Week 25/ Birthgiving/ Thanksgiving and Black Friday!

Greetings!

John, Gizmo, Dean and I had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday, and I pray your family did as well!  We were blessed to be able to spend it with both of our families.  I love this time of year.  Not just the spending time with family and catching up with everyone.  I love to cook/bake, and during this time of year, the need for such is in abundance!  

I'm so grateful for my wonderful husband, who celebrated his 30th birthday this past week!  He had to work (boo!) but we were able to go out to dinner with some friends to celebrate his big day.  Since his birthday is so close to Thanksgiving, I like to call it Birthgiving :)  It's ok, since I celebrate Birthmas :) Every day I am thankful for this man God put in my life, and for everything John does for our family.  I love you, John! :*

I have the best time making food, especially for Thanksgiving.  This is largely in part to my huge collection of Pampered Chef gadgets.  As I stated in my very first post, I LOVE PC!!!  It's my SIL April's fault :)  The very first Pampered Chef party I went to she hosted, and my life was never the same.  If by chance you are not familiar with PC, Google it!  It's only the best in cookware, kitchen gadgets, entertaining, etc.  I started my collection out small, with just a coffee scoop and a can opener.  From there, my collection grew and grew!  If this has piqued your interest, and you're interested in starting your own collection of PC goodies, here is my list of top 5 items you should consider owning (let me first disclaim that I do not sell Pampered Chef; I'm just a huge fan):

1- Can opener.  I have the previous-model can opener, that has the two legs.  The new model only has one.  Mom has that one.  What's awesome about the can opener is that it cuts the lid along the side.  So no cuts, and no losing the top into the can!

2- Mix and Chop.  I use this to mash potatoes, ground meat, mix up a variety of items, etc.  And it's dishwasher-safe, as most PC products are. 

3- Food chopper.  This is not the crazy Slap Chop, ok people?  This is the real deal.  Chops up veggies, nuts, etc in seconds, and it comes apart for easy cleaning!

4- Pizza Cutter. You have not cut pizza until you have with the PC pizza cutter.  First time, every time! I use it to cut brownies too!  It even comes with a cover, so it makes a cool noise when you un-sheath it. :)

5- Micro-cooker. This is a device that will cook your food in the microwave.  I know!  I use it to brown meat (using the mix and chop to ground it), make sauce, pasta, steam veggies, reheat leftovers, and there are so many other things you can do!  This. Will. Change. Your. Life.

Should you be interested in starting your PC collection, right now my nephew's daycare is holding a fundraiser and PC is one of the vendors.  The website to visit is www.pamperedchef.biz/robinbellamy. Then go to Shop Online, and enter Kingsport Child Development Center in the first box.  Happy shopping!

Oh, Black Friday.  What a fun day :)  This year, retailers opened on Thanksgiving Day (Thanksgiving Day?!?!) with sales starting at 8pm and midnight.  Mom and I always go shopping on Black Friday, been doing so since I was a little girl, when grandma came with us.  Last year, mom and I did the midnight shopping, and we vowed never, ever were we going to do that again.  We're just too old for that I suppose, lol!  So this year, we went back to our normal heading out at 4am, since there wasn't anything we absolutely had to have.  And it was awesome!  Everyone was out the night before or at midnight, so everywhere we went (except for Kohl's), there were no lines!!!  And we got everything we wanted without having to fight anyone.  It was great!  Then I came home, as tired as I was, and put up all our Christmas decorations,  Even wrapped the presents I bought that day!  Needless to say, I could barely move by the time John got home from work, lol!  But I slept great that night!

Alright, time for Dean's update!

Size:  Rutabaga baby!  Dean measures around 13.5 inches long, and at my doctor's appointment last week, weighs an estimated 1 lb 11 oz.

Physical Features:  Dean's starting to get some baby fat :)  His wrinkled skin will be smoothing out and he'll soon be looking like a little newborn!  If we could see Dean's hair, we'd be able to tell it's color and texture!

What I'm Thankful For:  One of the awesome things about Thanksgiving is getting to spend time with family you haven't seen in a while.  John's brother and his family came up, and I got to spend some time hanging out with my SIL Krista.  We never get to hang out (they live in GA), just the two of us.  So we got lunch, and just sat around and talked.  It was great getting to talk with her just one-on-one, and she shared some very valuable advice on babies (as they have 2 adorable twin girls!).  I'm very thankful for that time we got to have this weekend; thanks Krista!

Overall Feeling:  Did I mention the pain in my back in my last post?  Well, it's still there :P  I'm going to see about getting an adjustment this week to relieve the pain.  I've tried stretches and "proper" sleeping positions, but they don't seem to be working.  Other than that nagging little pain, I'm feeling absolutely wonderful, and thankful for my health!

Appointments and Coming Events: Glucose appointment went well!  Mine and Dean's glucose test came back great, so no gestational diabetes for us!  We also got to have another ultrasound.  My doctor's office only does 2 ultrasounds: one to see the baby when you first find out you're pregnant, and the other to determine the sex of the baby.  At that appointment, the tech didn't get a clear enough picture of the umbilical insertion for Baby Dean, so the doctor wanted another ultrasound so she could see it better (I mean, as tired and hungry as I've been, I know he's getting what he needs, but they need the clear evidence. That's cool).  This time, while the tech was searching for the insertion, she got a really good look at Dean's profile, and printed off a pic for us.

