Week 27 Survey

How far along? 27 weeks - I'm now in my 3rd trimester!!!

Total weight gain/loss: I'm thinking I may have gained a little over Christmas...we'll see at my appointment on 1/11...

Maternity clothes? Yep, especially pants...I just bought some comfy maternity pajama pants yesterday :)

Stretch marks? Just faded older ones

Best moment this week: My mom got to feel her move around on Christmas. Adelyn went a little crazy after I ate a (tiny!) piece of my grandma's homemade fudge. :) My 14 year old sister also got to feel her move, but she didn't quite appreciate it as much. :)

Movement: She's getting pretty strong! My whole belly will move violently with some of her movements.

Food cravings: Chinese food. I'm currently waiting for Donny to get home from a consulting job so we can go to a yummy Chinese buffet. :)

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? Still in

What I miss: Sleep. She likes to keep me awake around 2AM with all of her moving around.

What I am looking forward to: Our next doctor's appointment and getting to hear her heartbeat again.

Weekly Wisdom: I've learned to sleep with a heat pack. It takes away my back ache. :)

Milestones: She's definitely getting bigger and stronger! I'm feeling lots of movement up around my ribs now, which isn't always the most comfortable!

Week 26 Survey

How far along? 26 weeks - 6 1/2 months!

Total weight gain/loss: Still down...maybe that'll change this week with all the Christmas candy and Christmas brunch at my Grandma's! :)

Maternity clothes? Yep, although I can still wear quite a few of my regular shirts

Stretch marks? No new ones

Best moment this week: Not pregnancy related, but I have off of work for a week! I'm on my third day, and it has been sooo nice to just relax. Donny and I are watching all of the seasons of The Office. :)

Movement: All the time! She really loves to move around when I'm trying to sleep.

Food cravings: I'm still hooked on root beer. Fountain root beer is sooo good! :)

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? Still in

What I miss: A full night of comfortable sleep

What I am looking forward to: Christmas!

Weekly Wisdom: This isn't wisdom, but I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Milestones: Less than 100 days to go now! It's going so fast!

Week 25 Survey

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I was down another pound at my appointment on Monday

Maternity clothes? Yep

Stretch marks? No new ones, and some of the early ones are finally fading a bit

Best moment this week: Finding out I'm not anemic and don't have gestational diabetes! I had my tests on Monday, and my doctor said she'd call yesterday if something was wrong, but that no news is good news. No phone call, so everything is great!

Movement: Lots and lots. She's been in a funny position, which has been a bit uncomfortable at times...we didn't get any new pictures of her, because during the ultrasound she was basically bent in half. Her bottom was down by my bladder, while her head, hands and feet were up near my ribs on my right side.

Food cravings: root beer

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? Still in, for now

What I miss: Not being out of breath all the time! It makes sense now that I know she's up near my ribs, though.

What I am looking forward to: Finally having a chance to register for baby stuff!

Weekly Wisdom: Rest as much as possible. Things are finally slowing down at work, so I'm actually getting a chance to do that. :)

Milestones: She's getting bigger and her movements are much, much stronger. I'm also very glad to have the glucose test taken care of!

Weeks 22 & 23 Survey

How far along? 24 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: Still down, but I've been sick for a week :(

Maternity clothes? Almost all the time

Stretch marks? No new ones

Best moment this week: Feeling some movements above my belly button...they've been really low before now

Movement: She's funny with her movements. For a couple of days she'll be moving constantly, then it seems like she rests for a few days after that & I'll only feel her every once in awhile.

Food cravings: I really really wanted cheesecake two nights ago. :)

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? Still in

What I miss: A back that isn't sore all the time! Yay for heat packs! :)

What I am looking forward to: Our ultrasound on Monday!

Weekly Wisdom: No wisdom right now. Today we're just trying to stay home & stay warm...crazy Wisconsin weather! I'm really hoping I don't have to go into work later!

Milestones: Donny has been able to feel her a lot now. :)

Week 22 Survey

How far along? 22 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Still down

Maternity clothes? Yep

Stretch marks? No new ones

Best moment this week: Feeling tons and tons of movement...and Thanksgiving :)

Movement: She loves to move, or at least I notice it more, when I sit down/lay down to relax

Food cravings: I'm still drinking TONS of orange juice

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In, but getting more shallow

What I miss: Not having my bladder used as a punching bag! That's one of her favorite things.

What I am looking forward to: our next doctor's appointment & seeing how much she's grown!

Weekly Wisdom: Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Milestones: Feeling her move every day now.

We're having a ____?

We had our ultrasound today....everything looks great! Baby measured a bit smaller than 21 weeks (19 weeks 6 days), but the doctor said that's still well within the normal range for this stage. Baby was also jumping all over and laying face down, so the ultrasound tech wasn't able to get the best look at baby's heart. That means we get to have another ultrasound next month!

