Happy new year!!

Happy new year from our now expanded family of four!! 

Btw, I did spend my New Year's Eve day in the hospital having a healthy baby boy and will spend my New Year's Eve night sleeping/feeding my new baby, starting now at 9 pm. 

Happiest of New Years to you all from a very happy, tired mama. 

Love, me. 

books i read in 2013

So, here it is... The last day of the year and the list of books that I read... 100 books and 6 books more than once for a total of 107 books. An average of 2 or so books a week. Wow. I bet that 2014 won't be quite as literary though :-) with a new baby and all.

1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
2. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. (x2)
3. The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan. (x2)
4. The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan. (x2)
5. Silver Angel by Johanna Lindsay. (x2)
6. Mariana by Susanna Kearsley.
7. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley.
8. The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale.
9. Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon.
10. The Host by Stephenie Meyer. (x3)
11. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan.
12. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.
13. Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley.
14. Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley.
15. The Maze Runner by James Dashner.
16. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner.
17. The Death Cure by James Dashner.
18. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer.
19. Young House Love by John and Sherry Petersik.
20. Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts.
21. Divergent by Veronica Roth.
22. Insurgent by Veronica Roth.
23. Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts.
24. Found by Morgan Rice.
25. X-Files Antibodies by Kevin J. Anderson.
26. Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham.
27. Heart of the Sea by Nora Roberts.
28. The Timekeeper by Mitch Albom.
29. The Forgotten by David Baldacci.
30. The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain.
31. Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone.
32. The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff.
33. Dance upon the Air by Nora Roberts.
34. Heaven and Earth by Nora Roberts.
35. Face the Fire by Nora Roberts.
36. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.
37. Hot Rocks by Nora Roberts.
38. Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace.
39. Betsy's Wedding by Maud Hart Lovelace.
40. Betsy and the Great World by Maud Hart Lovelace.
41. Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan. (x2)
42. Coraline by Neil Gaiman.
43. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
44. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
45. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.
46. Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke.
47. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.
48. Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts.
49. Black Rose by Nora Roberts.
50. Red Lily by Nora Roberts.
51. Bittersweet by LaVerle Spencer.
52. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan.
53. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan.
54. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan.
55. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan.
56. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.
57. Arena One by Morgan Rice.
58. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.
59. Caribbean Flame by Maxine Barry.
60. Barefoot in the Grass by Judith Arnold.
61. The Triumph of Katie Byrne by Barbara Taylor Bradford.
62. 1st to Die by James Patterson.
63. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.
64. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling.
65. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling.
66. 3rd Degree by James Patterson.
67. A Quest of Heroes by Morgan Rice.
68. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
69. Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley.
70. 2nd Chance by James Patterson.
71. 4th of July by James Patterson.
72. 5th Horseman by James Patterson.
73. The 6th Target by James Patterson.
74. 7th Heaven by James Patterson.
75. The 8th Confession by James Patterson.
76. Foreign Influence by Brad Thor.
77. Full Black by Brad Thor.
78. Wish by Alexandra Bullen.
79. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke.
80. Walking Dead volume 17 by Robert Kirkman.
81. Walking Dead volume 18 by Robert Kirkman.
82. Born by Tara Brown.
83. Born to Fight by Tara Brown.
84. Reborn by Tara Brown.

85. Saltwater Kisses by Krista Lakes.

86. Blur by Kristen Middleton.

87. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling.

88. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling.

89. Betrothal by Mande Matthews.

90. Tangled Beauty by KL Middleton.

91. The Mind Readers by Lori Brighton.

92. Love Letters by Lori Brighton.

93. The Smallest Giant by GJ Winters.

94. The White Aura by Felicia Tatum. 

95. The Vessel by Felicia Tatum.

96. Devlin's Descendent by Felicia Tatum.

97. Free Fall by Brad Thor.

98. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

99. Marbleston Mansion by Marti Talbot

100. Clouded Rainbow by Johnathan Sturak.

To do some more...

It doesn't look like I'm going to get some of these done the way I want to. Oh well. I'm not stressing over it. I'm just enjoying my last couple of days with my baby... before my baby comes. Though, I'm sure some of the things on this list are going to be done... like the carseat and baby gear, etc. it just seems like a lot of work right now.

Deep clean monster's room (set up dresser,put away clothes and toys, find place to store too-big clothes, vacuum behind/under everything, rearrange chairs/wash slipcover)
Clean our room/fold laundry mountain
Rearrange office (move all office stuff to one side)
Clear out junk and clean/organize closets (remove everything not necessary)
Set up crib, etc.
Organize baby stuff (blankets, burp rags, diapers, etc)
Wash and put away baby clothes (make list of what's needed/ask brother)
Order mattress, sheets, changing pad/cover

Get car seat ready/wash cover

Buy/install ceiling fan/space heater
Buy diapers, wipes, Desitin, Vaseline, etc
Organize diaper bag
Put together baby stuff (swing, bassinet etc)
Make freezer meals
Clean house top to bottom (or find someone to do it)
Find and sterilize breast pump parts
Pack hospital bag (make a list... can't remember what I brought last time)
Ask mom about daycare/watching monster for birth
Pack Monster's bag (make a list, figure out how many days/what times gone)
Figure out monster's schedule for therapy, etc.
Get big sister shirt and present

Little brother present

Buy toiletries for after
Get a pedicure/haircut
Christmas stuff (buy presents, wrap presents, mail gifts to WI, cards, visit Santa)
Decorate for Christmas 
Schedule C section
Find/start baby book/calendar
Load up kindle

minor freakout

5 days and 1 wake up until the big day! oh shit.

May your days be merry

Happy Christmas Eve friends!!

nothing much...

Today is my last day of work... before my maternity leave... and before the whole department gets outsourced. I'm feeling rather apathetic about it. It will be nice not to have to come in and do a job that I don't enjoy but at the same time I'm feeling so unsure of the future and stressed out about having a new little one to care for, that I don't know if I can muster up any feeling about this transition in my life.

