Leavin' on a jet plane

Hello, hello! Well, we are in the midst of some last minute prep and then it's off to VA for a little holiday break. I'm looking forward to spending time with family, eating at all of my favorite places (a pregnant woman's top priority) and seeing all my favorite lady friends.

In total un-H-like character, I am actually done packing and have the house clean, ready to be left and am sort of feeling calm for once. It's crazy what not procrastinating can do for a girl. Who knew?

I'll be back around for my Week 27 update on Tuesday and pretty sparsely from there until we get home. I'm completely shutting down from work and this little slice of my world for the next several days, but I know I'll be checking in from time to time.

Hope you all have the happiest of holidays!! Check ya soon!

xo,
H

2 months

We are two months into deployment, and where we finally started to settle into a rhythm by the end of last month, we continued to cruise along through the second.

Really, I can't complain. I've heard deployment woes and all sorts of stories from friends and family, but I don't really feel like we've had it too rough. Did we have some dog and car issues? Yes. Did Grace go to the doctors and did we have off days? Sure. But that's just life and something that we'd deal with whether D was here or not.

I feel SO lucky to have my girl on this ride with me. I can honestly say, it's hard to feel lonely when you are in the presence of my sweet thing on a daily basis...or at least busy dealing with her when she's not being so sweet. ;) By night time when D and I would usually have time together at the end of a long day...honestly, I'm just too exhausted to even dwell on the fact that it's just me. Me time is something I need lately. I'm tired, I'm getting further into this pregnancy, and getting to end my day snuggled in bed without bickering over the TV channel is a gift. Sometimes you just wanna watch New Girl instead of Pawn Stars, ya know?!

New Girl fan. Kidding.

That being said, one of the main reasons we have dealt with the last 8 weeks so well is because my husband is still so thoughtful and helpful, even from afar. When I mentioned that I was still getting a Christmas card together this year, he took it upon himself to order return address labels with our new address. Were they what I would have picked out? Nope. Not at all. But in the end, they are perfect because I know he put thought into them and wanted to do something to help out. When I mentioned that I've been too tired to paint the girls' rooms at night, he encouraged me to look into getting them done professionally. My feet are tired? The man supports a good pedicure. Done and done husband.

Here's Grace checking out the Christmas book he recorded for her and sent to us:

I know our situation is unique. We are able to communicate much more frequently then many other deployed families, and it may be the key to my feeling so at ease with all of this. There was a short period of time this past month where I hadn't heard from D and knew my emails hadn't been read and I won't sugar coat it, I was starting to go into freak out mode. It was probably a good reality check to have considering the situation and made me very thankful for the communication pattern we've been able to establish.

If our months continue to fly by as quickly as this last one has, he will be home with us in no time...which is convenient considering an extra set of hands will be appreciated once Miss C arrives. ;) He will definitely not be here for her birth, but we are still holding out on a slim possibility that he will get some leave right after her arrival. If it happens, great. If not? It'll make his eventual homecoming even that more sweet.

Bring on 2013. I'm ready for it. (At least I am this week...)

xo,
H

26 Weeks

December 12 - 18

Whew! Much better week this time around. No crazy dog or child illness, nothing too difficult to deal with. Can't believe I hit 27 weeks tomorrow. Sometimes I forget what week I'm on and still love those email and app updates from Baby Center and The Bump. This is like the pregnancy sweet spot for me, I feel big enough that I'm obviously showing, but small enough that it's easy to get around and I still don't have a hard time picking up Grace, showering, shaving (not that I've done much of that...ha), and the bump looks cute in clothes. Obviously important factors. 3rd tri is so close I can taste it. Oh wait, that's just more chocolate... ;)
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Survey says...

How far along?: 26 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  So literally all week I was 153.5 (+15.5 lbs) and then today, when I do my weekly weigh in for the blog, I was 155.5 (+17.5). Do I think I gained 2 pounds over night? No- this is just the time of pregnancy where I have to be really careful about retaining fluid. I'm drinking more water, added lemon, and picked up some 100% Cranberry Juice as well. I have some short runs scheduled with a friend for the next few days, so hopefully things will even out before my trip. I'll go ahead and stick to 17.5 for my gain though and we'll see what happens next week...after a plane ride and Christmas!

Maternity clothes?: Yup. Probably 95% of the time. Also I accidently ordered a couple more things for our trip home later this week...and had an incident with a hole in my fave pair of maternity leggings. Luckily I can definitely say I'm set through the end of this pregnancy now.

