Weekend/Shower Recap

We are home and finally getting settled after our trip to NY. It was so much fun to get away and see our family! 

I tried to take as many pictures as I could, but of course I suck and only took maybe 20. Gah! And of course I brought my fancy camera and it never left my bag. Sweet. 

So, the night before we left (I think? It's all starting to mesh together), I was home working and heard a weird noise...

My husband was working (of course), so I called our maintenance team. Three hours later, the sink overflowed and the guy knocked on our door. Nothing like deep cleaning your smelly, sewage-filled kitchen at 10PM. UGH!

The plus? The guy who came to fix it was so sweet. He had to leave his house late at night and I felt bad, so I gave him tons of apple pie and Diet Coke. He loved me! 

The nail lady was ready to kill me. My phone rang at least 5 times while I was there and she kept talking to her friends. I can only imagine what she was saying about me. 

I have to wonder if that was my last pedicure before Baby B arrives...we'll see! 

My aunt sent me this picture the day before we arrived..seriously, are they not the cutest?

And finally-- on the road. The dogs were actually pretty well behaved and slept about 80% of the time. Who am I kidding.. I slept about 80% of the time!

I made sure to keep my feet up and had no problems with swelling. We only stopped once in the 6ish hour drive for a lunch/potty break. 

I really wanted Subway. It was amazing. 

We finally made it! My aunt had these M&Ms out and I thought they looked so much like fall. There were probably 3 in each bowl by the time we left. 

The doggies were so happy to see their cousins. It was adorable. It was like they were never separated! 

When we came in, Oreo lifted his leg at least 10 times. I'm not sure if anything came out, but who knows. Guess my aunt is finding out if it was real pee or just "fake" pee! 

The weather was beautiful. The doors and windows were open and the dogs loved it! 

Walking with 4 dogs the morning of our shower..not easy.

Ya like that? I have no pictures of our shower. I totally suck. BUT it was absolutely beautiful and tons of fun. Note the random stroller wheel behind me in the picture..ha. 

Not sure if it's just my family, but people stayed at the shower for a long time. Seriously! After we opened presents and ate cake, we cleaned up the room and hung out for quite some time. 

Then everyone kind of randomly showed up at my aunt's house where we..surprise, surprise, ordered pizza. 

Cocoa and Oreo loved all the attention and got to be around my cousin's baby who is 15 months old. They really didn't even notice her, which I think is good?

Monday morning I attempted to help clean up my poor aunt's house, but I think we just ended up making it worse. Whoops. 

For example, a dog (we're not sure who) peed on the carpet. We thought it would be the perfect opportunity to give my aunt the Bissel Spot Bot that we have. We absolutely love it and thought it was the least we could do for trashing staying at her house the past 2 nights. 

..Wrong. Didn't it just make it worse? Sigh. I don't even know what to say, honestly. Apparently it's much better but I won't feel better until I see the stain with my own two eyes. 

Until then, my husband and I are saving up enough money to buy her a new rug. Ha. 

Oh and we got this darling giraffe named Mary Catherine at our shower. She's so cute. Cocoa is totally obsessed with her! 

My family was making fun of her because she's so squinty! I think it's a poodle thing or she must have been really tired, because she only does it some of the time. It's really hilarious. 

Everybody was really well behaved on the way home. Even the dogs. ;) 

We are so happy to be home and get ready for our little girl! Cannot believe our "due date" is one month from today! Holy crap. Hold me.

Enjoy your day! xO

My Mom

The entire time I've had this blog my readers have been asking for a post on my mom. Sorry I have taken so long! I hope this post isn't too wordy or random or long. I'm sure it will end up being all 3. :) Whoops.

So most of you know my mom passed away almost 4 years ago (I was 19). She had Ovarian Cancer for about 9-10 months. 

I'm sure these questions are coming, so I'll answer now:

:: No, it did not run in our family. Well, now it does. 
:: She was 49 when she died.

My mom didn't fit into the "normal" description for people who have Ovarian Cancer. Most are a bit older, never had children, never breastfed their children, weren't on the pill, and are usually overweight. 

There are so many factors and to be honest it's not something I need to go over in length. Obviously I'm no doctor. You can read more about Ovarian Cancer and its symptoms here. 

I really don't remember much about her illness. She helped me move into my dorm in August of 2008 and by November, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer. 

I specifically remember seeing her on her birthday (November 1st, my husband's birthday) and her telling me to look at how big her belly was (No kidding, there was a giant mass living in there). We had cake for her & my husband (well then my boyfriend) and then we left. 

