um, it's snowing.... in October.

So, last post, I said "rain, rain, go away".... this post I should change rain to snow.  That's right, it's snowing in the great state of New Jersey!  The last time it snowed in this area this early was in 1979!  That's before I was even born!  So, I'm getting in the spirit by listening to Christmas music and baking oatmeal cookies (my fave!).  I can at least fake that it's really that time of year for snow, right?

Speaking of Christmas music, Michael Buble just came out with a Christmas album and it's fabulous!  I highly recommend it.  He's just amazing.  :)

Since today is just nasty out, I'm not leaving the house!  I went out to check the mail and just about froze my butt off.  And, mind you, our mailbox is one of those that is connected to the house.  You know, the ones that require a postman on foot.  So, I didn't have to go far.  haha  IT'S COLD!  I didn't prepare for this cold weather very well either.  We only have a little firewood left over from last year and I haven't gotten any of those self-starter fire logs either.  Plus, I'm terrified to go in the garage to get last year's firewood b/c I'm freakishly scared of spiders being on it.  So, I'm SOL.  haha  Plus, I'm trying to not raise the heat over about 65 because we REALLY don't want the $500 power bills to start yet.  Oh the joys of gas heat.

Anyway.... Christian gets home on Wednesday!  I can't wait!  We have our tour of the hospital's maternity ward next Saturday and one of our first birthing classes next Wednesday!  So, all of this should be very interesting.  The class next week is the natural birth class.  Then, in December, we'll take the regular, all-encompassing birth class so we know about all aspects.  As far as baby goes, everything is going great!  He's moving almost all day now; which really makes me wonder if I'm going to have a kid that never sleeps.  Lord, I hope not!  haha  I had an ultrasound last week and he's measuring perfectly.  The nursery is starting to come together and I'm loving it.  And... I'm now starting to feel fat.  haha  I've gained about 18 pounds so far and thanks to my genes, it's going straight to my butt and legs... and, of course, my belly.  Now, I'll admit, I'm digging my new found "junk in the trunk", as Christian calls it.  haha  But, I had to go up a size in jeans yesterday and that was no fun.  But, it's all for a good cause, right?  ;)  And those cookies I'm baking probably aren't the best idea I've had.  Oh well.

So, are you guys dressing up for Halloween?  No costumes for me this year but I'll be propped on my porch Monday handing out candy to all the little trick or treaters this year.  I know a lot of people are celebrating tonight by going to parties and all that stuff.  All I have to say is I feel for those of you who are going out in Philly or anywhere else up here!  It's friggin' cold and yuck and only supposed to get colder and yuckier throughout the night.

Well, I hope you guys have a great weekend and Happy Halloween!!!  Next year, we'll have our own little pumpkin to dress up!

xoxo,

Chrissi

Rain, Rain, Go AWAY!

I know it's only supposed to rain today and then be gorgeous for the next few days but it's making me gloooooomy.  :(  Plus, Christian left today for his two week det in the Middle East.  Fun fun....  NOT.  haha  It could be MUCH worse and MUCH longer so I won't complain.  :)

So, I just have a few updates on everything going on in our lives lately.  It's been a couple weeks since I've posted so I'll catch y'all up to speed.

Well, we had our little weekend away in New Hampshire and that was fabulous.  We had such a great time and stayed a such a great little bed & breakfast.  It's called the Squam Lake Inn and I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone going to the Meredith, NH region.  Anyway, the weekend was great, the clam bake we went to was fantastic and the weather was to die for!  Good things all around.  :)

Since we got back from New England, we've been focusing on normal life things.... getting the house prepped for fall/winter, finishing the re-finishing of the furniture we got the Max's room, and living our every day lives.  But, like I said, Christian finished the Hoosier cabinet for the nursery and I couldn't be happier with the outcome!  Now, I can't wait to really start decorating and for our little guy to be here!  He's going to have such a cool room.  I wonder if I'm ever going to want to leave it!  haha  Here are a few pictures from my "Max's room inspiration folder" on my desktop:

I love all of these and the eclectic feel that they all have.  I especially love the cow hide rug in the top pic!  That room is my favorite anyway.  But, like I've said before, I definitely don't want a theme and I don't want the room to be too baby-ish.  I want the room to grow with him and I don't want to have to get rid of a zillion things when he's too old and too cool.  :)  So, the crib in the first picture is the crib we'll get (Jenny Lind Crib- it's fantastic b/c it's super cheap and it's exactly the look I want!), Christian really likes the orange curtains and I definitely want a fabric-covered ottoman to put by the Amish rocker we're using and to just go in the middle of the room for him to walk around when he gets old enough.  I'm so excited!  :)

