Hump Hump

nothing much going on - chugging along (falling asleep most nights real early... BLUGH it's like First-Tri fatigue again...)

waiting for E to send me a bunch of pictures from the weekend (we spent it down the shore - beach, boardwalk, crabbing at the bay...)

this weekend E's going on his annual canoe trip and we're scheduling play dates, splash pads, and breakfasts...

For now, Happy Hump Day!

And Bump day!

String-Bean Button

We finally had Button's 2-year appointment last night (I love our ped office - late nights once a week for working parents! although I've never hesitated to take off work if Button needs to get to the doctor...)

It was fun to see them now that #2 is on the way, and before Button's appointment, they first entered info for their "new upcoming patient" and her EDD as well as that I'll be scheduling the RCS soon...


I had been excited to see what percentile Button was for length - you know, a more official measurement than his little giraffe/monkey growth chart on the wall of his room...

So we got him down to his skivvies and stood him, like a big boy, on a scale... off came the wet diaper (which weighed like, 4oz!) and Button's official 2-year weight was recorded as 29lbs6oz - almost dead center between 50th and 75th percentile, around the 62th percentile

(I'm trying to find all of Button's previous weights to log his growth, because the first few months he was barely on the chart - but alas, to get access to the patient portal you have to pay an annual like, $50 subscription (which is relatively cheap) but ours lapsed... )

And then we layed him on the exam table where the nurse marks his length with a pen and allows him to get up off the table and she then measures the marks she made at his head and feet... I registered the 36 and 3/4" length, curiously wondering exactly what that meant - tall for his age? short? average?

The nurse finished her stuff, and in came the doctor with her "fun" stethoscope and ear-scope, which he totally eyed up distrustfully, but was totally awesome sitting in Daddy's lap for his whole exam!
(INCLUDING the finger stick at the end, followed by SQUEEZING and SQUEEZING of his finger tip to get blood for hemoglobin and lead levels - all fantastic and/or "below normal" - which means, even if we did have lead paint in our house, Button's certainly not eating the paint chips!)

Ben holding his post-finger-stick gauze on like a trooper!

And as the doctor's confirming things like, he drinks enough milk, gets enough fruit & veggies (and so is pooping accordingly), sleeps 11 hours a night, sleeps in a toddler bed, doesn't use bottles or pacifiers anymore (HEAR THAT SIL?! how does your doc not tell you to stop?!) she throws out his weight percentile and then his height - I nearly choked (but not really) because, at 36.75" this boy is in the 97th percentile!!

       (this chart seems to register just under 95th %-tile... Meh - let's say between 95th and 97th...)

Like E pointed out, that means if there is 100 kids in the room his age, only THREE (to five lol) will be taller than Button!


Three stickers later (Elmo, dinosaur and truck - Elmo won for the coveted shirt spot!) and we headed out to pick up dinner at our local (and my favored) Noodles & Company, shaking our heads and laughing, muttering to ourselves, "97th percentile?!"

*all statistics according to the CDC Birth to 36 Months: Boys Growth Chart

Humpitty Bumpitty...

Happy HumpDayBumpDay!

Also- since it's Wednesday, let's do a Reading Challenge update!

Last total book count: 49 books read, 39 books from the Challenge List
New total book count: 58 books read, 43 books from the Challenge List

(Holy moly - only 7 books left to read!!)

Jumping right to where we left off:

#50. Finders Keepers by Sean Costello     N/A category    (fin 8/6/15)
One of those books I was sitting at lunch, bored, and began reading via my phone app - and actually pretty good! It chases a lottery ticket ($10million winner!) around and around as murder and mayhem are committed by those wanting the ticket for themselves... a light read, but well written!

#51. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer    #19/50: A book based on a true story    (fin 8/6/15)
This is a movie I actually saw first, starring Emile Hirsch.  An article was first written for Outside Magazine by Krakauer shortly after the body of Christopher McCandless was discovered in a bus in the Alaskan wilderness, and the article developed into this book.  It leads us all into the wilderness with McCandless, as he traveled through the U.S. on his journey, meeting a number of people along the way (interviews with them are included in the book!)  A great read!

