Thankful.Grateful.Blessed.

Happy Seven Months, Brooke!

2011-11-25T20:20:00.001-05:00

Brooke, you are SEVEN months! I can't believe it. I just can't!

What are you up to this month?

You weighed 14.35 lbs at your 7 month visit! I am SO happy to see you gaining some weight. Your little legs are definitely getting plump!
You still wear a size 2 diaper and your eating habits are pretty much the same (nursing every 3-4 hours and you get 6 ozs if you have a bottle).

You have really gotten the whole eating solids thing down. You are a very neat eater, no messes, which makes Momma happy. You've had oatmeal, bananas, avocado, peaches, sweet potatoes, squash, pears, and rice cereal with apples. You did NOT like bananas - you gagged and refused to swallow and I had to scrape the food out of your mouth...but with a little persistence you have learned that you do in fact like bananas.
This month you got your first cold with a cough. It was the most pitiful little cough and it just broke our hearts. You would cough during the night and it would wake you up and I would rush to you...well, that started bad habits. Now, you wake around 2am for a 'snack' but then go right back to sleep and it seems as though you hear when Daddy's feet hit the floor at 5am, because you wake up AGAIN. We usually get up and start our day around 8 though.

You are wearing 3-6 months and a few 6 month outfits. You can still wear your size 3 month pajamas...but I think its because we've just stretched them out.
You are very close to crawling! If a toy is just out of your reach you will roll, twist and spin to get to it. You are such a determined little girl.

You got an exersaucer this month and it is has changed our life. You will play for a very long time by yourself in it, but once you've had enough - you will YELL to get our attention and make it very clear you are ready to get out.

You L-O-V-E books. It makes me so happy that you like to sit in our lap and read books. You get very excited when we turn the pages.
You also love to be outside. You love when the wind blows and you take a big breath in like it took your breath away. You also love to watch the leaves fall from the trees.

We have been working on waving and giving kisses. Some times you will wave without our help and you've started leaning in with an open mouth to give us 'sugar'.

You learned Pat-a-Cake at school and you really enjoy doing the hand motions when we sing it. You also love to sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider. I'm just thankful you aren't critical of my singing.

Brooke, you are loved so very much. I wish I had a penny for every time I kiss your sweet head...your college would already be paid for!

Happy Six Months, Brooke!

2011-10-25T22:30:00.000-04:00

I can hardly believe we are already to Brooke's half birthday! This month has been so much fun! You have really kicked your little personality into over drive and its so neat to watch you take the world in.

What are you up to this month?

You are still a very petite little thing. At your six month well check up you weighted 12 lbs 11 ozs (2%) and were 24 inches long (2%).
You are wearing a size 2 diaper.
You wear size 3 month and 3-6 month clothes...but there are still a few 0-3 month clothes that you can squeeze into.

You started solids a little over a week ago and you seem to enjoy the rice cereal. We will move to oatmeal very soon. You were developmentally ready to start eating. You don't even spit the food out...you gobble it right up. I think you are going to be a great eater.

You are still nursing 4-5 times a day or every 3-4 hours. Right now since we just started solids you get rice cereal once a day, usually either in the morning or at lunch. We'll add in another meal pretty soon. When you take a bottle you get 6 ounces.

You are still a GREAT sleeper. Your bedtime is somewhere between 7:30 and 8 and you will normally sleep until 7-7:30 the next morning. Every once in a while you wake up around 6 but you typically go right back to sleep once you have a little morning 'snack'. You also take 2 naps. Although some days you revolt and take only 1 nap.

You have taken rolling to a new level. You will barrel roll across the room and changing your diaper has become a work out.

Still no teeth but surely they aren't too far away. You chew on everything. I call you my Billy Goat because you will 'eat' just about anything. Socks. Shirts. Dresses. Paci. Toys. Blankets. My clothes. My hair. The sofa. Everything is a slobbery mess around these parts now days.

You are so close to pulling yourself up to a sitting position. You can do it all by yourself if you have the Boppy or pillow behind you. You also have started 'lunging' forward while sitting up. A few times you have face planted but I think its a great start in you learning how to crawl. You also love to bounce and rock while sitting.
You sat in a highchair at a restaurant for the first time this month. You had a really great time trying to pull everything off the table. I don't think I've ever eaten so fast in my life.

You are into everything! You are constantly reaching for my phone, the remote to the tv or pretty much anything you're NOT supposed to have. You are quite a determined little girl to get whatever you want.

You smile alot but this month you started doing a new thing...scowling. You can be so happy and smiling and then you turn very serious. You usually dish out flirty smiles but here recently you just scowl. Its funny to me because I know you're a happy baby.

You love to play peek-a-boo and you always laugh when something pops out and it surprises you.

You are such a happy baby! It seems that you get compliments almost everywhere we go.

Brooke, you are perfect in every way and I feel so blessed that God picked me to be your Momma. Some days I am overwhelmed with all this LOVE!

Whoops!

2011-10-24T21:29:00.004-04:00

The other day while I was picking up some of Brooke's toys while she was playing on the floor, I accidentally dropped one and said "Whoops!" Well, sweet girl thought it was the funniest thing in the world and laughed her head off for several minutes. I love her little laugh but I REALLY love her belly laughs. They are music to my ears!

Happy Five Months, Brooke!

2011-09-17T17:07:00.000-04:00

Brooke is FIVE months old! Time is flying by at warp speed. It will be her half birthday before we know it! And then Momma will cry big fat ugly tears because our little girl is growing up so fast.

What are you up to this month?

You didn't have a well check up this month so I don't know how much you weigh. Although I would guess about 12 lbs.
You are in a size 1 diaper but I think you'll be out of them in about another week.

You are wearing size 0-3 months and size 3 month clothes.
You are still nursing every 3-4 hours.

When you take a bottle its usually 5 or 5.5 ounces of breast milk.
You are sleeping 10-12 hours at night and we try to get you to take 2 naps a day (you fight your afternoon nap). You LOVE your bed. When you're tired you won't fight sleep if you're in your bed. As soon as we lay you down you will roll on your side with your back to us.

You love to look at yourself in the mirror.
You will take a paci but you don't seem to be too dependent on it. You have taught yourself how to put the paci back in your mouth now...which we like! However, you don't always do it on your own because you know we will come in and put it back in your mouth. And you have also learned how to THROW the paci. When you are mad you quickly take it out of you mouth and toss it to the ground. And there has been a few times I find it in the middle of you room from when you throw it out of your bed. You're a sassy little thing!
You are SITTING UP! You are such a big girl.

You LOVE your Daddy. You give the biggest smiles of the day when Daddy gets home from work.
You are reaching for everything. You seem to think that if its within your reach, its fair game. Your favorite things to reach for are our phones, the tv remote, cups, plates and food if we're eating something.

You love love love to swing at the park. You love the feeling of the wind and you love to watch the leaves fall and the trees sway.

Five months has been so much fun and I can't wait to see what six months is like. We love you so much, Brooke!

50 Rules for Dads of Daughters

2011-09-03T21:31:00.003-04:00

I stumbled across the sweetest set of 'rules for Dads of daughters'. It made me cry and I wanted to document them on here for quick reference (or really for Mike's quick reference). :) There were so many of these rules that reminded me of my days spent with my Dad when I was a little girl.

1. Love her mom. Treat her mother with respect, honor, and a big heaping spoonful of public displays of affection. When she grows up, the odds are good she’ll fall in love with and marry someone who treats her much like you treated her mother. Good or bad, that’s just the way it is. I’d prefer good.

2. Always be there. Quality time doesn’t happen without quantity time. Hang out together for no other reason than just to be in each other’s presence. Be genuinely interested in the things that interest her. She needs her dad to be involved in her life at every stage. Don’t just sit idly by while she add years to her… add life to her years.

3. Save the day. She’ll grow up looking for a hero. It might as well be you. She’ll need you to come through for her over and over again throughout her life. Rise to the occasion. Red cape and blue tights optional.

4. Savor every moment you have together. Today she’s crawling around the house in diapers, tomorrow you’re handing her the keys to the car, and before you know it, you’re walking her down the aisle. Some day soon, hanging out with her old man won’t be the bees knees anymore. Life happens pretty fast. You better cherish it while you can.

5. Pray for her. Regularly. Passionately. Continually.

6. Buy her a glove and teach her to throw a baseball. Make her proud to throw like a girl… a girl with a wicked slider.

7. She will fight with her mother. Choose sides wisely.

8. Go ahead. Buy her those pearls.

9. Of course you look silly playing peek-a-boo. You should play anyway.

10. Enjoy the wonder of bath time.

11. There will come a day when she asks for a puppy. Don’t over think it. At least one time in her life, just say, “Yes.”

12. It’s never too early to start teaching her about money. She will still probably suck you dry as a teenager… and on her wedding day.

13. Make pancakes in the shape of her age for breakfast on her birthday. In a pinch, donuts with pink sprinkles and a candle will suffice.

14. Buy her a pair of Chucks as soon as she starts walking. She won’t always want to wear matching shoes with her old man.

15. Dance with her. Start when she’s a little girl or even when she’s a baby. Don’t wait ‘til her wedding day.

16. Take her fishing. She will probably squirm more than the worm on your hook. That’s OK.

17. Learn to say no. She may pitch a fit today, but someday you’ll both be glad you stuck to your guns.

18. Tell her she’s beautiful. Say it over and over again. Someday an animated movie or “beauty” magazine will try to convince her otherwise.

19. Teach her to change a flat. A tire without air need not be a major panic inducing event in her life. She’ll still call you crying the first time it happens.

20. Take her camping. Immerse her in the great outdoors. Watch her eyes fill with wonder the first time she sees the beauty of wide open spaces. Leave the iPod at home.

21. Let her hold the wheel. She will always remember when daddy let her drive.

22. She’s as smart as any boy. Make sure she knows that.

23. When she learns to give kisses, she will want to plant them all over your face. Encourage this practice.

24. Knowing how to eat sunflower seeds correctly will not help her get into a good college. Teach her anyway.

25. Letting her ride on your shoulders is pure magic. Do it now while you have a strong back and she’s still tiny.

26. It is in her nature to make music. It’s up to you to introduce her to the joy of socks on a wooden floor.

27. If there’s a splash park near your home, take her there often. She will be drawn to the water like a duck to a puddle.

28. She will eagerly await your return home from work in the evenings. Don’t be late.

29. If her mom enrolls her in swim lessons, make sure you get in the pool too. Don’t be intimidated if there are no other dads there. It’s their loss.

30. Never miss her birthday. In ten years she won’t remember the present you gave her. She will remember if you weren’t there.

31. Teach her to roller skate. Watch her confidence soar.

32. Let her roll around in the grass. It’s good for her soul. It’s not bad for yours either.

33. Take her swimsuit shopping. Don’t be afraid to veto some of her choices, but resist the urge to buy her full-body beach pajamas.

34. Somewhere between the time she turns three and her sixth birthday, the odds are good that she will ask you to marry her. Let her down gently.

35. She’ll probably want to crawl in bed with you after a nightmare. This is a good thing.

36. Few things in life are more comforting to a crying little girl than her father’s hand. Never forget this.

37. Introduce her to the swings at your local park. She’ll squeal for you to push her higher and faster. Her definition of “higher and faster” is probably not the same as yours. Keep that in mind.

38. When she’s a bit older, your definition of higher and faster will be a lot closer to hers. When that day comes, go ahead… give it all you’ve got.

39. Holding her upside down by the legs while she giggles and screams uncontrollably is great for your biceps. WARNING: She has no concept of muscle fatigue.

40. She might ask you to buy her a pony on her birthday. Unless you live on a farm, do not buy her a pony on her birthday. It’s OK to rent one though.

41. Take it easy on the presents for her birthday and Christmas. Instead, give her the gift of experiences you can share together.

42. Let her know she can always come home. No matter what.

43. Remember, just like a butterfly, she too will spread her wings and fly some day. Enjoy her caterpillar years.

44. Write her a handwritten letter every year on her birthday. Give them to her when she goes off to college, becomes a mother herself, or when you think she needs them most.

45. Learn to trust her. Gradually give her more freedom as she gets older. She will rise to the expectations you set for her.

46. When in doubt, trust your heart. She already does.

47. When your teenage daughter is upset, learning when to engage and when to back off will add years to YOUR life. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

48. Ice cream covers over a multitude of sins. Know her favorite flavor.

49. This day is coming soon. There’s nothing you can do to be ready for it. The sooner you accept this fact, the easier it will be.

50. Today she’s walking down the driveway to get on the school bus. Tomorrow she’s going off to college. Don’t blink.

The article/rules were written by Michael Mitchell and the link to the original site is: http://www.fromdatestodiapers.com/50-rules-for-dads-of-daughters

Happy Four Month, Brooke!

2011-08-16T12:04:00.000-04:00

Brooke is 4 months old! It's hard to believe she's only been here for four months...some days it seems like she was just born and then other days it's hard to remember life without her.

What are you up to this month?

You are mostly in 0-3 months clothes but fitting more and more into your 3 month clothes.
You are still in a size 1 diaper.
You weighted 11.4 lbs at your 4 month check up. You are in the 3rd percentile for weight...I was a little concerned but Dr. Jackson assured me that you are perfect and that since you've always been on the petite side that you will probably just be a petite little girl.

You are nursing 4-5 times a day. Ususally every 3 hours.
When you take a bottle you take 5 ounces of breastmilk.
You have been consistently sleeping 8-10 hours a night. It is wonderful! We had a few rough nights when we decided to kick the swaddle habit. You were breaking out of it every night.

You still are not a huge fan of taking naps when I tell you it's nap time. You like to fight me and cry. You eventually give in and when you wake up from your nap you are soooo happy. See! Momma knows best! You have a very hard time taking a nap at daycare...I think you're just afraid you're going to miss out on something fun.
You are rolling over! Both, back to tummy and tummy to back.

You are the definition of a wiggle worm. You can NOT sit still!
You really enjoy laying on the floor and playing with your activity mat - and I think its a little more fun to you since you can now roll around under the toys.
You have started trying to sit up. Its funny to watch you try to use your little abs. It won't be long!

You love to chew on your hands and you are a drooling machine. We like to call your drool 'liquid sugar'.
You started daycare mid-July. You seem to really like your teachers which makes me happy. Your first day of school you were SO happy to be awake so early. You gave us the biggest smiles that morning. I think you were excited.

You also love to watch your hands - opening and closing your fists. And those little hands are quite powerful - you love to get a big handful of my hair and yank!
Your personality is coming out more and more - you love to 'talk' to us. I have already warned your Dad that we will most likely get notes from your teachers saying that you talk to much in class. Your favorite time to talk is in the car. You just babble all the way to Church. I tell you that you better get it out of your system because you have to be quiet during Mass.

You have the sweetest little giggle. Its not very often that we get a good big belly laugh, but you do think something is funny it usually comes in the form of an inhaled shriek. Its really cute.
Your favorite toy is Ellie the pink elephant. Then Sofie or your Crinkle Book.

Brooke - you are loved and adored more than you'll ever know. We just love you SO much!

I'm baaaack!

2011-07-30T23:29:00.003-04:00

Towards the end of my pregnancy I had high expectations that I would have tons of free time on my hands once the baby was born. You know, new babies sleep ALL day, right? Well, my 12 weeks of maternity leave flew by and I barely got a chance to document anything. We are now 3.5 months into this whole 'being parents' thing and I feel like I've finally caught my stride. It was rough at times but I am so incredibly happy right now with life.

I fell off the blogging wagon a few months ago...well maybe more like a year ago. I basically stopped blogging about our life and only blogged my weekly pregnancy updates. I never got around to blogging about the wonderful baby showers, Brooke's birth or even my pregnancy wrap up post. I started several posts and they're saved as drafts so if you're interested in reading those, look back at the previous months over the next couple of weeks...I hope I'll get them posted soon. I also have Brooke's two and three month posts as well....I just need to add the pictures to those posts. Arranging pictures in a post is the most annoying thing with blogger...does anyone have a work around for this?

Anyways, I have lots of things to share like an update on our house situation, my job situation and other random stuff I just wanted journaled. I've been wanting to get back to the ole blog so here goes........

Happy Three Month, Brooke!

2011-07-16T23:05:00.008-04:00

Brooke is 3 months old! Time is flying by and I can't believe she's already been here for a quarter of a year! The months are just zooming by. I feel she grows an inch every time I blink.

What are you up to this month?

You are wearing size 0-3 month and 3 month clothes.
You are still wearing a size 1 diaper and I think you will be in them for the next month or so...or at least I hope you will because we have two boxes of size 1 diapers in the closet!
I don't know exactly how much you weigh but I'm pretty sure you're about 10 lbs. You are a petite little thing.
You eat every 3 hours. And, this month we had a break thru in nursing. You are a nursing champ now! I am so glad I didn't throw in the towel early on. Thankfully, you will still take a bottle so we shouldn't have any issues when you start daycare in a few weeks.
When you take a bottle you usually eat about 4-5 ozs.
The Monday after your two month birthday, you moved to your crib. You now LOVE your bed, which makes me so happy!
You are sleeping anywhere from 8-10 hours a night. And you LOVE to be swaddled!
You had your first 'sick' visit to the doctor this month. When you woke up one morning your poor little eye was all goopey with eye junk. You were your happy, smiley self and seemed fine but I freaked and immediately called the doctor. Turns out it was just a clogged tear duct...no biggie! It was all clear within a day or so.
You still are not a big fan of tummy time but we are working on rolling over...you are sooooo close!
You love to kick your legs and arms...especially when I'm trying to change your diaper. This is very cute, except when you kick your feet into a poopy diaper! Yuck!
You love the pink elephant toy...Ellie. She can always get a smile out of you.
You are such a happy baby! When we were doing your 3 month photo session in your chair in your room you started to fall over a little bit...but you were still just throwing out the BIG smiles.
You are spending less time in the swing and more time on your activity mat and sitting in the Bumbo. You also really like your bouncy seat now...you finally figured out that when you kick your legs it makes you bounce.
You really love it when we whisper to you and you do NOT like sudden loud noises or when people talk loud while holding you. Your scared cry is just pitiful.
People comment on how cute you are all the time...I don't blame them. You are pretty cute!
Your 3 month birthday was spent with lots of family and friends...you were baptized on July 16th!