So anyway, in other news... I officially switched to a new OB this morning.  I just haven't had a fantastic feeling about my doc recently and his office isn't familiar enough with my insurance so I wasn't getting ultrasounds that should be covered by my insurance.  They basically just didn't know what they were doing when dealing with Tricare.  So, the new OBGYN practice I go to is called Phoenix OBGYN and they're directly affiliated with the hospital where I'll deliver and they even have a person on staff who handles all military patients.  Fantastic, right?!  So, I saw one of the docs this morning and he was pretty nice and mega calm... almost too calm.  But, there are still four other docs for me to meet during the rest of my pregnancy so I'm not committed to just one yet.  But, I just feel better about everything.  This new office is cleaner, the staff is more friendly and they actually ordered the anatomy ultrasound that my old doc said I wasn't able to have b/c of my insurance.... when in reality, this one IS covered.... like I said, they didn't know what they were doing.  So, I finally get to see my little man again on Friday.  Let's just hope and pray his anatomy is all good.  :)  Also, the doc I met with this morning seemed a little more open to the natural birth option for me.  I got a little kick-back from my other doc, which I didn't like.  I mean, I'm not a lunatic about it and I will get meds if I need them but I want to definitely try for a natural one.  That's about it as far as the baby goes.  He sounded great on the heart monitor this morning so that was good.  He's still moving like crazy and I love it.  He usually moves around the most after we've eaten dinner and I'm just sitting on the couch.  Christian has started talking to him and he kicks like crazy when he hears Christian.  Whether Max knows what he's doing or not, that melts my heart.  :*)

So anyways, I've been keeping pretty busy with Junior League lately.  Since I'm an advisor this year, I have about one or two meetings/events each week which has been great.  It's really nice when Christian is gone so I have stuff to look forward to.  

Lots of birthdays and anniversaries are coming about lately!  My mom and John celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary this past Monday.  Love that!  We have my friend Summer's b-day today, my cousin Ali's tomorrow, my pawpaw's on Friday, my friend Jenna's next Wednesday and then Laura & Stan's anniversary is next Friday!  I should buy stock in greeting cards!  haha  I hope all of them enjoy their days!  

Well, I hope y'all are having a good week!  I love y'all!

xoxo, 

Chrissi

Happy Fall Y'all!

Hey everybody!

I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying your weekend.  We've had a great weekend and it's pretty chilly up here today.  I'm sitting here in sweats b/c we refuse to turn on the heat since it's supposed to be back in the 70s this week.  It's about 64 in our house!  haha  Christian's actually about to start a fire to warm it up a little in here.  First one of the season!

We've been home for a week and it's been great getting back to normal.  Christian went back to work and I got back in my normal routine.... back to working out at the gym, cooking dinner every night and actually being up-to-date with current events.  :)  It's good to be home.

We had a pretty low-key weekend.  Friday evening we grilled steaks here at the house and then we both fell asleep around 8:30 on the couch.  haha  Saturday was spent cleaning for me and Christian worked on finishing his part of the Hoosier cabinet.  We got it all stripped and sanded and we were able to prime it yesterday!  I'll paint it this week and then it will be ready to go in the baby's room!  Then, yesterday afternoon we watched some great college football and ended up craving tailgating food so I made some meatballs with grape jelly and bbq sauce.  YUMMY!  Then, I fell asleep pretty early again and Christian stayed up to watch some of the later games.  Then, today, we ran in a 5k for Junior League.  Christian and I met up with my friend Megan (who's also pregnant) and her husband, Matt and ran some and walked some.  I was proud of us!  I've still been jogging throughout my pregnancy and everything has been great so far so I'm going to keep going until it's uncomfortable.  My doc said it was fine as long as my heart rate doesn't get too high.  After the 5k, we came home, rested a little and then walked down the street to a little festival going on.  Now, we're relaxing and Christian is obsessing over his fantasy football.  haha  Every Sunday!

We have a short week this week because we're leaving Friday morning to head to New Hampshire for the holiday weekend (Columbus Day)!  I'm so excited!  It's supposed to be gorgeous weather and we're pumped for the annual Troop Family Clam Bake!

Once we're back from NH, Christian will be home another week and then he's off on another det for 2-3 weeks.  Then, after that, only short trips for him until after the baby is here!

Speaking of baby.  I went to the doc Wednesday for my monthly check-up and everything is going great.  Max's heart rate sounds great, I'm measuring perfectly and I'm gaining the right amount of weight to stay within the recommended 25-30 pounds total for the whole pregnancy.  Max is also moving around like crazy now and I can see the little thumps on my belly when he's moving a lot.  Christian saw one yesterday.  It's so neat.

Well, that's about all I have for now.  I hope you all have a great week coming up!!!

xoxo,

Chrissi