Neatest toy EVER!!!

Its hard to tell from the image, but these Fisher Price Alphabet "Peek-a-Blocks" are the coolest! I added them to our registry one day when I was looking for toys available "in store", so I hadn't even seen them in person (but knew I wanted some alphabet blocks for Pebbles). Luckily for us, one of my husbands generous coworkers picked these up for us. My husband even called me from work to ask me about them since he thought they were so neat. They all have little items in them (like the "D" block has ducks) and they are all so cute! I started researching them a little more and all the reviews I can find RAVE about these, so I'm even more excited now. And what's even better? They sell several different sets of these peek-a-blocks, so don't tell Pebbles, but I'm sure I'll be picking up some more sets for her (us) this Christmas. It's nice to already have ideas of stuff to get her that will eventually be "fun" for her instead of stuff like clothes and such.

Anyhow, I got so excited about these that I just had to share!

Bed rest

What does 7 lbs in 7 days and sausage fingers get you? Oh, and a little protein in your pee - it gets you put on bed rest and blood drawn. TOTALLY didn't expect my appointment to go like that today, but so be it. I've been miserable today and my fingers have ached the past couple days so a few days to lay in bed and rest is probably a good thing, although even with a doctor's note I still feel guilty- why is that?

We also scheduled the induction so if she doesn't come naturally, then we're going in on October 1st to try and convince her to come out. While I didn't show much progress at today's appointment, I think I've started to feel some contractions tonight so I have hope we can go normally - but who knows. She could come tonight and we're ready, but then again, if she waits until October 1st, well that's a pretty good day as well.

So, I'm off to bed now. I'll keep you updated as soon as there is more to update!

Full term!

Hooray! I am officially "full term" (37 weeks) and we are almost completely set to drop in baby. We had our last shower yesterday, and everyone was more than generous at all 3, I can't say enough thank you's! I am hoping to finish the last of the laundry today, as well as try to finish straightening up the nursery. We put together everything we got yesterday - stroller, pack'n'play, etc. We bought / ordered the last of the big and / or necessary items today, so now its just little things here and there - woohoo!!! Our swing and baby monitors are on their way, the wet bags and diaper pail liner are in transit, and a breastfeeding book is on order. My husband is going to have the car seat base installed in his vehicle probably Tuesday, and will then come home and we'll install the other base in my car - so that will be all set. Our hospital bag has been started, and I am hoping to complete it today, or at least have all the items I have here in it and create a list of what needs to be purchased, as well as the "grab before you go" list. Its really hard to believe its almost here, since September seemed like forever far away.

Anyhow, here is a list of some of the items we got / ordered and why:

Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Cradle Swing

This swing seemed to get great reviews on every site I looked at (4.5 out of 5 stars at Babies R Us from 691 ratings - seemed a good sample to me!). Apparently it has a light in the mobile and the mobile swings with the swing instead of just spinning. It also has the option to swing both forward and backward as well as side to side, which I was told is perfect. It obviously has various swing speeds and sounds too. The only thing I wish is that it plugged in instead of taking batteries, but you can't win them all!

Graco Ultra Clear II 49mHz Baby Monitor

We're gone back and forth on several different monitors. Some of the things we WANTED: dual monitors, both lights and sounds, rechargeable, good reviews, not super expensive. Some of the things we were not concerned with: video monitors, the angel detection set (pad in crib to detect breathing. We started out looking at the Fisher Price Lights and Sounds - Baby Bargains gave it good reviews, but all the reviews on Target.com were awful. Then we switched to the Sony 900MHz, but then I couldn't find one with 2 handsets and my husband really wants 2. So, back to researching. Finally I found the Graco one, which has lights and sounds, has dual handsets, has great reviews, is not really expensive (~$38) - but takes batteries. Off all the things we wanted, I guess the batteries vs. rechargeable was the easiest to give up. (And I got free shipping - woohoo!) While i can't give a review on these yet, again, most of the online reviews were positive - so I'm satisfied.


Graco Snugride Infant Carseat

It seems the infant seat is better than starting with a convertible seat, since it is built specifically for infants and is therefore safer then a convertible as far as fit. However, this car seat also has a snap n go base so you are not struggling with fastening your child in and getting them out of the car seat through the car door - it seems like it will make moving a baby in and out of the car a lot easier. This was important to me because I've had several parents tell me they had to take car trips to help soothe their child, which means once she's asleep, we can leave her in the carseat when we take her out of the car - and hopefully she keeps sleeping. This also (as noted in my previous posts) fits right into our stroller - again making the transition easy. Baby Bargains gave these a great review as did everyone else I talked to. And ours is really cute! Oh - one more thing, the seat is curved slightly on the bottom so that it can rock when placed on the floor, or you can use the handle to sort of lock it in place.


Playtex Drop-In Bottles

While I know my little Pebbles may decide she does NOT like these, I am really hoping she does. I received one free one in the mail, and my MIL should be getting one in the near future as well. We also picked up another couple which were being clearanced out at a local store - so these kinda chose me. HOWEVER, since they use the disposable liners, I don't have to worry about the whole BPA in the bottle since the liquid will never touch the bottle (and since our daycare is anti-glass bottles). Also, I've seen a variety of reviews where lactation consultants actually recommend these bottles and since we are hoping to do both breast feeding and bottle feeding, it seems like this would be less of a concern when it came to worrying about nipple confusion (or so I hope). Finally, since the bags sort of deflate as the baby drinks, they say there is less gas issues - which of course is a bonus.

Britax Roundabout Convertible Carseat

Once Pebbles is out of her infant seat, we're planning on using this model. Again, Baby bargains gave it great reviews as did everyone online. The roundabout is a little smaller with a slight lower weight limit than the Marathon, but how many 65lb kids still need a carseat (and I have a smaller car so space is an issue. And, of course, they have the most awesome Cowmooflage pattern, and since I love cows, how could I not?


Lansinoh Double Electric Breast Pump

I have to go back to work and since I am hoping to stick with the whole breastfeeding thing, I'll obviously need to pump at work. Most of the recommendations I saw on thenest.com were for the Medela Pump in Style, but the more I researched other sites, the more people I saw give the Lansinoh one excellent reviews (4.5 out of 5 starts on Target.com from 221 reviews), saying it works just as well but is much less expensive. It does NOT come with a tote bag, which for me was a bonus since it allowed me to pick something cute (Small BabySac in pink / black). This one has adjustable speeds and suction, and only has 3 pieces that require washing. The motor and suction tubing are self-contained so yo don't have to worry about getting milk into them. I was also recommended to purchase this at drugstore.com since they seem to have the best price. I don't have this yet since i want to make sure I will need it, but as of now, this is the one I plan to get.

