What Not To Say To A Pregnant Lady...

Here are a few of my favorite gem comments and questions over the last few weeks.  I thought I would share so you all can enjoy!  I'm so glad I can always find humor in things and it doesn't bother me.  I flourish in their realization of the awkwardness in the comments.  So fun!

1.  Are you pregnant?  Oh good.  I was telling (as she proceeds to list out people's names) that I thought your boobs and butt were a lot bigger.  (Wonderful.  I'm so glad I know that now.  TIP: If you wouldn't typically talk to a women about her body parts before she was pregnant, probably shouldn't afterwards either.)
2.  How old is your youngest?  It must have been a mistake then, right? (Uhhh, noooo.)
3.  Are you sure you aren't further along than you think you are?  (Nope, but thanks for insinuating that I am already huge.)
4.  Are you pregnant?  Oh good.  I was hoping you wouldn't just let yourself go like that.  (Oh, are you pregnant then?  HeeHee!)
5.  When is your due date?  February.  Oh, so May huh....  Didn't you and Ben go out of town sometime in May?  (Let's see here...no...never appropriate to try and guess when a child may have been conceived.  And no, we didn't go out of town in May.)
6.  Are you sure you are not having twins? (I must look like I am because I have been asked this a dozen times.)
7.  Why would you want another baby when your kids are finally the age that they are self sufficient?
8.  Does it bother you that with the age gap in your children, this one will practically be an only child?  (At six and four, I'm sure Myles and Jillian will grow up alongside this baby just fine.  Not to mention, what is wrong with an only child?)
9.  Why would you try and wear those heels when you are pregnant? (Because I like them?)
10.  A kid at Jillian's school ran up to me and asked, "Where is your baby?"  Jillian answered for me pointing to my stomach... "Right there in that fat."
11.  And my favorite awkward moment from the last time I was pregnant...just for nostalgia's sake...  A male coworker put his hand on my belly.  I put my hand on his.  His response, "Point taken."

Any favorites you have experienced?

Tuesday's Love and I'm Better Off Without Lists...First Trimester Edition

I am so happy and thankful to say that this winter it will be baby booties and swaddling blankets over here at our house.  I am pregnant.  I thought today would be the perfect time to share my loves about the first trimester, as well as those lovely things I could have done without.

Love List...

• The pure joy of seeing that second line on the pregnancy test.  After a miscarriage, I will be honest, it is a joy that is mixed with fears.  Many fears.  Yet, the thought of another child is still full of triumph and hope.
• The sound of a nurse calling with a happy tone in her voice.  She had good news.  Great test results.
• Making it past the date in the pregnancy that I lost the last baby.  I love that little one in Heaven and I always will.
• Despite the fact that I have been sick for seven weeks the majority of each day, that ill feeling is on my love list...since it indicates I have a growing baby. (Yet, I will now officially use it as my explanation for my lack of posts through June and July.)
• Seeing an adorable little peanut on an early ultrasound with a flashing little heartbeat on the screen.
• The excitement and joy my kids expressed with the news.  Since then, they have continued questions and discussions about it.  My favorite?  Listening to Myles tell Jillian how it is going to be.  "You know, I've done this already when you were born.  I remember it."
• A husband that has been so helpful and understanding as nausea has overridden each passing week.
• Dreaming of tiny fingers and toes.
• I had a doctors appointment at 11 weeks.  She put the fetal doppler on my belly and immediately found the sounds of the most beautiful little heartbeat.  It brought tears to my eyes, and relief to Ben's.
• Myles and Jillian are both begging to have the baby sleep in their room.  As an indication of their love and excitement, it warms my heart.
• Today, sitting at my desk I felt the first little tapping from inside.  Such a welcome and familiar feeling.  Amazing.
• Talking through names with Ben.  
• New and exciting seem to come in waves in our family.  Along with the plans to welcome a new baby, I have accepted a new role as Lean Manager at my office and Ben and Josh (his business partner) will open the doors to their second insurance office.

I'm Better Off Without List...

• A nightly ritual of taking a pill, immediately puking it up into my hand, and then looking down at it knowing I still need to take it.
• Gaining weight eating food that sounds gross anyway, but you know you will probably feel a little better if you eat something.
• The growing number of clothes that don't fit, but I refuse to take out of my closet and replace with maternity clothes.  I literally get maternity clothes out of a bin, while my walk in closet remains full of clothes that don't fit.  Not real efficient...huh?
• I haven't been all that emotional...but I will admit that I cried yesterday when Ben helped me.  Completely irrational.
• Motion sickness bracelets at work.  I looked like an idiot and I don't think they worked anyway.
• My butt always manages to outgrow my belly.  Looks like this pregnancy will be no different.
• I'm gonna need a bigger car...and my resistance against a minivan is getting harder and harder to maintain.

Tuesday's Love and I'm Better Off Without Lists...

You thought I would never post again...didn't you?  Surprise!