Brookie baby, you are the light of our lives and we love you so much sweet girl!

Happy Two Month, Brooke!

2011-06-16T18:47:00.006-04:00

Brooke is two months old! I can't believe how fast the second month went. Brooke's little personality has just taken off this month and its so fun to watch her grow. I swear, every time I blink she grows. I take a lot of pictures of her, mostly on my iPhone because its so handy.

What are you up to this month?

You are wearing size 1 diapers and size 0-3 months clothes. You can still wear a few of your newborn outfits but not many. The other night I put you in a newborn footed pj and you started crying...I quickly figured out it was because you were cramped in there and couldn't stretch out! Poor thing!
You weighed 9 lb. 5 oz (19th percentile) at your doctor appointment and you measured 21.5 inches long (20th percentile). Your head circumference was 38 inches (31st percentile).I can't believe you've grown a whole inch right before my eyes. It's amazing how fast you are growing!
You eat 4 oz's every 3 hours and we've made some progress with nursing. We went to see an occupational therapist and they gave us some more exercises to do and I think you're doing better. You usually nurse your first feeding of the day and then you get a bottle for all your other feedings.
You're really starting to sleep for longer stretches at night. It's not uncommon for you to go 7 or 8 hours. This makes Mom & Dad super happy! :)
You are still sleeping in your pack in play in our bedroom. I had anticipated that you would be in your crib by now...but I'm ok with having you so close. You have started taking naps in your crib without fussing too much now and I think you sleep better in your room once you finally fall asleep.

We swaddle you at night and for naps. When you wake up you usually kick your legs and grunt until someone comes in and un-velco's the swaddle. Then as soon as your arms are free you will strreeeetch really big then flash a big gummy grin. I love that you wake up so happy (definitely get that from your Daddy).
You are most content in the swing (unless someone is holding you) but the bouncy seat has grown on you. You sit in the bouncy seat while I take a shower some days and you just coo and kick your legs.

You started using your activity mat this month although I think you get scared sometimes. You don't move much and when you do move your arms and knock the dangly things it scares you and you cry.
You do NOT like tummy time. I think it is safe to say that you hate it.
You have recently found your voice and you love to hear your self talk. The first time you squealed, you surprised yourself and got real still and looked around like "did I do that?"
You smile ALL the time! I'm pretty sure if you keep up these smiles you'll get just about whatever you want. I say the silliest things and make the funniest faces just to get you to smile.
Your have the most beautiful blue eyes.
You have mastered the pouty face and it's absolutely pitiful. As soon as that little lower lip sticks out my heart melts.

Brooke, we love you more than we knew our hearts were capable of. It's an amazing love and every night I go to bed thinking I can't possibly love you any more than I already do; then morning comes and my heart has grown over night and I love you even more! You are the best thing that has ever happened to us!

Happy One Month, Brooke!

2011-05-16T16:37:00.005-04:00

Brooke is one month old! It seems like this has been the fastest, yet slowest month ever. Some pictures of our sweet girl during her first month of life...

What are you up to this month?

You are wearing newborn diapers and wear size newborn clothes. You're a skinny little thing! I actually had to pick up a few items from Target so you wouldn't have to repeat the same 3 outfits every few days.
You weighed 8 lbs 2 ozs at your one month doctor's appointment (20% percentile). You measured right at 20.5 inches (26% percentile), which is how long you were at birth...but the nurse assured me that your length at birth was probably a little off since babies tend to be extra wiggly then. And your head circumference was 36 inches (24% percentile).
You eat every 3 hours. We have had some troubles with nursing and went to see a lactation consultant, where she diagnosed you as having 'lazy mouth syndrome'.We were given some exercises to do and they've helped some...so we're working on that. In the mean time I am pumping around the clock so you canhave breast milk. It's a lot of work but it's definitely worth it!
Since your tummy reminds youthat you are supposed to eat every 3 hours you typically wake up to eat during the night. Although there have been a few nights you had a 4 hour stretch. You are still sleeping in your pack-n-play in our room. Your pediatrician recommended that you sleep in our room for the first month. Maybe you'll move to your room by your 2 month check up.
You are doing great with the eat, play, sleep cycle during the day so I hope you will follow the Babywise trend and transition to be a great night sleeper.
We started working on taking naps in your crib, but you don't really like that idea just yet. You will be so sleepy with droopy eyes and as soon as I go to lay you down in your crib your eyes pop WIDE open. If you could talk I'm pretty sure you would say "Oh heck no, crazy lady! You are NOT going to lay me down in this bed!" So, for now, you take the majority of your naps in your swing.
Speaking of swing, you LOVE your swing. However, you do not love the bouncy seat, but I think it will grow on you.
You are a pretty easy baby, you only fuss when you're hungry, need a diaper change or are sleepy. Most of the time when you're fussy your paci helps calm you down.
You are a very alert baby. Everyone always is impressed with how alert you are. But then again, you were very alert when you were born too. I suppose you're just taking everything in.
You don't seem to like tummy time very much...unless its on someone's chest or on the Boppy. It hasn't seem to hinder your growing neck muscles since you're doing a great job holding your head up. Some days you're really strong and others more bobble-head-ish.

Brooke, we think you are the most beautiful baby and we love you so much we think our hearts might explode. You are so wonderful!

April 16, 2011

2011-04-16T22:03:00.000-04:00

April 16, 2011 our lives changed forever. Brooke decided that was the day she wanted to see what life was like outside the womb. Here are a few pictures from the best day of our life...the day we became parents.

Our immediate family, patiently waiting. Everyone was excited to become a grandparent or aunt/uncle that day! Looking back on it, they were real troopers. They waiting 12+ hours in that waiting room (something I would change if I could go back...I later learned that the nurses said they weren't able to disclose any information to them so they had NO idea what was going on or any progress we were making. I felt so bad that they were in the dark all day).

After 20+ hours of unmedicated natural labor it was determined that Brooke was tired and her heart rate wasn't bouncing back after the contractions...so an OR was booked and I was prepped for a c-section.

Meeting the family!

It was the longest shortest day. The BEST day of our lives!

41 Weeks

2011-04-15T20:39:00.001-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 41 Weeks

Size of baby: Unfortunately, neither Babycenter nor The Bump delivers a '41 Week' email stating how big baby is...because she should have come by now!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 45 lbs. Yikes!

Maternity Clothes: Thankfully, I have been able to work from home every day this week...so I have been super comfy in pajamas. It's gotten a bit warmer lately so I've been rotating between my two short sleeve maternity shirts when I have to leave the house.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: Our little girl doesn't move nearly as much as she used to...I'm pretty sure its because she's run out of room in there. Time to come out!

Sleep: Who can sleep when they're a whole week overdue???? I think I'm afraid my water is going to break in the bed and then I'll have a huge mess to clean up.

What I miss: Nothing really comes to mind this week. I think I'm too anxious to miss anything.

Cravings: I haven't had many cravings this week. Although I have eaten my fair share of eggplant parmesan...trying to induce labor.

Symptoms: Swelling and just being a BIG ole pregnant girl.

Best Moment this week: We got to see our little girl on the ultrasound again this week. They said that my placenta is looking 'tired'...which hopefully will signal my body to get this baby out! Other than that they said that she looks good and we'll go back next week if she doesn't come on her own this weekend.

40 Weeks

2011-04-08T10:54:00.003-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 40 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is about the size of a small pumpkin. She weighs about 7.5 pounds and is about 20 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 45 lbs. Yikes!

Maternity Clothes: Thankfully, I have been able to work from home a few days this week...so on those days I've been sleeping, working and living in Mike's pajama pants (mine haven't fit for a very long time). When I absolutely have to go out in public, then I put on my favorite maternity jeans...even though they're a little tight in the thighs now.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: Our little girl doesn't move nearly as much as she used to...I'm pretty sure its because she's run out of room in there. Time to come out!

Sleep: Sleep has been hit or miss. I'm still waking up at 3am but it's not every night.

What I miss: Nothing really comes to mind this week. I think I'm too anxious to miss anything.

Cravings: I haven't had many cravings this week. Maybe the Zaxby's House Zalad with ranch? Yummy! Pringles are still super addicting, but when are they not?

Symptoms: Swelling and just being a BIG ole pregnant girl.

Best Moment this week: This week I reached my official due date of April 8th. It came and went and I was so disappointed that Brooke had not graced us with her presence outside the womb. The doctor said that they typically do not like for you to go too far past your due date and for that they wanted me to come in with two dates picked out to induce labor. I was NOT happy about that. I was very clear that I did not want to pick Brooke's birthday and that I wanted to give her every chance to come on her own. I am only comfortable inducing if there is a major risk to her health. But as for now, she's healthy and snug as a bug in there...so I'm going to let her stay there as long as she likes. The perk to going past my due date is that they want to closely monitor her progress...which means ultrasounds! So, this week we got to see our little Turtle for hopefully the last time via ultrasound. The ultrasound tech said that she appears to be on the smaller side, but since Mike and I aren't large people she said that was perfectly fine. They estimated her to be about 6 lbs 5 ozs...we'll see just how close their prediction is.

39 Weeks

2011-04-01T22:15:00.007-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 39 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is about the size of a mini watermelon. She weighs about 7 pounds and is about 20 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 41 lbs. although it feels like I've gained 100 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I'm probably pushing the envelope on some of my work pants now. I'm down to 2 pairs of pants that I would consider appropriate and my maternity shirts are definitely getting shorter in the front.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: Some days she moves non-stop and other days I'm in a frenzy and pushing my stomach every few hours because I haven't felt her move as much. I'm pretty sure she's in her final position because her foot feels like a little knob.

Sleep: Dare I say it for fear of jinxing myself, but sleep this week has been pretty good all things considered. Still utilizing the 4 pillow, pillow wedge and the insomnia hours have gotten a tad bit better. I still wake up around 3 am but I'm able to fall back asleep pretty soon after, thank goodness!

What I miss: Nothing really comes to mind this week. I think I'm too anxious to miss anything.

Cravings: I've still been craving Pringles. One day this week I was standing in the living room with a can of Pringles...before I knew it I looked in the can and realized that I had eaten probably 3/4 of the can of chips. Oops!

Symptoms: The swelling has gone to a whole new level. One of the midwifes predicted that it would get worse before it got better (aka when the baby is born) and she was spot on. The swelling has traveled up my legs now to my knees. Also, I forgot to post my stats in the last week post regarding progress...at my 38 week appointment I was 1 cm dilated, 50% effaced and -2 station. This week I was 2 cm, 60% and -2...so it wasn't BIG news but progress is progress.

Best Moment this week: The best moment this week was the surprise date night Mike planned. Saturday night he told me to get ready because he was taking me out. He surprised me and took me to the famous Scalini's to get their 'labor inducing' eggplant parmesan. It was delicious but unfortunately did not put me into labor. It sure was nice to go on a date...might be our last date for a while!

38 Weeks

2011-03-25T17:17:00.012-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 38 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is about the size of a leek. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and is over 19.5 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 39 lbs. Is it bad that I almost jumped for joy at the fact that I only gained 1 lb since last week? I know I'm over the recommended "25-35 lbs" but to be honest, I'm not going to NOT eat. If I gain, I gain...I will not deprive myself of the joys of good food. I know I'll lose the weight eventually.

Maternity Clothes: Still getting tighter by the week! Unfortunately my jeans are the most comfortable pants I have...wish I could wear those everyday.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: Movement has definitely slowed down. Although, when she moves it's hard not to notice my whole belly contort. The other day I was at lunch with some coworkers and the lady sitting next to me said she saw something out of the corner of her eye (she said she just thought it was me breathing) but then she saw it jump and jolt like a contortionist. And I said..."that's my girl!"

Sleep: I am exhausted. The only way I get a wink of sleep is if I'm sitting up. When I lay on my sides now I wake up to killer round ligament pains...so bad that I can hardly walk. I usually have to stand for a good 2 minutes before I even try to take a step towards the bathroom. As for the 2 hour stints of insomnia...those are still hanging around. I'm hoping that its just my 'nesting' instinct (when I'm awake all I can think about is what else we need to get or how I need to wash all her clothes/blankets/sheets/lovies, etc.). Now that everything is finally ready I'm hoping I'll be able to sleep a little better.

What I miss: I miss sleep and wondering if eating Pringles will make the swelling in my feet that much worse.

Cravings: I've been craving Reese's anything (cups, minis, jumbo cup, pieces, Easter eggs, etc.) and salty things, like popcorn and regular potato chips.

Symptoms: I think I have started sporting the "I'm pregnant and miserable" look. Just as I'd gotten used to the typical "Oh! Congratulations! When are you due?" now I get "Oh man! You look like you're about to POP!" My only response to that guy was "Yeah, next Friday."

Best Moment this week: The best moment this week was spending Saturday with my Mom, sister and Mauri. I dubbed it the return/exchange and final shopping trip day. We visited Babies R Us, BuyBuyBaby, Target, Pottery Barn Kids, Homegoods and Belk. I was able to get the majority of the things we still needed with the exchanges and gift cards. AND, we were able to get it all put away and organized....including organizing Brooke's clothes and I even got her stuff washed. Brooke's nursery is finally ready!

37 Weeks

2011-03-18T20:43:00.007-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 37 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is about the size of a stalk of Swiss chard. She weighs about 6.5 pounds and is about 19 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 38 lbs. I think I read somewhere that towards the end of pregnancy, you stop gaining weight. That clearly is not happening to me.

Maternity Clothes: I can definitely tell that my hips are getting wider...opening up to let that baby come down. My maternity pants are almost a struggle to get on. The other morning I could have sworn I heard my pants rip; although I wasn't able to find said rip...so I wore them anyways.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: She has finally settled into her final position, I believe. Last week, depending on how I was laying she would turn/twist inside my belly. This week when I turn on my right side, she likes to kick my left ribs, as if to say "No! No! Momma! I don't like that!"

Sleep: The sleep wedge, aka my pillow fortress, has definitely made my nights a little better. Miraculously the midnight potty break has tapered. Although, I've just traded it in for 2 hour bouts of insomnia. I wake up around 3 am, wide awake and can't fall asleep until 5 am, which is right about the time Mike's alarm clock goes off. Needless to say, by that point, I'm exhausted.

What I miss: I miss seeing my ankle bones. I can't wait to get my feet back to normal...they are a sight!

Cravings: Can't really say that I've been craving anything in particular this week. I'm still really looking forward to my Publix deli sandwich come birth day. :)

Symptoms: My belly is HUGE. My feet are HUGE. Everything is HUGE. I think she's dropped a little bit because it's gotten a tad bit easier to breathe and the heartburn/indigestion has gotten much better too. In addition to my feet swelling, it hit my hands. It makes me sooooo sad that I'm not wearing my wedding rings, but I was afraid that if I didn't take them off that they'd have to be cut off.

Best Moment this week: We had our last baby shower this Saturday and we are pretty much set to go now. Brooke has a whole closet full of clothes to wear thanks to her Aunt Mallory! And another major milestone was met this week....we are officially FULL TERM! While I'm not ready (still need to wash her clothes, pack our hospital bags, install the car seat, etc.) it is nice to know that IF she decides to come now, her lungs are likely mature enough to function on their own. I can't believe how close we are to finally getting to meet her!

36 Weeks

2011-03-11T17:50:00.002-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is about the size of a crenshaw melon. She weighs about 6 pounds and is about 18.5 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 36 lbs. Another week of gaining 3+lbs. Water weight. Water weight. Water weight.

Maternity Clothes: A friend told me that towards the end even my maternity clothes would start to get tight...well, she wasn't lying! I've had to retire one of my maternity shirts because I'm just too big for it now and I've had to retire two pairs of maternity pants.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: She's definitely still moving around a lot, but I can tell she's running out of space quickly. At night, when I lay on my right side, she usually turns so that she's facing the same way as I am...and when I turn to my left side, she turns not too long after I do. But, it seems that if I get up before she can 'twist' back around, she'll stay facing that way again until I lay down again.

Sleep: Sleep is about the same. Still dealing with the whole pillow situation. I'm definitely able to sleep more but its still rare that I sleep through the night without waking up.

What I miss: Being able to sit up without using my elbows to push me up. I can't bend in half anymore. Still struggling with being dependent on someone else to help me...like lifting things. I want to shout "I'm not handicap! I'm pregnant!" but then I stop myself because that would be ugly and people are only being nice to me. I would look like a real witch if I acted out in an ungrateful manner...and I'd really regret it later.

Cravings: A pan cheese pizza from Pizza Hut! Yum!

Symptoms: No new symptoms this week. Although I guess I have gotten bigger. While I was at the chiropractor an older man asked me if I was having twins...when I said no his response was 'oh wow! so just oooooooone biiiiiiiiig one, huh?' I was polite and answered him nicely but when I got into my car I called Mike and immediately started bawling. I'm super sensitive and emotional.

