Weekend Wonderland

Look what came in the mail this past weekend!!! I officially have a gold card! Only an ex-partner would find this wonderful! I have my days where I miss working there. It was such a fun job when they weren't trying to push us to sell Via! The drive-thru was my favorite and I miss my partners. I am glad I still keep in touch with many of them! I think the people who work at Starbucks are some of the most genuine, happy, and loving people out there. I will use my gold card proudly!

This fine piece of equipment finally arrived! We were hoping to have it last weekend but it didn't get shipped to the store for some reason. We are both SO excited to be able to bbq! We weren't allowed to have a bbq at our rental so we were using our camping bbq illegally. Shhhh don't tell our old landlord! This Mr. Ducane is a beast!

Hey do you see that? Yes, we have grass! The front yard looks really good...the back needs a little lovin'. We made another trip to our favorite store for some 16-16-16 fertilizer. I am really getting into the homeowner role and knowing what all this stuff means. We needed a balanced fertilizer so that would could help the root system grow as well as the help the height of the grass. The yard took off this week and needs to be mowed again. Not to worry, my husband was in heaven mowing it! I was innocently standing on the back deck trying to capture his happiness when as he got closer tiny pebbles and stuff came rocketing at my body. I retreated inside! 

That's all the fun news for now. This weekend is Mother's Day and we will be spending it here in Ferndale. My mom has to work on Sunday. :( But not to worry, Nic's mom and Bob will be here with us to celebrate and check out the new diggs! 

until next time...

Week 16

How far along: 16 weeks (shhh really I am 17 but I am behind)

Gender: I still do not know who is in there... May 30th people...put that on your calandars!

Maternity clothes? I have now entered the yoga and work out pant stage of my pregnancy. I hope I do not get stuck here and continue to be the cute preggo like I promised myself. My scrubs... well most don't fit. Thank goodness my RN madre shared her "fat" pants with me. Yes, I am wearing her "fat" pants. Does that make me feel fat you ask? YES! It's okay though...there's a kid in there! 

Stretch marks? None yet...I recently found out this is hereditary...oh shhhhhiiiiii... you finish my thought...I gave my mom stretch marks! I went to the beauty supply today and stocked up on the Hempz lotions. Oh they have new smells that are to die for! And some body butter! BRING IT KID! 

Sleep: I still wake up for the 3 AM potty break...but my tummy gets really hard at night and sleep is not as great as it once was. Why is falling asleep on the couch so comfy though?

Symptoms: Do you remember that burping? Oh don't worry, it is still there!

Name: Nic isn't quite 100% with the girl name...we're working on it...check back later!

Weight Gain: I showed that big bad scale who was boss! +9! I only gained 3lbs! My next weigh in will be 2 days after getting back from NY. That won't be good...my client at the salon told me to get on the scale backward so I won't see it! My plan is to eat bagels every morning, hit up the bakery, and lots of Italian food....Dr. might not approve but it is so good! 

Cravings/aversions: Nah, just smaller portions... my tummy is so squished!

How the baby is growing: At 16 weeks the baby was the size of an avocado. Best part... it is growing toe nails...maybe we can paint them

Movement: Yuppers...I was sitting assisting at work and felt "rolling." Now I don't know what the kid was doing but it felt like "rolling."

What I miss: The girls at work wanted to go out for drinks after work today. You guessed it... WATER PLEASE. Oh how boring! 

Best Moment of the Week: Dr. Appointment! SHOOSH SHOOSH SHOOSH SHOOSH! Do you know what that is? The heartbeat of course...can't you hear it? 

Worst Moment of the Week: Putting on clothes that used to fit and finding they are a wee bit tight now. I'll put them away so I don't ruin them by stretching them out and move on to preggo stuff!

Belly button in or out? Oh the cave? It is still a cave!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy! The only time my husband was ready to kill me was when I decided to get an iced caramel macchiato. I got the grande with one shot instead of two. I guess I haven't had caffeine in a while and was a bit...er... goofy/hyper. 

Looking forward to: Feeling bigger movements

16 Weeks

until next time...

14/15...tomorrow makes 16

How far along: 15 weeks

Gender: this is a mystery

Maternity clothes? Oh you better believe it! 9 weeks and that started! But I still wear my silver jeans cause they sit below the belly!

Stretch marks? None yet...I smother my belly in lotion at night!

Sleep: I have started the middle of the night pee, so not as great as before. 

Symptoms: I burp A LOT...I mean all the time! It is really sick and gross to me because I did not burp before!