The doctor told us that baby looks perfectly normal, but they still want to be able to get a good look at everything, and also check on baby's measurements. She said baby might hit a growth spurt between now and then, so the measurements might be right on track with our original due date when we go back.

The ultrasound tech was able to freeze the screen for us to find out the gender, though...

It's a girl! Here's baby girl's profile picture from today.

Meet Adelyn Claire Lang!

21 Week Survey

How far along? 21 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Still down about 3 lbs. from pre-pregnancy

Maternity clothes? Yep. I just bought a maternity coat for winter. :)

Stretch marks? A few.

Best moment this week: Seeing baby during our ultrasound!

Movement: Tons. Baby likes to move A LOT around bedtime.

Food cravings: Nothing new.

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Sleep

What I am looking forward to: registering for baby stuff :)

Weekly Wisdom: Not so much on the wisdom today...I'm just so happy that everything is going perfectly with our little one!

Milestones: Seeing my belly move on the outside with baby girl's strong kicks.

20 Weeks Survey

How far along? 20 weeks!!! I can't believe I'm half done already!

Total weight gain/loss: Still down about 4 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Mostly.

Stretch marks? No new ones.

Best moment this week: I've felt a few really hard kicks from the outside.

Movement: I'm definitely noticing it more often.

Food cravings: I'm still on my orange juice/citrus kick.

Gender: We find out next Wednesday...I probably won't post until after we're home. :)

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Not being exhausted ALL the time!

What I am looking forward to: Donny feeling Baby's kicks and our ultrasound!

Weekly Wisdom: I'm all out of wisdom today...it's my one day off of work since last Tuesday, so I'm going to relax, do some laundry & take a nap.

Milestones: Feeling more movement. :)

Week 19 Survey

How far along? 19 weeks, one day. I worked a 10 hour day yesterday, so I didn't have time to post.

Total weight gain/loss: Still down a few pounds

Maternity clothes? For the most part.

Stretch marks? No new ones.

Best moment this week: Noticing that I'm finally starting to show a little bit more. :)

Movement: Still nothing regular, just every once in awhile.

Food cravings: Still orange juice and orange flavored foods. We also had Halloween candy left over, and the orange Nerds were my favorite!

Gender: 13 more days until we find out!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Other than a few foods that I haven't been able to eat, I haven't missed much.

What I am looking forward to: Our ultrasound!!!

Weekly Wisdom: I've learned to not be shy about asking Donny to rub my feet. Sometimes he'll even offer after I've worked a long day. :)

Milestones: Showing a bit more!

Week 18 Survey

How far along? 18 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: Still down...around 6 pounds I think.

Maternity clothes? Yep.

Stretch marks? A couple on my stomach.

Best moment this week: We got the results of our quad screen back. The highest risk level was a 1 in 13,300 chance (they didn't specify which condition), and the other three were a much lower risk level. The nurse said that was excellent, so we were very happy to hear it!

Movement: Every once in awhile I'll feel something...I can't wait until it happens regularly.

Food cravings: McDonald's hamburgers. I probably haven't eaten a hamburger from there since I was 5! It's really bad, but I've eaten there twice this week! I also HAD to have orange juice. We went through a gallon in two days. Oops. :)

Gender: 3 more weeks & then we'll know! As long as Baby Lang cooperates, that is!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Not missing anything in particular right now.

What I am looking forward to: Our ultrasound.

Weekly Wisdom: I'm exhausted all the time, so I've been trying to just let myself sleep as long as possible/my work schedule allows. It's been helping quite a bit.

Milestones: Starting to feel a little bit of movement. :)

Week 17 Survey

How far along? 17 weeks today

Total weight gain/loss: At my appointment on Friday I was down 4 lbs. since my 11 week appointment.

Maternity clothes? Pants yes. I can still wear quite a few of my regular shirts.

Stretch marks? No new ones.

Best moment this week: Technically it was last week, but my doctor's appointment went really well. I'm measuring right on schedule, and Baby's heartbeat was in the mid 140s. We couldn't believe how much louder the heartbeat was this time!

Movement: It can't come soon enough! I've been told it'll happen soon...

Food cravings: Still SpaghettiOs... and yesterday I HAD to have an ICEE after work.

Gender: Can't wait to find out, and then go shopping! :)

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Not having lots of backaches. Work has not been helping with that, as I'm constantly getting up and down while taking pictures.

What I am looking forward to: Movement, and our ultrasound on 11/18!!!

Weekly Wisdom: I'm trying to cut back on drinking so much water before bed...these nighttime bathroom trips are going to get more and more frequent if I don't...and they'll probably still increase anyway!

Milestones: According to thebump.com, Baby Lang is now the size of an onion and has fingerprints. :)

Week 16 Survey

How far along? 16 weeks!!!

Total weight gain/loss: I'm still down from pre-pregnancy.

Maternity clothes? For the most part.

Stretch marks? No new ones.

