Happy Anniversary!

Today, Cory and I celebrate two years of marriage. Hooray! I missed a whole week's worth of blogging last week and thought a little bit of a back story on Cory and myself would be a good way to work myself back into the groove (look for homemade strawberry jam, peach fried pies and gardening in the near future). If you know us personally you've probably heard this story already, but if you don't, here ya go!

Short version first:



Long version:

We met in September 2007 at a small party in Knoxville that our mutual friends were having for the first UT football game of the season. I don't think we talked a whole lot outside of the normal small talk of "where are you from.. where do you go to school.. etc." Turns out Cory was from Chattanooga and currently resided there after making some bad decisions while attending UT-Knoxville. I ,myself, had attend UT-Chattanooga my first semester of college before, like Cory, making some bad decisions and coming back home. (And just as a side note: These bad decisions pretty much revolved around not going to class, we weren't hooked on prostitutes and alcohol or anything.) So anyway, we had that in common.

When my friend Emily and I were leaving that night, we passed Cory in the parking lot on the way out to our car, and I told him if I was ever in Chattanooga I would look him up.

The week following our introduction I was headed to Charlotte, NC to be trained for a new job at a portrait studio. Nights in the hotel we're pretty boring so I spent most of them on the internet, namely... MySpace. (I know, I know what the hell is MySpace...) I'm not sure at what point, or who made the friend request, but either way Cory and I were already linked. At that point you could tell when someone was online or not and Cory happened to be on. So, I posted a bulletin with my AIM screen name and said I was bored if anyone wanted to chat with the sole intention of getting Cory's attention. Annnnd he took the bait.

We chatted pretty much every night I was in Charlotte. After Charlotte I went to Atlanta to visit my dad, then to Chattanooga to spend the night with my best friend Jill who was still going to school at UTC. Cory and I had been texting and since I was in town we decided to go on lunch date.

First date to the Pickle Barrel and Coolidge Park was a success. From there we visited and dated back and forth between Knoxville and Chattanooga. During the months between October-January it was a little harder for dates as I was working 60+ hours a week at the studio, but we made it work.

In February of 2008 I decided to make the big move back to Chattanooga, and asked Cory if he fancied the idea of moving in with me. It was super soon and our friends we're a bit skeptical to say the least..(the very least). But we did it anyway.

I ended up going back to school at UTC for Graphic Design and Cory finally made the decision to get a computer science degree.

We were engaged in the fall of 2009 at Cory's favorite beach. He has been going there almost every year since he was a wee babe.

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignnone" width="560"] Pawley's Island 2009[/caption]

And then a year and a half of planning later... the wedding!





Now here we are two years later and expecting our first baby Taylor.

I'm beyond blessed for all the wonderful things life has brought to me in these 27 years, but I think Cory pretty much tops them all. Without that guy there's no telling where I'd be right now. All I know is that it wouldn't be near as great as where I am now!

12 Weeks Pic

Hot off the presses. Here's a couple from 12 weeks. I couldn't decide between goofy or normal... so I went with both! No real baby bump yet, though. At our 12 week appointment I had lost a little more weight, but you kind kind of tell where the baby is pushing up which is starting to make my food belly stick out a little more. Pleasant.



Also, why did no one tell me about maternity shirts before now? They're the most perfect shirts ever. I plan to wear them forever, pregnant or not.

 

 

Pre-Baby Bucket List

The time has come to get all of our ducks in a row. And by ducks in a row, I mean a list of all the things that need to be done around the house before Baby Taylor arrives in November. Most of these things have been on the list since we moved in almost exactly one year ago, but now it's time to hop to it.

And here it is:

• Remodel Master Bathroom - Time to say goodbye to the blue tub and toilet, the faded old linoleum, and the popcorn walls.

• Finish the Remodel of the Guest Bathroom - The shower has been re-tiled, but they left the grout haze which is seemingly impossible to remove. And the small space outside the shower needs to be tiled. And the walls need a splash of paint.

• Landscaping - The monkey grass is out of control. All the beds around the house need to be cleaned out and the hedges need to be trimmed.

• Critter Removal and Blockage - Squirrels, groundhogs, squirrels, raccoons, an army of squirrels... You name it and it probably lives in our attic or crawl space. It's a bit unnerving to be sitting in the office and hear scratching and jumping above you.

