Trying to Balance My Life as a WAHM

Some of you (at least I hope at least one person pays attention to my blog...) may have noticed that I have been EXTREMELY lacking in keeping up with my blog lately. Sorry about that.

I have been so insanely busy lately. I feel like life is going so fast right now that I just can't keep up with it! What's going on, you might ask? One MAJOR change: I am now a Work-At-Home-Mom! Hooray...I am finally working and making an income. So far it's slow-going, but I think that in the next couple months it will really help out our finances so we can actually do fun things and maybe even take a vacation again. It will be so nice to not have to seriously stress out each month when bills are due.

So, what am I doing? I actually have two great jobs that I'm very excited about. For my first job, I am working as a Virtual Assistant for an awesome blogger. Her blog is called Stuff Parents Need, and she has some really great articles and reviews, as well as awesome giveaways almost every day. I highly recommend following her blog and entering some of these great giveaways! So far I am loving this job. I already knew quite a bit about blogging and social media, but I'm learning more and more about things like SEO and promotional tools every day. It's very exciting!

My other new job is also very exciting. I am working as a District Consultant for Plum District. If you haven't heard of us yet, you really should sign up. (You may have noticed my post the other day.) Plum District is such a great company! We are a daily deal site that is specifically geared towards moms and local communities. I'm already loving it, and I can't wait to get my first deal. If you know of anyone who owns a business and would like some help with promoting it, let me know!

So now, back to why I am such a stress ball right now. Working even just a few hours a day is so much harder than I thought! I work while Sam naps, and I work for about an hour while she plays. And then somehow, it's already time for dinner! I have no idea how the day got so short. It started out pretty intense since I have been trying to get all my files, notes, etc. organized, and right during this transition period, we had a house guest staying with us. And then after that was the 4th of July holiday! I'm still trying to come up with a set schedule for when I work, and when I play with Sam. I would like to make one day a week where I just do fun things with Sam, and don't sit in my office working. I'm also hiring a babysitter one day a week so I can get work done outside of the house. I know everything will come together soon, but for now I am eating, breathing, and dreaming work. It's crazy, but it's exciting. Not to diminish the importance of my role as "Mom", but I really do feel like I have a purpose again. A reason to get dressed every day and something to talk about when I meet people!

Until I get my schedule sorted out, you will probably notice that my blog posts are a bit sparse. But hopefully I'll be able to find time for that soon, too! I'll leave you with the obligatory photo of Sam. Here she is, "cheesing" for the camera at the fireworks show last night! (Those of you who know me well may already recognize this face...)

One Year

Today it has been exactly one year since I found out I was pregnant. It is amazing how much has happened in just one short year! A year ago today I was insanely and unexplainably irritable and moody. I took a pregnancy test on a whim and about fell over when it came up positive. Since that day, my life has changed SO much! In the past year, we purchased a house, Mike lost his job and got a new one, I left my job, and we now have our wonderful little Sammy, who is already 4 months old (tomorrow)! Looking back, it's hard to believe that it's only been a year. I was so thrilled to find out that I was pregnant, but one year later, I am 100 times happier now that I am Samantha's mom. So far it's been one of the best, most exciting years of my life!!!