Name: we were yet again turning the pages of the baby name book in bed last night

Weight gain: +6... but that was 4 weeks ago...I'll let you know Monday when I weigh in again 

Cravings/aversions: At first nothing really sounded good...now I eat what I used to. I like sour stuff but that has always been the case even before baby. 

How the baby is growing: At 15 weeks the baby was the size of a navel orange!

Symptoms: Pressure....down there...weird feeling! I still have my nights of falling asleep on the couch. At least now I fall asleep at 8:30 and not 7:30

Movement: Nope... hopefully soon

What I miss: I miss running a ton! I just want to get a good workout in but it is hard to do when you can't do things the way you used to be able to! Thank goodness I can still do gravity class and get some weights in!

Best Moment of the Week: When Nic walked up to me and I thought he had something to say to me but instead bent down to my tummy and said "Hello this is Daddy!" Hearing him say daddy was surreal!

Worst Moment of the Week: Trying to go to the park after work with my co-worker and staying for all of 15 min because it was so cold! I felt guilty for not getting my exercise in. I am trying for 30 min at least 4 times a week. I took a hiatus for 7 weeks and 4 weeks ago I got back in the game when my energy returned!

Belly button in or out? Oh the cave still stands strong as an inny

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy! My husband is very thankful I am not emotional. I haven't cried at all. Phew!

Looking forward to: BABY SHOPPING! The house will almost be in order soon and then we go scan all sorts of fun items at Babies-R-Us yay!

14 weeks

15 weeks

Until next time...

It's here!

SPRING!!!

I just love the sunshine! I think I live in the wrong state because it doesn't come out often here! The trees are starting to get their leaves and buds are blooming on plants and flowers! Our grass is finally sprouting!!! Since our landscaping came with the purchase, we had no choice in the hydroseed. I wouldn't do it again...just get the sod!

Home Depot seems to be our new favorite store. One would think, that since we purchased a brand new house, we wouldn't need to go there. This weekends purchases consisted of outdoor patio furniture, HUGE rug, impact drill, and bbq. Thank goodness we are being gifted a lawn mower! I did not realize all the extra "toys" needed for a home. We are meeting more and more of our neighbors. The couple next door moved in and they are our age! YAY! I think everyone else is mid 30's and up. I also found out that another neighbor who just moved in is preggo too! We still have yet to see a moving van arrive for across the street. The house has been sold now for almost two months but no life over there.

This past weekend we were lucky enough to have my brother in law, sister in law, and niece stay with us. It is always fun to have them here. I cannot get over how big our niece is! She is such a happy go lucky baby with tons of smiles! It was one of our other niece's first birthday parties this past weekend. It was bunny themed and my sister in law went all out. She had so many cute designs! I have no idea how she did it all! The bunny cake pops were the best part...mmm! 

I wish I could enjoy the sun today but I will be sequestered inside doing hair. At least there are tons of windows! I hope you all get to soak up some of it! 

P.S. I am not a fan of the new changes on blogger. I guess I just need to get used to it but why must they always change things! Phew...I'm done now! 

until next time...

Ten Fingers and Ten Toes

We decided to start trying in January. I, like most women, was convinced that it would not happen first try. I had never done this before and didn't think I could get it right the first time! Well, as my husband put it, "I guess all our parts really work!" WE ARE HAVING A BABY! I knew I was pregnant right away! I started to get random dizzy spells. My pee smelt funny to me. My nose was the best sniffer ever! My husband says they should put pregnant women at the border to sniff out the drugs! I had sharp pains in my armpits (part of the breast tissue...) You name it and I had all the first signs of pregnancy. Finally, on Super Bowl Sunday, the test came back positive. We carried that thing with us all over the apartment that night. We just kept staring at it wondering if it was real! 

 Above is our seven and a half week ultrasound. We saw the little heart beating and confirmation there was only ONE baby! Nic had been teasing me that there were two in there! Our due date according to the wheel is Oct. 19, and the ultrasound machine says Oct. 17. At this point, I was still running and going to the gym. However, the "tired" stage quickly hit and I fell asleep on the couch at 7:30pm every night! We were also packing and getting ready to move! All I can says is, praise the Lord I did not get morning sickness! I had my upset tummy days but nothing that I couldn't handle. I figured out if I ate every two hours I was fine. This scared me to weigh in at our 12 week appointment!

Above is moving in day! I was pooped and since I am all of five feet tall at nine weeks pregnant I look almost five months! 

Here we are at ten weeks gaining back some energy!