Best Moment this week: My coworkers surprised me with a baby shower! I was supposed to be going into a meeting to discuss the transition of tasks while I'm on maternity leave and when I walked into the conference room the whole office was in there with a table full of goodies. They had 3 types of cakes, fresh fruit and cheese along with gifts. It was a fun hour for sure!

35 Weeks

2011-03-04T17:48:00.009-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 35 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is about the size of a honeydew. She weighs about 5.25 pounds and is more than 18 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 33 lbs. I don't quite understand how I'm still gaining 2+ lbs per week considering I eat cereal ALL the time. uuuuuuugh. I'm just telling myself it's all water weight...you know from my huge swollen feet (that's all water, right?).

Maternity Clothes: What used to be comfy has now turned into a "oh crap, did I accidentally put these pants in the dryer?" I refuse to buy new maternity clothes this close to the end. I'm being stubborn, but please know if I hear of anyone making snarky comments about how my pants are too tight...I WILL cry.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: Crazy amounts of movement this week. I can tell that she's running out of room because she's moving in ways that say "Ok, that's good. No wait. That's not comfortable. My foot is falling asleep. Let me twist this way. Nope, that won't work, Mom keeps pushing on my elbow. Maybe if I just stick my butt this way...." She moves all day long...I'm amazed that I'm actually able to concentrate and get things done.

Sleep: Not much of an update on sleep. I have tried sleeping with different pillows and rearranging them in multiple positions. I find it a little humorous that I now sleep with three of our 'decorative' pillows (2 euro pillows and 1 regular sham) AND my regular pillow. That's right, I sleep with 4 pillows as of right now. I have them all angled so that it creates a 'wedge' shape so that I can sleep on my back. It seems to help some nights...other nights I get frustrated and end up throwing some on the floor.

What I miss: This week I had a mini melt down because I missed my 'independence'. After work one night I was elevating my feet and I couldn't lift my upper body to throw the blanket over my feet. I kept trying and trying and ended up getting so frustrated that I just started crying. Mike came to the rescue (which I was grateful for) but at the same time I was upset that I couldn't do it myself. I'm very much an "I can do it myself" type of person and I'm struggling with learning to ask for help. I plan to ask God why he didn't give husbands mind reading powers while their wife is pregnant.

Cravings: I haven't necessarily been craving anything this week. So I'll just say that my days are basically cereal for breakfast, fruit for morning snack, PB&J, chips/crackers and fruit for lunch, granola bar for afternoon snack and then dinner (such as a salad w/ chicken fingers, shrimp casserole, spaghetti, fish, etc.). Although I guess I should confess that we willingly accepted the left over cake from our baby shower and treated ourselves to 'small' bites each night. :)

Symptoms: Typical pregnant symptoms still apply: shortness of breath, can't bend over, swollen feet, pregnant face, etc. One night this week I was sitting in bed and Mike said I sit like a panda bear.

Best Moment this week: We had another small shower at my Dad and Pam's house. Everyone that attended were family friends and neighbor's that live in their neighborhood. We got lots of great things. I continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity of our family and friends. Brooke is one lucky girl!

34 Weeks

2011-02-25T17:56:00.004-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 34 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is about the size of a cantaloupe. She weighs about 4.75 pounds and is about 18 inches.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 30 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: All I wear now. In fact, some of my maternity clothes are starting to get tight! Yikes! I had to make a quick run to Target to find a few new shirts to wear to baby showers because most of mine are just too tight now.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: She is still moving around in there like a wiggle worm. At our 34 week doctor's appointment our midwife confirmed that she's head down with her butt towards my ribs and her feet were towards my left side. She's gotten so big now that you can see when she arches her back...my stomach contorts and you can see it move in multiple places. It's wild!

Sleep: I think I'm just going to give up on sleep. If I can make it through the night without waking up 13 times, I consider it a good nights sleep.

What I miss: Can't say I miss anything other than the standard response: sleep! Maybe not getting out of breath so fast? Who knew putting socks on could be so exhausting?

Cravings: I haven't had any weird cravings this week. I'm pretty much always hungry and if anyone mentions something food wise, it sounds good to me. Since the indigestion has been so bad I tend to lean more towards the lighter meals (like a salad or a bowl of cereal) at night, otherwise I'll be up all night dealing with reflux.

Symptoms: A new typical pregnancy symptom showed up this week (well, it showed up a few weeks ago but it wasn't all that bad)...swollen feet. My feet/ankles/legs have indention's from my socks and shoes. The other day I had on argyle print socks and when I took my socks off at the end of the day, the argyle pattern was indented in my skin. I even resorted to wearing flip flops to work twice this week because my regular Keens and Dansko's wouldn't even fit on my feet in the morning (and that's when they're the smallest!).

Best Moment this week: The best moment this week was by far the baby shower hosted by my wonderful friends Mauri, Ashley and Miss Medra (Mauri's mom). The shower was so much fun and I got to see a ton of my favorite people all on the same day. Brooke really racked up on some big items (car seat, swing, bouncy seat), toys, clothes and diapers! She is spoiled rotten already! I can't wait to put her in some of her new sweet monogrammed items!

33 Weeks

2011-02-18T17:55:00.005-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 33 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is about the size of a pineapple. She weighs over 4 pounds and has passed the 17 inch mark. She's growing like a weed!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 28 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: All I wear now. Although this week I did break out one of my loose and flowy short sleeve shirts to wear to the park...it probably was obvious that it didn't 'fit' because it wasn't loose and flowy anymore. It was tight! But, I don't have any short sleeve maternity shirts so I had to make do with what I have.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: I think she's awake more than she's asleep now because I feel her moving constantly. She moves in the morning when I'm getting ready for work, she moves all day while I'm at work (although I'm pretty sure she naps on and off) and then moves after dinner and when I'm going to bed. I hope she's an active and alert little thing, but I really hope this doesn't mean she's an insomniac!

Sleep: Its been a rough week of sleeping. I've officially reached the mark of where sleeping on my back makes me feel like I'm going to barf...an indicator that she's applying pressure on my vena cava (the main artery that runs along my back). So, I toss and turn trying to get comfortable and stay comfortable on my side(s). Its been tough because turning from side to side while laying down is really painful...its takes lots of breathing exercises for me to get settled and fall back asleep again.

What I miss: A good nights sleep and a nice margarita on the rocks with salt.

Cravings: I'm still eating cereal on a regular basis...we've upped our weekly milk purchase from a half gallon to a whole gallon thanks to me. We had grilled chicken for dinner one night this week and I couldn't stomach more than 4 or 5 bites. While I can force myself to eat it, it's just not appetizing to me at all. Although, a good cheeseburger and spaghetti are still my favorite meals.

Symptoms: I've mastered the 'waddle' and I've been having some CRAZY heartburn and indigestion. I woke up at 3am with spaghetti indigestion problems. I was awake for a good hour and a half before I propped myself up with lots of pillows and slept the rest of the night in the upright position (which made for a killer backache the next morning).

Best Moment this week: Talking with my girlfriends about child birth! I spent a good time on the phone with my friend Brittney who just gave birth to her son about a month ago. And I spent a few hours with my friend Rebecca (walking around the park) and just chatting about her birthing experience too. I really enjoy hearing different birth stories and hearing about how different each person's experience is. I also love to get their recommendations on baby products.

32 Weeks

2011-02-11T18:03:00.004-05:00

***NOTE: this is a horrible picture and it makes me look like a huge cow. It's actually a really cute sweater but I'm thinking it might find its way to the back of the closet now (even though it's a maternity sweater). Definitely NOT the most flattering shirt I own!

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 32 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is about the size of a large jicama (which I had no idea what a jicama was until I googled it). She weighs about 3.75 pounds and is about 16.5 inches long. She's growing like a weed!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 27 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: All I wear now.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: She likes to move around...a LOT!

Sleep: I totally jinxed myself. Last week was the calm before the storm. Sleep is the worst its ever been now. I had a chiropractor appointment on Thursday and couldn't sleep a wink that night, Friday night or Saturday night. Not only was sleep missed, but I almost broke down and risked taking a Tylenol. But I did not. I told myself that child birth is going to be much harder and much more painful than my bones coming apart...so I dealt with it.

What I miss: SLEEP!

Cravings: I've been eating more salads lately and I still eat my fair share of cereal on our house. I think I'm leaning more to those foods because they're not heavy and they don't irritate my reflux or heartburn. Not to mention, I think my stomach is getting squished and salads and/or cereal seem to fit much easier than a ribeye and baked potato. I particularly like the Zaxby's House Zalad (fried of course...still can't stand the thought of eating grilled chicken) and Taco salads from any Mexican restaurant.

Symptoms: Still suffering from pubic symphysis...which is basically the pelvic/pubic bone coming apart. OUCH! The doctor said it will probably get worse the closer we get to her due date (he said that some women can't even walk it gets so bad)...oh the joys of pregnancy! I've been dealing with this since about 20 weeks and was hoping it was just 'growing pains'. Well, it's definitely a 'growing pain' but I'm not done growing yet. :(

Best Moment this week: Strangers have been commenting more and more on my overstuffed belly. And shockingly, its been more men than women. The other day I was at Target shopping for deodorant and a stock boy was unpacking items for the end cap. I had probably been 'sniffing' all the different scents when I finally decided on one and put it in my basket...it was at exactly that time the stock boy said "Oh! Congratulations!" At first I wasn't sure if he was mocking me because I spent 15 minutes smelling deodorants and finally made my selection but he patted his stomach (I guess I gave him a funny look that said 'huh?'). And I was ordering breakfast at work one day this week and two men were waiting on their orders...one guy turned around and wanted to know all about baby on the way. It was a game of 50 questions...how far along are you? what's your due date? is this your first? is it a boy or a girl? etc.etc.etc. It definitely makes it feel more real when men ask about questions...I guess I always assume they're oblivious to that kind of stuff.

31 Weeks

2011-02-04T18:00:00.002-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 31 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is about the size of four naval oranges. She weighs just under three and a half pounds and is over 16 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 25 lbs. I had no problem packing on the few pounds I lost from last week. My appetite came back with a vengeance and I could get enough food in my mouth fast enough.

Maternity Clothes: All I wear now.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: She's definitely moving in there. I can tell when she's growing because she moves NON-STOP those days...and then just like magic my scale jumps up another notch.

Sleep: Sleep has been A-M-A-Z-I-N-G this week. I have no idea what happened or changed but I have been sleeping through the night without waking up until the alarm goes off...which is a miracle considering my bladder is the size of a peanut now.

What I miss: Nothing this week. Everything is honky dory! Sleep is wonderful, food is wonderful and I've even forgotten that I'm pregnant a few times.

Cravings: I don't recall any particular cravings this week. I think I'm to the point where anything sounds good. Don't ask me what I want...because I'll just say "Oh, I don't know" but as soon as there is food placed in front of me...I will clean my plate.

Symptoms: This week my pregnancy symptoms have been near to nothing. I mentioned my sleep issue has disappeared (although I'm sure it will reappear soon enough). There have been days where I don't feel pregnant at all...and then I walk by a window or mirror and catch a glimpse of myself and think 'Good God! How did you ever forget about that BIG stomach you're carrying around?!?!?!"

Best Moment this week: We had our very first baby shower! Our great friends Mack and Caitlin hosted it at their house in Macon and it was so much fun. I guess you could call it a couples shower since there were guys there too. We got some great gifts and are so thankful that our friends drove from near and far to celebrate this time in our life. We are so blessed!

30 Weeks

2011-01-28T17:33:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 30 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is about the size of a head of cabbage. She weighs almost three pounds and is just under 16 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I lost a few pounds and am now at 22 lbs. Wowzers! Who would have thought I'd LOSE a few pounds??? Well, it totally wasn't worth it...those lost pounds were due to being sick as a dog. Post nasal drip and a nasty cough really killed my appetite buzz.

Maternity Clothes: All I wear now.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: She's been pretty consistent with moving, but this week was definitely a little less noticeable...maybe because she's tired of being bounced around with all my coughing?

Sleep: Sleep has been terrible. When I finally get comfortable I get a tickle in my throat...which makes me reach for my water...which makes me move AND seems to trigger a cough. It's been just awful.

What I miss: This week I miss being able to take drugs. This stupid cold would be MUCH easier to deal with if I would allow myself some Tylenol Cold & Sinus. I did however break down and eat two Halls Naturals cough drops and 1 regular Tylenol....neither did anything and I immediately regretted it. *Yes, I know that it's 'safe' to take during pregnancy. And yes my doctor told me it was fine to take Tylenol PM to help with sleep. I just choose not to. Just in case Brooke comes out with 6 toes on one foot at least I'll know that it wasn't attributed to my lack of self will and taking acetaminophen.

Cravings: Haven't been craving anything much this week since I can't taste much. My Mom did come over and make me a homemade chicken pot pie...which was amazing. And she brought me OJ and applesauce. I've eaten a lot of applesauce this week because its cold and its easy on my sore throat. I should mention that I prefer the cinnamon applesauce.....mmmmmm!

Symptoms: Same old stuff still going on. Sore hips. I have been feeling better after visiting the chiropractor though. AND, she did make the comment "Oh! I can tell your hips are starting to spread more." *not sure that's something you should say to a pregnant lady* Hopefully this is a good indicator that she won't have any troubles coming out of there!

Best Moment this week: We did the hospital tour on Saturday which was pretty exciting. We got to see the labor and delivery room, the recovery room and the nursery. I've always heard that Northside is supposedly like a 'hotel' and I was really skeptical. I was thinking there would be a mini-fridge or something in the room with us (perhaps for my cinnamon applesauce)...but it wasn't anything what I was expecting it to be. Not that it was bad...it was great! Even without a mini-fridge. :) At least now we have a 'oh.my.gosh. I'm in labor and we're gonna have a baby get me to the hospital right this minute plan'. I'm just secretly hoping that Mike doesn't go the wrong way on 285 come birth day.

29 Weeks

2011-01-21T17:46:00.001-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 29 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is the size of a butternut squash. She weighs two and a half pounds and is just over 15 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 25 lbs. I've been making an effort to make more 'healthy' choices this week. Last week really freaked me out.

Maternity Clothes: All I wear now.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: She moves ALL.THE.TIME. I think she's in there just shakin' her groove thang. Must get that from her Dad. ;-)

Sleep: Sleep has been about the same. I wake up to use the bathroom some nights and mix it up with tossing and turning. Sleep used to be my favorite thing...now it's hit or miss.

What I miss: I think I would be a little dramatic if I listed out every.single.thing that I miss. But, I practically tackled Mike when he was eating his Publix Ultimate sub sandwich the other night. My hot pizza sub no longer appealed to me...all I wanted was a cold sammich.

Cravings: Still eating a lot of cereal...its not heavy and fills me up (but only for a few hours). I have also had several chicken salad sandwiches for lunch this week.

Symptoms: Sore hips/pelvis and running to the bathroom every 30 seconds AND add reflux to this list now. Its like a magic trick...drink water, lay down and water just appears right back in my mouth again. It's so gross (especially when it's not just water)!

Best Moment this week: I was listening to Pandora at work the other day and a Tom Petty song came on. I could have sworn I could feel her tapping to the beat. This girl knows good music! :) I've also felt her 'dance' to David Crowder too.

28 Weeks

2011-01-14T17:34:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 28 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is the size of a Chinese cabbage. She weighs two and a quarter pounds and is almost 15 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 24 lbs. I went for my 28 week doctor's appointment and FREAKED out when I saw that I gained 9 lbs in 4 weeks. I went home and cried the rest of the day. And then craved ice cream (which I did NOT let myself have).

Maternity Clothes: All I wear now.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: Her movements are definitely on a schedule now. She has a pretty regular sleep/wake schedule and her movements are almost predictable.

Sleep: Sleep has been terrible. I wake up all throughout the night just trying to get comfortable. I did manage to go to the Chiropractor this week and I slept a little bit better that night. I hope that it's going to help out with my sleep issues.

What I miss: I miss being in control of my crazy tears. I have been so hormonal lately. I cry when I'm hungry and then after I eat, I cry because I feel like Shamu. All I can say is Mike is a saint for dealing with me.

Cravings: Still craving cereal. This week I bought Fruit Loops...but I haven't polished off that box yet.

Symptoms: Sore hips/pelvis and running to the bathroom every 30 seconds AND add reflux to this list now. Its like a magic trick...drink water, lay down and water just appears right back in my mouth again. It's so gross (especially when it's not just water)!

Best Moment this week: Hearing Brooke's heartbeat at our doctor's appointment. Her heartbeat was 'steady in the 140's'. :) AND we had our 3D/4D ultrasound (actually, we had 2...the 1st one she wouldn't cooperate and the 2nd wasn't much better, but we were able to get a few pictures of her sweet chubby cheeks). We got to see miss B smile! I think she's just perfect.

27 Weeks

2011-01-07T17:19:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 27 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is the size of a head of cauliflower. She weighs almost two pounds and is about a 14.5 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 22 lbs. Holy cow! I feel HUGE! Check out that BELLY!

Maternity Clothes: All I wear now.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: I love feeling her twist and turn around in my belly. She's getting stronger and you can now see the kicks just looking at my stomach. She's a fiesty little thing!

Sleep: Not much has changed on the sleep situation. I still have some difficulties sleeping. I wake up multiple times during the night.

What I miss: I can't say I really miss anything really. Although I have treated myself to a few extra swigs of sweet tea this week. So, maybe an unrestricted about of tea/caffeine?

