nesting phase

*i'm sorry for the two month unintentional break*

with six weeks to go before the arrival of baby girl no. 2, i am officially in the nesting phase.  i have a to-do list mapped out in the office of everything i would like to accomplish while i am still a mom of one.  on the top of my list is was to paint our piano.

it's the piano i grew up with.  i still remember when i was five and wanted to take piano lessons, my parents took me to pick out our piano.  i was set on a baby grand piano, at five.  ridiculous. i know. the salesman was smart, very smart, and amidst my fit over wanting the baby grand, played the theme to sesame street on the piano my parents were more inclined to purchase.  i was hooked.  if the piano could play can you tell me how to get to sesame street, i NEEDED to have that exact piano.

fast forward twenty+ years later.  my very generous parents said i could have the piano, and would even move it from new york to florida.  i cannot wait for charley to learn to love music on the same piano i did.  i wasn't however, as enamored with the look of the piano.  thus began the idea to paint the piano.  

shorty after we found out fly boy would be deployed for six months, i thought the piano would be the perfect deployment project.  i don't think fly boy actually thought i would get it done, but here we are, with a newly painted and back in the house piano.  i'm thrilled with the results!

AND i get the satisfaction of checking one of my to-do boxes off the list.
score.

we will use any excuse to get new family pictures

i'm calling it charley's one year portraits/predeployment/last family pictures with just the three (oops, sorry lucy) four of us.

whatever you want to name it, we had the privilege of our dear friend kelli campbell taking some family pictures before fly boy left for his deployment.

i'm in love.

the 17 week bump...

thanks kelli! 
you are the best!

midweek confessions: pre-baby

i'm going a little stir-crazy, so it seems like a good week to link up with e, myself & i

- baby girl is officially 6 days late.  i swear i am not going crazy-crazy.  i still feel good, just trying to be patient.  

- i'm not very gifted in the "patience" department.  

- my our house has never been cleaner, nor do i think it will ever be this clean again.  i would SO pass my brother's white glove test.  

- though i realize i will be eating my words in a few days once this girl does arrive, i still feel like i should be trying to get some kind of part-time job.  i have too much time on my hands.  and i can't wait to be able to fit into all the adorable spring clothes that are coming out...a little extra spending cash might be nice.

- i have this totally unrealistic idea that baby girl and i are going to get into a perfect rhythm only a few days after we come home from the hospital.  eat, wake/play time, sleep repeat.  i have purposely not factored in the hours of hysterical screaming i blessed my own mother with.  positive thinking.  we'll see how that goes.

 

- i gave up law & order for lent.  sounds ridiculous, i know.  but i've become addicted.  i went on a law & order marathon yesterday, and realized i have become so addicted that i actually got bored of it last night. that's way too much law & order. 

- we did a "baby pool" with friends and family to guess the baby's arrival time and date.  two so called "friends" guessed the 29th because it would be "cool" to have a baby on leap-year.  the 29th, really?  that's 13 days past the due date.  who does that?  who wishes that on your friend?!  i am thinking of not claiming these two individuals as friends anymore.*

- i LOVE this time of year, for one reason and one reason only: cadbury mini-eggs.  not the gross ones with the cream-filled centers.  the straight up chocolate ones with the candy shell.  i could eat the whole bag in one day.  therefore i am cashing in my "pregnancy" card to devour as much of this sweet chocolate as my heart desires.  and i'm not going to feel guilty.

- i found this picture of lucy on my camera.  it's not in focus nor a "great" picture by any means, but i can't help but laugh when i look at it.  i am still hoping that we do not become one of those families that neglects our dog once we have a baby.  fly boy is adamant that lucy will not become a "second-class citizen."

- i am hoping my next post will be to announce the arrival of baby girl.

*disclaimer: both "friends" are boys.  one of which is not a father yet.  i will be patiently waiting his apology once his own wife goes through 40 weeks of pregnancy.

