Frustrated & Grateful...

...I'm writing this on Sunday afternoon about 1pm. It's fantastic because I worked last week Monday-Saturday, got up today and got all my "chores" done and now I have time to chill and blog...it's great!

Let me start off by saying that I'm extremely frustrated right now because our house is a HOT MESS! Seriously, I cannot find ANYTHING. I have one nice pair of black maternity pants that I've worn once and cannot find them ANYWHERE. This isn't a huge deal right now but I definitely need them for the conference I'm going to at the end of the month and as showers and church things pick up.

With that being said, I have NO WHERE to put anything. Before, Matt had the computer room closet and I had the master bedroom AND the guestroom closet. Now I just have the master bedroom closet and I can hardly move anything to see what I have. Most of my dresses, graduation gown, prom dresses, etc...are being stored in Matt's closet so HE has no room to search for anything either. Simple solution-get rid of what I'm not wearing, right? Well, that's the hard part because I'm normally any where from a 12-16 so post-baby, I have NO idea what to expect! I hear I'll wear continue wearing my maternity clothes for awhile but I'm hoping I'll get down to at least a 14 by Christmas. I'm researching half-marathons to run in the fall so I can get back on track but that's another post for another day. And I have gotten rid of a TON of stuff already...prom dresses at a resale shop, I'd taken my 15+ pairs of pajama bottoms and kept my favorite 5 (for both winter and summer) and my box of sorority sweatshirts has been divied up and given to active girls still in college (Busted! I kept a few of my fave). Okay, so Matt suggested boxing up all my smaller clothes and putting in the basement to pull out when I'm ready for them. In theory that's a great idea but currently, our basement has a bath to the dog cages, the basement door, the washer/dryer and back out (it's one big circle).

Which leads me to the basement where everything that was in the upstairs spare rooms are now downstairs piled up waiting for us to go through the old boxes and decide what we can REALLY part with since the last time we went through the boxes. For instance, the snowball maker that's been used once, I threw in the garage sale pile and Matt got upset saying he was keeping it for the baby. I narrowed my eyes and didn't say a word to which he put it back in the pile with a "fine!" So apart of the boxes we're keeping, we have a garage sale pile! This is Matt's idea which normally I would be all for but with so much going on, I just don't feel like we have time for it (I work at least part of every weekend in March). So I told him if he wanted a garage sale, it was all him. He's hoping we get enough money to get stuff off our registry we still need, I think we'll be lucky if we break $100 but hey, that's better than nothing! Back to the disaster called our basement, I was looking for my gift box (I buy gifts throughout the year and put in a box and then when birthday/holiday rolls around, I have my own shopping center) and I couldn't find it anywhere. Matt came downstairs with me, had to move a few boxes and we found what I was looking for. It's also very difficult when I can't lift or move heavy boxes. We also have ANOTHER huge pile of baby toys that friend's have given us which I am TOTALLY grateful for but right now we're in a holding pattern. Everything piled in the basement until the upstairs is done, then move downstairs up until the basement is done THEN everything back to normal. Okay, I'm getting stressed thinking about all that! I'm sure you all don't care about any of this but it's really been bothering me so I had to just write to get it all out there! Whew-feel better!

Now, let me get on to some awesomeness! Saturday I worked all day so my FIL came over and helped Matt paint the baby room and touch-up the computer room. I was thrilled when I came home and the paint looked good. It turned out a bit more blue than I thought it would but that's okay because I was worried it would look too white so I'm liking it so far. Matt's cousin is coming in February to paint a mural in the room and then we can start moving things in! I promise pics later don't worry. On top of the great job that Matt and his dad had done, my MIL had come over and cleaned!!! I didn't know ANYTHING about that so I was totally shocked and completely grateful. Like I stated above, our house is packed like sardines so she only cleaned the master bath and our kitchen but whew-that was a LOT. My stove top is spic and span now, my toilet scrubbed and I am one happy lady!