She had several surgeries.. at least 5 or 6? It was a very long/exhausting/stressful 10 months. It was almost a relief when she passed away-- she was no longer in pain, she was in Heaven, and we didn't have to spend all day every day in a hospital. 

That is kind of all I care to go into about her illness/death. To be honest there aren't many more details. It's just not something I need to relive. 

The last memory I have of her being well was when she moved me into my dorm in August of 2008. We got the keys together and then it started pouring. Instead of moving my stuff in we went to lunch and had hotdogs. She got cole slaw and I hate that stuff so I think I had fries or baked beans. 

We did all the normal mom/daughter things-- shop, get coffee, get our nails/hair done, and go fun places to lunch. One thing I've noticed since she's no longer here? Your mom is the only one in the world who will pay for you to go to a "fancy" hair place. Seriously. She also made sure I went every month. She would probably choke on her Diet Coke if she saw how long I go without a trim now. 

My mom was a piano/voice teacher and played several instruments throughout her life. She taught me how to read music, play the piano, and even sing. None of which I do any more but we always had lots of fun! 

She also loved playing the theme from Halloween when I would go to bed at night. That's probably why I couldn't sleep with the lights off until I got married. 

Not only was she a pianist, but she was a gourmet cook. Sigh, I wish I was exaggerating. She taught me everything I know-- in the 6th and 7th grade I was coming home from school and making gourmet meals. Salads (plated with a garlic-rubbed plate) with hearts of palm, pesto, and over 4 different types of lettuce. 

Every night at dinner we used the "fancy" china and lit candles (which my husband and I do to this day. Not the china, the candles!). The only sucky part was that I had to do the dishes. Every night. That's when I would text my boyfriend and ask if he'd have dinner with us-- then I'd have a dishes helper. :) 

So basically what you should be gathering from this post is that my mother was perfect. Because she was. Looking back she reminds me of Bree Van De Kamp/Hodge from Desperate Housewives. Our house was always immaculate, smelled of whatever was cooking for dinner, and she was dressed beautifully. 

She made everything look so easy. Everything she did she did with lots of grace. And dignity. 

..Except for dressing me in that sunflower dress. Good God! Clearly I was thrilled to be wearing it. Please shoot me when I start dressing BG in outfits like that. :) 

Wow! I'm sorry for how long this post was. Writing about her makes me so happy and brings so many fun/funny memories to mind. 

I'm so thankful so many of you asked me to post about her! xO

Moved, Visitors, and Why I'm Never Moving Again

Thank God our lease doesn't end until October 2014. I never want to move again. Next time I'm 6 months pregnant and think moving is a great idea, just shove my head underwater. 

As most of you know we moved just two doors down to an apartment that's at least 300 square feet bigger. The dogs love the extra space (so does their mama) and the gigantic window in the living room (not pictured but I promise I will get one soon!). 

We're still in search of a new couch. Something....anything that is bigger and more comfortable than what we have now. We aren't picky. 

We got the most perfect little perch for the dogs to look out my office window. They absolutely adore it! I can't wait to work all day and have them sit there and look out the window. It's from Bed Bath and Beyond and I even put some work supplies in the cubbies underneath it. 

My sister and I went shopping for the day and came home with an entire shopping cart full of crap. We only had one bathroom this entire time, so I had to go out and get crap for our now second bathroom because she was staying there that night! Then after my sister left, my in laws came! 

Like I said, it has been a whirlwind. 

A whirlwind, but we managed to stop and smell the roses. :)

On Wednesday we had our last ultrasound and got to peek at BG. I love getting to see her and could stare at that screen all day. 

She's such a beaut! We got to see her yawn which is just amazing! God is so good. I'll report more on the u/s on my 25 week bumpdate (for the most recent one, click here). 

We've got about 100 days until my due date-- some days I feel like it's going by fast and others I feel like I've been pregnant forever. 

Got a famous parfait! It was delish. No, I don't want to know how many calories. 

When my in laws were here we went on a boat ride on the Potomac which was so much fun. Anything to get me out of our cramped apartment! 

I'm so self conscious with my big 'ole belly but here's my SIL and me! It was a beautiful night. 

My view this morning. 

And as if all of these visitors and moving wasn't enough going on, now I'm on vacation. Well, I didn't take work off so I'm still dealing with work issues, BUT it is still nice to be away. 

We're an hour away at a cute house by the bay with some of my NY family. It is so beautiful here! 

More later people! xO

MIL Visit & Anatomy Scan Ramblings

This post is long overdue... and I feel bad! Remember back here when we had our Anatomy Scan/MIL visit? Whoops.

So my MIL got here the afternoon/night before our Anatomy Scan and somehow within 20 minutes of her being here, I managed to drag her to the mall.

