Dr. Appt and Stroller Update

Today was supposed to be my 4d ultrasound...but Brayden didn't really feel too photogenic. In fact, he is apparently as flexible as I am because the only shot she could get of him had his hands and feet covering his face! Thankfully, I've become good friends with just about everyone down at my doctors office to they rescheduled me at no charge to come back in on the 5th when I go in for my next checkup to re-do the 4d!

We did learn that Brayden is weighing in at 2lbs 3oz (and according to babycenter.com the average for 28wks is 2.2lbs) and that I have totally run out of room! I keep telling people that he has run out of space and no one believes me, but now I have official proof! He was totally jam-packed in there!

Now for an exciting stroller update...

First, thanks to all of you who left me comments on my last post! Wow, you all are so knowledgeable! I feel so inadequate! Today, I went to a local baby store because I thought they carried a brand I wanted to look at (Zooper) but they no longer do. However, they do carry Chicco so I thought I would take a look...and I fell in love.

This is the Chicco Cortina Travel System with the #1 rated infant carseat!

My mom was with me so she called Chris and he swung by to check it out...and agreed that I could change our registry! Yahoo! I think this is the color scheme I want but they also have it in red and when Chris gets home I'm going to see if he prefers that (being a Razorback fan and all...).

Hopefully next week I will have some 4d pics to show you all!

Stroller Confusion

So I made the mistake of letting Chris pick out the stroller that is on our registry. He refused to even look at the brand that I wanted, which is a well known, well trusted brand in strollers. He went with a brand I'd NEVER heard of...ever.

That story leads me to this story, and then we'll get back to the whole stroller debacle.

So I went to change some things on my registry and my registry was GONE. GONE. Finito. Adios. Bye bye. No more.

So in a panic I called BRU and they said the same thing...actually she said, "Hmm, yep, it's missing." Very encouraging words to hear when you are frantic. Anyway, 40 minutes later, the registry is back up and running.

And back to strollers...

So here I sit, staring at the stroller he picked. It doesn't have my parent tray, baby tray, mommy cupholder or even the size basket I wanted. To be fair, all the ratings on it seem really good. Oh, would you like to see a pic?

Here you go:

The toddler seat shown with raingear on (and I'm fairly sure that cupholder doesn't come with it):

So I'm at a crossroads. I pulled up the stroller I like last night...to which he laughed and said it was ugly. Ugly? Excuse moi?

So I think we've reached an agreement. If this stroller doesn't get purchased off our registry (and it's kind of expensive so I doubt it will) then I get the stroller I want! At least, I think he agreed...that could have just been me telling him what I thought should happen...

SO, I want to know...what stroller do you have? Do you love it? Be specific...tell me what exact one you have (for example Graco Quattro Tour in Deco...not that I'm saying that is the one I really want...) and what you love and hate about it!

The Love Dare

Yesterday Chris and I celebrated three wonderful years of marriage. It was such a nice day...until this nagging sinus stuff caught up with me. I'm fairly sure I've got a sinus infection. But we still had a great time, went out, celebrated and then came home and made layer cookies together! ha!

If you've seen the movie "Fireproof" then you are probably familiar with The Love Dare.

This is the book Kirk Cameron's character goes through each day. You can visit the official website for the book here: http://thelovedarebook.com/

Anyway, Chris and I got the book after seeing the movie last Friday night. My parents and his dad and stepmom are also going through it. I HIGHLY encourage you to do this with your spouse! Wow, what an amazing book! I was very skeptical at first, because I think we have a great relationship. When we went through our pre-marital counseling we had to take this very long test and we were the only couple who ever scored 100% on communication. Ever! So I didn't really see what we had to gain from this. But there is always something to be gained, and I'm so glad we are doing this together.

I hope you will check it out too!

3rd Wedding Anniversary

Today is my third wedding anniversary! Chris gave me my gift last week (baby carrier) and his should arrive today! Hopefully I will have pics from tonight and I can post them tomorrow.

