It Would Have Been a Great Weekend

But I was sick.

With a cold, sick. The kind where you can't take any medicine since you're in your 7th month of pregnancy, sick. The kind where it's impossible to sleep because your nose if so stuffed up you can't breathe and you're STILL in your 7th month of pregnancy, sick. But really, what could be anymore uncomfortable than that combination? (I guess I could have been sick, 7 months pregnant and on an airplane trying to sleep. Now, that would be worse. See? Silver lining).

But I'm also not the type of person to just lay around the house and wallow in self pity. Laziness is not part of my DNA. So we did everything we had planned anyway.

And let me just say, this breakfast at Flury's Cafe would have been delicious if I only could have tasted it

and this trip to the Rainforest would have been super fun if I wasn't already a hot, sweaty mess

Lunch here would have been amazing if...Oh, who am I kidding? It was amazing - its Melt.  

                

                         

We also finished off the night in true fatty fashion with sundaes at Mary Coyle and then, when I woke up Sunday morning, I was greeted by this gloriousness

So, I guess all in all, it was a pretty great weekend, 

for being sick.

Nesting? Already?

I once heard about a lady who days before going into labor could be found outside her house, on her hands and knees, scrubbing each and every rock in her garden bed, because they had to be clean for the baby. Obviously.

I haven't quite reached that point (yet), but I'm this close.
And I still have three months to go.
Help me.

Basically I'm beginning to spaz out about all things baby and not so baby related, but are all things that MUST be taken care of before D-day.

See... I even made a list (a shared Google Doc actually (so Josh has access to it as well - just what he wanted))

Paint/Fix trim in Weston’s room and our room
Hang light fixture in Baby’s room
New light for baby’s closet
New shelves for baby’s closet
Dry clean all crib and bassinet bedding
Wash all baby clothes and set up dresser
Organize/clean basement and toys
New diaper bag(s), pacifiers, bottle/breastfeeding stuff, washcloths, creams, bouncer, monitor, mattress pad, swaddler, high chair pad?
Have carpets, furniture, bed and rugs cleaned
Sign up for hypnobirthing classes
Maternity photos
Get cars cleaned, mirrors installed, car seats inspected
Organize Kitchen cupboards for bottles, bibs, formula storage etc
Discuss babysitting arrangements with Jennifer

And yes, I have only accomplished two of these things so far, hence the freak out.

And that's not even the worst of it. What I'm really spazzing out about are two completely different but equally serious issues:

Problem #1 -  My bedroom needs re-decorated

I can't bear the thought of bringing a new baby into our home with our bedroom in it's current mangy state. Why would a baby care? It wouldn't, it can only see a few inches in front of it's face. But I do. That's the problem. I have been down right drooling over these nightstands and trying to contort my checkbook in such a way that would allow me to save them from their unmistakable lonesomeness and bring them here to stay with me in their rightful home - but, alas, it's not bending.

Problem #2 - I really want a 4D ultrasound

Like really, really, really bad. All the cool kids are getting them and I'm totally jealous! Our standard ultrasound pictures were terrible and this place is right up the road...and well, it's completely unnecessary and so therefore a terribly frivolous thing to spend money on but they're just, so...cool.

So, as you can clearly see, I've got some considerable dilemmas to work out and a whole lot of hard work, re-organization and scheming to do over the next few weeks, so I might be a little distracted for awhile. But I do know I will definitely be keeping busy, doing something, somewhere, to get ready for this baby.

And if you can't find me, check the garden.

A Little Bit in Love

In case I haven't mentioned it lately, I really dig these books. A lot.

I wasn't expecting to, in fact I had never even heard of the trilogy until Josh and I went to New York and found ourselves stuck in JFK for the day and I needed some new reading material. Josh bought me the first book and said he had heard it was good, never even having read it himself.