Then as though that wasn't enough, Matt came downstairs to wake me up (I'd slept in the basement on the couch because it was a little too painty smell for me upstairs still) and told me to get up because he was cooking breakfast! Yummy-scrambled eggs with bacon AND sausage and biscuits. He knows the way to my heart...the baby's too, s/he likes to move a lot after a delicious meal!

So while I feel completely overwhelmed because our house is a bit of a hot mess, I'm completely grateful for all the work that is getting done on it. I'm also grateful for my in-laws who gave up their Saturday to help us out and for my wonderful husband, who I don't always give credit to, that's done an AMAZING job on getting lots of things done. We still have a long way to go but it'll get done!!!

If Baby G is a boy...

...we have his name picked out! Well, we've had it for awhile. This is a name we'd decided on when we first starting trying and then we didn't discuss it the whole time we went through fertility treatments and when we found out we were pregnant, we STILL didn't discuss it much.

I didn't want to find out the sex and I didn't want to tell names. Matt wanted both. So we compromised and agree to NOT find out the sex but we could tell names. It was kind of a win-win for me because Matt had already been telling people our boy name!!! So without further ado...if Baby G is a boy, his name will be Gunnar Jackson.

Matt really wanted the name Hunter for a boy but I denied that. 1. Because every other of his friends has a child (both male and female) by the name of Hunter and 2. I thought it was a little too cliche since Matt loves to hunt. I absolutely LOVE the name Gunnar because I only know 2 other people by that name (one in college and one my dad's age). I think it's unique but not too crazy and it means "battle warrior." I worry that it might be a bit cliche too with the hunting theme but I got over that quickly. Jackson is both my dad and my grandfather's middle name. I got the middle family name since the baby is taking on his last name.

At Christmas, we told our families our boy name (and this is probably why we're a bit more hesitant on settling on a girls name and telling people; hence the whole reason I didn't want to tell names in the first place!). Here's how everyone reacted:

Matt's mom, sis & brother-LOVED IT!
Matt's dad-"Well, I guess I'll get used to it."
Matt's Grandma-"Well that's a good German name." (It's actually Scandinavian but we didn't correct her.) Five minutes later when the name was mentioned again, "What kind of name is that???"
My dad, sis, niece & grandma-LOVED IT!
My mom-likes Gunnar, hates Jackson (go figure! and is now trying to push a family middle name from her side on the girl name and also argued that it wasn't fair to Matt's family)

Some people we've told will say, "Gunther?" which makes me think of the barista from "Friends." But I don't care because that's our boy name and Matt and I both absolutely LOVE IT!!! In fact, we call the baby Gunnar more often than not, so should this baby come out a girl, she's not going to be very happy with us!

Surviving the Registry!

...Yes, friends, I survived registering for all the baby stuff and I'm happy to say Matt and I are still married. After all the comments about what to register for, I spent an ENTIRE weekend researching baby products. My mind was on OVERLOAD but when I started to get overwhelmed, I stopped and said to myself, "Self, as long as you have:

1. A car seat
2. Diapers
3. Food
4. A place for the baby to sleep

then you'll be okay." Matt may be running to the store every 5 minutes but we'll have the basics to figure things out as we go. Needless to say, my registry was 3 handwritten notebook pages!?! Matt was shocked when he got home from hunting and I showed it to him. I thought I was being smart and had gone ahead and registered for the "small stuff" at Target without him. Then last Thursday, we headed back to finish up the registry and World War III almost broke out. He questioned EVERYTHING I wanted to register for and not in the I'm curious and want to know way, more in the WTH? way. By the time we got to the end of the list, I'd given up and let him register for whatever he wanted. We left the store sans Slurpee (I was really craving one once I walked in and saw the machine) and near tears.

After a LONG discussion, we decided we would try again together and headed to Babies-R-Us this past Sunday. It went so much better! I almost got overwhelmed when I printed out 3 other friends registries to get them a gift and realized I didn't have "everything" the same as them but I ended up just getting them a gift and not stressing over it. I was also pretty excited because this is the first time that I parked in the Expectant Mothers parking spot!!!
I will tell you this though, an hour in a half registering really makes a girl have to pee...I went twice. Once when I first got there, right when they opened and I thought wow these bathrooms are really clean. Then I went about an hour later and I was gagging they were so gross...pee on the seat, long hairs on the seat-ugh! I'm going to do my best to teach our child not to pee on the seat.

