Sweet Caroline

My Valentine.

2012-02-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

Pardon me as I take a minute to get a little mushy on the old blog. If you know me or read regularly, you know that's not my norm...but sometimes completely necessary.

Mikey has been my Valentine for the past NINE years!! Hard to believe, huh!!?? We were wee little babies when we started dating but I wouldn't change it for the world. I fall more in love with this man day by day; he truly is my best friend, love of my life, and lifelong companion all wrapped into one. There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't make me smile and for that I am so ever thankful. He's seen me at my worst and at my best and loves me no matter what i do:)

We aren't big present givers...mostly it's just us telling the other what we want or we just decide to not do anything at all and put our money towards something else. I know...no fun, but that's how i like it. He did surprise me this morning with some beautiful flowers and the BEST GIFT EVER for a 9 month preggo...a gift certificate for a MASSAGE at my most favorite place ever:) I have already set up my appointment to get in one last prenatal before this precious little girl arrives. It is absolutely the BEST present I could receive right now, he knows me well.

And just because it's fun for me to look at....

My 21st birthday celebration...2004. One of the oldest pictures I have of us on the computer.

Mikey's 25th birthday celebration. 2008

Engaged!! 2008

Married!! 2009

Thanksgiving 2010

Summer 2011; we knew we had a BABY on the way...but no one else did yet since we hadn't been to the doctor. NO WORRIES...beer bottle was filled with water;) Had to fake everyone out!

January 2012: baby shower

I am so thankful to have such a wonderful VALENTINE, but more importantly an amazing husband and soon to be father. I look forward to celebrating MANY more Valentine's with this man.

It would have been a perfect weekend, if.........

2012-02-13T08:15:00.001-08:00

I DIDN'T HAVE AN AWFUL HEAD COLD:(

So annoying. I feel worse this morning than I have all weekend; rawr.

Our supper club hosted a "murder mystery" party Friday night that I was all excited to go to...I mean who doesn't want to see a 9 month preggo dressed up as a cheerleader from the 80's?!? Unfortunately, I had to stay home though....my head was pounding. I felt a teeny bit better Saturday and was able to get out of the house for a bit to attend a friend's baby shower and have a date night with my love. One of those date nights where we both wore bummy/workout type clothes and went to a low key restaurant and a movie. I said I felt a little better, but not 100%...I didn't feel like getting dressed up all fancy! We saw The Vow...and I bawled like a, well....like a 9 month preggo I guess.

I don't think Mr. Tatum is that outstanding of an actor, obvi his skills lie in his looks...even though I was more impressed by his acting ability in this movie than I ever have been. BUT, Rachel...she is MY favorite! I just love her! This movie was good...not over the top " The Notebook" good....but a good flick, more deserving than just the two stars the critics gave it....which is why I never pay attention to that anyways.

Yesterday, we ran a few errands and got some things done around the house and also took lots of REST time. I say it would have been the perfect weekend because we had NO major plans, and could relax a lot, but not feeling good put a damper on my mood:(

I did pick up and finish
Such a funny read on entering this scary world of parenthood.

In the MOST exciting news...our best friends Jill and Ben had their little girl yesterday.....MARY BROOKS:) Jill is one of my life long best friends as we grew up together and our husbands have become really close too so that is always fun. And how about this for ya...she actually delivered ON HER DUE DATE!?! Who does that? Mary Brooks is perfect and momma is doing great, from what I've heard. I don't know when I will be able to go meet her though...the last thing they want is me coming up there snotty nosed, hacking cough all over their precious newborn:(

Say a prayer I feel better, fast! Almost 38 weeks pregnant and an awful head cold just do NOT go together. Loves!

Full term

2012-02-09T11:08:00.001-08:00

How far along? 37 weeks. I don't really fully understand this whole 40 weeks pregnant business....why do they consider you full term at 37 weeks but yet you are supposed to go 40? From what I've read the newest research shows that babies born at 37 weeks can still suffer from respiratory problems (asthma, etc.) but of course there are some babies who can come early and be perfectly healthy. Don't understand it. I think I have just gone into this thing the whole time thinking she would be late...so I'm not getting my hopes for anything to happen anytime soon!

Size of the baby? Around 6 pounds, maybe? My doctor guestimated Tuesday she was actually about 5.5 right now. We don’t get ultrasounds at my practice at this point in the pregnancy unless something is wrong/worrisome/etc. so we really won’t have an exact number until she decides to make her grand entrance to this world!

Maternity Clothes? SAME.

Stretch Marks? SAME.

Movement? SAME.

Sleep? SAME.

Food Cravings? SAME.

What I Miss: Actually, being active/working out…I am so ready to get back to doing something. I’m officially over being pregnant. And I HATE to say that/complain because I’ve had a wonderful pregnancy…but starting around the 35 week mark that all went downhill. Getting out of bed/off the couch HURTS, my belly hurts, I’m swelling…blah blah blah. I’m by no means really “ready” …I want her to bake as LONG as she wants (well, as long as she doesn’t go a week PAST my due date, then I may look at induction) but I am tired of the sucky part of carrying around a human being inside of me! I feel like she is running out of room…my doc said it is normal for me to have a lot of back pain and pressure and stuff in other areas because I am SO short and SO short waisted. There really just isn’t as much room for her in me!

Symptoms: Nada. Nothing had changed at doctor this week.

Best Moment of the Week? My wonderful mom came over last night to iron the crib bedding and finalized organizing the nursery. It is 99% DONE:) My prints are at the framer right now, should be done by Friday and some accessories from RH Baby and Child are due to arrive Friday…fingers crossed! Hopefully everything will be 100% DONE this weekend!

Tuesday Talk.

2012-02-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

This weekend exhausted me. I did way too much. I don't think it's "registered" that maybe I should slow down a little bit being 9 months pregnant. I cleaned and ran errands all morning Saturday then we had a wedding at 4. By the time I got to the reception my feet and back were DONE. Sunday was non stop as well...I went to a friends first thing to bring over last minute items for the baby shower we were hosting there that afternoon. We then went to church, we finally joined this Sunday...yay! The service was good and my parents came and several of our friends were there...so that was nice. We went and had a nice lunch with my parents before I had to scoot out to help host a baby shower for my bestest Jennifer! Everything ended up looking beautiful and I think the mommy to be enjoyed herself. I've started to swell a bit though...so standing on my feet for long periods of time is no good, at least for the cankle factor. Thank goodness we chose to go over to some friends for the super bowl where I could RELAX. It was just the four of us and their adorable little girl, laid back night of watching football and eating pizza. We stayed until the third quarter and then I had to call it a night, I was EXHAUSTED.

I'm being negative right now about being pregnant...and I don't like it, but OH MY WORD. Somewhere around the 36 week mark I went downhill fast. By the time I get home from work I am tired OUT, and my back is killing me...and I take my socks off and still look I have socks on. WTH? I try to rest and elevate my feet to take down the swelling but then if I lay on my back too long it makes my back feel worse. Hmmmph. I keep apologizing to Mikey for being negative and complaining, thank goodness he is being absolutely WONDERFUL and tells me to complain away:) He really has been phenomenal lately...going above and beyond around the house so I don't have to do anything. MUCH appreciated. They say you get an energy boost before the baby comes...so whenever that wants to appear would be GRAND.

On a happy POSITIVE note, Mikey and I both have work baby showers this week. I think it is so sweet that they are doing that. I kinda knew I would get one because we did it for the other girls, but for Mikey's bank employees to throw him a "man" shower makes me smile, so nice.

On another POSITIVE note, the crib bedding came in and looks AWESOME! YAY!

I bought a fake ring a couple of weeks ago...it has already turned and makes my finger GREEN. hahaha, looks so ridiculous but I don't care! My mom retained a lot of fluid at the end and had to have her ring cut off so I wasn't going to take any chances.

I thought the Super Bowl ads were pretty lame for the most part and I did NOT think Madonna was that impressive. Sure the overall "show" looked good, but her LACK of singing?? Not so much.

I'm looking forward to a couple of "easy" weekends before the baby comes. We only have a few parties/showers/etc over the next few weekends and other than that we can RELAX.

I started Sarah's Key last night, I think it is going to be very good and very sad.

That's all I've got for today...off to my THIRTY SEVEN week appointment!

Beautiful Baby Shower Number TWO.