Back here I mentioned what clothes I ended up getting..sorry for the lack of photos! I swear I'm working on taking more pictures.

Regardless, I was really happy with Motherhood Maternity's selection and their sales. I definitely recommend them! Clearly I'm not one of those ladies who can wear my regular clothes through an entire pregnancy (well, I could if I wore yoga pants or dresses every day), so it was nice to have clothes that fit me. I feel so good in my new clothes!

Like I have mentioned before, the tops just accentuate the bump and not make me look like a walrus. Totally recommend maternity shirts!

So we got back from the mall and had dinner or something and we got our Anniversary present!

Side note: We totally knew we were getting it and I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough. I know that sounds very greedy but you don't understand unless you are a "scrapper".

So for at least an hour I got to flip through this bad boy:

My second favorite page. Talent!

I am obsessed! Literally, obsessed. To the point where several of my neighbors have come over and I show them. I'm one of "those" people!

This is just a sneak peek. I am going to do a whole post on it but it really is amazing. I cannot remember how long she said it took her but you can tell it was made with lots of love. And blood, sweat, and tears.

I'm sure this is going to be asked-- The scrapbook covers our engagement, through the wedding planning process, and then our wedding.

Right now it's sitting on our coffee table open to my favorite page. I look at it almost daily while I eat breakfast. Unless you have planned a wedding, you really don't know how much you miss it when it's over! Having this bad boy around helps me relive our wedding. It is truly amazing. She is the bomb diggity.

Okay so the next morning was the big day-- our anatomy scan.

Our sweet little gal!

Obviously you guys know the outcome..Baby B is a she! As always it was so much fun to see Baby B. I had inhaled a bottle of OJ before my appointment (someone told me that will get baby to open his/her legs. Who knows.) so she was moving and shaking. 

I still get nervous before these dumb appointments. I worry and worry myself sick. I always feel better when I see my little gal and the appointment it over. 

This is a bit off topic but one of my friends keeps reminding me of Matthew 6:25. Plus, worry is the absence of faith! Definitely Google Matthew 6:25. If you're like me, print it off and stick it on your fridge.

After the ultrasound I had a regular check up-- weight, blood pressure, whatever. Of course (as always) I'm expected to pee in a cup at these check ups. Because of my OJ fiasco, I had to go bad. 

All 3 of us are sitting in the waiting room and I wander to the bathroom. The nurses see me (you know, giant pregnant lady waddling to the bathroom) and remind me to pee in the cup and leave it in there. 

Wouldn't you know I just didn't do it? Basically just didn't listen. I had to laugh. Here I am a grown woman having a child and I can't even follow simple instructions. 

Long story short I had to send my husband to the cafeteria for water. He came back with the most gigantic thing of water I've ever seen..and a bag of chips.  

 So after being at the doctor for a ridiculous amount of time (thanks to my intelligence), we headed to our usual after doctor outings-- lunch at Chipotle, Dean & Deluca, etc. 

We got home and again I managed to drag my MIL to Babies R Us. She really goes with the flow. :)

When we got back we decided to make Special K Bars. Which are fabulous, by the way. And super duper easy.

I won't share the recipe because it's not mine to share. Sorry! But I'm sure it's all over Pinterest or somewhere online.

My MIL makes them all the time and I think it is a midwestern thing. Or just a popular recipe in their family. Who knows. Has anyone ever heard of them before? Before dating my husband I had never heard of them.

Did I mention they are tasty?

My husband and his mom did about 99% of the work. I suck.

It was lots of fun. They worst part was waiting for them to firm up in the fridge. I'm so glad we have the recipe now-- I'll be making them quite often! 

The next day we sent my MIL off and after lots of hugs, a few more Special K Bars, and maybe a movie marathon, we went to Chick Fil A.

What are the chances my MIL landed, texted us, and we were eating dinner at the same place? Oh, we had the same meal.

My text on the top right, hers on the bottom left.

Seriously! How does that happen?! Great minds think alike, I say. :) 

Okay all for now. They come back in less than a month and I promise, promise, promise I'll do better about pictures. 

Enjoy your Sunday! xO

Basketball

It all started 2 Saturdays ago.

My in laws were here, so the calls started coming Monday-- a payroll day (Basically, the busiest day of my week) to be exact.

Syracuse had won again and was officially in the tournament, and the Sweet 16 was here..in DC at the Verizon Center.

First it was my dad. Then my aunt. Then my other aunt. Then my aunt's friends. Then several uncles. Then a cousin.

They. Did. Not. Stop. Calling. 

This was Monday. The game was Thursday.

Guess how much work was accomplished last week?

None. 