I'm feeling like such a debbie downer in other aspects of my life lately... it's irritating. I can only imagine what people around me must be thinking. I know JT is fed up with me, but there's really nothing he can do about it or I can do about it. It's not like I can control how I'm feeling. I am trying to be upbeat and positive and cheerful, but it's just so much easier to be positive for other people as opposed to myself.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

36 weeks

I finally had to take my wedding ring off due to swelling fingers. It wasn't too bad most of the time, but there were times I knew it was too tight so this morning I took it off. My hand feels naked. I have a habit of playing with my ring and every time I go to play with it now, it feels strange not being there. Plus, I have a really sweet ring line left on my finger.

My coat is totally busted. The zipper is broken and a slight breeze can unhook the Velcro... so I'm cold. Thank god for friends who will mail me a maternity coat to wear! :-) 

Here's something interesting I found... Monster's eyes were dark blue when she was born. they were kind of a green-gray at 1 year old but now solidly hazel brown. I thought they'd be green... 

Freezer meals---throwing ideas around

I am planning on making some freezer meals so that we'll have dinners already made for us this winter. Here are some of my ideas to have in the freezer. maybe i should think about lunch too?

Ground turkey (preseasoned with taco or Italian)

Shredded pork

Shredded chicken

Tortillas

Cheese

Pasta bake/lasagna

Chicken and dumplings

Chili 

Shepherds pie filling
fruits
veggies

Now... a list of things to have on hand to combine with stuff from the freezer to make easy dinners.

Noodles 

Spaghetti sauce

Mashed potatoes
Sour cream
Bread sticks/biscuits/garlic bread... or maybe these should be in the freezer?

Next step, find some recipes and/or gather some motivation to actually do this!! We have 5 pounds of ground turkey and 6 pounds of chicken breasts in the freezer right now, so I should probably get to work. I should buy a pork roast and throw that in the crock pot one of these days too... need some freezer bags/containers.

Now I'm just thinking out loud...
Cubans
BBQ pork sandwiches
BBQ chicken wraps
tacos
spaghetti

anybody got any ideas/tips for me??

weekend

We had a slightly christmassy weekend. Monster visited with Santa... and neither one of them looked at the camera! :)

We got to have dinner alone, whoo! pretending with mocktails! This virgin strawberry margarita was the most delicious thing I've had in months!

And lots of couch nesting was done with 2 kitties while it snowed outside. But, I still haven't gotten enough done on my baby to-do list...

we also put up our Christmas tree but I didn't take a picture, and fought the cats to keep away from it... anybody know how to do that? They just like to play with and eat the branches... and Monster too, but she's easier to contain. 

I got most of my shopping done. I just need a few little things for stocking stuffers, 1 big surprise for JT, and to make some puppy chow for our teachers... 

yay for crossing those things off the list at least. On to groceries and wrapping gifts after work today. 

35/35

I simply must go, but baby its cold outside. The answer is no, but baby it's cold outside.

I found the radio station that only plays Christmas music from now until the holiday, so Yay!!! but, Man it sure is cold outside today. I don't like it. I'll take the snow but I don't really like cold or ice. My dad gave me one of his coats to wear, so that's kind of humorous. I'll have to take a picture. But, it's better than nothing and it will zip all the way around me. I should fit back in my regular coat by January, so it's only a few weeks of looking silly but I'll be warm.

Today marks the 35/35 milestone in baby baking. 35 days until my due date and 35 weeks total. However, I only have 28 days until my surgery is scheduled. Yikes. Like I say every time, so much to do in not enough time... At my ultrasound yesterday, it was estimated that baby is over 6 pounds... so it's entirely likely I'll have a 9-pound newborn. It's weird to me because monster is still so very petite...

it's Monday...

And December.

I saw so many people decorating their Christmas trees this weekend on my instagram feed. I had absolutely no desire to join in the festivities, however, if we don't do it soon I'm afraid we won't do it at all... which is fine with me because I totally just want to scrooge it up and skip Christmas this year. Whose bright idea was it being 9 months pregnant at holiday time?

walking dead midseason finale... oh my god. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it but Crazytown. i can't wait for February. PS Why do they do a midseason finale anyway? Why split it up?

I got some super cute boots that I have been wanting forever and went to put them on this weekend... yeah not able to zip them up past my calves. BOOOO!! Hopefully in a few months they will fit or what a waste of cute shoes! Stupid legs.

I've been paying more attention to my hands at work lately and it's funny thinking about when I started to learn keyboarding in high school or even when i was typing in college compared to now. Now i can just drift off and my fingers actually spell out words correctly and quickly... it's amazing what repetition does to you!

We're taking monster to Gillette's tomorrow. She's going to be seen by the physical medicine doctors. Maybe she'll end up with braces on her legs so she can walk sooner/easier/better?? Her therapists seem to think that braces will help... I hope she doesn't have to have them too long but if we can avoid a wheelchair, then bring on the Forrest Gump!! (sorry if that offends anyone... I'm trying to keep it light so I don't freak out).

Oh yeah... so I'm going to be 35 weeks pregnant on Thursday. Hard to believe. I mean i can believe it because I am huge and uncomfortable and in lots of pain that I wouldn't normally be in, but in 4 weeks or less I'll have a newborn baby... AUGH!!! Time flies when you're pretending something isn't going to happen. I'd best get to work on that baby's room. I just don't know how to organize it. I have a bunch of newborn and 0-3 month clothes but I'm not sure where to put things because I don't know how huge this giant of mine is going to be! :-)

i say this at least once a day

Dear God,
Please help me help monster.
Help me be a better wife and mother, because I know I am failing at them now.
Help me to calm down, take a deep breath and think before reacting to a screaming child or cranky husband.

tough times

2013

As much as I like Thanksgiving, the week before it is a tough one for my husband, and me too, but more so him. This year was the 5-year anniversary of the death of his best friend, on November 21, and also the 4-year anniversary of the death of his father, on November 20. So, needless to say for a couple of years, Thanksgiving was not the most celebrated of holidays in our house. It's hard to know what to say to him and he keeps a lot of his grief inside. But what I do is try to show him how much I love him and just be there if he wants me to be.