2012-02-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

Sunday, January 22...my mom's WONDERFUL friends hosted me a baby shower that was OUT OF THIS WORLD beautiful. These ladies sure know how to entertain. This was my "all girls" shower and it was a very special day surrounded by family and friends. The ladies didn't leave a detail out, seriously! They spoiled me rotten and all the hostesses went in together and got us our BOB stroller. I couldn't be more thankful. Collins received so many wonderful necessities along with some gorgeous "extras" at this shower, we are so fortunate to have so many people who love her and us:)

This is Harriett (my mom's best friend/my second momma/wedding planner extraordinaire/decorator/lover of entertaining), ha....seriously though, you should see the woman's attic; it is FILLED with party hosting decorations. She's putting the final touches on the food table, it was all so yummy!

Cookies for favors with my sweet girl's monogram.
Me with Harriett's daughters (also known as the sisters I never had). We grew up together, they were some of my first visitors when I arrived into this world! Love these girls and will look to them for advice as they both have a daughter (or two for Lindy!)
Our "family tree". I LOVED this. It was so cute. Pictures of Mikey and I when we were babies, our parents and our grandparents.
Absolutely beautiful! Lindy (pictured above) got me all of these items as my gift...she monogrammed them all herself! I cannot wait to see Collins in that little dress!
Obsessed.
Some of my wonderful friends from high school!
More prettiness.

My momma and MIL.
The fabulous hostesses!
Outside decor.
Richardson family. They all spoiled me:) Love all of these ladies VERY much.

BIG OL' BELLY.

2012-02-03T07:10:00.001-08:00

How far along? 36 weeks, 1 day. What does this mean??? FOUR weeks to go!!!! HOLY WOW. Right now, four weeks feels like a lifetime away and feels like tomorrow at the same time. Weird, hard to describe.

Size of the baby? Almost 6 pounds (although this could vary greatly…considering I was just a little over 6 pounds when I was born at 41 weeks).

Maternity Clothes? SAME.

Stretch Marks? SAME.

Movement? Lots lately, it’s funny now that you can pretty much pinpoint specific body parts (since I know she is head down and hopefully will stay that way) to see her little foot or knee move across my tummy. She’ll poke right back at me if I press down on her. Her daddy loves to do this, aggravating her already.

Sleep? Yeah…that not having to wake up to pee thing? Nonexistent now…I wake up about two or three times a night. Some nights are better than others as far as being comfy/tossing and turning.

Food Cravings? SAME.

What I Miss: Not being achy. I’ve got LOTS of pain/pressure in my back and in other areas…sometimes so much that I wince when turning over in bed. Ready for that to go away.

Symptoms: Had my 36 week checkup yesterday and everything looked good. Doctor said that the baby had dropped some, but no dilation yet…not that I would want it yet/expect it. No contractions lately.

Best Moment of the Week? The CRIB bedding is on the way! YIPPPEEE!!!

* I know it will...but looking at this picture, all I can think about is...how in the WORLD can my belly get any bigger?!? Geesh!

Beautiful Baby Shower Number ONE.

2012-02-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

Mikey and I have some truly amazing friends, for real...they are the best. Saturday, January 21... 26 of our best friends threw us a FABULOUS couples baby shower. Collins got so many great things...we can't wait for her to meet all of her "aunts and uncles." The decorations were gorgeous, the food was superb (oysters and chili, what else could be better), the spirits were high (so I was told....) and the company was even better.

Name blocks for Collins, they even did them in the colors of her nursery! LOVE these. They are definitely going on her bookcase.

Parents to be:)
Some of my besties.
Momma to be! Getting excited to open presents!
The "girl" hostesses...I'm kinda sad we didn't get one of everyone...all the guys too, but it was a little chaotic just getting this many girls together for one picture!
My daddy loving some oysters.
with Mikey's dad and step mom....aka Granddadder and Khaki.
Peeps loving oysters.
My bro and SIL and my bestest Sarah and her HUSBAND!! They just got married in October!
with Mikey's mom (Mimi) and her friend Woody.
Trav, super awesome oyster cooker!
Set up of the room...so pretty!
The fireplace, adorable clothes for baby Collins:)
My fam....Granddaddy and Lolly and my brother and SIL...who is expecting in JUNE! YAY!
We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. It was an AWESOME night with AWESOME friends!

Dreaming of spring.

2012-01-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

It's been a LONG time since I've looked at fun clothes. Yes, I enjoyed buying a few special dresses for maternity wear, but otherwise...buying maternity clothes was just something I had to do and did not fulfill my shopping desires AT ALL. *I know...poor, poor pitiful me* Anyways...I am READY. READY to get this WEIGHT OFF and ready to buy some CUTE spring clothes. I know it will be a while before I can look good in clothes again...but for now I can dream. I can also purchase and use that as my MOTIVATION.

Whatever i do....I'm loving some of the fun stuff out right now...the bright colors are GORG!!

Vince Camuto via Piperlime.

Piperlime
7 for all mankind...piperlime.
Amanda Uprichard via Piperlime.
www.shopsosie.com
Need some of these fun colors in my life pronto!

FIVE weeks to go!

2012-01-27T09:37:00.000-08:00

How far along? 35 weeks yesterday.

Size of the baby? About 5 pounds, 18 inches long…give or take.

Maternity Clothes? Still mixing it up a good bit, but I am SO over this wardrobe. But, I think that also has to do with the fact that I don’t like winter clothes nearly as much as spring/summer.

Stretch Marks? I don’t see any yet…I keep looking closely!

Movement? Baby girl gets the hiccups a LOT, it’s really funny…except for when they come at 6 in the morning and momma is still trying to sleep.

Sleep? Gets more uncomfortable by the night. I’m used to it now though. Five more weeks, I can do it.

Food Cravings? Nothing new to report. Yes, I’ve been eating more sweets than I should…but not necessarily because I have been craving them, just because they are good and I can.

What I Miss: Getting up off the couch or out of bed without my back hurting. BEER! The first time the other day, we were in the car and I reached down to grab something off of the floor board and I couldn’t get it, aaahhh!! Talk about frustrating….Mikey just laughed…haha thanks husband!

Symptoms: Having some more BH contractions, I actually had them for a good two hours the other day off and on. Nothing too painful obviously, but just uncomfortable.

Best Moment of the Week? Coming home Sunday night after our weekend of baby showers…the nursery is STUFFED to the brim with beautiful things/clothes/goodies/necessities and for that I am SO very thankful.

NYE

2012-01-27T07:04:00.000-08:00

So yeah...that was almost a month ago, NUTS. I swear time is CREEPING by for me right now, but at the same time I can't believe NYE was a month ago. Goodness! Mikey and I took off to Hilton Head for the long weekend to celebrate New Year's together. We have so much going on during the weekends in January and February, we knew this would be our last chance to have a weekend away before our family grows:)

As is a common theme on my vacations, we slept late...and stayed in our pj's a lot. It was perfect. We did get out and do a little shopping Saturday (the weather was absolutely gorgeous) and then had a good lunch at a cute little outdoor place complete with a trip to the ice cream shop after. My kind of day!

Saturday night we made reservations to go to Red Fish, and let me just tell y'all...it was absolutely DELISH. Like to die for, goodness. I had the shrimp and grits and they had fried okra on top...scrumptious. We had a very nice leisurely dinner and then headed over to Harbor Town for the "ball drop." We ended up just walking around for about an hour looking at all the pretty Christmas lights and big fancy yachts and then calling it a night around 11! EEKKK!! We are so old! Ha! We did stay up to watch the ball drop on tv, but just barely! I wouldn't have it any other way. It was a perfect weekend with my husband, we rarely take the opportunity to just enjoy a weekend with just the two of us. I can't believe the next time we head back down to Hilton Head we will have a precious little girl with us!!!!!

Light viewing.

I will own one of those boats one day...okay, maybe just in my dreams.
Happy New Year's!
Harbor Town.

Technology induced ADD.

2012-01-26T12:03:00.000-08:00

I have it BAD. And I don't like it.

I can't just do ONE thing anymore and it's really pretty sad. Our world/society is so "connected" all the time and I am guilty as ever. I was thinking the other night...I can't even watch a movie or a tv show these days without picking up my phone and scrolling thru my twitter feed. Even if it is a show I love or a really good movie (with the exception of when in the theater, i don't pull my phone out there) I find my mind wandering for a second here or there and the first thing I think to do is get on my phone. It's called OBSESSED with staying CONNECTED via Social Media. I think WAY TOO many of us have this problem. It's pathetic. I try and stay off my phone when out at night with friends or at dinner or something, but I have friends that don't and it is annoying at times. My parents won't allow it (I mean not really, it's not like I'm a 12 year at the dinner table) but if I am with my parents and am constantly looking at my phone they will call me out. I'm glad. It's ridiculous.

