7 Quick Takes: Better Late Than Never

— 1 — Things have been so all over the place lately, I can barely keep my head on straight. After finally moving in the last of our things from the old apartment, we drove down to Los Angeles the very next day to catch a plane to Northwest Arkansas. And by "moving in" I mean that we left everything in half-opened boxes strewn about in every room, effectively creating a fire hazard and an obstacle course. We got back home on Friday and I feel myself twitch every time I look at one of those boxes, and yet I feel too tired to do anything about it. Um, nesting energy, where are you?
— 2 — Vacation was great. I couldn't ask for a better extended family. I truly tried to relax and enjoy the scenery, and was so happy to watch my husband interact with my Southern folk. I am so grateful to have such a large, extended family (on both sides) that I can keep in touch with. My great Aunt and great Uncle seem just as excited for our baby boy as if it were their own great grandchild. 

My buddy Turtle and I. 

I was a little bit naughty and went horseback riding while 5.75 months pregnant. My cousin Shelli (the cowgirl) said she rode until she was 8 months pregnant, and her horse is named Turtle after all, so I felt pretty confident. I walked on Turtle for a bit, until he decided he didn't want to walk anymore and closed his eyes and took a snooze. Then I had Brian lead me around the arena on Turtle. Getting on and off the horse was a bit of trick, but with a little bit of help I managed. Nothing can keep me from my horse riding!
— 3 — My fellow thrifters would be so proud of me. I went CRAZY in Gentry, AR at one of the cutest little baby consignment shops. I actually went back two days in a row, accumulating a total of 25 pieces of clothing and 2 newborn hats for $48.90. For those of you who are math-disabled like me, that comes out to $1.81 per item. You can't beat gently used baby clothes (two items actually had the stickers still on them, so they were brand new) for under $2 a pop. A few of the items I found were even 100% organic cotton!
All told, so far I have only bought baby boy clothes at consignment shops, or the 50%+ off rack at Sears. I have yet to spend more than $4 on any one item. The little man has clothes from 0-3 months all the way to 12 months. I'm feeling pretty awesome. 
Tomorrow I'll probably go through his clothes and discover he has all shirts and no pants or something. 
— 4 —

Indian (Native American if you please) fry bread tacos. Delicious.

I'm ashamed to say I took barely any pictures on my week-long vacation. Ugh. I used to be so good about capturing all the moments on my travelling excursions, but I've really fallen off the wagon lately. 
I do have some pictures of Brian and the rest of the family shooting guns on the property (I wisely decided to snap some quick pictures and then head inside, since 8 people shooting clay pigeons is a little loud for baby), but uploading them would involve me getting out of bed and going downstairs. Sorry guys - you'll have to take my word - Brian was really, really good! 
— 5 — Twitter. I communicate with some of you on twitter already, but generally have tried not to put my username out there. I have a couple of reasons for doing so, but mostly it's because a lot of my family and friends (i.e., the non religious kind) don't know I have a blog, so I'm hesitant to link the two together. Do I really want to open myself up to that kind of scrutiny? Do I want friends of friends coming to my blog? I have other, less than devout reasons too. I curse - in fact, I really like to curse, and I know that bothers some people (religious and unreligious alike). Do I want my fellow bloggers to see how unperfect I am? Will my cathsorority sisters think less of me?
I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. Do others have this dilemma? Is this a Catholic convert issue? What do you think?
— 6 — As soon as I finish unpacking all these *#$@& boxes I want to start decorating this place so it feels like HOME. Right now I tend to feel like I'm either house sitting for someone or staying in a rental vacation home. The walls are SO WHITE and SO BARE. Between furnishing the guest room and the baby's room, we definitely have a lot of shopping to do, but I really don't know the first thing about decorating. I tend to be a DIY type person, but I draw the line at refinishing furniture and hanging light fixtures. 
Pinterest has been, of course, a great source of inspiration. Now if only I can find all of those cute little bathroom accessories at Walmart. 
— 7 —

I guess I could see these three people hanging out together. 

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!  

Hit and Run

This will be a quick update, as we (husband, me + fetus, and my Dad) leave for rural northwest Arkansas tomorrow afternoon. We will be gone one week, and as you might have guessed, they are not so familiar with the interwebs there. Just kidding - only my grandparents don't know what that is.

