A Fantastic Weekend

I'm so glad we didn't decide to cancel our weekend getaway. We had the best time in Gatlinburg and the weather was excellent. Colette  did so well on her first vacation! She only got upset twice and both times we were in the car and she was just tired/hungry. We strolled up and down the strip, visited the aquarium, shopped, had a fancy dinner with my mom and Steve and spent some quality time lounging around in our hotel room playing with the baby.

Cory and I were both surprised at how attentive Colette was at the aquarium. She quite enjoyed watching all the fishes. I also had my first experience with nursing out in public, so that was interesting. It was semi-private as it was in a dark aquarium room, but alas, I succeeded. I don't have any issues with the idea of nursing in public, my problem lies in the awkwardness of getting everything situated. Not to mention Colette flails around like a squirrel falling from a tree. We'll get there one day I think.

[caption id="attachment_790" align="aligncenter" width="532"] Da fisssshhhes[/caption]

 

Both the aquarium and Saturday dinner at Park Grill were pretty noisy, but Colette didn't seem to mind like I thought she would. I could probably brag on her all day. We did discover she's not much of a fan of sleeping in her pack-n-play, she kicks at it like crazy. Just can't get comfortable in it.

She's officially trying to roll over now. Over the weekend is when she really started trying. And she's so close. Just needs a little more push to get over that chubby little arm. :) IT'S HAPPENING TOO FAST. I just packed away most of her 0-3/ 3 month pj's. Moving on into the 3-6 month category. I'll probably say that things are happening too fast in every blog post from now on.

[caption id="attachment_789" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Tuckered out[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_788" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Just chillin' in the hotel! Love that baby.[/caption]

I'm finding it crazy how love and joy have evolved and intensified in my life. (I know at least one of you out there is scoffing at my mushy sentiments...) In these few short months I can really see and feel the difference in how I love, not just Colette, but Cory and all of my other family and friends. The importance of family means something different now as well. So much love.

Like I told Cory while we were walking to the aquarium on Saturday, I'm just very happy.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM

 

The Sudden Onset of Cankles

[caption id="attachment_452" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Grayton Beach 2013[/caption]

 

We had an excellent vacation in Florida over the past week. Lots of sunshine and warm weather. When we stepped out of the car after our journey back to Tennessee on Saturday I noticed my feet were fairly itchy. When I bent down to scratch them is when I noticed it.... The dreaded cankles. My left foot was fairly larger than the right, but both were nicely swollen. Between the long car ride home, the super sunburned knees (yes... my knees were the only part of my body that were burned somehow), and the hot and humid beach weather, my poor little ankles and feet couldn't take it. You can kind of see it getting started in the picture above. Luckily it was temporary and I'm now back to a regular ankle/foot connection. {I am, however, being a bit on the cautious side and watching the salt intake and doubling up on the water.}

 

Now it's back to the grind of a normal work week.

 

I'm currently at 25 weeks and 1 day. Which means I'm 6 days away from being in my third trimester. WHAT!? That can't be right... there's still so much to do! We got the crib set up yesterday and all the furniture moved around in the nursery where I think most of it will probably stay. The only piece of furniture we're missing is the glider and ottoman that should be here sometime this week. :) I also finalized my decision on the baby bedding. I'm going with the something I picked out from Cottage and Cabin on Etsy in blush and vintage white. Now we just have to get the order in and wait 8 weeks!

I think the nursery is to the point now where I can say it's more shabby chic themed than it is sheep. But sheep are definitely present. I still love the sheep.

 

As far as home improvement goes... We had bath fitter come out and give us an estimate for the master bathtub (currently blue and used for giving the dogs baths in winter) the week before we went on vacation. I think that's what we'll be going with so now we just have to get a vanity, mirror, toilet and tile. We also need to get started on the electric. They said it would only take a day or two so that's excellent. AND we noticed that one of our doors on the side of the house has gotten a little too moist... it's mildewed quite a bit and is swollen to the point of splitting on the side :( So that needs to be replaced... Check one thing off the 'to-do' list and add two more, right?

I think those are the main things left to do. (You know, other than anything baby related.... picking a hospital, birth plan, baby showers... etc.)

Tomorrow I'll post about my upcoming week in the food department. I even made my own ranch. Mmm.