#52. The Christmas Train by David Baldacci    #45/50: A book set during Christmas     (fin 8/10/15)
I've read David Baldacci before and liked his style of writing, so this book won out over guaranteed-to-be-cheesy Debbie Macomber and other Christmas books... A man, after a lifetime of dangerous combat-zone reporting, is set to take The Capital Limited from D.C. to Chicago, followed by The Southview Chief on into L.A. (He had recently been banned from airline travel for two years after an interesting altercation with security at LaGuardia Airport!)
It set up like a Woody Allen comedy, but there was still romance, and mystery (a thief on board!) and danger (record-breaking snow-storm to be traveled through)
I enjoyed reading!

#53. Pretty Baby by Mary Kubrica    #20/50: A book at the bottom of your to-read list   (fin 8/11/15)
I went literal with this category (I had first interpreted it as a book you totally didn't want to read, which didn't really make sense) so I instead pulled the most recently added book from my to-read list (at the literal bottom!)
(This was also a book I read a review for on this blog and literally the same day began reading it!)
I will put out a *TriggerWarning* as the main character, a woman who takes in a homeless girl and her infant, is still basically suffering from PTSD from an abortion she had years prior after a cervical/uterine cancer diagnosis, in order to save her own life... A very interesting read, if you're able to handle the trigger - I'd definitely recommend!

(#54 - 57) The Last Survivor Series by Susan Beth Pfeffer   #32/50: A trilogy
      #54. Life As We Knew It   (fin 8/13/15)
          Book Number One (in a four-part series - so not a trilogy, but close... lol) follows a teenage girl, diary-style, as the world undergoes radical natural changes: an asteroid strikes the moon, knocking it closer to the earth and setting off changes in the tidal cycle that wreak havoc on the world (tsunamis, flooding, volcanic eruptions, ash clouds, temperature changes)
     #55. The Dead and Gone   (fin 8/14/15)
          Book Number Two finds the readers going through the asteroid strike and whole world-ending thing again, but this time from the perspective of a highschool junior boy living in N.Y.C. We get to see a bit more of the global impacts and happenings, as he navigates the new world with his two younger sisters.
     #56. This World We Live In   (fin 8/16/15)
          Book Number Three catches up with the teenage girl from Book One, but approximately one year after The Event, as she (and family members) have adjusted (somewhat) to the new normal in their PA neighborhood.
     #57. Shade of the Moon   (fin 8/17/15)
          Book Number Four follows all of the characters, as they are now four years past The Event, and are living in a new "enclave" - a secure caste-based community rigidly monitored and maintained.
As you can see, I read through these books pretty quickly - not because they were quick reads, but because I couldn't put them down (I did not get as much work done as I should those days, instead choosing to read lol)
I think it's a really interesting post-apocalyptic story because it's a story not quite hit on yet - we've all (hopefully!) seen Armageddon, or we jump to The Hunger Games and see what the world's like decades after whatever happened.  This is a refreshing non-zombie/plague/virus-related tale! Highly recommended!

#58. Remember When #2 by T. Torrest    N/A category   (fin 8/15/15)
This series was one I loved when I read the first book (reviewed here) and became sad when I couldn't find the (ahem free) book anywhere to download... I finally bit the bullet and paid for the 2nd book (another day I was probably dying to read something and only had my phone on me)
A fun read, great steamy sex scenes (that aren't actually cheesy at all...) (and now I'm in the middle of reading the final Remember When #3!)



I'm also currently reading (when not at my desk for Remember When #3) a book called The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - I'll have to be careful, I began it when very distracted last night and it's a book that needs full attention (but seems very good so far!)

a love letter to Blogger...

Dear Blogger:


I can still remember, two years and three months ago, sitting down at the computer - one week post-MMC + D&C - trying to find an outlet for the thoughts I used to so regularly pen into an old-fashioned notebook (mostly in highschool - boy are those fun to look back and re-read! I was so boy crazy!!!)

And somehow, of all the blogging platforms and sites, I stumbled upon you, Blogger.  It must have been the clean format, the easy app available, and the fact that you connected to an existing Google account (oh modern technology! I used to pick journals/diaries based on how strong the lock was, or how pretty the cover!)

I've seen/read of bloggers who print and bind pages and pages of blog entries, so they can have a tangible journal to hold, to re-read and reminisce.  While I would definitely want to review and edit some entries before-hand (I don't think making fun of fBFF's fat elbow dimples warrants a page in the book - in case anyone else were to read!), it's definitely something I've considered doing - especially as I sometimes think, technology isn't fool-proof, what if something big happens and I lose two years and three months' worth of thoughts and emotions and happenings?!
 (and then sometimes I shake my head, like any Generation Z'er, and think, silly me - the internet is infallible!)

