to the main lobby and asked the security guard if anyone turned in a set of keys... of course not!  Finally, I head out to my car to check there.  My car has a keypad on the door, so I unlocked the door and check in the car, around the car, under the seat, in the ignition... nothing!

Unfortunately, I had to call my husband and tell him that my keys were taken off my desk and I would need him to brink me my spare key so I could get home.  He was not too happy.  How does someone lose their keys at work?!  I tried to explain that I didn't lose my keys that someone must have taken them, but to no avail.  I headed home and sent a mass e-mail to the office with pleas for everyone to keep their eyes out for my keys.  Hopefully they'd turn up the next day.

Fast forward to this morning...

I get to work (with my spare key) and everyone is asking me if I've found my keys.  Of course I haven't!  Since the news of my pregnancy is still spreading around the office, only a few people knew about the pregnancy brain, but those few made sure to laugh at me for losing my keys and letting me know all pregnant women do it.  At this point, the whole office is looking for my keys.  Several times an hour, someone would stop by my desk and ask if I had checked ________.  Of course I had!  I was losing hope that they would ever turn up.

Around lunch time, I heard one of my coworkers heading to my desk and I turn around to see her purse in one hand and MY KEYS in her other hand!  She looks at me and asks me how the heck my keys ended up in her purse?! (almost with an accusatory tone, as if I had put them there).  Hello... that's what I'm wondering!

Well turns out, yesterday she stopped by my desk before she went to lunch because she had heard my pregnancy news and wanted to congratulate me.  She set her purse down on my desk as we talked, and when she went to leave, she grabbed her purse and the keys sitting next to it... mine... and headed to lunch. She didn't find them until she went searching in her purse today at lunch!

I immediately yelled "_____ stole my keys!"... lots of people had a good laugh and I sent out an e-mail to the office letting them know the were found.  I then texted a picture of my keys to my husband and explained the whole story to him.

I did not misplace my keys!  I was right all along... someone took them off my desk.

Moral of the story... just because a pregnant woman loses her keys does not mean she has pregnancy brain... at least not for that!

Bump Date - 12 Weeks

How Far Along:

Twelve Weeks (January 24, 2013)

Symptoms:

Besides a little nausea here and there (nothing a mint couldn’t fix), I didn’t get morning sickness.  The boobs have gotten much larger and sorer, although the tenderness is going away.  Exhaustion kicked my ass between weeks 8 and 10, and I rarely sleep through the night anymore without having a potty break.  But all in all, I consider myself very lucky.

Weight Gain:

8.5 pounds… not too happy about this, but a lot of this was over the holidays and it’s definitely slowed over the past few weeks.

Baby Facts:

Baby is developing reflexes!  Fingers are moving, mouth is making sucking motions, and toes are curling.  Baby is over 5 cm. long and about half an ounce.

Gender Predictions:

Justin still says boy.  I really don’t have a feeling either way… well I flip back and forth depending on the day.

Food Cravings:

Salty foods… crackers, pretzel M&Ms, fries… nothing really out of the ordinary.  Although, I am eating less sweets lately.

Food Aversions:

Basically anything Justin eats… lol.  I’m pretty picky, so no real new aversions compared to before I was pregnant.

Mommy is Feeling:

I feel great!  Definitely really starting to sink in (yes, I’m 12 weeks and it’s just now sinking in).  Crazy to think there are only 28 weeks left!

Daddy is Feeling:

He’s loving mommy’s mood swings… but he’s actually doing really well!  He’s been very helpful around the house and I definitely appreciate it.

Highlights this Week:

Last week, we went to the doctor’s and got to see baby on the ultrasound!  We weren’t supposed to have one, but the doctor couldn’t find the heartbeat with the Doppler, so ultrasound it was!

Excited For:

Still waiting to get to hear the baby’s heartbeat!  Just a few more weeks J

Other:

Finally switched out my wardrobe over to maternity clothes.  I’m actually really liking them… they are so comfy!  Plus a coworker mentioned that I was actually starting to show.  In an odd way, it made me happy because it means I don't just look fat and that baby is growing!

Just for some fun, here's an outtake from our little photo session this week... enjoy :)

P.S.  I'm going to try and do these Bump Dates every two weeks.  I would say every week, but getting pretty for a picture every week is just too much... lol.  We'll see what happens!

Memory Lane

It's time for Tuesday topics!  I haven't linked up in awhile (let's be honest, I haven't blogged in awhile... but it was hard to think of what to write about when I couldn't blog about some of the biggest news of my life)... but I'm going to try and get a little more consistent.

This week, our Tuesday Topic is six memories.  Here goes nothing...

1. The day I married my best friend.  It was an amazing day and there isn't anything I would change about it.  The whole day was focused on the two of us and I didn't have to worry about anything else.