Dragon Tattoo starts out a little slow and I was skeptical at first, but what else did I have to do at the airport all afternoon? I'm so glad I stuck with it and although it takes a while to get going, it's worth every minute. The author spends alot of time introducing and describing each character (and there are many) including their background, general disposition, physical characteristics and often what they ate for breakfast that morning. This attention to detail holds true throughout the whole series and although it can be a bit tedious at times, Larsson's elaborate descriptions are a necessary part of his storytelling, giving you the good grasp you will need on each character in his unbelievably tangled web.
Dragon Tattoo tells the story of two unlikely heros and eventual friends, Mikael Blomkvist, a middle aged do-gooder journalist and the incomprehensible Lisbeth Salander, a young, tattooed social outcast with gift for computer hacking. The two find themselves in the middle of a real life murder mystery, not unlike a modern day game of Clue where they must uncover a secret murderer amongst the family members of the wealthy and respected Vanger family. The story takes an unexpectedly dark turn when the duo begins to uncover, in addition to murder, that a series of vicious sexual crimes and violations against women have taken place as well.
The Girl who Played with Fire picks up where Tattoo leaves off and although Tattoo felt like a fully realized novel the continuation of the story introduces a whole new bevy of criminal wrong doings on a much more macro level. Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest feel more like a single story broken down into two books, one is not viable without reading the other. I could not put Fire down after which I nearly drove myself insane waiting for the copy of Hornet's Nest I had reserved to come into the library. The two final books of the series delve deeper into Lisbeth's own troubled past and reveal that she too has been the victim of egregious criminal acts and scandalous goverment cover-ups.
To put it quite simply, I loved these books.
I appreciate the author's feminist attitude and his attempt to bring about more dicussion on the topic of women's rights, equality and morality through these entertaining and engrossing books. I suggest you run out right this moment and get started reading.

By the way, hollywood already has the trilogy in the works: David Fincher directing, Daniel Craig starring, Trent Reznor doing the score.  Holy Moly. I am so there.

Bathtub Sessions

In case you were wondering, he discovered Oreos.

Also....

I still have three months to go, how is that possible?

Adventure Wednesday!

It was  a typical Tuesday night, the worst night of the week (is anybody with me on this one?) and I was already complaining about how I didn't want to do all the usual Tuesday night stuff (make dinner, pack lunches, give Wes a bath, boring, boring, boring, blah, blah, blah) but I was complaining especially loudly about how I didn't want to go back to work the next day. No reason in particular, just because, well, it's work (you know).
Anyway, all I can say is the clouds must have parted and the angels must have heard my whiny prayers because just then, out of the blue, my phone rang...it was Jennifer. Jennifer is Weston's Wednesday/Thursday babysitter and she was calling to let me know she couldn't watch him the next day.

(Insert HALLELUJAH! chorus here)

I mean, oh darn, I'll have to call off work and stay home with him...

and you know what that means don't you?
ADVENTURE WEDNESDAY of course!

I mean, really, you don't just get a surprise day off like that and then spend it lounging around in your pjs or doing chores around the house. No, no, on this rare and special mid-week free day there's only one thing you can do, you have an adventure. (At least as much of an adventure as you can have when you have nothing planned, it's 12 degrees outside, there's a foot of snow on the ground and your partner in crime is two years old.) But still...adventure

And well, if I'm being honest it didn't start out great...Wes woke up hysterical, crying that he was hungry and wanted BLUEBERRIES RIGHT NOW!

The problem with that is - it's January. So that wasn't happening.

However, it was the perfect opportunity to embark on our first adventure of the day..."The Bagel Place!" (Einstein's) for a blueberry bagel and yogurt parfait (with more blueberries).
Who loves you, kid?

Hot chocolate for me and a cup of water for Wes (in one of their mini tasting cups so he felt like a grown up).

Next up on the adventure to-do list, visit "Abby's Work!" (Bridgewater Park Apartments). We got to see Abby and my old boss (her current boss), Tim. Wes threw the balls from the pool table around in the clubhouse while I caught up with Tim. Then, in true Tim fashion, he attempted to buy Weston's love by giving him crappy presents he scrounged up around the office, and supplied us with one Peachtree Product Guide (for all your real estate needs) and this...

Yup, a cassette tape of polka music circa 1991. And you better believe we popped that sucker in my car's cassette player (who knew it even still worked?) and rocked out to that baby the rest of the day. Total adventurer soundtrack.