And Blogger, even in addition to providing me a place to write my heart out, you've also provided a community that I've discovered over the past few years - other bloggers!!! (even the ones that don't - gasp - use your platform!)

If I hadn't ever created a blog, I would never have found sites like TheStirrupQueens - an incredible resource for basically everything pregnancy- and loss- and infertility- and adoption- and surrogacy-related.  (And I mean everything - check out the left-hand sidebar on her page! DAMN IMPRESSIVE!)

She also hosts this fabulous thing called (for short) ICLW - which stands for IComLeaveWe - which even then stands for: International Comment Leaving Week, which (according to that first page describing it) began in 2008.  It's basically bloggers, reaching out to other bloggers in an intense comment-leaving-week... and it's where I've both discovered some great blogs, as well as been discovered by other great bloggers!
(***UPDATE! sadly - as I realized that the most recent month listed on mel's homepage was June 2015, I discovered that ICLW is being, at the moment, retired... I honestly wondered about its future when the June list was only 10 blogs, and in the past it averaged 25, and I always tried to make it in the first 10 (listed by date they signed up for ICLW) because I worried no one ever checked down at number 24 on the list... Thank you Mel, for hosting it as long as you did!)

Some great bloggers I discovered through community forums with that great little link in their signature, "my blog."  One of these is the blogger I call Wease (find her awesome blog here!)

Just a few days into my own blogging adventure, I discovered hers - and that she had experienced the same loss I had just gone through! It began with commenting on each other's blogs, continued on with emails and hours spent chatting online, and after an epic visit TWO years (TWO YEARS?!) ago, we became IRL besties!

(She is also totally my mid-west doppleganger!)
Unless vacations have us away from our work desks, there's rarely a day that goes by without us chatting - about our two-year-old boys (can you believe that?! born just three days apart!!), and about what's going on at our respective jobs, and about TTCAL the second round (TFAS) and about being PGAL again (yup!! we're both pregnant again together! due just 4 weeks apart!) There is nothing off-limits for us (or TMI!)


Another fabulous blogger-friend I've recently made is Krystal - mom of two angel boys and a brand new baby girl (well, um - 6-months-old brand new!)  And for people wondering about these "friendships" and "well, really - how well can you become friends/close with someone online?! What about like, The Craigslist Killer?!"
It's something that really is hard to explain, until you experience the drawing together of an online community in support of loss-moms, you may not understand it - but it is so real, and genuine...
we mail each other gifts - Krystal recently sent Baby Girl her first one!

An adorable sleeper (fox-feet! ZOMG!) 

a softer-than-soft sleep sack

and a more-precious-than-imaginable book...

About that book... Krystal's precious baby boys, Connor & Benjamin, were born on January 10th, 2014 - at only 22 1/2 weeks gestation - too early for survival - from an infection called chorioamnionitis. 

The book Snuggle Puppy is a book that Connor & Benjamin have - and it means so much to me that Krystal wanted Baby Girl to have a copy of this book - I'll definitely be thinking of Krystal's sweet boys each and every time we read this...

That's the closeness and friendship you get through online communities like the one Blogger has opened up to me...

So, in addition to a big thank you to Krystal for the great gifts! - a big thank you, and "I LOVE YOU!" to Blogger - without you, I (we) wouldn't be here today and that definitely seems like a lonely place to be!

Love, 

an adoring fan/blogger/blog-reader

( EX ) BIL update - because...

Well I completely forgot I'd "told" you guys about the saga/drama with BIL asking for a divorce, but I did tell you - and there's an update due, which is important to share because then I have to "tell you" about the really weird dream I had with him in it the other night...


But first thing's first, the update:
I think the last word was that he had asked for a divorce, had just moved out of their apartment, and had SIL thinking she caused it - that she hadn't responded well enough when he said "I'm not happy" (I'm not sure he ever actually said that to her) and that she just wasn't able to provide the level of support and love and affection he apparently needed.

Well - that's all complete and utter bullshit.  How do I know, you ask?

Because a week after he walked out, lo and behold (through a friend of a friend of a cousin) it was discovered that he'd been seeing another woman.

Had been seeing her for at least a few weeks before he ever walked out...