Babymoon and Snoogles

I'm a vacationer. I love going anywhere at anytime. So, I've been thinking about the whole idea of a babymoon. I read a lot of articles that dog the idea (See: 5 Reasons Babymoons Are a Waste of Time and Money), and while I can't completely discredit their reasons, I can certainly see the other side of things. So below are their 5 reasons to not take a babymoon accompanied by reasons of why you should. (And clearly I'm basing my opinions on how I *think* it will be, as I have never been pregnant before.)

1. Your whole life has been one big babymoon.
You have yet to change diapers. You can go see a movie anytime you want. On weekends you can sleep all day. You don't desperately need relaxation and time alone together ... yet.

• Come August, I'll be 6 months pregnant. Baby showers will be happening, the nursery will need to be in order, the house will need to be in order and probably a million other things that will keep Cory and me plenty busy in the months prior. Taking a few days to ourselves to relax, eat, and mentally prepare for the crazy journey that lies just around the corner seems like an A-OK idea to me.

2. You will appreciate that vacation so much more in a couple of years.
You have never appreciated a nice, quiet night of sleep as much as you do when you're away from your kids who haven't given you a decent night's sleep ... ever. Even the hotel bathroom --with no one else in it or trying to barge in it -- will feel like a magical oasis after you've spent some time being a parent.

• I have no doubt in my mind that this is probably true. But.. as someone who likes to vacation and will probably love vacationing with my kid(s), I can't say this is any reason not to take a babymoon. At this point, I guess I should probably make it clear that by 'babymoon' or 'vacation' I certainly don't mean flying across the county or the world for some exotic location that will cost the balance of your life savings. I simply mean a getaway that would be relaxing and won't break the bank.

3. Traveling isn't that fun when you're pregnant.
What's a beach without a fruity umbrella drink? There's no horseback riding, no sushi, and no hot tubs. Sure you can still sight see (if you're feet aren't killing you) or lounge around (if you're not too nauseated), but wouldn't you rather wait until you can fully enjoy the vacation?

• You can't have any of those things when you're not at the beach either.. Well except the fruity umbrella drink, because who says you have to have alcohol in a frozen beverage with an umbrella for it to be drinkable? Again, I don't imagine that on a babymoon you'd want to do much other than relax and take a break. I can't speak for the nausea, but I'd say I could probably still enjoy a virgin pina coloda on a beach under an umbrella with a little nausea.

4. Things can happen.
If you're going to take one then go early on in your pregnancy, because I've seen far too many stories of women in airplanes lately. It's not to say that you should never travel while pregnant, but if you don't have to then the closer to home the better I say.

• I agree, things CAN happen. Planes are scary. I also agree that you should probably be as close to home as you can be and still get the sense of vacationing. If you can't get there by car in a single day, I'd probably rethink my location.

5. Save your money.
If money is no object then by all means, take all of the vacations you want. But if you're like most of us who have to pick and choose where to spend our pennies, I'd choose to save that cash for all of the things your kid will need ... and a real vacation (where you can drink and eat and do whatever you want) down the line when they're driving you crazy.

• I don't completely disagree here either. The baby is priority number one and will be for the rest of time. If you can't afford it and would rather play it safe, then by all means, no one is forcing you to do anything. But even penny pinchers can find a good deal on a getaway. With things like VRBO you can basically find somewhere/anywhere to go that's not too far away and for a reasonably cheap price.

Well there you have it. Asinine as I may be in my pre-motherhood perceptions, I think a babymoon is well worth a couple of pennies to take a moment with my husband before everything in our crazy spastic life changes. That said, Cory and I are spending Labor Day weekend on the beach in Garden City.... probably with fruity drinks and hot dogs from Sam's Corner and she crab soup from the Dead Dog Saloon.

[caption id="attachment_365" align="aligncenter" width="560"] At Sanibel Island, Florida for New Years 2012. We certainly love the beach.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_366" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Garden City July 2012[/caption]

 

I'd also like to take a moment and publicly thank Cory and the maker of Snoogles. I used to always sleep in the fetal position, but in the last year or so I stopped because it was killing my shoulders. Thanks to the Snoogle, I don't have that problem anymore. Cory will probably regret getting it for me one day after baby Taylor is born, but if he decides to toss it, I will likely end up like Jennifer Lopez in The Backup Plan, digging through the dumpster to get it back.