Love List...

• Tonight after dinner Jillian and I did something I can honestly say we have never done before.  We grabbed her pillow and a few assorted princesses from her room and headed into my room to cuddle and watch TV.  It was awesome.  I can't tell you how many times she checked to see if I was sleeping.  Try laying in a bed after a long day all cuddled with a cute little girl watching cartoons and not close your eyes.  It's a true challenge.
• These past few weeks while I have been missing all of you...we have been visiting zoos, trampoline parks, beach towns, pottery painting studios...playing laser tag, in the sand, the lake, and the boat...bowling, fishing...visiting with family from near and far...and having a darn good time.  I love summer.

• This weekend we are headed to Chicago as a family.  We go this weekend every year (sometimes with and sometimes without kids).  Our anniversary weekend.  The kids are so excited and we are looking forward to the fun!
• Going to bed that first night with clean sheets.
• Myles wrote an adorable story tonight about a squirrel in space. "Squirrel Pearl In Space" to be exact.  I hope I have a budding writer on my hands.
• Tonight, I got to talk to my sister for a half hour, followed by a conversation with my Mom for another half hour.  Love it.
• Watching Jillian's little hands painting her favorite color pink on her pottery yesterday at a studio.  She was nervous and wanted help, but she moved her little fingers with precision and she completed a masterpiece.  My favorite part of watching Myles paint?  His pottery selection.  He chose a trophy an wrote "#1 Myles" on it.  He said, "Well, if you can't earn a trophy, you can always make one!!"  Awesome.

• Michigan cherries.  I seriously love them.  Too bad I left $11 worth sitting on my desk on Friday to come back to the office today to find a furry, moldy mess.  So sad.

I'm Better Off Without List...

• The upper 60s to low 70s late September weather that has been keeping us from the beach lately!
• Cracking my iPad screen while changing the cover.  Seriously, I am not that strong.  How in the world could that happen?!?
• Waking up at 2 a.m. to the sound of a dog puking.
• Pants.  They are really overrated.  I'm all dresses over here lately.  Maybe it's because it is all that Jillian ever wants to wear...

This Weekend.

For quite a while, Ben's wonderful sister and brother-in law, have been talking about having our kids up to stay with them in Grand Rapids for the weekend.  A couple months ago, they set the date for this past weekend.  I'll be honest...I wasn't necessarily counting the time down.  I love my kids and I feel like I already don't see them enough, so the idea of spending a weekend away from them when I am already away from them far too much during the week was tough for me.  I had threatened Brooke that she might just see me hiding behind the pinball machine at Craig's Cruisers...watching them from afar.  Not at all because I didn't trust them, but just because I would miss them.

I'm guessing Brooke took this as some sort of hint, and found a last minute travel deal and forwarded it to Ben.  So...on Friday afternoon, we dropped the kids off in Grand Rapids...on our way to Mackinac Island.  Pretty awesome sister-in-law, huh?

We had an amazing weekend.  I have a serious love for Michigan.  You know, when I was younger I always assumed that I would move away to some other better state in our country.  After years of travel for fun and for work...I really realized...the grass isn't always greener somewhere else.  This state of ours is pretty darn amazing.  I'm in love with it and every time I get the chance to wander through this awesome state, I take it.  This weekend was no different.  Wanna see a few pics?

There is one way to Mackinac Island.  Over the water.  So...you can leave from either Mackinaw City or St. Ignace to reach the Island by ferry.  So...we left from St. Ignace, which is part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  You know why?  You have to go over the Mackinac Bridge to get there!  It may be 15 minutes longer to drive.  Well worth it.

Here is another view of the bridge, from the ferry.

Our Bed and Breakfast for the weekend.  It was beautiful.

Our transportation for the weekend.  No cars on Mackinac.  Bike, walk, or horse-drawn carriage.  Your choice.

We took a bike ride around the Island (about an 8 mile trek).  It was my favorite part of the weekend.  The views were amazing.

My favorite guy.

 

Arch Rock.

We visited The Grand Hotel.

It's like the saying, "When in Rome."  In this case, it's "When in Mackinac...sit on the porch at the Grand Hotel and drink Big Porch Ale and Lemonade."

It's the largest porch in the United States, you know.  If Bell's names a beer after it, it must be famous.

 We even found an executive putt putt course with 18 pins and real greens to conquer.  He beat me.

The whole weekend together was wonderful.  I missed my kids like crazy, but I loved our time together.  That's what it's all about.  Love.

Oh - and back to that amazing sister and brother...yeah.  Well, I was getting wonderful texts with photos like these of my kids having fun.  So cool.  They made memories to last a lifetime too.

Hope your weekend was fab.

The Fourth in Photos

We had an amazing day yesterday...celebrating our great Nation's Independence Day.  It was...simply put...perfect.  We began our day at the Richland Parade.  I've told you before how much I love my town and all it takes is the Fourth of July parade to get me gushing again.  People line the streets of our downtown area in anticipation of the parade.  Friends and family get together to watch.  Last year, Jillian and I were in the parade, but this year...she decided it might be more fun to watch...and catch candy.

