A Nerd Like Me

7 months

My dear friend Amy took this photo of me. Amy is a blogger and a photographer, so I knew she would understand when I asked her to take this photo. I prefaced it with, “I can set up a tripod or ask someone else to take a picture of me, but I don’t know how to pose without looking fat and frumpy.” I knew she could hook me up in that department. She totally delivered.

Thank you, Amy! I’m so happy that we met back in September and have become buddies!

There’s only 3 months left, y’all. THREE MONTHS! Eleven weeks, really. I’m getting excited about my shower this weekend and all of the cute stuff that Westley will be spoiled with, which is saying something, because I usually hate showers. So yay for free stuff!

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this isn’t just the hormones talking

I tend to freak out in un-freak-out-worthy moments. I could blame it on the hormones, and I have been, but in all honesty I’m just the kind of person who is NOT OKAY with things not going my way.

Exhibit A:

Do you see the wide range of emotions just in those few texts? I went from observing the problem to extreme anger and frustration to crying to apologetic to happy and Jesus-y. All while Drew didn’t text back once. I know he was working, but it’s like he expected me to work it out for myself. Which I did. Because I’m awesome. (Actually, he claims to have not received the bad texts….)

Like a stubborn 2 year old with a broken toy, I just had to cry it out and then chill. Wow. I just compared my outburst to a toddler. With that, I’m signing off…to go cry about it.

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westley + me

I’ve had the hardest time finding clothes for the little man on the way. I want to keep it simple while making a statement at the same time. The statement should be: “Hey ladies, you won’t find me in a john-john or in some smocked crap. I’ll be by the pool in my striped shirt making you swoon. P.S. I’m probably bald, too. Hot.”

H&M is the only place I’ve been able to find the perfect pieces at really great prices ($6 for cute onesies!). Problem: we don’t have an h&m and they don’t do online ordering. Say WHAAAAAAT?!?

No bother. My girl, Alida, has a list and a check from me and is doing some shopping for Westley in Seattle! The photo above shows all of the cuteness I’ve picked out for him. I added a few easy-access pieces for myself on here, but Alida’s not shopping for me. Either way, I present to you the perfect pieces for a late-summer baby AND a new mama. It’s funny…I didn’t realize until recently that I have to choose my post-pregnancy clothes wisely. If I can’t get into it quickly, I’m not spending my money on it. (hehe…Drew might like that)

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Dear blog friends…

Dear Blog Friends,

You are all so special. I’ve never experienced a friendship of this caliber. A friendship in which we may never meet, yet can still be so involved in each other’s lives and care so much for each other. I’m the luckiest lady to know all of you, even though we are at opposite ends of the country (and world).

I’m so blessed to know the Morrisons, Alida, Joy, Deanna, Kitty and the Stadicks. Thanks for being awesome.

Speaking of the Stadicks, you guys inspired this post! Thanks for sending my little boy Westley his first ever package in the mail. Those knitted leg warmers and that sweet note totally made my day and week.

Jim and Ravyn, we haven’t had the pleasure to meet yet, but we will. Someday! Until then, Westley will sport those amazing leg warmers and make all the little ladies swoon.

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It just got real.

Thanks for all of the votes on the rug for the nursery! I knew you lurkers were out there. The vast majority chose the yellow striped rug, which Drew actually likes as well (shocker). Yay for bright colors!

—–

Big things are happening this morning. My third trimester starts this Saturday, so I had my sugar test today. (I totally passed!) While there, I filled out preregistration forms for the hospital. I’ve never stayed overnight at a hospital before. Just filling out the paperwork made it feel more real and more a part of my future.

Then, when I got home, I began filling out Westley’s registration form for his Montessori school. Now THAT felt strange…labeling myself as a “mother” and Drew as a “father.” What a crazy thought! And reading the rules about parent involvement and no sick children at school? Whoa. I started picturing getting a call at work and being told that my son is sick and needs to go home right away. Then I would of course rush out of work and take care of my sick little boy. Its like I already know that feeling…that urgency when it comes to my child, and the fact that I will do anything for him.

So yeah, it got real real today.