And had moved in with her nearly immediately, had already been on an Italian vacation with her (days after leaving SIL), etc.

The douche-baggery just kept coming - SIL won't go after alimony (she'd be entitled to about $1,700/month for 2 years) because she doesn't want to "drag everything [personal life and details] through the courts" so he got off lucky on that count.  But the car he'd purchased while they were married was paid for ($8,000 deposit) from their joint account, and so - something like - he owed her $4,000 for the vehicle in the division of assets.

He (apparently) bitched about the cost of switching the title to just his name ("I had to spend like, $4K to [do that] and now I gotta pay you [SIL] $4K - it's not really fair, I don't have the family you do to support me!")

Well.

Whose fucking fault is that?!??!?!?
(***That he voluntarily walked away from a "built-in" family, not that he had no living family relatives...)

anyways - so, level 9 douche bag.  Has been spotted out and about with new girl, traveling with her, hearts out their asses, etc.



And then I had a dream with him in it earlier this week - I mean, a dream with him in it - we were "together" somehow, and had sex in the dream...
(a little backstory - he's a decently attractive guy, but his personality - or what we thought we knew of his personality - made him more attractive, overall - so I guess it's not crazy that it was him in the dream, but - he was is such an asshole!!!!!)


From what I remember, it was pretty good sex too (it's been a few days...)

Shudders

Another "Half-Baked" post!!!

About 2 years and 5 months ago, we were half-baked with Big Boy Button...

And yesterday we were half-baked with his baby sister!!

Baby:
• Gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting
• She's got working taste buds!
• (and yet Baby Girl is still just "Baby Girl" - still working on a name!)
Mommy:
• Increased blood flow is making the pelvic area extra-sensitive
• The weight gain has just barely begun
• The libido is resurging (oh really?! I've yet to see that! lol)
• Shortness of breath. As your uterus expands, it pushes against your lungs.
• Vaginal discharge. You can expect this to keep increasing until delivery. (great. more changing underwear midday and thinking I've "leaked")

 



Best Moments This Week: Seeing baby girl again this morning!!!



 (profile pic makes me wonder/nervous if she's got the [Family] nose from Eric's grandfather's side.... eeek!)










(And she is 100% confirmed, yes a girl!)










 








Total Weight Gain: Just over 10 lbs, and baby girl measures 13oz as of this morning's anatomy scan!

Maternity Clothes: totally in (well, not quite totally - maxi skirts are still a go, as well as a few regular flowy tanks...)

Symptoms: none really, except kicks! =)

Sleep: a night here and there randomly I'll crash early on the couch, otherwise getting decent sleep (around rolling side to side and readjusting my pillow...)

Food Cravings: nothing really crazy - it can change hour to hour...

Anything making you queasy or sick:  No

Movement: Lots!! It was so fun to watch her kick and jump and pop on the ultrasound screen this morning and feel it at the same time!

Stretch Marks: Still just ones I had on my hips from highschool...

Gender: Baby Girl!!

Labour Signs: Too early. (was worried I was leaking fluid the last week or so, but nope - just lovely pregnancy discharge (I hate that word) and amniotic fluid levels looked great this morning!

Belly Button In or Out?: In (never turned out last time either)

Wedding Rings on or off?: On

Happy or Moody?: Happy!! I kept thinking, "thank you God!" as each measurement came back "Beautiful" (according to doc) or healthy this morning - kidneys! stomach! bladder (that the tech could see slowly filled during the scan, so she's swallowing fluid great!) four-chambered heart! umbilical cord and flow (and connection at her and placenta) looked great!
and ten fingers and toes!

Purchases for baby: Yea, I think I mentioned the baby legging splurge I went on last Friday =)

Purchases for Momma: Nothing recently - got some great tanks from SIL on Friday for my birthday!

Miss Anything?: Still would love a cold frozen something... although maybe it's not as bad, I didn't even get anything virgin when we were out for my birthday dinner on Saturday night! The raspberry lemonade tasted fabulous as is!

Looking forward to: More regular kicks - I think the bigger she gets, the better E can feel them from the outside (right now she likes to get kicking when I lay down directly on my side... although she was a mover & shaker this morning!)

Until (of course) we tried to get a good facial 3D shot, and baby girl just decided to curl up on the placenta and get all cuddly & cozy!