Sleep: Not too bad. I wake up a lot at night, not necessarily to pee, but mostly just to reposition and I end up laying there awak for a little bit. I am sleeping well, but still SO tired by like 2pm. I seriously almost fell asleep working the other day.

Best moment of the week: Got a little surprise in the mail from one of my favorite girls! As I was struggling to keep my eyes opened, the UPS guy (who I keep in business) rang the doorbell and had the sweetest treat from Jen (who just got engaged last night!!! Woo!)...a box of dark chocolate sea salt covered caramel! I promptly ate 3.

 

Jen was concerned, so let me clarify...that is just the first of several
 layers of amazing. She'll feed my addiction for the next week.
LOVE you lady friend.

Movement: Sure do. Wondering if I should remove this one.

Food Cravings: See above. Also, I'm trying out a crockpot French Onion Soup recipe today, so if it all pans out, I'll be one happy momma. Eggs or Raisin Bran Crunch at least once a day. Decaf with creamer.

Gender: Girl

Belly Button: Flat.

Stretchmarks?: Nope. There should be one for Veins?: I'd answer yes. Grace likes to point and say "Purple"...it's really cute...

What I miss: Nothing really.

What I am looking forward to: Being home later this week and catching up with family and friends.

Weekly Wisdom: Hug your babies, don't let the small stuff get you down, remember to be thankful.

Milestones: Got my first few things for Baby C's room! They are all waiting in the wings until I get Grace transitioned to her new space, but as soon as that happens, it shouldn't take much to get the nursery put together. Found a perfect mirror at Homegoods for a steal and little miss got her first onesies and outfits. Girl's gotta have a couple things of her own.

Grace's space: Very sweet, will put her hand randomly on my belly and put my hand over hers. Will talk a little more about "our" baby and seems genuinely excited. Room transition begins in early January, so we'll see how excited she is about that.

 

Belly Pic:

 26 Weeks with C

Note: 2nd day hair never looks good, Heather. Ugh.
Also, my face looks pregnant. :)

 

and

 

26 Weeks with Grace:

 

xo,

H

Thought.

I scheduled today's earlier post last week, before Friday's tragedy occurred. It seems silly now to have some of those things as my "currents" when there are far greater happenings going on around us.

I've never been one to get political on this blog and sometimes, when something is really bothers me I choose not to talk about it...but it seems in bad taste not to mention such a horrific act of violence. I don't know if there is anyway to adequately put my thoughts onto paper, but I will say I held my baby a lot tighter this weekend and thought a lot about her future, and a lot about those who, because of someones selfishness and senselessness no longer have their babies to do the same.

My prayers go out to everyone affected by the Newtown shootings and for the future of our country. I pray that one day, we will be able to send our children to school, or go to a movie theater, or a mall without having the slightest sense of unease. I hope that my daughters never have to worry about their safety in a place where the focus should be on learning and having fun. And to my family and friends who teach, you have always been heroes, but I especially pray for you all as you go back to work today and have innocent questions to answer and try to move forward in maintaining a loving, positive environment for your students.

xo,
H

Currently

Found this on one of my favorite blogs and thought it looked fun...

Watching: X Factor (OMG please tell me someone else is obsessed with Carly Rose Sonenclar!), New Girl, Modern Family, The B in Apt 23, Parenthood, The League, The Mindy Project, The Office...

I know this is a ridiculous amount of shows, but I DVR and then spread them out throughout the evenings so I'm not bored.

Listening to: Judge me, but right now I've been listening to Taylor Swift, Trouble a whole lot. I actually get easily annoyed by her music, but that song is a hit with me.

 

 

Thinking about: How freaking tired I am starting to get. Not cool. Considering getting my iron levels tested if I don't bounce back in a couple of days.

Trying to figure out: How I'm going to make it through Friday's plane ride with a very curious 2 year old.

Looking forward to: The holidays, ending 2012 and getting ready for an exciting 2013. I have such high expectations for this next year. Meeting my girl, ending this deployment, and settling in for awhile.

Reading: Bossypants, by Tina Fey. I've been just reading a little each night to drag it out...I love it so much!
 

Making me happy: A sweet, silly two year old, confidence in making my own decisions and a husband who supports me. An itty, bitty girl that reminds me of her presence daily with belly shaking kicks. Two (semi) healthy dogs who keep me on my toes and friends and family who have been more than amazing. Also, chocolate, hair appointments, and I have to second gel manicures. It's sad how put together they make me feel.