Then, we headed on down the highway to "That Playground Place!" (Step 2), which is basically a giant retail store with all the plastic playhouses, swingsets and equipment you can imagine already set up for your kid to try out.  It's free, it's indoors and Wes could run off some of that stuck-in-the-house-all-day-long wintertime energy.

Wes was in heaven. He tried out every play kitchen, makeup vanity, princess playhouse and girl toy in the place.

(What can I say? The kid needs a sister, the poor boy has been totally deprived of all things pink...)


But our adventures didn't stop there, next up on the adventure agenda - The Library! Where Wes terrorized the fishtanks, solved complicated zoo themed puzzles and we read a million and one books on the subject of guinea pigs.

Then, our stomachs, growling in hunger after a day of fun-filled excitement, could only be appeased by one thing and one thing only..."That Pizza Place!" (Donato's). Where we shared a medium pepperoni and 16 ounces of "Sparkly Water!" (Sprite). Then, to finish it all off, a cream soda Dum-Dum from the check-out counter.

Could Adventure Wednesday get any more adventure-y?

By this time, we (me) were spent and it was time to call it a day. We made it home safely and finished off the afternoon as any true adventurer would...

naptime.



Now, do I really have to go in to work tomorrow?

Puke, Pinatas and January thus far

Just when I thought nothing exciting was going to happen this weekend...PUKE!

Poor Wes, either the flu or an overdose of candy and popcorn with Grandpa resulted in an all night puking extravaganza yesterday.

Josh and I took turns "sleeping" (I use that term loosely) with him in his bed last night. I got the 9:00-3:30 shift, Josh took 3:30-8:00

The poor little guy was miserable, buuuuuuuuuuut on the up side he is extra cute and cuddly when he's sick.

Josh and Wes watching "those yellow guys" aka the Simpsons

In other news,

Before the puking commenced we spent Saturday turning the basement into a real playroom for Wes and #2

It's legit

Also,

Josh and I celebrated our 4th anniversary a few days ago with a movie (True Grit) ((so awesome)) and dinner here

(((I just learned how to turn a word into a link)))


Finally,

I had an excuse to bust out my new makeup skills for Marisa's birthday party last week

Happy Ventequatronera Mylisa!

(Ole!)

The Scariest Thing I Ever Did

Was Have a Baby. Not the actual having him part, (although that's a whole other level of scary that I'm not going to get into) but the loving someone so much that sometimes, when you look at him, it becomes physically hard to breathe part. Loving someone so much that your own happiness and sorrow is in direct proportion to theirs, completely out of your own control. Loving someone so much that you realize if anything were to ever happen to him, you literally don't know if you could go on. That's the really scary part.

I have a friend and this friend is an amazing mother to two beautiful young boys. The other day life changed for them forever. One of her sons was involved in a simple, everyday accident that has escalated into a serious health crisis involving major surguries with life changing consequences. Ever since I heard about this all I can do is just sit and think about this sweet little boy and my dear friend and what they must be going through.

I can't even imagine.

I got to visit them in the hospital the other day for the first time. As I watched my friend, exhausted from constant worry, the color from her face drained, tired from sleeping on a couch in a hospital room for weeks on end, I wondered if I could ever be that strong. Here she is, facing the most difficult challenge of her life head on. She remained at attention, looking after her son in his hospital bed, speaking cheerfully to him, tending to his every need, mothering him with all she's got. It's all I can think about. What if that were me? What if that were my child? Could I hold it all together?

I hope to god I never have to find out.

I just keep thinking of the day I brought my own son home from the hospital. You have this little baby, perfect in every imaginable way, and you wish time would stand still and he could stay that way forever. But the truth is, you know things will happen, his life will have it's own path and you will not always be able to protect him from everything. He will get hurt.

The thing about motherhood is, you do it anyway. It's the biggest risk you could ever hope to take, and knowing how scary it is and how much it will hurt, you do it just the same.

