Remind Me Again...

posted on: Wednesday, March 30, 2011



Why is it we thought it would be a great idea to have two of these?

Because this is the way dinner has been going lately and I don't even want to talk about bedtime.

Now, just for kicks, throw a newborn into the equation. (You see why I'm questioning our mental credibility here?)

I will give him this - the kid's an over achiever. Boy oh boy, when he puts his mind to something , he gets it done.

And you know what he mastered this week?

Temper Tantrums.

He's got the whole production down pat - throwing himself to the ground, hyperventilating, crocodile tears - the whole bit.

It's quite an impressive spectacle to behold.

He is embracing the terrible twos with the dedication and seriousness any true professional would.

And so.

Yeah.

I'm not exactly sure where I was planning on going with this post. I was hoping I could come up with some grand life lesson I have learned during this fun and exciting phase, or at least something clever or witty to write about it. But no, my brain is still fuzzy from enduring the last two tantrums (the last one having ended at 1:30am and the next one having begun at 6:00am) and has decided to be as stubborn as Wes is today.

So...how about we just say, I hope he puts this much dedication into college selections one day.

10 Things

posted on: Monday, March 28, 2011

We are slowly recovering from what may have been one of the worst weekends to go down in Booth family history.  We were sick, sick, sick - and still are. And it would be oh so easy to just sit down and write about how terrible it all was/is and how I'm sick of feeling awful and how mostly I just miss the taste of food. (I have been so congested I haven't been able to taste a thing in three days. No amount of hot sauce is making it any better and I'm beginning to fear it's permanent. Please tell me this has happened to you and your sense of taste and smell came back eventually... It has to - right?!)
But, instead of complaining (anymore than I already have - you see what I did there?) I decided to take a cue from one of the lovely blogs I follow and make a list of 10 things that make me happy (in no particular order).  So, as Naomi would say, Here's to happiness...

1. Traveling with my husband - especially anywhere we can snorkel
2. New furniture
3. Hearing Wes sing (when he doesn't know I'm listening)
4. Treats - ice cream sundaes, chocolate chip cookie dough, peach pie and anything my sister bakes
5. A calendar full of things to look forward to
6. The first signs of the seasons changing
7. Dinner with family
8. Easy days at the office when the boss is away
9. Popcorn at the movies
10. A clean house

What are ten things that make you happy? 





A Perpetual State

posted on: Friday, March 25, 2011

There is a plague at our house. One (or more) of us has been sick pretty much every week since the beginning of January. I think the doctor appointments are totaling around 8 combined visits between just Wes and I since then (oh, and don't forget that trip to the ER!) It is not fun and right now we've all got it. I hope to be back with a real post again soon. But as for right now I'm just trying to conquer breathing through my nose and sleeping at night.

Maternity Photos

posted on: Monday, March 21, 2011

Thank you to Katie Ardner for the beautiful photos





























xoxoxo

I Have a Manly Husband

posted on: Sunday, March 20, 2011


I somehow conned Josh into taking everything we had already set up in the nursery, back out of the nursery - so he could spend his weekend refinishing the hardwood floor. I'm still not sure how I did it. (I think I might have super powers or something). And he didn't even whine, sigh or roll his eyes that much. I think he must secretly like flexing his manhood muscles and taking on the occasional do-it-yourself home repair. And guess what? He did a really good job!!! (not that I ever doubted he would, of course)

check it!



And since the upstairs was basically off limits to all women and children (due to the toxic fumes) we came up with a creative sleeping arrangement for the weekend.

Fort, anyone?

 (To be honest this was probably the most uncomfortable sleeping situation 
I could have possibly dreamed up, but hey, we had fun and Wes loooooved it)

BUT...

By far, the most exciting thing to happen this weekend was none of the above, it was this...


I got my car detailed! I GOT MY CAR DETAILED! 
I! GOT! MY! CAR! DETAILED! 
and it is sooooo beautiful

(Please note the absence of any and all dog hair)

(Please note the absence of any and all crushed up goldfish crackers)

Best $150 I have ever spent. And, if the fumes are still bad tonight - I'm sleeping in here

You Guys...

posted on: Thursday, March 17, 2011

Akron, OH
Clear
64°F
This. Is. Awesome.
that's all - off to the park, hooray!
