Hormonal

I have been feeling so weird lately that I started to worry that I might be pregnant again. For starters, I've been peeing constantly, I'm ALWAYS hungry, my belly is not getting any smaller, and of course, there's the crazy mood swings I've been going through. Then again, the peeing could just be from the gallons of water I'm guzzling to try and beat the heat. The hunger could be coming from all the exercise I've been doing with Stroller Strides. And I'm sure the belly has been there all along...I'm just imagining that I'm getting fatter (at least I hope it's just my imagination!). And of course, the hormones. I'm guessing they're just from my body returning to it's non-pregnant state. It's sure going to be interesting to see how bad PMS is post-baby!
(Oh, and I'm not pregnant...I took a test just to be sure!)
I figured that once I gave birth and got through the initial baby blues, my hormones would go back to normal. Boy, was I wrong! (Or maybe I just forgot what normal was?) I have felt so insanely hormonal lately. I love my life and my baby and I am very happy, but so often I feel stressed and depressed and worried. I know a big part of it is the fact that I don't have a job and I am feeling the pressure of needing to help bring in some income for the family. But it's more than that, I think. I know it's not PPD...it's nothing like that. Just extra bitchy-moodiness. Maybe it's the heat, too. I get sad and frustrated that I have no money and sad that I am not as skinny as I want to be. I get stressed that I have no time to work on job opportunities and fun projects. Anyway, I hope that my body will regulate itself soon. (Or maybe it won't...like I said, I forget what I used to be like pre-baby!)
 Most days though, life is good. I've decided to rearrange my priorities and put Sam and I on a more regular schedule so that she can get her naps and I can take care of the important things. I think it'll be good for us both!

12 Weeks Postpartum

Well, it's been 12 weeks since my little ray of sunshine came into the world. I've been updating you as much as possible on her growth, but I figured I'd take a few minutes to let you know how I'm doing. Things are going great! The baby blues only lasted for the first couple of weeks. (I still have a draft post that I want to share with you when I get the time to edit it, just to give you a window into the way I was feeling for a while. I was feeling happy again before I got around to editing it though, so I never posted it.)

Anyway, we have been on the go since Sam was about 5 weeks old. We started by going on walks with other mommies. Soon, we added in playgroups and other outings. Now not a day goes by that we aren't doing at least one fun thing! Sammy gets restless when we stay at home now (so do I!) so I usually try to come up with an errand if there is nothing on the calendar. At first I was trying to do anything and everything, but now I'm trying to limit it to one thing a day so I don't overwhelm myself.

A couple weeks ago I started going to Stroller Strides which has been AWESOME. I lost almost all my pregnancy weight just by breastfeeding, but once I got to 7 pounds I got stuck. Now, since I've been working out 3-5 times a week, I've already lost 5 of those pounds. Only 2 more pounds to go!!! My main goal at this point is to get my muscle back - I'm not so concerned about the number anymore. I just want to be fit again, and to lose the belly flab. I am feeling great since I started working out! Stroller Strides is fun, too. Sam and I get to get outside every morning and spend time with other moms and babies. And we get exercise on top of that!!! It's been great. The rest of the week we attend walks, playgroups, or other events with other moms. Life is so busy and exciting.

Things are going to have to change soon though. I recently had to tell my employer that I wouldn't be able to return to work. Mike and I have realized that with the cost of daycare it just wasn't worth my working all day long. I'd really only be working to pay for child care, and that's just not something we want to do. I was hoping to be able to work for them from home, but that's a no-go. So I am now looking for part-time work from home since we need a supplemental income. I want to keep up my exercise routine, but after my workouts I need to get home and start looking for work. It's going to be a change, but it will be a good change.

So far I haven't been able to leave Sam with a sitter. She doesn't even do well with Daddy yet, so we definitely can't leave her with someone else. I did go out for a quick massage the other night and she and Mike managed to work things out and were getting along great when I got home. We just need to do that a few more times until she gets more comfortable. I am looking forward to a real Mom's Night Out, and hopefully it won't be too much longer before Mom and Dad get a real date night!

In some ways it seems like the past 3 months have flown by. But then at times it feels like Sam has been with us forever - like life without her was a whole lifetime ago. She really does complete our family, and I love her more than I ever imagined I could. She really is the best baby in the world!!!

Good news!

After all your thoughts and prayers, I wanted to update you with the good news - Mike got a job! He starts today. It's currently a 4-month contract, but that is a good thing for now. If he doesn't like the place, he has an easy way out, and if he does like it, they would love to have him stay on after his contract is up. They are going to pay him at the rate he was making at his previous job, so we are thrilled!