There he is!  He's got that Streeman nose, if you ask me, lol!  I love this picture.  I love looking at it while feeling him move around.  I have such a strong urge to just hold him and snuggle him and tell him how much his dad and I love him.  I'm getting sappy just thinking about him, lol!

Anyway, the rest of the appointment went great!  The doctor went down the list of everything they did, check fluids, measurements, his weight, my weight, etc, and said everything was coming along perfectly.  So glad for a great doctor visit!  Next one is Dec. 18, during Birthmas week!

Let's see how big Dean's gotten:

Yeah, he's really showing now, lol!  Love him!

Have a great week!

Week 24/ TACRAO/ Name-changer!

Happy Sunday all!

Hard to believe another weekend has come to a close (I know it's not technically over yet, but I start getting my "case of the Mondays" around 4pm on Sunday).  I had a great week for work last week, because it was our annual TACRAO conference.  I love conferences :)  Lately they've been my sole source for professional development, so I was that person feverishly taking down notes at every session.  I shall type them up tomorrow for my notebook :)  While I enjoyed the conference (this year it was held in Kingsport, so just right up the road) it also made me a little sad that I won't be at SACRAO in February.  In Texas.  With Becky.  It'll just be too close to Baby Dean's arrival for comfort in traveling that far.  So I look forward to perhaps a SACRAO visit for 2014!

Another "exciting" event happened last week (not exactly the fun kind of exciting).  Friday morning, as we're waiting for the keynote speaker to begin her speech, I get a text from my lovely husband.  I figured it was one of his usual "have a great day, I love you!" text.  Not this time.  This time, he texts me that he's decided he does not want to use "Edward" for Baby Dean's middle name...

Exactly.  If he could have seen me, I was giving him the Cecily "you're ridiculous" look.  I even have confirmation that he agreed he liked it!  Oh, bless that man that I love so dearly.  We debated back and forth over text until I got tired of it, agreeing we'd talk about it when we got home.  So to make a long story short, we are in progress of coming up with another middle name for sweet Baby Dean.  One that we will both agree on (and to which I will get notarized).

Now for Baby Dean's update!

Size:  Ear of corn! (seriously? LOL!) Dean has gain about 4 ounces since last week, so he's just over a pound, and is right around a foot long.

Physical Features:  Dean's brain is growing quickly and taste buds are continuing to develop.  His lungs are also developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that will help air sacs in the lungs inflate.

What I'm Thankful For:  Specifically this week, it's who I'm thankful for.  That would be my great friend/massage therapist/doula Ellen.  She earned her doula certification this week, and I'm so very proud of her!  And I'm thankful that she's my doula, and will be taking such great care of Dean and me once the time comes.  Congratulations Ellen!

Overall Feeling:  Still feeling great!  Although I'm getting some back pain :-/  Apparently I am not sleeping in the correct position (Ellen pointed this out to me yesterday) so I've got my back out of whack.  I'm most comfortable contorted with laying on my hip as well as my stomach, and that's a no-no for my back (duh).  So last night I tried sleeping in the "correct" position, completely on my side.  I didn't sleep great :)  But it'll get easier.  Also my SIL Krista is going to let me borrow her pregnancy pillow, so I'm sure that'll help greatly!

Appointments and Coming Events:  This is it people; Tuesday is The Glucose Test.  Then afterward I'm meeting my friend Stephanie for doughnuts :)  I'm sure everything will go well with the test, but prayers are much appreciated.  It'll be the first appointment John won't be able to come to (because of work).  Also this week we have Thanksgiving and Black Friday!!! :D

Now for the pic!

Wow!  There he is, lol!  I felt him going through his little spurt this week.  I had an increase in hunger, and I've been sleepy-tired (as in falling asleep on the couch by 8:30 every night).  And his movements have not only increased, but have gotten stronger!  And I can see the movements!  It's just the coolest thing ever!  He's just the coolest baby ever!  I'm so excited!

I pray everyone has a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving this week!

Week 23/ Speedway 5K/ Magic Eraser!

Hello!

Thank you everyone for the support following last week's post.  I should say that there were more than just bottles and registering that factored in to my meltdown.  There were things in my life that needed changing, and I finally took control and changed them for the better.  It was a big week for us!  First thing I changed was that I resigned from the Junior League.  I hated having to resign.  I hadn't met many of the ladies of the League (as I just transferred this year) and the ones I had I enjoyed getting to know and work with.  Plus I love volunteering.  But I realized that I had to step back.  I am very appreciative of the support the ladies gave me, and they put on a great Follies this year!  So, I stepped back in order to change the second thing: we need to sell this condo.  This was the biggest reason for my meltdown.  I love this place, but it is time to move on into a house for our growing broad.  And the people we had our condo listed through were not doing their part in helping us fulfill this goal.  So we got out of our contact with them and hired a realtor we feel has our best interest in mind.  We are very pleased with how things are going now, and are reinvigorated with positive hope that we will sell this condo, and find our family home!