When I got to work on Monday, my co-workers looked up my registry. What do you know that my boss had the exact stroller we registered for and I had the carseat in my car that we're going to use! Both of us and another co-worker, headed outside to see if the carseat fit (it did!) and I got to try out the stroller-woohoo! I feel much better knowing that it will work.

So are we done with the registry? Probably not but I have started it and have a good heads start on it. I'm sure there will be lots of additions along the way. I plan on adding some big stuff like a video camera and steam cleaner (stems and sanitizes bigger stuff so no chemicals to clean-woohoo!). Do I expect someone to buy that for us? Probably not but closer to your due date both Babies-R-Us and Target send you coupons so we can at least buy it and get some money off.

I officially bought the dresser that will match the crib tonight. Thanks to my sister for letting us borrow the crib and to my daddy for buying the dresser! I'm really excited about the swing we found because you can take the seat off and it's a bouncer! We weren't planning on registering for both so when we found this we were super pumped!

Now my plan is also to borrow things because 1. it'll save us money and 2. we won't have to store it once we're done using it! So here's my list of things we need to borrow, anyone out there that knows me IRL and cares to share, let me know! Of course, my number one priority is safety so I plan on borrowing these things as long as they are safe.

To Borrow
1. Bumbo
2. Play mat (where the baby lays on their back and plays with the stuff above them)
3. Moby Wrap
4. Exosaucer
5. Stroller-not like a travel system or a jogging stroller, just something smaller and more compact
6. Safety gate (if it works with our door frame7
7. Any other toys (big or little) and clothes (once we know the sex)
8. Crib (borrowed from my sister)
9. Infant carseat (borrowed from my bestie; still in good shape; gonna take to the fire department for inspection)

My mom is also known as the Quilting Queen so Grandma has a list of things to make:

To Make
1. Boppy Covers (Thank you Pinterest for this link!)
2. Shopping Cart Cover (Again, thank you Pinterest for this link!)
3. Baby Quilt (we didn't really pick out bedding, just plain colored sheets and then we'll use the quilt to decorate until the baby is old enough to use it)
4. Lamp shade (already have the lamp, going to buy a shade and try to match it to the theme of the nursery)
5. Wall prints to frame for the nursery

So there you have it! We survived registering but we have a long way to go! Say some prayers for me and Baby G as we have our glucose test next week. In the meantime, tune in for posts on our boy baby name (it's official!), the bump debate and the winner of my giveaway!

Giveaway and Girl Names Needed!!!

...okay, all! Matt and I are doing massive cleaning and storing and packing and repacking of our house to make room for this little baby that's coming our way. In the process, I have found decorations that have been stored away and not pulled out since oh...2006 when I moved into my house!

We also need help with girl names!!! We have our boy name picked out (another post for later) but cannot agree on a girl name. Our front runner right now is Autumn but I have two drawbacks to this name:

1. Matt has a cousin named Autumn although in the 5+ years we've been together, I don't ever recall meeting her.

2. Is she going to resent being named Autumn but being born in the spring? Matt said, "No, she'll say, that's the ironic part...my parents named me Autumn but I was born in the spring." I said, "Yeah right, she'll be like, No, my dumbass parents named me Autumn but I was born in the spring!" Matt was like our Autumn would never say that. I said, I bet that's one thing we can bet she'll say.

So here's the criteria...

1. Middle name is probably going to start with an R, either Rose or Rosalee.

2. Last name starts with a G.

3. Something different, but not too out there. I loved being the only Alyssa in my classes growing up but hated my name being pronounced wrong.