2.  The day we found out we're expecting.  Its a moment that our entire life changed for the better.  Its the start of a journey into the unknown, but I'm looking forward to every minute of it.

3.  The day we started Girls Night In.  A friend of mine had a new year's resolution to spend more time with friends and started a monthly girls night in.  I've met some amazing girls through this get together and I look forward to this evening every month!

4.  The day I graduated with my Masters in Accountancy.  I spent a lot of time working towards this degree and it was amazing to finally have it!  Plus I met so many amazing people through my accounting program at my college.

5.  The day my parents brought home a new sibling.  Okay, to be fair, I might not remember this exactly and it may have happened more than once, but my siblings are some of my best friends and I love each and every one of them (including my two older siblings, even though I was the one brought home to them).

6.  The day I went swimming with dolphins.  I absolutely love animals and while on my honeymoon, my hubby and I had the chance to swim with dolphins.  It was absolutely amazing!  Its something we definitely want to do again in the future.

Runners-up:  The day I met my husband at work and our first date (which was four years ago tomorrow)... and lets be honest, I'm sure there are a ton more, but I actually had a harder time coming up with six than I thought I should!

Now it's your turn... head over to either Tiffany's or Lauren's blog, share your memories, and link-up!

The Day We Passed the Test

Monday, November 26, 2012

We had been trying for a couple months without much success.  The whole month, I wasn't really all that optimistic.  But as my period crept closer and closer, I started getting excited.  There weren't really any symptoms that were out of the ordinary, I just had this odd feeling.  The original plan was for me to wait until the day after my period was due {which was still three to four days away}, but that all changed...

I'm part of a group of women who are all trying to conceive their first child. {these ladies have been amazing}  It just happened that several of us women had cycles that seemed to sync up.  Well, one of the girls announced her positive pregnancy test that night.  And within a couple minutes, another girl announced her positive test!  I couldn't believe it... I looked at Justin and whined about how I wanted a positive test too.  So he told me to go ahead and take a test, even thought it was a little early.  Well, I had just went to the bathroom {I had been peeing all day long} so I held it as long as I could before I thought I was going to burst... about an hour... ha ha!  I ran upstairs to my bathroom to take the test.

I started with just one of those two line tests.  I took the test and set it down to start waiting... and a second line started to appear!  No way!  I wasn't sure I was actually seeing it or if it was a figment of my imagination, so I took the digital test as well.  After taking that, I sat at the bottom of the stairs with Justin and just waited.  Those three minutes seemed like the longest three minutes of my life!  Justin kept watch on the clock and when time was up, I ran back upstairs.

I picked up the test and my heart stopped... it was POSITIVE!  I couldn't believe it.  Absolute joy washed over me and I just couldn't believe it.  I thought I would cry when I finally saw a positive test, but all I could do was smile.

When we first started trying, I bought a present for Justin for when we got our positive test.  I had it wrapped in a shoe box in our closet {he had no idea it was there}.  It was a book entitled Dude, You're Gonna Be a DAD along with a onesie that said "I *heart* my daddy" across the front.  I opened the box, put the two tests inside, closed it back up, and headed down to give it to Justin.

I handed him the box and he opened it.  He immediately looked at the tests and pulled out the line test first.  He looked at it with a look of confusion and I told him to hurry up and look at the other test.  He pulled it out and tears welled up in his eyes.  He was so happy!  He hugged me so tightly and it was the best feeling in the world.  Then he said, "We're gonna be parents!"

The rest of the evening was a blur.  I was in complete shock and it just didn't seem real.  It was like I was living in some alternate universe that was absolutely amazing.  I was on cloud nine.


P.S.  I tested again on Friday, November 30, 2012 and it was still positive... woo hoo!

We're Expecting!

Baby Atwell due August 8, 2013

Sisterly Love

Sisters are such an amazing thing!  There is such a strong bond between sisters.  I know that I am so lucky because I don't have just one sister, I have four.  These four girls are my best friends.  I feel like I have such a special relationship with each and every one of them... and each relationship is different.

My Sisters... Stephie, Becky, Me, Kaity-lynn, and Carrie

Becky - Age 31

Ellen (me) - Age 28

Kait - Age 22

Carrie - Age 15

Stephie - Age 13

Growing up in such a large family was difficult at times. {we have three brothers as well} If you had asked any of us when we were growing up, I doubt we would say that we were best friends.  In fact, Becky probably would have told you I was annoying and she hated when I tried to hang out with her.  I, of course, felt the same way about my younger sisters.  I think that is the law of sisters.  Your younger sisters are a pain in the ass  always bugging you, and your older sisters are your idols role models.  You don't realize how amazing that relationship is until you are older and are no longer living under the same roof.