Cravings: I've been A LOT of cereal lately. First it was Frosted Flakes and this week it's been Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I ate the whole box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in two days.

Symptoms: Sore hips/pelvis and running to the bathroom every 30 seconds.

Best Moment this week: I just love watching my stomach bounce all around when she's trying to get comfortable in there. You can definitely tell when she turns or rolls and knees/elbows are very hard to miss.

26 Weeks

2010-12-31T21:36:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 26 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is the size of a English hothouse cucumber. She weighs just over a pound and two-thirds and is about a 14 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 20 lbs. Holy cow! I feel HUGE! Check out that BELLY!

Maternity Clothes: All I wear now.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: I love feeling her twist and turn around in my belly. She's getting stronger and you can now see the kicks just looking at my stomach. She's a fiesty little thing!

Sleep: Not much has changed on the sleep situation. I still have some difficulties sleeping. I wake up multiple times during the night.

What I miss: I've missed working out this week. I don't know if its because I've been eating everything in sight (thus the additional 20 lbs showing up on the scale) or if Brooke was just having a growth spurt...but I feel like I should be doing something to counteract my increased appetite.

Cravings: I officially like Chic-fil-A again! Yay!

Symptoms: Sore hips/pelvis. And I had one nose bleed this week. I guess that increase in blood didn't have anywhere else to go. I'm just glad it didn't happen out in public!

Best Moment this week: Mike and I went to Buy Buy Baby and picked out the rocker/glider and ottoman for Brooke's nursery. I loved sitting in all the different chairs and thinking about rocking and reading books and singing with Miss B.

25 Weeks

2010-12-24T21:01:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 25 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is the size of a rutabaga. She weighs just over a pound and a half and is about a 13.5 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 18.5 lbs. I can definitely tell my face is getting rounder. I have 'pregnant girl face'.

Sleep: Still having some difficulties sleeping. I wake up and turn over because I'm either on my back or uncomfortable.

What I miss: I don't miss anything really. Being able to bend over without getting out of breath maybe?

Cravings: Still craving sweets (although not as much) and my main craving this week was Cinnamon Cake. Starbuck's cinnamon coffee cake rocks! AND its even better with a Peppermint Hot Chocolate.

Symptoms: Sore hips/pelvis and a sore tailbone.

Best Moment this week: Mike and I had the whole week off for Christmas and New Years and it was really nice to have a week to just enjoy each others company. Also, I had two strangers ask me/make pregnancy comments. The lady at Einsteins asked "When are you due?" and our sweet dry cleaning lady asked "Um....you pregnant?" I guess I've officially hit the 'people know your pregnant and not fat' stage. :)

24 Weeks

2010-12-17T15:21:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 24 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is the size of an ear of corn. She weighs just over a pound and is about a foot long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: According to my scale I've gained 17 lbs. but according to my last doctor's appointment I've gained 15 lbs. I'm thinking we're going to go with the doc's word on this one. :)

Maternity Clothes: All I wear now. I'm hoping that Santa brings me some more maternity shirts and sweaters because I really need them.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: Oh yeah...she's definitely a wiggle worm. I can see my stomach jump now from her kicks. I think we might have a gymnast in training here. :)

Sleep: I've hit a sleep wall again. Sleep has become a little more difficult. I've had a lot of congestion which causes me to breath through my mouth. Which I HATE. I hate waking up with cotton mouth.

What I miss: I definitely miss having a glass of wine. I went out to eat with a few girlfriends and they all ordered cocktails/wine. I was super jealous.

Cravings: Just sweets in general. Since I had cut back (a teeny tiny bit) on my sweets the glucose test drink wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be. I had the red drink which like Fruit Punch Powerade with an additional 3 cups of sugar in it. I actually liked it for the first half of the drink and then it became too much.

Symptoms: Still suffering from heartburn.

Best Moment this week: Hearing the words "You passed! Everything came back normal" in regards to my sugar test. I was sooooo worried I was going to fail. To be completely honest I was more afraid of having to do the 3 hour test more than actually having 'the sugar'. I was having crazy amount of anxiety just thinking about having to fast before and then getting my blood taken 3 times. Such a relief to know that my body is working like it should.

23 Weeks

2010-12-10T15:44:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 23 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is the size of a large mango

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I've gained 16 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I've been growing a lot this week. I've noticed that some of my regular shirts and sweaters are definitely getting shorter in the front now. It's time to order more maternity clothes!

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: Oh yeah...she's definitely a wiggle worm. I can see my stomach jump now from her kicks. I think we might have a gymnast in training here. :)

Sleep: Sleep is still pretty good. I've had a few crazy dreams lately but other than that I can't complain.

What I miss: I'm really trying to watch my sugar now so I'm definitely missing my daily sugar indulgence. I'm preparing for my glucose test which is next week...let's all pray I don't have 'the sugar' (aka gestational diabetes).

Cravings: Blueberry muffins! On Sunday, Mike made me some wonderful blueberry muffins and I've been eating one or two every day. They are SOOOO good. I think they're even better since I didn't make them.

Symptoms: Still suffering from heartburn. I feel like my fist is constantly in my stomach (at the bottom of my sternum) to keep the burn from being as bad. For some reason applying pressure seems to work.

Best Moment this week: One night this week I was laying on the sofa watching tv and admiring our Christmas tree and all of a sudden little Brooke started kicking away. I pulled up my shirt to watch my belly dance and just had such an overwhelming feeling of love and joy. Not sure what else could be better than relaxing on the sofa at Christmas time with a little miracle bouncing around in your tummy. I can't wait for next Christmas when we can all snuggle on the sofa together.

22 Weeks

2010-12-03T15:24:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 22 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is the size of a papaya

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I've gained 15 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I LOVE my maternity clothes. I can still wear a few regular shirts/sweaters but I definitely prefer all maternity clothes.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: She's moving a lot! I feel her moving every day now.

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good this week. I wake up once a night to make a quick trip to the bathroom.

What I miss: Nothing really.

Cravings: Anything with cheese! I have been craving hashbrown casserole and broccoli casserole. I have always been a huge cheese lover...Brooke however seems to not love it as much (talk about MAJOR heartburn!). She must get the no cheese thing from her Gramp (he doesn't love cheese either).

Symptoms: Major heartburn (mostly from the cheese).

Best Moment this week: Feeling her kicks get stronger and stronger. She kicks A LOT now.

21 Weeks

2010-11-26T20:22:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 21 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is the size of a banana

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I've gained 13 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I LOVE my maternity clothes. I can still wear a few regular shirts/sweaters but I definitely prefer all maternity clothes.

Gender: It's a GIRL! Brooke Henley Femiano!

Movement: She's moving a lot! I feel her moving every day now.

Sleep: I mentioned my concerns about sleeping on my back to the midwife as our last appointment and she basically told me NOT to worry about it. My body will notify me before Brooke would ever be effected by it. So, needless to say, I'm back to sleeping on my back every now and then...and its' been the best sleep I've had so far this pregnancy.

What I miss: Nothing really.

Cravings: Jalapeno Chips

Symptoms: It's nearly impossible for me to put on my socks without grunting. Bending over is starting to get REALLY uncomfortable.

Best Moment this week: Our friends Mack & Caitlin came to visit with us on Saturday and with them they brought a very sweet baby gift. A PINK Georgia outfit (pink pants, pink Georgia t-shirt and a pink zip up Georgia hoodie) and sweet girly receiving blankets. It was our first girl gift. I will remember it forever. :)

Gender Reveal

2010-11-25T20:56:00.000-05:00

On Thanksgiving Day we did our big gender reveal to our family (parents and siblings). It was VERY hard for me to NOT tell anyone since we found out the day before Thanksgiving. It was less than 24 hours (22 to be exact) but it was probably the longest day ever. At least I kept myself busy preparing for Thanksgiving (which we hosted at our house this year).

I think I've recapped the nickname Turtle before now, but I'll do it again. Back at our very first appointment, after we received our first ultrasound pictures, we were sitting in the waiting area to be seen by the doctor and Mike and I were looking at the black and white squiggles. I made the comment "You know, a lot of people say it looks like a bean or a peanut...but I think ours looks like a Turtle." And so, the nickname Turtle stuck. It's kind of hard to see, but maybe you can make out the turtle shape too.

I had been thinking of ways to tell the family the gender of our baby almost immediately after we told them that we're expecting. I googled 'gender reveal' and 'revealing the sex of your baby' and probably everything remotely close to that under the sun for ideas. I didn't want to do the cake thing...where a bakery does the cake either pink or blue and everyone (including us) found out at the same time. But...I did really like the idea of a pink or blue cake. So, I came up with the idea of doing a cupcake cake...as a turtle! Perfect! Below is how the cupcake cake turned out.

So, on Thanksgiving Day everyone arrived around noon and we were all anxious to dig into the turtle cupcakes. All our family members were just staring at the cake and looking at the sides, trying to figure out what was under the brown and green icing. Everyone took a cupcake and they all peeled back the foil wrappers at the same time to find that it was PINK inside! I captured this fun reveal on our little point and shoot camera, so it's not great.

And please excuse my voice...I think I sound funny on video. I'll have to work on that because I'm sure I'll be posting tons of videos of Brooke and I'll be doing the crazy high pitched Mom voice to get her to blow bubbles and laugh.

I LOVE watching everyone's reactions. Every time I watch this clip it makes me smile. :)

20 Weeks

2010-11-19T19:24:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 20 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is the size of a cantaloupe

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I've gained 11.5 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I LOVE my maternity clothes. I can still wear a few regular shirts/sweaters but I definitely prefer all maternity clothes.

Gender: It's a GIRL! We found out at our 20 week appointment (the day before Thanksgiving). It was by far my most favorite appointment....no blood work AND an ultrasound to determine it's a girl!

Movement: More and more flutters. Mike was able to feel a kick/jab the other night.

Sleep: Depends on the night. Some nights I wake up to pee once or to re-situate and other nights I sleep all the way through.

What I miss: Nothing really. Getting a good nights sleep consistently.

Cravings: Still craving sweets and Moes. And Thanksgiving dinner food!

Symptoms: I've been super hungry this past week...growth spurt maybe? I've also been experiencing a lot of pressure. Its not really a painful pressure just an uncomfortable pressure. I mentioned this to the midwife at our appointment and she said it could be my pelvis/pubic bone separating. OUCH! It's crazy to think that my body is repositioning bones and muscles.

Best Moment this week: There were so many best moments this week. We got a crib and dresser last weekend. We found out that we're going to have a daughter and got to feel Brooke kick. We got lots of ultrasound pictures and got to hear her heartbeat (139).

We're officially half way to meeting our daughter!!!! I thought our 20 week appointment would never come and now I can't believe we're already half way finished!

19 Weeks

2010-11-12T18:44:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 19 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is the size of a mango

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Somewhere along the way I gained more weight than I was reporting...it was an honest mistake any preggo lady could make. I've gained 9.5 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I LOVE my maternity clothes. They are soooo comfortable. I would highly suggest anyone investing in a pair of maternity jeans...especially for Thanksgiving dinner. :)

Gender: Counting down the days!!!!!!

Movement: Still just a few flutters.

Sleep: Depends on the night. Some nights I wake up to pee once or to re-situate and other nights I sleep all the way through.

What I miss: Just being comfortable. My body has been experiencing some 'growing pains'. It seems to come in cycles. It all starts out with an itchy belly...I'm assuming because my skin is stretching (although no stretch marks yet, thank goodness) and then the next day or two I have an intense amount of pressure all in my torso. Imagine all your inside organs feeling like they're being pushed and squished into your rib cage, because that's the only way I can describe it. Its very uncomfortable. Then a day or two later it seems like my body adjusts to the pressure. And then, it starts all over. I know I shouldn't complain because it's only the beginning. There's a lot more squishing to do over the next few months.

Cravings: Sweets. Sweets. And more Sweets. I can't seem to get enough cake, cupcakes and candy...which is very odd since I've never had much of a sweet tooth. I blame Mike for passing on the sweet tooth gene.

Symptoms: Having a bladder the size of a pea. I think I visit the bathroom at least 25 times a day. I feel like Turtle has placed a sack of marbles on my bladder.

Best Moment this week: Mike went on a business trip to Ireland and brought back a cute green onesie. I thought it was so sweet and thoughtful for him to bring back a little souvenir from his trip. AND...I've been feeling more and more flutters. :)

18 Weeks

2010-11-05T20:20:00.000-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 18 Weeks

Size of baby: Turtle is the size of a sweet potato

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 7.5 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Loving my maternity pants and slowly gearing up for some maternity shirts/sweaters.

Gender: Still don't know but I have a cool idea how we're going to reveal the gender to our family on Thanksgiving Day. HINT: A Turtle something will be involved. :)

Movement: Still just a few flutters.

Sleep: I'm back on the crazy sleep train. I've been having wacky dreams again and I tend to wake up several times a night because I can't seem to find a comfortable position.

What I miss: Since I'm only treating myself to one caffeinated drink a week I'm really missing a Starbucks Peppermint White Mocha. All the red Starbucks cups are making me jealous! I definitely miss coffee.

Cravings: Moes and cinnamon sugar twisted/braided doughnut. I'm also still enjoying sweets.

Symptoms: Still the emotional basket case...although some days are better than others. I somehow seem to cry even when I'm not upset....like when the song my Dad and I danced to at my wedding came on the radio the other day. I cried like a baby on 285 while listening to Steve Curtis Chapman. I also cried to Darrius Rucker's "It Won't Be Like This for Long". Who am I?!?!?!?!?!

Best Moment this week: Finally getting that cinnamon sugar doughnut. I'd been craving it for DAYS!

17 Weeks

2010-10-29T19:59:00.000-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 17 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby F is the size of a turnip

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 6.5 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Maternity pants have arrived!!!!!!! Yeeehaw! I'm still wearing my regular shirts for the most part though.

Gender: Still don't know but I have a cool idea how we're going to reveal the gender to our family on Thanksgiving Day.

Movement: Maybe a few flutters, but not as much as last week (maybe it was gas!). I've been poking my stomach to see if I can feel Turtle move away.

Sleep: I've gotten into the habit of getting up once to pee at night. Although I did sleep all the way through the night without waking up not even once. I woke up feeling like a new woman!

What I miss: I still really miss the Publix Turkey with American Cheese, mayo, banana peppers and jalapenos. I also miss not being able to eat Grilled or Baked chicken....it just really grosses me out. Fried is OK though. :)

Cravings: I can't seem to stay away from the left over Halloween candy. The Twix were the first to disappear and the Snickers are slowly disappearing too. I've also been craving SweetTarts. Mike gets on to me and tells me to watch my sugar...something about both our mother's having gestational diabetes.

Symptoms: Last week I mentioned just a growing waist line but I forgot to mention my hormones taking me on a crazy emotional roller coaster. I seem to cry at the drop of a hat (which I hate!). This week the emotional roller coaster has continued although I only cried when we were watching Mrs. Doubtfire on Sunday night. I'm making progress! I've also experienced cankles as my dear husband pointed out. On Sunday we were driving home from the GA/FL game and when we stopped to eat at Zaxby's by our house I looked down at my feet and they were super swollen. I started thinking all kinds of crazy things like "is this a sign of gestational diabetes? Did I have too much sodium? Have I not had enough water? Is Turtle ok?" I came home and elevated and rested and my feet were back to normal by Monday night. Oh...and I almost forgot! Pregnancy brain! I accidentally melted one of our Cutco knives in the oven last night. :(

Best Moment this week: Getting 3 pairs of maternity pants. I am MUCH more comfortable in them.

16 Weeks

2010-10-22T20:05:00.000-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 16 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby F is the size of an avocado

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 6 lbs

Maternity Clothes: I'm pushing the envelope a little. I realize that wearing pants unbuttoned/unlatched at all is not acceptable. I keep putting this off because I just haven't had time. Looks like I'll be ordering some maternity pants online soon.

Gender: Still don't know. November 24th can't get here fast enough!

Movement: Nope - still nothing.

Sleep: Sleeping has gotten a smidgen better. I definitely think my Snoogle has helped out.

What I miss: Drinking as much caffeine as my heart desires. I've limited myself to one caffeine drink a week. It's my weekly treat. I miss drinking Sweet Tea, Coke, Dr. Pepper all in the same day.

Cravings: I've been eating more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches lately. :)

Symptoms: Just a growing waist line.

Best Moment this week: I've started looking at nursery bedding (both sexes) to get some ideas and I think I might have found cute sets. I get giddy excited just thinking about placing an itty bitty baby in a crib.

15 Weeks

2010-10-15T20:11:00.000-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 15 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby F is the size of an apple

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 5.5 lbs

Maternity Clothes: I think I might be in my last week of non-maternity pants. I hope to get some free time this weekend to go shopping for some new work pants.

Gender: We decided to wait until our November appointment to find out the gender. And I can't wait!

Movement: Still nothing.

Sleep: I'd been having some trouble sleeping...waking up multiple times a night from tossing and turning. So.....I bought a spiffy pregnancy pillow. It's huge and takes up the 'extra' space in our king size bed. My first night sleeping with it was terrible --- I thought I was going to take it back. But then, I gave it a second chance and slept like a baby. I L-O-V-E my new Snoogle.

What I miss: Nothing is coming to mind right this second, so, I'll go with seeing lower numbers on the scale (although I realize that's not going to change for a looooong time).

Cravings: Friday night Mike took me on a date to the Cumming Fair. I was sooooo excited about eating a corn dog and a funnel cake. I've been craving corn dogs ever since.

