Week in Review

It started with a nice short week at work (Monday-Wednesday). The weather wasn’t the greatest all week but I had a pretty cute driver when it got really bad on Wednesday!

Thursday = Thanksgiving

I don’t think there is anything better than being pregnant on Thanksgiving. You get to wear pants with an elastic waistband and no one looks at you funny when you go back for thirds on dessert!

In all honestly, Thanksgiving was wonderful this year – It was spent at my aunt Lindsay’s house with my wonderful family… I wish J could have been there but he spent the holiday with his dad’s extended family in Wisconsin. He got another deer so I we won’t be starving this winter.

Friday was my 28^th birthday: I got to spend the day with one of my bestest friends, Jen. She was back from NYC and we decided to do a little pampering… massage for her and much-needed haircut for me. Then it was lunch and some shopping before heading home. That night Jen, Nicole and Amy came over for some good ole girl talk accompanied by unhealthy food.

Saturday started off with another epic kitchen fail (cheese cake pops are NOT easy to make) and cleaning… then it was off to my final baby shower hosted by Jen and Nicole.

It was SO fun!!!! So many good friends from all over and SO much good food! I was completely spoiled (once again) and left with the biggest smile on my face. Thank you SO much ladies!!!!!

Saturday night I had two fun house guests: Ashley and Olivia. Got some great advice from Ash and learned how to give a cute lil’ girl a bath in the sink!

And that brings us to Sunday!

Sunday morning was my last yoga class (teaching) until Spring. It was a wonderful class of about 30 energized students including my newest yoga addict, Jason.

So that pretty much brings us up-to-date!

Upcoming Events: Last ultrasound on Friday, finishing up baby/nursery shopping, decorating the Christmas tree, Holiday parties for work, Slota’s MN wedding reception, and waiting for Los to arrive… I’ve been given strict instructions to have him before Christmas so people can meet him when they’re home!

Wonderful Weekend

I was pretty spoiled this weekend... and I'm totally ok with that!

Saturday I headed out to MOA with my parents to do a little x-mas shopping. Well, I didn't buy anything for the holidays but I was treated to an early-birthday shopping spree at Lululemon (my FAVORITE store) with Mama Pugh! I got a couple new tanks and a pair of wunder unders that I can't wait to wear. Kris even got herself a couple of tanks - she will look oh so cute at the gym!

After a long day of shopping I was a total bore and went to bed at 9:00. I tried my best of make it to SNL but that was not in the cards.

I woke-up on Sunday to a skating rink - driveway was PURE ice - but I somehow made it to Lifetime to teach yoga. With so few classes left I just couldn't cancel. I was surprised to have 10 people in class since the roads were such a mess... Good ole yoga addicts!

After class it was off to the Rogowski's for my baby shower! Pat and Jenna did such an amazing job. We played some great games (one where people had to cut a string that they THOUGHT would fit around my belly - most people were way off and cut it too long) and had some yummy food. Pat remembered my love of baked brie so there was plenty to go around.

Here are two pictures from the shower - I should take one of all the cute stuff we got... I'll add that to the to-do list for the week!

I hope everyone has a great week and Thanksgiving. Expect lots of baking posts later the in week... including two new, never been made before items!

Happy Birthday to my lil' cousin Maliq (now 18!), Stacy and Kim Slota (ah!)

Almost forgot - congrats to my manly hubby for getting an 8-point deer Saturday morning!!! Looks like we'll have food this winter... I was very worried [written in sarcasm font]...

It's Started

On Wednesday my amazing co-workers threw me a shower with lots of yummy food (chocolate chip cookies, puppy chow, chips/salsa, etc.) and gave 'Los some awesome gifts. My favorite part was the oh-so cute diaper cake that Ashley and Elie made. Here it is playing co-pilot on my ride home:

Last night (Thursday) J and I finished our prenatal/baby classes. Last night's class was my favorite thus far since it was all about POSTpartum... once Los is finally here. We watched The Happiest Baby on the Block (I have the book as well) which was amazing - this guy is a total baby whisperer. I was quite crabby this morning so Jason tried out a few techniques on me... He deducted that it's for infants only and not for large crabby pregos!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. J will be out "providing" while I get to attend another shower hosted by my adorable sister-in-law! I think I'm more excited to see her then to open gifts!!!!

Closing Comment:

"And I wonder why people stare at the gym"

35 Days to Go!

Just a quick post and picture for today.

Since Los is supposed to gain 1/2 lb a week I figure I should probably be taking more belly pictures.