2010

2012

2011

To buy or not to buy...

I have this really bad/weird habit of writing down a list of things I need/want to buy and then getting to the store and deciding I either don't really need them or want to spend the money on them. Case in point, I have a list of things I'll eventually need for the baby, things like pacifiers, bottle nipples, milk storage bags, etc. Today was the second time I've gotten to Target and not bought any of the things on the list. I just didn't want to do it today. 

Same thing goes at the grocery store, I put things we need on the list, get to the store but don't buy them. Sometimes I forget but sometimes it's a deliberate omission (like that fancy wording?). 

What gives? Anyone else do this or am I a lone weirdero? 

I'm done... (whiny)

This time it's bad. I hurt. Everything hurts from my arms pits to my toes. I can't do anything easily, not even sit/lie down. Everything takes 3 times as long and I don't care for it. I know, I know, it's not going to last forever but seriously... It's taking my already unstable emotions and making them worse. I remember last time it sucked, but it was not this bad. Last time it hurt but not as much or as long. But I suppose, this time I have a large baby, possibly a giant, inside me along with outside pressures of a 2 year old who needs extra help, a husband who is a full time student plus working, a job that is ending in a few weeks with no prospects for work on the other side, and a bunch of overwhelmed emotions/hormones with no place to express them and a husband whose patience for me is almost gone.

so the moral of the story? I'm done... once December 4th hits (because we're taking monster to Gillette's on the 3rd) this baby had better show up toot suite because I don't think I can handle it much longer.

slightly materialistic but that's okay... i like stuff

I've been thinking about coats lately... since it's getting cold here and I don't want to ruin my winter coat by stretching it out, I've been freezing in only my fleece that I have already stretched out. I'm thinking I can get away with wearing just the fleece if I add more layers underneath it... and a scarf and hat. :-) Good thing I don't really do my hair.

Now, this is a slightly materialistic question, and completely girly, but how many coats does a person need?

JT has 3 -- A wool peacoat, a Columbia jacket, and a fall/spring jacket. oh, 4 he has a down vest too. Mostly he just wears a sweatshirt if he's going outside...

I have more than 3 but I want to start over with my outerwear wardrobe since nothing really fits that great anyway. Currently, I have  -- A Columbia type jacket, a dressier suede coat, a trench coat, a fleece jacket, a vest, an old cheer leading windbreaker, and a jean jacket. I think that's it...

What do I need? Living in MN makes it hard to have just one coat. I feel like I need a playing in the snow jacket and an everyday jacket, plus a dressy winter coat... but then there's 2 other seasons that also require outerwear... and a rain coat would probably be a good investment. But, do i get a dressy rain coat or a casual raincoat... ???

Help! :-)

What kinds of coats/jackets do you have and do you think they're enough? Liz?? Ms. Coat-Guru?

Hospital bag list

I don't know if you know this about me... or have figured it out about me... but I like to make lists. Lists about everything, chores to do, calls to make, things to pack, things to do at work, etc... so, here's another list. 

Hospital bag
Pillows (striped case)
Boppy
Phones and chargers
Earphones
Camera
Cash 
Notebook & pen
Gum
Snacks -- trail mix, granola bars, fruit?

Baby
Car seat and cover (install base)
Blankie
Nail clippers
Going home outfit (NB and 3m)
Present and card for monster 

Me
Sweat pants (2)
Long sleeve shirts (2)
Undies 
Flip flops
Socks
Nursing tanks (2)
Zippy Sweatshirt
Outfit to wear home (wear there?)
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Hair brush/comb
Hair tie/headband
Chapstick
Shampoo/conditioner
Face wash/moisturizer 
Body wash/loofah 
Lotion/coconut oil
Deodorant

JT
Pj pants
Slippers
Toothbrush
Contact stuff
Glasses case
Deodorant
Shirt
Boxers
Socks 

Am I missing anything?? I honestly can't remember what I brought and did or didn't use the last time I was there... it was such a fog for most of the time.

it's a giant

And in this corner, tipping the scales at over 4 pounds, we have... GIANT BABY.

yeah. so this kid is gonna be a big one. I knew it. But maybe not... measuring average at about 31-32 weeks so, right about where we should be. however, I think and feel like this kiddo is a big giant baby.

hopefully all the super cute clothes will fit :-) Priorities, ya know? hahaha.

Stuff to do... updated

Deep clean monster's room (set up dresser,put away clothes and toys, find place to store too-big clothes, vacuum behind/under everything, rearrange chairs/wash slipcover)
Rearrange office (move all office stuff to one side)
Clear out junk and clean/organize closets (remove everything not necessary)
Set up crib, etc.
Wash and put away baby clothes (make list of what's needed/ask brother)
Order mattress, sheets, changing pad/cover
Buy/install ceiling fan/space heater
Buy diapers, wipes, Desitin, Vaseline, etc
Organize diaper bag
Put together/pull out baby stuff (swing, etc)
Freezer meals
Clean house top to bottom (or find someone to do it)
Find and sterilize breast pump parts
Pack hospital bag (make a list... can't remember what I brought last time)
Ask mom about daycare/watching monster for birth
Pack Monster's bag (make a list, figure out how many days/what times gone)
Figure out monster's schedule for therapy, etc.
Get big sister shirt and present
Buy toiletries for after (pads, gauze etc)
Get a pedicure
Christmas stuff (presents, etc)
Schedule C section
Figure out help for after
Find/start baby book/calendar
Load up kindle/music on phone

Remember remember the 5th of November

I had high hopes of posting every day in November this year, however, since it is now the 5th and I have posted once, it looks like it's not happening. Oh well. Just another thing on my to-do list that needs to get crossed off, am I right?

