39 Weeks, 2 Days

So, shockingly, I am not good at blogging. We've been busy, and I know we will only be busier but I really hope that I can do this so that Arthur's childhood/ our daily lives can kind of be documented somewhere. 

This weekend has been great. Christopher and my mom finished our guest/ Arthur's bathroom. It looks SO good!! I am so grateful for a mom and husband with renovation skills. In case I haven't said it before on here, that room was by far the worst room in this entire house. Wallpaper, stenciled walls, gold fleck formica, a broken fan, horrible fixtures, and a loose toilet were just a few of the things that had to be tackled. Now, it is guest/ Arthur- ready! We still have some work to do in our master bedroom and the guest bedroom, but it is just nice to have that project taken care of. Here are 2 after pictures. We still have to hang the mirror, but need to let the countertop sealant sit for a few more days before we do that.

Arthur's room is all ready for him, too! Once again, I am so grateful to my mom and Christopher for ALL that they did to get the room where it is. I did some work, but had a lot of physical limitations. I will post picture of it at some other point. (Can't find them right now!)

This weekend, we had a 3 day weekend. We didn't do anything big, but we tried to make the most of the time we had.

Friday night we went to Don Jose, our regular Mexican restaurant. They have fed Arthur a lot of meals this pregnancy (those nights where I needed a taco). The waiter was so cute giving us a close table (citing the fact that I shouldn't walk far), getting our food out fast, and telling us he hoped to see 3 the next time we came. :) Another waitress said she wanted me to bring the baby next Wednesday. 

Saturday was spent going out to lunch (Five Guys), going to Target, and Christopher and my mom finishing the bathroom. I did other random tasks around the house, most of which were sitting projects. We finished by having pizza for dinner and having the bathroom D-O-N-E! (Can you tell that I am just really excited by this?)

Sunday, Snap and I let Christopher sleep late. We cooked breakfast at home and then watched Joel Osteen (I am beyond uncomfortable sitting for extended periods at this time and so I have not been going to church.) For lunch, we had leftovers. We cleaned around the house. Then last night, we had pizza leftovers and watched Downton Abbey. We got rid of the DVR this week (that could be a blog post in and of itself) so I sure hope that Arthur lets us watch it the next few Sunday nights. ;) If not, I'm sure we'll get the DVDs or wait a year for it to show up on our Netflix streaming.

 Today, Snap and I let Christopher sleep in again and cooked him breakfast. Unfortunately, this also meant that we woke him up... we aren't too quiet in the kitchen. I did some swiffering around the main areas of the house and Christopher did some other chores. We decided to take Snap to ChickFilA for a "special lunch" and picnicked outside since the weather is beautiful. We also ran a few other errands (one of us stayed in the car at all times-- we do NOT leave our dog unattended). We finished the afternoon with a short walk and grilled out for dinner. Here are some pictures from our time with Snap (and his tongue is out in both!)

Now, for the last weekly update. A belly picture will follow. We are going to do it Wednesday morning before we head to the hospital to have baby Arthur. :)

How far along? 39 Weeks & 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: +/- 30 pounds 

Wearing any maternity clothes? Definitely. The only clothes that aren't maternity that I am wearing are some of my sweatpants and Christopher's pullovers

Stretch marks? Not that I've found yet!

Sleep: Yes, but on the couch. (and sometimes with the assistance of Benadryl)

Best moment this week: The last pre- Arthur weekend with Christopher and Snap- Mexican, pizza, 1 last Target trip, ChickfilA with Snap, etc.

Missing anything: Margaritas, my non-maternity (and way too small) clothes, sleeping on my stomach, being comfortable

Baby Movement: Yes, and it's painful most of the time.

Food cravings: pretty much anything carb laden (thank you, gestational diabetes)

Anything making you queasy or sick: cabbage, coleslaw

Have you started to show yet: You'd have to be blind not to know. :)

Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Lots of contractions, but unfortunately, little guy is transverse and there is no chance that he's gonna turn around. 

Belly Button in or out? WAY out.

Wedding rings on or off? On-- they got tight a few times but I think humidity was a factor

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but I sometimes have weepy moments about silly things.

Looking forward to: holding my sweet boy in just a few short days.