• Rewiring - We live in a very old house. We have one three-pronged outlet. Yes, I said one. And, let's be honest, almost everything electronic in this house has three prongs. Not to mention the wiring itself is old and probably half-eaten by the critters mentioned above.

• Find a New Home for the Office - Ahh. I spend more than half of everyday in the office because I work from home. Unfortunately the office is the closest room to the master bedroom and is really the only nursery option. But where to put all of our work stations?! We need to keep the other guest rooms open because we like to have company over. I've been tempted to put my office in my newly remodeled studio but with that comes the need for new windows and some way to heat and cool out there. Something to look into and ponder.

• Hang Smoke Detectors - I didn't even realize we didn't have any up until my mom asked me if I needed any. I have one up now, but need to get the rest up.

• Clean Out and Organize the Garage - Certainly not an easy feat. So much furniture and junk. Of course, I say junk, but as I'm a bit of a hoarder, it's all junk I want to keep. Somewhere along the lines I have to rid myself of that mentality and purge.

• Clean Out and Organize Everything Else - Closet spaces and such in the house. Must buy more plastic bins so I can store more things in the attic. Or maybe I just throw everything into the burn pile out side and get rid of it that way. :)

• BURN THE BURN PILE - It's more of a mountain of collected limbs and branches that have fallen over the last few years. It's huge. And it's probably home to a billion snakes. But the key to getting it all burned... is doing it without burning down the well house simultaneously.

• Hang New Eaves Around the Porch - Our front porch is being destroyed by boaring bees. Time for them to find a new home. Not to mention they interrupt my front porch swinging time.

• New Doors - It's possibly time to update a couple of our flimsy doors.

And last but certainly not least,

• The Nursery - It needs new paint, furniture, and of course, Baby Taylor.

That is a huge, and quite ambitious list we have there. And it's a big list of thing I really can't do myself. (Except the smoke detectors... totally got that one.) But alas, it's in writing now. If you're interested in helping, let me know ;)

Beating Hearts, Baby

Went to the doc today for our second check-up, and boy was it a quick one! I hope most of them are like that.

We did get to listen to the heartbeat which was fancy. I'll have a new chalkboard photo to post in a couple of days if I can bring myself to erase what was left from the first one.

Our next appointment is in June at 16wks. Then at the July appointment we'll most likely find out the gender. Hooray!

The Refrigerator Abyss/Problems from the Pantry

I work from home so everything I eat throughout the day comes from the things I can find around the house.

Since this whole pregnancy-thing started, I've had quite a few scruples with the fridge. Once it goes in.... it absolutely never comes out. This was generally true before of things we'd bring home from restaurants, but now it has extended to just about everything. Even things I just bring home from the store just sit in there. It's a complete waste any way you look at it and it makes me a sad panda.

I've also lost my desire to make food. I think this partially extends from my inability to cope with food in the fridge.

Now that I'm at 12 weeks, my ability to handle hunger has changed. Any time I start to feel hungry throughout the day I have to eat something in a pretty short time frame to keep from getting sick. This is becoming more of a nuisance since I'm having such a difficult time with keeping food around the house. If you have any ideas about what I can keep around the house (out of the fridge)... and doesn't require cooking or mixing, I'm all ears. Just keep in mind I'm trying to keep the salt and sugar at a minimum!

A Horror Movie of a Dream

Well. Last nights dream was certainly interesting in a terrifying way. Think, Life of Pi graphics mixed with Dr. Seuss and some crazy horror movie.

The dream started out with The National Observatory Society frantically trying to pick the location for some terrible astrological even that was supposed to happen soon. The ended up choosing a place that I'm assuming was somewhere in Japan. Or else there were a lot of Japanese-style influences in the town. It was a water town, like my previous American Idol dream, and the roads were actually waterways. I don't recall why it was important for me to be in this town, but it was crucial to the NOS. I remember swimming around in the waterways trying to get from point A to point B and then started to wonder what was I was swimming around with in these foreign waters. The next thing I know, a 'fish' pops out of the water and it looked a little something like this:



(I know you're busy marveling over my drawing skills right now, so take a minute if you need it........ okay that should be enough.) That's just one fish with a view of both sides.... but it was essentially two fish glued together. They were talking to and arguing with each other. Then another fish jumped out that was a little more terrifying. I'll refrain from drawing that one, but it was like a human head (a very angry human head) on an eel body. And it was the color of an earthworm. And it was huge.