Best moment this week: Looking forward to Friday's doctor's appointment...then we're heading to the Mall of America with my sister-in-law & her fiance for the weekend! So excited to visit Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. again!!!

Movement: Not yet. Can't wait, though!

Food cravings: Cookie dough ice cream & SpaghettiOs (again, not at the same time! :) )

Gender: Really really excited to find out! Donny said he had a dream a few nights ago that we had a girl... I still don't know.

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Still missing comfortable sleep, but some nights are better than others.

What I am looking forward to: My appointment on Friday & this weekend!

Weekly Wisdom: Apparently pregnancy makes my gag reflex very sensitive. I have to be careful when I sneeze, because sometimes I gag. This isn't exactly wisdom, but it happened again 2 nights ago. I ended up getting sick, and once again have little red freckle-like dots on my face from bursting blood vessels. :P

Milestones: I'm 4 months pregnant already! In 4 weeks we'll be half done!

Week 15

How far along? 15 weeks today!

Total weight gain/loss: Still down a little.

Maternity clothes? Yes. Regular clothes are getting to be very uncomfortable.

Stretch marks? Maybe one or two.

Best moment this week: Having off of work today...I can get some things done finally!

Movement: Nope. Soon, though!

Food cravings: Chili from Wendy's

Gender: So excited to find out...next month!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Being able to get comfortable enough to fall asleep quickly.

What I am looking forward to: Next week's doctor's appointment.

Weekly Wisdom: No wisdom right now. I get to call our crib manufacturer to order a couple of replacement parts in a minute...we'll see how that goes. :)

Milestones: My comfiest pajama pants are starting to get really tight. Normally I'd be angry, but since I have a reason, I'm super excited....and need to shop for new ones. :)

Week 14

How far along? 14 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: Down two pounds...not so sure how.

Maternity clothes? Yep.

Stretch marks? Nope

Best moment this week: Donny went out at night to buy me some potato salad...does that count? :)

Movement: Getting closer!

Food cravings: potato salad, chocolate (not together!) ;)

Gender: Can't wait to find out!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Still missing sleep.

What I am looking forward to: Showing more & movement

Weekly Wisdom: Not so much wisdom this week, but we only have 2 more weeks until our next doctor's appt.!

Milestones: Starting to see signs of showing...Donny said he can see a difference now. :)

Week 13 Survey

How far along? 13 weeks today!

Total weight gain/loss: Still about the same. I think. I'm not weighing myself regularly.

Maternity clothes? Yep. They're just so much more comfortable!

Stretch marks? Nope

Best moment this week: Um...I have a date at Red Robin with a friend tonight... :)

Movement: Not yet, but I can't wait! Hopefully in another month-ish!

Food cravings: Broasted chicken. I still haven't gone out to get any, though.

Gender: Lately I've been feeling girl...

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Sleeping at night...but I'm getting good at napping in the afternoon after I get done with work. :)

What I am looking forward to: Showing! I'm getting closer!

Weekly Wisdom: I've learned that I have to write almost EVERYTHING down...I can't seem to remember anything anymore!

Milestones: We're in the 2nd trimester now!

Week 12 Survey

How far along? 12 weeks today!

Total weight gain/loss: about the same as pre-pregnancy

Maternity clothes? Yep. I had to go out and buy black pants for work. My other ones just didn't quite fit right anymore. I'm still not showing, but definitely feeling pregnant when I try to wear my normal clothes. :)

Stretch marks? no new ones

Best moment this week: Realizing I'm almost done with the first trimester!

Movement: Not yet

Food cravings: Today I HAD to have a chicken quesadilla from Qdoba...sooo good :)

Gender: I'm still not sure...my 13 year old sister thinks we're having a girl...we'll see!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? Still in...although Donny tells me it's not in as much as it used to be :)

What I miss: Normal dreams! Mine have been so crazy lately!

What I am looking forward to: Showing & feeling movement

Weekly Wisdom: Not so much wisdom as it is a fun story... I've discovered that I can't drink soda while eating meals. Apparently my stomach doesn't like carbonation while I'm eating. I definitely got sick (one of maybe 3 times over the course of this pregnancy). I now have little red dots all over my face & neck because I burst a ton of blood vessels. :( I didn't even notice until after we'd gotten back from Wal-Mart a few hours later. I asked Donny if he'd noticed, and he said, "Yeah, I saw it when we were at Wal-Mart..." He never even said anything! He said he just figured I knew...I said I would have tried to put some makeup on to at least try to cover it up! Oh, husbands. :)

Milestones: Our first doctor's appointment last week...everything went great! Baby's heartbeat was actually at 172, but the doctor said that was still within the normal range. Our next appointment is in mid-October, the day before we go to the Mall of America with Donny's sister and her fiance. I'm so excited!

New Job & Survey

It's been a pretty exciting week so far...I started my new job yesterday! It's technically not "new", since I worked there a few years ago. I'll be working as a photographer at a retail studio in town. I really missed photography and working with kids. Sometimes dealing with escalated adult customers at my old job felt like dealing with a 3 year old having a temper tantrum...I'll take an actual 3 year old any day. At least a 3 year old can be reasoned with. :) I'm really excited about it, and now I can't wait to be done with training!

