38 weeks

How do I look? Huge and uncomfortable?? Well worry not, I am only uncomfortable some of the time. She's really taking up way too much space and getting too used to just kicking my organs if they are in her way. At one point during supper at Zorbaz with my family, I said out loud (to her) "How would you feel if I kicked you in the stomach after you finished eating??" Ok so maybe I need to relax a little.

Two weeks isn't very long, but lets just think of it as 3 weeks so I don't get my hopes up. Today Mike and I are working on some finishing touches around the house, doing some returning of duplicated gifts, buying all we didn't get at showers, and generally trying to prepare us for this huge change that could happen any day within the next 4 weeks.

Its excruciatingly difficult for me the control freak to have no clue if it will be tomorrow or in a month. God, thank you for giving me a slight amount of patience, but I really need more!! My poor husband is probably regretting his choice of starting a family with me since I seem to lose it on him at least 2 times a week with anxiety attacks and generally freakouts. He's good - he knows not to argue back...but hopefully the mood swings will fade away once the pregnancy hormones are gone!!

Better get to it... Happy Memorial Day!

Weddings, family, and bad customer service

Updates are in order!

The wedding was good although I did not get much sleep and felt like I was in "recovery" mode all day Sunday. Good thing I had Monday off. Josie is still in my belly so no early labor in a foreign town for me.

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday. I have been having much stronger braxton hicks contractions to the point where I can hardly breathe and have to stop what I am doing. Against my instincts, I decided to tell him about them since most people I had talked to had no idea what I was talking about or describing. What was his reponse? "Yep, labor will be a whole lot worse than that!" Thank you, brilliant man, for making me feel like the dumbest young  new mom in the world. Did you really think I was doubting this? I think he has a problem with biting his tongue... I am completely ready to be done with his rude comments. So after delivery, I will be switching to Essentia Health. No more Sanford for me. He ruined it months ago.

My mom came up and stayed with me from Monday - Wednesday and we got a ridiculous amount done. I will have to put up picture of each room again now that we've pretty much finished/changed most of them. I felt pretty useless most of the time. The sister and mom did all the grunt work while I just stood by and gave directions, but don't worry. I know they'll call on me for pay back when they can. :) Like I said, I will put up pictures soon.

We got our new king size bed, and I have to say it is pretty sweet! Its just sitting on the floor right now, but Mike plans on making a bed frame sometime in the near future which will really make it wonderful. I don't mind it on the floor for now other than the fact it is so hard to get up with this huge belly.

Notice how I didn't say we got our new loveseat? Well when I called to see when we could pick the furniture up, the lady said "it looks like the loveseat missed the truck". Listen up lady. The loveseat is not a person that can accidentally miss a ride. Own up to it and say that you guys made a mistake! So she gets the salesman on the phone that had originally helped us (the same one that I sent a sweet he-did-awesome email about). He said he'd look into it, but I didn't hear from him again until I called him back 2 hours later. I explained to him that today, this day, was the day we had someone available to help us move it. He had said Wednesday, so what were they going to do about it? He said his manager was gone so he couldn't do anything but he'd see if another truck was coming up since apparently more than one piece of furniture had been left behind.

By the time he called me back, a whopping 3 hours after that, all he had to say was that he still hadn't gotten a hold of his manager and there was not going to be another truck coming til next Wednesday. Well thank you for sharing all that lovely news.

This brings up my recurring problem. I work in a job where we give exceptional customer service. I'm not just bragging here - people tell us that all the time and we bend over backwards for the smallest things. So is it so wrong for me to expect them to do something that will make me someday want to shop there again? I realize I did not spend thousands and thousands of dollars there, but look at me. I'm a 20 something year old who is having a baby and probably has a lot of crappy furniture just waiting to be updated. I'm like the best customer they could hope for!! Practically everything in my house could be updated in the next couple of years. So we'll see if they come through or not. Because as of now, I went from loving them so much to wanting everyone in the world to know how awful they are. Quite a turnaround in 24 hours.

