Quotable Quotes...

I don't really have any favorite quotes, but here are a few that I love...

Eight Months Down, One To Go...

 

How Far Along:

Thirty Five Weeks, Four Days (Eight Months... July 8, 2013)

Symptoms:

I'm definitely starting to get uncomfortable and I'm an emotional mess {just ask my husband}!  Justin has been great though with my craziness.  I'm starting to get some not so pleasant symptoms {you don't wanna know}, but I know those are just temporary.  My boobs have started to leak some and my nipples are a little sensitive again.

Baby Facts:
Baby is just about done growing in length, now we're just putting on the fat!  He should be gaining about a half a pound a week until he's born.  It's crazy to think that although he still needs a little bit more time baking, if he were to come now, he'd be just fine!

Movements:

Baby has definitely started shifting downward... it feels like he's jumping on my bladder and sometimes it actually hurts to move.  I'm constantly peeing!  On the plus side, since he's shifted downward, the kicks to the ribs have definitely decreased... most of the "high" kicks are below the ribs now.

Gender Predictions:

Still a boy... they double checked during the 3D ultrasound.  He had no problem showing that, but he did not want to show his face... here's the best pic we got from that...

Food Cravings or Aversions:

Nothing really... still loving the soft pretzels from the sundry at my office.  My appetite has actually kind of been missing lately... nothing sounds good.  Of course I still constantly eat... lol!

Mommy is Feeling:

Ready, but freaking out!  I know that its only a matter of time now, but I still feel like there is so much to do! I know that even though I feel like that, if he were to show up today, I'd be ready.  I am just such a planner that it's hard for me to not be able to plan such a big event in my life.

Daddy is Feeling:

He is definitely ready and he is constantly reminding me that we are going to be just fine.  I'm sure he's just ready for this hormonal, crazy lady who took over his wife to be gone!

Highlights this Month:

I had my baby shower about a month ago now.  It was absolutely perfect!  My sisters are amazing.  I got so many amazing gifts and I love every one of them (and I've even sent all my thank you cards already).  Since then, Justin and I have done plenty of shopping getting the last minute things we still needed and have set up the nursery and the rest of the house for baby's arrival.

We had our maternity photos done last weekend... they turned out amazing!  I can't wait to get the full CD of all the pics.  Our photographer was so nice and I can't wait to see him again once baby is here for newborn photos!

Excited For:
Him to get here!  I can't wait :)

Other:

One last pic from our maternity session...

Tuesday Topics - Musical Edition

Okay… I know I’ve been sucking at blogging about anything but Tuesday Topics… but at least I come back every week and write something. Hopefully soon, I’ll actually update on my life. I have plenty coming up to write about – my San Diego vacation (from two months ago), my trip to Ohio (from a month ago), baby updates, baby shower recap (last Saturday), nursery reveal (almost done), maternity photos (Sunday), crocheting update, and my birthday (Friday) to name just a few. I’ve just been super busy lately with baby prep classes, shopping for baby stuff, cleaning the house, work, visiting friends, doctor appointments, and just trying to get some sleep that blogging has definitely taken a back seat.

But for now, let’s get back to Tuesday Topics! This week was definitely a fun one… five songs that bring back memories. It did take me a little while to come up with my list, but I think it’s a pretty good one. So here we go…

Like a Prayer – by Madonna This song takes me straight back to high school. I went to a private, all-girl high school and I absolutely loved it. During our dances, we would all circle up and sing and dance to every song. It was so much fun. And of course, this was one of our favorites… imagine a group of teen girls singing this at the top of their lungs and falling to their knees when we got to the line “I’m down on my knees, I wanna take you there”… we were weird but we sure did have fun.

I Was Here – by Beyonce I love this song… it’s one of my favorites to turn on and belt out when I’m in the shower. My cousin posted this video to Facebook some time ago and said it reminded her of our Aunt Patti, who had passed away from breast cancer. I had never heard it and went and listened. It’s a wonderful song and I love the message behind it. Now, when I hear the song, it reminds me of all the wonderful times I had with my Aunt Patti.