The WORST is with driving. I know, I know...so dangerous, shouldn't admit this. I am seriously working on it, but it's like I can't just drive and listen to music anymore I need to look at my FB and twitter feeds when on the road. IT MUST STOP. I am better if i have a book on tape, need to get more of those for when I travel...it seriously is so dumb. I know I am not as cautious of a driver when i do that.

Mikey will call me out on it too if I get too bad. Even though he isn't much better when he starts playing games on the Ipad. I'm just going to have to start setting "no technology" times...it sounds so crazy but it is so time consuming and takes away my ability to really appreciate what is going on around me. I feel like my attention span has decreased DRAMATICALLY because of technology, pinterest, twitter, facebook, blogs...I constantly need something "new." Anyone else out there have this problem?

Odds and ends.

2012-01-25T13:58:00.000-08:00

1. I took a sick day yesterday and it was VERY much needed. I was EXHAUSTED. I haven't had a sick day in FOREVER so I felt okay about doing it, I didn't actually feel that great...but wasn't technically "sick." I slept very late and then relaxed for most of the day. I was also pretty productive as well, getting the nursery CLEAN and organized. Good feeling. After this past weekend, I needed this "day off."

2. I am OVERWHELMED at the generosity of our friends and family. We had both of our baby showers this past weekend and Collins is set:) Seriously, we got so much stuff. I am so thankful to have so many people in our lives who love us and will love our sweet little girl as well. I'll have to post photos soon, both showers were absolutely gorgeous...the hosts went ABOVE and BEYOND.

3. Our weather is WHACK. For reals. This has to be the warmest winter ever here in SC. I don't mind....but I do like a little cold every now and then. I have barely had to wear a jacket out of the house much at all. I know we still have some time (it snowed in the beginning of March last year) but so far we have had some gorgeous winter days.

4. I have been having some BH contractions lately...it's all getting VERY real now.

5. We are keeping my precious niece this weekend and I am so excited. She's a HAND FULL and I just love it:) I'm going to test out the BOB with her and take her to the park Saturday morning...getting my mommy training in!

6. The nursery bedding and curtains should be finished very soon! Yay! The ladies who are making these for me let me know it will be this week....I cannot wait to see everything come together in there. The nursery is going to be the nicest room in my house, oops. I've bought a lot of stuff that will grow with Collins though....she will have some of this stuff with her for a very long time!

7. My push present. Ha! Don't think there is such thing as one of these anymore as much money as we have spent on the nursery. I was thinking I wanted to get a piece of jewelry for it, but now I think I want furniture. Typical. But, I finally found some mirrored nightstands that I like that aren't $600/piece. Yay me! I wanted ones with several drawers as we have lots of stuff that we need to keep in our nightstands, especially as long as we are at our current house (NO closet space!). This one fits my requirements and is under $300. I think it looks great...hint hint husband:)

Cheers!

34 weeks.

2012-01-19T12:09:00.001-08:00

How far along? 34 weeks

Size of the baby? Baby Center: 4 ¾ pounds and almost 18 inches long.

Maternity Clothes? SAME.

Stretch Marks? Still haven’t noticed any…fingers crossed.

Movement? She gets the hiccups a good bit:)

Sleep? Getting worse every night. I just become uncomfortable and it wakes me up and I have to switch sides, which is not very easy these days!

Food Cravings? No change.

What I Miss: Oh you know…not feeling like an 80 year old woman at night.

Symptoms: There’s been LOTS of pain and pressure in certain parts lately….owwwzzaaaa. Doctor said oh that’s good, that means she is getting in position…well it sure doesn’t feel too good for momma! I really find that my body feels better if I don’t lay down at night…I’ve been trying to sit up more watching tv. Once I lay down for a bit it’s over…my back and other areas start to really hurt.

Best Moment of the Week? Wonderful 34 week check up, doc says she is head down…so hopefully she will stay that way! We have our bay showers this weekend, yipppeee!!!!

Baby Mania, and I CANNOT wait.

2012-01-19T07:41:00.001-08:00

*LONG post forthcoming*

I am so beyond excited about this weekend...we are having both of our baby showers and I cannot wait!!! My mom's wonderful friends are hosting one and Mikey and my friends are hosting the other...they just so happened to both pick the same weekend, which was fine with us. I feel like once I come home with all of the wonderful goodies it will really feel real! Nursery is coming along great, but I haven't bought any "necessity" items yet as I wanted to wait until after our showers to do that.

Saturday night we are being given a couples baby shower by our friends and I think it will be so much fun. I know all the girls have worked hard to make this come together....we are having chili and oysters, love it!

Sunday afternoon is my "all women" shower hosted by my moms friends (and my second moms!). I just know it will be absolutely beautiful....these ladies know how to throw a shower.
I wanted to go ahead and document the "big" items we registered for. I did LOTS of research, talked to other moms, and spent many hours carefully considering my options before making decisions. Just ask my wonderful husband...I think I changed my mind on the car seat 10 times! Ha!

1. Fisher Price Snugabunny swing. This thing is pretty freaking amazing. I think it also says BIG things that three of my other pregnant friends registered for the same one. I know some babies don't like swings at all, but I figured hopefully at least ONE of my children will.

Maclaren Volo stroller. Once baby girl is big enough, I figure this will be my go to stroller for errands, mall trips, etc.
Chicco Keyfit 30. The biggest debate of them all. I was originally going for the Peg Perego, it just seemed to have more "padding" and looked sturdier inside to me. I went back and forth a million times between these two....but the weight kept taking me back to the Chiccho. It's only like a two pound difference, but I swear you hold those two seats simultaneously and you can really tell! The safety ratings/reviews are virtually the same on both, so I ended up choosing the lighter one since I would be doing a lot of the lifting!
Fisher Price Snugabunny bouncer.
The BOB SE Revolution. This sucker is pretty amaze. I had heard so many moms tell me the "travel system" strollers were a waste and they wish they had gone straight with a jogging stroller. Now that they make the infant car seat adapters, this stroller can do it all. You can use it from DAY ONE until they are like um...7 years old or something crazy ridiculous like that. But, for real....I was hesitant at first because this will be my ONLY stroller until she is big enough to go in the Maclaren for quick trips, but the size is deceiving. The wheel base is only 1 inch bigger than the travel system strollers, they are just higher so they seem a lot bigger. I am amazed at how maneuverable this thing was, it really seems like the Cadillac of strollers. I'm not claiming I am going to start running marathons now, but it will be nice to have a nice, good, strong stroller to walk/jog around the neighborhood.
Motorola video monitor. I had originally gone with the Summer Video Touch...my mom had even already bought it. But, a friend tipped me off to this one and I started researching. Now, this one is fairly new...which may be why there aren't hardly any bad reviews on it yet...*fingers crossed it stays that way* but it seems to beat the summer in several key areas (screen display, especially at night, range, and interference). We shall see!
Just for fun...an adorable swim suit I picked up for Collins the other day. Cannot wait to see some (hopefully) chubby little legs poking out of it this summer.

Okay, that's enough baby talk for now!

Copy Cat. 25 Things.

2012-01-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed reading The Dishy Decorator's post the other day and thought I should do one myself.

TWENTY FIVE Things about me:

1. I have a fear of falling down the stairs since becoming pregnant.
2. I have the tiniest ears ever. Yes, I can still hear.
3. I'm pretty OCD about having my house "straight" and tidy. I have gotten much slacker about this since becoming pregnant.
4. I have CBF (chronic bitch face)...Mikey likes to call it my bitch line...a wrinkle from giving "the look" too much. OOPS. I pinky promise I am really a nice person, I don't mean to look like that.
5. I have the worst long term memory ever. But, the best short term. I buy all of these planners to keep organized but rarely really need them.
6. I absolutely LOVE to make to do lists.
7. I am scared that one day I am going to become an agoraphobia (not really)...but when I really start to think about life and how precious it is and how easily it can be taken away I get ANXIETY.
8. I talk to my mom on the phone multiple times a day. I talk to my dad at least once a day. I hope Collins is the same way with us.
9. I used to L-O-V-E politics, I now HATE it. Hate the process, hate the system, hate the lies.
10. I'm going to be a bridesmaid for the THIRTEENTH time in March, LOVE it. LOVE my friends.
11. I tore my ACL cheerleading in high school, I dare you to tell me it's not a sport.
12. I'm a lefty.
13. I HATE reality TV. All of it.
14. I could probably surivie off of cereal, diet coke and chick fil a.
15. If I could spend every weekend sitting on the dock in the SC low country I probably would. Preferably our dock in Beaufort.
16. I like to be in charge.
17. My husband makes me laugh EVERY day.
18. I am scared of getting in a bathing suit this summer.
19. I'm obsessed with real estate. If I had TONS of money I would develop a neighborhood.
20. I really enjoy decorating my house.
21. I love to go to the movies. Something about watching a movie on the big screen.
22. I used to NOT be a dog person. Now, I can't imagine a life without my sweet Mills.
23. I am not a clean car person.
24. I bite my lip and it's not very attractive when I do it.
25. I would now much rather spend my money on decorating my house than on clothes/accessories for myself.