Things are going great this week. Now that we now we have a steady income again, we went ahead and purchased some of the big ticket baby items. Last night we went out to buy our travel system. We ended up changing our minds and buying a different one than we had registered for after trying them all out (for at least an hour!) I had no idea how complicated these infant seats and strollers could be. Some of them were just heavy and awkward, and others didn't have a good locking sytem for the infant seat. We ended up choosing the Chicco Cortina in the Synergy color. I love it! It's a little pricier than the Graco, but overall the features were so much better, we decided it was worth it. I'm so excited - it matches the Pack N Play and the highchair we registered for SO much better than the other stroller did. Now I'm REALLY hoping someone will buy us our Pack N Play before it goes out of stock since it's on clearance right now!While I was at work yesterday, Mike put all the baby's stuff in her bedroom. It's looking great so far! He's still completely bothered by the glider, so I told him that if, after the baby shower and buying all the necessary items, we still have money we can splurge on a nice glider. We tried out a few at Babies R Us last night and found a couple that we love. Sadly they are $360-$400, so we'll just have to see about that!

This morning I ordered our crib, and I was thrilled to find that it was on sale! I got it from Amazon.com for only $223, so we ended up saving about $35. Not too bad, considering there is no tax, and shipping is free!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Aside from nursery stuff, things are going pretty well. I took my glucose tolerance test on Tuesday, and I'm still waiting to find out the results. It wasn't too bad. I chugged the drink, which was orange and very sweet - it tasted like crappy orange soda. The first half of the bottle (it had to have been close to 12 ounces!) went down okay, but by the second half I was pretty disgusted with it. I read my book for an hour, and then had my blood drawn. I felt a little queasy starting about 40 minutes after I drank the stuff, but it wasn't too bad. I did NOT want sugar all day though - the thought of candy or anything sweet was grossing me out. I was craving salt all day to balance it out! I felt normal again by the next day though. I'm not sure if the doctor will call me with the results or not, but I have an appointment on Monday anyway, so I'm sure I'll find out whether or not I passed then.

The other thing I'm realizing I'm going to have to make a point of is eating smaller meals. I still have a big appetite, but my stomach is getting so squished up under my chest now that I just can't eat the size meals I did before. Last night I got a bad stomach ache and it took me a while to figure out what it was, since I'm not used to my stomach being right up under my boobs! Starting today, I am going to split all my meals in half. I can always go back for more later, but I need to remember to pace myself. My tiny stomach can't handle a full meal all at once anymore! I suppose it could always be worse though - thankfully all this requires is a bit of self-control!

That's all for now - stay tuned for my 28 week update on Saturday, and an update from my doctor visit on Monday!

Thoughts and prayers desperately needed.

I'm really starting to worry about our future financial situation. Maternity leave is only 2 1/2 months out now, and we still don't have any secure income after that time. Mike has an interview this morning, which we are very excited about. It would be the perfect job for him and a great opportunity. However, even at best, he would be making less than half of what his previous salary was.

It's looking like I'm going to have to work no matter what after Baby comes. I'd like to find something part time, preferably something I can do from home. I only need to make about $1000 (possibly $1500) a month, so it seems doable, but I know how impossible it is to find work from home. If I end up getting a part time job outside the home, that brings in the factor of daycare. Paying for daycare would basically negate any income that I brought in from a part time job. Which then leads to the idea that I'll have to work full time. But even if I were to stay at my current job, after paying for daycare, I would still only bring home $700 a month. That's just not enough for us to afford our bills, not to mention food and gas.

I am so scared right now. I want to trust that things are going to work out, but time is starting to get short, and there is still no hope on the horizon. The idea of getting a second vehicle is out the window, as well as the plan to replace our windows in our house. Right now I don't even know how we can afford to live and pay our mortgage.

Please pray for us, and let me know if you hear of any part time work opportunities.

I'm scared.

