Dear Baby

Dear sweet little baby,

Tomorrow's the big day... well at least the first big day... we get to find out if you are a little she or a little he! Daddy is 100% convinced that you are his little man.  In fact, he told me that tomorrow is just a fact checking appointment.  I'm still not sure.  I have moments when I too am convinced that you are my darling little boy.  Then other moments, I can totally see you as my sweet little baby girl.  Each vision seems completely different, and yet exactly the same... me and you, my wonderful little baby {and daddy too} together as a family... happy and overflowing with love.

I just wanted to take this moment before we find out to let you know that no matter what you are, or who you are, I will always be your mom and I will always love you with all my heart.  I am looking forward to the day you make your big debut into this world and I can look into your eyes and kiss your sweet little nose and hold you in my arms and never let go.

I love you forever and ever, to the moon and back...

Mommy

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Tuesday Topics... I Love Pinterest

I've been addicted to Pinterest ever since I joined the site.  It is definitely a huge time suck.  As much as I love to look at Pinterest, I'm much better at pinning the ideas to my boards than I am at actually doing the things in the pin.  That being said... here are some of my favorite pins...

1.  This is just one of my many outfit pins on my dream closet board.  I love looking at cute clothes on Pinterest and have so many fun outfits I would love to buy... if only I won the lottery...

2.  I also love nail polish ideas... I love the matte look of these nails and am looking forward to trying this out sometime!

3.  Pretzel Bites... I've actually made these... and they were ah.mazing!  Not only did they taste good, but they were fairly easy to make.  My hubby and I devoured them :)

4.  This beef stew looks delicious and I can't wait to try it... now I just need to find those cute adorable little individual pots.

5.  I'm definitely a sweets person, but my hubby never seems to be in the mood for sweets.  So, this single serve cookie is right up my alley!

6.  My hubby and I love going to open houses on the weekend and checking out houses in the area.  I continue that fun by looking at house plans online... here's one that I think is beautiful!

7.  I'm looking forward to having kids and seeing some of the beautiful art they'll create for me.  I think this is a great way to display some of the "scribbles" I'm sure to get during their early years...

8.  I love reading the e-cards... and this one totally gets me.  What can I say, I'm a b*tch!

9.  I love this pin about math because I am a total math geek!  I think it's so cool to see how people from other countries do math.

10.  And finally... babies!  I love reading baby advice and I just can't get enough... hopefully some of it stays in and is useful once the baby gets here...

So there you have it... some of my favorite pins... or at least favorite ideas to pin.  What do you like to pin?  Head on over to the link-up and share some of your favorites!

The Weekend Review

Another weekend has come and gone... so sad!  I can't believe how fast the weekend goes, especially when we have to spring forward and lose an hour.  I am definitely missing that hour right about now.. especially since when we get that hour back in the fall, I'll have a baby who will definitely not be following the rules of letting mommy {or daddy} sleep an extra hour.

Friday night, hubby and I stayed home and made pizza and just had a relaxing evening.  It was night to spend time just the two of us.

Saturday morning, I woke up bright and early {at 9:00am... } and decided to start cleaning out our guest room.  The guest room is going to be baby's room in just a few short months, so we have to start getting... especially since my new chair was arriving later that afternoon!  I took our guest bed apart {my little brother will be coming to take it soon enough}, cleaned out the closet, and put a bunch of stuff in a pile to be thrown out.  After that, hubby and I went grocery shopping, then came home and took three trips to the dumpster!  The room is definitely clearing out.  Saturday afternoon... La-Z-Boy delivered my beautiful new chair!  It's a glider-recliner on a swivel base.  It's a neutral shade of green, so so comfy, and absolutely wonderful... now we just have to wait for baby to get here to snuggle and rock to sleep.

