My favorite time of the year!

Do you all know what today is?  If you guessed Thursday, you're halfway there. 

Hint: the fresh cut grass, the smell of freshly made popcorn, burgers & dogs, the sound of 'Take Me Out to The Ball Game', crackerjacks, 7th inning stretch, the crack of a bat against a ball, home runs, cute boys in tight baseball pants, David Wright, booze, the hunt for October, crazy insane fans...I could go on and on.

It's that time of year again, the start of major league baseball 2011!  Opening day!  Baseball is back folks!

It is one of my favorite times of the year.  Not only for the next 7 months do we get to take in America's favorite past time, but it also marks for me anyways, that summer is just around the corner and spring is in full swing! 

This past time is one of the biggest things the hubby and I have in common.  Did you know we met playing slow pitch softball?  It's in our blood.  We've both been playing since we could practically walk. 

We don't however agree on teams.  He's a Cubs fan (which I'm not against - I'll say they're my favorite NL team) which means he's a big fan of the lovable losers.  "Maybe next year" is a big part of his dialogue and loves the song "Go Cubs Go". 

I on the other hand love winner's.  Yes, Charlie Sheen, you & I and the Yankees agree on something...duh, winning!  I'm a Yankees fan (Boston, who??).

Our child will also love the Yankees and the Cubs equally (and by equally, I mean 95% Yankees and 5% Cubs).  There is no room in our house for her to branch out and like another team (individuality, what?!).  And, yes that means she will like baseball.  I'm not trying to push things on her but I just assume that since both of her parents love this sport so much, inevitably so will she.

Any who, to wrap up, the Yankees take on the Tigers at 12:05 c/t today (I wish I could watch but someone has to work around here) and the Cubs take on the Pirates at 1:20 c/t tomorrow.  Tune in!

Who's your favorite team?

Here's to a great summer and of course, Go Yankees!

Let's get to know one another, shall we?

I'm making more of an effort to up the quantity of my blog entries throughout the week (hopefully quality won't drop).  It's hard for me because when I'm at work, I actually work (gasp!).  Don't get me wrong, I still take time out of the day to read blogs I'm following and catch up on Facebook.  I just don't leave time to actually write a blog entry.  I always think that I'll do it when I get home but end up not doing it and instead watch T.V. all night and spend undivided time with the hubby. 

Anyways, my sister is getting married in May and I'm her Matron of Honor, of course (the last detail has no relevance to this post but I wanted you to know).  She recently sent all her BM's and PA's a mail asking us to fill out a survey of likes and other things.  I know you all are dying to know this information about me, so here it is (no answers were changed from the email I sent back to my sis to what I put below):

My responses below in Pink.

  • Your favorite sweet snack –Keebler Fudge Shop Fudge Sticks or Soft Batch cookies.
  • Your favorite salty snack - Jalapeno chips, Ritz bitz, Cheetos.
  • Your favorite kind of candy – Skittles, Starbursts & Gummy Worms
  • Your favorite non-alcoholic beverage - Mt. Dew, Sunkist, Sobe Lifewater
  • Your guilty pleasure magazine, you LOVE to read, but don't currently have a subscription to – People, InStyle.
  • Your favorite hobby you like to spend time doing when you have free time - shopping (of course), watching TV, reading books
  • Your shoe size –  anywhere from a 6 – 6.5.  Sandals/flip flops/flats usually 6, everything else a 6.5.
  • favorite restaurant to eat out at – Red Lobster
  • favorite fast food place to grab lunch - Jimmy Johns, Panchero’s, Panera.
  • favorite kind of coffee - Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino’s
  • favorite color - blue
  • You are allergic to the following things: _work, pollen, no known food allergies_________________________________________
  • When you go shopping, your favorite place to spend money is: _Express, VonMaur or Target_______________
  • What is the worst gift you received at your wedding? _we received a crocheted table cover in white – it would be a nice gift if I was 80, not prone to dropping food everywhere and had a round table.  It’s been sitting in a bag in our storage closet ever since_______________________
  • What is the best gift you received at your wedding that you did not register for? _Kitchen Aid Mixer, fleece blanket (it’s so warm but kind of ugly!)___________________
  • What is the thing you are most looking forward to on Andrea's wedding day: _Having a glass sip of champagne, getting my speech over with, having a “girls morning”, getting my hair done, seeing you done up in a dress w/ your hair & makeup done, shaking my prego groove thing on the dance floor.______________________
How would you have answered these? 