T-minus 1.... ZERO!!!!

Thursday (T-minus 1...)
Yesterday I decided to somewhat "Treat" myself - and when I say that I mean I was supposed to go out to MIL's after work to pick up Button (E had a dentist appointment in a nearby town at 4:45) and then decided, E will probably be out of his appointment and by his mom's around the same time I would arrive after getting out of work and driving over there...
so I asked him if he'd mind grabbing Button while I went home and got some personal time in on the elliptical (and with some free weights).  Exciting, right?! =) (I did get to read my book while working out!)
Then E had a hockey game that he had to leave at 7:30 for, so it was Button and I for a video-chat session with Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) and they got to see him goof off and the lil' baby bump (apparently they recently video-chatted with SIL and she's huge already...) and then bathtime and bed.
So, the night before I turned 30 - I got to work out (and relished in it) and video chat with my parents!

Friday (THE BIG DAY!!!!!)
TODAY!

As of 7:30am this morning, I am now officially 30 (GAH! OMFG! NO MORE TWENTIES! EEEEEEK IT FEELS SO WEIRD SAYING THAT! (wait, how does this go? are all of those supposed to be hashtagged??))
(I think at 7:15 when our alarms started going off and E rolled over and said "Happy Birthday babe" I even said back to him, "I'm still 29 for another 15 minutes...")

He got up and made me a great breakfast - french toast, sausage, orange slices - and put a candle in the french toast.  Too bad (for once) Button had no interest in singing "Happy Birthday" and in fact "blew raspberries" at me (ok, I'll admit it - he spit - even he knows it's called spitting...) and then cried when I blew out my candle because he had wanted to help (but hadn't stopped spitting yet) - #assholeparent.

E is also working from home today (which means he better have the house cleaned up!) because his whole family is coming over tonight for dinner, cake & coffee (and presents!)

And tomorrow?

Our family celebration day - we'll go (the three - well, four of us) to South Street Seaport and cavort and have fun and eat dinner!


If only I didn't have pesky work today... (which was slightly unavoidable, with immediate supervisor being on vacation all next week and loose ends she and I needed to tie up before her vaca...)
((I also spent some birthday time this morning shopping for baby girl... Leggings... Lots of Leggings...))

(and notice the price? no, I did not spend $90 on leggings, I in fact spent $24.99... thanks to the spammy email offers of "5 FREE BABY LEGGINGS!" (which they were!) and then each additional pair was $2... and then S&H was $16. lol but still! $24.99 for NINE pairs of baby leggings..... SWOON!)

T-minus 3... 2...

Tuesday (T-minus 3)
After getting to Kmart (with Button) Monday night to get organization bins for nursery closet, I decided to stop nesting for the night - I'll have nothing left to nest with if I clean out the nursery closet, organize my shoes, and unpack all the girlie-girl clothes now!!

Except - then I decided to do just all that Tuesday night...

Button helped me (he's so task oriented, it's great!) move shoe boxes into the master bedroom, and I sorted through and put them away in my new shelf in the crawl space after he'd gone to  bed...

I then went through just one bin of the three (the one with newborn - 12month clothes... and not really all that much newborn, or even 0-3m, clothing...) and just nested a little bit.

But I won't lie - there's little drawers at the top of the nursery closet now with pink, purple and ruffles showing through!!

Wednesday (T-minus 2!!!)
Today I've been struggling against a lack of motivation for work (which I am trying to keep balanced with reading a book (via .pdf file) here and there between actual work...)
Spent some time pinning all kinds of Baby Girl things... crochet patterns, cute photo ideas, fashion inspiration... CANNOT WAIT for December!!!!

A quick Wardrobe Wednesday (when was the last time I did one?!)


I'm lazy today... at least they all match...



maxi skirt from Burlington Coat
tank top is a hand-me-down from (I think) SIL
and my staple grey cardigan













And a Reading Challenge Update (dude - if I don't do these weekly, I end up with like, 10 books to review!)
Last check in (on 7/2/15) had the totals at:
30 books read
20 books left

The new count:

New non-challenge and challenge totals went from 36 total books read to a new total of 49 books read!
We left off as I was in the midst of reading number 37...