I would like to keep this blog up-to-date but I just don't seem to have the motivation lately... and by lately I mean the last few months.

And so I will leave you with this travesty... brown shoes, black pants (covered in cat hair). I hate myself for this choice, but alas it could not be prevented... pregnancy makes my legs swell and I can't wear socks/cute shoes. Thanks Liz for this totally perfect Christmas gift last year BTW :-)

blatherings...

Its been an interesting couple of weeks around here. Not quite 2 weeks ago, I found out that my department at work is being completely eliminated as of January 5th. This means that I will not have a job starting January 6, 2014. Of course, I'll be on maternity leave at that point, so that is excellent timing. However, I was offered a severance package and I will have the option to continue with my same health benefits at my same cost for 2 months, so at least I don't have to worry about that quite as soon as other people. However, I will lose whatever sick time I had banked up, which I had planned on using for maternity leave. That sucks.

So, I'm sort of beginning to search for a new job, which is a nice push in the direction I wanted to go anyway, but the timing could definitely have been better.

Monster's new trick the last couple of weeks has been screaming bloody murder at bed and nap time. The girl does not want to sleep all of a sudden. I don't know what to do with her. She is inconsolable. and then I get frustrated and angry. This does not help my anxiety. And she'll wake up screaming in the middle of the night as well. JT never hears her but I do. So the disrupted sleep does not help either. No wonder "I'm a joy to be around lately." Hell, some times I don't want to be around me either but I can't go anywhere. Hormones and frustration and sleep deprivation do not make for a happy mix.

I don't know. It's just a stressful time around here. My coworker seems to think I'll have a baby early due to stress but I hope not too early, just early enough.

The date is set

January 2, 2014 or sooner. 9 weeks to go until this baby comes. Oh My Goodness. 

The master list

I stole most of this list from walmart online baby registry suggestions. I did not list the things we already have for T2 left over from monster, but the things I still need to acquire.

Stuff
Crib
Crib mattress (ordered)
Waterproof liner
Sheets (ordered)
Blankets (have 1, need 1 from Nana)
Receiving blankets
Sound machine
Night light
Changing pad and cover
Dresser
Hamper
Baby monitor
Black out curtains/curtain rods
Diapers
Garbage can and liners
Desitin
Wipes
Baby washcloths
Nursing pillow and covers
Pacifiers
Bottle nipples
Baby Tylenol
Thermometer
Nail clippers
Nasal aspirator
Nasal saline drops
Gas relief drops
Baby book/calendar

Clothes
Home from hospital outfit (newborn and 3 mo)
onesies (white and colored, short and long sleeve)
zip up sleepers
pants and tops
bibs
socks
hats/mittens
warm coat/snowsuit
warm hat
baby laundry soap


For Mom
Nursing clothes
breast pads/cream
nursing cover
milk storage bags

happy 3rd trimester!

It's official. I'm in the third trimester (28 weeks)... yay!

But, that means there is a lot for me to do and less and less time for me to do it in. Remember that list I made a few weeks back? yeah, haven't really touched on it much... I need to buckle down and get to it, but some of the things involve moving heavy objects and JT has been swamped lately, so I feel bad asking for his help when he has so much going on.

anyway, the countdown is on... 11 weeks or less until baby shows up. Though, I think it'll be early. Cross your fingers this kiddo is fully cooked when deciding to come out.

Random

Monster turned 2 yesterday. She is getting so old! We had a little party with family on Saturday and she got lots of new presents. My parents gave her a wooden rocking chair, so cute. She also got a really interesting little chicken-ball stuffed animal that clucks and bocks. She laughs every time it starts vibrating around. It's pretty funny.

I have my 3-hour glucose tolerance test tomorrow, so I've been watching my simple carbs and sugars the last couple of days. Considering that is all i have been eating for the last 6 months, I am feeling pretty deprived and hungry. I miss my crackers!

Today totally feels like Halloween. When I left for work this morning it was dark and rainy/stormy, windy and there were leaves all around. Perfect amount of spookiness. Ghosties and ghoulies and monsters... hehehe. I can't wait.

My stomach hurts today... I think its a combinationof being hungry, actually not feeling well, and Braxton Hicks. whoo boy, pregnancy is fuuuuun.

Darn, I had one more thing to add to this random post but I can't remember it. Sorry. Gonna publish now. :-)

TV

I've been watching a lot more TV lately... because JT has night class 4 nights a week and monster goes to bed rather early, I have some time to myself. I wish that I would spent that time cleaning or working on my to-do list but honestly I am so tired by the end of the day that all I can manage to do is veg out for an hour or two before crawling into bed for the night.

I have had a couple of can't miss shows for the last few years but this year has also added a few new ones...

so far this fall I've been watching...
How I Met Your Mother -- So sad it's the last season!
Big Bang Theory
2 Broke Girls
Homeland
Sleepy Hallow
19 Kids and Counting -- Pathetic but it's like a car accident, I can't tear myself away.

Coming up soon...
The Walking Dead -- Starts on Sunday! yay!

And, I want to watch...
Hostages -- Looks like something we would really like.

PS I can't wait until the new Jack Bauer show starts next spring. Yay for bringing back Kim Raines! :-)

what are you watching? Any suggestions?

25 weeks or holy crap... that was fast(ish)

seeing that I've been so, what's the word... non-energetic about doing things thus far, all of a sudden it dawned on me that I have a lot to do for this baby before it shows up. only 15 or so weeks to go. and much of those will be taken up by birthdays, holidays, and snow (probably). oh man... oh man... minor freak out going on over here. :-)

i should make a list... making a list always seems to help me prioritize even if I don't do half the things on the list, at least I see if they are essential or not. Here's what my list looked like at the beginning of August.