25 Weeks

This week I had a doctors appointment.  Nothing extremely noteworthy to talk about.  My pregnancy is going as close to perfect as it can be and hoping that continues for the 15 weeks (knocking on wood as I type).  I'm measuring right where I should be and haven't had any problems aside from the shoulder pain.  I'm going to the chiro every week and probably will continue to do so until July.  The doctor said that chiropractors are great during pregnancy and my sister-in-law praised it during hers.  I also did the blood glucose test today and find out the results early next week.  I didn't think the drink was too bad (as I heard from others that it is terrible) but the nurse at my last appointment gave me the fruit punch flavor instead of the orange.
 




Maternity Clothes ~ Going shopping tomorrow!  There are loads of cute spring/summer clothes out and I'm hoping to pick up a bunch of them.  I love the maxi skirts at Express....I'm hoping they're stretchy enough to accommodate an every growing belly.

Sleep ~ Waking up at least once a night, otherwise sleep is going well.  No real problems with falling asleep at night.  I've also been taking naps on the weekend which I haven't been able to do for years.

Best Moment This Week ~  The hubby treated me to Red Lobster today...my taste buds were happy. 

Cravings ~ Hawaiin Punch, quesadilla's, Girl Scout cookies, shrimp, Happy Joe's Pizza - basically anything and everything.

Gender ~ GIRL!

 
What I look forward to ~ Shopping and making wall decorations for baby girl's room tomorrow!  I'm also looking forward to the Lia Sophia party I'm having as well as my first baby shower in a couple of weeks!

Milestones ~  Baby is the size of a eggplant, weighing in at about 1 1/2 pounds and is 9 inches long.  All baby's senses are beginning to function.  Her nostrils are beginning to open and vocal chords are functioning.  Baby's movements are occuring at regular intervals each day.  Capillaries are forming under the skin and filling the blood.and by weeks end, air sacs lined with capillaries will develop in baby's long to get her ready for her first breath on the outside.


Throwin It Back Thursday vol. 3

I haven't done a Throwin It Back Thursday post in awhile and I think it's about time I bring it back. 

The throwback song brings me back, circa fall of 2004 - my sophomore year of college.  I was obsessed with Destiny's Child (and still am bug a boo) and more specifically at that time, this song.  That fall, my roommate Rachel & our friend Sarah decided to take a long ass road trip up to North Dakota to see Rachel's boyfriend, now fiance.  A mere 8 or 9 hour trip in an itty bitty Saturn. 

This trip brings back so many memories....shots of Hot 100, dancing in the middle of a basement on a table to this exact song, being told to go back to Iowa after making fun of their "northern" accent, Rachel's Ranch t-shirts (we each had one), beer pong, Madonna's "Like A Prayer" techno remix, laughter, the list could go on and on. 

I'm so excited to be part of Rachel's special day in June as her personal bitch attendant (and not giving birth in the middle of the dance floor).  I think the best part of our friendship is the fact that I transferred universities after the fall of '04 and we continued to remain good friends.  Even my husband and her soon to be, get along extremely well.  It's actually kind of sick how well they get along.  She was a part of my wedding and I'm glad I can be apart of hers.  This song is dedicated to you, 1/2 R-squared!



For a current selection, I've chosen Adele's "Rolling in the Deep".  I love Adele's voice and can't help but love this song (or anything by her really). 


Enjoy!