Christmas Catch up Part One.

2012-01-16T07:52:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...don't die from the excitement. I wanted to document all of these events though, and am just now gathering the pictures from the people who took them.

We celebrated with the Richardson (my dad's fam) side of the family on Sunday December 18 at my cousin Lee's house. Unfortunately, my Uncle and his family couldn't come this year, so it wasn't quite the normal CHAOS (that made us miss two kids!) ...but it was still quite fun nonetheless. I just love watching all of these kiddos grow up together....we see this side of the family MUCH more in the summer because we go down to Beaufort so much together. The adults don't do gifts anymore....all of the children just draw names...even baby Collins got to participate this year. The kids just had the best time playing together....it was a gorgeous day so they rode bikes and played outside a lot. It reminded me when we were little and my brother and I would play at my grandparents house with my cousins...there were only 4 of us though! Can you imagine when Collins and Grady (my brother and SIL's boy due in June) get here?? There will be TEN kids TEN and under! Good gracious:) I love it. My grandparents would be so happy watching all of them play together.

The kids being silly.

My mom and my Aunt still get the kids a little something too...this year the youngest all got their own beach chairs for when we go to the sand bar in Beaufort and the oldest got beach towels. They loved it.
My fam:) We will have TWO more in just 20 short weeks!!!!

Pregnant Bachelorette.

2012-01-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

Don't let the title fool you...no worries, we didn't really have a pregnant bachelorette...just a bachelorette party with THREE pregnant ladies! Goodness! As I've mentioned, I have several best friends that are pregnant right now. I also have a best friend who is about to get MARRIED! Unfortunately for her....three of her bridesmaids are pregnant...no fun, right? Well, us pregnant girls weren't going to let that ruin anything for the bride. The bride is hitting the road to NYC for her REAL bachelorette fiesta (so jealous) so since us three pregnant girls couldn't participate (the weekend is actually the weekend I am due!) we had a little "mini" bachelorette this past weekend. Several of us got together at one of the girls houses on Lake Wateree and celebrated all night long. *As I mentioned recently, I have finally gotten used to the no drinking thing...but it was hard this time. I still had lots of fun though!* Anyways...we all arrived early afternoon and had the best girl time. We chatted, ate, did each others hair and make up (for real, sixth grade slumber party time), took lots of pictures, had a lingerie shower and ate some more. I think the bride had quite a good time,considering she was the first one who had to call it a night;) It was such a low key day/night and I think everyone had a really good time. I absolutely HATE that I am having to miss out on the REAL DEAL in NYC, but am glad we were able to do a little something to celebrate with the bride!

At this point, we are just praying that I get to be in the wedding. I have made a promise (to myself, I know the bride will understand if something crazy happens) that I will be AT the wedding, no matter how non pretty/still pregnant looking/sleep deprived I am, I can handle it for one weekend to see my best friend get married. She may not want me walking down that aisle....but I will be there, dang it. *My due date is March 1, wedding is March 17* My parents are coming to help out and I know my momma will help with the baby in any way necessary. Say a prayer for me!

A couple glamour shots of my beautiful friends.

Beautiful bride to be:)

33 weeks....and growing!

2012-01-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

This has got to be my worst picture to date, ugh. Pics just ARE NOT flattering these days...I guess it doesn't help when I skipped washing my hair this morning. YUCK. I need a tan. Pronto.

How far along? 33 weeks yesterday

Size of the baby? Baby center: a little over 4 pounds, over 17 inches. What to expect: Could be 20 and almost 5 pounds… So pick somewhere in between those two?

Maternity Clothes? SAME. For example today’s jeans are not maternity, just using the bella band…simply because I wanted to wear jeans today (casual Friday) and my maternity jeans were dirty. I don’t hate the bella band, but it does roll down a lot.

Stretch Marks? SAME. I just ran out of my first bottle of Bio Oil, must get more pronto. I picked up some “tummy butter” by Palmers and although it feels a little greasy I really like it, it feels like it works.

Movement? SAME. Baby girl has definitely started getting the hiccups though…she’s had them several times over the past few days.

Sleep? SAME. Toss and turn ALL night long. Blah….

Food Cravings? SAME.

What I Miss: SAME.

Symptoms: I’m pretty sure I encountered my first “known” Braxton Hicks over the weekend. I was on the phone with a girlfriend (who has a four month old, so she would know!) and all of a sudden got this really tight/cramping sensation in my belly. It didn’t last long, but was definitely noticeable. She said it was BH. I also woke up in the middle of the night Saturday (TWICE) from them. Don’t think I’ve felt any since though. I get a little bit of heartburn every now and then. I also purchased a fake wedding ring the other day, I haven’t started wearing it yet but it won’t be long. There is just no point in risking it…my mom had to have hers cut off so I’m not taking that chance! I’ve never mentioned this….the weekly thing I had didn’t have a place for it, but my belly button is most definitely OUT! It has been for a while…it doesn’t bother me. It goes back, right? It’s funny looking…oh well!

Best Moment of the Week? We’ve started receiving a few gifts in the mail….and I just love it! I am having two baby showers and they are both next weekend…so the gifts are starting to trickle in. We got the two HUMUNGO frames hung this past weekend along with the mirror/frame collage over the dresser. It’s getting so real now!!

2012 Resolutions

2012-01-10T13:14:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know....a little late. Oh well, as long as I document it at some point, right? Just kinda like I still have to document our holidays...but am waiting on my FATHER as he took the pictures and is slow in uploading and sending them to me. I might just have to go do it myself!

Anyways, I'm not a huge "resolutions" person simply because I doubt there are many I have ever really stuck with throughout the whole year. But, I, like most people do like to begin a new year with some goals in mind.

1. Sticking to a BUDGET and SAVING MONEY. Our life has changed lately in the fact that we are getting older and it is slowing down a tad...not as many out of town trips, expensive nights out, etc. Even thought a little one who is fast approaching will take all of that money, I still want to focus on SAVING this year. My priorities are changing. I'm working on not caring as much about the latest fashion trend (as much as i LOVE buying nice clothes, shoes, accessories...lets be honest, it's more for myself than anyone, what's the point?!? Of course if you have enough money to do it all, more power to you...but I don't.) Ideally, I would like to have a goal of buying a new house by the end of 2012. A lot of this will depend on how much we can get for our current house (we won't sell right now if we can't get what we think it is worth), but I want to be prepared in case. For me, a house is important. And no, at 28 years old I won't have or need to have the nicest, biggest house in the area...but I do like nice houses and I want our next house to be somewhere I can raise a family for 6-8 years or so until we can build our dream house. Thinking about buying a new house makes me excited and I want to save up as much as I can until then:) Of course in the meantime, we will also be starting a college fund for Collins, paying daycare and more in insurance. So...yeah, why can't money grow on trees again?!?

2. EATING FRESHER, EATING OUT LESS. This is something I have always struggled with. I love to eat out. I am BAD about it. Especially at lunch. And honestly Mikey and I are bad influences on each other about it. He is probably better than I am and is happy to eat at home more than me, but I somehow find a way to talk him into going out. Not like we eat fancy or anything, mostly Moe's ,McAlister's, those kind of places. But, it adds up...quick! If we both eat lunch out several times a week, add in a couple of dinners...we've quickly spent almost $200 on eating out. RIDICULOUS. I want to focus on buying fresh foods, less packaged/processed meals. I have gotten better about this when we eat at home, but I want to be even better. I rarely buy microwaveable meals anymore, we eat organic beef and chicken, and lots of veggies. But, I do stock up on lots of "bars, chips (even the "healthy" ones), cereals, etc. that are processed. MORE FRUITS and VEGGIES.

3. On that same note, GET THE BABY WEIGHT OFF PLUS SOME. Yeah...I'm still about 7 weeks out from having said baby but I am already SO ready to get rid of the baby weight. I haven't really gone crazy with eating during pregnancy (of course if we go out to eat I don't hesitate on eating fries, etc....where before I would at least pretend to ponder the decision, ha!) I do eat some sweets, but nothing crazy....my weight gain has been very good so far, but I was heavier than I would prefer when I got pregnant so now I am ready to be back to my wedding weight. Like now, or maybe two weeks post birth. Totally possible, right?!? Ha! Kidding. But, for real...I didn't work out during pregnancy and at this point, it seems too late....except for a little stretching/pilates, and I am actually READY to work out. I am ready to sweat! So even though I won't be one of the "resolutioners" at the gym....I will be come April. Hopefully.