So, of course, our very favorite parade entrant included our very favorite guys...

 ...And the whole AAA Gull Road gang.

 After catching more candy than Jillian received on Halloween, and cheering on our friends in so many different floats, it was on to several beach parties for the day.  We had a blast.  I won't mention jumping in the water in a dress to help Jillian when a few too many waves were sweeping her into the dock...

The evening ended in the most perfect way.  On a boat, listening to live music from a party, while we waited to watch the fireworks from the water.  My wonderful mother-in-law brought salted caramels and snacks.  Perfection, I tell you.

The sunset was beautiful.

 Not sure how this could be the best picture of Ben and I...but it was. 

And a few blurry iPhone shots of the fun.

 Hope your Fourth was perfect, too.

Tuesday's Love and I'm Better Off Without Lists...

Love List...

• Extra long weekend coming right up!
• I'm drinking an awesome smoothie as I type...with a bendy straw of course.
• Dinner and chattery with a college BFF.  I love that despite living across the country, we still manage to see each other several times a year.
• Myles at the driving range.  His man voice, ego, and efforts so much bigger than his skinny little body.
• We took the kids putt-put golfing (guess it was a golfing weekend??) and to the attached arcade.  They were so excited and I love seeing the excitement in their eyes. (Not necessarily the germs in those places, but whatever.)  My favorite part?  Every time there was something to hit your ball through, Jillian's would get stuck.
• Sarcasm at work.  It's a survival technique.

Jillian demonstrating Mommy's attitude about golf.

A few putt-putt pics...  Scroll D-O-W-N for the Better Off Without List.  

I'm Better Off Without List...

• This blog becoming a Tuesday-only habit.  Terrible.  I must fix this asap.
• Unflushed kiddie poo in the toilet.  Even worse?  When there is no toilet paper to go with it.  I'm afraid to ask...  Did you not wipe?  Or...did you throw it in the trash can....sick.
• Tonight I left a message on our babysitter's answering machine...at her parents house.  For whatever reason I stumbled through the entire message, started leaving my work phone number, and used the words, "Or whatever..." Train-wreck, I tell you.  Ben said from down the hall, "Wow, that was a well thought out message."

Tuesday's Love and I'm Better Off Without Lists...

So... I've been slacking on writing...but really we've just been busy with tee-ball, trips to the beach, riding on the boat, eating ice cream, going to bed too late, playing outside, and you know...all of the things we are supposed to do.  It's summer after all!  BUT - it's Tuesday - so my list has been on my mind...so here it is!!

Proof of our fun.

Love List...

• Myles and the pure joy he has in swimming out to and jumping on this trampoline in the water.  The first time he swam out there, I was waving at him.  He jumped a few times and climbed down and swam all the way back to shore to make sure we were watching him.  Cutie pie.
• Last night we went to dinner and a movie with the kids.  (Yes, Monster's University.)  Jillian wanted to bring her little puppy on wheels.  She calls him (creatively), Puppy.  I told her she could bring him in, but she might want to ask if he is allowed, because many times dogs are not allowed in restaurants.  She went up to the counter and hoisted him up in view to the girl working and said, "Can he please come in here?  He isn't a real dog, don't worry."  It was adorable and the girl working was awesome.  She checked him out and agreed that he could stay.  Happiest girl.
• This weekend we had time for tons of fun things and somehow we managed to do a bunch of work around the house too.  Fun and productive?  I wasn't sure that was possible!
• This week, Jillian opened a public bathroom door with her elbows.  She is my daughter, that is for sure.
• Myles has a new and intense excitement about golf.  Ben got him a little set of golf clubs and he was hitting around the yard all night tonight.
• I made an amazing Craigslist score.  I've been looking for an antique-ish metal bed frame for Jillian for quite a while, but I wasn't really feeling the $300 odd shaped (not twin or full) frames that I have found at antique stores.  My ultimate score?  A red painted frame for $25.  Sold.  A few cans of "Berry Pink" spray paint and I have a very happy little girl.  I knew I needed something special because she has been so attached to her little toddler bed, which cracks me up, since Myles was in a twin bed at two.  Anyway, her bedroom has been transformed and she is loving it.  I was lucky enough to keep the same number of animals and princesses in her new bed, despite the fact that she has a lot more room.
  
• Ice cream with Nerds on top.  Excellent.  Even better, I scooped a bowl with Nerds tonight to eat while I typed...and then I saw Ben's ice cream...with peanuts, brownie, and chocolate syrup.  He was nice enough to trade me.  Love him.

I'm Better Off Without List...

• It's summer...and I'm working five days a week.  Five.
• Insomnia.  Seriously.  I need to sleep...and more than an hour at a time, please.