Pregnant Porn

I've been awake since 3:30am. Laying down, especially on my side, is the most uncomfortable position to be in these days. So, why not troll Pinterest in the wee hours of the morning? Sometimes, you just find gems like these...

Jump over to this website to read all of the "Porn for Pregnant Ladies" post. Not a bad way to start, what I suspect will be, a very cranky day.

Map It Out

In what I can only assume is a fit of first-time-mother pre-planning, I have been diligently working on Bimmer's baby book AND first year scrapbook during my down time. We plan to keep the baby book for the typical stuff... all the stats of her birth, info on her shots, and who was at her baby shower and first birthday party. However, since I am an avid scrapbooker (although not a crazy fanatic) I wanted to do something special to document her first year.

 

Since 2008, I have made a scrapbook for each year, rather than printing the thousands of photos I take. I will also make special scrapbooks for special occasions and trips... like Scandinavia or our wedding. So it seemed like a perfectly natural fit for me to create one for Bimmer's first year. (At this point, I don't intend to make one for every year, but rather just stick to the family one.) I've mapped out pages for my bump photos and professional maternity shots. I've started templates for her first photos in the hospital and for her homecoming. I have place-holder notes of where her professional newborn photos will be placed and a running list of other things I want to be sure to capture. (First bath, family visits, etc.)

 

I even sat on the deck one afternoon, traced leaves from our oak tree and ivy and jasmine, and made her a family tree.

 

Then, inspired by a post over at YHL, I also have printed out a page for Puff and I to notate our predictions about Bimmer's future... like her favorite toy, first word, and future occupation.

 

However, this unassuming map is, by far, the thing in her scrapbook I am most giddy over. It's no surprise to any of my friends or avid readers that I am always on a quest to pick up new states, territories, and countries. I'm in a race with my good friend, Anna. (While I am technically "winning" in the states category and am close on the countries, she trumps me hands down because she actually goes and LIVES in some of these places versus pops by on a cruise ship!) So, I figure it was only right to start Bimmer's life off right with a little travel. If all goes according to plan, before she hits 3 months old, she will have been to 7 states. I will gladly stop and get her out of her car seat to take photos for evidence, if you so require. (Anna won't let me count the 8 states I visited while Bimmer was in-utero.)

 

As we inch super closer to her arrival, I am getting more and more anxious to bust out a marker and slowly color in the states as she ticks them off her list. Puff and I fully intend to travel as much as possible with her and any future sibling. Yes, we realize how crazy we sound. But my parents made it work, so I know we can too. Will we be jetting off to Iceland one year and then to Turkey the next? Of course not. But that doesn't mean we don't already talk about the museums in NYC we want her to see, or the monuments in Washington DC we hope to visit with her. We want to cruise the Pacific Coast Highway in California with her in the back of our convertible and hike to natural wonders in Utah. Plus, ya know, take her to Iceland.

 

Anna has graciously offered up her roaming gnome, Alfred, to be the baby's godfather. I don't think there is anyone better suited for our future globetrotter.

Update x2: Bucket List

Thought I would do one more update on the Pre-Baby/Unemployment Bucket List before Bimmer actually arrives. In general, I got most of the stuff finished, or at least mostly accomplished. Could I have gotten it ALL finished? Sure. But there were depressing days where staying in bed under the covers just sounded a lot more realistic. All told, I'm happy with what I got done and consider it a victory. Even if I still don't know how to use I-Tunes! (This round of updates are in blue!)

Catch up on printing hard copies of my private blog

Catch up on copying and saving the entries from this blog

Figure out how to use I-Tunes and update my I-pod

Save all the pics not currently saved to my external hard drive

Burn CDs of all the pics not currently on burnt CDs - ALL BUT 2012 ARE BURNT, SO I CONSIDER THAT A VICTORY

Scan old family photos, post on my photo site, save to my external hard drive, and burn CD copies

Finish as much of Bimmer's scrapbook as possible

Get a crib and dresser for Bimmer's nursery

Unpack the new flat screen TV we got for Christmas

Reorganize our filing system

Reorganize the shelves in Puff's closet

Sell the nightstand, filing cabinet, and non-flat screen TV on Craigslist

Sell the set of glass pots & pans that we never use on Craigslist - THEY ARE LISTED, BUT HAVEN'T SOLD YET

Have my car washed

Keep applying for jobs, even if I don't think they'd hire me being this pregnant

Vow to dust, vacuum, and change the sheets more often

Make a list of what to pack for the hospital

Convince Puff to convince the MIL that she should contribute to this child and buy us our fancy pack 'n play

Make the final decision on whether or not we will be committing to cloth diapers

Keep up-to-date on my 2012 scrapbook for the year

Sign up for a month of free Netflix to watch Season 5 of "Dexter"

Organize the baby's gear and clothes, once we have furniture in the room

Go for at least a 20 minute walk every day when the weather is nice

Schedule a pre-baby pedicure

Continue to have as many lunch dates as possible

Figure out how in the heck to make a baptism happen back in The Fort

Finish the photo gallery in the office

Frame the prints for above the toilet in the bathroom

Plan and book our trip to Florida for this summer to visit my mom

Research baby friendly hikes/walks/sites in the area for this summer

Accept every invite from friends to hang out, have dinner, see a movie, etc.