#37. Melting Into You by Tracey Alvarez    N/A category    (fin 7/2/15)
This was the second book in the Due South Series - a light read which just switched characters from the first book (In Too Deep) for a similarly-sexy love story

#38. The Watcher by Platt & Wright    N/A category     (fin 7/2/15)
A short story by the guys who wrote Yesterday's Gone about a guy who takes it upon himself to be the unofficial - and creepy - neighborhood watchman! pretty cool, crazy ending!

 #39. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty    #28/50: A book with antonyms in the title    (fin 7/4/15)
A great book - started out seemingly shallow, with three moms from different economic backgrounds with children at the same elite preschool... digs much deeper in with domestic violence and parenting, overall a great read, especially as a parent to a toddler!
(*I have a number of other books by this author on my general "To-Read" list!)

#40. Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter    #46/50: A book written by an author with your same initials   (fin 7/6/15)
well.   obviously we can all guess what my initials are then... lol
as I just read an amazon review to refresh myself on which book this was, I got a jolting reminder - a murder mystery that opens with a blind woman who was raped and stabbed in a handicap stall after being lured to a diner restroom.  And the review that jolted me was about the very graphic description of rape & tortue performed by the killer... if you're into this - a great book to check out, but I remember finishing it while on vacation in CO and being left a little bit disturbed at the level of depravity attributed to this killer...

#41. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey    #39/40: A book with magic    (fin 7/11/15)
After reading this, I wouldn't quite describe it as magic, as things and events in the book eventually receive an every-day explanation, but it definitely started as magical: based on an old russian fairytale (Russian, I think) an older couple, never able to bear children, create a snow child one night with special mittens, scarf and hat.  The next morning, the snow child is gone and they start to encounter a magical girl that lives in the wilderness (in ALASKA!  hence the "magic" expected!)
It reminded me a bit of the movie The Odd Life of Timothy Green - which was interesting, just as interesting as this book...

#42. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Luis Sachar   #33/50: A book from your childhood   (fin 7/16/15)
(need I go on about this one?? classic!)

#43. Defending Jacob by William Landay    #43/50: A book that takes place in your hometown   (fin 7/16/15)
(So the hometown aspect of this was hard because
1:  I've moved from NJ(Town#1) to TX(Town#1) to TX(Town#2) to MA(Town#1) to MA(Town#2) to TX(Town#3) to NJ(Town#2) and yea well - not really a "hometown"
and 2. even any of the towns I lived in were pretty small time... so we went with the next best thing: a general Massachusetts suburban town (they're all pretty much the same!)
This book follows the father (a prosecuting attorney) of a boy who is eventually accusing of murdering a classmate...
It delves deep into a nuture vs. nature debate regarding killers - are they born? or raised? - and has a great surprise ending!! (which also definitely threw me, and seemed a bit abrupt ) but a great overall read!!

#44. The Tenth of December by George Saunders   #12/50: A book of short stores   (fin 7/19/15)
Overall a well-written collection of short stories - I never loved short stories because just as I get into one, and really deep into what happens next, it ends!!!

#45. The Cider House Rules by John Irving   #30/50: A book that came out the year you were born   (fin 7/26/15)
So considering we all now know I'm turning 30 (in a few days!!!) we can (hopefully!) calculate that I was born in 1985, the year this book was written - despite a movie being made from it more recently (1999).  I faintly remembered the movie as being great, and after reading the book (even better!) I'm really interested in re-watching the movie!
About an orphan who is never adopted from an orphanage/hospital, he apprentices with the physician learning abortions and procedures, without having ever stepped foot in medical school...
TRIGGER WARNING:  graphic descriptions of abortive procedures and numerous women who die from attempted procedures...

#46. Entwined, Entangled & Enthralled by Colette Gale   #31/50: A book with bad reviews   (fin 7/27/15)
So it's hard, on B&N book lists, to find books with bad reviews - you'll mostly find books with a 4-5 star rating, but only based on ONE review... until I found this sucker with just 2.5 stars...
it's even smuttier than 50 shades (though never as debased as pulling tampons out... oh, spoiler alert?)
with each pair of characters hooking up to bang it out; and it was easy, at the end of this book when they left you all cliff-hangy and wondering what happens to the heroine, to close it and not get the next installment, even being another free book...
looking for light reading to get you in the mood for FW? This is the book for you!

#47. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan   #6/50: A book by someone under 30   (fin 7/30/15)
A great book following three women - the matriarch, her daughter, and her granddaughter, as they eventually end up at the Maine summer home the matriarch owns.  It's a good read, nothing phenomenal, but a good read...