On to better things - last night was the shower that my friends and sister put on. It was fun and I was so glad with the turnout. They played a couple of games (who's features of Mike and I's do I want the baby to have, guess the baby food which was completely disgusting, and designing the best onesie with the winner being "I heart" and then a huge dog head for Buckley - awesome), had some food, and watched me (awkwardly) open presents. I just loved catching up with everyone and having so many people that are wonderful and awesome all in one room.

So now that the showers are done, I have some serious work to do in that baby's room! Rummage sales here I come.

Better get ready for work. Have a great Thursday and enjoy the sun! Even though right now it feels like a mid October day. Brr... good job May.

36 Weeks

Sorry it is so blurry, but I can't find my camera and the cellphone was my only other option.

Some of you have asked how I've been feeling. Overall I have been feeling healthy. There are places on my body (hips, ankles) that haven't felt this way ever, which can be a bit exhausting. I'm healthy though! I could sleep about 3 hours more each night but that just doesn't happen. Lately my braxton hicks have been a little more intense but that doesn't really mean anything at all (my mind would like to think that is some kind of sign but I can't find anything that supports that...boo).

This weekend, we are going to a wedding (boy I can't wait to dress up and look pretty with my swollen feet/ankles/face and huge stomach!) I'm also getting a pedicure with my grandma and mom and going to spend some time at the lake with my mom (girl's day... at the men's place. I like it!)

It will be a busy week coming up, but the great part is I only work 2/7 days! Can't complain about that even with my husband being gone for part of it. Lets see if I can be efficient and actually get some things done instead of jumping from one project to another. I am notoriously bad at that, but you have to understand - when I start something, another project looks more important or easier to finish... the temptation is almost impossible to overcome.

Hope you all have a good weekend! I will not have any internet access til Sunday night, and I'm fine with that. Who doesn't love a good break from the world?

Here's hoping I don't go into labor in Monticello, MN.



Goodbye money, hello lovely loveseat!

Toda we spent some serious money.

BUT I FINALLY GOT MY LOVESEAT!

Recap: I fell in love with this:

But unfortunately this beauty costs $1200-1600 which is a teeny bit more than we are willing to pay. Oh did you  not catch that sarcasm? Because seriously there is no possible way we could spend that much dough (sorry, I'm watching Jersey Shore as I type this and the word "dough" describing money just seems appropriate. Lets just leave it alone that I'm actually watching this show) on one piece of furniture when we have so many other things to spend our limited cashola (better?) on.

Sadly, I had to move on from my true love, the french loveseat, and try to find a great sloppy second affordable companion. So I go to the FurnitureMart, which is where we got our couch.


They had nothing. All the loveseats were boring and super expensive. Like $800 or more for even the cheap ones. What is that?? Loveseats are not couches. Why do they cost the same? So we moved on. Well, I moved on with the sister instead of the working hubby to go to Unclaimed Freight Furniture Store. Turns out all the couches have matching loveseats so we just had to find a couch and there would be a cheaper version aka the loveseat  available as well. There was one, just one! that I liked, that really made my heart go thump thump. No lie - it was meant to be! Plus, we are also getting a mattress, and the one we had picked out at the FurnitureMart was also available for the exact same price here. So we could buy both things, same place, and pick them up, same place.

I, of course, dragged Mike back, he approved, and we made our purchase. $1400 later (for both the mattress and the loveseat plus the tephlon protection layer) we left...with nothing. We'll be able to pick them up on Wednesday, but unfortunately Mike is gone all next week and won't be here to transport it, so I am hoping to trick sweetly convince a strong masculine friend with a truck or trailor to help me out with this. I am so impatient but it is worth it!!

And don't tell me you aren't just as eager to see the lovely new comforter on the new bed sooner rather than later. So many things to look forward to!