4. DRINK MORE WATER. I am trying so hard to do this now that I am at the end of pregnancy and starting to swell. I usually drink a diet coke for breakfast and one for lunch and then have water for dinner. But, I guess I'm not a big "drinker" because besides that I typically didn't drink much else. I have to make myself get up and go get water throughout the day to drink. It's not that I don't like it, I'm just not thirsty/don't think about it. I still drank caffeine during pregnancy, two diet cokes a day...my doctor was totally okay with this...you are allowed about 200 mg a day and one diet coke can only has 46, so I think I am good. But, really....I wish I could cut that back to just one a day. I just love DC so much, oops! I know, even though it is diet...it isn't good for you!

5. Attend church more. One of my resolutions last year was to join church...well that didn't happen but we did go some. Well, we are now joining, yay! We started membership classes last week and are set to join before little Collins arrives. Even though church hasn't been as much a part of my life since going off to college, we both were raised going to church and sunday school every Sunday and I want to do that for my babies as well.

Hope your 2012 is off to a wonderful start! * I still cannot believe it is friggin 2012. My parents were laughing the other day, how when they got married, never did they ever think about it actually being 2012....it felt SO far away. I even feel like that. Time flies:(

32 Weeks!!

2012-01-06T11:07:00.001-08:00

32 weeks as of yesterday! Not much time for the ole blog this week. Such is life. But, don't want to miss too many of these weekly updates. So here goes....

How far along? 32 weeks

Size of the baby? 3.75 pounds and still about 16 or 17 inches long. The size of a large jicama, whatever in the world that is. Thanks Baby Center!

Maternity Clothes? SAME.

Movement? I feel like the movement has actually slowed down a bit lately, at least for me. It’s just a different kind of movement than it was. Not as many quick playful kicks and stuff I guess…it’s more like I actually feel her whole body rolling around in there.

Sleep? Ugh. Starting to get a bit of that “third trimester insomnia.” Why oh why must that happen when you need sleep the MOST? I just wake up in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep for a bit. Not fun. Plain out RESTLESS.

Food Cravings? Nothing new to report.

What I Miss: Same as always with most stuff. I will say that over the past couple of months, the whole not drinking thing hasn't been that bad. I don't want to sound like an alcoholic, but it is just a hard/weird transition to go from being such a social drinker to NOT DRINKING AT ALL. I've finally gotten used to not having a drink at social events now though. It isn't a big deal to me anymore. Do I still want to get tipsy every once in a while over one too many glasses of wine? YES. But, it took me a while to not feel awkward at a party because I wasn't drinking and that feeling has definitely gone now. I miss being able to lay on the couch for a bit and not having an achy back when I get up. This is really the only time my back hurts...first thing in the morning when I get out of bed and if I lay on the couch for a couple of hours. It just gets stiff I guess. Still miss a full, fun wardrobe and buying new trendy pieces for it. I'm still shocked by how much "non maternity" I can wear, but I still have to be picky/careful. I haven't looked at any fun dresses this season and that has been weird! So ready to get this pregnancy weight off now so I can get back in my fun clothes! Just in time for spring:) *yeah....i hope it'll be that fast, ha!*

Symptoms: little swelling, back pain, not much else to report. Still feeling really good for the most part.

Best Moment of the Week? 8 weeks to go! My dad is coming this weekend to install the built in bookshelf he made, and I cannot wait. It is gorgeous. We also had our first gift arrive in the mail from a friend yesterday. I guess they won't be able to make it to the shower, so that was fun!!

it was a BIG day!!!

2011-12-30T08:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a BIG day for a couple of reasons. First off, it was my "turn day" which means I am officially down to the single digits (weeks wise) before we meet our precious Collins. 9 weeks to go...crazy!

Our best friends became parents to an absolutely beautiful and perfect baby girl. Harper Anne Sherard was born around 7:30 yesterday morning...mommy and baby are doing great! I hope and pray Harper and Collins are best friends just like their mommies:) Momma Sherard is going to have to show me the ropes in 9 weeks, she will be a pro by then! We are so excited for the Sherard family!!

And in unexpected news, we found out that my brother and SIL are expecting a BOY for baby number two!!!!!!!! We cannot be more excited for them, for real! Christie had a doctor appointment yesterday morning (her 16 week check up) and our practice normally doesn't do gender u/s until 20 weeks, but she begged and they were able to confirm it was a boy. We all went to dinner last night to hear the big news. My mom and I both came prepared....we bought Gamecock stuff in case it was another little girl and Clemson stuff if it was a boy. I am so thrilled for my brother. The Richardson side of my family is all TIGER (yuck! Thankfully, my mom rescued me and made me a gamecock) but anyways....dad and brother are huge Clemson fans, but SIL is a HUGE Gamecock...the deal always was if they had girls they would be gamecocks with their momma, but a boy would be a tiger like his daddy. Well...as hard as it was for my mom and I, we both bought little boy Richardson some Tiger gear. I am beyond thrilled that Collins will have a little boy cousin around her same age to grow up with. If we live in the same area, they will be in the same grade!! So fun!

We are leaving today for Hilton Head for our last getaway before baby! We decided to take advantage of the long weekend and get down their and relax for a bit. We have something going on every weekend after this one until February 11th weekend (which I won't want to be traveling after that anyways) so we are using this as our last little vacation as a family of two. I am so excited to spend a weekend with Mikey just lounging and hanging out. We have plans for a nice dinner for NYE, but other than that...we plan on renting lots of movies and staying in our pjs. HEAVEN!

I seriously cannot believe this is the LAST Friday of 2011. It seems like just yesterday we were up in the mountains with friends celebrating NYE 2011. Where does the time go? This year has been amazing, but somehow I think 2012 may be even better:)

SINGLE DIGITS!!!

2011-12-29T11:45:00.000-08:00

NINE WEEKS TO GO! Yippeee!!!!

How far along? 31 weeks

Size of the baby? 3.5 pounds, 16 or 17 inches long.

Maternity Clothes? SAME.

Stretch Marks? SAME. I just ran out of my first bottle of Bio Oil, must get more pronto.

Movement? For the FIRST time all pregnancy I felt her move to the left side of me last night. She’s been on the right the whole time I have been able to feel her, I could see my stomach move up and watched her switch sides last night…so funny. And whatever body part it is that I can feel that is really hard was on the left side for the first time…I don’t think she liked it as much though because she has already moved back.

Sleep? SAME.

Food Cravings? SAME.

What I Miss: SAME.

Symptoms: SAME.

Best Moment of the Week? Getting into the single digits week wise! Holy cow, that’s nuts!!! Not much change this week. I am still feeling great for the most part…back is sore every now and then, but otherwise we are still rocking and rolling. I got the invitation in the mail for our couples baby shower (YAY) and the women’s one is going out tomorrow, cannot wait for those events!!!

Christmas for Collins

2011-12-28T07:37:00.001-08:00

Collins isn't even set to arrive until March 1 and she already RACKED up at Christmas!!! Perfectly fine with us. There wasn't a whole lot that Mikey and I wanted/needed (besides the camera) so it worked out perfectly that most of our Christmas was dedicated to the bambino. We are so thankful for such giving family during this time...we got so many amazing things for our nursery and sweet Collins.

Nikon D3100. I've been wanting a nice camera for quite some time, but it was always one of those things I knew I would have to get before we had a baby. This was definitely on the top of our list this year, so even though this is for Mikey and me, I really consider it a "Collins" present as well as we probably wouldn't have gotten it this year had we not been pregnant.

