IT'S OK Thursday

Well, it's Thursday again...one day closer to the weekend!  I must say that I've been looking forward to today because it's the only day this week I don't have something going on!  I'm going to spend it getting the house back in order...probably for the last time before I start packing for GA.  Less than a month to go y'all!!  Can I just say that I'm ridiculously excited to see this:

 

and this:

 

 

and THIS!

 

 

 

IT'S OK...

 

that I used paper towels to make coffee this morning because I didn't have time to go to the store and get filters yesterday...hey, sometimes life throws you a "make it work" moment!

 

that my DVR will only record two TV shows tonight even though there are three that I want to record...although it is pretty annoying.  The season premier of Grey's Anatomy trumps Glee.  And I just can't miss Project Runway...

 

to use my "IT'S OK Thursday" post to talk about my belly baby, because I didn't get to do my 24 week post this week...so here goes:

 

I had a checkup appointment on Tuesday and I got to hear baby Jude's heartbeat!  Always so exciting!  The doc didn't tell me the beats per minute (it's usually 150-160), but she was able to find the heartbeat immediately and it sounded really strong.  She also went over the results of the 20 week ultrasound...she said all his little systems looked good and normal and that he's measuring right on track and is in the 50th percentile in weight.  He was about 14 ounces at 20 weeks.  I had gained seven pounds since my last visit, four weeks ago.  Yikes!  Must have been all those birthday goodies I've had this month!  But it's all good, because up until now I had only gained two pounds.  Having a toddler really helps keep the unnecessary weight gain to a minimum!  My blood pressure was decent, which is reassuring because it got really high towards the end of my pregnancy with Cam...that's why they had to schedule me to be induced (Cam had other plans, fortunately!).  I also had to schedule my glucose test.  It's in three weeks...yuck.  Last time that awful red sugar water almost made me pass out!  Hopefully we won't have a repeat of that :/  Anyway, I'm very thankful for a healthy baby boy!! Only 15ish more weeks to go!  Wait, 15 weeks?!  Oh my.  Don't panic...IT'S OK :}

You Say It's Your Birthday!

I have a one-year-old!!  A healthy, energetic, beautiful, sweet, hilarious, toddling, into everything, too smart for his own good one-year-old!  And I'm loving it :}

Today was recovery day.  We dropped off my parents at the airport this morning...which was super sad, as always, but it was a little easier knowing we'll see them in just a few weeks.  This afternoon was spent relaxing and playing with all of Cam's new toys, which was really fun!  He got so many great gifts from our wonderful friends and family! 

On Saturday we had Cam's party.  I think it was a big success!  Cam had a great time playing with all his little buddies and opening presents, and he of course loved his first taste of cake.  Here are some highlights:

Playing with his new truck with Granddad

 

My attempt at birthday cake making

 

Josh and I made all the little boys tabards (this was Cam's)

 

The Drawbridge

 

The other tabards, gifts and decorations

 

High-fiving his friend :}

 

Playing in the ball pit (The Dragon's Lair)

 

The Fab Five playing in the sandbox (The Search for the Holy Grail...we hid some plastic gemstones and a plastic goblet in the sand for them to uncover)

 

The food- we had King Arthur's Coins (baked potato rounds), Merlin's Magic Wands (fruit skewers), Dragon Wings (chicken wings), Battering Rams (pimento cheese stuffed celery), Sword in the Stones (meatballs), and Jester Juice (pineapple punch)

Having some cake

Sunday morning, on his actual birthday, we went to IHOP for breakfast.  He just about ate his weight in pancakes!  After a trip home for a nap, we went to the mall to get our Yellow Submarine video signed by one of the animators (I know, nerd alert!), then went shopping at Kohl's to look for some shoes.  We didn't find any, but we did get some fall shirts and pants.  Then we went to get his hair cut.  *sigh*  It was a little sad...I think there has been a definite transition from baby to little boy, but he looks soooo cute!  (Another big transition...today, we stopped using formula!)  He did great at the barber shop!  He was very calm, and the stylist was really good with him. 