Symptoms: I haven't had any morning sickness this week (so far). My only symptom is my sense of smell and my growing stomach.

Best Moment this week: We switched around the bedrooms in our house to prepare for the new nursery. It's exciting to see an empty bedroom and to know that I'm planning for all new stuff for our BABY!

14 Weeks

2010-10-08T20:44:00.000-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 14 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby F is the size of a lemon

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 4.5 lbs

Maternity Clothes: I think I'm really starting to push the limit with the safety pins. Mike laughed out loud at me and then insisted to get a picture. I obliged but I'm pretty sure I'll be sporting my new maternity jeans to work this Friday.

Gender: I've had 3 dreams it's a girl...can't wait to find out if Turtle is a Michael or a Brooke!

Movement: On Sunday I was laying on the sofa with my belly out and I saw my stomach was moving. I told Mike to come quick and he saw it too. "Is that Turtle?!?!?!?!" Mike's reply, "Um, I think that's just your stomach twitching." So, still nothing official.

Sleep: Still waking up during the night. Usually around 2/2:30ish and then again around 4/4:30ish.

What I miss: Dr. Pepper

Cravings: I was on a Cheetos kick for a few days but that quickly switched to break and bake chocolate chip cookies. I may or may not have had 7 (out of 12) within 24 hours of making them. They're just SOOOOOO good!

Symptoms: Only had a few bouts of morning sickness and I've been randomly getting nauseous during the afternoon. Thankfully, the afternoon bits haven't interfered with supper.

Best Moment this week: We made our first baby purchase this week. We got a BOB jogging stroller! Our kid might not have a crib to sleep in but it's got the mack daddy of jogging strollers. Mike got really excited when he saw it in my car and immediately started pushing it around the driveway. After a few seconds he said "Man! This thing is smoother than a Cadillac!" I have to agree...I've been testing it out by pushing it all around the kitchen, dining room and living room. :)

And now for my small dilema, our 16 week docter's appointment is scheduled for October 26th and our sheet that the doctor gave us does not indicate that it's an ultrasound appointment. :( We have the option to get the 3D ultrasound to find out the gender 'early' (which we'd have to pay out of pocket and I think it's upwards of $100+) OR we wait until our 20 week appointment and find out the gender then (which is already scheduled for November 24th - the day before Thanksgiving). My dilema is do we wait or do we find out early? Decisions, decisions.

13 Weeks

2010-10-01T17:57:00.000-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 13 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby F is the size of a peach

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 3 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Still wearing my regular clothes but they are starting to get a little uncomfortable...even with the rubber band trick. It won't be long until I will venture into the maternity section!

Gender: I had a dream this past week that it's a girl...can't wait to find out for sure though!

Movement: Nope - none yet.

Sleep: I still seem to wake up at least once during the night.

What I miss: Publix turkey and cheese sandwich (cold!). Although today I treated myself to my first caffeinated beverage in 3 months...a DR PEPPER and it was glorious!

Cravings: I have rediscovered how much I love Kosher Dill pickles. :)

Symptoms: This past Saturday morning (13 weeks, 1 day) was the worst morning sickness I have experienced thus far. It's never taken me almost 20 minutes to brush my teeth before!

Best Moment this week: Celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary at the beach...just the two of us. Next year we'll have to get a babysitter...or it'll be "2 and a highchair"

12 Weeks

2010-09-24T19:45:00.000-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 12 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby F is the size of a lime

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 3 lbs

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing my normal clothes but using the nifty rubber band and safety pin tricks.

Gender: Can't wait to find out!

Movement: I could have sworn I've felt flutters but I'm pretty sure it was just gas. :) Can't wait for the real movement!

Sleep: Before, I've always slept like a log. But now, I seem to wake up at least once or twice every night, usually sometime between 3-4am.

What I miss: Turkey sandwiches, sweet tea, cokes and sushi

Cravings: The past 11 weeks I've been all over the cravings board. It started out with me craving Taco Bell, then to McDonald's, pizza, Mexican food and cereal. But my craving for week 12 has been Peanut Butter Oreo's. (Mike and I got into a small argument in Publix over whether I could get them or not. I won.) :)

Symptoms: I'm still experiencing a little bit of morning sickness...although its only when I brush my teeth in the morning. And a few waves every once in a while in the evenings but nothing to send me running for the toilet, thank goodness.

Best Moment this week: The 12 week Ultrasound! It was amazing to see the baby moving around on the screen and yet not be able to feel that inside my stomach. And it was very exciting to see that it now looks like a BABY (and not so much like a turtle anymore)! It seems real now!

July 29, 2010

2010-08-11T21:01:00.000-04:00

On July 29th, 2010 we got some great news! We saw this.....

Here's the Dad-to-be...minutes after I told him that he was going to be a Dad. He was making our lunches for the day. In fact, that was my last turkey sandwich...you know the no deli meat thing has really throw my lunch off.

It consumed my thoughts all day, for days...because Mike didn't want to tell anyone. So we waited a few weeks and then when I couldn't NOT tell anyone we decided to have all our parents and sibilings over for a dinner. Right before we were about to start eating dinner, Mike asked everyone if they wanted to see a cool picture we had taken from Montana and everyone said sure. So on our TV pops up this....

I tried my very best to capture it on my video but I was too nervous and it didn't turn out very good. You can see my sister's reaction which makes me laugh, and you can hear my Mom squeel/scream. Just so I have it on the blog here it is:

We had our first dr's appointment in August and we had our first ultrasound. We weren't expecting to see anything so we were really excited when they gave us a few pictures. A few minutes after the ultrasound we were looking at the pictures and I made the comment "I always hear people saying that it looks like a bean, or a peanut....but I think ours looks kind of like a turtle." And so our kid already has a nickname. Turtle is due April 8th! We are THRILLED! :)

Montana - Part 3

2010-07-20T20:28:00.000-04:00

A few pictures from Glacier National Park....it was breathtaking!

Montana - Part 2

2010-07-19T20:27:00.000-04:00

Montana Part 2 shall consist of pictures from the Missoula Half Marathon.

Mike graciously 'volunteered' to get up super early (somewhere around the time of 4:45ish if I remember correctly) and drive us to the start line....and then quickly learn his way around the course to find the perfect places to snap some in action photos.

This was us right before we got in the formation at the start line. The sun was just starting to come up and it was just beautiful. And you might notice that we're in North Face jackets...Nat gave me one as a gift and they were perfect since it was chilly that morning.

After reading about 1000 blogs on review of half marathons and marathons, I decided that I wanted to be one of those people who run with a camera. So I bought an ifitness belt and stored lots of goodies in it for the race. I got the double pouch belt so i put the camera in one pouch and some sharkies and a gu in the other.

This was my first attempt at taking pictures while running. Nat is a little blurry but you can see by the smile on my face I was having the time of my life. It was such an amazing feeling to set a goal with your best friend and then 7 months later...after training separately on opposite sides of the country to be in the moment and realizing...I'M RUNNING A HALF MARATHON! I don't think I'll ever forget that feeling from that morning.

This was one of the many shots that Mike captured during our race. After the race Mike told me he could always spot us because my hair was swinging from side to side....I guess you can see what he was talking about in this picture.

This picture was around mile 9 or 10....we were starting to get tired and put in our ear phones to pump us up and keep us moving.

The finish line was amazing! There were people everywhere, cheering and clapping. And as you were approaching the finish line they were announcing your name. At the very end Nat and I kicked it up a notch and ended up finishing strong. Mike, Josh and Madalyn greeted us at the finish line with huge smiles. It was perfect.

Our official time was 2:52:14...and I'm proud of that. We really just wanted to finish and to say that we'd finished it in under 3 hours. We definitely left some room for improvement for the next one.

I can officially mark the half marathon off my bucket list! :)

Montana - Part 1

2010-07-18T19:52:00.013-04:00

Last Friday we headed down to the Atlanta airport bright and early to catch our flight to Montana. We had been planning this trip since January so we were very excited that July was finally here. After sitting behind Grandpa poopy-pants the entire 4 stinky hours (some old man farted every 5 minutes...literally), we finally made it to Salt Lake City for a quick layover. Then it was onto a smaller plane which took us up to Kalispell.

I had the great idea to pack my running stuff in a carry on...that way if they lost our baggage I'd at least have my running gear for the half marathon. Well, Delta didn't seem to find it a priority to find a spot for my carry on and took it from us and made us check it. I just knew my running shoes were going to end up in Honolulu (which is where that plane was headed after Salt Lake City). Sure enough, when we got to Kalispell my carry on bag was no where to be found....I was in a slight panic. All I could think about was the horrible blisters I was going to have from buying new running shoes. As it would turn out, my carry on made it on the next flight from Salt Lake to Kalispell. All that worrying for nothing....

Anyways, Friday afternoon we picked up lunch from Quickee's, a delicious little sandwich shop in Whitefish. After lunch Natalie showed us around her cute little town and then we headed up to Big Mountain where we went on the lifts to the top of the mountain. I guess I should mention that I typically am not afraid of heights...although being on that ski lift made me VERY nervous. At one point Mike raised the bar about 1/2 an inch and I couldn't think straight I was so scared. I think I might have cried a tear or two. Of course, he laughed at me and I made him promise not to tell anyone. After that I had the death grip to the bar, just in case my oh so funny husband was shooting for another good laugh. Once we got to the top we stood in awe of the beauty. It was just beautiful.

Saturday morning we all piled into the car and headed down to Missoula. It was a 3 hour car ride but we were in good company AND the scenary was just beautiful as well. We got out to take pictures a few times.

Once we got to Missoula, we checked into our hotel and then ventured over to the expo to pick up our race numbers. It was a disaster. The line to get it clogged and they ran out of women's half marathon shirts. I had to sign up for them to send me my shirt via mail...I hope I get it.

Part 2 - coming soon.

I'm alive!

2010-06-27T19:51:00.003-04:00

I guess it's time to update the ol' bloggity blog...I've had several requests...so here it is.

Last time I posted I announced that we got a new camera. I have had lots of fun snapping pictures and capturing birthdays, Amanda's graduation, of random thing in our house and our petunias. More on the petunias in a bit. One of the reasons it's been almost two months is because my personal netbook is having issues connecting to the Internet at home (so I'm borrowing sweet Mike's work computer to do this post)...therefore, I don't have any pictures for this long boring update.

Lets see....Mike's birthday came and went - he got a new putter, new snazzy golf shoes and a new golf bag. He looks like a hip new golfer. :) Mike and I celebrated him ringing in the 2-8 by having a yummy dinner at Maggianos.

Mom's birthday came and went - won't disclose her age because I'm afraid of death threats...but none the less we had a great dinner at a little place that I can't remember the name of. :) Good times.

My birthday came and went - I got a camera - we've already discussed this. Mike took me on a date to Wildfire for my birthday dinner. It was delicious...one of my favorite places to eat!

Mike went on a fishing trip with his Dad to Fort Myers. I was planning on going to to Panama City but I found out the week of that the condo was already being rented...so I stayed home and relaxed. I met up with two lovely ladies, Rebecca and Zoe and we had pizza and then strolled at the outdoor mall.

My sister, Amanda, graduated high school. Lots of rednecks had fog horns...we did not. After graduation we went down to the boat and had burgers and just enjoyed each other's company. Mike and I gave Amanda a book call "My Naked Roomate" --- it's lots of stories/tips about going to college. I saw it in the bookstore and started flipping through it and realized that I wished I had read a book like that before I went off to college. Lord knows, I was in for a RUDE awakening. There's enough stories there for a year's worth of blog posts.

Memorial Day rolled around and we spent the weekend just hanging out around the house. We went and looked at cars for Mike - which ended up being a great tease.

June 2nd came around and we decided that we would in fact go buy that awesome car that we both fell in love with. Mike drove his brand new 2010 Infiniti G37 off the lot looking like he ate a hanger. He still LOVES that car. It is pretty awesome.

Father's Day weekend, Mike played in a golf tournament with my Dad. They won their flight and went into the shoot out (aka the playoff's). They did great and ended up getting beat in a chip off. :( Overall, they did great!

For Father's Day - I spent the day with my Dad. We went for a walk in the morning, ate lunch at the club and then went to the pool for a few hours. Surprisingly I did NOT get sunburned - although I think I might have a slight allergic reaction to the sunscreen because my legs have been itching non stop since I put that lotion on them. We finished Dad's day off with Mexican.

And now that brings us to this weekend. We had a pretty lazy weekend and it has been great. Yesterday, we went to chic-fil-a and then went and played at Lowes. And as for today...I may or may not have waited until 4:30 today to take a shower and brush my teeth. And, I may or may not have ate chips for breakfast.

As for a running update...I don't have much to say because I've been a little bit of a frady cat. Several weeks ago, I started reading up on why my knees were so achy after my runs...I self diagnosed myself via runnersworld.com that I was having some issues with my IT bands. Its cause from not stretching enough, upping mileage too fast, or just over-running. It can cause some serious runner injuries...so I backed off....and during that time I've sort of lost my running mojo. My longest run was 10 miles. I've been trying to keep moving during the week on the treadmill since it's been hot like the Sahara here. I thought about running early in the morning before work but I can't seem to plant my feet on the floor before 6am....even with fervent prayers for God to intervene. I've decided that I started training for this half marathon entirely too early. I got burned out before my race got here and now I'm just praying that I don't injure myself within the next two weeks.

Next weekend is the Peachtree Road Race --- which speaking of that came in the mail this past week...this year was the first year that I actually got assigned a time group/wave based on a previous race. And, the weekend after next I'm off to beautiful Montana. I've been chatting with Natalie on a regular basis and I think we're both in the same mind set....excited and maybe a little nervous. I am just so happy that we are going to accomplish this goal together.

And I think that's it. Hopefully, we'll figure out what's wrong with my netbook and I'll have some pictures next time.

Say Cheeeeeese!

2010-05-02T21:14:00.002-04:00

This is my new toy. Actually, its our new toy...but it's my birthday present. We picked it up on Saturday night. I have taken appromitely 83,526 practice pictures. I can't wait to learn more about our new nifty camera. This little gem will capture a lifetime of memories and I am SO EXCITED!

So Long Insecurity!

2010-04-27T20:07:00.004-04:00

This past Saturday I met up with some sweet girlfriends and we all went to see Beth Moore at FBC Woodstock. I have been trying to get through the book for a few months, but I'll be honest...I've struggled with 'putting on my new self.' I learned this past Saturday that I'm being silly and I've been holding on to my pride. I still haven't finished the book yet, but I WILL FINISH THE BOOK. If I know you in real life I have probably thought about you at least once since I've been reading this book (seriously, Mom, Amanda, Ashley, are you reading this? You can borrow my book once I'm finished) and it's not a bad thing at all. I just want to share with the people I love how to deal with some of the same things I'm struggling with too :)

I am in the midst of reading the book and I wanted to note a few things that I have been able to relate to, in one way or another.

Insecurity can make you act like an idiot in female relationships. Is it horrible that I've been so insecure that I've been afraid to introduce two girl friends because I was afraid that they would like hanging out with each other more than they would like to hang out with me? Geez, just typing this I sound like a high schooler. Ugh, so embarrassing.

Insecurity can make a Mom to be overcontrolling or just generally out of control. I'd like to tweek this to say Wife, since I'm not a Mom yet. There have been so many times that I have been so insecure while Mike was out of town for work. I've had those crazy, "I'm not with him, I can't control what he's doing or who he's talking to or who he's looking at." Clearly, this is NOT Mike's problem. This is a Michelle problem. Again, as I am typing this out, I feel like an idiot.

Insecurity can turn a gifted person into the competition. Hello, old job. The way I was 'evaluated' at my last job was based on how you 'stack up' to your peers. Talk about being competitive...every one is busting their butt to get "exceeds". I often felt like I couldn't or shouldn't ask for help because I didn't want the 'gifted' one to know I didn't know the answer.

Insecurity weighs heavily in weight issues. Not so much the weight issue for me, but I have definitely struggled with being comfortable in my own skin. I'm going to try to let that all go and BUY that running skirt even if I don't have 'runner legs'...yet. ;)

Insecurity can talk us into doing things we don't even want to do. Hello, high school and college days. I think everyone falls to peer pressure at some point in their life. Heck, there are a lot of things I've done in my life that I'm not necessarily proud of, but I think everyone has. So, its time for me to let those things go too.

Insecurity can make us give an entirely wrong impression. Wow. This one is absolutely me. I'm a shy person. Reserved. And I've been told more than once that this tends to send out 'snobby' vibes. I'm making an effort to be more out going and to not be so shy. In fact, I really came out of my comfort zone at Beth Moore when I ran into a bunch of blog friends (strangers) and I hugged their neck and introduced myself. That is definitely NOT me. And, I'm armed with the proof:

I'd just like to add that I was NOT having a great hair day because it was rainy and humid and gross outside...but....back to letting go of those pesky insecurities!

And from Chapter 8...Insecurity can roar it's ugly head when....

Your boss calls you into their office to speak to you.
Somebody give a presentation in class right before yours...and it's fabulous.
You met someone you really admire and said something stupid.
You have a new haircut. And it's hideous. (Oh yes, I've had a bad hair cut - I wrote about it here)
Your husband's on a business trip, and you can't get ahold of him. (see 2nd bullet point above)
You poured your heart to someone and they didn't get it.

I hope to add to my 'favorites' after I finish the book. But until then, please be patient with me. I'm a work in progess. And, I'm on nobody's time, but HIS time. :)

Unexpected Attack!