20 Weeks

Before Kickoff

This week sweet baby boy went to Death Valley for his very first Clemson game! And, the Tigers pulled out a win. Unfortunately, baby boy didn't see the win because I got sick in the 3rd quarter. I don't know if it was panic knowing that I was about to throw up in the middle of 84,000+ people, how bad I felt, how hot it was, or the fact that I was dragging my sweet husband out of one of his favorite places, and probably one of the most exciting games we'll attend this year, but I BURST into tears. I owe a nice young man who was working security an apology the next time I see him. He asked if I was and I just sobbed something about being "Hot, sick, and pregnant." After a few "stops," we made it back to the car where we had some cold drinks, food, A/C, and r&r while we listened to the win on the radio. I am REALLY looking forward to going back once it cools off some.

How far along? 20 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +15 pounds 

Wearing any maternity clothes? Yes! If it covers the bottom half, it pretty much has to be maternity.

Stretch marks? No (fingers STILL crossed)

Sleep: 2nd graders seem to be making this quite easy for me. I am taking naps occasionally, too.

Best moment this week: Spending time with family and friends in Clemson

Missing anything: Margaritas, my non-maternity (and way too small) clothes, sleeping on my stomach

Baby Movement: More and more everyday! Especially at night when I'm laying still. Yesterday, the little guy was positioned in a way that Christopher was actually able to get a thump or two!

Food cravings: Five Guys Burgers & Fries (still). I wouldn't say I crave "weird" foods, just foods that I don't usually have a lot of interest in. Tonight we are having tuna pasta salad and I NEVER eat tuna. I have even made C eat it outside before because I find the smell so offensive (even when I'm not pregnant).  

Anything making you queasy or sick: cabbage, coleslaw, broccoli (the smell gets to me), steak

Have you started to show yet: Definitely. Just now starting to look more pregnant and not just fat.

Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: None and I'm ok with that!

Belly Button in or out? Still in and no brown line 

Wedding rings on or off? On-- they got tight a few times but I think humidity was a factor

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but I sometimes have weepy moments about silly things.

Looking forward to: feeling baby Arthur even more (that's your name right now, sweet boy. We'll see if it sticks!)

And...

It's a BOY!

Christopher and I found out on Monday that our sweet baby is a little boy! He is an active wiggling, turning, and flipping little guy. He weighed 11.5 ounces at our appointment (a little larger than average). It was also confirmed that he has 10 toes. Although, we would love him no matter the number of toes!

I don't know how I thought it would go, but I will say that from the minute we knew that it was a boy, I knew that was the "right" answer. Seeing the expression of jubilation on Christopher's face made me CERTAIN that a boy will be perfect for our little family. It also confirmed to me that he is going to be the best daddy EVER to this sweet little guy. But, I hope that our little guy rests up, because C has some big plans for him once he's born! We are both so, so, so excited to meet our son!

Look at Christopher's face! 

The reveal was about the hardest thing. I was super excited because I knew that most of our family was pretty sure that it was a girl. Christopher was about ready to explode. He was grinning from ear to ear (or even wider if that is possible). I found a neat cake on Pinterest and we used that idea to make our cake. Special thanks to Nona (my mom) for the M&Ms. She drove to Columbia to get them since we needed pink as a back up and there are no pink to be found in stores right now.

The cake

Baby boy, know that we love you already and are praying for you. We can't wait to meet you. You have a BIG family that is so excited to meet you and a pup that's pretty excited, too. 

Better Late Than Never... 19 weeks

This blog should probably be renamed the post title above!

Christopher and I found out we were pregnant in late May. The first trimester was really tough (even though I was off for the summer!). The baby has been healthy all along, but really felt HORRIBLE for months. I actually looked forward to school starting this year because I felt like if I could make it that far, I would be ok. And, school has started, and I am ok! :) Still throwing up, but ok. 

18 Week Update: 

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +11 pounds (at last dr's appt-- I am NOT weighing at home!)

Wearing any maternity clothes? Yes! My pants stopped fitting early on so maternity pants are about the most comfortable at this point. I am wearing some "larger than my normal size" non-maternity tops and loose dresses.

Stretch marks? No (fingers crossed)

Sleep: seems to vary night to night... between waking up sick, needing to go to the bathroom, etc. it can be tough, but usually if I don't sleep well one night, I sleep great the next.

Best moment this week: Starting school- My 2nd graders are SO excited about the baby.(Their name of choice for the baby: Chrysanthemum)

Missing anything: Margaritas. 