We moved into our new place Sep 7 and finished Sep 18. Pro Tip: don't move. Or pay someone to pack it all up and move it for you. And get insurance for when they drop your box of dishes and break all of them.

Our new townhome has air conditioning. Winning.

Cats like their new home. Ella demonstrating - looks like a comfy position right?

September 18 was our two year wedding anniversary. Oh my! We went out to a fancy dinner, but otherwise kept it low key this year. In between all the packing and moving, I also forgot to get Brian a card. Epic Wife Fail.

I've hit that comforting 24 week mark. Baby boy is growing well and does Irish river dancing in my uterus every night.

Just me, baby, and some Batman pajama pants.

Letters from my brother while he is in the navy boot camp. So rewarding. 3 weeks until his graduation in Chicago! I am quite the traveling pregnant lady.

Fall and Winter are coming. Cozy times ahead. I am sleepy. Goonight!

Wordless Wednesday

Music time.

Happy tummy.

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Sunday before departure.

Today marks the end of my brother's first week at Navy boot camp. Other than the 2 minute call he was given upon landing in Chicago, we will probably not get to hear from him for another 8 weeks. We think about you every day little brother! Can't wait to see you graduate in October!
— 2 —

The first outfit we bought.

We had our big ultrasound last Wednesday, and were very surprised to find out we are having a little boy. I had been mentally preparing myself for a girl, since I've generally been a nanny to mostly boys. Brian was also convinced he was following in his grandfather's footsteps and we were going to have six girls. I'm glad God has his own plans. :)


— 3 — I wanted to do something fun to tell my parents the baby's gender, rather than just a regular phone call. Right after the doctor's appointment we took a trip to the baby consignment store and bought our first baby boy outfit, and a little bear that says "It's a Boy!" to surprise them. Of course while attempting to shop for these items my mother was texting and calling excessively, and in our attempts to evade her and tell her to wait just a bit longer there might have been some swear words. Hahaha.
There's something about torturing your parents with good news that brings a smile to my face.
Anyhow, we got home and FaceTimed them, and on a 1-2-3 count held up the outfit and teddy bear while shouting, "It's a boy!" It was so much more fun to see their reactions and to have some suspense built up rather than just tell them over the phone, so I'm glad we held out (and that my mother didn't suffer a stroke)! 
— 4 —

I don't have anything to add here. This looks good.

— 5 — Baby registries. They really suck to plan. I think I have an idea of what I need, but I just know I'm either going to forget something really important, or bulk order crap I never use. 
What are your registry must haves? Do you have any recommendations? 
What do I put on my baby registry and what do I buy myself?
What does a baby absolutely need in the first year?
WAKE ME WHEN IT'S OVER.
— 6 —

20 weeks - the halfway point!

I can't wait to get to the point where people stop giving me the crazy eyes while they scan my body doubtfully when I tell them I'm pregnant (not only pregnant, but halfway-to-baby-birth pregnant). Dresses seem to completely hide my bump, but they are the most comfortable so they've been my go-to outfit lately. Surprising, considering I used to hate dresses. Yesterday I told hubby that I actually felt pretty in them! Sign of the Apocalypse for sure. 

— 7 —

I haven't wanted to say anything until it was finalized, but...WE ARE MOVING! Obviously our tiny one bedroom hotbox in Santa Barbara wasn't going to cut it anymore with a baby on the way. I was also demanding a dishwasher and a washer/dryer and that was out of the question here. 

So we are relocating 40 minutes south to Ventura/Oxnard where the prices are more reasonable. So reasonable in fact, that we are moving into a 4 bedroom townhome with a two car garage, dishwasher, washer/dryer, and air conditioning, for LESS $ per month than a two bedroom with none of those things in Santa Barbara. The only downside is Brian will have to commute to school. Still, we think the benefits far outweigh the cons, and we will actually be a lot closer to family and friends in the LA area - yay visitors and a guest bedroom!

Wish us luck in our big move - we start September 1st and will be moved in by September 9th! Decorating before and afters sure to follow!

The Results Are In...

Tell us your secret, baby...

There's Mr. Happy! We're having a baby boy!