Since it's a slow news day (yawn!), thought I'd share some random snippets of my life over the past few weeks. Nothing exciting, or history-making, or anything like that to talk about today. Here's hoping tomorrow will be more interesting, because today is a real bore.
Here's what we've been up to since discovering I am with male child:
1) We FINALLY got a new camera. You can expect a lot more photos in the coming months. I will try to post one of my ever-expanding mid-section soon. For some reason I'm not in a huge rush to share that photo.
2) Our bedding for the nursery arrived yesterday. It's so cute, I love it. We found a big red glider and ottoman over the weekend and hope to make a decision on the crib soon. Yay, progress!
3) Nate had to make his first late-night craving run for me. Butter pecan ice cream and waffle bowls. I didn't even know you could buy waffle bowls, but he found them, and they are good. What a guy.
4) Mattie has started chewing on the couch cushions. Hmm.
5) Damages is just as creepy and awesome as ever. TV is so good right now. Thankfully, since it's been about a billion below zero.
6) My clothes don't fit and I have nothing to wear on vacation next week. Nate and I decided to start packing Sunday night, and his stack of clothes was significantly larger than my own. There is something so wrong about this picture. Might be the first year I've been able to pack in one suitcase. I am anxiously awaiting a box of clothing from my friend Heidi.
7) I have a ginormous crush on the new Grey's doctor.
That's all.
We leave for a week in Mexico on Saturday, so expect a bunch of happy, sunny pictures and a lot of bragging when I get back.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Oh boy.
I have always wanted to have a daughter. A blonde, curly-haired, giggly little thing who would love wearing dresses and having tea parties. A little girl who would rock her dolls to sleep in my childhood baby doll bed, dress up all the Barbies I saved for her, and devour all the Nancy Drew books I've collected since I was a kid.
I knew going into this there was very little chance of us having a girl. Nate is one of four boys; his dad is one of three. Breyers just always seem to be boys. But I held on to the hope that God knew how much I wanted a little girl, and that it would be mean to send us a little boy when He knows how much I love to shop. (It's a fact, boy clothes just aren't as cute.)
But then four of my college friends had girls right in a row — in October, November, December, January. And I just knew that was the end of the road for my dream of having a girl. There was no possible way that five of us would all have girls. The pink streak had to stop somewhere, and I knew it would end with me.
Maybe that's why I started dreaming about having a little boy. I dreamt about his baby blue nursery — everything from the pattern on his sheets to the pictures on his walls. I dreamt about him sitting on the couch with his daddy, watching football (we have yet to determine whether he will be a Vikings or Bears fan). I dreamt about him chasing Mattie around the yard, grabbing her tail and giggling. I never saw his face in any of these dreams, but I could see what our life would be like with him in it.
The more I thought about having a boy, the more excited I became. Of course, there was still part of me that longed for a girl. But as I drove up to the clinic on Friday, all I could think was - I don't care. Please God, I just want a healthy baby.
"A healthy baby" is what every newly pregnant woman says when someone asks "Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?" It's the pc answer to that question, because you know there are no guarantees that you'll make it through your first trimester, or that your baby will be born without any birth defects or disabilities. Being the loud-mouthed person I am, I had no qualms about saying "GIRL!" whenever someone asked me that question. But over the course of my pregnancy, my maternal instincts began to kick in. Before that ultrasound, you worry about EVERYTHING. I worried that I wasn't feeling the baby move enough. I worried that they would find markers for down syndrome or that the baby would be missing a limb. I worried that the baby would be inexplicably ill and unlikely to survive. All things I know have happened to other mothers — other women with perfectly healthy bodies who never thought for a second those things would happen to their baby. And so the desire to have a girl over a boy became a total non-issue. All I wanted was a healthy baby.
Which he is. Our baby boy is beautiful, and healthy, and growing just as he should (though a little on the chunky side, go figure). Nate and I are both out of our minds with excitement. The moment we saw our little man up on that screen, we fell in love. And everything became very real. This bulging stomach of mine is home to our son, a little boy we love with all of our hearts and cannot wait to meet. A little boy I wouldn't trade for all the curly-haired girls in the world.
Thank you, God, for our healthy little one.
These are pictures of pictures; the tech warned us not to make copies or scan them. So, this is the best I can do for now! The first is his cute little profile, in the second one his little hands are up by his face, and in the third one he has one arm up above his head.
I knew going into this there was very little chance of us having a girl. Nate is one of four boys; his dad is one of three. Breyers just always seem to be boys. But I held on to the hope that God knew how much I wanted a little girl, and that it would be mean to send us a little boy when He knows how much I love to shop. (It's a fact, boy clothes just aren't as cute.)
But then four of my college friends had girls right in a row — in October, November, December, January. And I just knew that was the end of the road for my dream of having a girl. There was no possible way that five of us would all have girls. The pink streak had to stop somewhere, and I knew it would end with me.
Maybe that's why I started dreaming about having a little boy. I dreamt about his baby blue nursery — everything from the pattern on his sheets to the pictures on his walls. I dreamt about him sitting on the couch with his daddy, watching football (we have yet to determine whether he will be a Vikings or Bears fan). I dreamt about him chasing Mattie around the yard, grabbing her tail and giggling. I never saw his face in any of these dreams, but I could see what our life would be like with him in it.