So here is the couch version (loveseat picture not available):



I'll get you a real picture when we have it in our possession. I'm loving all the changes being made around here. Each thing makes it even homier, whether we buy it, make it, or just find or are given it.

Oh. And there is a possibility of us getting a rug that I found (rectangle, $214) but I am unable to find a good picture (or one at all I guess). Plus thats kind of expensive. Did I say kind of? Why does everything have to cost so much....

Oh and we got two new lamps at Sam's Club for only $49 each. Sturdy, tall, standing lamps that I love. Well who doesn't love matching lamps that don't look like they are straight out of the eighties. Pictures of those coming soon also. I'm telling you, you aren't going to recognize the "formal'' living room after all these changes!

Picnic update

The picnic went great! Better than expected for sure since the sun was shining and the wind didn't get to crazy. At one point before it started, we had this feeling that a lot more people we didn't know at all were going to come, so Mike boogied over to Sam's club and got more of everything just to be safe. Of course this always backfires in your face because I think everyone was afraid to really dig in and eat!

We expected about 10 people to come that we had met previously, and then maybe 10 more that we hadn't met at all yet. Out of those original 10, only 2 came so the fact that we still had 20-25 people show up was awesome. That just showed how many  people we got the opportunity to meet in our neighborhood. They told me some of the old neighborhood "gossip" and caught me up with who lives where and all that. I am so glad we did this, even if it did totally exhaust me this weekend.

A couple of people even brought more food and one lady brought me a plant! I have no idea what kind it is but it is super pretty. We'll see how long I can keep it along. If you don't already know, I really really really am not good at keeping potted plants alive. Like I can kill them within 24 hours. No joke.

In other news, last night we went furniture shopping hoping to find a loveseat and a new mattress. We had zero luck on the loveseat. I was completely shocked with how expensive they are! And for what? They all look basically the same and have no character whatsoever. I am almost desperate to get a new loveseat for our upstairs living room since right now the one we have is like falling into a black hole. Completely awful for me who is planning on only being upstairs for the first month or so after Josie's arrival.

The mattress shopping went a lot better. We found one we wanted but didn't get it yet. The big debate right now is should we get a queen or king size mattress. I was fine with queen since our room is small and its still bigger than the teeny tiny double we have, but Mike surprised me and said if we are going to get a new one, we should just get the king because he's only going to make one bed frame (yep he's making it!) and we'll probably want a bigger bed in the future. I'm fine with it, but our room is going to look tiny! Good thing I like the minimalist look in our bedroom anyway because we won't be able to fit much more once that beast gets moved in.

I even found a rug I liked that would work perfect for the upstairs living room. Too bad Mike is completely not on board with that! With the noncarpeted floors and vaulted ceilings, the echoing can be a bit overwhelming so maybe I'll get him to see the light on this topic when there is a child screaming and dog barking that can be heard from 3 blocks away. Lets all hope!

Sunny Sunday!

It's a beautiful day for a picnic! Praise the Lord for answering prayers and giving us this sunshine and higher temps.

I cannot wait to get to know some neighbors and eat some grilled food.



Buckley's excited too. :)

Sometimes I think write in a certain way hoping for comments. Is that wrong? I just cannot tell you how much I love getting an email saying "anonymous says..." at which point I race over to blogger.com and immediately read the comment in anticipation. Seriously this is what it does to me! I stress this only to encourage you, not to freak you out. And if you comment almost every post and feel a bit like a stalker, do not let this stop you (Liz. Mom.). Every one makes my day.\

The nestling set in again tonight. While my banana bread (yep, thats right - ultimate nesting symptom numero uno is to make banana bread I've been told) was baking I decided that my pots and pan drawer location junk pile needed to be organized. My ultimate goal was to get this sweet old mixer Mike has to fit somewhere upstairs so we can use it on a regular basis instead of the occasional is-it-worth-going-downstairs-just-to-make-this-recipe-and-get-the-mixer. So the end result? I got it to fit!... but not in that cabinet. Too Tall. Instead, I had to rearrange two more cabinets... Not a bad thing - just not planned. I think there were sweat beadlets on my forehead. Oh, is that too visual? Don't worry, I daintily wiped it away with a handkerchief after.