What are you currently up to?

 

xo,

H

Domestic Bliss - Laundry Room Update

Here's no secret: I'm not a domestic goddess. I don't have a cleaning schedule and my laundry often goes through several "air fluff" cycles before I get around to folding it throwing it on my bed in a heap and getting around to it eventually.

Oddly enough, as much as I'm not a huge fan of chores, I couldn't wait to get my hands on our laundry room. It is situated in between the garage and our main floor and serves a dual purpose, as mudroom and a place where the dogs can hang out and not get into things while we are out as well as a place where laundry is done and extra linens are stored.

In just the 5 months we've lived here, it has already gotten used and abused. It's a high traffic area, and the walls were marked up with dirt from the dogs and then room had turned into a place that was not conducive for cleaning.



Hot mess.

After Pinteresting for months and coming up with a plan, I moved forward with getting beadboard installed and painting it in a white semi gloss. It should be easy to clean and make the small room seem a little bigger. Above the washer and dryer I got some basic cabinets from Lowes and had them put up to give us more storage and hide the mess. Finally, I painted above the bead board when my mom and brother were here for Thanksgiving in Wythe Blue, by Benjamin Moore. Here is how it looks today:

I am so pleased with how far it has come and now I can play with the decorative touches and hopefully be compelled to keep things clean. (Let's not get ahead of ourselves though.) I'm planning to add hooks to the right of the door and still playing with some other easy ideas. When I can finally call it "done", I'll be back with more pictures.

Now I'm off to finish my Family Room gallery wall, get a coffee table (it's been ordered!) and get serious about upstairs. I am SO glad I have had these projects to keep myself busy the past couple of months. It's been a blast.

xo,
H

Strike 2

A couple weeks ago, I think I mentioned that I had to have a tire replaced due to a nail...most likely from the construction going on next door or across the street. Obviously no proof, but lets be real, chances are that is how it happened.

We'll get back to how that is relevant to today's story later.

Last week, Major had a major (see, I'm okay enough to joke about it now! ;) pukefest through the night and didn't seem well the next day. I attributed it to him being a puppy, eating grass, or something else that was bothering his stomach and called it a day. The following afternoon and evening, there was more dog vom- and he hadn't eaten, which prompted a 2am call to the vet. Bright and early Friday, much to Grace's delight, Maj got to ride in the car with us to daycare, and was dropped off at the vet for a little check-up.

It was a long day, but let's just cut to the chase and say after an exhausting afternoon of approving serveral test and x-rays, it was determined that he had a blockage, which was not digesting properly and allowing food to pass through his system. The only answer was emergency stomach surgery to remove whatever he ingested, which I was told was more than likely cloth- think underwear or socks. This made me feel sick to my stomach, but mostly because if it was socks or underwear that I left on the floor, D would totally never let me live it down. I eased the pain by treating Grace and I to Mexican for dinner and was housing chips and salsa when I got the call where I had to give the go ahead to move forward with surgery. Fun times.

Later that night we got a call saying that everything went well, he'd be in recovery for the weekend, and they did find something that was causing the issue.

It was not cloth. It was hard, green plastic.

I immediately put on my detective hat and tried to figure out what the heck it could have been. I combed the garage, walked the fenced in backyard, and came up with...nothing. So, I made them save the evidence so that I could get a better look when we went in to visit Major the next morning.

Waiting to see her pup

When I saw it, it was completely obvious what it was. A freaking bottle cap. From a bottle. Cause that's where bottle caps come from. But my issue is that we don't have any of those in our house, so he had to have gotten ahold of it outside. And since I'm a shitty dog owner and hadn't taken the pups for a nice walk in a couple of days, he totally had to have gotten it when he was in puppy jail, aka, the backyard. Which my deductive reasoning leaves me to believe it got tossed over from the construction site next door. Maybe not on purpose, maybe someone was tossing something into the dumpster and it hit the side and fell into our yard...but still, the point is, it didn't come from our house and chances are that is what happened.

So at this point, in less than a month, I've had to replace a tire and pay to have my dog's stomach cut open. I actually have a picture of the stitched up incision, but it's so gross looking that it would be in bad taste to post it here. I have text bombed some people with it, which I think they really appreciated...

Today I went on a pregnant momma bear rampage and wrote a scathing email to the builder attaching all of our invoices. Nothing will probably come of it, but I figure if I don't do anything then I'm guaranteed something else will happen. If I do send it, than at least I can say STRIKE 3 if something else does and get really crazy.