4. Nothing too common...so if it's in the top 50, it's a no-go.

5. I would really like a G first name but so far haven't loved any G girl names i.e. Gretchen, Gia, Gina, Grace

I'm going to give one lucky commenter this wall hanging made by my momma. So please leave a comment with your best girl name suggestions! You have until 1/31 at 5pm to submit an entry for the giveaway but feel free to leave girl name suggestions whenever. I'll announce the winner on 2/1.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Important Documents...

...the mail came the other day and it turns out that my driver's license expires in March. Thank goodness because I look like a major stoner in my current photo. I'm sure this picture will look much better being probably 7-8 months pregnant when I get this picture taken. Anyways, I read through the requirements and it says I need my birth certificate. I know the last time I needed it was when we got married and I thought for sure I'd kept it. I mentioned it to Matt and he said he didn't have it. Hmm...I emailed my dad and sure enough, he still has it!

 

I guess now that I'm almost 30 and about to have a child of my own, it is probably time that I keep of my own birth certificate. Unless I can talk him into keeping Baby G's too...Hmm, now there's an idea!

Calling All Mommies & Daddies-I Need Help!!!

...okay, I'm starting to get overwhelmed. I was so nervous/scared the first half of my pregnancy that I didn't want to do anything to get ready for the baby. Now that we've been feeling him/her and we saw our sweet baby yawning at our last u/s, I realize it's time to get moving!

We've started working on getting things ready at the house. Honestly, I just feel like we've moved everything upstairs to the downstairs and haven't really done much. I'm *hoping* Matt gets on painting the nursery on January 28 because I work all day but we'll see. Things are kind of at a stand still with what I can do at the house right now because the guestroom has been emptied so now it's time to think about the registry and nursery.

This is where I start to freak out! What in the world do I need??? I started to print off a generic list and it had like 8 different items on it for the baby to sleep in. Um...our house isn't that big so I don't think we need a crib/bassinet/portable crib, etc...for every room in our house! So please...help me!

I think we're going to register at Target and Babies-R-Us. Leave me a comment with any and all advice...what I HAVE to have, what I don't really need, brands, how much of each items, websites I should visit to check safety on products. Anything you think a first-time mother needs to know..lay it on me!

Thanks in advance!

Baby G at 21 Weeks!!!

...last Thursday, Matt and I got to see the baby at 21 weeks! It was a pretty awesome experience. However, we only got to take home headshots because we didn't bring our own disc and we didn't find out the sex. There were some super cool shots of the spine but these are my favorite that we got:

This one was in 3D. The little turkey had his back to us so we had to wake him up so we could get a face shot. It was so precious because we got to see him yawning!!! He also had his hand across his face like, "Come on guys, let me sleep!" And look at that tiny ear!

The tech said the whole time she was chasing him around to get measurements and pics but when the faceshot came, he was like good night! Now we know for next time to bring our own disc and we can bring home a lot more pictures.

The appointment went...okay. Well, it went great for the baby but just okay for me. All looked well with the baby, heart rate was 151 and he weighed one pound. Yes, I keep saying he but I have no idea, it's just intuition that it's a boy.

Now my part of the appointment...well, she finally got on me about my weight, she did give me credit that it had been the holidays but moving forward I really need to watch what I'm eating. Of course, I bummed around about that all day but what can you do? I'm going to start walking and trying to eat more fruits/veggies. I know the holidays and all their desserts really took their toll on me. Hopefully a few changes and I'll have the weight thing under control! Please keep the prayers coming for Baby G and me. 

My Trip to Florida...

...well, I'm home from Florida! It was a wonderful, glorious break from the crazy, hectic pace that I've been keeping up at home. This trip was much different than the last time I went to visit my mom. Different for many reasons, 1. Matt didn't go and 2. I am pregnant so I couldn't do as much stuff (we'd planned on going to Sea World but after one day of returning items and shopping at home, I knew I'd never survive a full day there). The weather was much warmer than last time so I spent most of my mornings sitting by the pool enjoying the warmth of the sun and reading and most of the evenings eating and visiting with my mom and her friends. We did get out and do a few things like go to the movies, drive all over Florida and shop!