#48. Stowaway Bride by Adrianne Wood   N/A category   (fin 8/2/15)
(So you'll frequently see very close "finish" dates, and it's because I almost always have two books going - I enjoy reading at lunch time, and so if I'm unable to access the one book I'm reading via my phone, I'll download another light read from B&N on my phone's Nook app...)
This would be one of those times I was at lunch and needed something to read... A light romance about a girl in the pioneer days hiding aboard a rail car, thinking her mother was on the private Pullman, and instead meets a railroad entrepreneur cowboy! (And of course, love ensues...)


#49. Bound by Melody Anne   N/A category   (fin 8/4/15)
(Another book when I was at lunch with nothing to read...)
Basically a 50Shades wanna-be where a woman joins an escort service for lack of better income to rescue her little brother who is in foster care, and mysterious Blake comes by and is enamored with her (even though she's "not ready" to service customers) and after a set amount of time (1 week) of hot and heavy sex, they've fallen in love - but neither are ready to admit it! (stupid authors - give you the first book for free, and then really leave you on a BAD cliff hanger - he drops her back off at the escort center - and then charges you $2.99 for the next book!)

Moar Books left on The Reading Challenge... moving on...


And now I'm currently reading (both) Finders Keepers (not on the list of categories) and Into the Wild... (the first is the one I read while at home and lunch - available on my nook and phone app, while I read the .pdf of Into the Wild while at my desk at work.... ssshhh!!)

Regular Programming: Makin' Mucho!

Monday Makin' here a day late (trying to keep up with the "regular" series... ha)

it's just gonna be a flood of pictures, projects, and maybe some approximate dates I did things...

Firstly - after seeing on message boards how someone had created their own living locket (kind of like this company's) but through separate vendors on Etsy, making it less than HALF the cost of that company's finished piece - I decided to do the same!




This picture kind of sucks, it more shows how the whole piece looks hanging together...

The individual components can be seen better here: (all prices incl S&H)
1. a Rose gold locket (with chain) ($9)
2. (a second option rose gold toggle chain) ($8)
3. CHARM: music clef with rhinestone ($0.65)    I've been playing piano for nearly 25 years
4. CHARM: "LOVE" ($1.50)     I just loved (ha, get it!?) this charm
5. CHARM: black camera with rhinestone ($1.50)     my hobby/second passion to piano
6. CHARM: swarovski birth stones (December + July) ($1.30total)     Button's birthstone, and Baby#2's birthstone (since she's a RCS, there's no chance she'll be January lol)
7. CHARMS: floating pearls-qty5 ($2.50)     The pearls were just pretty, filling out the rest of the locket
8. large rhinestone angel wing ($4)     For my angel baby...

So for a total of $34.67 (add'l $6 in misc S&H) I got a living locket necklace that would have cost
from that company:
Locket   =  $20
Toggle Chain  = $22
Reg. Chain   = $22
(3) charms at average $5/ea = $15 total
Swarovski Birthstones (2) = $10 total
(best comparable) angel wing dangle  = $8
TOTAL: $97 !!!!!

so yea, that was awesome...


I also have been enjoying my adult coloring book (no no noooooo not a XXX coloring book!!! *I don't think they make enough shades of "Flesh" crayons for that!!!)

This kind of adult coloring book:

Very therapeutic, yet really time consuming (I think it took a few weeks' of 5-minute sessions to finish this one!)


And a really awesome Monday Makin' production is:
HOMEGROWN KALE!

We've had kale salad, kale chips (recipe here), and kale smoothies! (no smoothie recipes - I just wing it!) ((ok the "we" only applies to that first one, I've been the one making - and eating - kale chips and smoothies!))
We have 4-5 heads going in our garden right now - and for just a few small plants, we get at least 3-4 salads' worth each time I pick - weekly!



And here's a peek at the big project that's been on going for a number of months now (currently re-crocheting the hood as the first came out big enough for a bowling ball...)

The pieces before assembly... ... ... ... and the pieces being assembled!

Countdown (to 30): T-minus 5.... 4....

So - as of right now, I'm calmly accepting that I'll be 30 on Friday.


As of right now...

Something fun to distract me:
Five day countdown of Snapshots til 30:

Sunday (T-minus 5!)
The weather was predicted to be GORGEOUS (and I had spent the previous day indoors shooting an engagement photo-session) so we headed to a local park/zoo with Button.