The more I thought about having a boy, the more excited I became. Of course, there was still part of me that longed for a girl. But as I drove up to the clinic on Friday, all I could think was - I don't care. Please God, I just want a healthy baby.
"A healthy baby" is what every newly pregnant woman says when someone asks "Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?" It's the pc answer to that question, because you know there are no guarantees that you'll make it through your first trimester, or that your baby will be born without any birth defects or disabilities. Being the loud-mouthed person I am, I had no qualms about saying "GIRL!" whenever someone asked me that question. But over the course of my pregnancy, my maternal instincts began to kick in. Before that ultrasound, you worry about EVERYTHING. I worried that I wasn't feeling the baby move enough. I worried that they would find markers for down syndrome or that the baby would be missing a limb. I worried that the baby would be inexplicably ill and unlikely to survive. All things I know have happened to other mothers — other women with perfectly healthy bodies who never thought for a second those things would happen to their baby. And so the desire to have a girl over a boy became a total non-issue. All I wanted was a healthy baby.
Which he is. Our baby boy is beautiful, and healthy, and growing just as he should (though a little on the chunky side, go figure). Nate and I are both out of our minds with excitement. The moment we saw our little man up on that screen, we fell in love. And everything became very real. This bulging stomach of mine is home to our son, a little boy we love with all of our hearts and cannot wait to meet. A little boy I wouldn't trade for all the curly-haired girls in the world.
Thank you, God, for our healthy little one.
These are pictures of pictures; the tech warned us not to make copies or scan them. So, this is the best I can do for now! The first is his cute little profile, in the second one his little hands are up by his face, and in the third one he has one arm up above his head.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New year, new plan.
I'm an excellent resolution keeper. Which is why I am ridiculously skinny, have a spotless house, cook delicious meals every night for my husband, never forget to recycle, and maintain a lifestyle well within my financial means.
Jealous?
Everyone knows New Year's resolutions are total crap. Has anyone ever honestly believed that they would wake up on January 2 and magically be self-motivated and totally organized?
Setting unrealistic expectations for yourself is downright unhealthy. New Year's resolutions — which, let's face it, are ALWAYS unrealistic — lead to nothing more than false hope (a few days of believing you can do something you can't), crippling guilt (when you fail to meet your goals), and bitter disappointment in yourself (and your inability to choose the gym over the comfort of your couch).
I refuse to put myself through that kind of mental anguish in honor of a new year. That's just no way to celebrate. So instead, I am going to make a list of realistic resolutions for 2009 — things I'm certain I CAN accomplish.
In 2009, I vow to:
1) Chew lots of gum. I may even work my way through all of the Orbit flavors, but make no promises. I'll start with bubblemint.
2) Sit on the couch and watch Gossip Girl every Monday night until the baby comes. It's important to stay in touch with the younger generation, especially now that I'm bringing a child into the world.
3) Go over at least 1,000 miles before getting an oil change. And then ask Nate to take it in for me.
4) Make at least four boxes of Kraft mac and cheese per month and eat them all myself.
5) Spend way too much time watching Law & Order reruns on TNT. Clank clank.
6) Throw my clothes on the floor next to our bed every night, and leave them there until it's time to do laundry or we have visitors - so at least two weeks.
7) Keep shopping for clothes, despite the economic slowdown and the fact that most clothes no longer fit me.
8) Maintain my theory that "cleanish" is good enough for guests.
9) Check email and facebook obsessively while completely ignoring my cell phone.
10) Take advantage of the McDonald's drive thru for breakfast once a week.
I think that's enough. There's really only so much self-improvement a girl can tackle in one year.
Jealous?
Everyone knows New Year's resolutions are total crap. Has anyone ever honestly believed that they would wake up on January 2 and magically be self-motivated and totally organized?
Setting unrealistic expectations for yourself is downright unhealthy. New Year's resolutions — which, let's face it, are ALWAYS unrealistic — lead to nothing more than false hope (a few days of believing you can do something you can't), crippling guilt (when you fail to meet your goals), and bitter disappointment in yourself (and your inability to choose the gym over the comfort of your couch).
I refuse to put myself through that kind of mental anguish in honor of a new year. That's just no way to celebrate. So instead, I am going to make a list of realistic resolutions for 2009 — things I'm certain I CAN accomplish.
In 2009, I vow to:
1) Chew lots of gum. I may even work my way through all of the Orbit flavors, but make no promises. I'll start with bubblemint.
2) Sit on the couch and watch Gossip Girl every Monday night until the baby comes. It's important to stay in touch with the younger generation, especially now that I'm bringing a child into the world.
3) Go over at least 1,000 miles before getting an oil change. And then ask Nate to take it in for me.
4) Make at least four boxes of Kraft mac and cheese per month and eat them all myself.
5) Spend way too much time watching Law & Order reruns on TNT. Clank clank.
6) Throw my clothes on the floor next to our bed every night, and leave them there until it's time to do laundry or we have visitors - so at least two weeks.
7) Keep shopping for clothes, despite the economic slowdown and the fact that most clothes no longer fit me.
8) Maintain my theory that "cleanish" is good enough for guests.
9) Check email and facebook obsessively while completely ignoring my cell phone.
10) Take advantage of the McDonald's drive thru for breakfast once a week.
I think that's enough. There's really only so much self-improvement a girl can tackle in one year.
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