My List: So Much Good Stuff

Lately I have been so ridiculously excited about things to come that I can hardly stand it. Aside from the fact that I am actually pregnant and have a little girl growing inside of me; and the fact that I am going to become a mother and have a beautiful little girl of my own, there are so many things going on in these next few months of my life.

And when I get excited and my mind gets overactive, I like to make lists. I am a huge fan of lists. (Whether or not I actually DO anything with my lists is a whole different story…) I constantly have multiple lists going on: "Things I'm Expecting in the Mail", "Hospital Packing List", "Hospital iPod Playlist", Things To Do Before May", and so on.

So with no further ado, here is my latest list of all the fun and exciting things I have on the agenda for the next few months:

* My mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and brother-in-law's girlfriend are coming to visit.
* Not one, but TWO baby showers this weekend!
* The final season of LOST begins! (Sad that it's the last season…but thrilled to see how it all turns out!)
* Fresh Homemade Baby Food cooking class
* The Superbowl
* Childbirth classes begin - February-March
* Babyproofing 101 class
* I have/get to take the glucose test
* Bunco
* 28 Week doctor appointment
* Two birthday parties: one for a friend, and one for the 1st birthday of another friend's son
* Doctor visits begin bi-weekly instead of monthly
* 3/5 Alice in Wonderland comes out in theaters! - This is the movie I MUST see in theaters before baby comes.
* Baby Shower #1
* Mike and I take our tour of the Scripps Encinitas birthing wing
* Housewarming for a friend
* Here Comes Baby - What About the Parents? class
* 3/26 Clash of the Titans comes out in theaters - This is the movie Mike MUST see in theaters before baby comes.
* Baby Shower #2
* Maternity leave begins!!!!!!


All that in less than 3 months - and that's just what I have on the calendar so far! These next few months are going to fly by and I can hardly wait! In the meantime, I'll be busy sewing and getting the nursery ready, as well as getting my bookbinding business started.

It's hard to be stressed about our financial/work situation when there is so much good going on in my life. :)

Change comes like the wind.

It seems like change always comes when you aren't expecting it. I've been preparing myself for big changes - changes that I didn't think would come until spring. Turns out, things were meant to change for us sooner than we had expected! Starting this week, Mike is now 100% freelancing - he is no longer employed. This came as quite a shock to me - we just bought a house, and are expecting a baby soon! What kind of timing is this?!!? While I am still very nervous, there are definitely pros and cons to the situation.

Pros:

1. If it had to happen at some point, now is probably the best possible time. We actually started saving money, and while we were intending to replace our windows with it, at least we do have that cushion and will be able to afford our mortgage for a couple of extra months should we fall short on income.

2. I got a bonus this year, which is enough for us to buy the necessary furniture items for the nursery (crib, glider, and dresser).

3. While I am still working full-time, we are able to cover all our expenses, even without Mike working.

4. We still have 3 full months for Mike to find stable income before I go on maternity leave.

5. Mike will be much happier doing work that he enjoys - Work has been a major downer for him, so he will finally be able to be himself again.

Cons:

1. It is scary to be pregnant, knowing that in just a few months, we will not be able to afford our expenses if Mike hasn't found steady income yet. We are now on a SUPER tight budget.

2. We still need a second vehicle - if Mike needs to buy new business supplies, that will drastically cut into our car savings fund.

3. Things are now up in the air as to what I will do after the baby comes - I can't make any plans until we know what Mike's employment situation will be like.

So see, the pros do outweigh the cons. But please, keep us in your thoughts and prayers. This means that I need to get very serious about setting up my bookbinding business so that I will also have a supplemental income, but I have been SO exhausted lately, I haven't been able to manage it. And if any of you, or anyone you know needs any graphic design or web design work done, please send them our way! (He does AWESOME work, really!) We need all the work Mike can get right now.

Time Management

I'm really struggling with time management right now. I have so many big things to prepare for in the coming months, and I am having a hard time knowing how to prioritize my time. For one thing, I get home from work so late every night that by the time I get home and make dinner, I am too exhausted to work on any projects. I end up reading or watching TV for 30 minutes or an hour, and then passing out in bed. The only time I have to work on my important personal projects is on the weekends - and that time flies!