Samsung camcorder, this is something Mikey and I decided to pick up for ourselves last minute. Nothing fancy, I don't even know how much we will actually use this...but I wanted one to have at the hospital to capture the memories.
Emma side table from Pottery Barn kids, it goes perfectly right beside the glider.
In L-O-V-E with this rug. It is the petal soft braided chenille rug from Restoration Hardware Baby and Child. Thing feels sooooo good on your feet. I'm a little worried about keeping Milly (our dog!) OFF of it! It will be the perfect place for Collins when she starts crawling around, her nursery is hardwoods so a rug was a necessity.
Two of the BIG frames to go on each side of the crib. Y'all...when I say big, you have no idea. These things are mammoth. I am positively OBSESSED with these though. I think they are absolutely gorgeous and will look good in Collins' rooms for years to come. Antique frames from RH Baby and Child.
Decorative birdcages from RH baby and child. You should have seen Mikey's reaction when he found out these were one of our gifts, ha! I don't care, I love them! I am going to spray the green one grey, they will look so perfect sitting on top of the dresser. RH baby and child.
Beautiful petal pink antique frames to sit on built in bookcase my daddy is building:) Again, RH baby and child.
We both received several "personal" items as well...even though this was probably the first Christmas EVER that I did not receive ONE article of clothing for myself...a scarf doesn't count, that's more of an accessory, right? Collins received several sweet books, some sleepers, blankets, her first pair of monogrammed bloomers (!!), and my bro and SIL got us the Fisher Price activity mat off of our registry, one bigger item down. 99 million to go.....ha! I swear babies require so much STUFF! We had a wonderful Christmas and feel so fortunate to have such wonderful family:) I cannot wait to get all of this stuff finalized in the nursery and have it complete! Her bedding is being done as we speak:)

10 weeks to go!

2011-12-22T08:43:00.001-08:00

My best friend Haven was thinking she might be having her baby today, but the doctor scheduled her for next Thursday, so excited but yet so surreal. Haven is the first of us to kick off the "baby train" (we have about 6 friends who are preggo right now and due within 5 months of each other, nuts!) It's so crazy to think about...we are all getting so close. I cannot wait to meet baby Harper!!!

How far along? 30 weeks

Size of the baby? 3 pounds, 16-17 inches. The length is what really blows my mind…l know she is curled up in a ball, but it amazes me that there is 17 inches of a BABY in my belly. NUTS.

Maternity Clothes? No change. I am still amazed at the mix of clothes I can wear. That for sure is one thing I now know, you don’t really need TONS of maternity clothes…you can still make your regular clothes work for a LONG time.

Stretch Marks? None have appeared yet, still using the Palmer’s and Bio Oil a few times a week.

Movement? Same. They are definitely getting harder though. I swear the movement thing is the absolute BEST feeling and scariest all at once. For the most part, I feel her pretty constant now. I’ve even started noticing more of her moving from side to side as you can look at my stomach and see her move from the outside, like an ocean wave. But, there are still times…where I will stop and think that I haven’t felt her in a while and I will begin to freak out. I know most of the time it is just because I have been busy/not paying attention but it is still scary.

Sleep? I can still make it thru the night without having to get up to go to the bathroom, I consider this a personal victory as I hear most pregnant women do not make it this long without having to do that. But, I definitely wake up and flip sides a lot trying to get comfortable.

Food Cravings? Nada. I don’t know who invented that whole “pickles and ice cream” thing…maybe it’s just me. Sure I’ve been indulging in a few more sweets and McAlister’s spuds lately just because I can…not really because I am CRAVING them though.

What I Miss: Same.

Symptoms: Same. Back pain is the worst if I lay on the couch for a while at night, or when I first get out of bed in the morning. I’ve noticed that my hands are feet are beginning to swell a little bit. I’ve got to watch that carefully because my mom had to have her wedding band cut off when she was preggo with me!

Best Moment of the Week? Had a really good 30 week appointment!! 10 weeks to go:)

Merry Christmas from the Glenn family!

2011-12-22T06:03:00.000-08:00

Yeah, so I had to take a picture of my Christmas card to get it on here...I can't for the life of me figure out how to copy and paste it from the site I made it on. Oh well!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!!

Space needed.

2011-12-21T06:29:00.000-08:00

Let it be known that I am writing this post well before we have a baby come into our lives in our little house. I haven't even had a baby shower yet, so we don't have ANY of the millions of things that babies require around the house yet. I know I will learn to deal with it, but it already stresses me out to think how cluttered our house is going to become in March!

I need space. As much as I love our house, I am over it. I'm over itty bitty closets and no storage, I'm over one bathroom that you can barely turn around in, I'm over not having an extra get away room. I need MORE.

It's funny because for our size house...our kitchen is HUGE, there are actually a couple of drawers in there that aren't full because I have nothing else to put in them. Unlike in my bedroom, but it's not as if I can move my personal necessities to the kitchen now is it. I use the closet in our master, Mikey uses the closet in our guest bedroom and the closet in the nursery was always my coat closet plus a million other random extra things that didn't have anywhere else to go. Well...now that we need that nursery closet for a sweet little one who will be making her debut in March...space is tight. Thank goodness my dad is a wonderful builder, he added some cabinets in the laundry room that I have turned into my coat closet and more storage space. So, for now...it works. There is so much stuff that I use on an every day basis that I have to store under my bed because I have no room for it elsewhere. Our furniture is big too, it's not like we don't have enough. There is just not enough storage in our house!

I can't even imagine what's going to happen when there is a swing, pac n play, strollers, etc. laying around. If I just had one extra room it would make all the difference in the world. A sunroom, small office, something where I could store stuff when not in use. But, I don't...so it will all just have to chill in the den. Yay! (insert major sarcasm).

We always knew we wanted to move out to the 'burbs eventually, but lately that timetable is getting moved up more and more. Just riding around in our "target" market for our next house, we just get so excited looking at the possibilities....so much more SPACE. Kid friendly neighborhoods, excellent schools, close to the lake (one of the biggest reasons I want to be out there), the pros go on and on.

Our little house and our little neighborhood has served us well for this stage in our lives. We live downtown, within walking distance of Publix, five minutes to the restaurants, shopping, and night life of downtown and have thoroughly enjoyed it for the most part. But, I think i am ready...ready for more. More space, more storage, more house.

Pamper me.

2011-12-16T08:07:00.000-08:00

This week is all about being pampered. Why? Well, for no reason in particular...it's just the way it turned out. I'm actually not one who spends lots of money at salons/spas/etc. I get a pedicure every once in a while...more in the summer, obvs. I'll go thru phases of getting my nails done...it's a lot of upkeep. The ONLY things I do that are constant and routine are getting my eyebrows waxed and my hair highlighted. I do my eyebrows about every three weeks and my hair typically every 12 weeks.

Everything just sort of popped up at once this week. My wonderful sister in law (and brother, but let's be honest about whose idea this really was) got me a gift certificate for a prenatal massage for my birthday. I received another from a friend, so I decided I would do one in December and maybe one at the end of January...don't want to wait too late in case for some crazy reason little Collins decides to come early. My back has started hurting a bit over the past two weeks, so I decided it was time to bust out the massage. I spent one heavenly hour at Occo Skin Studio in Columbia on Tuesday after work. It was amazing. The bed was heated, the blankets were incredibly soft and plush, and the body pillow was so comfy. Occo is fairly new in Columbia and it was the first time I had ever been there....besides the fact that the interior design is to die for....the massage was as well. I'd go back every day if I could.

Yesterday, I decided I need to get my nails done for the holidays. Back to Occo I went for a OPI gel manicure. Again, heaven. I haven't had a manicure in AGES, so it was very necessary. I can't remember the name of the color but it is very festive, cranberry with a bit of sparkle. Absolutely perfect for the next couple of weeks!

And TODAY...I am getting a little BLONDER:) Ah....one of my favorite times. I feel so much better freshly blonde. I used to be able to go about 4 months in between highlights as my natural color isn't that dark, but the older I get I guess the darker it is getting because I am now having to go every three months or maybe even less. Regardless, I cannot wait. The girl who does my hair is a friend from high school...I told her the other day it was time, and she said, "yeah...I saw some pictures on facebook and thought about calling you." Ha!!! I just don't like my hair dark....wanna be a forever blonde:)

I am also getting my eyebrows waxed today, which isn't fun; but definitely necessary. I may be like a whole new person tonight! It's the perfect week to get all this done though, as I mentioned before we have quite a CRAZY weekend ahead of us. We had our Supper Club Christmas party last night, Mikey has his work Christmas party tonight, which I will go to for a bit before heading to my NINTH annual ZTA girls Christmas party!!! YAY! One of my favorite nights of the year. We then head to NC tomorrow to celebrate Christmas with Mikey's extended family and then it's back to Columbia Sunday morning to celebrate with my extended family. And then....we go to a friends for a "friends" Christmas get together. WHEW! That's a LOT goin' on. And I cannot wait:)

Easy breezy no more, 29 weeks!

2011-12-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

It's like I don't even recognize myself anymore, weird. I have grown so much in the past two weeks it startles me! Ha! Upon entering the third trimester it's like a switch flipped...I all of a sudden feel very pregnant. I was blessed with an extremely easy pregnancy up until this point...hopefully it stays that way and won't get too bad. But, I can definitely feel that I am entering the uncomfortable stage of this thing....bye bye to the easy breezy part of being pregnant. Only 11 weeks to go! EEEEEKKKK!!!!!!!!! *and no worries, I am getting BLONDE again tomorrow, for the love...ugh. I am so dark here, yuck!*

How far along? 29 weeks

Size of the baby? 2.5 pounds and almost 16 inches long.