Paparazzi – by Lady Gaga This song reminds me of when my hubby and I were first dating. We took a road trip to St. Louis for my brother’s wedding (we weren’t living there at the time, in fact we lived in two different cities that were over two hours apart). On the drive up there, I was entertaining Justin with my amazing singing (ha!). This song happened to be very popular at the time so it came on several times and Justin always said I was serenading him. I still think of that trip whenever I hear this sound.

Miracle – by Shinedown When it was time to put our wedding video together, the photographer asked us to come up with some songs that we wanted on the video. This song was Justin’s pick. Although I wouldn’t have picked it myself, it meant so much to me that he took the time to pick out a song that we both would like and that he felt represented us. Now, whenever I hear it (which is mostly when I’m with him in his car since I don’t usually listen to Shinedown), I remember our wedding.

Anything Like Me – by Brad Paisley This is a new find. I was looking for good songs about little boys shortly after finding out I was going to be having a boy, and I stumbled across this song and fell in love! It’s such a good song and I definitely imagine Justin singing it to our little guy.

So there you have it… five songs that bring back memories. What are some of your favorite songs? Head on over to Lauren or Tiffany’s blog and link up!

Favorite Products

Welcome back for another edition of Tuesday's Topics!  This week, we get to discuss six of our favorite products.

1.  Carmex Healing Cream - This stuff is awesome!  Its a great thickness... not too thick, but also not runny.  Plus it always leaves my hands and feet feeling smooth and soft.

2.  L'Oreal Go 360 Clean Anti-Breakout Facial Cleanser - I'm horrible about sticking to a routine, but I keep this facewash in my shower and it is so easy to use.  I love the little "scrublet" that it comes with to help wash your face.  Plus my skin hasn't had a horrible breakout in awhile, so it must be working, right?

3.  Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal - I discovered this the last time I got my hair cut.  My hair had been super dry since getting pregnant and the stylist recommended this product.  It is great!  It helps my hair stay healthy without making it look oily.

4.  Carmex Lip Balm - I'm not much for make-up... but I would die without my Carmex!  I use it all the time and can't fall asleep without putting some on.

5.  Covergirl Lashblast Fusion Mascara - As I said above, not much for make-up, but when I do wear make-up, I love mascara!  It really seems to open my eyes and make me look just a little more awake.

6.  Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat - This stuff is amazing!  I used to hate painting my nails at home because I would always smudge my nails.  One day, I had even painted my nails around 2pm and they still somehow smudged on the sheets when I went to bed that night.  Now, after I paint my nails, I just put on a layer of this, wait about 30 seconds to a minute, and voila!... dry nails!

So there you have it... six of my favorite products.  What are some of your favorite products?  Head over to Tiffany's or Lauren's blog and link up!

What Do You Do Again?

This week I get to tell you all about my job!  It definitely has its good moments and its bad moments, but it pays the bills, and that's what is most important.

1.  I am a financial analyst... yeah, most people aren't really sure what exactly that is.  I analyze the financials for the company I work for in order for management to be able to understand and make decisions based on that data.  It's kinda confusing, but it definitely had its fun moments.

2.  The company I work for is basically a glorified middle man.  We buy packaging from the manufacturer and then sell it to our customers.  There's obviously more to it than just that (we provide a service to make it easier for our customers to coordinate all their supplies), but yep... middle man.

3.  I'm a wiz at Excel... I spend a majority of my time in Excel and I've learned so many different ways to manipulate the data.  If I'm not sure how to do something, I use Google... I know that Excel can do anything I want it to do, I just have to find the right way.

4.  I work on the tenth floor of my office building... the penthouse.  It would be better if I didn't work in a cube and actually had a great view.  The elevator ride sucks because I have to stop on basically every floor. The plus side is that we have an amazing view of downtown St. Louis with the Arch and all from our kitchen.

5.  The entire office loves to eat... food is our passion!  We use food to celebrate anything and everything.  For example, tomorrow is "cake day"... we have it once a month to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.  We also have "grazing day" where everyone brings in snacks and eats all day long.  The newest addition, my department has bagel Friday because the pregnant lady (aka. me) decided bagels sounded good and the other people have joined in.