Here are the major concerns I have right now:

1) Binding books and coming up with my personal style for my product. I need to have this product on hand so that Mike can more efficiently design a logo and website for me so that I can get my business up and running. I want to have this all in place BEFORE the baby arrives.

2) Researching baby items (safety, value, etc.) so that I know what items to register for. I need to do this before I go register, and I would like to register within the next month so that it is all taken care of before my baby shower. Registering will also give me a better idea of how to decorate the nursery.

3) Decorating the nursery - I want to register before I start buying a lot of baby items, but there are some furniture items (like a glider, dresser, etc.) that we will probably just buy on our own. Plus, we will need to paint, and I want to have that done before we start filling the room with furniture and supplies.

4) Researching child birth methods. I pretty much have this under control, since I've been doing a lot of reading, and I just signed up for childbirth classes (yay!). I do still have about 5 books on my to-be-read list that I'd like to finish before I go into labor. I am borrowing a couple of them, so I'd like to at least finish those so I can return them soon.

I have no idea where to begin. I feel like the bookbinding should be a priority so that I can have my business ready to go, which will relieve some of my stress about how we are going to survive once the baby comes. This is something I've been working towards for over a year now, and I just want to have it started already. At the same time, I feel like I really need to focus on my baby research. I am only about 1/8 of the way through the Baby Bargains book, and I've barely scratched the surface. I want to register soon (preferably in the next week or two - Mike wants us to do it with his mom when she's in town, but I do NOT like that idea! If I go with anyone other than Mike, it will be a brand new mom friend of mine!) and I need to have my research done first. I feel like I'm wasting valuable bookbinding time when I'm doing baby stuff though. I'm so conflicted about this. I think I can wait on the nursery until after I register. But as far as reading childbirth books and researching baby supplies, I don't know how to manage those with my bookbinding.

How would YOU schedule your time if this was your situation?

A Recap of 2009

2009 in Review:

January: President Obama was inaugurated. This also happened to be the day I woke up sick as a dog and had to stay home from work. We continued house-hunting and making offers on houses. The Chargers made it into the playoffs and kicked the Colt's behinds. Mike and I went on a whale watching cruise. We participated in San Diego Restaurant Week for the first time (The Brigantine in Del Mar). I went to a baby shower for the first of many of my friends that were expecting in 2009!

February: I baked cupcakes for a Superbowl party. One of my mystery orchids started blooming! Hubby went to visit family for a weekend, and I MISSED him lots!!! I hosted a fun party just for girls. I went through a phase of the blues. Mike and I went to dinner at Croce's downtown for Valentine's day, and went to see the movie "Coraline". We had our first offer accepted on a house, and we began escrow process #1.

March: I was really bad about updating my blog. I was very busy making plans for my new home. March was very mentally and emotionally stressful. I started doing more research on starting my own business.

April: We found out that we were NOT getting the house we had been agonizing over all month. We resumed our house-hunting. We saw Leonard Cohen in concert and he was awesome. We went to a screening for our roommate's movie, "Between the Lines". We went to a car show. My in-laws came to stay for a week, and my office moved to our new location. Mike and I thought we were going to have to move since our old roommate moved out, but we decided to get a new roommate instead.

May: I went to another baby shower for yet another friend due in 2009. We found a house we absolutely adored, but unfortunately it didn't work out. I was a featured blogger on The Foodie Blogroll's Foodie Friday. Mike and I went on a road trip up the California coast and visited Napa for the first time.

June: We continued to look at houses. We went to the Del Mar Fair a LOT. I was so busy having fun that I didn't blog at all. (*blush*) Probably TMI, but I went off The Pill. Mike and I started looking for another roommate. Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett died. Mike built me a bookbinding press. We had an offer accepted on a house and began Escrow process #2.