Maternity Clothes? Same as last week.

Stretch Marks? None have appeared yet, still using the Palmer’s and Bio Oil a few times a week.

Movement? Same. They are definitely getting harder though.

Sleep? This past week I have started waking up even more during the night, switching sides, etc.

Food Cravings? Still haven’t had anything crazy.

What I Miss: Recognizing myself in the mirror, (for real, I always surprise myself if I get a glimpse in a mirror unexpectedly or something), alcohol, my normal closet.

Symptoms: I swear this past week is the week that I really started feeling really pregnant. My back has started hurting a little, especially after a long day at the office…I need to work on my posture when I am sitting at my desk all day. Starting to have some cramping, moving a little slower at night, etc. I'm still making it thru the night without having to get up to go to the bathroom which is great, but I feel like I have to go every 30 minutes during the day. Pressure is definitely starting to kick in down there.

Best Moment of the Week? Our glider was delivered yesterday, I had no clue it was going to be in already, and I am in LOVE. It is soooo comfy, and gorgeous! We also went and met the pediatrician we wanted to use this morning and I absolutely adore her, she is wonderful. Such a good feeling. I also got my first prenatal massage Tuesday night, which was absolutely divine. I got two gift certificates for my birthday for prenatal massages, I’m going to wait and use the other closer to the end. I wish I could afford to have one weekly.

Me time and my tree:)

2011-12-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

Me time.

I’m not one who requires or likes a lot of “me” time. Sure, I like to run to the mall/stores and shop a bit by myself for a short amount of time but for the most part I like being around other people/having someone to run errands with, etc. Call me needy, I guess. I just don’t like or prefer to be alone a lot. Mikey and I typically get home from work within 30 minutes of each other, so there isn’t normally a lot of time at night when I am by myself and that is the way I prefer it. I’ve never lived alone. I just don’t like it. I crave interaction, communication, just someone to be with. It’s funny how I don’t think twice about going to girl’s nights and stuff during the week, but I hate it when Mikey has something to do at night after work and I am home alone! Ha! Mikey plays golf a good bit on the weekends, which is fine. I normally always have something else to do, whether it is shopping with my mom, a shower or event of some sort, etc. However, this past weekend Mikey was going to Charleston for the day and I had NOTHING to do, NOTHING. I actually enjoyed my alone time for once. I slept late, watched 4 episodes of Parenthood, wrapped a bunch of presents, deep cleaned the house, ran a couple of errands, and took Milly on a long walk. It was so nice to have a DO NOTHING day even though I probably would have liked it better had Mikey been there with me (yeah, I guess I am needy). Hehe. Of course, by the time he got home that night I was ready to go do something/be around people. We had a date night Friday night ( my favorite kind ever….we went to dinner and then drove around for two hours looking at Christmas lights and just talking. It was perfect!) so by Saturday night I was ready for a night on the town. Well, about as much of a “night on the town” as you can when 7 months pregnant. We went and met up with friends for a fun dinner for a few hours. After an all-day “me” day, it was high time for this girl to be surrounded by some peeps.

Sunday was another good one. We slept in, cooked breakfast, wen to church, then lunch…and then came home and did some work on the nursery! Yay!! Then we spent a wonderful evening on the couch catching up on Revenge and Modern Family. I honestly can’t remember the last weekend we had NOTHING to do like this. We did not have one event that we needed/wanted to attend. We did whatever we wanted and it was great. Now on the calendar for this weekend: Thursday night: supper club, Friday night: Mikey’s work Christmas party and my girl’s Christmas party, Saturday/Saturday night: we go to NC for Mikey’s family Christmas, Sunday: we come home and do Christmas with my extended family and then Sunday night we go to a friends for a Christmas party! Talk about a LOT going on:) Good thing that’s how I prefer it most of the time. I guess I need these weekends like I had this past one every once in a while to recharge.

I guess I need to enjoy these last two months of “me” time before little Collins arrives, as I know my me- time will most certainly (and happily) come to an end then.

Just a little sneak at my tree with some wrapped presents! Just a few more to go. I CANNOT believe I will be giving/receiving my first Christmas gift of the season FRIDAY night. Holy crazy town. *Sorry for the crappy phone pic.

What keeps me up at night....

2011-12-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

I've always had sleeping problems off and on. I went thru a really bad period in law school and had to start taking ambien, there nights where I couldn't get my mind to "turn off" until 4 in the morning, that just doesn't work when you have to be awake in three hours and learn the law! I've always been insanely jealous of people who can hit the pillow and be out within minutes (my husband...dang him.) It's actually not that bad right now...every once in a while (Sunday nights are the worst!) my anxiety/brain going in overdrive gets the best of me and I can't fall asleep for a couple of hours. It's got to be one of the worst feelings in the world, when you are absolutely EXHAUSTED and cannot fall asleep.

Lately, this is where my mind wanders:

*Will Collins be a good baby? Will she sleep good? Will she/I be able to breast feed? Will she cry all the time or be a content baby? Will I be a good mom? Will I know what in the WORLD I am doing? Will I be able to get her on a good routine/sleep schedule by the time I go back to work? What will she look like? Who will she take after? My eyes? Mikey's?

*Our next house. Where will we move? When? How long will I be able to stay in our current home? How FAST will we outgrow it?

*Anxiety about dying. I know, I know...it's nuts. But, sometimes I get overwhelmed about the fact that tomorrow could be our last day. It is so frightening.

It's so funny how opposite Mikey and I are on stuff like that. I know I have absolutely NO control over 95% of the things that I worry about/things that keep my mind running all night, but yet I still do worry. I think it's just in my nature. I wouldn't say I am a worry wart by any means, but I do contemplate/think about things a lot that I can't control. Mikey is totally different, he doesn't let anything affect him/worry about anything until he has to...it sort of drives me bonkers sometimes, ha!

Anyways, just a random post about my random thoughts.

We have NO plans for the weekend, do whaaaaat?!? I plan on doing some house cleaning, wrapping some presents, going to look at Christmas lights, watching some movies, and organizing the closet in the nursery. Perfect weekend ahead:)

28 week update!

2011-12-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

Long time, no update....oops. No worries, the belly has been doing LOTS of growing....

How far along? 28 weeks. Hello, official start to the THIRD trimester. WoohooJ

Size of the baby? A little over two pounds and 15 or so inches long.

Maternity Clothes? Not much has changed. I can still wear a good mix of non-maternity and maternity. Being clueless about pregnancy, I would have never guessed I could still wear so much non maternity for so long, this makes me very happy. I still wear a lot of work pants with the bella band just because I only have two pairs of maternity work pants and I really don’t feel like buying more. I’m pretty much always wearing my GAP skinnies and GAP boot cut maternity now though, they are just too dang comfortable not too. I’m shocked how many of my long sleeve shirts/sweaters still fit. That’s a good thing though…I HATE spending money on maternity clothes!!

Stretch Marks? None have appeared yet, still using the Palmer’s and Bio Oil a few times a week.

Movement? Same. They are definitely getting harder though.

Sleep? Same.

Food Cravings? Same.

What I Miss: Same.

Symptoms: Same.

*Sorry ,so boring but not much has changed except for the size of the belly.

Best Moment of the Week? My wonderful husband put the crib and dresser together last night, yipppeeee yay!!! This made me VERY excited. The walls are done, my dad came and hung the chandelier last Sunday, we brought the toy chest down that my dad built and now the crib and dresser are in there. We got the rug and frames in from Restoration Hardware baby and they look simply amazing…BUT because that is part of our Christmas from my parents…I don’t get them till Christmas Day. Ha! Not much longer!!!

Times are a changin'....