Great times in adulthood and deployment.

xo,
H

25 Weeks

December 5 - 11

What a week! Grace had an earache, Major had puppy surgery (more on that later), and thank the sweet baby J, I had my friend Kara swoop in for the weekend and give me something to be excited about after that crazy few days. We got a jump on another house project (Grace's big girl room!) and even had a toddler free afternoon to run around Savannah and get a nice, adult, fancy dinner that was easily the best food this prego has had the pleasure of eating since we've moved here. I'll have to throw together a weekend recap...even though I basically just gave you one. Pregnancy wise, I'm feeling fine, but noticing that I'm getting bigger quickly and am more tired at the end of the day. Hopefully this is just because of everything going on and that will take the back burner for another few weeks.

__________________________________________________________________________

Survey says...

How far along?: 25  weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  UGH. I hate the scale. On Monday morning it had said I'd only gained a pound this week, on Tuesday, when I do my weekly weigh in, it said I'd gained 3. I know it's a lot of water weight, but seriously not cool scale, not cool. I'm just gonna take a bye week and say up 2 for a total of +15.5, but I'll chug water and get back to you next week.

Maternity clothes?: Yes sir. Whenever possible. Some layering of maternity under a regular button up, but all bottoms for sure.

Sleep: Alright. Nothing special. I'm waking up feeling less rested than usual. I made D promise I could have a morning to sleep past 8 when he gets home. I can't remember the last morning I've slept past 7 even. Wahhh.

Best moment of the week: Having Kara in town! I had so much fun with her here and Grace loved "Tara" too. ;)

Movement: Still my mover and shaker. Less crazy lately, but I've been running around a lot, so probably just less noticeable.

Food Cravings: Chocolate, daily decaf(s) with tons of creamer.

Gender: Girl

Belly Button: Starting to pop out up top.

Stretchmarks?: Not seeing any yet.

What I miss: I'm ready to really step up my workout routine. D is really getting after it while deployed and I know I'm going to want to get back into shape asap. Maybe I should put down the chocolate now and give myself a head start...(or not). Haha, yeah, not happening.

What I am looking forward to: Going home for Christmas.

Weekly Wisdom:  Stay on top of things while you have the energy. I'm the queen of leaving things till the end of the day, but after G goes to bed the last thing I've wanted to do these past few days is dishes or clean up.

Milestones: This isn't a great one, but towards the end of this week I definitely have felt myself slowing down. Still a couple of weeks until I'm in the 3rd trimester, which I both love and hate. Love because it means we are getting closer, hate because I know that all of this great energy I've had is going to go away and I'll be exhausted and huge.

Grace's space: G is on board the baby sis train, and has been so sweet. She will hug my belly, put her hand on it to feel the baby kick, and we have practiced saying her little sister's name. I don't want to jinx anything, but she is going to be so great.

Belly Pic:

 

 

 

and 25 weeks with Grace:

 

 

xo,

H

Bring it on.

This week. It's been a doozy. Apparently yesterday's post was just the tip of the iceberg, and let's just say if bad things happen in threes, I'm ready for the third to hit any day now.

On the plus side?

It's Friday. And all of these little frustrations will be forgotten by next week. Also, I'm gaining deployment sympathy points from the hubs left and right, and I'm glad he realizes what I've had to deal with in his absence. In the end, it's all not really a big deal and any of these things wouldn't be newsworthy if both of us were here to divide and conquer.

Anyways. Things are falling back into place and this weekend is gearing up to be a great one. I've mentioned in previous posts that one of my best friends, Kara, is coming to visit for the weekend. Her trip couldn't have come at a better time and I'm really looking forward to the next couple of days. Some weekend plans include: showing her our town, lunch at our favorite restaurant on the marina, house projects (haha...), our Farmer's Market is doing a holiday edition of the market this weekend with a ton of fun vendors, and of course, no trip would be complete without a trip downtown to Savannah, which is on the books for Sunday afternoon/evening!

We'll see if I can get my act together and manage some pictures. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Check ya Monday, peeps.

xo,
H

Keepin' it real

It's been a really good week. I've gone on 3 mile runs everyday, we had an awesome weekend (that I never recapped...whoops!) full of Christmas parade's, dinner with friends, and a quick photo sesh by Madeline. Gotta get our Christmas cards together and get some pictures off to D for a little present.