It was all my dad talked about all week. I could have told him I was in the ER with chest pain and he would have said "If Syracuse uses their Zone defense again, we definitely have a shot. But let's not get too excited".

Good thing I work for my family's company.

If they weren't talking about their defense, they were talking about tickets. Tickets, tickets, tickets. "We are sitting here. You are sitting there. We can meet at halftime. These tickets are 10 million dollars, these ones were only $50".

It was hilarious. Why? Because they are my family. And I love them.

Even if I had to drive around DC with drunkies in the back seat, running red lights, and having to make sure my husband gets to work in 3 hours. Safely. 

Yeah, that part sucked. But he had a great time.

Speaking of tickets, the only tickets we had were to all the games. So we were able to watch Miami play horribly before Syracuse played Indiana.

There were a TON of Indiana fans. And to be honest? I was pretty sure we were going to lose. When they announced their team, their fans were loud.

But they got awfully quiet (and ended up leaving) once we had a good lead. :)

Oh, the clown pants. Every Indiana fan was wearing them. When we were walking around I casually mentioned to my husband how funny it would have been to show up wearing the clown pants in Syracuse orange and white.

Then our friend showed up wearing Syracuse orange and white clown pants. So. Hilarious.

Side story: My dad had mentioned how quiet and reserved the Indiana fans would be compared to all the drunk Syracuse people. He was right. Until a guy near us provoked an Indiana fan by asking if they were taught how to shoot free throws at Indiana.

The Indiana fan got so mad he tried to rip his clown pants off and fight him, but they got stuck! Seriously couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard.

So after we won against Indiana, we had all day on Good Friday to hang out before the game Saturday night.

Snuck these in the cart when my aunt was buying stuff at Target. De-lish. 

We went to Target for clothes. Why? Because nobody actually thought we'd win and stay another night. LOL!

I went to the cemetery with everyone but decided to duck out for the rest of the tourist stuff to actually get some work done.

The day ended at yet another bar, watching more basketball.

Hungover, we went to a diner for breakfast on Saturday. I'm such an awesome hostess at our little apartment I didn't even have milk. Sweet.

Every time we went out I insisted we toast to (hopefully) another win. 

Poor guy!

While we were shopping I spotted that orange jacket above. I was supposed to be helping my aunt find clothes but I accidentally lost her shirts and put on this jacket. I suck. I'm lucky I'm such a good hostess. Ha.

Again, we were not expecting a win but God and Syracuse had other plans! It was absolutely amazing to watch them all cut the net and especially Jim at the end. 

On to the Final Four! 

I'm just so happy with their season I don't care what happens. And after the recent injury of Louisville's Ware, I would be thrilled if they were the National Champions.

Okay, more later! Come back tomorrow because I'm posting about something we are living without in the kitchen..any guess?

xO

Happy Tuesday-- Family Visit, Art, & Throwbacks

Hey people!

So my husband's family (Mom, dad, sister) left yesterday morning and we were so sad to see them go. Seriously. This living far away stuff is not easy.

Luckily my FIL travels here a lot so we get our fix. Plus my MIL came in January for my chin surgery. I think I should be thankful that they come when they do. Some people go years without seeing their family!

I might get in trouble for posting this. Whoops.

Saturday we woke up and went to the National Gallery and that's my SIL's favorite. She's really into artsy-fartsy stuff and I love that she has such an interest in it.

So picture this: My husband pushing my FIL in a wheelchair (bum knee. Long story), my SIL running from room to room looking at art, and my MIL & I slowly admiring pieces. Yup, we lost my SIL at least 8 times. 

Side note about my FIL: He had surgery one week before they came and visited. You would think he would complain and not want to wander around this place but he did it happily all while taking photos of his kid. Father. Of. The. Year. 

The architecture is amazing!

My MIL and I wonder how much time and money they spend on the upkeep of this place. Flowers/plants, dusting, sweeping, etc. 

Of course I had to snag this photo! How on earth did a photo of a poodle make it into the National Gallery of Art?! Beats me.

My FIL got a picture of me beside this piece but trust me when I say I look homeless. You can thank me later. 

I really loved the hardwood.

Not exactly sure where/when this was but yes, I only own that grey Northface jacket. That's it.

Told ya. 

My MIL had some photos on her phone that I wanted so I went through and texted them to me. I'll only share two of the 900 (Okay, 15) I stole. 

No idea when this was but.. it describes us quite well. 

I believe this was Christmas Brunch 20..11? 10?

Also stole this beaut! I realized I didn't get any pictures of faces so I will work on that for next time. :-) Seriously, my husband has a wonderful family and we are just so blessed!