Bye, Bye Baby

Weston's room is finished, all the baby stuff has been moved out and his new things are all in. (Finally!)
Also, Josh used his new camera software to show a 360 degree view of the room which turned out pretty cool. For some reason these kids have way nicer bedrooms than me. I might have to do something about that soon...

Click the link below to see the 360 view

http://www.vpix.net/index.php?tour=2466

A Letter to my Husband

We had our little January wedding 4 years ago today. The time has slipped by so fast but at the same time so much has happened. Thinking back to where we started this marriage in our little apartment on Twin Oaks, when it was just me and you - so much has changed since then. The last few years have been nothing short of incredible. I love the life we are building together and the trust and understanding we have is the biggest comfort in my life. I love our son and the baby growing in my belly. Today, I just thought I'd let you know that I am proud to have your name and honored to be your wife.

Happy Anniversary

Confessions of a Two Year Old Hoarder

The following items are the things Weston insisted he bring to bed with him tonight:

• one "Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" book
• one teddy bear
• one glow worm doll
• one cup of cold water WITH ICE!
• one "Snowy Day" book
• one plastic recycling truck with driver
• three small animal blankets
• one tamborine

His entire bedtime routine is bordering on ridiculous and it's not just the hoarding. It all begins with a three minute warning that bedtime is approaching. The three minutes quickly pass and he immediately asks for three more minutes. To which I say no and the toy clean up commences. He's actually really good at this part, and although I think it's just more stalling than anything, he manages to locate every single stray toy within a two mile radius and make sure it makes its way into the proper bag, box or drawer.
Then we tell Daddy goodnight (and Georgia, and Maeby and the stockings too if it happens to be christmas time).
We then head upstairs to get a fresh diaper, clean pjs and brush his teeth. After which he needs exactly four drinks of water.
Then we go into his bedroom where he promptly removes the pajama pants I just put on him.
No pants for sleeping!
He also removes any socks he may be wearing as well.
We read a book or two (or seven) and then we have to turn on his sound machine/projector thingy that makes fish appear on the ceiling and set it to play either music, ocean sounds or a heartbeat. You know, whatever he's in the mood for...
We pile the items he has collected into bed with him.
Next, I turn on his closet light and crack the door to a specific degree of openness which he deems appropriate.
Then we must banish all the Monsters, Dinosaurs, Crocodiles, Sharks and Dragons from his room so he can avoid being eaten in his sleep, of course. Sometimes Daddy has to be called in to help with this part, because, well, daddies are just way scarier to Monsters, Dinosaurs, Crocodiles, Sharks and Dragons.
I tell him goodnight, and sweet dreams and give him a kiss and hug.
We tell each other I love you.
I finally turn off the light and leave.
I take two steps away and I hear...
MOMMY!

And so it goes, night after night.

One day I'll miss this

A Fresh Face for the New Year

Dreams Do Come True!

January 3rd, 2011 - the day I have been waiting for since my first attempt to wear mascara at the approximate age of 11. Today, I got to cash in my most anticipated Christmas present.

{remember this?}

I met with a sweet lady named Monique Hahn who has been doing makeup in L.A. for years and only recently moved back to the area (her hometown) to begin work here.

We met at her house in East Cleveland and she spent two glorious hours reviewing all the basics about makeup, brushes and applications that a girl would need to (probably already should) know.

I can't really explain my complete lack of knowledge when it comes to makeup. Maybe, it's because I never had an older sister to teach me the ropes or a mom who cared much about it, but whatever the reason be until today I have only dreamed of being able to pick up a compact of eye shadow and know what to do with it.

I mean where do you even start?


So, it was pretty great when my husband arranged this for me.  How many men do you know that would spend weeks researching makeup artists for their wives? That's love, baby.

Anyway, Monique gave me lots of good tips and I took very detailed notes (cuz I'm a dork like that and seriously, I'm supposed to be able to Do This All On My Own Now).

So, I hope to be able to post my final results picture soon and I hope I can make myself look half as good as Monique did.

But first, I'm off to spend lots more of my husband's hard earned money at Sephora... wish me luck!

And if you want to employ the talents of the lovely Miss Monique you can find her here http://www.moniquemakeup.com/ 

(you know you want to)