24 Weeks

It's been a week since I posted anything on here.  Sorry about that...I've been either way too busy or in pain (that's my defense and I'm sticking to it).   

Since we met the last time at 23 Weeks, my body has slowly deteriorated.  I think this is yet another sign of why I'm not good at being pregnant. 

I've been having pain below my left shoulder for over a week now.  When the pain first came on it was very manageable and would go away within an hour.  On Sunday, while working around the house, I had to take many, many breaks to lay on the couch and ice my back.  Monday came around and I went to work like normal, however, by about 10 a.m. I was in so much pain that I needed to take the afternoon off to address my shoulder/back problem. 

I received an OK from the doctors office to go to the chiropractor and to use BioFreeze.  However, they said if my pain continued after seeing the chiro, I would probably need to be referred to physical therapy...WTF?  Physical therapy sounds like it's not fun and I don't want to take extra time during the week to go.

Anyways, I went to the chiro which took alot of the pain away and spent the rest of the day on the couch with an icepack.  I had orders not to lift anything...even my purse until the situation was fixed.  Do you all know how hard it is to actually follow this rule?  Very.  I violated it many times...just slap my hands now.

On Tuesday, I went to work and was sore in the problem area but didn't have any shooting pains like the day before.  I still iced it all day long just in case.  By Wednesday, I was pain free.  Yahoo!

By Thursday afternoon, hell had apparently froze over and the devil was out to get me.  I again had the worst pain shooting straight through my shoulder...I even had trouble walking.  I once again took the afternoon off to ice (which didn't help) and lay around the house.  I ended up using BioFreeze which was fabulous even though the chiro told me not to use it because of the baby...the doctor said I could and in that pain filled instance, the doctor won!

I've always thought I had a very high pain tolerence so either I really don't or this is pain a intolerant person would never be able to handle.  This is knock you down, rock you like a hurricane type pain and I've cried a few times over it (yes, I'll admit it). 

Today, I'm feeling much better.  I went to the chiropractor this morning and have to go again tomorrow.  There is still some discomfort but nothing like yesterday.  Hopefully this will fix it and I won't have to go regulary for the next 15-16 weeks.

The root cause of all the pain is that the belly & pregnancy are putting stress on my lower back (I already have a small amount of curvature in my spine which does not help matters - I failed my sports physical my senior year because they thought I had scoliosis) which transitions to my upper back.  It's causing the muscles around the shoulder blades to be strained.  Until everything gets put back into place and all the kinks worked out, I'll be enjoying this pain.  Lucky me.  I should've known that my body wouldn't cooperate.  I don't consider myself a weak person but I'm small framed and probably not the ideal body type for carrying around a baby for 9 months.  I guess in the end, if our baby girl is healthy and happy, all the pain would be worth it. 

Now on to the regular, weekly programming:

Maternity Clothes ~ I tried on a couple of maternity dresses and they are very non-flattering to say the least.  Now I'm looking for spring/summer dresses that I can wear to work, weddings, rehearsals and so on in my normal, non-pregnancy size.  I bought a maxi dress from Target that can be worn after my pregnancy is done.  Old Navy is having a sale on dresses starting next weekend so I'll be hitting that one up.  Also, Gap, Banana Republic & Old Navy are having their Give & Get event right now - 30% off I do believe so you might want to get in on that deal as well.

Sleep ~ I get what I need, although I've been waking up during the night to use the restroom more often than in the past. 

Best Moment This Week ~  Having the hubby home on the afternoons I've had to take off.  It wasn't planned that way but it was nice to know he was there if I needed anything.  Grilling out and making a healthy meal (minus the beans) of Thai Peanut glazed chicken kabobs, rice & baked beans last night - it was yum-o!  Wearing flip flops to work this past week! 

Cravings ~ I crave water when I wake up.  I drink water all day long but always wake up so, so thirsty.  I miss the taste of Mountain Dew since giving up pop.  I think I should put myself on a diet so I'm not carrying any extra weight around except for the baby.  Maybe this will help my back.