Yesterday I had a little scare and decided after lunch to call the doctor. My doctor wasn't there so I had to see another doctor that I'd never met before. She ran three tests and concluded that everything was okay, but it could have been a big problem, so she was glad I came in. It was a very scary experience. I am so grateful that all is well with Brayden. They let me listen to his heartbeat again which was comforting because he wasn't moving a whole lot yesterday...I think he is going through a growth spurt. He has patterns of going a couple of days without much movement and then the next week or so it feels like he's trying to come out through my belly button!

Here are some pics from lunch yesterday that I am stealing from Kelly! If I look exhausted, it's because I was!

Maegan and I:

Rachel and Kelly:

We ate at one of my favorite places, the Crumpet Tea Room. I've posted about it before, but this particular CTR is so great because it's inside of an interiors store. Lots of stores and designers have booths with great furniture and decor. It's one of my favorite places. I actually ate there last Friday and this past Monday as well! Monday was Maegan's first time eating there and I think she fell in love with the orange rolls. They aren't the most attractive looking things but they taste so incredibly good!

This weekend we have an event out on our property and then Monday I have my 4D ultrasound! I am SO excited for that. Those pictures always look so clear!

And I just want to remind everyone again to go check out Lianna's Etsy Shop! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6260287

I bought these cards for Thanksgiving!

Furniture and Shower #1

Warning! This post contains a LOT of pictures!

Yesterday my crib and changing table arrived! We took them upstairs and assembled them in Brayden's nursery. (Don't worry, we're repainting!).
That's a dresser behind the crib - we still have to switch the furniture out of this room. Long story short we are taking the white furniture out of the green room and putting it in the gold room, and taking the brown furniture out of the gold room and putting it in the nursery since it all matches. This room is closest to the top of the stairs.
Now for some pics from today's shower!
The chocolate (yummy) cake:

Opening gifts:
The blanket my mom crocheted for me:

And for good measure, my 27 week belly shot:
We had a really good time. I've managed to write all of my thank you notes (yippie!) which makes me feel good. Brayden got a lot of cute outfits and things. I sure hope this post makes sense, because I am exhausted! I think there may be more pictures than sentences! Ha!

3rd TRI! And a Giveaway! (Oh, and my cake recipe!)

Woo-Hoo! Today is the start of my third trimester! I am so excited! As weird as it sounds, I've been counting down to this very day!

Tomorrow is my first shower, and I'm a nervous wreck. If you've read my previous posts about showers, then you know how nervous they make me. I am too shy for this! But I know how long everyone has waited for this baby and they all want to celebrate him, so who am I to say no? Tomorrow's shower is with all of Chris' dad's side of the family (his parents are divorced). The only thing I know about it is that there will be chocolate cake with buttercream icing (his stepmom called and asked me what I wanted). Yay. I loooooove cake.

So I thought I'd post my German Chocolate Cake recipe for you all. It's my grandmothers actually. It's SO yummy. The cake part we don't make from scratch but of course you can!
We use the Betty Crocker German Chocolate Cake mix.

Here's the icing:
2-5oz. cans evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 egg yolks (beaten)
3/4 cup margarine
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flaked coconut
2 cups chopped pecans

Combine evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter and vanilla in small saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick, about 12 minutes. Stir in coconut and pecans. Beat until thick enough to spread. Then place this mixture into the fridge and let it harden before attempting to spread it onto a completely cooled cake.

TIP - I have found that taking my metal cake spatula and freezing it helps the icing adhere to the cake, because it wants to stick to the warmest object.

OK, now for the GIVEAWAY part. If you follow Lianna's blog then you may have already seen this, but for those of you who haven't, she makes the most incredible handmade cards. She is raising funds for their third IVF attempt and you can help!
Go to her blog and enter to win her giveaway, and then please go check out her Etsy store; here is the link: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6260287

Chris' Birthday and My Early Anniversary Gift

Yesterday (10/13) was Chris' birthday! I got him a Felix Jones Dallas Cowboys Jersey and as much as it killed me, a DMac Oakland Raiders jersey (as a San Fran girl, I can never in good conscious, cheer for the Raiders. Ick.).

I also made him his favorite cake, German Chocolate (the worlds most time consuming cake to make! But I love doing it!).

And finally, my pre-anniversary gift. Neither Chris nor I are very good at keeping things secret from each other (he knew what his birthday gift was over a week before his actual birthday), so when a box arrived today from Kate Spade, he couldn't keep it a secret...