P.S. Fast food is in my very near future. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s my way of celebrating the fact that me and little W can totally handle it because I PASSED!!!

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Help!

Dear loyal blog readers (and mostly lurkers…I see you’ve been here, but you stay eerily quiet), I need your help! I can’t decide on a rug for the nursery and every time I make a decision, the Hubs just knocks it back down. I would like to think that I have a vision that he just doesn’t see, but he could be totally right in the end. So if you could give me your opinion, that would really help me out a ton.

First, here’s the nursery as is…

The decor is pretty plain and will mostly remain that way, with the exception of a yellow blanket on the crib (white sheet) and a very colorful abstract painting above the crib, similar to this one here:

This means that the rug can either be colorful and patterned to bring an extra pop to the room, or kinda plain. I could go both ways here. Rugs are expensive and I don’t want to spend the money on something ridiculous looking. One last thing before I show you my choices – I want the rug to be round, because of all of the angles and hard edges in the room. So here they are, starting with my most favorite of the moment (it changes every day):

5′ aztec rug from Urban Ourfitters, $59

The pattern in this rug not only appeals to me on an aesthetic level, but it just screams “boy.” I also LOVE the price. Cannot beat that for a 5 foot rug.

6′ yellow striped rug from Overstock, $139

I just found this today. It caught my eye because it has a subtle pattern, is not girly and will bring more of that yellow element into the room.

6′ off-white shag rug from Overstock, $170

For a plain rug, I’m a fan of this one. It’s soft and understated and will do a great job of covering up the stains in the carpet. I’m not a huge fan of the price, but that comes with the territory, I suppose.

6′ gray patterned rug from Overstock, $199

The price may have something to do with why this one is close to the bottom of my list. I like that the colors don’t pop much, but there’s still a pattern in there to offset the plainness of the room.

5′ gray shag rug from Overstock, $115

I love the price, but is it too plain? It’s definitely soft and fluffy, which I’m sure my little man will love during play time.

Ok, time to cast your vote! Which one will it be? (Geez, I’m spending way too much brain power on this. Just help a girl out, mkay?)

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A Weekend Away

We were the lucky recipients of a fantastic apartment in New Orleans last weekend. While we didn’t go to Jazz Fest (because *someone* thinks its a bad idea for a pregnant lady), we did enjoy the amazing food NOLA had to offer…and Drew enjoyed the drinks.

There were many trips to Magazine Street (my absolute favorite), a couple of parking tickets, and a random peacock involved. Also included: a rousing game of Clue and a lovely brunch with Joy the Baker.

In all honesty, after spending a mere 3 hours in the heat at the zoo and complaining of aching feet and swollen legs, I’m pretty sure Jazz Fest would have been a terrible idea. Glad the Hubs is looking out for me.

In other news, there are only 100 days until Westley arrives! This may very well have been our last little getaway until we become a family of 3.

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Are you nervous?

Last weekend, our friends Amanda and Matt visited from the Smokey Mountains to help us finish the nursery. Matt was Drew’s heavy-lifting buddy and Amanda was my giggling partner in crime. We really had a great time seeing our old friends!

About 10 minutes before they left to go back home, Matt stood in my kitchen, eating a gloriously warm cinnamon roll, and asked, “Are you nervous? About the baby?”

Oddly enough, nobody has asked me this yet. I started thinking about it and quickly answered in the negative. No, I am not nervous about the responsibility of becoming a parent, as I’m sure most first-timers are. Somehow, my mind is at ease when it comes to thinking about holding that little boy in my arms, feeding him in a way that only I can, and loving him more than I ever thought I could. I’m not even nervous about how little sleep I will get or how busy my life will become, or how those cloth diapers aren’t going to wash themselves. Those everyday responsibility issues? Not a problem.

But I am nervous. I’m scared out of my mind about the bad stuff that can happen. My thoughts linger on the morbid side of things a bit too often, so you can imagine the possibilities running through my head. Basically, it’s the uncontrollable things in this world that make me nervous.

But that’s ok. We’ll get through it. I can already tell that Westley is a strong little boy, and he does have the most amazing parents ever (totally kidding). We’ll get through it.

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