1. Go through baby clothes/get some clothes from friends/buy some new (every kid deserves new and not just hand me downs).
2. organize baby gear from monster... swing, vibrating seat, bassinet, etc.
3. find baby a place to sleep
4. need a dresser/crib/changing table
5. get some winter time maternity clothes
6. go through the 2 huge garbage bags of clothes we got for monster this weekend. I swear... that kiddo never needs any clothes.  thanks cousin L!!

So far, 1 is slightly done. 2 is not touched at all. 3 is questionable. 4 items are bought and need to be put together. 5 will work. 6. done. Oops. not a good percentage on my part.

My updated To-Do List feels huge... but surprisingly doesn't look that big

in no particular order, we need to...
Clean monster's room (set up dresser,put away clothes and toys, find place to store too-big clothes, vacuum)
Rearrange office (move all office stuff to one side)
Clear out junk and clean/organize closets (remove everything not necessary)
Set up crib etc
Wash and put away baby clothes (make list of what's needed/check out once upon a child and ask brother?)
Order mattress, sheets, changing pad/cover
Ceiling fan/space heater
Buy diapers, wipes, Desitin, Vaseline
Organize diaper bag
Put together/pull out baby stuff (swing, etc)
Freezer meals
Clean house top to bottom
Find and sterilize breast pump parts
Pack hospital bag (make a list... can't remember what I brought last time)
Ask mom about daycare/watching monster for birth
Pack Monster's bag
Get big sister shirt and present
Buy toiletries for after (pads, gauze etc)
Get a pedicure
Christmas stuff (presents, etc)
Schedule C section
Figure out help for after
Find/start baby book

I think we still have some things on our house to-do list left as well this fall. It's going to be a busy one! Wish me luck.

blogging..

I'm not doing so well at this blogging thing lately, am I? I just feel that I have nothing to post about, so why waste the effort? Sorry about that... we'll see what happens in the next little while, possibly I'll have many things to write about... that would be something. :-)

Day in the Life -- Domestic Wannabe

Hi I'm Caits. I have a 1 year old daughter, called Monster, and another baby on the way, due in January. I work 4 days a week and am home with my kiddo on Wednesdays. Here's a glimpse of a recent Wednesday with my monster. Oh, and my husband, JT, is home too because he's currently a full time student. (you might remember me from last time).

I wake up early 3:30-4ish and can't fall back asleep. This pregnancy insomnia stuff is ridiculous. I lie in bed until JT gets up with monster at 6:45. Then I check my blogs, instagram, and twitter before finally heading downstairs for some coffee at 8. I forgot that JT had some meeting at school this morning, so he was almost out the door before I got up. 

While he's gone, monster and I watch some Curious George and Cat in the Hat... she decides to chew on a pen and write on her face, hence the mustache. When he gets back, I go through some laundry piles, keep the cat out of monster's room, pick up around the house and get monster and myself ready to go. I have a doctor appointment and she is going to grandmas.

 

Around 10:30 we head out the door to drop monster off with her grandma so we can go to my ultrasound at the clinic. It's the big fetal anatomy survey and I am super anxious/excited. Once at the clinic, we meet up with a lady and sell our jogging stroller in the parking lot. a little extra cash, how nice. Then we go inside, I pee in a cup and wait in the waiting room forever. Finally we get ushered into the exam room! yay!

After the ultrasound, JT and I decide to have lunch at Olive Garden. whoo hoo for neverending pasta bowls and peach bellini!! Yum!

 

After lunch,  we go to Target before picking up monster to pick out the first purchase for our new little one. Such a fun little secret to have for a little while. After picking up monster, we go home. She sleeps, I sort of sleep, and JT does some homework. Such a boring family we are. 

 

Then JT goes to class, I feed the monster, give her a bath, and put her to bed. While JT is gone and monster is sleeping, I get supper ready for tomorrow and watch my first place and other shows on HGTV. I can't remember the last time I've watched this much TV in one day. Hooray for JT going to class and me getting to watch my silly TV shows. :-)

And now, Ashley's questions:

-What is the most surprising thing to you about being a mom? 

How I feel like I am not good at it a lot of the time because I get frustrated and overwhelmed... but monster is turning out pretty okay, so I guess I'm doing okay too.

- What advice would you give to new or soon-to-be mamas?

Every baby is different, what works for one will probably not work for another, so don't sweat comparing your kiddos to every other one out there. 

 -What are your top three baby products?

Right now we're loving the Little Einstein activity table, Desitin, and Aveeno baby wash (smells so good!)

guest post at Domestic Wannabe

Oh hey, I did a guest post over at Ashley's blog, The Domestic Wannabe. Check it out!

mexican quinoa

I didn't actually use a recipe for this, just kind of threw it all together, but here's my best guess.

Mexican Quinoa
Salad: Mix ingredients in a large bowl
2 cups cooked, cooled quinoa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 red pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced

Dressing: Mix together in small container.
season salt
black pepper
cumin
minced garlic
lime juice
olive oil

Pour dressing over salad and stir until well combined. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Today...

The big day. The day no different than any other except for the fact that we will (hopefully) find out if baby 2 is a boy or a girl. Then I can stop calling it It. Haha.

I couldn't sleep last night, wide awake with that same mix of anxiety and excitement I would get before school started.

Crazy, I know... But I don't care.

I asked JT yesterday if he thought it was a boy or a girl or if he had any feeling like he did with monster. He wouldn't say anything. Flat out refused to guess, I'm thinking he doesn't want to be wrong because he hopes for a certain gender so badly... 

Well, I'm pretty sure of what it is and now I only have a few hours to wait until I find out if I'm right! Mothers intuition? I hope so. 

half way there

oh we're halfway there...oh livin on a prayer...take my hand and we'll make it I swear

old wives tales

Just for fun... let's see where I compare... Is this baby a boy or a girl?