Yay! It's a Kate Spade/Maclaren baby carrier! Woo-hoo!

Today was spent looking at a house with a friend...totally one of my favorite things to do. Chris thinks I'm a little weird because I love cars and love houses...looking at model homes is fun to me! Back home, there are TONS of model homes and they always have their big showings on the weekends. My parents and I used to go look for fun on Saturdays, so I've just always loved it! Maybe I'm nosy, ha!

Thank you all for your sweet comments on my last post! I've had a really, really rough last week and they all made me feel so good! Thank you!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Friday night we went out to dinner with our friends Hutch and Maegan. We always have such a good time with them!

Last night was the Habitat for Humanity ball. I chose this pic because Chris had taken his jacket off and I loved the way his shirt and tie looked! Ha! It's funny...I forget how white I am until I see a pic like this! I glow in the dark!

That brings me to today...there aren't any pictures, but we've reached a decision to go ahead and do a nursery. I don't think our new house will be ready anywhere close to when we thought it would be so I am not going to wait. I'm also not going to invest the time, energy and money to do my dream nursery, but it will still be cute!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Chairs and Socks

These are the chairs that I bought...I really like the fabric on the one on the right, but it's just been discontinued. I think I am going to call Abides and see if they can give me the name of the fabric...maybe I can find some somewhere - just enough to cover the other four chairs. I think we are going to refinish the four armchairs to match the armless chairs.
Last night I met my friend Maegan for dinner at Abuelos before heading to bunco. She brought me the cutest gift for Brayden - looks at these ARGYLE socks! I LOVE argyle...remember awhile back when I posted his baby dedication outfit that is argyle? Oh, he's going to look so adorable in these! Thanks Mae!

Tomorrow night is the annual Black Ties and Toolbelts Habitat for Humanity ball. Chris and I have attended the last 4 years. I bought a maternity dress awhile back when we were in Dallas. Unfortunately, designers apparently think all pregnant women want to wear is black, so my options were limited. I normally like to wear a color because everyone else is wearing black. Ha! But this year I guess I'll just have to blend in! If I can remember to get a picture, I will post one!

100 more days!!!!

Yahoo! Only 100 more days until we meet little Brayden!! Well...that's if I actually have him on my due date, but you know... And, only one week until my 3rd trimester starts! I had to ask my doctor today about that...I've read so many conflicting things. He says that he considers 26w5 days as the first day of the 3rd tri, so I'm going with that!

Today I had my glucose test...something I had been really dreading! It wasn't bad at all! The "fruit punch" really did taste like fruit punch...sorta. It was a little chalky but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Dr. Smith used the doppler to locate Brayden's heartbeat, and let's just say the sugar affected him! His heartbeat is normally 150 and today it was 163-168! He was on a sugar high! In fact, he seems to still be! He's kicking and turning and jumping all over!

Tonight is bunco! Woo-Hoo! My friend Maegan and I are going to go to Abuelos beforehand (it starts at 6:30 and this hungry mamma needs to eat around 5:30!) and I can't wait for chips and salsa!

On another note, I was checking my babies r us registry last night and several items are temporarily unavailable online! Yikes! Tomorrow I need to go through and try to find replacements. Or better yet, hopefully they will be available!

Yesterday we were at one of my FAVORITE furniture stores in Fayetteville, and they were having an enormous sale. I've been searching for dining room chairs forever, and they had 8 Drexel Heritage chairs...my favorite brand. They are in two different fabrics so I am going to have them recovered, and they are also in two different finishes. I like that eclectic look so I may leave them, or I may refinish them. Chris is SUPER handy, he's refinished some furniture that we have upstairs, so it's no big deal. Anyway, these chairs are normally upwards of $600 each and I got them for $165 each! WooHOO!

PS - Thanks to Kelly, for helping me get my blogroll fixed!!