6.  To follow up the food... my job is very sedentary... the combo of the two are bad for my waist.  Recently, my work started a walking club that walks during lunch.  I've joined a few times, but with the heat coming recently and the pregnancy, it just isn't happening much.  They're also doing a weight loss challenge, but for some reason, no one wanted me on their team... lol!

7.  I'm so ready for maternity leave!  Only a couple more months... and when I get back, my work recently created a breastfeeding room!  It has some comfy couches, cabinets, and a separate fridge to store milk in... plus its a locked, private room.  I'm glad that they finally realized that they might need one of these rooms since there are several women who are pregnant right now.


What do you do for a living?  Head on over to Tiffany's or Lauren's blog, link up, and share!

Tuesday Topics - Goals for June

It's time for another Tuesday Topics with Lauren and Tiffany.  This week, we get to talk about our goals for June.  I have so many it is quite ridiculous... you should seriously see my to-do list I have at home.  I'm getting closer and closer to my due date and each day that passes, it feels like I add five things to the list!  {hopefully, I can start marking some of them off soon}  

Here are just eight of my goals for the month of June {sorry they're so centered around baby... it's kind of a big part of my life right now}...

1.  Set up the nursery!  By the end of June, I'll be 34 weeks along... as of right now, I don't have any furniture in the room besides a rocker. {that's a long story... Babies R Us is on my shit list right now}  Hopefully, by the end of the month, furniture will be here.  Plus my baby shower will be past, so I can actually start organizing all the wonderful things I'm sure to get.  Also part of this is finishing up a fun art project that I am making for the little man's room.

2.  Speaking of my baby shower, it's scheduled for June 15th. {I'm so excited I can hardly contain it!!}  That's only a week and a half away.  After the shower, I need to make sure to send out all the thank you cards before the end of the month.

3.  Deep clean the house... nesting... whatever you call it, it needs to get done.  I have a detailed list of everything that I want to do to the house, and my goal is to have all the cleaning done before the end of June.

4.  Plan my freezer meals.  My goal is to have a large stash of food in my freezer for after my due date.  I know I'm not going to want to cook anything after going through labor and delivery, and I'm certain Justin is still going to want to eat {as am I}, so freezer meals seem like the perfect solution.  My goal is to just get a list planned this month so that next month, I can start prepping all my meals and get them done by mid-July.

5.  Relax!  Yes, I need to make sure I actually plan some down time for myself.  There isn't a lot of free time between now and my due date and with so many things to do on my to-do list, I am going to end up one stressed out, frazzled, soon-to-be mommy!  Manis, pedis, and massages need to be in my future.

6.  Spend some quality time with my friends and family.  I have a few things already planned this month, but I think it is so important to make sure to plan time with family and friends because they make life better {and definitely help with that relaxing thing I mentioned}!

7.  Start transitioning my work to other people.  I'm sure this is going to be a huge stress for me leading up to my due date, so I want to start planning the transition of my work to my co-workers.  There is a lot I do {at least I think so}, so making sure to train people on what to do, how to do it, and when to do it is going to be very important.

8.  Enjoy my birthday!  At the end of the month, I'll be turning 29 {yes, for the first time}.  I don't have anything planned, but this will be last birthday without a kid.  So, I'm going to try and enjoy it as much as possible, without the usual strawberry daquiris.

So there you have it... eight of my goals for the month of June... hopefully when the end of June rolls around, I can actually say I've completed everything on this list {and a bunch of other things on my to-do list}!

Up, Up, and Away

I've grown up with an extreme fear of tornadoes.  This probably hos something to do with growing up in the midwest... comes with the territory.  Plus, my mom used to have dreams nightmares that tornadoes would come and pick up all of her children... and then tell us about them!

Friday night, the tornadoes were a little closer than I would have liked.  The image below shows the path that a tornado too through St. Louis.  I live near the little red star... yeah, a little too close.

I was out with my sister shopping and picking up some supplies at Lowe's (which was actually right about where the full blue triangle is just northeast of where I lived is), and we had left the store to go pick up dinner.  We went into the restaurant and in the time it took them to cook our dinner (maybe 5-10 minutes) the storm started rolling in.  When we went outside, the tornado sirens were going off.  It wasn't raining, but we could definitely see some dark clouds in the distance and what appeared to be a funnel cloud out past where I lived.  We jumped into our car and booked it for my place.