I'll also be sending lots of good thoughts to all the ladies heading down to Mexico today to celebrate Kim and Adam's wedding... I really wish I could be there but we don't need little 'Los making his debut in Mexico (it would be fitting though). Hope they all have a fun time and take LOTS of pictures!

Oh - it's also my first baby shower today! Oh so excited!

.

Upcoming Events

I was trying really hard to wait to write anything but I'm just SO excited I can't help myself... Plus, this is my outlet for mindless musings!

Please excuse the excessive amount of exclamation marks but this is a damn great list:

My work shower!

Kim and Adam getting married (even though I can't be there I'm still really excited for them)!

Baby shower with the Rogowski family (made even better because Jenna will be home for it)!

Thanksgiving!

My Birthday (aka National Holiday)!

Girls night at my house (get ready for the BEST menu and movie selection EVER - circa 1996)!

Baby shower hosted by the wonderful Jenny and Nicole (where I get to see SO many lovelies that I haven't seen for way too long)!

Final yoga class until after the baby comes (this is actually a little sad but it's going to be a really fun class)!

Final ultrasound before Los is here!

Just call me Spastic Susy... I don't care... I'm f'ing excited for all of it!

Life is Crazy

I started to write this blog a few weeks ago but then lost track of it. I opened it back-up today and didn’t like it. So I deleted everything I wrote, except for the title, and started over. I’ll warn you upfront that this is a little heavier than previous posts.

Life is Crazy = Life has an odd way of working out even if you don’t understand it. It has a weird way of taking what YOU think is going to happen, shaking it up and laying it all out. It messes with planned timelines; delaying and accelerating. It changes attitudes and priorities. The question of “where do you see yourself in 5 years” now makes me giggle because I’m not where I thought I would be and I can’t even start to think of where I’ll be in another five. Life is just crazy like that. You really never know, you can’t plan, but you can keep an open mind, a smile and look forward.

Life is Crazy - A few examples in my own life:

I got married at 25. I never thought I would get married that young but life is crazy like that. Life threw this smart, handsome, tall, goofy guy at me one night and I never looked back. And I was the type that ALWAYS looked back. He constantly makes me laugh and I manage to keep him on his toes… We will be celebrating our two-year wedding anniversary this December. Life is crazy.

I’m a yogi. Five years ago I was 22. I was in my senior year of college and was coasting through until graduation. I didn’t know anything about Sanskrit or asanas. I knew what specials were at which bars and where to find parking on campus when I woke-up late for a 10:00 class. I went to the gym and went through the motions. I wore baggy shorts from my high school basketball days. Now I crave my sweaty yoga mat and the natural high you get after a two-hour practice. I love wearing tight pants and tank-tops so I can see my alignment in the mirror in-front of me. I love breathing slowly and loudly. I tell other people to breathe loudly and slowly. I teach pregnant women how to hold a posture and breathe through-it so they are better prepared for labor. I’m jealous of people who can meditate because I can’t yet. Life is crazy.

I’m pregnant. About a month after my 28^th birthday I will be bringing another person into this world. I will have created someone. Not something… someone. I will be starting someone else’s crazy life and hopefully not making it any crazier than it’s already going to be. I will, for the rest of my life, watch over this person. Watch him develop a personality all his own. Watch him grow. Watch him learn and laugh. Watch him fall in love and get his heart broken. Watch him succeed and fail. Watch him become whatever he wants to become. Watch him change his mind and become something else. Watch him navigate through this crazy life. I will be a mom.

Life is really crazy.

DIY Weekend

We've been working on the nursery on-and-off for the past few weekends and I'm happy to report we are almost done... Just need a few more items (nightstand, mattress, Los) and it will complete. Here are some pictures - my favorites are the curtains with the leaves on them!

Crib corner

Changing Table (complete with lots of stuffy friends)

Glider (which I assembled all on my own)

Also this weekend: I reupholstered our kitchen chairs! It was SUPER easy and had instant results (which I love).

Before

After

45 Days to Go

How big is baby? At our last ultra sound he was measuring average! My last doc appointment (this past Friday) my stomach was measuring on track with my weeks. Guess all the fear of having this humongous baby might have been for nothing. Our doc isn’t so positive so I’ll still be getting one more ultrasound on December 3^rd.

Maternity Clothes? I think I’m running a 5 outfit rotation from here on out. This belly will not be hidden any longer and non-maternity dresses are about 6 inches higher in the front than the back! Not very cute...