A post to push down posts

I like to read other people's blogs. To get to these blogs conveniently and only when there is something new to read, I have them listed on the left hand side under "blogs I follow", which means I am frequently visiting my own blog page and getting a good eye full of what you all see every time you check in.

Since my last post, the 33 1/2 week update, I have gotten ridiculously sick of looking at my perfectly posed self. I don't know how you people do it! Swollen face, awkward pants that don’t fit well with the sneakers (huge pet peave. I don't mind comfy tennies, but not at the expense of looking slightly  normal! I feel as though these jeans are an epic fail. Skinny maternity jeans, you win hands down), cheesy smile (I find with a swollen face, there is no such thing as noncheesy smile...they all look weird) <insert 20 more things I don’t like about myself>

And now to top it off, my lovely blog isn’t saving. So all of this may or may not be for nothing.


What else, what else. Things I'm looking forward to:

• Running, running, and more running! I miss it. Please let me be able to figure out a way to get back into without failing miserably right away
• Real spring/summery weather. Enough of this post-winter garbage! It is cold, sporadic, windy always and I am ready for some serious window opening and walk taking
• Having my first experience with labor be over
• The showers that my friends and family are throwing!
• Normal sized feet
• Last but not least... a baby girl that will be all ours, that was created by us (well, really God), and entrusted to us to raise and develop and protect... no small task!

Tonight is dinner with the in-laws... Tuesday night tradition that has consisted of Mike's mom cooking, serving, and cleaning up while I either sit down (Tuesdays I stand... a lot) or sleep on their "not made for sleeping on" couch, exhausted from standing, eating, and generally just living. Maybe someday I'll be that lovely daughter-in-law that is helpful and productive and a joy to be around... give me 6 weeks or so! Most of the time, while I'm sleeping, the rest of the family is playing a game and being all "family-like"... I guess thats what I get (being discluded) since I can't keep my eyes open even a little bit as soon as the meal is finished.

And tomorrow - Tutti Frutti with my dear friend Katie after only a half day of work!! Oh the joys of half days! I'm sure I'll be less than productive, it's kind of my thing these days, but I'll enjoy it in a "full of guilt my husband works so hard and I hardly do anything" sort of way. Its not the truth, I just sometimes feel that way. Darn him for being so workaholic-like. I know I carry this trait too...where is it these days??

33 1/2 weeks ft. Lara



Auntie's getting excited... :)




She's really in there??



And just because we'e featuring her, here are a couple of pictures of her playing with her nephew, Mr. Buckley Michael Deyle (his true full name).
-these pictures were taken a couple of months ago, and are just now making their debut

That was fun... but now I'm exhausted

Worst 1st of May ever...

Really? Must it be this cold when it is supposed to be the start of summer season? Mike and I agree that we practically had frostbite from walking around our  neighborhood handing out the May Day baskets. I just cannot believe it is this cold! It also sucks all my ambition away. I had a nice list of things that I would like to get done... and it probably won't happen. Oh well I guess!

I was a little worried that it would be awkward walking from house to house in our neighborhood. Some people saw us, but nobody said anything. We got a couple of good long stares, which kind of annoys me since you wouldn't think walking door to door would be the weirdest thing you've ever seen. I remember people dropping stuff off on our deck all the time growing up... its just kind of unheard of in our neighborhood. Everyone lives in their backyards, and the front door is just about unused. I even wonder if some of the baskets will go unnoticed for more than a couple of days since the front doors are not the first choice. I have to admit that we have not noticed things on our doorstep in the past... we'll see!

I want warm weather... on a weekend... Please God give us a beautiful weekend soon!