July: Mike and I went to Vegas to celebrate our 2nd anniversary and the 4th of July. We saw "LOVE" and watched the fireworks at the M Casino. I finally realized that I was just not into blogging about food anymore. We had a big Tiki BBQ Bash at our house by the beach. Mike and I went to see Tears for Fears in concert and it was AWESOME. I went to see Coldplay in concert and they were awesome too. Mike and I went to the Del Mar races quite a few times. I bought a big paper cutter for my bookbinding business. We got a fun new roommate. We found out that we were not getting house #2, either.

August: We began our home search yet again. I attended two more baby showers this month. I saw the Flaming Lips in concert. AWESOME! I was given a Mac laptop. I got hit on by an old bum with a skullet. Once again, I was having too much fun living to update my blog. My honey went to visit family again, and I missed him lots. (It sucks when your hubby gets several extra weeks of vacation time than you do!) I got my first real bookbinding job. I had several emotional breakdowns for some unknown reason.

September: Mike and I went to a couple of pre-season Chargers games. I discovered the reason for the emotional breakdowns - I found out I was pregnant! My Father-in-Law came to town. My Green Lady orchid bloomed! We got hardcore on our Realtor and told her we NEEDED a house ASAP. We had a big celebration for Mike's birthday. I started doing all sorts of baby research. I had an exciting new job offered to me and then quickly had the offer retracted. We had an offer accepted on a house and began Escrow process #3.

October: I had my first prenatal appointment and Mike and I got to see our baby and hear the heartbeat. I got a Google Wave invite. (What a letdown that was!) My baby began craving cheeseburgers. Mike and I went to an Oktoberfest party at our German friend's house. I had another SICK day from work (not pregnancy related). Totally miserable! I had a heart-to-heart chat with my boss. I went to yet another baby shower! Mike's aunts came to town to visit us. We didn't do anything for Halloween because: We FINALLY signed escrow papers and moved into our very own home!!!

November: We had another ultrasound and got to see our little bean with SUPER long legs. I began researching doulas and childbirth methods. We celebrated my birthday with a simple celebration at an Anaheim Ducks hockey game. The Chargers started winning and winning and winning. I won a BellyBar giveaway on Facebook. I got my very own Kitchen Aid mixer. I joined a Meetup group for north county moms and moms-to-be. Mike and I went on vacation and road-tripped through the southwest. I went to see "New Moon" with the girls. We had a Turkey dinner with good friends. I switched OB/GYNs. Mike and I bought our very first dining table and went to Costco. Mike and I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time in our new home. We decided we couldn't wait until January and paid for a 4D ultrasound and found out that we are having a GIRL!

December: I got my flu shots. I discovered BabySteals.com and started a new addiction with buying baby stuff. We had a successful housewarming party. We have awesome friends. I attended a prenatal yoga class. I started researching nursery decorating ideas. My work had an amazing Christmas party, and I got a Kindle as a gift. Mike's work had a nice holiday dinner. I baked cookies and made hand bound journals for our families. I felt my baby move for the first time. We ordered Christmas cards and due to a miscommunication, they turned out BAD (and were late) so for the first time since we've been together, we did not send out cards. We saw "Avatar" in 3D. Mike and I celebrated Christmas at home alone since it will be our last one with just the two of us. We got lots of fun gifts. We watched "Up" and the new "Harry Potter." The Chargers played on Christmas day, and we won! We spent the day after Christmas with my extended family in southern California. I made it to the halfway point of my pregnancy, and I am getting bigger and bigger.

All in all, it has been an amazing year. So much has happened, and the changes in our lives are just beginning! I am expecting 2010 to be an even more amazing year.

Things to come in 2010:
Celebrate the New Year. Have our big anatomy scan ultrasound. Watch the Chargers in the playoffs. Watch the Superbowl! Start taking childbirth classes. Register for baby stuff. Install new windows in our house. Get my home bookbinding business started for real. Have a baby shower. Decorate my little girl's nursery. Become a MOM!!! Celebrate the holidays and take a vacation as a family of 3.