Craving salty/sour things or sweet things?

With Monster: Sweets

Baby 2: salty

Can people tell you are pregnant from the back?

Monster: Nope

Baby 2: Nope

Carrying High or Low?

Monster: High

Baby 2: low

Baby's heart rate over 140 bpm?

Monster: Yep

Baby 2: Yep

Right or left side while resting?

Both with both.

Has the husband put on weight?

Monster: Nope.

Baby 2: Yep.

Are the age and year of conception both odd/even or one odd, one even?

Monster: Both odd

Baby 2: Even/odd

Chinese Gender Chart?

Monster: Said Girl.

Baby 2: Said boy and girl.

Skin breaking out?

Monster: Yep.

Baby 2: Oh god yes.

Results?? Seems that there is no sure way to tell. I guess we'll have to wait until the ultrasound. And hope the Baby 2 is cooperating. 

chicken and dumplings

Being that monster has swimming lessons every night this week, I've been on the lookout for easy and fast meals to throw together. Also, thinking about this fall when JT has class at 5:30 four nights a week and then ahead to being newborn time... I was searching for freezer to crock pot meals. And I found a good one. I made this recipe the other day and I totally loved it. It was the first crock pot meal I've made in ages that has turned out good enough where I'd make it again... total victory. anyhoo...

Crock pot Chicken and Dumplings (Can be frozen)

Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts
1/2 bag of frozen peas and carrots
2 TB butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 TB dried parsley
3 Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
Water
1 can of refrigerator biscuits

Directions: Place everything in crock pot except for biscuits. Cover contents with water and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Quarter biscuits and add to crock pot, cook for 30 more minutes or until biscuits are done. Enjoy. (Or if you're like me cook on low for 4 hours, realize potatoes are still hard, add biscuits and cook on high until we got home from swimming lessons... about 90 minutes).

See that? Easy and quick and ready for you when you get home hungry. perfect. Next I'll try to freeze it and then we'll see how it stands up.

Some changes I will make for next time, chop chicken first, use whole bag of peas/carrots, and add 2 cans of cream of chicken soup. And definitely need to season all the layers with salt and pepper.

Original recipe found here.

baby... again

Sorry for making all my recent postings about baby stuff. :-) But here's another one... We set the date for the big Ultrasound at the end of August. My doc wanted to wait a whole month but I finally convinced him that 3 weeks was better... talk about being anxious. So, this is a little early birthday gift to the hubby, finding out the gender of baby 2. yay!

2nd baby must have/wants list

For monster, we got pretty much all the big stuff handed down from my brother and SIL. Pretty awesome actually. So, we are very well set in that arena. However, there are a few things that I have gifted out when others in my life were expecting and thinking about it, I may need back. Here's my list so far...

Crib -- Monster is far from ready to be transitioned out of her crib, so baby #2 will get their own, brand-new to them bed and mattress. How exciting...

Boppy and cover -- I had one from SIL but passed it on once other SIL was expecting. We didn't use it much since monster never really nursed. Though, JT did like it for a neck pillow. :-)

New tubing for pump -- I got a very nice Medela pump in style for monster and only used it for 2 weeks. So I have all the appropriate parts but it's been sitting for over a year and probably should get new tubing just to be safe.

Gender appropriate bedding/Clothes -- If it's a boy I'll have to get shopping. if it's a girl, I'll have to get borrowing back my lent out supplies. :-)

Bassinet -- We had a nice portable bassinet from SIL that was used in our room for a few weeks and we gave it to my other SIL. Either we'll have to get a new one or get that one back. Very helpful with having a second kiddo and only having 1 bedroom.

Double stroller -- I imagine this will come in handy being out with 2 kids, especially since monster is behind on her moving skills. Hopefully she'll be able to walk before kiddo #2 but no one can know for sure. 

New diaper bag -- Just for fun! I want one that's bigger and more like a classic purse than the diaper bag i have now.

White onesies long and short sleeved, in all sizes. Cute and great for layering for a wintertime babe.

Plain old cloth diapers to use for burp rags. Much nicer, in my opinion, than the tiny things claimed as burp rags... those are soooo too small. Or maybe monster just spit up a lot? Either way...

Monitor -- We have a monitor for the monster and I like to be able to hear her for naps/bedtime... I'm not sure if i can add an additional receiver to that one or if I want to get a video monitor... may be some research done in the near future.

what have I left out? leave me your suggestions!!

denial

I'm in denial. I must be. I haven't done a single thing besides getting out my maternity clothes and that was only because my pants were too small. Other than that, I haven't looked for/gone through/thought about anything regarding this kiddo. most of the time, i forget about it actually. Not pregnant... just chubby and can't take any good drugs since I hurt my back. oh wait, i did get a bassinet and baby papasan chair from my brother this weekend, so that's something...

anyhoo... it's probably time i get around to figuring things out for this baby... he/she needs a crib and diapers and clothes and all of the other infant paraphernalia that is "required" of a newborn.

man, i feel like i still have a newborn... I know that monster is a lot more advanced than a newborn but since I still have to do everything for her, it's a lot like having an infant for almost the past 2 years now... whoo.

where to begin?

1. Go through baby clothes/get some clothes from friends/buy some new (every kid deserves new and not just hand me downs).
2. organize baby gear from monster... swing, vibrating seat, bassinet, etc.
3. find baby a place to sleep
4. need a dresser/crib/changing table

this shouldn't be too much to start with, right? One step at a time...

oh yes... still need to
5. get some winter time maternity clothes
6. go through the 2 huge garbage bags of clothes we got for monster this weekend. I swear... that kiddo never needs any clothes.  thanks cousin L!!


knowing myself i won't be doing much of this until September or later... procrastinator extraordinaire!! :-)


Note to self: Buy some tubs to store the clothing that is 24 months and up... monster is in the 18 month size right now...

books, books, millions of books

Here's an updated list of the books I've read so far in 2013. Pretty impressive if I do say so myself, considering I have a 21-month-old kiddo... I think I'm on track to read 2 books a week this year. yay me.