Unfortunately, when we turned onto the street to get to where I lived, we hit a wall of water.  It went from no rain at all, to a torrential downpour.  As we continued just a little farther down the road, the power went out on the street, the sky turned greenish, and my sister said she saw a flash of blue.  I couldn't see much in front of me, but I decided continuing driving that way was a bad idea.  I did a u-turn in the middle of the road and started speeding the opposite direction.  My sis asked where we were going and I decided my brother's house since he lived just a mile or two the direction we were heading.

In those few minutes that it had started raining, tree branches were being ripped off the trees.  I could barely see the road, but we finally made our way to my brother's street.  We had tried calling his cell, but got no answer.  We passed a cop car on the way down there street and I remembered that a cop lived there.  My sister said that if my brother wasn't home, we would head to that house.

We got to my brother's house and ran to the door and started banging.  No lights were on and I was so scared that we were going to be stuck outside.  I checked the door, but it was locked.  Thankfully, just a few seconds after that, I saw a light flip on and my brother answered the door.  He yelled for us to come in and we all ran to the basement.  At this point, my sister and I still had no idea if there was a confirmed tornado or where it was.  We went downstairs and started watching the news.  The storm was moving so fast that it was past shortly after that.

As soon as we were safe inside, I texted my husband.  He assured me he was safe, which made me feel much better (although I later found out he was at a bar playing pool with friends... not exactly a tornado shelter).  We stuck around my brother's for about an hour then headed home.  Thankfully, I still had power when we got there.  The picture below is the tornado that swept through... kinda scary that it was so close.

Even though I've grown up in St. Louis, I've never felt so close to a tornado as I did Friday night.  I'm not sure what made me so scared this time... probably because I had no idea the bad weather was coming and I was out in my car when it hit... all I know is that I have no idea what I'm going to do next tornado season when I have a little one to protect!  Hopefully, the tornado season isn't too bad and I have plenty of warning ahead of time...

Time to go plug in my weather radio!

Nine Photos of My Spouse and I {Tuesday Topics}

It's time for another week of Tuesday Topics.  This week, I get to share nine pictures of me and my spouse/bestie... lucky for me, he is both!   1. This is from my first weekend visit to his place. Our first year and a half together, we lived about two hours away from each other, so these visits were always fun!

2.  Road trip to St. Louis for my brother's wedding.  Who doesn't love a fun roadtrip?  And we actually do pretty well in the car together.

3.  The night we got engaged!  This was right after he popped the question.

4.  A night at the St. Louis Cardinals' game.  I have tons of pictures of us at the baseball stadium... it is always a good time.

5.  Our wedding... this is one of my favorite pictures from that day.

6.  Our honeymoon... we got married on the beach in Florida and then spend the week going to different amusement parks and restaurants... here we were at Senor Frogs.

7.  Being goofy... this is one of my favorite pictures of my hubby... I think it really captures his personality.

8.  The picture from when we announced we were expecting :)

9.  This is a more recent picture from when we went to visit Grant's Farm in St. Louis... I probably have better ones from our recent vacation, but those aren't actually off the camera yet :)

So there you have it... nine pictures of me and my hubby over the last {little more than} four years... it's been fun going down memory lane.  Now it's your turn to go link-up with Tiffany and Lauren and share some pics of you and your spouse and/or bestie!

If You're Happy And You Know It...

It's time again for Tuesday Topics!  Tiffany and Lauren just started a new set and I'm going to try and actually participate in all ten weeks.  The first week is ten things that make you happy...

1.  Baby kicks... what is there not to love about the sweet little reminder that a little one is growing inside you?  It's such an amazing feeling and it makes me so happy.

2.  Spending time with my family.  I'm going to visit my sister and her family this weekend.  I can't wait to see my sweet little niece and nephew.  Their smiles can brighten any day!

3.  New clothes.  Right now, I'm not buying a lot of clothes seeing as they won't be fitting in a few months, but I still love getting new clothes!