I don't know what I would do without my sisters.  Anytime I have questions, I call my sisters.  They always have the best advice.  When I'm bored at home, sometimes I just go over to my parent's house to visit with my younger sisters.  I get sooo excited anytime my sisters come to town.  Just recently, all my sisters {and brothers} were in town for Thanksgiving.  It was so nice to be able to visit with all of them.  All the sisters and my mom went out shopping for Black Friday followed by a lunch together.  I'm a little sad that my older sister won't be in town for Christmas, but I understand that she's going to be spending time with her other family, I just hope she knows how much she will be missed.

I'm also lucky enough to have a sister-in-law, Sarah Jane, and a future sister-in-law, Britney, plus several other sister-in-laws on my husband's side.  They are all amazing!  Although I will probably never have as a close of a relationship with these lovely ladies as I do with my sisters, I hope that we become and stay great friends.

Okay... that's enough of this mushy stuff... just remember sisters, I love you all very much and you are my best friends!

{P.S.  I started this blog quite awhile ago and finally decided to finish it.  It probably isn't where I was originally going with this blog, but I still wanted to publish it so my sisters know how awesome they are.}

Show and Tell Monday... Baby Talk

Okay... I'm a day late for Show and Tell.  I forgot I was supposed to finish this blog last night.  One of these days, I'll actually keep up with things and will have posts scheduled and everything.  Until then, you get day late posts :)

1. Tell us your favorite baby names? Aside from your own babies, if you have some :)
I don't have any kids yet {... someday hopefully}, but I have lots of name ideas in my head!  Here are just a few of the ones I love...


















2. Show me your "dream" nursery {can be your baby's nursery or one that you love}
















































3. How many children would you like to have? How far apart?
The hubby and I have talked about this some.  We agree that we definitely want at least two kids, maybe three, and we'd like them to be a year and a half or two years apart.  I definitely don't want to follow in my mom's footsteps and have eight kids {although I absolutely love my big family}!

4. Tell us what you think the importance of parenting is?
I think the most important thing about parenting is showing your child unconditional love.  Obviously, it's also important to provide life's necessities (ie. food, shelter, clothing, etc.) but I really feel like that should be a given.  My goal is to raise a loving, caring child

5. Show us your favorite newborn photo {can be your children or random}

6. Tell us some things you promise to never do as a parent {and if you are a parent, did you stick to it}
I don't really know if there is anything that I promise I won't do, probably because I have friends that have kids and know that I should never say never.  I guess a couple I could think of is not sleeping with the baby in my bed (I'm sure this will happen), no sugary drinks (I'm sure grandma will introduce that), no TV (which might happen until I really need a shower and just need something to distract baby).  I'm realistic.  I know I can say all this stuff, but I'm sure it won't stick around.

Show and Tell Monday (on Tuesday) - Weddings!

1. Are you married? If so when did you get married, and tell us about your special day. If not? How would you describe your dream wedding?

Yes I am…  To the most amazing man I’ve ever met!  We just got married April 22, 2012.  We went back and forth on whether to do a big or small wedding, but we finally decided we didn’t want a huge wedding, so we planned a destination wedding.  We invited our immediate family and headed to Cocoa Beach, Florida.  We had an evening wedding on the beach.  The day was absolutely perfect and we really got to focus on the two of us rather than stressing about what was going on.

2. Show us some wedding pictures. Either yours or of some that you love.

3. How about the engagement? Tell us your story. If not engaged, what's your dream proposal?

Justin planned a weekend away for us {when we were both living in separate cities} for our one year anniversary.  So we headed to St. Louis for the weekend.  He got us the presidential suite at one of the nicest hotels downtown.  The second day there, Justin sent me to the spa for a massage and a manicure and pedicure.  It was absolutely wonderful!  While I was being pampered, Justin met up with my dad {without my knowledge} to ask for my hand in marriage.  That evening, he took me out for dinner.  After ordering drinks and appetizers {he told me he just couldn't wait any longer} he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.  I, of course, said YES!  After dinner, we went to my parents' house and shared the news with everyone.  It was a wonderful weekend and a perfect night!

4. Show us your wedding rings or an engagement photo! If not engaged/married ... show us your "dream" ring.

I love my ring!  My hubby did a great job picking it out {and I didn't help at all}...

5. Tell us why you think marriage doesn't work out for so many? What can we do to make things last.

I'm one of those people whose marriage just didn't work out.  My first marriage only lasted a little over a year.  There were a lot of reasons why it didn't work.  He didn't treat me right.  I was young and stupid.  Neither of us knew what we were really getting into and we weren't in love.  We had been together so long it just seemed like the next step... obviously that was a mistake.