2010-04-12T19:38:00.002-04:00

I have a blackberry. Every time I send or receive an email - it comes to my blackberry. Sometimes, its nice and other times, not so nice. This afternoon - around 5pm my phone lit up with 80 emails. All 80 of these emails were a copy of a sent email being sent from my email account. Not only was someone/something sending emails to EVERY person I have EVER emailed...they were sorely inappropriate emails. Things regarding erectile dysfunction, sex positions, and all kinds of embarrassing things. GRREEEEEEAT.

If you know me - then you know that this is absolutely NOT anything that I would ever do. Therefore, I am completely embarrassed by the fact that my family and friends got these crazy and offensive emails from me. So...if you received one of those emails....please delete it and don't click on any of the links.

Fortunately, I was aware of what was happening almost immediately because my phone notified me - however, if I didn't have this I probably never would have known. So, I guess the annoying flashing red light on the blackberry was a good thing today at 5pm. I also quickly learned that a friend had the same exact thing happen to her around the same time today. So...if you have a gmail account you might want to check the sent box just to make sure you weren't a victim too.

Until next time - I'll be changing every.single.password to everything.

I am an R-Tee-st

2010-04-08T20:04:00.006-04:00

Monday night I met Mauri for a fun girls night at Sips N Strokes. I was VERY nervous about going because I can NOT draw anything other than a stick figure and snoopy laying on his dog house (my Dad taught me how to draw Snoopy when I was young and I guess it just stuck with me). But, after I started mixing up colors I had soooooooooo much fun! I definitely will be going back. Here are a few pictures from our fun night....

This is the original picture.

I asked Mauri if I could paint a mustache on her face and she said yes. So, I thought I should practice...we got carried away and ended up painting this guy on the table. (And, no, I never did paint facial hair on Mauri)

So - what do you think? I think we did pretty darn good! It was a great night. Great friend. Great wine. Lots of laughs. Lots of smiles. And two alright pictures. I can't wait to do it all over again!

Rewind to Easter

2010-04-08T19:51:00.003-04:00

I started a post earlier this week so just pretend that this is coming errr...a few days ago.

This Easter was the first holiday we have spent as our little family of two. I'll admit, it was kinda nice to just do a holiday on our own. Most holidays we are in the car traveling from house to house.

We decided to go to the EARLY Easter Mass. You know, the time when only the grey hairs are up. Mass started at 7:15 and we were in the car headed home by 8:15. We had the whole day left! So, we came home and changed and then we went our separate ways. I took off to the park for a run and Mike headed to the driving range to hit some golf balls. We met back at the house and did our Easter brunch. We had Belgian waffles, Paula Dean's hashbrown casserole, bacon and scrambled eggs! It wasn't a traditional Easter lunch...but it was our lunch. It was perfect. AND, we ate at our new dining room table!

I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Single Lady Life

2010-03-28T14:03:00.003-04:00

I have been a lady of leisure this weekend, and it has been such a treat. Mike headed off to "Man's Weekend" on Friday so I got in some good 'me' time these past few days.

Friday after work, I headed over to Wal-Mart and picked up these three movies.

And this book.

On my way home, I called and ordered a LARGE cheese pizza.

Saturday morning, I had my first 'date' with a new friend. I got in a 4 mile run with Rebecca and little Zoe Jane. We have so much in common and we just talked and talked and talked. It was so much fun. I really look forward to more dates with these sweet girls. I'm sure we will grow to be great friends.

After my morning date, I came home and finished our taxes. I am REALLY looking forward to that return hitting our checking account.

I did some laundry and then headed out to pick up a paper to clip my coupons for the week. I figured it would be nice to get the grocery shopping out of the way so I went ahead and did that too. By the way...Publix had a TON of by one get one free sales. I think we are set for mayo for the next 4 months. I saved over $30 this week by shopping their items on sale and using coupons.

I ended my day by coming home and watching New Moon and eating pizza.

Today I've done a little more laundry, researched Mexico vacations and ate more pizza. My large pizza is officially gone.

I've enjoyed my relaxing weekend and I might be looking forward to the next "Man's Weekend".

New Stuff

2010-03-22T22:10:00.002-04:00

I'm a terrible blogger. I don't update as often as I should.

I really try to update with pictures...because sometimes I think words are just too boring. But then, my pictures are too blah, so then I just don't update.

I've promised a few people some pictures of our new furniture. We recently got new bedroom furniture AND new dining room furniture. But, like I said, my pictures just aren't very good...maybe I'll see if Brittney can come visit and snap a few pics with her nifty camera. Speaking of...a nifty camera - I'm going to get one. I'm sure it will take amazing pictures which will in turn make me blog more often. :)

Let's see...so much has happened since March 7th. We got furniture --- I just covered that. I ran the Silver Comet 10K --- I did alright I guess. And just this past weekend we visited our friends down in Statesboro, a welcome home gathering for Bryan (he's been in Taliban land for the past year).

Oh yeah - and today after work I went by Fleet Feet and picked up some inserts for my running shoes. I'm hoping they can help me overcome my killer shin splints I've been getting the past few long runs. I hope I get to test them out tomorrow with Rebecca.

Now, it's Monday night and I'm exhausted. So, that's all for now.

Last Saturday

2010-03-07T20:32:00.004-05:00

I'm a week behind in posting about my trip with Lisa to go visit our good friend Brittney. I met up with Lisa early on Saturday morning with Starbucks in hand and giddy with excitement. You see, I used to see these girls on a daily basis (we used to all work together)...we would talk about our weekends, complain about things, laugh, get advice and a slew of other things - so you can imagine how exciting it is to get together with good girlfriends that you rarely get to see.

During our day trip, we also got to go visit Amy and see little miss McCoy Kate, who was just a doll! She was just precious. I didn't get any pictures because I was too busy either holding the baby or waiting for another opportunity to come up so that I could hold her again (I wouldn't want a silly camera getting in the way of that!). Anyways, the rest of our day was spent having lunch, catching up, and a little shopping. Towards the end of the day we took turns getting big hugs from sweet Myles (B's stepson). :)

It was a perfect day. We laughed and smiled - A LOT - and I can't wait for the next girls trip! These are two of my favorite good girlfriends! :)

Lent and Personal Record

2010-02-22T20:45:00.002-05:00

This past Wednesday, we attended Mass. It was my first Ash Wednesday - which I guess is kind of weird...but just being honest, I never felt comfortable enough to go and part take in mass on that day. In the past years I have always 'participated' in Lent --- as in I would 'give up' something, but that was about it. I still ate meat on Friday's and I didn't pray any more than usual. But, this year I am really trying to follow the 'rules' a little more. I gave up using the elevator at work and listening to the Bert Show (it's a local morning show on the radio that I listen to EVERY day). So far, I haven't taken the elevator or listened to Q100 on my way in to work.

AND...for setting a personal record. This past Saturday we went to the park by our house to go for a run. I ran 6 miles in 65 minutes - which is a new personal record. I know it's not even half of my goal (half-marathon) but I feel like I'm making progress and I was very proud of myself! I'm hoping to run the Silver Comet 10K in a few weeks to get my official Peachtree Qualifer time. I'm hoping that my bruised ankle and cramped calf are all better by then. I've enjoyed the runs I've gotten outside and I'm really looking forward to the Missoula Half Marathon!!!!! Here's to hoping for more nice spring weather on the weekends!

Escaped Zebra

2010-02-18T17:32:00.002-05:00

This afternoon, one of my coworkers stopped by my desk with some 'breaking news.' There was a zebra (yes - a real life zebra) galavanting around downtown Atlanta this afternoon. The Barnum and Bailey Circus is in town and apparently, someone left the door (and a cage) open and the zebra darted. The AJC reported that he was spotted in a parking lot near the Sam Nun Federal Building, CNN, Centennial Olympic Park, was seen running westbound on Alabama street near Five Points Marta Station and even made its way to the downtown connector and was galloping between lanes of traffic.

Now, I am really intrigued by the fact that this animal was able to find its way to the connector. I mean, I'm not 100% sure that my husband could find his way to the connector from downtown (no offense, hubby). But somehow, this zeb-bra did.

I can't even imagine what I would think if I saw a real life zebra running along side my car - on the connector. I'd probably start looking for hidden cameras. In fact, when I heard that the zebra was on the connector, I went right over to the Georgia Navigator website and started looking at the live camera shots and low and behold --- a zebra. (picture courtesy of the Georgia Navigator website)

I was laughing all the way home --- but that's because I wasn't headed down the connector. If this zebra had of been on 285 or Peachtree Industrial, I'm pretty sure I would have been livid.

Oh well, nice try zebra. I hope you enjoyed your run around town. I just wish tax dollars weren't being spent to have APD chase around Africa animals.

THE Donation Monday

2010-02-15T20:52:00.003-05:00

If you are a Georgia fan, then you know that today is the deadline to make a donation to the William C. Hartman Jr. Fund --- aka the pass to the almighty football tickets. This is our first year making a donation. It makes me a little nervous to think that we just plopped down SEVERAL hundred dollars as a donation just so that we MIGHT be able to buy 2010 season tickets. Since this is our first year donating - we will probably not get them. But, at least we can write off 80%.

I guess new tires for the Civic will be pushed back to a March expense......

Valentine's Day Recap

2010-02-14T21:06:00.009-05:00

Friday around lunch time it started snowing. I didn't really think much of the snow because the high for Saturday was 40. Well, at 2:30 the office cleared out. I stuck around til 3:30 so that the rush of traffic would hopefully be over. I was wrong. I didn't get home until 6:30. Yes - that's correct. I left work early and still had a THREE hour commute. Ugh. Needless to say we didn't make it out to Athens to the Gymdogs meet. We spent Friday night hanging out and just vegged out. This is a picture of our neighborhood as I was pulling in at 6:30.

And, this is what our house looked like at 10-ish on Saturday.

Once we battled the sheet of ice on our driveway, we headed down to Atlanta to begin our Valentine's 'staycation'. We checked in at the Westin in Buckhead and then headed to the World of Coke.

At the end of the tour, we got to taste Coke products from around the world. Some were good. And, some were nasty. As we were on our way out there was a "have a coke on us" --- so we got two cokes in glass bottles. Which, I think is the best way to have a coke. In a COLD glass bottle.

Mike surprised me with reservations at the Atlanta Fish Market for dinner. It was amazing! We split the Crab Chowder and an order of Oyster sampler as an appetizer and then I got the Parmsean Crusted Salmon. Every bite was better than the one before. We decided that we would grab dessert somewhere else and randomly ended up at Prime in Lenox Mall. It was probably the most un-romantic setting. They sat us at a high top table overlooking the escalator. Super.

This morning we walked over to Dantanas and Mike had a bloody mary (they are known for having a good Bloody Mary bar) and then we decided that we wanted some really good breakfast food. So, we headed on over to Highland Bakery. We split the French Toast and it was soooooooooooo good. It was definitely worth the hour wait.

This afternoon, we make a quick trip up to the outlet mall and picked up a few things. I got some new shirts from Gap and Mikey got some new running shoes.

We are finishing up our night watching The Hangover and having our Coke's.

It was a great, relaxing weekend. I have the best Valentine. :)

Short on Time

2010-02-10T21:09:00.003-05:00

Almost every morning I tell myself "Michelle - update your blog tonight" but it never seems to happen. So, I just thought I'd put it out there that I have been a terrible blogger...and I really want to get better.

There are a few things that deserve their own posts - but I can at least summarize them here, right?

I have made some progress with my 2010 goals. I already ran 1 5k. I've been trying to keep a log of how many miles I run each day and as of yesterday I have completed 77 miles this year. I can tell my body is becoming more conditioned because I can run further without walking and when I slow down - I am able to catch my breath must faster.
I have completed my first book of 2010 (only 8 more to go!). I read Same Kind of Different as Me. It was really good. It's such a good book that I already gave it to another friend to read. I hope she likes it just as much as I did. If you are interested in borrowing it, let me know! I'm happy to share! :) I'm still working on Praise Habit...but my next book will probably be So Long, Insecurities. Which leads me to my next point....
I am EXCITED to say that I have a ticket to see Beth Moore in April. I am very EXCITED about this. :) I am supposed to post an EXCITED picture but Mike told me I was acting weird...so I didn't get a good picture.
AND...yesterday I got a letter in the mail. Not just any letter. A letter from a little 8 year old boy. He told me what his favorite color was (blue). He told me his favorite things to do (play with little cars). He told me that his eye color (light brown). And he drew me a picture. If you guessed that the letter came from Yefri; you're right. It was by far the highlight of my day. I have displayed his drawing proudly on my fridge. :)

I guess those are the things that I've really wanted to blog about. Hopefully, I will get in a post on Sunday to document our Valentines Day adventure.

I've just been 'threatened' that I'm going to be left by myself downstairs...which I hate. So, I guess that's all for now.

Happy Wednesday!

The Realization of Age

2010-01-20T20:25:00.003-05:00

I am not a morning person. I usually hit the snooze button 3-4 times every single morning. I shuffle my feet to the bathroom, squeeze my eyes real tight and flip on the light switch. Turn the shower on to get the hot water a flowin and then check the scale to see if I've lost any lb's.

But, this morning - the schedule was mixed up. And usually, I don't do well with changes in my daily routine. But this morning, Mike got up first and I got to sleep in an extra 15 minutes. This made me happy.

I'm not sure what triggered my thoughts on age this morning - maybe it was that extra 15 minutes of shut eye - but I started thinking of numbers. I'm 25 going on 26. Does that mean I'm an adult now? Sometimes I forget that. I have a college degree. I'm married. I have a house. I work full time. And, I deal with HOA issues. Yep, I'm pretty sure that means that I'm 'old and responsible' now. But, like I said - sometimes I forget that.

Sometimes, I forget that I've been out of high school for 8 years. In fact, it wasn't until last night that it really hit me that my sister will soon be graduating from high school too. I remember riding to the hospital to meet my new baby sister back in 1992. It seems like forever ago and yet it seems like it was yesterday.

A lot of my friends are married. And, a few of them have kids. At first, my thought was "Oh my gosh! That's awesome!" and then maybe a for a split second I would think to myself "Geez! But we're so young!" And that's when I started piecing together that I'm not as 'young' as I thought. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying at 25 is old - but it is certainly a mile marker. When my Mom was my age, she had a 2 year old (me). I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only person who has ever compared my time line to their parent's time line (or their friends' for that matter). One of my best friends has always 'obsessed' over age - and I always reminded her that it's JUST a number. Not a big deal at all. Don't dread birthdays - celebrate them. But, this morning - just for a split second I think I felt that feeling. The oh my gosh! I'M ALMOST 26!?!?!?!?!

And then I realized that there are much bigger problems to worry about in the world. So many people in Haiti will never make it to 25. Some will not make it to tomorrow. And that, put everything back into perspective.

Does anyone else have to remind themselves of their age? Sometimes, I wonder if I will still feel this way when I'm 50.

Sip & See

2010-01-05T21:27:00.004-05:00

Here are just a few pictures from Nat's Sip & See.

Another Day - Another Bird

2010-01-05T21:06:00.004-05:00

Last year I had some issues with birds building their nest's on my front porch. It as though my bird troubles are not too far gone.

The other day I was driving home from the gym and I hit two birds. I felt so bad but then told myself, "Michelle, it's OK. Maybe they were going for a Romeo and Juliet exit." I also thought it was a little strange that I didn't see any feathers fly up. Anyways, by the time I got home I had already forgotten about the incident.

The story then progresses to Monday. I get in my car. I drive to work. I back into my parking spot at work. Then...as I am walking to my car at the end of the day, I see something in the grill of Patty (Patty is a Pilot). I get a little closer and then I realize...It's the bird from the other day! I have been driving around with a DEAD bird in the front of my car. Here are a few pictures for proof.

So I call Mike and I am laughing hysterically at this point...because this is such a typical thing to happen to me. Mike had to pull the poor birdie out of my car with a Target bag. I realize this is not a very good picture but he was NOT being very patient and had zero interest in waiting for me to get the perfect picture for my blog. Given that it was in the 20's that night, I guess I don't blame him. But next time.......just kidding. I hope there isn't a next time.

I hope I don't have any other bird issues in 2010, although I have a feeling that won't be the case.

2010 Goals

2010-01-01T18:05:00.000-05:00

Below are a list of things that I would like to accomplish in the year of 2010. I hope to re-visit this post at the end of the year to see if I've actually accomplished them.

Get new bedroom furniture

Get new dining room furniture

Have a party with all our friends over (since no one has been to our house because it's been empty! I've been too embarrassed to have people over only to have them stand to watch TV). Or at least a few get togethers.

Get Mike a new car

Visit Montana (I've several years delinquent on this one)

Run 6 5k's

Run 2 10k's

Run the Missoula Half Marathon with Natalie

Visit Glacier National Park

Start saving for a hypothetical child (because my friend's are having babies and I'm learning real quick those babies are NOT cheap!)

Start using coupons more often

Take at least 2 long weekend vacations with the hubby

Eat less Happy Meals

Put crown moulding in our house

Read 9 books

Take the GMAT

Apply to Grad School

I think that is a pretty challenging list, not to mention it just sounds expensive. Maybe I should add one more.

Win the lottery

2009 - Recap

2009-12-30T20:10:00.003-05:00

Well, tomorrow we leave and head off to good ol' Macon. We are spending our New Year's Eve with some great friends that live down there. With that being said, I most likely won't get to do a blog post so here it is (I'm pretty sure there is a way to schedule a post to publish at a date in the future, but I don't know how to do that).