 11 weeks and feelin' good! Yes these are all maternity tops. I thought it was suppose to be a secret for the first trimester but there was no secret about this baby! 

  

 12 weeks and back to the gym for this girl! However, I would like to know the real answer to how high I can get my heart rate at the gym. Some say 130, while others say 140, and then you have some who say just stay at your same routine and go 75% of what you used to. So folks, what is the answer?!?! Let me tell you, for a girl who used to run 4 miles about 3-4 times a week before pregnancy, keeping my heart rate at 130 does not break a sweat and feels like a brisk walk! BORING! 

We had our 12 1/2 week appointment this last Monday. THERE REALLY IS A LITTLE HUMAN IN ME! It didn't look like a mouse anymore! Below, the little guy/girl is waving at us! 

 The baby was sleeping most of the appointment. All the measurements were perfect and my blood work came back normal as well. PHEW! I had been wondering what it sounded like to the baby when my tummy would grumble. I thought maybe it would sound like a lion to the poor thing. My husband then says, "Uh, Stef do you think the baby even knows what a lion is?" I had a good laugh! My tummy did growl during the ultrasound and baby jumped with it's whole body! 

Here we are sleeping away! Baby sleeps just like I do with our hands on our head! 

 Above is the onsie I had made to tell our family! My dad quickly called dibs and here it proudly hangs framed in his office! He might just be a little excited! I am now at 13 weeks but haven't taken my weekly photo. 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.... If you are friends with me on facebook DO NOT say anything baby related on there. As my husband says, it is not facebook official yet. I am not sure when we will say anything on there but I think it is weird for people I don't really talk to from high school or college or whatnot to know I am pregnant. You know the people you knew but didn't ever hang out with. Why do they need to know this stuff? It is just a little creepy! The protective mama bear is coming out already I suppose! 

 until next time...

Yes, we are alive

On March 15, 2012, we closed on our first home!!! We rounded the troops (those willing and able to help) and moved on St. Patty's day! Yes, I sure did have green beer and pizza for after moving. I didn't want dings in my walls and furniture! HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELPED US! We wouldn't have done it as smoothly and efficiently without your help! We had one casualty, a bookshelf. Therefore, everything was a success! The morning was awful! I awakened to snow... YUP SURE DID! Then rain when loading was going on. Finally, the sky opened when we got to Ferndale! 

24' Budget truck in all it's glory!

Did I mention you couldn't help us move if you didn't wear your Romeo's?

Love at first site!

 If you do not have a front loader washer and dryer, START SAVING FOR THEM! They are the most amazing appliances EVER! I can fit multiple pairs of my husbands pants in these things (he is over 6'). My mother says you could fit a human in them... and I am in love with them! 

 It had been a very rainy March, so landscaping was not done prior to moving in. Once the ground dried up, top soil came! I got out of the shower one morning to hear scrapping. I thought maybe they were building on the lot next door. We don't have blinds yet, so I crept to the front window wrapped in a towel to find a nice man putting dirt in my front yard! I quickly ran to get dressed and ready to meet this nice man, Chad. 

The next day he put in some shrubs. A few days later, the hydroseed went in. It looks like webbed neon green film. It has continued to rain and make puddles, so will have to wait and see if the grass makes it or not! 

As most people know, I love the city. However, when I grew up in NY the city of Chester deemed our street a cow path. We had the corn fields on our street. Our neighbors had horses, goats, and chickens. I love driving to work and seeing the mountains with vast fields surrounding me! It is peaceful until the wind blows the wrong direction and you smell cow doo doo. We continue to unpack and figure out where things should be hung. We have decided on blinds and will order them tonight. All is well here, we are loving our new home! 

until next time...

Hrmm where did they go?

As I sit here all alone at the salon, (waiting for my last client) I started to ponder the same thought I've been having the past couple of weeks. Where did they go? I had a good bunch of clients that I diligently got their email addresses before leaving the old salon. They said they would come. They told me just to send an email as to where I went. The wife of one of clients told me I couldn't leave and that if I didn't go to another salon I would need to cut his hair at home. But what happened to him? It makes me sad. I've grown to see these people every other month for 3 years. I know about their husbands, wives, children, grandchildren, divorces, etc. And then POOF they're gone. I want to know how they are doing! Where life has taken them?! How are the grand-kids!? What new travels are they taking? So many questions that I am just left to sit here pondering. I hope they are all well and happy. I sure hope they have a new stylist too because if not they really need haircuts! Maybe I will hear from them and maybe I won't.

until next time...