Here's my survey for the week!

How far along? 11 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Still down a couple of pounds

Maternity clothes? I bought some very comfy jeans and a couple of shirts this weekend.

Stretch marks? still the same

Best moment this week: 2 more days until my first doctor's appointment!

Movement: None yet

Food cravings: A&W Cherry Limeade

Gender: I had a dream that we had a boy... but we'll see in a couple of months!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: a full night's sleep

What I am looking forward to: my doctor's appointment

Weekly Wisdom: nothing much...I just can't believe how fast 11 weeks has gone!

Milestones: fewer episodes of nausea & being able to eat a bigger variety of foods again

Next week's survey should be fun, as I'll have the info from my doctor's appointment!

Pregnancy Survey

I'm borrowing this survey from Amy, who I believe borrowed the idea from another blog. :)

How far along? 10 weeks today!

Total weight gain/loss: I was down 2 lbs the last time I checked, which surprised me, because I'm hungry ALL the time!

Maternity clothes? None yet...planning to do some shopping this weekend!

Stretch marks? 1 or 2. using some lotion to help prevent a ton more. :)

Best moment this week: Not pregnancy related, but I got a new job! I'll post more about that later.

Movement: Nope, still too early

Food cravings: None yet this week. Over the past couple of weeks I craved mashed potatoes and doughnuts (on different occasions) :). Up until this week it was mostly food aversions, but that's starting to go away finally.

Gender: At first I thought boy, now I'm not sure. We'll be thrilled no matter what.

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Sleep! I'm not constantly exhausted during the day anymore, but now I can't fall asleep at night. I'm looking to invest in a GIANT pregnancy pillow to try to get more comfortable at night...and I'm sure I'll appreciate it even more in the coming months.

What I am looking forward to: Hearing baby's heartbeat at our first doctor's appointment next Friday!

Weekly Wisdom: Just trying to enjoy every minute of pregnancy!

Milestones: Only 2 more weeks until week 12! I honestly can't wait to start showing and being able to wear cute maternity clothes!

How we found out...

I just wanted to post a quick update & also let you know how we found out about Baby Lang. :)

It was the day before my birthday (about a month ago), and I'd been feeling kinda funny. I'd been having some cramps for a few days which didn't feel quite like normal cramps. I told Donny I wanted to go buy a test, just because I was curious.

We'd planned to go to a cookout at our friends' house that afternoon, so just before we were leaving, I took the test. I waited the 3 minutes...and the test was blank! The test line hadn't even shown up. Donny knocked on the bathroom door to ask what was up. I told him that either the test was broken or I'd done it wrong.

We were running late, so I said we'd just need to pick up another one on our way home. I was sooo anxious to get home & find out for sure.

Once we got home, Donny said he had to use the bathroom. Just because I was curious, I asked him to look at the first test, since I'd left it on the bathroom counter. His response was, "I dunno...there are lines on it...but I have to pee!" My heart jumped a little bit, but I was also laughing at what he'd said. When he was done in the bathroom I went to look. I laughed and said, "Honey, that's positive..."

He said he wasn't sure, since the plus sign was so faint. I said I'd take another, just to be sure. The second time I definitely didn't have to wait 3 minutes. It turned positive immediately. We were both very shocked that it had happened that fast for us, but very excited. :)

I'll always be grateful for my little early birthday present!

Even through all the food aversions, 11PM mashed potato cravings (I made Donny go to the grocery store with me the other night to get mashed potatoes from the deli), fatigue, waking up at least twice a night to go to the bathroom (in between some really weird dreams)...it'll all be worth it in the end!

I have my first doctor's appointment scheduled. I'm really excited about it. I'll be 11 weeks 2 days that day, so I can't wait to be able to hear our little one's heartbeat!

I've still been doing alright as far as sickness goes. I've been feeling a bit nauseated some nights, but nothing too severe. I've been trying to eat small meals throughout the day, which seems to help quite a bit. I'm crossing my fingers & praying that it stays this way!

An Update

Hi all!

I can't believe how quickly the summer has flown by... I've been a terrible blogger and haven't updated at all!

A lot has happened since my last post. We found a new place to live and moved in over the weekend. The new house (a duplex) is in a much much better neighborhood, and we're enjoying about 4.5 times the amount of space we had at our old house. I haven't decided if I'm going to change the name of my blog yet... No matter what, we'll always remember our little house with the blue door.

We're especially thankful that we were able to find a two bedroom house, because...

our little family is growing!


We found out about 3 weeks ago, and had an ultrasound two weeks later. During the ultrasound the baby measured at 6 weeks 5 days. That was last Monday, so I'll be 8 weeks on Wednesday! The baby's heartbeat was 130, and it was so neat to be able to see it.