4.  Art projects.  I found this really cool pin on Pinterest for a name plate that I'm going to try and make to put over baby's crib.  I'm really looking forward to having an art project to do!

5.  Cleaning... LOL... I never thought I'd say that, but the nesting bug is hitting full force!  It makes me so happy to see how clean my closet it and I'm really enjoying the layout of my husband's man room.  I have a feeling that this cleaning thing will eventually get really old, so I better enjoy it while I can.

6.  Maxine's Chicken and Waffles.  This place is amazing!  All my friends and family laugh when I talk about this place, but I love it.  It is one of the perks of driving to visit my sister.  Justin and I stop here mid-way and I get to enjoy some fried chicken and a sweet potato waffle with peach butter... YUM!

7.  Spring flowers... especially tulips.  I feel like this season I really missed all the flowers.  Spring just never happened, it went straight from winter snow to summer heat.  I love just seeing huge bouquets or fields of tulips... makes my heart happy.

8.  Passing a level on Candy Crush.  Ha ha... I'm totally addicted to the game and getting past a level I've been stuck on for a while makes me so happy!  Then I get stuck again... what a vicious cycle!

9.  Mail.  Real mail... not junk mail.  Who doesn't love getting a card or a letter in the mail?  It's nice to know someone was thinking about you.

10.  Sleeping through the night.  Lately, that hasn't been happening and I have a feeling it might only get worse over the next year or so.  So those few nights I have lately where I don't wake up are golden!

So there you have it!  Ten things that are currently making me happy.  Feel free to head over to Tiffany's or Lauren's blog and share what makes you happy!

Twenty-Eight Week Bump-date

How Far Along:

Twenty Eight Weeks (May 16, 2013)

Symptoms:

I think I've started having some Braxton Hicks contractions... I'm still not 100% sure.  I've had some heartburn this week, but nothing too bad.  Still have that tender spot on my back that hurts if I turn a certain way {I know... don't turn that way...}

Baby Facts:
Little man is almost 15" and over 2 pounds!  He can blink his eyes and see light that's coming in through the uterus... we may have to get a flashlight out and play a little bit.  Hopefully he is starting to turn himself around for the big event.

Movements:

I've been starting to feel jabs up high, like under my ribs.  Totally a weird feeling!  He isn't as active as before, but still plenty active.  I'm sure it's starting to get tight in there :)

Gender Predictions:

Baby Boy Atwell... yep, I've got two men in my life now.

Food Cravings or Aversions:

Soft pretzels and brownies from the sundry downstairs at work.  Justin had a tuna salad sandwich the other night and the smell definitely made me turn my nose... not that I ate tuna in the past, but the smell was really getting to me!

Mommy is Feeling:

Tired... I've been having trouble falling asleep lately... and any major movement from dad's side of the bed and I'm awake.  And I'm sure this isn't going to be getting any better as he gets bigger and the area for my bladder gets smaller.

Daddy is Feeling:

I asked Justin how he's feeling about baby and he said "nobody puts baby in a corner"... yeah, that's my husband.  He then said that he's ready!  Ha, if only he knew what he's in for...

Highlights this Week:

I bought our first box of diapers and wipes... lol.  Who would think that would be a highlight?  Okay, its not really, but its fun to start getting ready for baby.

I got my invite for our baby shower!  It's a little less than a month away and I am so excited to see all my family and friends get together to celebrate the soon-to-be arrival of our little boy.

Excited For:
Our last piece of furniture should be coming in soon, so it should all be delivered... hopefully by the end of the month!  Can't wait to set up the nursery :)

Next week, we're heading to Ohio to visit my sister and her family.  I'm really looking forward to seeing them all and hanging out with my little niece (28 months) and nephew (8 months).  I saw a picture of them recently and they're getting so big!  Plus, she has some baby stuff for me.

We're getting a 3D/4D ultrasound in just two weeks!  Can't wait to see what little man is going to look like.

Other:

I have my glucose test today... so hopefully I pass!  I also have to have blood work done and I have to get my rhoGAM shot since I'm Rh-negative... so lots of needles.  Not looking forward to it.