Gender ~ GIRL

What I look forward to ~ summer & July.  The 60 degree weather we had here in Iowa for a couple of days was such a tease and I look forward to 60 and 70's to make their way here again. 

Milestones ~  Baby is still the size of a papaya.  Baby has developed her sense of balance so she can tell which way is up inside my belly.  Baby can recognize the mothers voice due to their ears being extremely sensitive to sounds outside the womb.  Baby continues to play around inside the womb and will grab onto anything she can which is only the ambilical cord.

Happy pain free Friday,

23 Weeks


Maternity Clothes ~  I wore a pair of maternity pants this week.  I was feeling super lazy and didn't feel like messing with a belly band all day.  Sometimes, I wish I could wear sweatpants to work but there is no one at work that I wish to see in sweatpants so I'm glad they're banned. 

Sleep ~ I think I'm too tired when I go to bed to actually find any discomfort.

Best Moment This Week ~  We went out to dinner last night with a small group of friends that we don't get to see that often.  After dinner, I noticed that the baby was really active and kicking hard (well harder than she was before).  I finally felt it on both the outside and inside so I had B put his hand on my belly to see if she would do it for him and she did!  Seeing B's face was priceless - I wish I would've captured it in a picture.  I think he was really amazed that he could finally feel her and I wasn't crazy, making up that she moves.  He thought it was pretty sweet.  I can now also see my belly move when she kicks.

We got the baby crib and changing table this week.  I bought both pieces on Tuesday and the Target folks could only get the changing table to fit into my car, even with both of the back seats down (it was raining too).  I returned the crib and had them put it on hold.  I had Barney then drive out to the city in which I work (because this is the closest store that offers this particular model - one hour away from our home) to pick it up on Wednesday.  Good thing gas is cheap.  I also made him take me out to a late lunch while he was in town.  It would have been super easy if the crib was available online, but no such luck - completely sold out. 

Cravings ~ mexican food, double cheeseburgers & Shamrock shakes. 

I gave up soda for Lent this year.

Gender ~ GIRL

What I look forward to ~ Relaxing.  It's movie night tonight in our house tonight.  We're finally watching Avatar which we've had from Netflix for about 3 months now.

Milestones ~ Baby is still the size of a papaya.  Baby is busy this week.  It may feel as though she is walking around inside the belly, pushing her feet up against the uterine wall.  Her organs are almost in full gear.  Her nostrils are unsealed, lips are more distinct and her eyes may flutter open occasionally.  Her pancreas can now produce insulin and will produce more if she's exposed to high levels of blood sugar in mama's body.  She has more pigment and her skin and even more fat is accumulating beneath it.


Bathroom remodel finale

This bathroom remodel is about 9 months in the making.  When we bought our house a year and a half ago, the bathroom looked like this:



Ugly.  I felt like I was showering & getting ready in a jail cell.  Everything was covered in gray - the walls & the trim.  There was no color and it was BORING to say the least.  So I dediced to spice things up a bit:




I started this process on a weekend, last June.  I thought it would take 2-3 hours max....6+ hours later, I had the first coat of blue on.  The hubs helped with the second coat and a few weeks later or so, the tedious task of painting all the trim white was complete.  The hubs finished this project by adding in the blind which had to be special ordered because of course (like everything else in our house), our bathroom window is not of standard size.  Plus we've been blindless for 1.5 years and these days I don't need anyone trying to peak in the window at this *hot* bod.

Let me give you all a word of advice...if you have trim & doors in your house and it's a pretty wood color DO NOT paint over it.  If I could choose (and it didn't cost $$$), I would take all the trim & doors out and replace them with stained wood.  White is pretty but it's a real bitch to keep clean and dust free.  I don't know what the hell people are thinking when they decide to paint over their wood work but it's a really, really stupid idea.