There you have it, my list of items including the reasons we are getting them. I hope to post more of a report of how I like them in the future, after we get to use them of course. Feel free to ask about any of these items or even what we are doing for anything else. Now I'm off to do something a little more production around the house - like start the laundry!

Happy Sunday to everyone!

Case closed

The stroller saga has been closed. I learned it had been discontinued, although no one contacted me from the store I was registered with, but that is another story. When I called the store to ask if they by chance had any in stock, I was told they had the floor model and that was it. I went today and inspected it, and now its sitting all folded up in my trunk. Hooray!

And thanks for the suggestions, I knew I could get one of the strollers that help the carseat, but I REALLY wanted this matching stroller and I wasn't ready to give up yet. (Leo's are known for being stubborn!) So anyhow, my little, personal crisis has been addressed and fixed and I'm once again happy.

On a side note, I think Pebbles has dropped. I'm no doctor, but the babydoll band on my dresses are no longer wedged between my belly and bra, and it feels like I've been kicked in the pubic bone. Pregnancy is so much fun (note sarcasm here). Luckily, I don't have TOO much longer to go. Hooray #2!

Help needed!!!

The Graco Mosaic stroller in Giselle pattern we fell in love with (and matches AND accepts our matching car seat) has mysteriously disappeared from our registry, not as in purchased, but as in the store doesn't even have it listed anymore. Okay, no big deal, I'll just order it online.

*google*

*yahoo*

*msn*

Aaaack!!! I can't find ANYWHERE that has this stroller in stock. The best I've found is a place that has it back ordered ... until DECEMBER!!! Pebbles will be here in the next few weeks, i don't want to wait until DECEMBER. I'm going to call the stores tomorrow to see if anyone has any left by chance, but I'm getting quite upset that we can find this. Sooo - I ask you to help me search and see if you can find this stroller IN STOCK and let me know. I'm actually quite bummed by it now ... drats! And thanks in advance for anyone that helps look, I do appreciate it!

Belly pictures!

After multiple requests from multiple people, here are some belly pictures at 35 weeks. Enjoy!

Lots done, so much to do!

I can't believe it is already Sunday evening, although we did get quiet a bit done over the last couple days, but I know we still have so much more to do. Let's start from last week:

Thursday we started our Prepared Childbirth classes. My husband was a little hesitant at first since several of his (male) coworkers poo-poo'd on the classes, but he admitted that they actually seem more informative than he thought they would be. I think he also realizes that the classes are more for ME to get over my fears and I need his support by him being there. Either way, he said he'll be there for the next 3 with me as well. This is great since he finally was given his promotion date (Aug 25th) at which point he starts shift rotations (evenings, then days, then midnights for 2 weeks each) and luckily they are willing to work with his schedule and allow him to attend.

Friday we didn't do much, spent some time together, resting and relaxing. I feel like I'm still recovering from the trip to Michigan, so I need a night of nothingness.

For the rest of the weekend we've managed to do some more things in preparation for Pebbles arrival. I told DH the one thing we needed to get addressed was the car seat, since if she does come early, its the one thing we don't have that we can't do without. Sure it could be picked up while I was in the hospital, but we had one picked out that I really liked, so I'd rather just be prepared and get it now - so car seat has been purchased! Now, we just need to read the instructions and figure it all out, but at least we have it here.

We also washed all of her clothing and it has all been put away. There are so many freaking cute outfits and onesies and such, I can't wait to be able to put her in them! I also see what people mean about Gerber stuff shrinking. I have a few 6-9 months onesies that appear to be the same size as that rest of my 0-3 month onesies after getting washed. Yikes. Hopefully the 0-3 month sleepers will fit for a short time anyhow! (Now I'm just finishing OUR laundry so I have some clean clothes for the week!)

We dropped my husbands dry cleaning off, along with his 2 shirts to get his stripes put on. I'm pretty excited that he's promoting sooner rather than later since it gets him off the streets for the most part and eases my mind some. Plus, calling him Sergeant just sounds cooler. ***giggle***

Call me crazy (and I'm sure many of you will) but I arranged to purchase most, if not all, of the newborn size cloth diapers (CD) I hope to need for the first few months (found a good deal!). I'm still a little nervous about going cloth verses disposable, but I figure its worth a try. And if we decide against it, at least we made the EFFORT to try it and from what I can tell, it won't be hard to find someone who wants to purchase the CD's we have. I'm actually excited since there are so many cute designs and such and I'm a sucker for cute stuff.

Meanwhile, I'm 34 weeks today. 6 weeks left - if she comes on her due date (which is unlikely). I guess what freaks me out the most is that while we continue to plan for 6 more weeks, I know it really can be ANY DAY. My doctor prefers that I don't travel after 32 weeks, which means I should try to stay close to home now. Eeek! I can't believe its already been so long and I'm so far along. I really need to make sure I have the big things addressed for her arrival - and my time off work! I need to go talk to HR, follow up with my insurance, get my husband to follow up with his insurance, make sure my projects are organized in such a way that someone can take over for me as needed, along with everything that needs to be done around the house - but at least I have my husband and we have his parents if needed. Now, if I could just get the motivation to do the things at work to prepare, we'd be all set.

The verdict is in...

I'm officially a cow. Moooo!!!! I saw pictures of myself from my best friend's wedding and aaack! My face is bloated, my arms are chubby, and I just don't feel very cute. So to combat this, I refuse to be in any more pictures. Seeing them does nothing but depress me, I have no desire to remember myself looking like this anyhow. My husband still tells me I'm cute and all my friends tell me I make a cute pregnant lady, but all I see is chubbiness. Lots and lots of chubbiness. Like chubby bunny. Like I have devoured my weight in cake and ice cream chubbiness. Like holy crap, someone take that plate away from her chubbiness. My weight gain is still in the recommended range, so that's not a problem, but I swear it all went to my face, arms, and thighs.

And what makes it even better? I've started to waddle. Great.