We told my family over the weekend, and Donny's family yesterday. Donny's sister has known for a few weeks & we really appreciate her keeping it a secret! Our families are thrilled & can't wait for the baby to get here.

Pregnancy-wise, things have been going well. I haven't gotten sick at all (crossing my fingers), but I have had some food aversions. I'm tired all the time and I go to the bathroom all the time, but as long as we have a healthy baby, it'll all be worth it! :)

I'm really going to try to update on a more regular basis now so I can document my pregnancy and keep everyone informed. :)

Not Me!

Can you believe it's June already?!

It has also been forever since I've posted (again).

Lots of things have happened... We had our vow renewal/wedding reception, which was so much fun! We were blessed with gorgeous weather, which was awesome. On our wedding day last year we had horrible downpours. The church parking lot flooded! Hopefully that means we have lots of good luck. :) I'll post TONS of pictures once I have them!

As today is Monday, head on over to MckMama's blog to join in the Not Me! Monday fun!

Since it is now a week after the wedding, I do not have wedding presents just sitting on the floor of our living room...

I am not spending every day looking for a new house for us. We definitely don't have too much stuff for this little house. Especially now after the wedding. Our lease is also not up until September 1st. I don't want to move that badly...

We are not going to be moving after only a year, when we thought we could stick it out for two. We have not realized that we are paying way too much for our tiny house, and it is not right on a busy street, which makes for some fun people walking by.

The area we live in isn't horrible by any means, but Donny did not have to call me on Saturday to warn me about an intoxicated man walking around the neighborhood. He did not tell me that he encountered said man as he (Donny) was outside talking to our neighbors about our (broken) lawnmower. As he walked by, the intoxicated man apparently mumbled something about now being able to cut the rhubarb. Fun.

When Donny called, I did not look out our kitchen window only to see the man walking down the alley (basically a giant shared driveway) urinating (as he walked, actually) on someone's fence. Lovely.

I wasn't extremely happy that he didn't do that on our yard/garage.

It did not make me want to move even more.

I am not going to use my blog to ask for help in finding a new house... :) If anyone knows of a house for rent (and not super expensive) in the Northeast Wisconsin area that has 2+ bedrooms and allows dogs, please let me know!

Not Me! Monday!

Wow, it has NOT been an extremely long time since I've posted anything!

Speaking of things that I have not done...it's time for Not Me! Monday!!! Here goes:

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Recently, I have not had the baby bug soooo bad. I did not have a super long conversation with a good friend at work (via our instant messaging program!) that led me to come home & finally express what I was feeling to Donny.

We had not previously decided to wait until Donny was done with school. The rest of my school is going to be almost exclusively online, so even if we get pregnant right away, I can still stay enrolled in (and finish) school next May. After much discussion, we decided that we were both ready, and that money shouldn't be the only thing holding us back.

I am not super excited to say (without too many details) that we have essentially abandoned everything preventing us from having a baby! ;)

This is also not going to be a complete secret from our families! (We're going to need some help from those of you who know our families to help us keep it a secret!)

I know my sister-in-law has read my blog on occasion, so Jenn...if you read this, can you help keep it a secret too? (But let me know, because I'm dying to be able to talk to you about it!) ;)

Now I'm not trying to keep myself from becoming obsessed with planning all things baby related. I'm also not trying to just stay relaxed and let nature take it's course. :)

Now, what have you not done recently?!

Happy Monday!

Pay It Forward!

A few weeks (ok, almost a month) ago, I participated in Stephanie's Pay It Forward. I received my gifts in the mail, and now I'm also paying it forward! Stephanie sent yummy Russell Stover chocolate eggs (the marshmallow eggs are my favorite!), magnetic photo holders that will be used to hang some of our vacation pictures on the fridge, and some yummy smelling lotion and body wash. I'll be honest, the chocolate was gone within about a minute of opening the package. Thanks Stephanie!

I copied & pasted the following from Stephanie's blog:

Be one of the first three bloggers to comment on this post. You then agree to share your snail mail address with me so I can send you a small gift. When you receive your gift, blog about this game & link back to my blog in that post. You ALSO AGREE to "pay it forward" and send a small gift to the 3 people who comment on your blog post..... Remember - only comment if you're willing to send out 3 small gifts to other people.

Remember NOT to post about this game until AFTER you have received your gift!

Oh, and those of you who do read my blog on occasion, maybe you can hint about it for me...so I get at least 3 comments! ;)

Monday Already?

Wow, I can't believe it's Monday already! As always, head on over to MckMama's blog to read what everyone else hasn't done!

I have not given in and started allowing Kahlua to sleep in our bed. She's much too big and heavy to fit in our full-size bed with us. I absolutely cannot wait for the day that we can buy a queen bed. Unfortunately we just don't have the space right now.