40 weeks and 2 days

top ten frequently asked questions i have gotten this week/recently:

1. any baby yet?
no, no baby yet.

somehow it doesn't surprise me.  when we had the ultra-sound to find out if it was a girl or boy, we were at the appointment for almost two hours because this baby was so stubborn and wouldn't move into a position for technician to get all her measurements.  after only 15 minutes of trying, fly boy looked at me and said, "i know it's a girl, she's being as stubborn as her mother!"  turns out he was right.

so if we know this child is so stubborn, why would she come "on time?" 

2.  are you going crazy waiting?
actually, i'm not going crazy, yet, or even feel that uncomfortable.  i think it's going to be a while.

(as i write that, i can't help but think, famous.last.words.)

this pregnancy thing has certainly proven one thing ... the lack of any self-awareness instincts i have.
and that fly boy is more in tune with my body than i am.

example 1: rewind 7 months to a conversation between fly boy and me...
fly boy: i think you might be pregnant.
me: there is no way i am pregnant.  i would know if i was pregnant. 
fly boy: i still think you are pregnant.  humor me, take a pregnancy test.
...ten minutes later...
me: ....i guess you were right...i'm pregnant...

example 2: this past monday night...
me: i have had horrible gas all day.
fly boy: are you sure it's not contractions?
me: i would know if i was having contractions.  these are not contractions.  i think something is wrong. (in my head, i was thinking i might be dying.)
fly boy: ok.  but i still think it might be contractions.
a few hours later the pain hasn't gone away, so off we go to the hospital...
turns out, i was having contractions.

3.  is the nursery done?
basically.  we have a few more things to hang on one wall.  so i don't want to post pictures until it is totally finished.  i'm not too concerned if it actually gets done before she is born, or shortly there after.  she won't have to sleep in a sock drawer, so we have that going for us.

4.  do you have a name picked out?
we do.  we are waiting to reveal the name until she is born.

5.  have you taken any birthing classes?
we did a crash course in the bradley method.  after the class, i was all gung-ho for a natural birth.  after monday night, i've had some second thoughts.  so we'll just wait and see.

6.  have you prepared lucy for the baby?
i talked to our vet at her yearly check-up this week.  his only recommendation was to bring a blanket or piece of clothing from the baby home before we actually bring the baby home for lucy to get used to the smell.  i have a feeling she is going to be amazing with this little girl though.  she's been around her fair share of babies, and has done remarkably well.   i just know lucy and the baby are totally going to be bffs.

7.  is your mom coming in for the birth?
she is.  she's waiting to get a flight down to florida until we are on our way to the hospital.  my brother recently moved down here as well to start flight school. she'll spend some time with him while we are still in the hospital, and then will stay with us once we get back home and situated.  fly boy's mom is coming down in a few weeks as well.

8.  is fly boy ready?
ha.   he says no.  i say yes.  in reality, neither of us really know what we are getting ourselves into.  year two of marriage is off to a pretty good start, the next 9 months should be a crazy ride.

9.  are you ready?
as ready as i'm going to be.  bags are packed.  camera battery is charged. birth plan is done.  laundry (at least the essentials) is being kept up with.  the house is semi-clean (clean enough that i am not embarrassed to have people over, but not clean enough that i was able to pass my brother's white glove dust test on my window sills.)

10. what are you most nervous about?
honestly, that i bought too many newborn clothes but at the same time that i don't have enough newborn clothes.  also, that with all the heartburn i've had, that this girl could come out looking like an ape if heartburn is indicative of how much hair babies have. (even though i know it's really just an old wives tale...it still freaks me out a little to think about that much hair.)  i told fly boy, i would rather her be bald for the first two years than have a mop of hair when she is born.  vain.  i know.   and lastly, that the labor process is going to take something crazy like 72 hours.  that's a lot of contractions.

lucy, on the other hand, is ready.

awkward moments of being pregnant: flying

since we made the big move from delaware to florida, i've flown a few times to see my family, fly boy's family and a trip up to roanoke to see friends.  as fly boy and i get ready to split christmas between columbus and syracuse, i thought i would share some of the "special" moments i've had to date flying while pregnant...