A wedding and a baby shower

We just got back form our trip to Michigan, where we had my best friends' wedding and our baby shower all in a matter of 2 days - can we just say busy busy! The wedding was wonderful, Kristin was, of course, a beautiful bride (and I suck since I didn't take a SINGLE picture!) and I'm so glad to see her so happy with an absolutely wonderful man. I realized in our few days up there just how much I miss her, and how much it makes it even worse since they are moving to Germany for 2 years. :-( We are hoping to be able to visit next September (and most likely talking to the grandparents to see if they can watch Pebbles for a few days) which I guess would keep up with our tradition of seeing each other once a year. I think our phone calls are going to take the biggest hit, so hopefully we can manage to stay in touch over email and IM. Even though, it still sucks and breaks me heart. Maybe when they come back I can convince them Texas is a MUCH better place to live. **sniff sniff**

Anyhow, that was Friday and Saturday. Sunday, my stepmom and stepsister threw us a baby shower which also turned out to be a family get-together, which was really nice as well. I really enjoyed being able to spend some time with family that I rarely get to see, so that was definitely an added bonus. We also managed to get a BUNCH of stuff for Pebbles, and even fit it all into our luggage to bring home. Here is a quick shot of the closet, where most of her stuff is currently hanging, although we have about 30+ more onesies and sleepers on the shelves. Pebbles will definitely have enough clothing, even if we need to change her several times a day! Besides clothing, we received our Bumbo seat (which my husband has some how nicknamed "Lumpy"), a bunch of safety items, lots of cute books, some bathing items (including the Johnson and Johnson lavender bedtime wash my cousin swears by), and an amazing handmade blanket from my aunt.


However, one of the things I am most excited about right now are the AngelDry cloth diapers my cousin gave us, I mean, look how cute they are! Cloth diapers are one of those things I've been debating about since I am so easily grossed out but at the same time the thought of the cost and waste from disposable diapers makes me really sad. Right now, I am thinking we might do a combination of the two, with hopes that we can convince ourselves, our families, and our daycare to completely switch to cloth - but if not at least we'll be doing SOME. Plus, you can customize the AngelDry orders so I'm thinking I can get some holiday prints, maybe a Texas Ranger print, and possibly even some ruffle butt ones - because every baby girl needs the ruffle butts! I'll keep you informed as I learn more, but please feel free to pass on any advice, recommendations, etc. you have as well.

And ... while I was busy getting ready with all the girls for the wedding on Saturday, my husband went shopping. And, once again, he managed to find a way to show me just how lucky I am to have him. He didn't get something for himself or me, instead he found the one thing I had mentioned I wanted to make sure we got while in Michigan (but then forgot I told him). That's right, this totally Texas husband of mine manage to find the Michigan State outfit I wanted for Pebbles, he also bought a few other MSU outfits as well, but THIS is THE outfit I KNEW I wanted.


I love this man more than he will ever know, and he obviously is able to read my mind. So back off, he's taken!!! Oh, and watch for future pictures of Pebbles in this cute as can be little jumper, I'm sure there will be MANY!

Ask, and you shall receive

Remember this? The most fantastic cake pan EVER? The one my husband would have shot down had I asked because 1) I don't NEED it and 2) we don't have ANYWHERE to store it? Yup, that's right, my most wonderful in-laws got it for me for my birthday. I'm uber excited about it (oh yeah, and my husband went with his mother to get this, so he obviously wasn't COMPLETELY opposed to it). The funny part? He was right, we don't have anywhere to store it, so its still sitting on the counter. *giggle* I'll figure something out, I have no choice. Meanwhile, I might have to bake a cake this week just so I can use it. Woohoo!!!

This was just the icing on the cake though (bad joke, I know). When I got home Friday, my amazing husband had cleaned the house, bought me yellow roses, had some "Happy Birthday" balloons with the flowers, picked out not 1, but 2, perfect birthday cards, and presented me with my giftcard for a prenatal massage. The birthday gift from my dad was waiting for me too, which is a copy of "Atlas Shrugged" on CD, one of the books I've been wanting to read but haven't had time. We then went to dinner, did a little shopping, and spent the evening together. It was perfect. Saturday I pampered myself with a hair cut and highlights and then my mother in law took me out for manicures and pedicures, after which we all spent the evening napping. Sunday I woke to my husband flipping on the bedroom light at about 8am to show me he stopped at IHOP and picked up breakfast for us. This was COMPLETELY unexpected, but even better than it sounds since I've been drooling over the commercials for the Banana's Foster and Apple crisp pancakes they have right now - and he got an order of both. We sat and ate breakfast and then both laid back down to sleep. I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon just pretty much being lazy and doing a little laundry until it was time to meet his family for dinner. We all went out for Tex-Mex (of course) and back to his parents for cake. We caught the beginning of the Rangers game there and went home to watch the rest of it before my husband had to go to work. I was so nice being able to just cuddle on the couch and watch some baseball. All in all, it was a marvelous birthday weekend and I'm a little sad its over now. Maybe I'll just find a reason to celebrate for the whole month of August - it wouldn't be a first.

Dirty deleter

I deleted my previous blog because it was taken completely out of context, and I apologize for that.

That is all for now.

A stork's view of Pebbles

We finally went to Stork Vision to get some 3D images of Pebbles after a cancelled appointment and my irrational reaction to said cancelled appointment. READ: I was sobbing and in complete victim mode, my wonderful husband had to sort out all of the details to get the required paperwork and reschedule the appointment. Yes, he was annoyed with me, and I don't blame him, but he still did what it took to make me feel better. Like I've said on many occasions, I married the perfect man. ANYHOW ... the first appoint didn't go that well, as Pebbles was hiding in my hip and every attempt we made to get her to move instead lead to her burrowing her face even farther. The one thing that was good about the first appointment was that they confirmed it was in fact a girl - which is great since the night before I had a dream they told us it was a boy, which would have been fine except for the nursery is painted (pain-stakingly) and we have obtain lots of girlie items already. It would not have been the end of the world but I would have been disappointed about the whole nursery thing. Luckily, since the first group of images failed, we were able to reschedule for another day - which is where the pictures on here are from. The details are absolutely amazing, even though this time Pebbles was sleeping. We tried waking her up some to get some better video, and this is what we got:

I guess this means we are going to have a screamer on our hands, since to me, this looks like the face you get right before the little buggers start wailing. ***giggle*** Of course, we didn't get any screaming, she instead went back to sleep. We can only hope the same thing happens once she's here, but I'm not holding my breath.