Baby Movement: More and more everyday! Especially at night when I'm laying still

Food cravings: Five Guys Burgers & Fries 

Anything making you queasy or sick: cabbage, coleslaw, broccoli (the smell gets to me), steak

Have you started to show yet: Definitely. Just now starting to look more pregnant and not just fat.

Gender: We find out Monday!!!! (Aug. 26)

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? Still in (amazing if you know what my belly button looked like before pregnancy, I expected it out IMMEDIATELY!)  and no brown line 

Wedding rings on or off? On-- they got tight a few times but I think humidity was a factor

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but I sometimes have weepy moments about silly things.

Looking forward to: finding out Baby W's gender!!

Happy 2013 & Holiday Recap

I really AM going to do better with the blog this year. Maybe that's my resolution for 2013. I don't really like resolutions, so this may be as close as I come.

 I think the best way to do this is to keep it simple. I can spend FOREVER writing the "just right" post and knowing that I really don't have the time to devote to that just makes me not do it.

So, here I am... blogging. What to talk about? CHRISTMAS & NEW YEARS! :)

This was our 2nd  "Married" Christmas together, but our 1st Christmas in our new house. A fun thing that our neighborhood does is cut out wooden signs. Actually, lots of neighborhoods in our town do this including the one I grew up in. So for me this has always been normal, but I am learning that this is not done in many other places, so here's how it works: Each neighborhood chooses a "theme." My old neighborhood had geese (we lived on a lake). Everyone has the exact same cut-out and paint it the same way and then have their families' names on their sign.  In our new neighborhood (actually it isn't really new to Christopher since it is the neighborhood he grew up in...) each street has their own Christmas "decoration" (bell, candle, stocking, etc.). A lot of times when people move out of a house, they leave their yard decoration for the next owner who just changes the name. Well, we searched high and low and there was no bell for our yard. So, we got crafty. Christopher ordered a jigsaw (oh, the fun I could have with that... or telling him what to do with it) and traced a neighbor's and I did the painting. Here was our bell.

Our bell in all its splendor 

My sweet mom had our gas logs all fixed up for us. There was a gas leak this summer/fall and the gas company came out to turn off the gas and when they did that, they totally disassembled the log set-up, etc. So in addition to a new valve, our logs had to be reassembled. And once they were, we had to "break them in." We decided s'mores would be the most fun way. :)

Snap was a fantastic little helper.

Christopher and I also attended our 1st tacky Christmas sweater party. He isn't wearing his hat in this picture.

Don't we look cute?

My brother was also at the party so I convinced him to take a picture with me. Please ignore how ridiculous I look. I refuse to not keep it though because I realized how precious these pictures can become.

Not sure why my mom didn't use this for the family Christmas card this year...

                                    

We went to Christmas Eve service at 4:30 at church. It is a HUGE, beautiful service. I love it! Then, we went to Christopher's parents' house for soup. Afterwards, we did the neighborhood parties. Those are so much fun. I love seeing old friends and the excitement of the kids (and occasionally their parents, too) can make anyone feel giddy about the holiday! Afterwards, we went back to the (other) Williams's house and exchanged our presents.

Our family on Christmas Eve in front of C's parents' tree

On Christmas day, we woke up and Christopher and I opened a (specific) few presents, most importantly, my new coffee maker. Afterward opened and given an inaugural run, we went to my mom's house in our pajamas for brunch. We also opened our stockings there with my mom, step-dad (Tom), and step-sister (Tiffany). We went home afterwards and opened a few more presents, then changed and went back to my mom's house. She had picked up my grandmother from her assisted living community, and we had  Christmas dinner with her and then spent some time with her after. We also gave her some gifts. After leaving, we ran by the Williams's house to say "Merry Christmas." We got home about 10 PM and finished opening gifts. The next day, my dad came into town and Drew, Christopher, and I went out to lunch with him.

Snap enjoyed Christmas dinner.

 For New Years, we went to Edisto and saw Christopher's extended family. Clemson played in the Chick-Fil-A bowl so that was what we watched (and why we are sporting our orange). We watched it at some friends of his grandparents' house.

Before the game- New Year's Eve 2012

Watching the game with the extended family

Thankfully, our Clemson Tigers claimed the victory that night! That was the perfect start to 2013!

Hopefully, I will start posting pics of home projects VERY soon. :)

Food, glorious food!

Ok... not a lot in this world gets me REALLY excited. I'm just not one of those girls that wears my emotions on my sleeves (or face either). If I'm happy I might smile. I have to be REALLY happy to REALLY smile. (Note: I am not bitter and glum... I'm just not easily excited you might say).