We prepared lunch (PBJ, pretzels, applesauce pouch, dried apple chips) to eat during the carride back  home since I knew we'd be pushing close to naptime and I didn't want him falling asleep in the car...

So after a great morning (we beat the crowds!) riding a big carousel (a Cheetah! and a panda bear!) and a choo-choo-train trip (that winds through the small zoo) and checking out the animals (he was most entertained by the donkeys and cows.... of course. forget the exotic monkeys swinging from branch to branch...) and some ice cream - we made it home without Button crashing in the car...

(of course, it probably was due to me prodding him with apple chips every two seconds to keep him awake...)

My plans of hitting up Kmart during his nap (organizing drawers/cabinets needed to maximize the current nursery closet for baby Girl clothes! THREE BINS received over the weekend from awesome friend's BIL!) totally fell to the wayside as I collapsed on the couch, exhausted from the zoo excursion...

Button didn't fall asleep until 2:30ish (instead spending 30-40 minutes quietly "reading" in bed... takes after his momma!) and when he woke up around 4, we dragged ourselves off the couch, packed up his swimsuit and some of our homegrown kale, and headed to friends' house for pool-play and a Burgers/Dogs grill-out.

So even though I intended to do lots of "nesting" on Sunday (building book shelf for crawl space in my room to store more shoes; moving said shoes+shoeboxes out of the nursery closet; and going through the three bins of pink, purple, and ruffles) we instead shirked house duties (laundry, dishes, yard work) and had fun!


Monday (T-minus 4)
(today... in case you forgot it's FundayMonday)

I didn't realize today was water-play day at daycare, so Button will be rompin' in his shorts and T, and will just use his spare outfit to change into when they're done... and at first I was all, damn #momfail - and then decided to blame the daycare's App I have on my phone (such an awesome app!) because the August calendar hadn't been loaded yet, and so I didn't receive my pop-up notification of water-play day!  (that's fair, right? blaming the daycare's app?  and I think waterplay should never be on a Monday...)

This morning's 19week OB appointment went well - especially since I was in and out of the office in under 30 minutes!
Weight looks good (total of 10lbs gained) and BP looked good (or at least my usual "good" - hovering around 112/70).

19Weeks!

Baby:
• Developing a protective coating over her skin, called vernix caseosa. It's greasy and white and you may see some of it at her birth.
• Working on her five senses. Nerve cells for her sense of taste, hearing, sight and smell are developing in her brain.
Mommy:
• Aches and pains in your abdomen, caused by your muscles stretching to accommodate baby. Getting a few of these actually as of today... and a shot here and there of lightning crotch... Fun Stuff.
• Dizziness or lightheadedness Only when I let my salt-intake flag, and my BP goes too low!
• Leg cramps: one way to ease the pain: Extend your leg and flex your ankle and toes toward your knees. Or enlist your partner for a calf (and back!) massage. *Knocks on Wood* haven't had any cramps yet - I've had them before in my life, THEY SUCK so hopefully these stay away!
• Hip pain. If it bothers you at night, try sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees. Been sleeping with a regular head pillow between my knees and tucked under the Belly for a few weeks now! leaves pretty wrinkle lines on my belly/boobs that while undressing I'm like, wait are those all stretch marks overnight?!

(actually 18w5d - last Friday night before a Girls' Night!)

Next appointment is in 4 weeks - and though I thought I remembered doing the 1hr GTT around 24weeks with Button, the doc said ("especially for RCS" - not sure what bearing it has...) they schedule the GTT around 28w, so it looks like one more visit until we schedule that.  I think he also said it's around 28w when we schedule the RCS! WOOOOT!

At work now (duh. 9-5... errr-day! at least today seems to be moving quick because I came in an hour late!)
and hopefully tonight I can get to my "nesting" list (build bookshelf! move shoes! go GAGA over babygirl clothes!) because this weekend is filled with Birthday Fun:
Friday night (actual birthday) is dinner-date with hubby, Saturday is festivities with his family (not sure what - BBQ at his mom's house? if the weather's nice, I'm gonna push for pool-day at the ILs!)
And sometime this week I've got to start processing the 350+ photos from Saturday's engagement shoot! (oh and let's not forget a haircut for Shaggy-Boy-Button!)