Sleep: It’s pretty much clockwork that at 3:45am I wake-up to pee… after that it usually takes a while to fall back asleep since Los thinks its fun to show-off his yoga moves. His little butt likes to move up into my ribs and then back down (downdog to plank?) several times before finally settling down.

Movement: As mentioned above, he’s taking a break from his soccer skills and is now deepening his yoga practice. I guess it’s my own doing but the near constant stretching is starting to get annoying!

Food cravings: No cravings but per the last “weigh in” I will be laying off my Sunday baking routine! Carrots and apples anyone????

What I miss: Not having to wonder if the bottom of my belly is hanging out :: caring if my belly is hanging out :: having people stare at you because you spilled on yourself and not because you look like you have a boulder under your shirt

What I am looking forward to: 'LOS! Every time I’m in one of our birthing classes or prenatal yoga sessions I realize more and more how much I just want this little guy here. I feel like I’ve seen enough births, heard the term “squat” more than necessary, taken too many trips to Babies R Us… let’s get this show on the road! [note: I know it’s still too soon… he still needs to cook for a bit longer]

Milestones: The nursery is almost done and I put together the glider all by myself!

Say What?: Strangers don’t really approach me (again, I think I must look angry all the time) but the comments of (after looking me up-and-down) “wow, you must be close” or “looks like your about done” are really not that awesome. 1) I’m already counting down the days so I really don’t need your reminder; and 2) That comment tells me that I look like I’m smuggling an exercise ball under my shirt and/or look miserable – either way it’s not nice.

The BEST comments I’ve gotten (all from women who have surely been pregnant before): “Oh my gosh, you look so small for being that far along!” To these women I say "thank you" and "I love you"

Guest Blogger Monday

Guest blog writer Jason Rogowski here.

Feeling pretty good on this Monday morning after a couple big wins by the Pack, the complete collapse of the Vikings (including watching Favre act like he died after getting a little scratch on his chinny-poo), and a very productive last few weekends getting the house ready for the little Tasmanian Devil. We had an awesome dinner Saturday night with the Pugh's celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary. In the spirit of Halloween we took them to Forepaugh's in St. Paul, which is haunted according to a fable of lust, suicide and lovers scorned. Nothing too weird happened but we did have a screaming 2 year old next to us so she must have been spooked by something. Or just a brat. Spooky.

The dinner was also a "thank you" to the Pugh's for taking the renegade grey tiger for an extended stay with them - never thought I'd say this but it's just not the same putting on my socks in the morning without fear of losing a toe. But, now the carpets are all cleaned of cat hair and the nursery is basically ready to roll. This has to be one of the only times Brittney and I are prepared for something more than one day (or 10 minutes) in advance. I guess looming parenthood has already changed us some.

Speaking of change I also attended my first full blown yoga class Sunday morning. I knew it was not going to be a picnic and I was right. What a great workout for the whole body - and I was very impressed with the instructor. She is definitely a natural in that environment and it was fun to listen to all the people thank her after class, even though I was balled up in the corner trying not to vomit.

Looking ahead the house is getting a bit of a makeover with a new furnace and some new windows. We haven't had heat for the last week because the old rust bucket hit the fritz once and for all. And the windows and doors will make the winter a little more bearable by eliminating the breeze through the living room. After that I will be off to the motherland to fill the freezer and once again provide for the family. This year's harvest will be of utmost importance, as I expect Bone Jr. to be eating venison by age 3 weeks. Venny sticks by age 2 months.

Hope everyone has a good hunt if that applies to you. Otherwise, enjoy the last bit of fall before Thanksgiving and the most wonderful holiday of them all. 'Tis soon the season to put in Christmas Vacation and play on an endless loop.

Clark W. Griswold, out.

Epic Kitchen Fail

I guess it had to happen at some point...

This weekend I decided I was going to make Sponge/Honeycomb candy - the recipe seemed simple enough and I had never made anything like it before.

I confidently strolled into the kitchen Sunday afternoon with my recipe and ingredients laid out.

I added the sugar and corn syrup in the pan, stirred and then turned on the heat.

As the recipe promised, the mixture started to bubble. I was to wait until it turned the color of Maple Syrup before removing it from heat and adding the baking soda.

I did.

I then poured the science experiment onto foil and waited for it to cool.

After that I broke it apart and dipped the ends in chocolate.

Pretty, right?

FAIL!

They tasted like burning... no other way to describe it. Jason tried to hide his initial reaction from me but once I tasted the pretty little shards I knew it was a disaster.

I was very bummed out until I saw the large bag of Snickers/Milky Ways/Twix sitting on the kitchen table. I ate about 12 and was happy again.