I immediately got out of the water at that point.

The next thing I know I'm on a ride (with seats similar to the Blazin' Fury, except it was just one cart) with Cory. The track was through a super long country house with multiple rooms/compartments. Each room was a different horror/murder scene. It was made to where the riders image was superimposed on murderers and the victim. So we're going through all these rooms and I'm terrified because this is clearly not your typical haunted house ride. Our final stop was in the kitchen. You could see that it was sunny outside and there were old blue curtains blowing in the breeze from an open window. The security bar holding us in the cart raised up and we were allowed to get out. The next scene started to play. This time my body wasn't superimposed on the murderer, but rather the murderer was superimposed onto me and I had no control over what was happening. The room was immediately splattered with blood and I remember turning around to get Cory's help and he was gooooooooonnnnnnnneeeeeeeeee.

 

Then I woke up.

 

Happy Thursday!

The Baby Bag

There are three things that I think about fairly often when it comes to Baby Taylor.

• The Nursery


• The Stroller


• The Baby Bag

These are the three things that will most likely stick with us for multiple years and so I really want to choose wisely. I want to figure out what will be the most important characteristics for me and what can grow with baby. This seems slightly impossible since I really have nothing to base my *needs* on other than the experiences of my family, friends, and the internet-world, but I think I'll make do. Live and learn, I suppose.

After deciding on a nursery theme, my mind went straight to the baby bag. And yes, I'm fairly certain I've already figured out which one I want. The baby bag is the smallest of the three items listed above (and the one that will be the easiest to replace if I choose the wrong one), so I don't mind that I've made such an early decision without even knowing what really goes into a diaper bag. Well, other than diapers... clearly.

Before I really even began my search, I made a list of things I was looking for (again, without really knowing what I will need) and it looks a little something like this:

-Netural/Nondescript: I don't want a bag that screams BABY! I think the actual screaming baby will give that away all by itself. I want it to kind of go with all kinds of outfits AND be masculine enough for Cory to hold. Not that Cory wouldn't hold a hot pink and feathered bag for his sweet little baby, but let's be reasonable and get the guy something he'd be a little more comfortable with.

-Pockets: I love pockets. I had pockets sewn into my wedding dress. I try not to buy clothes without pockets. It's ALL ABOUT POCKETS. But they have to be easy to get into. If they're all buttoned and zippered, it takes all the fun out of the pocket.

-Insulated areas: I imagine a baby running around in a year or two and getting sweaty.. and thirsty... and hungry... Having an area dedicated to hot or cold items would be excellent. Maybe even room for a bottle of water for myself or Cory.

And uhm. Well that's all I could think of initially. Then I started looking at what other moms carry and what make a good diaper bag for them. A light/wipe-able interior was a common attribute that most women found helpful. So I added those to my list.

That's when I came across the most excellent diaper bag. The SoYoung Charlie Bag.

[gallery type="square" columns="2" ids="265,271,270,272"]

It's a little pricey in terms of diaper bags, but the features on it seem perfect (for me). Here are the features of the bag:

• Can be used with shoulder straps, messenger bag strap, or can be converted to a backpack. It also has straps that connect to the handle of the stroller for easy access.


• Laminated changing mat included. Machine washable.


• Reinforced bottom to protect material.


• Fits a 13" laptop easily.


• Removable key clip.


• Back flap to hold bulky items (e.g. newspapers, umbrellas, yoga mats, sweaters, towels, etc.)


• Built-in sunglasses pocket, wallet holder and phone pocket


• Insulated side bottle pockets


• All compartments are light-colored and laminated for easy browsing and cleanup.


• Full size insulated compartment.


• Front pockets are magnetic and easy to get into with one hand.


• Large interior compartment for diapers, wipes, etc. etc. etc.... with mesh pockets so you can see into them with ease and nothing gets lost.

Andd.. probably some other things that I neglected to mention. I watched a YouTube review of this bag a few days ago that helped me make my decision. It's 15 minute review... so I don't recommend watching it unless you're really bored or really interested in getting the bag, but she's quite thorough.

So that's that. The bag has been selected. Hopefully it won't be discontinued or something terrible like that before we're ready to purchase!