- after carefully planning an outfit i was SURE would make it through security without a second walk-through, i got to experience my first frisking.  seriously, i was so sure this was the best outfit i could have worn to NOT get frisked.  as the security guy led me to the frisking area, he noted that it was probably my extra supportive bra that set off the metal detectors.  great.  thanks.  enter a slightly overweight middle aged woman who starts to pat me down.  when she got to my stomach, she informed me that this was her second frisking of a pregnant woman that day and asked if it is a boy or a girl (while her hand has found permanent residence on my stomach.)  i smile, a girl.  she then asked how far along i am, hand still on my stomach.  i tell her.   she replied, "well, i guess your baby isn't very active, i can't feel it moving."  i awkwardly laughed, hoping to get out of the security area as quickly as possible.  with her hand STILL planted on my stomach, she then noted, "oh i think i just felt the baby....wait, no, that was just you laughing."  i smiled, really hoping to stop the chit-chat and move on.  she looked at me for what felt like an eternity, and with her hand not budging from my stomach, goes on to tell me how wonderful boys are and how excited i should be to have a little boy.  i agreed, not wanting to correct her and continue this awkward interaction, and after what felt like for.ev.er. of this stranger keeping her hand on my stomach, she finally let me go.  i haven't had too many awkward moments of strangers touching my stomach, but i think this single interaction made up for all the lack of awkward belly-touching moments thus far.

- as i found my seat on the plane, the passenger next to me saw my starbucks cup, and "jokingly" said, "you know, pregnant women really shouldn't have caffeine."  i smiled and told him it was a steamer, just hot milk and a shot of vanilla.  (of course i'm sitting in the window seat and he is in the middle, so he now has me as his captive audience for the duration of the flight.)  the gentleman then proceeded to go on a five minute rant about bad habits of pregnant women, including but not limited to, caffeine intake, smoking and drinking.  i had the ipod out and ready to go for when i could hear the captain say those sweet words, "the use of electronics is not permitted."  thank goodness for boise and noise-blocking headphones.

- not pregnancy related, but still funny...)  on another recent trip, i sat down next to a couple, who were clearly newly dating. 
girl: is this your first time flying?
guy: no, i've flown before.  have you ever been on one of those really big planes?  where there three seats, an isle, three seats, another isle and three more seats?
girl: oh honey, those planes don't really exist.  they make those up for the movies.  this [the plane we were sitting on] is the biggest plane that actually exists.
guy: (rolls his eyes, takes the girl's hand and smiles at her.)
we were on a little puddle jumper from atlanta to roanoke.  the plane only had five seats across.  and this girl actually thought that the prop plane was the biggest plane that is made.  hilarious.

with three more legs of flying to go over the next ten days, i am sure to have more "moments" to add to this list after christmas.

here's to awkward moments while being pregnant.

27 weeks and 1 year

no denying the baby "bump" now!

fly boy and i went out to a nice dinner for our anniversary last night.  it's crazy to think what this past year has brought...a puppy, a new job, quitting the new job because of fly boy's orders, moving from delaware to florida and a pregnancy.  needless to say, we had a lot to celebrate.

it's also crazy to think that next year this time we are going to need to get a babysitter to go out again!

hello third trimester!

of my friends recently posted about things she misses about being pregnant.  the blog got me thinking about things i am looking forward to when i am NOT pregnant.  which of course lead me to make my own pro/con list of being pregnant...

PROs

eating ice-cream for dinner

having the excuse to “eat whatever you want”

feeling the baby kick

a chance to buy some new “cute” maternity clothes

getting to park in the ridiculously close “expecting mother” spaces at target

free foot rubs from fly boy.

CONs

eating ice-cream for dinner because it’s the only thing you can keep down, and later the consequences of eating ice-cream for dinner even after you are prescribed an anti-nausea medicine that fixed the morning sickness.

the ridiculously long list of foods you aren’t supposed to eat while pregnant… including, but not limited to brie, bleu cheese, feta cheese, hot dogs, lunch meat, caffeine, sushi, tuna, and raw eggs (no more cookie batter)

feeling the baby kick.  all.night.long.

none of your old cute clothes fit anymore…and somehow it seems like all good maternity brands run SMALL.  whoever thought it would be a good idea to make a clothes line smaller than normal that specifically targets women whose emotions are already at extreme highs and lows?!  seriously!