I want to note a few things (mostly random) that happened in 2009 that I will most likely forget one day. I'm hoping that this will allow us to look back and see how our lives have changed.

January: Ringing in 2009 at Tommy's lake house. Attending various Gym Dog meets.

February: Valentine's Day at Wildfire. Started my blog!

March: I got glasses...a sign of aging. ugh. Long weekend in Asheville and saw the Jeff Dunham show.

April: Mike sold his car - one car payment gone. Woo Hoo!

May: Mauri's bachelorette party weekend in Florida. Mauri's wedding. Meredith's wedding. Visiting family in Florida. (May was by far our busiest month this year)

June: Mike/Jess's wedding. Recovering from all the traveling mentioned from May.

July: Peachtree Road Race. Got new furniture for our living room.

August: Nothing comes to mind except a lot of work. It was year end at my old job.

September: Georgia football. Started a new job.

October: Celebrated one year of marriage. Vacationed in San Francisco. Brittney's wedding.

November: Paid my car off - no more car payments for our house!

December: Tacky sweater Christmas party at Ashley's. Got a new TV for the living room. Natalie, Josh and Madalyn visiting for almost the whole month!

Cheers to 2009! It was a great year but I'm looking forward to 2010!

I'm planning to do another post for my 2010 goals...just to make them public. Because, lets face it, if I don't make them public then I will slack and another year will go by and I won't have accomplished anything.

Packing up Christmas

2009-12-28T20:08:00.003-05:00

Well, I have officially packed up Christmas. It makes me sad to think that I won't be able to sit on the sofa and read by the Christmas tree lights. I loved our tree this year and I'm sad to see it go. Until we can find a place to dump our tree, I'm leaving the lights and angel on it. And the tree skirt. Everything else is boxed up. bye bye birdies. :(

But, on a happy note. I got some great ornament box organizer thingies from Bed Bath & Beyond and they are fantastic! Everything is neatly in its own little box. I'm sure I will get lots of joy out of this next year when I have to dig out all the ornaments!

AND............Gooooooo Dawgs! :-D (thank goodness Joe Cox is outta here. And Willie too. HA!)

ps - did anyone notice that kid Sanders Cummings? He was the one who sat at our table this year at the UGA Gala.

Tour de Georgia - Christmas 2009 edition

2009-12-26T17:40:00.003-05:00

I'm a day late but....MERRY CHRISTMAS! :)

It seems like yesterday that we were making our rounds for Thanksgiving. We always make it to all three houses for Christmas. I can't imagine not seeing everyone.

Like every year we started out at my Mom's house on Christmas Eve. We had delicious turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and some goood red wine. Then, after dinner, we opened gifts. We left my Mom's house around 10:30 and headed to church. Yes, that's right. We battled the AWFUL rain and wind to go to Midnight Mass. When we finally got home it was almost 1:30! I was completely zonked out!

Christmas morning came bright and early when the alarm went off at 7am. We made some coffee, loaded up the rest of the presents and headed down to the in-laws' house. We spent the morning spending some quality time with family, telling stories and laughing ALOT...because that's just what we do. :) After exchanging some gifts we said our goodbyes, doled out hugs, said "Merry Christmas" and then jumped into the car to make the 95 mile trek to Athens.

Apparently, I did not get enough sleep the previous night because I completely fell asleep in the car. Which, is something I NEVER do. My loving husband, thought it would be funny to snap a picture of me, from his camera phone. I guess I didn't know just how tired I was because it was a VERY embarrassing picture of me with my head tilted back and my mouth wide open. The kind of open where you hope there's no creepy crawly bugs around because they would surely find that warm opening and....GAG! I deleted it immediately.

We spent a few hours relaxing, visiting and a few more presents were exchanged before we jumped back into the car (again!) and came home to sleep in our bed.

So there you have it...Tour de Georgia (approximately 160 miles). It was worth every mile. Our Christmas was wonderful. :)

December Madness!

2009-12-15T21:38:00.003-05:00

Dear December,

Please slow down. You are going by too fast. I haven't had time to buy Christmas presents for my family yet; and Christmas is NEXT WEEK!

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously,
Michelle

I really hope that everyone else is behind in Christmas shopping. All of my blog friends have reported that they are finished, so I'm starting to get worried. I have no idea how this month got so packed with activities. If we're not running to a friend's Christmas party, we're going to a football banquet, or a family Christmas lunch/dinner, or I'm hosting a baby shower (which was sooo much fun) or trying to stalk my best friend who is in town and see her baby, or.....a thousand other things.

So far I've been shopping on my lunch hour...which usually leads to the following due to heavy traffic around Perimeter Mall: 20 minutes to get in my car at my office, drive, fight for a parking space and get into the mall. 10 minutes to find what I'm looking for and pay. Heaven forbid, I have to make a hard decision like "should I get her the blue one or the green one? Blue one or green one?" because I am the WORST decision maker when in a time crunch. Then it's another 30 minutes to get back to the office.

When I was young I use to think my Mom was crazy for saying "I wish there were more hours in the day" but now, I get it.

Christmas Tree(s)

2009-12-13T21:18:00.002-05:00

This year we have two trees, which is a first for us. We decided that we wanted a more 'formal' tree for our living room. It was less than 30 mins after making that decision we ended up walking out of Wal-mart with a buggy full of new ornaments, lights, angel and tree skirt. We love how it turned out.

I begged Mike for these little glittery birds. He finally gave in and said I could get four. So I quickly grabbed them before he changed his mind. I got two gold ones and two brown ones. They are my favorite part of our Christmas tree. Although, for some reason they tend to turn and face the middle of the tree....so that you can only see their feathery tails. When they do that they kind of look like squirels. :-/

I guess I should also mention that the day before we pulled out all of the Christmas decorations we had cleaned our house from top to bottom. I mean, it was spotless! The fans were cleaned. The blinds were cleaned. Everything was either windexed, dusted or thrown away. We even re-organized the hall closet. So when I started putting those lovely glittery gold sticks and glittery birds and glittery ornaments all over the tree, glitter was everywhere. I thought Mike was going to kill me. And...even though its been two whole weeks since this all went on, I still catch specks of glitter here and there.

This is our second tree. It's very Charlie Brown-ish. My Mom gave me this artifical tree when I was in college and it was perfect for an apartment. So, this year I decided that I would put the smaller tree in our foyer. I love it when you drive by houses and you can see Christmas trees in the windows or doors.

Since we got all new ornaments for the living room tree, all of our 'normal' ornaments are on the tree in the foyer. These ornamaents consist of hand-me-downs, gifts, and a few vacation ornaments. The San Francisco ornament is our newest addition. :)

I hope to snag a few smaller Christmas trees after Christmas. I really would like to get one for our Master bedroom next year...and maybe a tiny one to put in a bathroom...or maybe a kids room/nursery one day. :)

20 Questions

2009-12-08T20:14:00.003-05:00

I've seen the following 20 questions on several blogs so I figured I'd hop on the bandwagon and answer them to!

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate? Hot Chocolate...I haven't ever had eggnog. So, therefore, I do not like it. HA!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Santa wraps the presents but when I was a little girl, he left them unwrapped and ready for me to tear open.

3. Colored lights or white? White lights.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope, but I should. I love to kiss (mike that is).

5. When do you decorate for Christmas? Usually a few days after Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish, excluding dessert? Turkey. I love a good turkey. Side dish would either be mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole or mac-n-cheese.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Waking up and running to see if Santa came and then running to wake up my parents.

8. When and how, did you learn the truth about Santa? Hmmm, I don't know if it was ever really confirmed. I got a bean bag once and it had 'soot' on it from where Santa had to shove it down the fireplace. So, I'm still a believe because I KNOW my Mom didn't shove that big ole bean bag down the fireplace.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? This year is the first year that we have 2 Christmas trees. The one in our living room is a real tree and this year we decided that we would have a 'formal/decorative' tree. The color scheme is brown, bronze, gold, champagne and some glittery ones too. The smaller tree is in our foyer and is decorated with all of our other ornaments - like the ones we got as wedding gifts, places that we've visited or ones that were on last years Christmas gifts.

11. Snow. Love it or hate it? Love it. Love it. Love it.

12. Can you ice skate? I'm not sure. I've never had ice skates on my feet. But, if its anything like roller skating...that would be a big fat NO! Maybe Mike could teach me...I hear he has mad roller skating skills. ;)

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? No way. There have been a gazillion favorite gifts. You see, this is what happens when you are a spoiled child. All of your gifts are your favorite.

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you? Spending time with my family.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? My great-grandmother, Maw-maw's pound cake. It is delicious. If not that then a chocolate pie thingy my mom makes...but hasn't made in a while. (hint hint, mom)

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas Eve with my Mom's side of the family. This tradition has been going for as long as I can remember.

17. What tops your tree? An angel!

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Tis better to give than to receive!

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. I'm pretty sure that's the only one I know all the words to (that are the correct words).

20. Candy canes. Yuck or yum? Yum.

David Crowder

2009-11-22T21:03:00.016-05:00

A few weeks ago I found out that The David Crowder Band was going to be in Atlanta on their Church Music tour. I was beyond excited. I asked Mike if he wanted to go with me so I didn't have to go by myself and it took him all of half a second to say "Nope, sorry. That's the Kentucky game." Hmph. Well, I thouhgt I'd be going solo; until I asked my Mom and Amanda if they wanted to go. They had never heard of David Crowder so I convinced them that it would be a great girls night out. We went. It was awesome!

Afterwards, I was determined to find a way to get a picture with David Crowder. So, we waited and waited and then we spotted a line forming. As soon as I saw everyone in the line putting stickers on, I knew exactly what was going on. You had to have a sticker to get to the exclusive meet and greet. We didn't have stickers. :( I thought for sure that if we just lingered at the back of the line that they would let us in, even without stickers.

Well, we waited. And waited. And we were turned away. They told us that the band had already left. But we didn't buy into their trick. By this point we had been waiting in the stairwell for over an hour.

My Mom and Amanda were delirious at this point. Please note that we were the only ones in this stairwell. I just knew that it was a lost cause. I was so bummed. And then! my crazy mother says "this is nuts. we've waited all this time and all you want is a picture. you WILL get a picture!" So, she opens the door (which had been unlocked this whole time) and she disappears. Amanda and I are thinking here it comes...we are about to get kicked out of church.

But guess what! It worked! I got to meet the band. I talked to them. I shook their hands. I told them that I loved their music. And then I got my picture! I don't think I've stopped smiling ever since. For the rest of the night I kept thinking "Oh my gosh! I can't believe I met David Crowder!" They were SO nice. I LOVE them!

After I skipped to the car saying "I can't believe I got a picture! I met David Crowder! I can't believe I got a picture! I met David Crowder!" we went to Felini's and pigged out on some pizza.

It was a very exciting day. I won't ever forget it. And...I have the best Mom ever. I can't believe she did that just so that I could get a picture with my favorite band.

I still can't believe I got a picture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAHHHH! :)

New Moon

2009-11-22T20:55:00.003-05:00

On Thursday night I met up with Lisa, Lauren and Judith for dinner and the midnight viewing of New Moon. Call me a dork...but it was totally worth the 2.5 hours of sleep I got that night. I didn't get very many pictures because my battery died. :(

I hear that Eclipse comes out June 30th. Girls...are you in for another midnight movie this summer? I can't wait. I'm already giddy excited.

lazy day

2009-11-15T20:22:00.002-05:00

I've been on a cooking kick here lately. The past month we have only eaten out once a week (as in Monday - Thursday Michelle was cooking). We have gotten into the routine of grocery shopping on Sundays. It's our thing. Every Sunday I pull out my cookbooks, magazines and search blogs for good recipes; then, we vote on the recipes I have selected.

Well, yesterday I came across a french toast casserole recipe. I thought it would be great to try it out for our Sunday breakfast. So, this morning we popped it into the oven but it ended up being a disaster. I used the wrong size pan so it didn't cook evenly. Bummer. Maybe I'll try it again another weekend and follow the directions.

After breakfast we sat down and re-evaluated our finances. Around noon Mike ended up having to leave to go play golf (he lives a hard life I tell you) and I plopped down in the chair and started watching tv. When Mike came back home he realized that I had not moved. Not.one.single.inch. I have not showered. I have not brushed my teeth. And, I am still in my pajamas. We are not going to Publix. Instead, we are eating popcorn for supper.

Everyone deserves to have a lazy day every once in a while, right?

I love my life. Life is so good. :)

Yefri

2009-11-12T21:04:00.003-05:00

For a few months now, Mike and I have been talking about sponsoring a child. We really wanted to get in the habit of giving and we both agreed that we'd like to give to a child. We decided to go through Compassion. This week Kelly has been in El Salvador with Compassion and it has really pulled on my heart strings. So, tonight, we did it. We sponsored Yefri. He is 8 years old and is in Honduras. My heart is full of joy right now. With $38 a month Yefri will receive medical check ups, school supplies, school uniforms, he will get to experience birthday celebrations, play sports and learn about Jesus. We chose to sponsor Yefri because he has been waiting for over 6 months for a sponsor and he is speech impaired. I can only hope that by being Yefri's sponsor we will be making a difference in this sweet boy's life. I can't wait to get our packet and send our first letter to Yefri.

New Bank Fees

2009-10-21T19:13:00.002-04:00

This morning I heard on the radio that there are going to be some new bank fees coming out next year. Are you ready for this? The new bank fees are for paying off your credit card balance in full every month. I was floored. Speechless. I just googled it and I found it on USA Today (which some people might think is a lame source --- but a confirmation none the less). I can not express in words how mad this makes me.

Apparently, Bank of America is going to start charging their customers somewhere between $29-$99 a month if you pay your credit card bill in full every month. And CitiGroup (who I have always heard should be avoided like the plague) is going to take it a step further and is supposedly requiring that you put a minimum amount on your credit card (either on a monthly basis or yearly basis -- I can't remember) AND slap you with a fee if you pay it in full. With as many laws and regulations we have in this amazing country, how is this not illegal?

So, let me get this right. I'm going to get charged for paying my bills? This is the most absurd thing I have ever heard in my life. If this is the truth ---Bank of America and CitiGroup --- you're stupid.

A no picture weekend recap

2009-10-19T21:11:00.003-04:00

Weekend recaps seem to be my most common recurring update. I guess it's because I don't really get a chance to update much during the week. But before I get into rambling I guess I'll document what we did this past weekend....

Friday night we had a date night. We went to the Cheesecake Factory and split some nachos, sipped some Sangria and shared a piece of peanut butter cup ripple (or something like that) cheesecake. It was awesome...and worth every calorie. HA!

Saturday morning we met up with our friend Scott and Whitney at the outlet mall. Went into a couple of stores and then we all went to the Dahlonega Gold Rush Festival. It was rainy so it wasn't the greatest of weather but we were in good company. We met up with Ashley and her parents. I had a footlong corndog, a hot chocolate and half of a funnel cake. I figured I blew my diet the night before so why hold back on the funnel cake. :) Saturday night Ashley, Whitney and Scott all came back to our house for dinner. It was an impromtu occasion, but those are always my favorite. I was determined to make Taco Soup (because I had bought all the stuff for it earlier that week) so I made the soup and everyone else grilled something. The taco soup turned out pretty yummy. It's kind of like a chili...but with taco seasoning. It was very good!

Sunday was a pseudo lazy day. Mike went to play golf and I slept in. Around noon time I decided I had better get up and do something productive, so I cleaned our bathroom and did some laundry. I had an urge to bake a cake, so I made a Butterfinger Cake. It is DELICIOUS! I got it from Kelly's Korner Recipe Blog and I would definitely recommend trying it out sometime. It sure is tasty! We ended our Sunday with a piece of cake and a decaf Irish coffee (we used the Buena Vista recipe).

I love the weekends!

Better Late Than Never

2009-10-19T20:52:00.009-04:00

I had every intention of posting these pictures the day after Brittney's wedding, but I'm just now getting around to it.

Here comes the Bride....

I asked Mike if he wanted to dance. This was his response...he wasn't feeling well. :( Despite this picture, he did have fun. ;)

Lisa and I with our cool shades.

Cheese!

Lisa, Brittney and I.

It was a beautiful wedding and we had lots of fun! Thanks for having us!

Great Day

2009-10-14T21:28:00.004-04:00

Today was a great day because of two things:

1. I definitely thought today was Tuesday, until a co-worker reminded me that today is actually Wednesday. I felt like I was on top of the world when I heard that. :)

AND 2. Because today is Pam's birthday. I'm not sure when we will get to celebrate together but I hope it's soon. After searching through my pictures for pictures, I realized that i need more "just because pictures"; most of the pictures I have are from the wedding.

Anyways....Happy Birthday Pam! Can't wait to celebrate! Love you!

San Francisco Day 6

2009-10-11T17:16:00.002-04:00

Day 6 was spent traveling home. The flight was fine with the exception of a 30 minute period somewhere around Oklahoma. We hit some bad turbulence. It was during this time that we discovered that there was a passenger on our flight that does NOT like turbulence. Some poor kid would scream bloody murder every time the plane bounced around. If it was a little pocket he would whimper and if it was a big pocket he would wail.

We were happy to offically be in Georiga, happy to ride nice clean Marta back to our car, and even more happy to stop by Burger King and eat dinner for $5 (for both of us).

There's nothing better than walking into your home and taking a deep breath, inhaling that 'my home' smell. I love to travel, but I think the best part is coming home and sleeping in your own bed.