Anyhoo. Anybody got any good recommendations for books? Or any recommendation on place to find a good reading list?

1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
2. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan.
3. The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan.
4. The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan.
5. Silver Angel by Johanna Lindsay.
6. Mariana by Susanna Kearsley.
7. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley.
8. The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale.
9. Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon.
10. The Host by Stephenie Meyer.
11. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan.
12. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.
13. Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley.
14. Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley.
15. The Maze Runner by James Dashner.
16. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner.
17. The Death Cure by James Dashner.
18. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer.
19. Young House Love by John and Sherry Petersik.
20. Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts.
21. Divergent by Veronica Roth.
22. Insurgent by Veronica Roth.
23. Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts.
24. Found by Morgan Rice.
25. X-Files Antibodies by Kevin J. Anderson.
26. Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham.
27. Heart of the Sea by Nora Roberts.
28. The Timekeeper by Mitch Albom.
29. The Forgotten by David Baldacci.
30. The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain.
31. Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone.
32. The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff.
33. Dance upon the Air by Nora Roberts.
34. Heaven and Earth by Nora Roberts.
35. Face the Fire by Nora Roberts.
36. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.
37. Hot Rocks by Nora Roberts.
38. Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace.
39. Betsy's Wedding by Maud Hart Lovelace.
40. Betsy and the Great World by Maud Hart Lovelace.
41. Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan.
42. Coraline by Neil Gaiman.
43. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
44. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
45. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.
46. Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke.
47. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

16 weeks

I dug out my maternity clothes yesterday... (yay/boo). Not that I'm showing anything, just a bit chubby. None of my pants actually fit me anymore, which sucks since I'll have to wear these same few pieces of clothing for the next 6 months. yugh.

Anyway. Back to what I found. Not as much as I remember/things I had forgotten about. I figure since the monster was born in the fall and baby2 is due in winter, I'll need a few things to round out my wardrobe. I'm thinking a pair of jeans, a long skirt (for work), a maxi dress (for work), and a couple of cardigan/sweater tops. I hope my winter coat will make it through, though I am going to look for a maternity coat on clearance and hope I succeed.

Anybody want to take me shopping/send me a gift card ?? I don't have the energy to do this right now... but going to work naked just isn't gonna cut it.

smell

I was just reminiscing about Bath and Body Works. I remember back in the day, when it first opened around here... it was amazing to have that kind of a store... Now it just gives me a headache, so I avoid it like the plague, but back then I could spend an hour trying to decide which scent was my favorite...

do you remember these?

Country Apple
Sun-ripened Raspberry
Pearberry
Juniper Breeze
Green Clover and Aloe
Cucumber Melon
Plumeria
Sweet Pea
Peach

I don't know if I' would recognize any of the scents they have going on anymore... ahhh memories. or should I say, smelmories?

What was/is your favorite scent?

I'm currently stuck on Victoria Secret Love Spell... definitely brings back memories of the bar days... I also love but can't afford very often Clinique Happy because I go through it so fast. :-)

175 days to go

Only 25 weeks left!

a running list...

Baby names... AUGH!!! 

Girls

Ada

Anastasia

Bailey

Becca

Brenna

Chloe

Danielle

Ella

Elizabeth

Everly

Hailey

Jade

Juliana

Lauren

Olivia

Shannon

Sybil

Boys

Anthony

Adian

Asher

Camden

Christopher

Dean

Gavin

Grant

Grayson

Griffin

Kevin

Kieran

Landon

Nathan

Ryder

Shaun 

it's all in the numbers

I seem to notice that most people who are born into a large family want to continue the tradition and have a large family of their own. Case in point... Duggars...19 kids...each kid wants to have multiple kids. But I digress.

My mom had 5 siblings. She had 4 kids. My aunt, also with 5 siblings, also had 4 kids. My other aunt had 5 siblings, she had 6 kids ( I think).

Some bloggers I read grew up with 3 kids and so they want to have 3 kids. My husband had just him and his brother so he thinks more than 2 kids is kind of crazy. Most of my siblings seem to agree... 1-2 kids is max, which is funny because there's 4 of us.

Oh yeah. Did I mention I'm going to have 2 kids in January?



Edited July 8: I just back dated a bunch of pregnancy related posts, all the way to January, if you're interested.

downton abbey

Warning: Downton Abbey Season 3 Spoilers

We got Netflix in February. One night when JT was at class, I decided to watch Downton Abbey. Having heard good things about it but not thinking I would like it, since it was on PBS... and come on really, is there anything ever good on PBS? but I was surprised. I actually liked the show and flew through the 7 episodes of season 1. When I was finished, I cursed Netflix for only having 1 season. then I kind of forgot about it.

Fast forward to May. JT signs up for Amazon Prime trial. Downton Abbey season 2 on free streaming? Heck yeah. I renewed my interest in the show and watched all 9 episodes in like 3 days. Then found out that season 3 wasn't on prime yet. Sad. However, I had to have my fix and proceeded to buy the first few episodes on amazon instant, which was stupid. I should have just bought the whole season for a discount. With 2 episodes to go I found season 3 on free prime. Man I was disappointed that I hadn't waited a couple of days and saved that money. Oh well, now I own 7/9 episodes. Oops.

Can we just talk about season 3 for a minute? 

I cannot believe that they killed off both Sybil and Matthew! Oh my god. First of all, Sybil. Couldn't she just have moved away to Ireland and not come back? I hope there are some very good story lines with Tom coming up to make up for not just moving them away.