Donny and I did not seriously consider buying a house after seeing a few that we liked...and then I was not disappointed when we thought about it and realized that it's too soon for us. Donny will be done with school in December of 2010, and we don't want to deal with the hassle of selling a house if the job he accepts takes us out of this area.

I am not extremely excited to leave for our vacation on Friday! I also am not thrilled that tomorrow is my last day of work for the week! (I did not decide that I'd also need off on Thursday, you know, to pack and all.) :)

I have not already made a list of things we need to pack... I am not an obsessive list maker, as Donny would lead you to believe.

I also don't have a basic itinerary all planned out for us. It does not consist of a table with a column for each day and the basic plan for what we're doing that day. To be fair, I don't have an exact plan for each day...the things to do Monday-Wednesday are labeled with A, B and C...some of the things we want to do are outside & this way we can plan which letter goes with which day based on the weather. :)

I'm not super excited about our plan for the day before we come home...I'm so not a history nerd, and so I wasn't thrilled to learn that there's a King Tut exhibit at the civic center right now. I also did not get really really excited when I learned that Dr. Zahi Hawass will be giving a presentation when we're there! I surely did not use the phrase "once in a lifetime opportunity" to convince Donny to go to the presentation with me...

Why I can't keep everything else as planned and as organized as our vacations, I'll never know!

If I'm really motivated, I may even participate in next week's Not Me! Monday while on vacation!

Happy Monday!

Nope, Not Me!

It's Monday already! Like always, head on over to MckMama's blog to read everyone else's!

I'd normally be in class right now, but today was a group work day. I was not extremely excited when the other girls in my group decided they didn't think we needed to meet.

I have not spent my afternoon watching daytime television...I'd never be so unproductive!

I was not back at David's Bridal on Saturday...and I did not cringe when I saw how crowded it was.

We did not decide to eat at HuHot after the girls tried on and bought their dresses. I need to be able to fit in my dress in May, so I always eat as healthy as possible! I guess there are worse places we could have gone... :)

While in line at HuHot, I did not roll my eyes when the older lady behind me asked me to watch her bowl of food while she went back to her table because she needed to check on her fur coat...and then again when she came back to the line with her fur coat draped over her arm.

My friend Nicole brought her adorable baby along on Saturday. I did not once again start getting baby fever and begin thinking about how Donny and I could manage to have a baby while still finishing school. Unfortunately, I think baby plans will have to be kept on hold.

Well, that's all I have for now. Happy Monday!

Mid-Week Update

So I completely slacked on Monday. No Not Me's for me this week. It's actually been a pretty lazy week...just classes and work. And wedding planning. And Atlanta vacation planning. And contemplating joining MckMama on the MckCruise! :)

Speaking of wedding planning, we have just about everything figured out. Finally. 3 of my 5 bridesmaids had their dress fitting last Saturday, and the last two have theirs this Saturday. It'll be lots of fun again, and this time there's only one dress to try on since we have the style officially picked out.

Our next major project will be the invitations. To save money, we're printing them ourselves. I'm saving that for when we get back from Atlanta. We only have 16 days left before we leave! I decided we were going to leave a day early, since it'll be Donny's birthday. We're going to stop in Gurnee, IL for the night. I figured we'd have dinner and then shop at Gurnee Mills. Donny needs some new clothes, and I want to pick out the shoes I'm wearing for the wedding, so it'll work out. He actually doesn't know I booked our hotel already, so honey if you're reading this, surprise! :)

Well, that's all I have for now. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Not Me!

It's Monday again! Join in the fun by heading over to MckMama's blog!

I am not excited to be done with classes for the day, and I'm not totally procrastinating writing a paper that's due later this week.

I did not just finish the last little bit of Nutella in the jar by eating it right out of the jar with a spoon, and thanks to MckMama, I am not completely addicted to Nutella. I have not been experimenting with different ways of eating it, and my favorite so far is not eating it on toast with bananas on top. (Yum!)

Donny & I did not spend Valentine's Day at a brewery...actually, we did. Saturday was his parents' 25th anniversary, so we went to Stevens Point for lunch & a tour of the brewery. We had lots of fun hanging out with his parents & siblings. :)

In other news, I am not completely and totally frustrated with my job. Even though I'm only working 20 hours/week, I'm still working until 9:30 at night. That makes it really hard to read/do homework/eat dinner/spend time with Donny & Kahlua before going to bed by midnight-ish to get up for class the next morning.

My job itself is also incredibly stressful & I'm tired of being screamed at by customers who don't do their research & read the terms before booking their travel. I've decided to start looking for something else, so if anyone knows of a part-time position available in the Green Bay/Appleton area, please let me know! :)

Not Me!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

To get started...I wasn't too lazy to write an intro, so I didn't just copy and paste mine from MckMama's blog...but that's really ok, because it works. :)

The most recent thing I did not do was just 30 minutes ago, actually. Since getting done with class today I have not been sitting at home calling various bakeries for wedding cake prices. After I called about 4 places I wasn't really really wanting a piece of buttercream frosted delicious cake. I definitely didn't decide that Donny and I had to go to Sam's Club to buy one of their cakes (since the guy I talked to about cake prices said they don't do samples of cake -just frosting). We did not just get home after spending $11 on a GIANT cake that will take us (I hope!) about a week to eat.