Here are the highlights of the trip:

I saw a real life alligator in the "wild." Here he is chilling with a turtle on the bank across from the dock we were at:

We drove across this crazy bridge around Sarasota. I won't lie, it was kind of freaking me out because it was soooo high!

The last day I was there, we found a public beach that was COVERED in seashells...most of which were in tact! Here's my mom searching for shells:

A starfish on the beach that I made my mom throw back in the water because I wouldn't touch it but I thought it belonged there:

Did I mention we shopped? My mom bought me a pair of maternity pants and some tops but MOST of the things we bought were baby clothes on sale. Here's an "I heart daddy" outfit for a girl:

The cutest little sock/shoes!

We can't forget outfits that include mommy too!

Um yeah, we shopped...A LOT!

It was great to get away from the hussle and bussle but then today it was already back at it! 

"Goodnight Nobody" by The Weiner...

...still in FL, still relaxing and reading. Finished up "Goodnight Nobody" by Jennifer Weiner. I've heard rave reviews of her books. This is the second one I've read and I'm still not super impressed.

Summary: "For Kate Klein, a semi-accidental mother of three, suburbia has been full of unpleasant surprises. Her once-loving husband is hardly ever home. The supermommies on the playground routinely snub her. Her days are spent carpooling and enduring endless games of Candy Land, and at night, most of her orgasms are of the do-it-yourself variety.

When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is the most exciting thing to happen in Upchurch, Connecticut, since her neighbors broke ground for a guesthouse and cracked their septic tank. Even though the local police chief warns her that crime-fighting's a job best left to the professionals, Kate launches an unofficial investigation -- from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school.

As Kate is drawn deeper into the murdered woman's past, she begins to uncover the secrets and lies behind Upchurch's picket-fence facade -- and considers the choices and compromises all modern women make as they navigate between marriage and independence, small towns and big cities, being a mother and having a life of one's own."
Review: I won't lie, I really enjoyed this book...until the end. It had all the great aspects of a chick book...comedy, romance, mystery but, for me, it just fell short. I must say though that the end of not predictable at all as some books might usually be. Yes, the mystery was solved and Kate got what she wanted but she never said who she picked!

At first, I didn't like her husband at all and I really liked Evan but as the book progressed I did NOT like Evan and I really liked her husband. Kate irritated me because her husband was really trying but she was too caught up in her Ben vs Evan to even notice.

This was a good vacation book even if the ending wasn't great. I'd give it 3/5 stars. Have you read this book? What do you think?

"The Descendants"...

...I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year! I'm in Florida, honestly just chilling out, eatin a lot and visiting my mom. Today, both of us and her two girlfriends went and saw "The Descendants" with George Clooney-yum! Ironically, when I was here for New Year's two years ago, we went to a movie on New Year's Day and George Clooney was also in that!

Summary: "With his wife Elizabeth on life support after a boating accident, Hawaiian land baron Matt King takes his daughters on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront the young real estate broker, who was having an affair with Elizabeth before her misfortune."

Review: First off, let me say that it is rated R. Now even though I'm almost 30, going to a movie where the f-bomb is dropped every other sentence and some really off-cuff comments are made, still makes me blush! It is also listed as a comedy/drama. Yes...TONS of drama. As for the comedy, not so much. I mean there is comedic relief but definitely not enough to list it as a comedy.

I think had I gone and seen this with my girlfriends or my husband, I may have liked it more but sitting in the theater with my mom and her two super conservative friends, I was thinking the whole time, "OMG! I can't believe they just said that!" The movie was also super slow moving but it still made me cry...a lot. Let's blame it on the pregnancy hormones, shall we?

OH! Also, I was super pumped because I got the student rate and my mom was super excited because she got the senior rate. Neither of us met the criteria for either but when my mom went to order the tickets, she said senior out of habit and said a child for me. I was like, "Umm....I don't think they'll think I'm a child!" We didn't realize until we got into the theater and saw our tickets that I got the student rate. I'm glad I still look like a young, college kid! :)