The finished product is definitly not everyone's cup of tea but it I LOVE it - the bathroom is so vibrant and full of energy.   I still want to add in more decor but I'm completely okay with how the entire bathroom looks now.

All in all, a good $125 spent to remodel a room that desperately needed a face lift.


Happy Birthday to the cutest 2 year old I know...


Happy 2nd Birthday Little Miss Raegan!!  You're the cutest 2 year old we know! 
 See, look at you standing all pretty for the camera in your pretty little dress!
  Hope you have a blast at your big, birthday party and love our presents (I'm a little jealous of them myself). 
T-4 months until you get to meet your cousin - we're excited too!  Try not to pick on her too much!

Love,
Uncle Barney (no, not that Barney) & Aunt Rachel 

22 Weeks

Maternity Clothes ~  I bought a pair of jeans this week only because they were $7.48 - score!  I've seen alot of super cute dresses online that I'm interested in. 

Sleep ~ nothings changed in this category...still getting what I need.

Best Moment This Week ~  There are a number of things that have made my week.  We finally got baby's room under control.  We moved everything that shouldn't be in the room and either threw it away (love when this happens but I'll be the first to admit I'm not always good at disposing....don't worry, I don't think you will see me on Hoarders) or moved it downstairs.  We also sorted things out for the garage sale that B says were having this spring. 

We agreed on a color scheme for the baby's room - it will be two different shades of this one color since we have a chair rail dividing the room (love a chair rail).  We ended up choosing neutral colors so that we would be able to dress up the room with any color decor.  Also, we know we're probably going to have another baby at some point and I want to minimize the amount of re-doing in the room in case it would end up being a boy.

Side note about painting.  If you're going to paint your walls and ceiling white, make sure they're the same color or at least paint with care.  The ceiling looks really stupid with a stripe of another white color around it.  The people who lived in the house before us clearly weren't the smartest people and now we have to fix their mistakes.  Guess that's just the luxury of home ownership. 

We also picked out a crib.  Now all we have to do is go out and get it.

On the work front, I got brand new computer (an big upgrade from the one they gave me in November).  It's pretty, swift, and came with Windows 7 (a new system to learn - not that different from XP but different enough that I'm don't know where everything is located just yet).  I won't bore you with what a major inconvenience it was to not have a computer for a day and half while they transferred all my data over.

I went on a run around town this week.  I must say it's a little different running with a little bit of a belly now.  Barney & I have also been taking alot of walks lately.  It's nice to come home, go for a walk and just talk about everything that happened during the day.  We don't always make time for this, so it's nice when it does happen.

Cravings ~ we got our Girl Scout cookies this week and B pretty much ate them all (with the exception of the boxes that I ducked taped shut and froze) but I still got a few and they definitely hit the spot.  I'm still craving Wheat Thins and also white cheddar popcorn.  I've also forced myself to not drink Mountain Dew on a daily basis.  It worked for about 3 days.  I've also been eating bananas.  I read that if you want your child to like bananas, you should start eating them now.  I love bananas and I think our little girl should too.

Gender ~ GIRL

What I look forward to ~ Registering for the baby and B starting to paint baby's room.  Baseball season is around the corner and that is a BIG thing in this household so the more we can get done in this month, the better. 

For all the mom's out there, any advice you could give on what to register for, what not to register for, what's a waste, how many to register for, which products you love vs which you hate, etc.would be greatly appreciated. 

Milestones ~ Baby is size of Papaya.  She's about 10.5-11.8 inches long and weighs 12.7-20.8 ounces.  Baby can hear more clearly because the bones of her inner ear are developed enough to detect vibrations.  Baby will be busy exploring her other senses as well.  Her fingernails have grown long enough to cover her fingertips and her liver is capable of removing red blood cells from her blood.  Baby's heartbeat is powerful enough that it may be possible to hear it through a stethoscope.  Baby's taste buds are now developed enough to taste different flavors.