Today was also an eventful day, the Speedway In Lights 5K!  Had a great time walking the 5K with my friends Jen, Jenny, and little Azaleigh!

Next year, Dean will be walking with us too.  Can't wait!

On to the updates!

Size:  Mango Martin!  Weighs just over a pound and around 11 inches in length.

Physical Features:  Dean has a developed sense of movement, so he can feel me when I dance around the house :D  Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing, and his hearing is becoming more keen.  

What I'm Thankful For:  Today, I am thankful for Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.  Let me explain:
My fantastic husband is notorious for leaving items in his pants pockets.  About a year ago, that lovely man left a packet of chewing gum in his pants pocket, which got washed.  I thought it ruined the dryer, much less those clothes.  I got the dryer as clean as I could, but it seemed the gum was dried to the dryer.  Lesson learned: he is to always (always!) check his pockets before putting things in the dirty clothes.  Today starts as a normal laundry day: he brings me the clothes, I sort, we take them downstairs.  About the time my wonderful husband was to leave for lunch with his friends, he disappears downstairs.  He was gone so long I thought he left without saying goodbye :(  I yelled down to the garage to see if he was there.  He responded with a hesitant "yeah."  I asked him what he was going.  He responded with a resistant "nothing."  Now, I'm not a mamma just yet, but even I know such a response requires some investigating.  So I walk down to find the dryer open, and my darling husband holding one of his shirts.  It was just a few minutes before, he told me, he remembered he left a vitamin in the coin pocket of one of his pants.  And it had gotten on some of the clothes.  And inside the dryer.  He felt bad, and I could see it in his sad, puppy-dog eyes.  I felt bad for him. I remembered yesterday when I was cleaning out underneath the sink I had found a box of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser that we never used.  I thought, why not, it's worth a shot!  So after he left for lunch, I took the Magic Eraser in my attempt to conquer the vitamin in the dryer.  And it worked!  It worked so well, I thought hey, I'll see if this'll get that old gum off the inside as well.  AND IT WORKED!!!!  It took some time and some elbow grease, and it all came off.  I was so happy.  So in preparation for Dean being like his precious father, I am thankful to know that Mr. Clean Magic Eraser will get the gunk out of the dryer.

Overall Feelings:  Emotionally, much better than last week!  Physically I'm feeling great, especially after walking this 5K!

Appointments and Coming Events:  I'm very excited that this week is our TACRAO conference.  I like conferences.  I'm sad I won't be accompanying Becky to SACRAO this year, but it'll be too close to Dean's arrival for the comfort of my doctor.  So at least I have this to look forward to.  And my mentor will be there!  I can't wait to see her again!  Other than that, next week is my glucose test appointment (oh joy) as well as Thanksgiving (YAY!), and Dean's first experience Black Friday shopping (double YAY!).

Time for this week's Bump Pic!

Have a great week!

Week 22/ Travel is OVER

Hello all!

Yes, travel season is DONE!  What I like about admissions is that it's cyclical, so that different things are happening during different parts of the year.  After a busy Spring of folder reviews and campus visits, I look forward to how Summer seems to slow down (well, as slow as it can being a small, private school).  Then once I simply cannot stand being in the office one more second, I get out for travel season in the Fall.  Then I get tired of being on the road and missing out on what's going on at home.  That's when November and December are fabulous- we have our conference, Thanksgiving break, and 2 weeks off for Christmas before starting the year over again.  So bring on conference, which is in 2 weeks!

Updates on Baby Dean!

Size:  Spaghetti squash!  Dean is around 11 inches in length and weighs nearly a pound!

Physical Features:  His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and tiny tooth buds are developing beneath the gums.  Eyes have formed, but the irises still lack pigment.

What I'm Thankful For:  I am beyond thankful to be home.  So happy to be spending time with John and Gizmo, with family, and hanging out with friends.  Went out for a birthday party with people I hadn't seen since the summer, and it was so good to see them!

Overall Feeling:  I'm thinking it's from all the driving, but my legs and my back have been sore.  I started today driving with a small pillow behind me, and that seems to alleviate the back pain.  Other than that, still feeling great!

Appointments and Coming Events:  Next week I'll be walking in the Speedway in Lights 5k, which I am very excited about!  Still have that glucose appointment coming up on Nov. 20 :P

Bump Pic!

So, I had myself a mini-meltdown tonight :(  Just had that overwhelming feeling I'm sure every new mom experiences.  We went to register tonight, and you'd think with all the baby stuff I've bought for other moms I'd have an idea on what Dean would need. Wrong!  There are too many options out there!  It was much easier registering for our wedding, since I knew exactly what I wanted, lol!  I wish Dean would just tell me what type of bottle he'd prefer :)  It'll come together, I know it will.  John has been fantastic with these mini-meltdowns I've had.  So very grateful to have such a wonderful husband to take care of me!

Have a great week!