Didn't she do an amazing job?!

Then yesterday/today happened...

Mid bath, while I was gloating at the fact that I can shower while my kid plays in the tub and save precious time, there was an incident. Involving poo. Cleaning out the tub, toys, and my child was a lot of fun.

Then I had a 4 am wake-up call care of one of the pups (take your best guess...) who decided he needed to throw up 4 times because grass is apparently both delicious and bothers his stomach. We made it into the laundry room and off of the rug.

Then at 6 am he was hacking again. We made it off the carpet a second time and when I went to the kitchen to grab paper towels he followed and puked on the family room rug.

Obviously this signaled Grace that it was an appropriate time to wake up.

We got off to school without a hitch and I pulled back into the house ready to start over and get my day on. I bring the dogs into the garage from the backyard if they are dirty so that they dont run through the house. As I closed the garage door and opened the door to the house, I noticed Major was no longer with Molly and I.

Wanna know where he was?

Oh, he had run back outside and jumped into a construction worker's car. Ready to make a break for it.

At that moment I officially decided today was just not destined to be awesome and had chocolate with my coffee for breakfast. That actually seemed to help. ;)

I'm off to finish work, get the casa in order, vacuum my rug and air out the laundry room that smells of cleaning solution and stank.

Is it Friday yet?

See also, why we keep the dogs...she's using her whisper voice and telling him to be quiet because Molly is "sleeping"...

xo,
H

24 Weeks

November 28 - December 4

Time is moving again. I go through such weird lulls and then things speed back up. I wish I had more consistancy. Some days I think about how soon 15 ish weeks are going to be up and get all anxious about writing down directions for feeding the dogs and caring for my child and getting things in order. Others, I realize that I've done an okay job of pacing myself so far and shouldn't need to worry about the little details until after the holidays. I just want to make sure that as things get closer I am overly prepared since I won't have D here as my back-up. On the plus side, I have some pretty great help, and that makes me feel less stressed about it all.

__________________________________________________________________________

Survey says...

How far along?: 24 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +1.5, making a total of +13.5 so far. With Grace I was up 18 lbs at 24 weeks, so I'm still slightly behind that still. I'd like to keep it that way. At this point with Grace I started gaining like 2 pounds a week and my weight skyrocked quickly. I'm hoping to stay closer to a pound a week and give myself some wiggle room around Christmas.

Maternity clothes?: Most of 'em.

Sleep: Really well, aside from waking up before 6 am with Grace both days this weekend. Not sure what her deal was. Then, just when all seemed well, the little one woke me up at 4:45 on Monday morning with her party rocking. I'm already being ganged up on.

Best moment of the week: Got my first little run in since being told I was good to go. Aside from wanting to pee myself, it went great! Looking forward to some more this week.

Movement: See the Sleep section above. Girlfriend gets jiggy with it. So yes, yes to movement.

Food Cravings: Not too crazy. Still love my dark chocolate. I'm getting more and more into the habit of having a bowl of cheerios/banana and almond milk for breakfast and an egg/veggie wrap for lunch. Trying to get smoothies back in as an afternoon snack and really stay semi on track between now and when we go home for the holidays. Easier said than done.

Gender: Girl

Belly Button: Awkward as ever. I should take a picture some time and you all can show it to your teenage girls one day to scare them away from getting their belly buttons pierced. Mama does know best. I should have listened to her on that one!

Stretchmarks?: No newbies, but I look veiny. It's really attractive.

What I miss: I had a dream that I was crossfitting and someone was going easy on me instead of telling me to add more weight to my push press. I was SO frustrated. I guess I miss crossfit a little bit? Planning to get back into it more seriously post babe.

What I am looking forward to: Kara comes this weekend! Looking forward to hanging out, maybe doing a few house things, and having a fun few days.

Weekly Wisdom:  Time flies when you are having fun...or just distracted with other things. Staying busy really helps with both the pregnancy and deployment.

Milestones: Nothing big this week. I used viability last week, so I guess that can still apply.

Grace's space: I always laugh when I come to this section of the survey, because this is really such a funny age. Grace has put her hand on my belly to feel the baby, but it's hit or miss as to what she thinks about everything. You'll see in the video below, I've documented a big, fat miss.

 

 

Oh well. Just this morning she pulled up my shirt (at home, haha), gently rubbed my belly and then pulled it back down. It was cute. 

 

Belly Pic:

 

24 weeks with C

 

24 weeks with G...

 

xo,
H