Bake at least two new things I've never baked before

Buy some cute little headbands and/or bows for Bimmer to rock

Decide on Bimmer's "coming home" outfit

Celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary in May with a swanky steak dinner - WE CELEBRATE TONIGHT, 10 DAYS EARLY, BUT IT STILL COUNTS

Plant flowers in our window boxes on the deck

Install a smoke detector

Get cable installed in our master bedroom

Continue to fight, every day, my depression, addictions, and demons

Feel the overwhelming love and support from all my friends and family who have been there every step of the way... you guys rock my world!

Flash Bulb Friday

July 2008 - Bald Head Rock, SC

 

Puff took me on a whirlwind trip to the mountains for the first time that summer. He started the day off with a picnic. He even had gone out and bought plates and cups for us to use. And borrowed a picnic basket.

 

He's pretty awesome. I think I'll keep him.

Dinner Music

As my 2nd wedding anniversary rapidly approaches (it's coming up May 15th) I thought I would share a little bit about our wedding, since I wasn't blogging here at the time.

 

 

Puff likes to call it a "theme wedding" just because our save-the-dates were concert tickets and our invites looked like concert posters. Beyond that, there weren't really any musically inspired moments, other than the actual music. And trust me when I say that I put A LOT of effort and planning into the music. I have been to too many weddings where someone asked the DJ to play the song "Separate Ways" so there was a strict NO REQUESTS policy enforced. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

 

 

I wanted to focus today on the dinner portion of the wedding and the dinner music. I picked every song for the wedding, and this was our list during dinner...

Fallin' For You - Colbie Caillat

You're the Inspiration - Chicago

Hanging by a Moment - Lifehouse

She's Always a Woman - Billy Joel

Stand Here with Me - Creed

Hey There, Delilah - Plain White T's

I'm Yours - Jason Mraz

Faithfully - Journey

Falling In - Lifehouse

I Do - 98 Degrees

I'll Be There for You - Bon Jovi

Lifetime of Dreams - Journey

When I See You Smile - Bad English

Need You Now - Lady Antebellum

Piano Man - Billy Joel

Photograph - Nickelback

Truly, Madly, Deeply - Savage Garden

(I don't think we got to the last 3 or 4 songs though.)

 

 

I will never forget the moment that 98 Degrees song came on and my entire table of high school girlfriends about dropped their forks and stared at me. Yup... I'm that cool.

 

 

 

 

Of course I had to assign tables (both my parents and Puff's are divorced) and instead of just doing basic numbers, I had signs made that sent each person to a destination. Dublin, Venice, Auckland, etc. It was a highlight when the DJ pronounced Prague incorrectly! (I totally just read that a certain royal wedding stole this idea from us too! They named their reception tables for their favorite travel destinations. Copycats.) And at each table, there were three framed photos of Puff and I during our dating years.

 

 

 

 

So, sticking with a travel "theme" instead of the aforementioned music "theme" I special ordered luggage tags to be both the favors and the guides to the seats. Yup... I'm still pretty proud of myself for that one. It was so Gail and Puff! And hey... OUR wedding should be reminiscent of US, right? I did love all those little details I came up with, even if I super hope I never have to plan a wedding ever again!

Picture Me This

When Puff and I were back in The Fort in late March, we met up with our wedding and engagement photographer, Kacy, to get some snapshots of me in all my maternity glow.

Eh... rather, all my maternity fatness.

While I absolutely love everything she did for us and love the majority of the photos, I'm definitely having a hard time getting past the fact that my face is just FAT. (And why do all her other expectant mothers have no double chin? Not fair!) So, all my favorites are the ones that don't include my face. Of course, there's nothing Kacy could have done about that. It's all those damn frosted strawberry poptarts I've insisted on eating every day of my unemployment! Alas, here are a few of my faves for you to enjoy. She did such a great job and I hate that she's so far away that we can't have her do our newborn pics. I will, however, be penciling her in for Bimmer's 1 year portraits!

 

 

New Tunes Tuesday

It's been a long while since I found some new music I was totally keen on jammin' to. Sure, there have been new albums come out by bands I totally love (expect a few reviews while I'm "off" on maternity leave) but I found a new, catchy, tune recently in the strangest of places...

 

From my beloved Craigy Ferg.

 

On some random night, a year or so ago, Puff decided to tape an episode of "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson." We have taped every night since. We typically just watch his monologue and his tweets & emails portion. Sometimes, we'll watch a guest, if we care. But he just premiered a video last week as a promo to some shows he taped recently in Scotland. And I fell in love with the song they were playing in it!

 

 

Apparently, they are an unsigned band from Glasgow, Scotland, called The Imagineers. And this song, "Imagineer" is the song they chose to play on the promo video. The band will apparently be on every episode the week they're in Scotland and they even perform his opening song each night. (I'm much more excited about this than his week in Paris. Bleh.) I read a story that said Craig sent his people ahead of him to "find a band he would've liked to perform with" back in the day. And they found The Imagineers.

 

Pretty badass, right?

 

So... I've been singing this song for a few days and thought I would share it with you as a break from all the pregnancy ramblings that have been happening here lately! Enjoy your new tunes!