San Francisco Day 5

2009-10-11T15:31:00.028-04:00

We started out our day by eating breakfast as Sears Fine Food. They are famous for their silver dollar pancakes...so, that's exactly what we got (there were 18 pancakes).

After breakfast we hoped on a cable car and rode down to Ghirardelli Square. We walked around, checked out some little shops, and sampled some chocolate (the Ghirardelli Peanut Butter squares are sooo good!).

After our chocolate fix, we hailed a cab and headed to North Beach. The North Beach area/neighborhood is the San Francisco's "Little Italy." I pulled our my handy dandy Frommer's book and we did a self guided tour. We weren't as impressed with this self guided tour as it was more of a historical tour (look at this building on the right...it survived the fire of 1906.....check out the lobby of this building - it also survived the fire of 1906, etc.) and it also took us through the seedy strip club area. When we'd had enough of the history lesson we decided to have lunch at Calzones. We sat on the sidewalk and shared some garlic french fries and Italian pot stickers. It was delightful.

After lunch we traveled by foot to Washington Square - it's a park in front of the Saints Peter and Paul Church. One cool fact that we learned was that this is where Joe DiMaggio married his first wife and then later he came here with wifey Marilyn Monroe to take wedding pictures (they got married at City Hall because he'd been divorced). It was a beautiful church.

After visiting the church, we hoofed it up this STEEP hill. This is the picture from the bottom.

And this is a picture from the top of the hill. I guess I worked off my pancakes and chocolate. :)

At the top of the hill was Telegraph Hill. This is where the famed Coit Tower is. We payed $5 each to ride up in a tiny elevator to see a 360 view of San Francisco. We were up there all of 4 minutes. I probably wouldn't recommend doing this unless you just HAVE to snap a few pictures from that high up.

After visiting the Coit Tower, we decided that we really could go for an Irish Coffee. Frommer's recommended visiting The Buena Vista Cafe. This place was AWESOME. If nothing else, plan a trip to SF just for a Buena Vista Irish Coffee. It was perfect timing because the fog was just rolling in (can you spot the Golden Gate Bridge?).

The first sip warmed us right up. We got the recipe and we plan on trying to make our own at home.

After we finished our coffee's - we were standing outside trying to decide what to do next. I was feeling artsy and took this picture. I think it's neat because I look skinny. HA! Can you see the cable car?

We decided that we would take part in the Celler 360's Wine 101 class. It's basically, just a free wine tasting. We tried ALL of these wines.

Not really, we tasted 4 wines. This was us at the end of the class.

After the wine class, we were craving some sushi, so we headed over to Sanraku. This was another Frommer's suggestion and we thought it was just OK. It was considered to be an inexpensive place...but it was probably equivalent to the most we've ever paid for sushi in Atlanta (and not nearly as good). While we were waiting for a table, Mike spotted a man wearing a badge that said "All Access". Mike asked the man, who he caddied for and he said "Geoff Ogilvy...how'd you know I'm a caddy?" Mike then pointed to the man's badge. It just so happened that The President's Cup (a golf tournament) was taking place in San Francisco and Geoff Ogilvy's caddie was eating at the same place as us. The next day we saw the same man on TV, standing just a few feet from Tiger Woods. Pretty neat, huh?

San Francisco Day 4

2009-10-10T16:15:00.015-04:00

Day 4 consisted of renting a car to drive down the coast to Monterey. This was our first picture of the day...can you tell I'm super excited?

This was our sweet ride. :) We loved it. It was small but rest be assured that this car can scoot!

Our first adventure before finding our way to the coast was to drive down Lombard Street (the crookedest street in America). It was a total tourist trap, but it was fun. Too bad the picture doesn't show how crooked it really is.

Finally made it to the coast!
Pictures along the way...

This is Cannery Row in Monterey. We stopped and ate at The Fish Hopper. They were giving out samples of Clam Chowder and it was amazing. I would definitely recommend making a stop here if you're ever in the Monterey area.

We had planned on going into the Monterey Bay Aquarium but when we saw the price ($30 each); we changed our mind. So, we decided to hop back in the Mini Cooper and scoot on down to Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea was a wonderful little town. The houses were so cute and there were lots of little boutiques and shops to browse.

Recognize this golf course? Yep, that's Pebble Beach.

Hanging out on the beach.

The water was freezing!

Before turning in my most favorite car ever....we zipped into a small parking space so I could hop out and snap this picture. Unfornuately, John Stamos was not sitting out having a picnic. ;) But the skyline and the "Painted Ladies" were beautiful right at sunset.

Day 4 was a great day. :)

San Francisco Day 3

2009-10-09T23:27:00.010-04:00

So, I got a little distracted --- you know by all the wine tastings. Anyways, here is day 3.

Day 3 was spent out in the wine country. If you're ever looking for a good recommendation check out Wine Country Limos. They provided snacks (cheese and fruit) along with juice and water and they also provided a lunch for us. In addition, we had great company (only 3 other couples).

Our morning started out by making a stop at Vista Point and then a quick ride through Sausalito. Good Morning Golden Gate Bridge!

Our first stop was the Jacuzzi Family Vineyard in Sonoma. This was probably our most favorite place. The wine's were exceptional --- we even bought a bottle (2007 Nero D'Avola) and it's being shipped home. Can't wait for it to get here and to pour a glass with a nice juicy steak. We also did an olive oil tasting and we bought a bottle of that too (The Olive Press Basil Parmesan Dipping Oil).

Our second stop was the Roche Carneros Estate Winery in Sonoma. I really liked the atmosphere of this one. It almost had a dude ranch feel --- I wish I had taken pictures, but I forgot. We tasted two wines outside at a picnic table and then went inside to taste two more. It was here that we were able to do a barrel tasting, which was very exciting. We bought a bottle of wine from here too (2007 Carneros Estate Chardonnay). After we finished the wine tastings we walked down a few doors into a cheese deli and sampled a bunch of cheese. They were soooo good! But, I'm a little biased...I LOVE cheese. Always have.

Our third stop was the Madonna Estate in Napa. We thought that the wine here was just OK -- not loving it enough to pay for shipping. After we finished the wine tasting we went outside and our limo bus driver had a nice picnic lunch set up for us. Here we are all enjoying our lunch in the sunshine:

The couple in the front on the right were from San Antonio (Roxanne and Allen), the couple in the back on the right were from Michigan (Marge and Eugene), and the couple in the front on the left (Madelyn and Sean) were from Ireland. Sean was a witty man --- when I asked him if it was true if the first year of marriage is the hardest, he grinned and in his Irish accent said, "Oh no, it's the next 45 years." And when we were all introducing ourselves, Sean said "Sean, you know, like Sean Connery" with a wink.

Our last stop was the Hagafen Winery in Napa. We also thought that these wines were just OK, however, the White House seems to think they are much better than just OK. Hagafen Wines have been served in the White House since Reagan was in office. And have been included with dinners when the Prime Minister of Israel visits (Hagafen is a Jewish winery). I didn't get any good pictures here either.

In summary, we are big fans of Sonoma wines. They made us oooh and aaah. The reds had a ton of flavor. Big, bold, and little spicy. The whites were smooth and will be wonderful with a pork dish or great just because glass. And while we thought the Napa wines were just OK...it might of had something to do with the fact that we had those after several tastings --- so maybe our taste buds were just a little tipsy. ;) Given the opportunity to do it again...I'd hope on that bus anytime.

San Francisco Day 2

2009-10-06T00:35:00.015-04:00

I should have mentioned in my last post that I have been walking around with the ultimate tourist flag - a Frommer's San Francisco book. It has been the best thing for this trip, I LOVE this book. It's equipped with suggested places to eat, self guided walking tours, neat little shops down little ally ways and all kinds of secret things that we would have never found.

But anyways, on with our second day.....

Day 2 started out with breakfast and then a stop at Starbucks. Using our handy dandy Frommer's guide book, we did the self guided walking tour through Chinatown. It was very cool.

The entrance to Chinatown

Hey! We have the same hair cut! Can you find my Frommer's book?

One of the stops in our self guided walking tour was at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company. This little jewel was down a little alley way and had 3 little Chinese ladies sitting at conveyor belts, folding messages into warm cookies.

The nice Chinese man gave me a free fortune cookie. :) My fortune said "Treat yourself to a good book for a needed rest and escape."

After we completed our self guided tour, we hopped on a cable car, which was packed! Here we are hanging on for dear life on the back of the cable car.

Our next stop was Alcatraz. Mike took this picture from the ferry.

After Alcatraz we walked down to Pier 39. We heard a lot of racket at the end of the pier so we walked down to check it out and we found these stinky fellas. There were several hundred sea lions. Big ones, small ones, sleeping ones --- but they all stunk like the high heavens! Pew-wee!

Our next stop was Fisherman's Wharf. We had dinner at Scoma's and then took a cab back to our hotel and crashed.

It was a looong day. But a lot of fun!

San Francisco Day 1

2009-10-05T00:52:00.006-04:00

Well, there wasn't much to San Francisco Day 1 --- but here it is in a summary.

Upon arriving at SFO we hoped on BART (the San Fran Marta). The train doors opened and our jaws hit the floor. I wish someone had taken a picture of our expressions. We were totally speechless. The BART was full of youngsters (probably just getting into High School) that were wearing tutu's and bras. The train smelled of weed and vodka --- such a nice welcoming smell to San Francisco. A nice girl sitting behind me asked if we were going to 'love fest' to which I replied 'No, what's Love Fest?' "Oh, it's a big festival they have in the city. It's so much fun, you should definitely go." "Well, I don't think we're dressed for Love Fest, but I hope you have a great time!" I wish I had taken a picture but I'm pretty sure I might get in trouble for posting minors in such outfits on the Internet.

After we finally found our way to our hotel, we ventured out to a little Irish pub (Murphys) to watch the last quarter of the Georgia game. We were the only people in the bar watching the game. After we watched Georgia stop playing football we ventured out to Union Square and browsed the shops. We got back to our hotel around 6:45ish and we decided that it would probably be best to take a nap (we were exhausted and felt icky from the plane ride)...but that nap turned into a very long night of sleep. I think these were the only pictures we took.

Waiting for Marta

In Union Square

I'll post San Fran Day 2 pics tomorrow --- I'm a day behind. I'll blame it on jet lag. :)

One Year Down....

2009-10-05T00:27:00.005-04:00

Dear Mike,

Well, we made it through one whole year being married. We've experienced all the holidays and birthdays, traveled away for weekend trips and overseas, bought big purchases, and gained weight. I think we've covered it all...and we've continued to be blissfully happy. I'm probably one of the luckiest girls in the world to have a husband that is so giving, loving and caring. They say that the first year of marriage is the roughest....but I gotta say; if this was the hardest year....Babe, we've got this thing in the bag! ;) Thanks for a wonderful first year of marriage; and as I always say, I love you too much. Looking forward to the many, many more years to come.

Love,

Michelle

One year ago today:

One year anniversary:

Bad Hair Cut

2009-10-03T11:51:00.009-04:00

I had a great idea to get my hair cut for our vacation. Well, let me tell you about this great idea.

I guess I should start out by saying that I have been going to the same hair dresser for 11 years, so she knows what I like. Well, she made a 'oops' last night.

Here's a before picture:

Here is the after picture (please excuse the drama):

I cried all the way home. I've never HATED a hair cut so much before in my whole entire life. Please do not to tell me how bad it is to my face because I will probably burst into tears all over again.

I tried to put it in a pony tail to hide the horribleness; but some of my hair falls down. I never knew a pony tail could look so awful.

Mike, being the sweet husband that he is, says it's 'not that bad' and that he actually likes it. HA! This is me saying "Really, you think?" I don't believe him. Can you still see the tears?

This is what my hair looks like today...and it will probably look like this until all the lion layers grow out. The bobby pin = my new best friend.

I guess at the end of the day, it's just hair. It will grow. Everyday people lose their hair and I will do what I can with mine because it could always be worse, right? In the mean time, I will continue to "Roar" at Mike when I reference how much I hate my new hair cut.

First Day

2009-09-28T21:42:00.003-04:00

I am the new kid. It is a 'small' company (to me). There are only 22 people in the office. I have a cube. Everyone does their own thing. It's very laid back. We get free cokes and parking is free!My commute is about 40 minutes. We have an office outing to play Whirlyball this week --- which I am really excited about. I really like my new job, but...I really miss my friends.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow! :)

Time for bed.

Say a little prayer for me.....

2009-09-27T22:56:00.001-04:00

because tomorrow I start my new J-O-B!

Eeeeeekkkk! I'm so excited I don't think I will sleep a wink tonight.

Before and After

2009-09-27T21:41:00.006-04:00

I could have sworn that I had taken before pictures...but I can't find them. So this will just have to do. The before furniture has been moved to our 'office' but since the 'office' was housing rubbermaid bins I decided to fill it with some furniture. Here is what we had in our living room before:

And here is what our living room looks like now:

Eventually we want to have bookshelves built in and a flat screen tv over the fireplace...but that will all come in time. So far we have really enjoyed our new furniture. :)

Dear Dad,

2009-09-21T21:12:00.007-04:00

I find myself wondering
Did I give you your due
For all that you've done for me
Did I ever thank you?

For all of my childhood memories
For helping me deal with life's stresses
For helping me accept my defeats
And celebrate my successes?

Or for teaching me the value of hard work,
Good judgement, courage, and being true
The laughter, smiles, and quiet times we've shared
Did I ever thank you?

If I have forgotten,
I'm thanking you now
You taught me right from wrong

I hope you know how much you're loved and appreciated
I hope you, instinctively, knew it all along.

Happy Birthday, Dad. I love you!

I'd be willing to bet that I only have 1 person left who reads this blog...

2009-09-20T21:52:00.005-04:00

I haven't updated my blog in a while, but...I'll go into the details sometime this week. I promise. I have lots of things to catch up on....like posting those before and after pictures of our living room, anniversary trip, bachelorette party, and maybe a job update. ;)

Stay tuned lonely blog reader....

Super Saturday

2009-08-22T20:12:00.003-04:00

This morning I went to a bridal shower for a good friend of mine from work. I had so much fun! Since we work together I've always heard about her friends and so now it's nice to have actually meet them.

Tonight Mike is having a "guys night" with a few fellas from work...something about watching a race and he had to pick up potato salad. I decided it was the perfect time for me to do absolutely nothing. I took a nap and woke up with my mouth wide open (hello, cotton mouth)...so I guess that means that it was a good nap? :)

I also took advantage of this time to watch Confessions of a Shopaholic...because Mike would never agree to watch that movie. Speaking of movies...I really want to see Julie and Julia. In fact, before Mike left I told him that and then I did my Meryl Steep impression of "I'm Julia Childs" (like from the previews) to which he replied,"It's Child" and shook his head.

I have so many embarrassing moments like this....and I always make Mike swear not to tell anyone. So far, he has held up his end of the deal (as far as I know). I'll share another one, but you must promise not to make fun of me to my face. Ha! Mike and I decided to go to Publix to pick up a few sandwiches for dinner one night...I had just taken a quick shower and put on something quick and comfy (pink running swishy shorts and a t-shirt). As we are standing at the sandwich counter waiting for the lady to make our sandwiches, Mike starts making fun of my shorts --- they were very bright, think highlighter pink. The lady doesn't say much but I know she's listening because she starts looking at my shorts. I immediately want to hide. Anyways, as the lady is finishing Mike's sandwich he comments "look at how healthy that is! all those veggies!" to which I respond "healthy? it's full of tomatoes and pickles --- how is that full of veggies?" Mike looks at me with his eyebrows raised and said "Michelle, do you know what pickles are?" and I respond 100% sure of my answer "Yes, of course! It's okra!" but then I immediately realize what I just said and know that it's clearly not the correct answer because Mike is laughig so hard I think he might pee his pants. The Publix sandwich lady also gave me a glance over the counter with a smirk on her face. "Whoops! I meant to say cucumbers...not okra. Clearly pickles are NOT okra...they are cucumbers!" My face was bright red..probably matched the color of my highlighter pink shorts. Just as I have stopped laughing at myself, we thank the lady for our sandwiches, she replies "You're welcome, enjoy your shorts." I.was.mortified.

There are tons of stories like these...I hope I get the courage to actually document them as they happen, because, lets face it we don't always remember the ridiculous things we say in life.

On another note, our living room furniture was delivered but I haven't gotten a chance to take the after pictures --- we're going to pick up the run we ordered tomorrow, so I'll try to post the before and after pictures once we have the run down.

Happy Birthday Emma!

2009-08-16T20:27:00.018-04:00

Here are a few pictures from our fun filled day.

The Birthday Girl!

Oh My! - those are a LOT of candles!

Anxiously awaiting the OK from Mom to open all the birthday gifts!

Emma and Savanna

Do you think she's having fun? ;)

Devon pretending to be a lobster --- with pinchers. :)

And sweet Evan --- in between one of the many naps.

New Furniture

2009-07-30T21:40:00.012-04:00

So it's been a really really long time...and I've gotten multiple emails asking "When are you going to update your blog?" ha! I didn't know I had so many secret followers. :) Make a blogger profile and follow me and leave me comments so that I will have actual proof that yall exist!

And...we have news! (No, we're not pregnant...why does everyone always jump to that question when you say you have an announcement?)

We bought new living room furniture! Yippee! It hasn't been delivered yet but I'll be sure to take before and after pictures of the living room. Here is a sneak peek...

And we picked out the furniture for our Master Bedroom....

And we have narrowed it down to two different Dining Room sets. Which one do you like best?

THIS ONE?

OR THIS ONE?

I hope everyone has a great Friday and weekend. :)