Anyhow, Pebbles seems to be doing just fine right now. The doctor says I've had an easy pregnancy (not including the horrid morning sickness that I thought was going to kill me), my blood pressure has remained fairly low, I haven't seem to have had any other scares (knock on wood), its just been the whole being overly bloated and uncomfortable, but that's to be expected. Meanwhile, Pebbles seems to be quite active, she likes to bounce on my bladder and stick her butt in my side. She even woke me up with the hiccups last night about 4am and the proceeded to dance around for an hour. Yay for movements, boo for lack of sleep. No real complaints from me though. Now, if only these last 2 months would go by so we can 1) cuddle with pebbles OUTSIDE my belly and 2) I can start to begin feeling normal again, then all will be grand in the J household (or so I think). Until next time...

Its all a bunch of randomness!

TWO ITEMS I BOUGHT AND AM EXCITED TO HAVE

I'm extremely worried about the sleepless nights and having a colicky baby since I'm not a very pleasant person to be around when tired. My husband isn't as bad, but he falls asleep easily and is a bear to wake up, so while I know everyone will continue to tell us that things will be fine and we'll find a way to deal with it, I still want to prepare. Based on my fears and going off some recommendations from other new parents, I ordered THE miracle blanket and "The Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD. I figure if we happen to be one of the luckiest sets of parents and have a child who sleeps well and such from the start, then its only because I spent the money on these items to begin with, so it still wasn't a waste. Meanwhile, I'll be honest, watching the video on the miracle blanket website of them swaddling the baby is a little frightening, but I've heard so many people rave about this item that I'm willing to try it from the start. And for the DVD - I think we'll sit down and watch this in the next few weeks to try and prepare (since when pebbles is crying at 3am, I DOUBT we'll want to be watching it then!). Feel free to share any other opinions, tips, etc. that you have as well.



WHAT'S THAT, LIFE IS NORMAL AGAIN?

My husband and I spent all day Saturday cleaning the house and I also went grocery shopping Sunday morning so we could have dinner at home this week and my husband took care of the lawn. This is something we haven't done since BEFORE I found out I was pregnant. We have done cleaning here and there and made SEVERAL trips to the grocery store, but this felt like normal life again. For example, I put the chairs on the kitchen table and dining table when I clean the floors - it makes it easier. Well, I put them up to clean one day back in like April or something and they've been up there every since. Ummm yeah, obviously we don't eat at the table much (so China Sunday's are just a distant memory right now). Also, we've had a stack of books and mail on the entry table since probably the beginning of the year. Another one, we've had all our medications and vitamins sitting on our wine buffet as well - most of which neither of us have needed in months (vitamins not included). Soooo, not only did I want to get the house picked up (dishes, counters, floors, bathrooms, etc) but I also wanted to attack these other items that we have been ignoring. I have to admit, I'm embarrassed we ignored these items for as long as we did and I can't believe how much nicer / calmer / cleaner the house feels with some of this "clutter" taken care of. Next we have the grocery shopping. Previously, we'll figure out what we want and run to the store to pick up the items necessary for THAT one meal. I don't think we had a total over $30 at the grocery store yet this year. We also found that we were dining out ... A LOT. And it got BORING. I mean, we'd spend an hour trying to figure what and where we wanted to eat because we were just tired of the whole process from driving there, to eating at the same general places, to the fact that it basically took up our whole evening. After the whole cleaning frenzy, I put together a simple dinner menu for the week and made a grocery list. Add the wonderfully clean house to a stocked fridge and a manicured lawn and BAM! Life feels almost normal again. And what's even better? We're motivated to keep it up - I love having the clean floors, its great to wake up to an empty sink, the lawn looks great (of course, my husband has kept this up every week, so its not new), and we get to spend our evenings together, at home, instead of fussing over dinner. I know someone out there will tell me that we're starting the "nesting" process, but in our defense, this is something we WERE doing before but once I got pregnant and started feeling miserable, all bets were off. So maybe the "nesting" was the motivation to get it done, but the whole process isn't something new to us either. I just hope we do continue to keep this up, especially once Pebbles gets here since I have a feeling dining out will be way too much of a hassle for a while.

And, I mentioned to my husband that if we run into trouble keeping the house clean while spending time as a family, I'd like to think about getting a house keeper - even if it is just to clean the floors, toilets, tubs and other deep cleans every other week. I see no reason for us to stress out keeping the house clean INSTEAD of spending time with one another and enjoy Pebbles. I know he is against it right now, but we'll see where things lead.



I'M TURNING 3-0!

I always said I wanted to have kids before I was 30, and while Pebbles won't be here yet, I still think I'm ok. I am a little disappointed that we won't be having a big blow out in Vegas or something else equally insane, but I can say we'll just make up for it next year instead. I've decided I will be going to get a prenatal massage, a pedicure, and getting my hair cut and possibly doing some color treatment (it also helps that my best friends wedding is a week after, so I can be all primped and pretty for it). I haven't had my hair cut in a LONG time (like maybe since September?) and I've only had maybe 2-3 pedi's since then as well. AND, the only time I've ever had a profession massage was on our honeymoon. So, I figure after 30 years of becoming who I am and 7 months of growing Pebbles, I deserve a little pampering - even if it is going to make me gag at the total cost. Its a splurge!

Now, taking a step back and looking at my life, these past 30 years have been pretty good to me for the most part, so I really can't complain too much. I'm not rich, I'm not a celebrity, and my husband isn't a professional soccer player - but I really am happy with who I am, where I am, and I couldn't ask for a better husband. I mean lets take a quick look at things: I have a B.S. and M.S. in a field that directly lead to my job, which also allows me to make decent money both to enjoy now and to save for the future. I am married to an amazing man, we have two wonderful (but psycho) cats, we own a nice home on a private lake, we both drive good vehicles, we have a baby girl on the way, I get along great with my in-laws whom we don't live too far from, we are both healthy, we've taken some great vacations - I mean, the list really does go on and on! And to add to that, my husband just found out that he will be promoting in less than a month. I've moved from Michigan, to Oregon, to California, to Texas. I've been through my partying days and, while I had a blast and never ended up in jail, I'm glad to be past that point in my life (as is my husband). I get along with my family, even though we are spread across the US. When you take out some of the specifics (WHO my husband is, WHERE I live, WHAT I drive, etc), when asked in high school, this is pretty much where I wanted to be at this age. I really am proud of my accomplishments and actually, as great as it is to realize the goals I've met, I really enjoy most of the journey to get here! It was not nearly as smooth and linear as I thought it would be, but some of the bumps and bruises are the best parts. The road trip with my stepsister between California and Michigan and back, meeting my husband at a club in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, graduate school in San Diego, all the randomness in Texas with various people - I'll just end this by saying I can believe I am 30 since I have all the memories to show for it. You never get any younger, you can't turn back time, so enjoy who you are and what life hands you, because its all the little stuff that makes you and your life what it is.