Saturday evening, Justin and I invited ourselves over to my parents' house for dinner.  Dad grilled a delicious pork tenderloin and mom made some onion potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and corn... along with some Hawaiian rolls... it was ah-mazing!  My younger sister found a cupcake recipe for almond amaretto cupcakes, so I decided to help make dessert.  It was a little different than your normal recipe, calling for almond meal and amaretto, but we were giving it a try.  They turned out beautiful...

unfortunately, they tasted like crap!  We all tried a bite and then the whole batch went to the trash... it was fun to branch out, but definitely not a recipe we're planning to make again.  After the dessert fail, my three younger sisters and I played a game called Pandemic.  It was so much fun!  The game is a team effort, so rather than being competitive, we got to work together as a team.  After playing a few times, we finally won. It was a really fun evening.

Sunday was another day with my family.  Saturday night, my mom invited me to go with my sisters, aunt, and grandmother to go see Oz the Great and Powerful at the recently renovated Dine-In Theater.  The movie theater was pretty cool... they had comfy chairs that rocked, and each chair had a little pull out table.  There are waiters that come to your seat, take your order, and deliver the food to you... no waiting in line at a concession stand!  And it's real food... burgers, pizza, fries, desserts, a full bar, and more, plus your standard movie food.  Each seat also has a button to call the waiter in case you need a refill or anything.  Towards the end of the movie, they bring you the bill and you pay all before the movie is over.  It's definitely a very cool idea and it would be great for a date night.

The movie {Oz the Great and Powerful} was really good!  I wasn't sure how I would like a third Oz show {Wizard of Oz and Wicked}, but it was great!  There was plenty of parallels, and yet plenty of new story to make it interesting.  My sisters, mom, aunt, and grandma all loved it.  My two male cousins weren't huge fans {word to the wise for boys who are going to see it}.  I definitely recommend it to everyone though!

Overall, it was a great weekend.. and I'm a little sad that it's over.  The one good this is that hubby and I hopefully get to find out the sex of the baby on Thursday if this little one cooperates.  Here's hoping (s)he does and this week goes by fairly quickly!

Hope you all have a great week!

Eighteen Week Bump-date

How Far Along:

Eighteen Weeks (March 7, 2013)

Symptoms:

I have the appetite of a football team!  I am constantly eating and I can't stop myself!  My boobs are huge (thank goodness for new bras).  My lower back is starting to hurt, and - according to my coworkers - I am starting to waddle.  Once I'm asleep, it's great, but falling asleep is getting harder.  Really, I honestly feel so lucky because so far I haven't had any horrible symptoms.  So if this is the worst of it, I'll be happy!

Weight Gain:

15.5 pounds... still not happy with this number.  Based on my weight chart I'm keeping, about 5 of those are from the Christmas holiday that I never really got rid of... plus as you saw above, my appetite is crazy!  I'll be lucky if I don't look like a blimp before this is over.

Baby Facts:

Baby is getting so big!  (S)he is about 5.5 inches long from head to butt and weighs almost 7 ounces!  She or he is flexing arms and legs.  And baby is starting to yawn!  How totally cute is that to picture?!  Hopefully we catch a yawn on the ultrasound next week.  Baby's hearing is also developing and baby might actually hear my heartbeat, tummy rumbles, hiccups, and talks with daddy.

Movements:

I'm definitely starting to feel baby move.  I absolutely love feeling little baby kicks, punches, and rolls.  I try and get baby to move more often because it just makes me smile.  I'm sure in a few months, when baby is kicking me in the ribs in the middle of the night, I'm going to be singing a different tune... but for now, I'm going to enjoy every flutter.

Gender Predictions:

I'm still up in the air and go back and forth.  Several people have told me boy.  Justin was convinced it's a boy, but the other day he told me he thought it might be a girl.  Only 6 more days until we know for sure {assuming baby works with the ultrasound tech... please please please cooperate!}

Food Cravings:

Cheetos Puffs!  I've been eating them like they're going out of style.

Food Aversions:

Still no real aversions... like I said, I was super picky before.

Mommy is Feeling:

Great!  I can't believe that I am already almost half way through this pregnancy.