Hypno-whaaaaat?

posted on: Wednesday, March 16, 2011


So, on a scale of 1 -10, just how sick are you getting of reading all my posts lately about pregnancy and the like?

12.5?

I know, I know, I hate to admit it but I've been all kinds of mommy-blogging over here. The thing is, that's sort of the biggest part my life right now and a girl only gets to do this pregnancy thing one, two, maybe three times in your whole life (unless you're Mama Duggar, which I am most definitely not --- have you seen those bangs?) so, it's kind of been taking center stage lately.

Therefore, if the topic of childbirth either nauseates you or bores you to death you might as well just skip this post altogether and I wouldn't really blame you.

Still with me?

Whatta trooper! Alrighty then, let's talk about hypnobirthing!

Josh and I attended our first hypnobirthing class last night up at University Hospitals near Beachwood. The classes are once a week for five weeks, ending exactly two weeks before my due date. Which means if there was ever a time to get serious about preparing for this birth, the time is now (yipes!)

Hypnobirthing is actually a pretty simple concept. You learn relaxation techniques for the mind that help you let go of fear and tension and let your body do what it's made to do - birth a baby.

And I gotta say, after just one class I'm already feeling pretty good about the decision to go the hypnobirthing route this time around since my first labor and delivery didn't go exactly as well as I had hoped.

Poor little Weston came into this world listening to his mama scream and cry from not one, but two botched epidurals and the midwife yelling for me to push him out "NOW!" as the cord was wrapped so tightly around his neck that it had to be cut before he was even delivered.

It wasn't pleasant.

And really, who wants that to be the description of the birth of their first born? Not pleasant? It should be more like, Amazing! Miraculous! Life-altering! At least pleasant at a minimum, am I right?

With Wes I was your typical, young, first time mom. Sure, I had arranged to have a midwife who would give me the extra support and attention an OB wouldn't, but that's about as much thought as I had put into it. My only plans for the delivery were to request an epidural at the first inkling of a contraction and get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible. Why didn't I realize how much I was missing out on? I just let that moment pass me by, completely out of my control. I wish I would have known what I know now - that birth can be an experience and not just something you have to get through to have your baby. I wish I would have known how much I would regret most of what would happen that first time. I had put all my eggs is one basket, so to speak, and when the only thing I was relying on to get me through (pain medication) didn't pan out, I was left scared, unconfident and completely unprepared to cope.

I should have been relying on myself.

That is not happening again. Now I know that if I really want it, I can have the beautiful, tranquil birth of my dreams - but only if I am determined enough to make it happen.

And I'm determined, baby!

Sleepover at Great Wolf Lodge!

posted on: Saturday, March 12, 2011


We took this weekend as an opportunity to spend a little extra two-on-one time with Sir Weston before the baby comes and steals all his thunder and figured our first born deserved a little spoiling (since he's not spoiled at all). So, we thought about it and decided the best way to go about this would be to take Wes on an overnight to an indoor waterpark and fill him up on junk food.  
I think it's safe to say we succeeded.

Does that look like the face of a spoiled child? 


(Special thanks to Josh for cropping me and my bathing suit out of this one)


We couldn't take our camera in but just imagine Wes clinging to us for dear 
life as we tried to get him to try out the water slides and such. Turns out he 
likes the hot tubs waaaaay more. 


Here he is relaxing (his words) at dinner


spoiling cont.


However, his favorite part of the trip had to have been story time in the lobby. If you're not familiar with it, that's where all the little kiddies gather in their pajamas right before bed to hear a story told by super creepy animatronic characters and two actors dressed up in giant wolf costumes. 

Puts 'em right to sleep!







and...



Last but not least, no trip to Sandusky would be complete with out a stop at the Jolly Donut before heading home




Not to toot our own horn or anything, but I think this trip changed his life a little bit.  

 Jelly is his new favorite.

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