POOR LUCY

I went out to my car yesterday after work and ... and ... and ... (are you getting anything here?) nothing. She wouldn't start. *pouts* Luckily, I was giving a friend a ride who helped - he called to get security's number then called them to come help out. We stood there and laughed about it since when we were both here together back in 2000, this sort of thing happened to us ALL THE TIME. So, rather than freaking out or getting upset, we just sort of rolled with it. The only thing that really sucked was the 102 degree weather. Luckily, security got there with 5-10 minutes and we were on our way within 15 minutes. (Of course, then I missed the exit to drop him off at, but so be it) I had my husband scrub the battery posts last night since the guy who jumped Lucy said it looked like they were a little corroded. She started fine 3 times last night and started this morning, although she hesitated a little - so I'm worried that when I go back to get in her, she's not going to start. Obviously we'll be going out to get a new battery for Lucy tonight, lets just hope I can GET home.



THE NEXT FEW MONTHS...

I am just over 30 weeks along and have about 10 weeks left until my due date. In the time left, I can't decide if I want it to hurry up and pass or if I want more time to prepare - it kinda depends on when you ask me. We have a lot going on over the next several weeks: doctor appointments every 2 weeks, doing our big night out to the horse races, my boss is leaving, my husband is promoting, I'm turning 30, Rangers - Yankees game, my best friend is getting married, I'm having a baby shower in Michigan, our Prepared Childbirth classes, picking out a pediatrician, finalizing childcare, discussing my return to work schedule, taking care of the insurance paperwork, finishing Pebbles' room ... and that's just the stuff I can think of right now! I know we're getting down to the home stretch and we don't really have much time to put things off, but I'm also just ready to have my daughter here to hold and snuggle - and to start getting my body back! I'm sure it is all going to be a crazy whirlwind, but day by day its slow.

And, to top it all off and show just how crazy I am, I keep worrying that we won't be able to decorate for Halloween. I think we'll be decorating in late September just so I can have the stuff out - because I have a feeling once Pebbles is here, I won't have the time or energy to do anything. Am I going to care about the decorations once Pebbles is here? Probably not, but right now I do. So shoot me. :-)

Nursery Pictures, finally!!!

Yay! While our PC internet is not fixed yet, I've found a sneak around by using a Cruzer drive - so I can finally upload so pictures. I will be uploading some belly pictures in the near future, but I don't have any recent ones and since I didn't shower today, I look all greasy so I refuse to take one from today. Hang in there though, I promise they will be coming! On to the nursery!

After several hours of painting white, a few hours of painting pink, and the 6-7 hours of taping, we were ready to paint the harlequin pattern:


I think it took us maybe 30-45 minutes to actually paint the diamonds. Did I ever tell you how much I LOVE painters tape?

A small amount of time to let the paint dry a little, we peeled the tape off to examine our work. We left the edges since we were not sure if we were going to do the whole room or just a single wall - after we saw it, we felt doing all 4 walls would be a little too busy (and time consuming), so we decided on just the one.

Now that the painting (and chair rail) were complete, it was time for the flooring.

All the big things are done! Paint - check! Chair rail - check! Flooring - check!

A better shot of the whole floor, we love it!

We set up the crib, replaced the mini-blinds, hung the curtain, and set the bedding in. Everything is really coming together so much better than I expected - these pictures don't even do it justice.

A better picture to include the rug we bought as well.

This is on the opposite wall - the bookcase we are using as a dresser, the canvas drawers (which we are planning on getting 4 more), the top will be the changing table and is perfect height, and the picture we got from Ikea which (as hard as it is to tell) matches perfectly. Again, I am so happy with how it has all turned out so far, I just wish the pictures could actually capture just how great it all looks - or maybe I need to work on my photography skills - either way, the room is still perfect!

Now, we have the glider my husband's parents gave us and I plan on recovering it, although we are still trying to figure out whether it will be going in the nursery or not. I'm thinking it may start in there for night feedings, but end up in the living room so I can use it more often - I'm such a sucker for the rocking motion.

So, with that, stay tuned for future posts with actual pictures!

Let's talk food!

I remember a time when all I talked about on here was recipes and other food or wine related items - then I saw 2 lines and everything changed. Food quickly became the enemy and I had more exciting things to post about - mainly Baby J's and anything involving Baby J's! And while things have been moving fairly quickly with her, right now is a calm, no new update time where I can talk about food. Oh how I miss thee! So, here's the plan to incorporate both Baby J's and food into this single site for all that are interested:

I will begin posting about local restaurants we enjoy, including information like atmosphere, dishes we love, and other little tidbits that may help a person decide yay or nay on a place. This will also help us when we have our "I don't know what I want" nights, so it is dual purpose. However, before I begin those posts - which will be one post per restaurant to make it easier - lets look at what my recent diet has been so you can see why there has been such a lack of recipes or otherwise food-related entries.

Normal breakfast options:
Cold cereal and milk (Cocoa Krispies has been my favorite)

Oatmeal
Weekend special - pancakes, eggs, and an english muffin with cream cheese

Sounds exciting, right?

Normal lunches:
Chicken salad sandwich (this is like 80% of the time)

The other 20% is spread out over salads, pastas, fruit, and maybe the occasional fast food item.

Anything you want a recipe for yet? *giggle*

Dinner includes:

Salads, pastas, pizza, chicken salad sandwich (doesn't matter if I had it at lunch), and throw in the occasional chili dog, bratwurst, or taco salad.

I then follow the day up with some sort of dessert, maybe ice cream, maybe a fudgesicle, or maybe watermelon.

Needless to say, both my husband and I are sort of bored with the menu and end up going out to eat more often than not - partly because I want pasta and he, well, he doesn't. And I can't blame him either. I still do NOT want much in the way of meat - steak, chicken breast, fish - forget it! I told him that once Baby J's is here, we're going to take a trip to Truluck's, have a nice steak and seafood meal along with a great bottle of red wine. I actually miss WANTING these things. Who knew?