 

After that, we went to the fountain at the PX to play...he had a blast and got soaked!  For dinner we had spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread.  Then we went outside for a bit to play some more...Grandma brought some bubbles that turn purple when they pop!  Needless to say, we had bathtime after that :} What an amazing, special weekend for a very very special boy!* 

 

*Time to start planning for next year! *Whew*

Baby Post- Week 23

23 weeks and 1 day, actually.  I didn't forget to post yesterday, I just ran out of time!  Anyway, here's a recap of the weekend and a look at what this week has in store:

We had such a fun weekend, but it was super busy!  On Saturday we went to Target to pick up some  cute wall decals for your nursery.  We also went to Home Depot to pick out paint colors for your nursery and Cam's room...that was surprisingly easy, thank goodness!  Your granddad is going to get started painting soon.  Can't wait to see how your rooms turn out (only 5 more weeks until we move back to Georgia...are you ready for us Grandma and Granddad?  Better grab your best "holt"!).  After we got back from shopping, we went to a birthday party for Cam's friend.  It was cowboy themed and really fun!  Then, Sunday, we stayed home all day and cleaned out Cam's closet.  We went through all of his clothes and decided on what to sell at our yard sale and what to keep for you.  Don't worry...you'll get plenty of your own clothes!  We also made some things for Cam's birthday party...which is in 4 short days!  That doesn't really sound like much, but it took all day and we were exhausted!  This week is also going to be a blur...last night I went to book club (the book we were supposed to read was Life of Pi...but I had only read the first couple of chapters :/),  today will be spent cleaning and getting ready for the party, on Wednesday we're going to see Sesame Street live, and Thursday I'm going to a luncheon AND your grandparents are flying in (yay!).  Whew!  What a week!  It's all fun stuff though...I'm really lucky to have the opportunity to spend time with friends and do such fun things with Cam.  I can't wait until you're here so you can enjoy exciting things with us!  Here are some pictures from the party we went to:

Playing "Rope the Cows" (that's root beer I'm drinking...)

 

Headed into the General Store

Oh!  How could I forget...we decided on a name!  Drum roll please.......

Jude Gibbs
 

 

We hope you like it!  I apologize in advance for the number of times you're going to hear people sing Hey Jude to you (I just go ahead and admit that I'll be the first one ;} )...but at least it's a song written by the greatest band of all time.  Maybe one day you'll embrace it!  Gibbs was your great-granddad's name...my mom's dad.  He passed away when I was just 11, but I still have very fond and vivid memories of him.  We'll tell you stories about him when you're older...much older ;}  He and your granddad had lots of exciting adventures together.   

 

Well, I'm off to begin the cleaning frenzy!  You keep on growing and kicking away! 

IT'S OK Thursday

It's the day before Friday!  And it's another overcast day!  No, I'm not being sarcastic...I love days like this, and the days without sun are few and far between here in The Pass.  The hint of fall in the air has got me in a great mood!  Also, we've got some fun plans this weekend so I've been looking forward to the end of the week.  Saturday we're going to a sweet boy's 2nd birthday party, and Sunday we're going to be working on getting ready for our own sweet boy's 1st birthday party and just relaxing together :}  So, anyway, here's this week's installment...

 

It's OK...

 

for me to consider a high of 81 degrees to be "cold" enough to decorate for fall and pop in my Spice Bazaar Scentsy , because it may not get much cooler here before it's time for us to leave, so I'm going to enjoy it!

 

Let's all pretend for just a second that this is my house...

that last night I had the idea to go to Golden Corral on Friday night and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since...

 

Maybe because they have one of these

 

 

to have a  Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte two days in a row...right?!  Hey, it's only around for a couple of months!

 

Mmmmm....

 

 

that I have to sweep and vacuum up crumbs and various other things multiple times a day, because I love my little munchkin (As you can see, I'm a professional Mom now that I subscribe to Parenting Magazine ;} )

Apparently he thought lunch would taste better off the floor...
 

 

 Happy Almost-Fall Y'all!!

 

 

 

 



Try It Tuesday

So, for  this week's Try It project I got inspiration from this blog.  It's a post about how to fix a split nail with a tea bag.  I've been pretty happy with the way my nails look lately...pre-natal vitamins?  One of them just split, and I had recently seen a Pin in passing; plus, I'm pretty sure I've heard a few of my friends mention that they've used this technique before, so I thought I'd give 'er a try.

First I chose a tea bag that I would never drink...honey flavor?  It came in a variety pack, and has just been sitting in my cabinet for months.  Seriously, if I want my tea to taste like honey, umm, I'll just add honey.  Anyway, I emptied the tea and cut a tiny square.  I painted my nail with clear polish and stuck the square over the broken part of my nail while it was still wet, then painted another coat over the tea bag.  That's it!