And then, Matthew? After all the drama and turmoil... He and Mary only get to be happy for 1 season? I really don't like it. And I'm not excited that season 4 will pick up after 6 months so we don't get to see any of the mourning. Hope they work it out well. I'm all for actors leaving shows and expanding their careers, which is the reason for both Sybil's and Matthew's deaths but not if it jeopardizes the show. I guess only time will tell...  And I still can't wait until season 4 comes out... maybe I'll even get to watch it in real-time.

less than 200

Yay. Only 199 days to go.

why I don't like Facebook

When Facebook first started, way back when, I was a fan. I liked Facebook. I spent a lot of time on Facebook. We had specific "Facebook pictures" that we took when we were out. Over the last few years, it seems that Facebook has become everything. Totally commercialized and not really fun to me anymore, so I've been avoiding it. At first it went from every day to every other day, then every week, then every couple of weeks, now I can go months without thinking about Facebook. And I'm okay with that... except for the fact that apparently, I'm not good enough friends with you anymore if I don't keep up with you on Facebook. I had to find out a friend of mine was engaged WAY after the fact because she didn't tell me herself. her excuse once I asked was... I put it on Facebook. okay. So i guess I'm not important enough in your life to warrant a freakin text message to hear that you're engaged? nice. And the only place to get updates on my niece and nephews is on Facebook, which is lame. My family and I aren't close enough for a phone call or even an email but sure Facebook is okay. dumb. And my biggest reason for not liking Facebook is totally in my head. Maybe it has to do with my self esteem or something... I'm not sure. But every time I look at Facebook, I get totally jealous and wish for a different life for myself. I know everyone puts up the best things about their lives on Facebook...but still it gets to me. I look at pictures of people and they seem to have it all down, things that I still haven't figured out for myself... kids, jobs, vacations, pets, fun stuff. It just makes me feel like I'm not enough... So I don't like Facebook.

PS I just typed Facebook so many times that it totally looks like it is spelled wrong... does that ever happen to you?

why I didn't tell

I didn't tell everyone right away about this baby bundle I'm carrying... I waited, and waited, and waited... It feels like forever. The days seemed to slow down, not because I was excited to tell everyone but more so because I was not.

Not that I'm not excited about baby #2, because I am, but because it just seemed like such a hassle to tell people. I'm almost done being in denial, which I have been for the last few weeks...

I'm an overly private person, so I don't want co-workers all in my business, which as soon as I tell about the baby... they will be...asking questions, wanting to know things, things I don't necessarily feel like sharing with the whole world, especially people who aren't super close to me.

Also, it's the 2nd baby (poor kid already being treated differently) so why make a Big Deal, we've been here before...

Plus. Still totally feeling the guilt trip for doing this to monster... i know she won't remember life without a sibling but I feel so bad for taking it away from her. Especially her because she needs extra help and probably won't be getting the same amount of help from me once this kiddo comes along.

Negative

I don't know what's wrong with me.

I feel like I'm
just walking around
with a big old black rain cloud
over my head

And that's my attempt at poetry for today.

what's in a name?

A recent question about where monster's name came from got me thinking... naming a kid is one of the hardest things to do, in my opinion. Not only are there 2 sometimes very different view points, but also there is the simple fact that your child will be "stuck" with their name for the rest of their lives (Or the next 18 or so years if they want to change it).

A lot comes from a name. When you look at someone's name you automatically think xyz about them. That person's name is Steven so he must be ... (fill in the blank) or that girl's name is Bella, her mom must have loved Twilight, and so on... Or my favorite, my nurse's name was Delores so we automatically pictured her as an older lady. Nope, she was 30 tops. Or my friend Dorothy, age 32.

I'm so worried because it took us so long to come up with monster's name... 37 weeks actually. We finally decided 3 weeks before she was born. I guess this time it will help because we're going to find out the sex of the baby and therefore cut down on half of the name-choosing that we'll have to do. But, we have such differing opinions on names. He's totally stuck on one name that I absolutely do not want to have as my kid's name. And, he only ever says maybe or no to anything that I suggest. GAH. Why can't I just use the names that I have been thinking about since I was a young girl? I'm the one doing all the work.

where have I been?

Where have you been?

Whoops, really fell off the blogging wagon there. Sorry! :-)

So, what have we been up to? Let's see... oh I know! A bulleted list, gotta love a list!

• New platform at work = lots of overtime hours and a new learning curve (especially when the majority of the gals I work with are at least 20 years older than me... mostly 30).
• Monster is having PT/OT/Speech therapy twice a week now so that means lots more running on my part. It's SO much running. Hopefully just for the summer. At least that's what I hope. 
• Weather has been raining for days/weeks/months... or at least it feels like it. this equals no energy and lots of downtime spent watching the X-Files. We just finished the finale last night. and the 2nd movie. Not too impressed with the movie/the last 2 seasons of the show... I want my Mulder. David Duchovny is just super hot. Even when he's a geek. 
• Speaking of weather... any time it's been nice for the last month I've been out in my yard weeding, or planting (sort of), putting down mulch, and painting the front porch. Happy to say that our front yard is 95% finished. All I have to do is get another nice day to finish painting the top beam and figure out the mailbox/numbers. THEN it will be done! Yay! And I'll try to take a picture, assuming it's not raining... 
• Why is it that rain = allergy symptoms BAD? I've been feeling them for almost a week now.. yugh. 
• Recently gotten into Downton Abbey... Only season 1 on Netflix, season 2 on amazon prime... and now I'm supposed to pay to watch season 3?? Man. Why do I even bother to have the netflix/primes if I have to end up paying to watch TV shows? 
• Nothing else new to report. 

What have you been up to? 

through the years...

2006 Jamaican Vacation

2007 engagement picture

2008 Wedding

2008 Honeymoon in the Bahamas 

2009 in Arizona

2010 at the MN State Fair

2011 prekids.

2011 Monster's born

2012 Family picture May

2012 Family picture October

2013 Mother's Day

happy 5th anniversary husband!! It's been a long wonderful trip thus far. :) Here's to 50 more