Anyhow, I can list my chicken salad recipe, although nothing is measured so its nothing fancy!

Chicken Salad Sandwich

1 can chicken in water
Miracle Whip

Granny Smith Apple (or whatever type you like)
Cavendar's Greek Seasoning

Sandwich rolls (we use the Kroger one's, so yummy!)

Drain the chicken, dice the apple (minus core) and mix the first 4 ingredients. Place on sandwich roll and eat.

My big thing has been wanting light, cold foods - and this is perfect. I get the protein from the chicken and crispy, refreshing taste of the apple. And of course the carbs, gotta have my carbs. My DH doesn't do the chicken salad, instead he's found a tuna fish that comes packed in oil with some sort of garlic and herbs and makes it the same way. He says its the best tuna sandwich he's ever had - so if anyone is interested, give it a try.

Meanwhile, watch for a mix of restaurant reviews and Baby J updates in the future!

Jeep jeep!!!

My husband loves his Jeep (we've lovingly name him Bugsy). I love his Jeep. Several of his coworkers apparently love his Jeep since so many of them have gone out and purchased their own as well. However, since we do love his Jeep, we have started looking at some of the other stuff you can get for Bugsy (my dear husband has found bumpers, bikini tops, tire covers, seat covers, you name it) that he wants to get to "dress up" Bugsy. Women buy shoes to accessorize, Jeep lovers apparently by Jeep accessories. I still am amazed when I see what all is out there for Jeeps.
Now on to Baby J's. My husband and I were walking through a baby store at one point in time and saw a Jeep stroller and he stops, looks at, looks at me, and states THAT is the stroller we would be registering for. Well, that particular stroller is not on the registry since it was expensive and not good for infants (so we picked a travel system style one instead, although we may eventually purchase it ourselves if needed - so we'll see). We did however find a Jeep umbrella style stroller that we registered for. It's pink. And what did I do? I found diaper bags that MATCH it (as you can see them above). So, while we have not yet obtained the stroller, I did order the diaper bags.
Speaking of diaper bags - holy crap! I can NOT believe how much people are willing to spend on these things (although I am the owner of several Kohl's and Target specials when it comes to purses and handbags, and the one Gucci purse I own was purchased in the Bahama's in a tent for like $12, so you can see how my purse/bag obsession is). However, looking at various options online (one popular brand being Petunia Pickle Bottom), the average cost seems to be about $200. $200!!! For an item you'll stuff bottles and diapers and snacks and wipes in. An item you'll be toting along with a child who poops and pees and spits-up and in general is a big mess most of the time. Each to their own I guess, instead I am getting BOTH the larger and smaller version for a TOTAL of about $35. I figure at that price, if we decide we want more for some reason, we won't feel bad about it since we didn't sink a ton of money into it anyhow. My husband even said he has no problems carrying a pink diaper bag ... although I think its only because it says "Jeep" on it.

What, no pictures?

Farking home PC! Somehow at sometime, the internet stopped functioning on our home PC, which totally SUCKS since thats the only way I have to upload pictures, whether it is to this blog, to myspace, to snapfish, or to email. So, while we pout a little while longer since our attempts to fix it have not yet worked, I'll post an update but have none of the wonderfully fancy pictures I had hoped to add.

1) Our trip to Seattle to visit my family (and completely surprise my mom) went wonderfully well, aside from the chilly weather we weren't ready for. It was great to see my sister and mom and have some real vacation time to spend with them, instead of fitting things into a "holiday weekend". We went to a Mariner's game, Mt. Rainier, and wandered around at Pike's Place market. It was an action packed couple of days, but so well worth it.

2) My GD (sugar) test came and went - and I cried, but woohoo, I passed the 1 hr! Yay! So glad I don't need to give up the ice cream and fruit I've so come to love. It sure helps keep me a much happier pregnant lady. Luckily for DH, he doesn't have to worry about weight gain either, since he indulges almost as much as I do (thinking about our sundaes from tonight, ice cream by the pool, and so on).

3) We registered, which is so overwhelming! What's even better is that half of what we picked has already been changed on the registries, but so be it. I'm a little nervous about it all to be honest, a) because I know how much of a pain the return policy is at Target and Babies R Us - basically it boils down to no receipt, no return (well, maybe 1 or 2 items a year and even then there are TONS of restrictions) - and they don't seem to care if its on your registry or not and b) I've tried to add lots of stuff for lots of options, but as of now, the only shower I'm aware of is the one in Michigan (which means flying, so how much can I REALLY bring home with me?). I know we do get completion coupons though so even if we don't have a local shower, its still nice to have a place to keep track of what we want and the option to get a discount on it.

Another annoying factor of the registry is the patterns offered at different places. We started at Babies R Us, but then I found the stroller, car seat, pack n play, high chair, bouncer, etc. that I liked SO MUCH more at LoneStar Baby and Kids - which of course is not in Michigan. So, I've added items at both places and then got thinking (and had some people mention) that a place like Target would be nice as well, since some people don't have either of the other places local. Ok, so I added some stuff at Target too. And what the heck, its another completion coupon, right? Meanwhile, I know I need to add more that I have - like bottles - but I'm' so overwhelmed on what else I'll need! Bottles - I know we want BPA-free, but what sizes? And I've been told that kids can be picky about the nipples, so don't register for a bunch of one brand. What about sizes? And what if I breast feed - do I still need bottles, and how many? Argh!!! I'm at the point where I want someone else to just register for me and tell me what I need. (((giggle)))

4) Baby J's room - it is really coming together and I couldn't be happier! I've been very unsure of what to do about a dresser / changing table since I loved the matching dresser but hated the price, and didn't want to buy a piece of furniture specifically for changing her diaper and then have nothing to do with it in a few years. I mean, thats part of why we went with a convertible crib as well (and I know everyone says no one converts them, but dang it, I sure plan on it!). So today, since DH and I still are able to enjoy Saturdays together, we decided to look for a dresser. After viewing a variety of options online (several not much cheaper than the matching piece), we thought about doing something different - which lead us to Ikea. We found a bookcase, with square shelves, in a 4x2 pattern that matches the coloring of the crib. We are actually putting it on its side since all sides are finished and it is the right height for a changing table - AND we found canvas cubes that fit PERFECTLY into the shelves. It looks so much better than I first thought it would, I actually like it better than the matching dresser, who knew!?!? Along with that, we replaced the mini-blinds, hung the valence, and found this great piece of art as well - which matches with the color scheme and is modern enough to grow with Baby J's (or be moved into another room if she decides she eventually HATES pink). We were a wee-bit hesitant at first but as soon as we hung it, we were both pleased and felt it was exactly what we wanted.