Daddy is Feeling:

Not so great... daddy broke his tooth a week or two ago and had to get a root canal.  He goes back next week to get a crown.

Highlights this Week:

I've been working on a blankie for baby.  It's almost half way done so far!  The first one I'm doing is a neutral blanket that I'm hoping gets passed down through all my kids.  I'm going to make a second blanket for baby that is more gender specific that will be specifically for baby to keep forever.

Excited For:
My new La-Z-Boy glida-recliner is being delivered tomorrow afternoon!  I can't wait to see how it looks.

Our anatomy scan next week!  I still can't believe that in 6 short days, we will know if this little baby inside of me is our sweet little girl or our rambunctious little boy.  We will be spending the evening after the scan baking cake balls for us to take to work to reveal the gender.

Other:

A couple weeks ago, my friend and I went to paint pottery with our Groupons.  I decided to paint baby a cute little bank.  I haven't gotten to see it in person yet, but I'm really looking forward to getting it back next week!

Obviously I have been failing at keeping up with my bump updates.  I kind of forget to blog sometimes.  My life is pretty boring and I can't imagine that people would want to read ... "got up, went to work, came home, had dinner, hung out, went to bed, rinse and repeat."  I'll try and be better about updating more often!

Tuesday Topics: Five Activities in Your Hometown

Today I’m linking up with Lauren and Tiffany for Tuesday Topics! Today’s topic is five activities in your hometown. I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and after an 8 year hiatus, I returned to my hometown. I absolutely love St. Louis! There is so much to do here... including the typical ride up into the Gateway Arch, tour of the Anheuser Busch Brewery, Cardinals’ games, and visit with the animals at the {free} St. Louis Zoo. But I thought I’d do something a little different and post about some of the not-so-well-known activities in St. Louis! Here are some things that I love to do here in my hometown…

1. Outdoor Ice Skating at Steinberg Ice Rink

What is there not to love? When the temperatures get cold – which they always do – a trip to the outdoor ice rink in Forest Park is a must! They have a snack bar so you can get some hot cocoa {a must for ice skating} and in the evenings, they have a bonfire!

2. Produce Picking at Eckert’s Farm

Eckert’s is a local farm here in St. Louis – well around St. Louis. They have several locations and each has pick-your-own activities. Eckert’s grows strawberries, blackberries, peaches, apples, pumpkins, and Christmas trees, so no matter what season, you can head to the farm for some fresh produce! I went apple picking with my husband this past fall, and it was so much fun!













3. Theater at The Muny in Forest Park

St. Louis actually has some great theater productions at the Fox Theater, but nothing beats seeing a show at the Muny! The Muny is an outdoor theater in the famous Forest Park where they put on shows throughout the Summer. This season, some of the shows I’m looking forward to include Shrek the Musical, South Pacific, Mary Poppins, and West Side Story. You can either buy tickets, or show up early for the free seats! There were plenty of times my family would head to the park for an afternoon picnic followed by waiting for free tickets at the Muny and finally enjoying a show.

4. Delicious Food

What’s not to love about food? There are so many different food options in St. Louis, no matter what part of the town you’re visiting, there’s great places to eat! You could hit up downtown for some Pappie’s BBQ or a milkshake from Crown Candy. Head to the Central West End or Delmar Loop for some great little places. Want Italian? Then the Hill is the place to go. Botique shopping? Old St. Charles by the riverfront has plenty of little shops with some great restaurants! Plus you have your standard St. Louis food that you must try… toasted ravioli, Imo’s Pizza, and a delicious Pork Steak!

5. Bring Out Your Inner Child at City Museum

City Museum is a giant playground! It’s an interactive museum where children {and adults} get the chance to learn and be active. Definitely dress for play if you head here, because you will be crawling under, over, and between all kinds of things.

So there are just five great things to do in St. Louis that might not be as well known, but are still just as fun!  If you are ever in the area, feel free to ask for some tips on places to go because I love sharing about this great place I call home.

And definitely go link up with Lauren and Tiffany so I can learn all about your hometowns!

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!