Here's my nail before

 

Here's the nail right after I painted over the tea bag

 

 

And here it is after it's dry (barely noticeable)

 

Note: I did this yesterday morning.  It held really well all day, but by this morning it had come loose a little.  I painted another coat of clear over it and that helped a bit, but it was loose again after I took a shower this afternoon.  I have not put any color over the clear polish, but I definitely think that if I had time to do a couple of coats of color and maybe one more top coat that this tea bag trick would be a big success.  I'll definitely try it again.

Baby Post- Week 22

Well, week 22 and the name search continues!  We think we have one (we decided on the middle name a while ago, so it's just the first name we can't decide on)...some of the names we've been considering are Landon (Dad's pick) and Colin and Evan (my picks).  Neither of us want the other's name(s)!  So we found one that we're both pretty happy with I think...we're going to wait a little while before we reveal it though, just in case it changes.  The girl name we had picked out was Charlotte Elyse.  So, if you and Cam ever get a sister...way, way in the future!...that's what her name will be. 

We have, however, decided on a nursery theme: The Very Hungry Caterpillar!  I'm gonna order this set from a shop on Etsy:

 

 

I love these colors...I just have to pick one to paint the walls.  There are so many to choose from! 

 

I guess that's it for this week...



Decisions, Decisions...

*insert extremely long, overly dramatic sigh here* 

Man, do I wish my brain had an off switch right about now.  It seems to be running on overdrive lately.  I think so hard and so much during the day that I go to bed with a headache at night.  There are so many decisions to make, and time is running out!  Open ended decisions drive me crazy...their presence just looms over me like a rain cloud.  It's depressing.  And it's like for every decision I miraculously do make, another one is waiting in the wings, ready to take it's place...it makes me want to yell:

 

 

And for the record, we're not talking small potatoes, everyday decisions like, "Do I want to use Creme Brulee or Vanilla Cinnamon creamer in my coffee this morning?" (it's usually Creme Brulee...pretty easy choice, really) or, "Does Cam need a bath tonight?" (the answer to that is usually "yes," so then the question becomes, "Do I have enough energy to give him a bath tonight?")  But the questions that I can't seem to produce and answer for are things like, "Where are we going to store all our stuff during the deployment?" and "Are Cam and I going to fly home and spend more money, or drive with Josh and save money, but use up extra vacation days?" and "What are we going to name our child?"  Yikes!!  Yeah, kind of important, big-deal type stuff.  I hate not having a plan.  It makes me feel out of control...and I like to be in control! I don't like it when things don't go exactly according to plan, but it at least makes me feel a little better when there is actually a plan in place! 

 

Anyway, sorry for the whiny post.  I just felt like I had to get some things out into cyber-space, I guess...just vent a little.  Somehow it helps me not feel so overwhelmed.  I know it's not Thursday yet, but I needed to remind myself that "It's OK" a little early this week! 

IT'S A...

Cameron would like to announce that he's getting a little BROTHER!!

Coolest big brother ever!

 

We'd also like to introduce Leppy (yeah, that's all we could come up with!).  He was adopted yesterday to keep Wolfy company and be friends with our new baby boy :}

 

                                                

Everything went pretty well at our ultrasound appointment yesterday.  It didn't quite go as planned though (what ever does?).  The plan was to get the ultrasound tech to write "boy" or "girl" and put it in an envelope that we would take home and open while we Skyped with Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Harriet...that way we could all find out together.  Well, she informed us that she was not allowed to do that "for legal reasons."  Hmm, what now?  We decided, after some debate, that she would tell Josh and he would break the news to us.  At first I thought it was very unfair!  But I decided that since he won't get to be there for the birth, the least I could do was let him find out first.  So, what we did when we got home was take a piece of pink and blue paper and put them in an envelope.  Josh taped the "revealing" ultrasound picture to either pink or blue.  So, I pulled out the paper in front of my family and it was blue!!  I wish I could share an ultrasound picture with everyone, but she didn't take any good ones except the gender one (and I'm going to use a little discretion on that one!).  We weren't very happy with the technician we had :/  But everything turned out fine.  It was a very sweet moment and now we're even more excited to add a new member to our little family!