So, with today's work, the nursery is probably 80% or so complete, and it feels GREAT. We know we still want some more shelving and such, but those are things we can get as time goes one, even if it IS after Baby J's arrives. My DH's parents have talked to us about giving us the glider they have, which I would recover in some sort of matching fabric (its currently blue). I think that is the ONLY big thing we have left to do - and we still have ~3 months left (or exactly 3 months if she was to arrive ON her due date, but that's doubtful!). No matter what, its nice having so much done and actually feeling more and more prepared for her arrival as far as the house goes, since I know when it comes to the whole sleeping, feeding, bathing, burping, changing, laundry, cooking, cleaning, and such, we have NO IDEA how its going to be. I guess we'll prepare what we CAN control since there is so much we CAN'T control. :-)

In a nutshell, that's where we're at. Time has really started to fly by, and I can't be more excited! The second trimester has gone by a lot faster than the first trimester (although I lump the first month of the second trimester in with the first since I still felt like I was dying on a daily basis!). I'm hoping the 3rd trimester continues to sail on and I can hold little Baby J's before I know it. I think I switch from ever 4 week Dr appts to every 2 weeks at my next appointment, which will help make things feel like they are progressing fast too. DH wants to do those 3d / 4d ultrasound images, which everyone says we should plan to do in the next week or 2 (around 28 weeks), plus I might have a coupon for a free maternity photo which could be fun. Our child birth classes start in about a month as well. I've also had a variety of strangers ask me about being pregnant, as far as when I'm due and if its a boy or girl, which I love. I'm actually at the point of enjoying this (not including the heartburn, hard time sleeping, constantly peeing, and other random aches and pains - but its all minor compared to what I've been through). I even got to park in "Expectant Mothers" parking today. Now, if only they had that at the local Marble Slab...

Great things

My husband. He's a great thing. There has not been a single moment where I've second guessed our marriage, our commitment, his love for me, or our life together. He may not be perfect, but his is perfect for me. (He even hangs his towel up after the shower!) Sometimes I fear I take him for granted, and take us for granted, but other times I realize that comfort feeling is why we work so well. Friday, when I got home from work, he had the nursery painted with white (3-4 coats) and had the bottom in pink almost complete. He HATES painting, HATES it. Yet, he did this on his own without me asking. I had originally planned to help him with it, HELP since I know I shouldn't be around a ton of fumes, but at the same time I actually enjoy painting. Back to my point, as I walk in Friday and see how much he's accomplished, I get overwhelmed with that feeling of "I'm the luckiest, most loved wife on Earth and I truly married the best man in the world". Now, the other part of that story is that Friday was a very bad, horribly stressful day. I cried all the way home from work and was actually sobbing as I walked into the house, partially due to some drama with the nursery floors, partially due to the whole daycare issue, but mainly due to work. As soon as my husband saw me, he put his arms around me and hugged me, and then we proceeded to talk some about the daycare issue and the flooring issues. Between this and all the work he had done, my mood did a complete 180 (thankfully) and I was able to change my clothes and help him finish up in the nursery. He seems to be so good at picking the right times to do these things that just make me melt and I can't thank him enough for just being him.

Once the bottom pink was done, we grabbed something to eat and began on the top pattern - I wanted a pink and white harlequin pattern to go all the way around. Three hours later, lots of taping, cutting, measuring, and quite a bit of frustration, and about 2/3's of the first wall was complete. My husband was slightly annoyed at the whole process (and I think even annoyed with me some since, after all, this was MY idea), but I still looked at him with nothing but love and appreciation. And I knew he loved me enough to do this, regardless of how crazy, time consuming, and frustrating the whole process was. How can I not be the luckiest person on Earth? We did finish the wall Saturday and decided not to do the rest of them since we thought it would be too busy. We also started putting up the chair rail and set up an appointment to have the floors done (tomorrow) for those of you wondering, but my point here is just how lucky I am to have found such a wonderful man. I've heard from several new mom's who tell me I'll love him even more after I give birth, and I just don't know how that is even possible. Anyhow, he is by far my great thing number 1. He is the reason I get up in the morning. I feel my best when I do things for him. I enjoy every moment we spend together and miss him when we're not. I love watching him with our kitties and I'm sure it will be even better to watch him with our daughter, as I know he'll be a great father. I guess I'll have to soak up as much time with just us as I can in the next few months, since I doubt we'll get a whole lot once baby J's is born!

On to great thing #2. Today, or a Monday, he not been TOO bad. No school zones on my way to work. I've felt better than I do on most work mornings. And then there is the lady in the cafeteria - she made my WHOLE day, possibly even more. I have purchased several maternity dresses since they are much more comfortable than pants. I am also warmer than usual so I can wear them to work and not be too hot or cold. I have also grabbed lunch from our cafeteria a lot lately since work has been so crazy I can't go out. I was standing there today, waiting for my order, when the lady calls to me and tells me I have such cute dresses (she's seen several apparently). She then proceeds to tell me I make a very pretty pregnant lady. (((grin))) Wow, I'm not sure anyone has said anything since I've found out that has made me feel that great. Sure my husband tells me all the time and I am thankful, but there is just something about a stranger making such a comment that feels different and great. So yay, what a wonderful way to chase away any signs of the "Mundays".

Great thing #3 - I'm 24 weeks along. 24 weeks is that one milestone pregnant women get really excited about since its the point where the baby is considered viable. I know nothing is guaranteed, but it still feels good and helps relieve some of the worry. Its nice to know that IF something happen and I had to have this baby now, they would do everything they could to save her and its possible she would grow up to be a normal person.