I'm older now and not quite so stupid... which is definitely a plus.  And my husband is an honest man who knows how to treat me right.  We both know that our marriage isn't always going to be easy, but we've made a promise to always love each other and to have open communication.  I think that communication is definitely the most important part of a relationship.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!... 10 Day Challenge

I'm linking up today with Lauren and Tiffany for their 10 Day Challenge... today's topic is fears.  Everyone  has fears... some rational and some completely irrational.  I have plenty of irrational fears {and a few rational ones} but today I'm going to share eight of my biggest fears.

1. Falling

I’m not terrified of heights; it’s the falling from heights that terrifies me.  If I’m in a building looking out, I love the views.  But put me on an open balcony or the top of a parking garage near the edge, and I scared to death.  My hubby thinks it’s funny to pretend to jump off just to see me freak out… meanie.

2. Death

Who isn’t scared of death?  It’s so final and there is just so much unknown.  And it’s not just my own death, but the death of anyone who is close to me.  I don’t want to have to live life without Justin, my parents, my siblings, my extended family, my friends…

3. Children

I’m not actually afraid of children… I love kids!  I’m afraid that when my husband and I decide to have children, that we may not be able to get pregnant… or that once we get pregnant, the child is not healthy.  I know that we would love that child no matter what, but I don’t want my child to have to deal with adversity at such a young age.

4. Intruder

I watch too many criminal shows {CSI, Law and Order, etc} and hear too many bad news stories.  If I hear a noise in the middle of the night, I immediately assume someone is in the house.  Of course, it’s always just the cat.

5. Failure

I’m a perfectionist.  Always have been, probably always will be – and as such, I have an unnatural fear of failure.

6. Accidents

This is probably irrational now, but when I was living alone… not so much.  I was always afraid that something was going to happen to me {ie. pass out, fall, bust open my head, heart attack, stroke… I know, extreme} and no one would ever know about it because I lived alone and didn’t have anyone who would eventually come home and find me.  I'm definitely getting Life Alert when I'm older!

7. Bad Weather

Thunderstorms and tornadoes are the worst.  When a thunderstorm comes rolling through, I always worry.  I think it is the thought of the weather getting worse that scares me, but either way, I hate storms.  And my mother always used to have nightmares where her kids would be swept away by a tornado… and then she would tell us about it!

8. Dentist

I have a huge fear of dentists.  I don't know why... I just do.  Going to the dentist causes me to have small panic attacks.  I've never really had a bad experience at the dentist, in fact, my last dentist was amazing!  But I probably won't ever be comfortable going to the dentist.

So what are you afraid of?

Love... 10 Day Challenge

Today I am linking up with Lauren and Tiffany for their second day of their “10 Day Challenge.”  Today, we get to share nine loves... so here goes nothing!

1.  My Husband, a.k.a. Hubby

Justin, My Rock and My Pain in my Side {just kidding on that last one… most of the time}… I don’t know what I would do without him.  He can make me smile no matter how mad or upset I am.  He always has a laugh, but still knows when to be serious.  And I know he is always there to support me no matter what.

2.  My Friends

As great as the hubby is, sometimes I just need some girl time.  My friends are always there for a night out or an evening in.  I can trust them with my secrets and they can trust me with theirs.

3.  My Family

I love my family, my parents, my brothers, my sisters… every single one of them.  Never in my life have they not given me unconditional love.  They may not always agree with my decisions, but they have always been there for me.  I am so blessed to be able to say they are my family.

4.  Maggie Mae, my kitty

How can you not love her?  Sure, she loves to attack your feet when you walk by her secret hiding place {under a clear plastic bag}, but she always wants to snuggle after.

5.  Dresses

Dresses are the bees’ knees!  I don’t know why I love them so much, but I do.  They are so simple to wear and require no effort by me to put together an outfit.  Plus, it automatically makes me feel girly and pretty!  {bonus points if it twirls}

6.  Zumba

I used to be a regular at the gym.  I haven’t been lately and it makes me a little sad.  But the one class that I go to every week, no matter what {unless work is making me stay late}, is my zumba class.  My instructor is awesome and I always have a blast!  Who would have thought exercise could be fun?

7.  Manicures and Pedicures

I love getting my nails done!  It's another one of those things that instantly makes me feel special.  Its a way to pamper myself without spending a ton of money.

8.  Cupcakes from The Cup 

How could you not love one of these cupcakes?  They are delish!  I'm definitely a fan of desserts, but these cupcakes are probably on the top of the list!  Now I just need to find some time to take a trip to get a cupcake.

9.  My iPhone

It's probably silly to love my phone, but I love my iPhone... and I can't wait until the next iPhone comes out!  I use my phone for just about everything, from communication to work to games.

Runner-ups:  Surprise flowers, Diet Sunkist, finally hearing a song on the radio that’s been stuck in your head all week, pizza, hot chocolate on a cold day, new clothes, and sparkly things