Food, on the other hand, can get me excited. I recently heard Jada Pinkett Smith on a tv interview. She said that she "keeps her figure" by just eating enough to live. She does not enjoy food. Sorry, Jada. I mean, I'm REALLY sorry. She must not have ever tasted GOOD food. I may or may not plan my meals before I plan my day. For example, before I got out of bed this morning I knew that I was going to have PBJam on an English muffin for breakfast and would make spaghetti bake for dinner. The rest of the day was unplanned, but whatever I did would have to fit around that. I know that other Southerners also do this...right?!? And yes, eating this food means I have to exercise, but to me, it works (for now at least).

Which brings me to why I'm really writing this. Rewind to the last week of April. Our church has a "Girls' Night Out" and, of course, we had "snacks." (The "spread" was intense. Probably more food than most people have at their wedding receptions) As I made my way around the table, this is what I saw:

Cake Batter Puppy Chow

I was sold at my first site of sprinkles. I got a modest spoonful and sampled one piece. And can I tell you? They were to.die.for!! It was just like licking the bowl... only with a crunch! Yummy. Since then, I have thought about these. For 5 weeks I have practiced some major self control. It ends tomorrow. I got all the ingredients today. I don't know who I am going to give/share them with. Heaven help me if I eat them ALL!
I will be using this recipe. I trust her. :)

P.S. I plan to work this off by cruising around on my new Lilly cruiser!

House Update. AGAIN!

Ok... no excuses. I am resolving right here, RIGHT NOW to blog at minimum once a week. Time (and life) are passing me by!

Right now, we are still in our rental house. Our lease is over, and we have graciously been allowed to rent month-by-month. The house hunt has been in full swing for a few months.

Here are the thoughts that I have when it comes to house hunting:

-uncomfortable: I have had a house for sale before. I got butterflies during the showings (You know, the "this could be it" kind.), and I couldn't wait to hear feedback from my agent. But, when I go into people's homes, it feels personal to me. I don't want to say "Eww!" or "What were they thinking when they put in this hideous floral wallpaper? And they loved it so much they even got matching curtains?"

-frustrating: Do you know what it's like to walk in a house and say "I could SO live here!" Yeah, I said that twice one day when we were looking. Apparently other people had said the same thing because both of those houses got offers while I was standing in them. FAIL!

-crazy: Sometimes I just want to ask... Do you WANT to sell your house? Because you are certainly not being very cooperative!

And, that leads me to where we are now.... in the offer/counteroffer stage. And we're on #5. (Yes, #5!) Waiting to hear back from them.

Let me give you the Clif's Notes Summary of the story (condensing the condensed):

Last Wednesday we go and look at a house. A nice house. A good house. A family house. The husband LOVED it. Loved the house. Loved the yard. Loved the location. He would have signed a contract right there if I hadn't piped in and said "We don't sign ANYTHING without sleeping on it!" (That was his cue that he had better settle down.)

In the car, I was quiet. I couldn't find anything "wrong" with the house (ok, a few minor things needed changing, but they were factored into the cost). I just didn't "feel" it. So, I prayed. I prayed to either LOVE the house or to come up with some kind of reason why I couldn't live in the house. I think I was expecting a burning bush kind of sign. It didn't happen. I was still emotionally confused. It went something like: Head: It's a house, and you need a house. Heart: I'm not moving there.

When C called at lunch to check on what I was thinking before I could stop myself I said "I just can't stop thinking about that house on _______ Drive!" It was a house we looked at over 6 weeks before. And really, I hadn't thought THAT much about it. But, I could tell through the phone that he was smiling. He told me to make an appointment to go see it. Well, our agent was out of town. Of course. By this point I was anxious because I finally felt an emotion for a house! Our agent (sensing our need to see the house in that.very.moment) got the broker-in-charge to show us the property. God planned that for sure. It turns out, he is the king of renovations, updates, etc. and he walked us through the house telling us what could be done.   He should have just put the SOLD sign in the yard then.

But now, here we are negotiating. I don't think we're difficult. Especially since the house has been on the market for 2 (T-W-O) YEARS! 24 months! An awful lot of days! And now I know why. Someone doesn't want to sell this house. {Hopefully} MY house. Yes. So here we are. Hopefully, there will be a happy ending to this story. But for now, it's....

                                                             TO BE CONTINUED!