And, some other great things I want to share, some of which I already touched on. The nursery walls and flooring. The walls are done, except for the chair rail - which we are planning to finish tonight. It looks great, it actually looks better than I thought it was going to, which really excites me - and once we get our Internet fixed on our home computer, I'll be able to upload some pictures! Six and a half hours of taping (no exaggeration) and the harlequin pattern came out WONDERFUL. My husband said he was even surprised at just how good it looks. Next come the floors. We had originally got a quote from Lowe's about putting in some laminate or engineered wood floors - but yeah, they quoted way more than we wanted to spend. Back to square one - we'd try the laminate ourselves. We went and priced out what we wanted, checked both Lowe's and Home Depot, then got a recommendation for one more flooring place. After talking with them, we learned they could install the flooring and all the extra's for about $100-200 more than it would cost us to do it ourselves. Bonus! I'm willing to spend that to avoid the headache of doing it ourselves - plus I like the flooring we picked out BETTER than any of the options we had at Lowe's or Home Depot. AND - they are doing it tomorrow. I was expecting it to be 2 or more weeks! This means that not only will the painting be complete before we go out of town, but the flooring will be done and we may even have the crib assembled. Woohoo! It feels so good to have things come together so quickly. Now its on to finding a dresser, a book shelf, and all the rest of the final touches. Its great not to feel like you're in a time crunch. :-)

While I rambled and rambled about the good things in my life, I hope you are able to step back and see all the wonderful things going on in your own. Take the time to be thankful for what you have and make sure those close to you are told how much they mean to you. Life is short and there is so much truth in the whole "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans", try not to miss out on the little things. Since today is tomorrow's memory, make the most of those memories. I know we all look forward to the weekend, our next vacation, that big movie coming out, visiting family and friends, or other such planned events, but don't completely overlook today. Take a moment to kiss your spouse, to hug your kids, to tell your parents how much you love them, to play with your pets, to enjoy the fresh air - basically take some time to realize how much you'd miss out on if there wasn't a today. I'm working on embracing the small things, it really does make life more enjoyable. (Notice I said "working" - I still complain more than I like and wish for time to pass all too quickly! One step at a time ... one step at a time.)

Evil email advertisers!

I open my email, and I see this:





Bam! I now want cupcakes. But oh wait, what's that? Its NOT a cupcake? I start reading the advertisement I got from Williams-Sonoma (yes I signed up for the emails, yes I choose to open it, yes I should know better, but come on, give a pregnant girl a break!) and I soon learn its a CAKE made to look like a cupcake, and they are selling the pan so I myself can make such wonderful looking concoctions.

So now, I have to have this pan. I MUST be able to make these, the most awesome looking cakes, with such little work. I think about all the combinations I can create - chocolate and vanilla, chocolate and chocolate chip, chocolate and some sort of swirl - well, basically anything with chocolate is currently on my list. Go figure. I can already hear people swooning over "those cute cakes she makes" as I bring them to various events. I think I even have a carrier I could use to transport this without the top getting all smooshed.

But wait. I need to store the cake pan. And right now all my cake pans are stored int he drawer of my oven. Its full. Like, full to the max. What about a cabinet? Hmmm, those are all pretty full as well. I mean, my china platter is sitting on my table because I cannot fit it into any of the cabinets. My husband will frown when I tell him I want ANOTHER piece of bake ware. I'm sure his very first question will be "Where are you going to put it?" and I don't have an answer for that. But, but, but (in a rather voice I'm sure) its soooooo cute! That won't work. The second question comes. (((slumps in chair))) "Do you NEED it?" and I think we all know the answer is, of course, no. But, but, but ... but how much would Baby J's love these cakes? Again, my husband will just look at me, probably shake his head a little, and say "Well, if you REALLY want it..." and at that point, feeling slightly guilty for bringing it up, I'll know that he is right and I'll forgo the trip to W-S, I'll avoid their website, and we'll continue on as normal ... and the cake pan will miss me.

There's always my birthday and Christmas, right?

Progress, progress, progress...

So much progress in the past few days, I love it! Our bedding arrived on Friday and its absolutely adorable. It of course is all packed in a single package, so I need to spread it out and possible iron a few pieces - but I don't want to put the bedding on the floor or somewhere my curious kitties can lay on it, so I'll wait until we get the crib set up. Now, speaking of cribs, we bought it on Saturday and we're both super excited! What's even better is that 1) it was in stock so its sitting in the hallway in the box and 2) it was on sale - and we all love sales. We are going to wait to set the crib up until after the floor in the nursery is re-done, which we won't do until the room is painted - which we were waiting on the bedding for. The paint colors have been picked and my husband's mother (who works with paint) will be picking them up this week. I am hoping we can get the first color done next weekend (maybe even Thursday or Friday while my husband is off) so that I can start taping up the pattern - which I'm sure will take HOURS but be so worth it. I really want to get the painting done before we take our short vacation in mid-June, but I might be a little overzealous so we'll see.

Now that we have the theme taken care of, I know we need to start registering as well. That should begin once we get back from vacation, although I'm not sure where we are going to register. Target seems to have horrible return policies and are known for NOT keeping the registries up to date - which means double items, no receipt, and the inability to return all items. I've heard that Babies R Us are going to be switching to a return policy that rivals Targets as far as suckiness, and that worries me as well. Baby Depot, but I haven't heard great things about them either. We can go with Lone Star Baby, but there are not THAT many locations, so its far from convenient for people. That leaves us with Wal-Mart (I don't LIKE Wal-Mart), boutique-y places, or online. I like online, but I know many people like to go IN somewhere and take the items HOME with them. Ughh. Stupid return policies ruin it all. I guess I'll do some more research and talk to my husband to get his thoughts. I know we still have a lot of research to do before registering anyhow - what car seat is best, what stroller, do we want a pack-N-play, what about diaper pail, and on and on and on. I can tell you the wedding registry sure was a lot easier!

Next, I signed us up for Prepared Childbirth classes starting in August and going on for 4 weeks. I got lucky since with my husbands work schedule, only one set of the classes they had before my due date were on a night that would work for us and there was enough room for us to get in. I'm thinking I might go back and sign up for the breastfeeding class that is being offer the week after out last childbirth class, since its the same schedule.

Even with all the progress we've made, I know we still have a lot of big decisions to work out - from daycare to a pediatrician to how much time I'm taking before going back. These are going to be a little more stressful for me so I keep putting them off, but I know we are running out of time. I guess they are something we'll start discussing after our vacation, tears and all.

On a less baby-related note, this month is going to be CRAZY BUSY! We have tickets for at least 3 Rangers games, 2 weddings, and our vacation. I have my sugar test this month as well (yuck!). Add this to what we'll be doing around the house and finding some pool time and you'll see we are running out of spare time. I'm not complaining though since while it is going to be busy, I'm excited about MOST of it - summer is finally here!

Now, I'm off to get ready for Ranger game number 1 this month! Go Rangers!