I've Been Tagged

Opps! I was tagged by Krysta (awhile ago - so sorry about that!) and Amanda!1.) Random - My brother and I were born on the same day 7 years apart. Nope, it was not planned that way, we were both preemies.
2.) I hate breakfast. My doctor insists that I eat it, so we compromised. The only thing I will eat is a chocolate chip pancake!
3.) I cannot drink the same thing all day. My drinks during any given day usually include the following: chocolate milk, V8-Splash, water, tea and an IBC root beer.
4.) I'm super shy/self conscious. If you read my blog, you've probably figured that out by now! I get embarrassed so easily!
5.) I'm addicted to Burt Bees chapstick. Seriously. I freak out if I don't have it!
6.) I hate all pictures of myself. I don't look good in any of them!
7.) I feed all the stray neighborhood cats. Yes, I am the crazy cat lady. Mainly I have a huge heart for animals. All 5 of my pets are adopted/rescued, and I have to take care of any and all dogs and cats that show up look hurt/hungry/abused etc.

So I tag...
Emily
Amanda Ledford
Heather
Meredith
Lianna
Mary Kate
Jessica

Oh and totally off topic - can anyone tell me how to program my list of blogs to show them in the order they were updated? Thanks!

A burst of energy...

I had a burst of energy today. My dad jokes that I've gotten more done since I've been pregnant than ever before...haha. Anyway, my pantry is the last room left in our home that is a MESS. And by mess, I mean I didn't take a before picture because it was embarrassing. So 2.5 hours of hard work led to this...

The pictures don't do it justice. I've never been so organized in MY LIFE! The canned goods go by order of what they are(rows of tomatoes, green beans, fruits, canned beans etc) and that blob next to the can of pumpkin is a tupperware container with all my loose packets of seasonings.

All my baking stuff is below that and organized...chocolate chips, coconut, nuts, sugars etc.

I should seriously have taken close ups because it is a thing of beauty. Ha! I'm soooo glad to check this off my list! We made over our closet (which is almost as big as my old bedroom at my parents house! Seriously, an undertaking!) and now our pantry and I'm done! Yay!

Shopping!

So yesterday's registry went well...I think. It took me 2 hours (the lady said that I set a record for being the fastest scanner ever!) - but I had good motivation. I was hungry and Abuelos was across the street! I swear I could smell it!

So we registered for our stroller and bunch of other fun stuff. I fully intended on getting a custom made crib set but I found one I really, really liked so my mom just bought it, which was so nice! They were having a sale on some of the Carters baby clothes, so I had to buy a few things!

Today I went shopping for hostess gifts. And of course, I found something for Brayden! I don't know if you can tell, but it's a blue Razorback that is embroidered at the top right of the sleeper!

I ended up opting out of the Razorback game today. I am soooo tired from all the running around we've been doing. Of course, that didn't mean that I sat home or anything! My mom and I went shopping for hostess gifts and for tables (long story) and we went to eat at the good Crumpet Tea Room (the one with the original recipes) inside of the Interiors Galleria. Chris was able to get a shuttle to take him up to the game (still recouping from his surgery) and he met his dad, brother, his best friend Cody, and Cody's brother up there. So we both had a great day!

Registry Rush

So today was an experience. We registered at store #1 (Wal-Mart). Tomorrow is store #2 (Babies R Us). I was a little disappointed that Wal-Mart didn't have a lot of what I was looking for...no swaddlers, snow suits, mittens, and a lot of other stuff. I was trying to hurry too because Chris' incision was hurting and he needed to get home to take some medication.

The lady told us to scan each item as many times as we wanted. For example, if you wanted 10 boxes of diapers, scan the tag 10 times. Well, I just got home and had to re-do the registry because apparently, that is NOT how it works! It's hard to fix at home because not all items have a picture, and not all of the descriptions make sense!

Another slightly disappointing thing that they didn't have a lot of boy stuff. There were plenty of girl options, but for example, when it came to the 5 packs of onesies, I had three choices. The girl section, on the other hand, had over 10 choices. So I will have to do a lot of looking at Babies R Us for basics as well as everything else on my list.

Tomorrow is a new day though, and I am so very excited! I am going to be registering for my stroller, car seat and a lot of "big items." I am now trying to figure out how to add some of the Internet items to my Wal-Mart registry (like my crib), and I'm so confused! I kept texting my best friend from the store asking for advice, and I'll have to see if she knows how to do that too!

Oh....and for the "rush" part...My first shower (of three) is Oct 18! My step MIL just sent out the invites, so I really had to get a move on!