I also did not actually purchase my wedding dress on eBay this week! It is not so gorgeous and I cannot (really) wait to wear it! I was actually super nervous to order it, but according to my fitting at David's Bridal, it is the correct size.

When writing out the list of food we're going to need to buy for our reception, I didn't start laughing out loud when I realized we're going to need to buy about 75 pounds of potato salad, baked beans & coleslaw (that's 75 pounds of each), about 50 bags of hamburger buns and 3 full sheet cakes to feed everyone!

This is not going to be a super short Not Me! because I did not decide I didn't want to cook dinner & I did not purchase a meatloaf and mashed potatoes dinner from Sam's! (For $8...so we'll see if it tastes as good as it smells!)

Happy Monday!

All About My Husband...

Amanda, Danielle & Stephanie have all done this husband tag/meme, so I thought I'd join in!

Husband Tag

1. Where did you meet?
His apartment in Madison. A friend of mine and I went down to Madison for Halloween weekend. She had dated one of his really good friends (and they were still friends), so we ended up at Donny's for the weekend.

2. How long did you date before you got married?
2 years and almost 7 months. We were engaged for just short of 2 months (one of my first posts explains that).

3. How long have you been married?
It'll be 8 months on the 12th

4. What does he do that surprises you?
On a whim, he'll just suddenly decide he wants to clean...everything. He'll also bring me chocolate & crossword lottery tickets (they're so silly, but I have fun hoping I'll win!) on occasion.

5. What is your favorite feature of his?
His eyes, lips & his arms

6. What is your favorite quality of his?
He's extremely caring & supportive. He even offers to go to Walmart at 2AM to get me cough medicine... :)

7. Does he have a nickname for you?
Sweetie, Sweetheart, Honey

8. What is his favorite color?
Blue

9. What is his favorite food?
Anything spicy. He could eat jalapeños like candy.

10. What is his favorite sport?
He's not really into sports, but he can keep up in a conversation if he needs to.

11. When and where was your first kiss?
November 11, 2005, outside on the balcony of his apartment in Madison.

12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
Cuddling & just talking. We can have a great conversation about almost nothing.

13. Do you have any children?
Not yet...when we're done with school

14. Does he have a hidden talent?
He's a master at Scrabble. He's beaten me every time we've played...and I taught him!

15. How old is he?
22, he'll be 23 in March.

16. Who said I love you first?
Technically he did. It was Christmas, just over a month after we started dating. He opened his present and said, "I love it...and you." I didn't think I heard him correctly, so I didn't say it back. I asked him what he said, but he wouldn't say it again! I think he thought it was too soon & I didn't feel the same way! It took him until March to say it again, but only after I'd bought him a green teddy bear from Build-A-Bear (it was around St. Patrick's Day & we love Irish things) and added the sound thing that says "I love you!" to give him the hint and have him say it again!

17. What’s his favorite type of music?
Classic rock & just rock in general.

18. What do you admire most about him?
He's very dedicated in everything he does. He's trying really hard to find a good job so that I don't have to work & can just focus on school.

19. Do you think he will read this?
He might...especially if I tell him it's about him.

HUSBAND MEME

1. He’s sitting in front of the TV: What is on the screen?
Chuck, Fringe, Life, Life on Mars, Heroes, The Big Bang Theory, Prison Break, Bones, How I Met Your Mother...whew. I think I got all of the shows we watch. We're super busy during the week, so he downloads our shows so we can watch them together later.

2. You’re out to eat. What kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
Either Ranch or French and Ranch together. My college roommate and I both did that & now I've got him hooked.

3. What is one food he doesn’t like?
Tomatoes, peas & broccoli (He's weird.)

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order?
Captain & Diet Coke. Or a beer...generally Smithwick's.

5. Where did he go to high school?
Wild Rose High School

6. What size shoe does he wear?
12 usually

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
Various computers & computer-related parts. They're currently stored in my basement, which is OK because I don't have to see them on a regular basis.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
Roast beef or ham/turkey & cheese on wheat.

9. What would the Husband eat every day if he could?
Ice cream

10. What is his favorite cereal?
Cinnamon Life

11. What would he never wear?
Anything white. He's too messy! :)

12. What is his favorite sports team?
He doesn't have one.

13. Who is his best friend?
I'd hope he'd say me, but probably his friend, Bill

14. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do?
I know he'd say nag. I just do it because I care. :)

15. How many states has he lived in?
Just one.

16. What is his heritage?
That's a good question. He's a mix of lots...Irish, German (I think), lots of European countries.

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind is it?
Cheesecake. Yum!