2011-12-05T11:41:00.000-08:00

My oh my. Things have slowly started changing lately, it's weird, good, sad, and happy all at the same time to me. What am I talking about? Just growing up in general and how it affects our day to day lives now. This past weekend was absolutely wonderful, low key and totally different than how it would have been a year ago. We were asleep by 11:30 both nights, didn't have any night time social events to attend, and went to a birthday party for one of my favorite ONE year olds and I went to baby shower for my best friend, Jill and Mary Brooks:)

Things have just started slowing down for us...the wedding showers/parties/weddings/nights out on the town are becoming less frequent and the staying in, Saturday work projects, going to bed early are becoming more common place. I feel conflicted about it to be honest. I've always LOVED being on the go and being BUSY, but obviously being pregnant has affected that some and going out just isn't quite the same as it used to be. I'm okay with that part of it...I think the part that feels weird is knowing that a certain chapter of our lives is kinda closing. I know we will still have social events a plenty in the coming years but most of them will change to baby showers and kids birthday parties. I know these will be SO much fun for us and sweet little Collins, it's just different. I've said it time and time again, I'm not a fan of growing older. Yes, I am SUPER excited about becoming a mom and starting this new chapter in our lives, but part of me knows that at the same time it just means more time is gone by and I am getting old! My mom's best friend told me the other day her 30's and 40's were her favorite time, when she was raising her kids...and I am sure that I will find that to be true, it's not that I don't think that time is going to be amazing, it's just a little sad knowing the non kid days/young adult "social" life time is drawing to an end. And yes, I know you can still do this when you have kids...but it's still not nearly as frequent.

I don't mean to sound sad about this...as I am totally happy about our soon to be new life as parents, it's just a big adjustment. *Duh* Anyways...enough rambling.

Happy Monday!

Weddings! Babies!

2011-12-02T06:49:00.001-08:00

Trying to play a little catch up here around the old blog. I want this to be my online scrapbook, so I feel like I can't ever NOT blog about events, I know I will appreciate this in 20 years. So, in other words...expect lots of picture posts to come:)

The weekend that I bit off more than I could chew? Remember? Well, I didn't really, but almost did. Anyways...it was a SUPER fun weekend filled with great parties and best friends.

We got started that Friday night by hosting my best friend Becca and her fiance' Grant a wine and beer tasting party. It was amazing....at least I thought so. We held the party at the Lake Carolina lake house, this place is brand new and simply beautiful. I think everything turned out very well and the future bride and groom had a great time. And they got lots of alcohol, always a bonus, right?!? Now, excuse my out of order pictures...

Two of the other hostesses and me.

Dessert table set up....Chocolate dipped strawberries and champagne "tasting".
The "welcome" table...wine glasses and where guests dropped off their gifts/"spirits".
The main food/tasting table. Don't remember what all of this deliciousness was, but it was yummy. We paired each main food with two different beverages, either a white wine and a light beer or a red wine and a dark beer, etc.
The girls:)
Bride to be Becca (third from left) with all of the hostesses!
Part of the room.
Mikey and me.
Gifts starting to collect...
More of the food.
All of the pregnant girls....in order:) January, February, March, March, April, May...pretty CRAZY, right?!? So so fun though:) So far there are 4 girls and 1 boy, waiting on little Jessie to hear boy or girl and we will be complete! I'm secretly hoping for another boy, these girls need some boyfriends, hehe!
Girls with the bride to be.
That Sunday, we hosted a baby shower for prego Haven who is due at the beginning of January...well I guess we say December now because she is getting induced at the end of the year, don't know the exact date yet! YAY for meeting baby Harper this month, cannot wait!!

Anyways, we did a desserts and drinks theme since it was a Sunday afternoon shower. I hosted it at my house which made me a little nervous b/c the guest list was pretty large and my house is not so large. But, we made it work and it was beautiful. Haven and Harper got SO many wonderful things.

Beaming mommy to be:)

Loved the banner, it matched our invitations.
Some of the table set up, loved all the bright colors we used. Her nursery is turquoise, corals/pinks and green. That's where we came up with the colors.
All the girls!

What a busy, wonderful weekend!

Turkey Time!

2011-11-30T07:27:00.001-08:00

Also known as my Thanksgiving Holiday Recap.

We truly had a wonderful holiday weekend. We started by celebrating Thanksgiving with my family on Wednesday night...it was just the six of us plus Belle and my Grandparents. Even though it was a small group, we still had a large time. I didn't take any pictures really...except for when Granddaddy thought it would be funny to get our little Gamecock drawing pictures of Sammy Watkins (Clemson's supposedly BEST player, unfortunately for the Tigers that wasn't the case at the game on Saturday, haha!!) *Side note: my family is a split family when it comes to the biggest rivalry in our state....Carolina vs. Clemson. Mom and I are Carolina Gamecocks (her dad was a dean at the business school there and is a huge fan and she grew up a Carolina fan as did I) and fortunately for my mom and ,I my Clemson loving brother married a HUGE Gamecock fan! So, of course...little Belle is following in her mommy, Aunt, and Lolly's footsteps and is a gamecock too. My dad and brother are the Clemson fans, poor guys! Ha! (My dad's whole side of the family is Clemson, I guess my parents decided since they had one boy and one girl...the boy could be Clemson with daddy and the girl could be Carolina with mommy! ha!) Anyways...back to the point. Boy, can I ramble! My dad thought it would be so funny to teach Belle how to draw Clemson paws and Sammy Watkins, he even tried to get her to say Go Sammy go...but that girl is trained too well:) She constantly says, Clemson...yuck! Precious!

Granddaddy and Belle with their number 2 drawings....my dad, quite the artist, yes? ha!

So, Thanksgiving day was absolutely wonderful. We got to sleep in, lay on the couch all day at my parents house, watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, read, be lazy, take Milly on a walk (we tried to burn off a few of those calories!), etc. It was SO nice not to be crazy busy the whole break. We didn't have to go to Mikey's dads house until later in the afternoon so we got a whole day to ourselves. Pure heaven. We headed over to be with Mikey's family around 5 and of course I got no pictures again. But, we had a good dinner and good night with the Glenn family as well:)

BLACK FRIDAY: No, we didn't do anything crazy...there just wasn't anything that I was dying to have/needed this year that was going on crazy sale. As I've mentioned our Christmas is being devoted to baby Collins, so we were in bed at a reasonable time Thursday night, no crazy shopping for us. Mikey had to work Friday though, so mom and I decided to head up to Southpark mall in Charlotte for the day. It was great, the traffic wasn't bad and the mall really wasn't that packed. I was shocked! We got some good deals and definitely racked up at the Pottery Barn Kids, which we don't have in Columbia...so that was nice!

That night, my crazy self was hosting a going away party/oyster roast at my house. We used to try and have a big get together the night after Thanksgiving for the home town crowd, so this year we did it again! It ended up being super fun, a lot of people came out and I hear that the oysters were amazing!

Griff...on the left, moving to Texas tomorrow!
My little family:)
Some of the girls.
Friends.
Mikey had to work AGAIN on Saturday...so with me being prego and him having to work, we had everyone out of the house by midnight....we sent all them young folks downtown, ha! But, Saturday was GAME DAY and you know what that means....a LONG, amazing day of tailgating!! We actually didn't get out there until 3 because of Mikey having to work but the game wasn't until almost 8, so we still had PLENTY of time. *especially being the sober girl at tailgate for that long, whew!* But, it was SO, SO worth it as we watched our ASS KICKIN' CHICKEN GAMECOCKS kick Clemson's butt!!! Victory is SO sweet, especially when it is the rivalry game.

Girl pic. Please excuse our one little tiger fan! ha!
and again...few different girls this time.
Good looking group of guys if I dare say so!
Go cocks!
The stadium was ELECTRIFYING that night. LOVED it.
We ended up not getting home until 1:30 that night, woah....I feel OLD saying that:) But, we had to celebrate our victory in style and visit several other tailgates after the game! So, Sunday was a super productive day after we slept in. We got the WHOLE house decorated for Christmas, YAY!!! AND...Mikey finished painting the nursery! Woohoo:)

What a wonderful holiday weekend it was. I was simply POOPED by the time Sunday night rolled around, but we had such fun every day....I can't believe how different our Thanksgiving will be next year with a BABY!!!!!!!!!!

Sweet Caroline

My Valentine.

It would have been a perfect weekend, if.........

*Full term*

Tuesday Talk.

Beautiful Baby Shower Number TWO.

BIG OL' BELLY.

Beautiful Baby Shower Number ONE.

Dreaming of spring.

FIVE weeks to go!

NYE

Technology induced ADD.

Odds and ends.

34 weeks.

Baby Mania, and I CANNOT wait.

Copy Cat. 25 Things.

Christmas Catch up Part One.

Pregnant Bachelorette.

33 weeks....and growing!

2012 Resolutions

32 Weeks!!

it was a BIG day!!!

SINGLE DIGITS!!!

Christmas for Collins

10 weeks to go!

Merry Christmas from the Glenn family!

Space needed.

Pamper me.

Easy breezy no more, 29 weeks!

Me time and my tree:)

What keeps me up at night....

28 week update!

Times are a changin'....

Weddings! Babies!

Turkey Time!

Full term