being so big that you now waddle instead of walk…i guess that’s why target gives you the close parking.

swollen feet.  i would gladly give up the foot rubs for normal looking feet.

heart burn…which is definitely not limited to the third trimester, though i hear it gets worse in the third trimester.

apparently it is normal for your eyesight to get worse during pregnancy…who knew?  i thought i finally needed glasses as each week I have to increase the zoom on my word documents by another 25%.


don't get me wrong...most days i love being pregnant, and am more than confident that it will be worth every nausea-filled morning once baby girl arrives.  only three more months to go!

our biggest news yet

a friend of mine recently had a beautiful baby boy.
rewind her story a few months...
she and her husband were high school sweet hearts, so both sets of grandparents are in the same city.  when it came time to find out if they were having a boy or girl, they decided to do a gender reveal party.

i.love.this.idea.

unfortunately fly boy's family is in ohio, my family is in syracuse and we live in florida.  somehow getting both sides together wasn't a very realistic option.

i still wanted to be a little creative in how we shared the news of the baby's gender with our families.  (especially since the whole pregnancy was a bit of a surprise for fly boy and me...and we may have called our parents only a few hours after getting the positive result in the home pregnancy test...)

my parents were on a business trip to hawaii on the day we had the 22 week ultrasound.  i secretly had my aunt, who was also on the business trip, take a blue and pink set of candles with her.  after we got the news, i called my aunt and had her give the appropriate candle to the waiter to put on my parents' dessert.

when my mom saw the dessert with a candle coming to her table, she started asking around whose birthday it was.  no one answered.  when the waiter placed the dessert in front of her, she looked at my dad and said, "it's not our anniversary,  they gave us the wrong dessert..."

thankfully my aunt was there to save the day and remind my mom that the dessert was from us...

  

we're having a GIRL!!

fly boy and i couldn't be more thrilled.  both sets of grandparents are excited as well.  baby girl will be #7 grandchild on fly boy's side, and #1 grandchild on my side. 

bring on the pink!

no longer my own

i know every mom out there will be quick to tell you, your life is no longer your own once you become a mother. 

i got my first dose of this reality check only a few weeks into the pregnancy when the "morning" sickness began. (ps: morning sickness is NOT limited to the hours of 12AM-11AM or whenever you want to consider the "morning"...)

case-in-point

 

this is the result of being 22 weeks pregnant, still feeling the effects of morning sickness, you have started to paint your toes, then had to spend the remainder of the morning in the bathroom.

i may or may not have had to choose what shoes (toms, because they are close-toed) i wore to bible study this morning because of how my toes looked. 

my life is no longer my own.

it's been awhile

...where have you been my long lost friend, it's good to see you again...

i know it's been awhile.
several months awhile.

long enough for not only us to find out i'm pregnant, but also to move, quit my job, get a new house, get settled in the new house, and already have had two visitors stay with us in florida!

it's also *almost* long enough for us to find out if we are having a boy or girl...more to come on that next week.

...and long enough for me to have a baby bump...

i think it's safe to say we have started off to an exciting fall.

day one.

i'm not a good blogger.

i have great intentions.  but i'm not very good at execution.

consider this my attempt at redemption.  my attempt to at least achieve half (this may be optimistic) of my "great intentions."

my husband, fly boy, says that i need to have a "theme" to my blog.  (i don't think he means the pink and green "southern girl" theme i picked from shabbyblogs.com).  i don't have a theme.  i don't really want to have a theme.  i like to write, i like to take pictures and i am going to use this as an outlet for said likes.  i do however, want to post one picture a day as i try to improve my photography skills.  we will see how that goes.

we had some dear friends visit us this weekend.    laura is due in less than a month.  her husband is an incredible photographer, but as the daddy, he will not be able to take the newborn family pictures.  laura emailed me and asked if i would be willing to do it.*  i was thrilled.  we decided that i could take a few pregnancy pictures this weekend while chris imparted some of his photography wisdom on me.  here are a few of my favorites from the "session."

*disclaimer...i'm not a professional, i wouldn't even call it a hobby, just an enthusiast.