I can hardly wait!

I feel like I'm finally growing up.

Yesterday, we purchased our very first dining table set. It's actually really cool - it's a retro 50's style diner set, with black vinyl chairs with white piping, and a black table top with the classic boomerang pattern. The black and chrome looks great in our kitchen, with it's black and stainless steel appliances. My new dishes are also a classic diner style (with a red stripe!) so they work well with the dining table. And my new Kitchen Aid mixer matches well too. Now I just need more red accessories to pull it all together! Mike has been against dining tables for so long - we just never really needed one, since we always ate at the coffee table in front of the TV. Now that the little one is coming along though, we both agreed that we are going to need a table.

I can't find a picture that shows our particular table since it was custom-made, but it's similar to this one, with a black table top. Once we get the house decorated, I'll post some actual pictures of our kitchen. :)

Also, the other day, we made our first Costco run. I got the gift of a membership for my birthday, so we decided to go check it out. We've avoided the mass obsession with Costco for the past several years, but now that we own a home and are expecting a baby, we figured we'd give it a try. Plus, it's RIGHT down the street from our new house, so why not? :) We managed to keep it around $65 on that first trip...but I think we got lucky because they closed the store before we finished checking out every aisle!

I feel like we are doing such grown up things lately - having a baby, buying a house, getting a Costco membership, and now buying a dining set! Wow, I really have become an adult! ;)

More birthday presents!!!!

OMG OMG OMG...I am SOOOO excited - I got home from work yesterday, and there was another birthday gift sitting outside my door waiting for me. I about fell over when I saw what it was....



...the shiny RED Kitchen Aid mixer I have been wanting for years!!!!! Thanks to my wonderful father-in-law who understands the necessity of these wonderful machines, and who knew how badly I wanted one. I cannot wait to bake something and give this baby a whirl!!!!


Also in the mail yesterday, I got a book that I ordered, thanks to the suggestion of my friend Natalie over at the Bobby Pin.

It's called "Preggatinis - Mixology for the Mom-To-Be." Now, if you know me, you know I LOVE making all sorts of fancy cocktails, so it's been sort of a bummer to drink nothing but orange juice or water. So, I can hardly wait to get started with this book! All the drinks are made from fresh juices and ingredients, and taste wonderful without the alcohol. Our coctail/preggatini bar is going to be stocked, and I cannot wait!

31 Years

I just had my birthday this weekend. What a birthday of firsts! My first birthday in my own home, and my first birthday being pregnant! Needless to say, it wasn't the most EXCITING birthday of my life, but I definitely got a lot done. The night before my birthday, Mike and I went out to dinner (using a gift card that he had gotten for HIS birthday!), so that was a nice little pre-celebration. We went to PF Changs, and it was SO good. :)

On my actual birthday, I spent most of the day working around the house. I also did grocery shopping, which took a long time since I was learning a new grocery store. We got a lot of work done around the house, and unpacked most of the boxes. That night, Mike surprised me and took me to an Anaheim Ducks hockey game. We aren't particularly Ducks fans, but we've really been missing hockey since the Gulls left. The Ducks game reminded me a bit more of a Colorado Avalanche game than a Gulls game, but it was a lot of fun. And, the Ducks won, so that made it even better. :)

I got all sorts of fun presents - a new set of dishes (our old, pretty ones broke almost as soon as I bought them, so it has been a pain eating off of cracked, broken dishes!), a new toaster, a bracelet, and some awesome new Chargers gear. All in all it was a great birthday!

We spent the rest of the weekend watching football (Go Chargers!!!!) and working on the house. We finally got the toilet paper roll holders installed. It's amazing how exciting the little things are! We made another trip to Lowe's, and we are pretty much down to decorating and installing hardware. Everything else is put away. It's really starting to feel like home now!