18. Did he play sports in high school?
Nope

19. What could he spend hours doing?
Sitting at the computer coveting all sorts of electronics that he finds on various forums he reads

That was fun. It took me forever, so now I'll probably tell him he has to read it. :)

School & A Great Cause

It's been awhile again...things have been crazy with school this week. I'm really glad I made the decision to go back & I'm hoping the semester goes well. I'm taking some pretty interesting classes and have a really awesome group project to do for my Public Relations/Corporate Communications class. Basically we get to work with a nonprofit organization in our area to design a press kit for them and give them our ideas for public relations. My group's nonprofit is the Breast Cancer Family Foundation, so I think it'll be a really great experience.

My real reason for this post is to link over to a really great blog, a sister for the bean. The family is raising money to bring their daughter home (via international adoption). They're giving away a totally awesome prize package for donating as well! Head on over and check it out!

Monday Already?!

It's so not time for Not Me! Monday! Make sure you head over to MckMama's blog to read everyone else's posts!

I did not wake up at 8:30 this morning...on my own. It's relatively sad actually, because I can't remember the last time I woke up this early and didn't have anything planned for the day.

One of the reasons I didn't get up early today is because Donny started school today! I did not actually ask him if I could take his picture...and his response definitely was not him shaking his head, chuckling a bit & saying "No." I'm fairly certain he knew that if I took his picture, it would wind up on here in about 10 minutes.

I do not only have one week left before my classes start! And I'm not getting really excited...although one thing I was not (really really not) excited about last week was spending just over $800 on books for the two of us. Ouch.

Once Donny's student loan refund came in, we definitely did not go on a bit of a spending spree...although everything was budgeted for, we still both felt a bit guilty afterwards. It's amazing how quickly money disappears when you're pre-paying a bunch of your major bills.

Today, my plan most definitely is not to just sit around and wait until UPS delivers our new laptops! Once they get here, I'm not going to sit and play with mine and avoid doing the multiple loads of laundry waiting for me...who does that?

I was not up kinda late last night doing more research for our possible trip to Atlanta...I also did not giggle like crazy when I came across this:

The 'l' is still there...it's just gray. So is the 'i' at the end of jacuzzi, actually. I'm not sure why it's like that, but the kid in me was pretty amused. I can't say that that's really an amenity I look for when I go to hotels... :)

A few nights ago, I did not walk over to the couch and see this:

It made me smile, but Kahlua is sooo not allowed on the couch...much less on top of the blanket from our bed.

I also did not spend a ton of time working on my new blog layout...and it's still not working. Does anyone have any suggestions on 3 column layouts? I want to be able to change the background and make everything flow together. Your help is definitely appreciated!

Now, what have you not done recently?

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday (with a few words).

Here are some pictures from Christmas...my cousins and I on my Dad's side & my siblings and I. There's something you need to look out for in the pictures of my siblings and I...you'll see.

Cousin Picture try #1

Try #2...that's about as good as it's going to get. And my aunt's hand is in the picture.

Siblings from left to right: Alyssa, Angela, me, Ryan.
Do you see the fun thing in the picture yet?
It's kinda hard to miss, but only in my family do we take pictures directly into a mirror.
Not only do you get to see my sisters, brother & me...you also get to see my parents & my husband. With a giant flash in the mirror.

Try #2 of the sibling picture:

Donny moved out of the mirror, Mom & Dad are still trying (and not realizing that they're actually being photographed as well). And again, this is about as good as it's going to get for now.

Oh well, I'll just crop the four of us out of the cousin picture:
Not the greatest, but it'll work for now!

Not Me! Monday...

Wow, it hasn't been a really really long time since I've posted anything. But, it's Not Me! Monday, so here are some other things I haven't done recently:

After months of discussion, I didn't give in and buy Donny the Harmony remote that he wanted for Christmas. After not buying it, I definitely didn't let him open it 2 weeks before Christmas; he doesn't get really excited about Christmas and exchanging gifts and didn't ask me "Please?!?" repeatedly until I gave in. In my defense, I did make him wait...one day.

I didn't get really excited about the Entertainment book Donny ordered for me for Christmas. Who gets that excited about coupons? Not me... :)

I'm not getting SUPER excited about school...and am not even more excited that I go down to part time at work next week, because of course I have to have 2 weeks to prepare and get adjusted to my new school schedule...

Donny and I did not learn an expensive lesson recently...do not buy cheaply made furniture. We've done this twice now (you'd think we'd have learned the first time), and after only a few months we now have another broken couch. We finally decided to actually make a furniture investment and spend a decent amount of money on a very nice (and comfy!) sofa, which will hopefully be delivered next week sometime.

I'm not still procrastinating on our vow renewal ceremony and reception plans...because I'm very organized and plan everything waaaay in advance. Yep. I sure do.

I haven't spent more time thinking about our possible Spring break trip to Atlanta than the wedding plans. Oh well...May is still a long way off, right?

Head over to MckMama's blog to check out everyone else's awesome posts!