TGIF

TGIF! For years, I had no idea that it meant "Thank God its Friday!" You know what I thought it was? A 3 hour time slot for ABC in which Full House, Family Matters and Hanging with Mr. Cooper would come on. Now, that is some TGIF!

Funny how simple things were when we were younger. My husband and I were reminiscing last night about our journey in finding each other. You see, yesterday was my birthday and I always feel that after another year on Earth, you should contemplate who you are and how you got where you are today.

I was born at 9:40 pm on September 24 in Illinois. The doctors had told my mom they thought I was a probably a boy based on the ultrasound (darn fingers!) and when they said "Its a girl!" I truly think she was shocked. To further confuse her, they had run out of pink blankets and I was handed over in a blue one.

When I was 4, we made a big move from IL to WI. My parents bought a ranch on a river in a small town. I was distraught to leave my best friend, Jamie Brown and truly experienced heartbreak driving away. I soon forgot, however, when my parents let my sister and I sleep in the soon to be dining room in our Flintstone's sleeping bags while waiting for furniture.

The small town I grew up in was very political. All about who you were, what family you were part of and most importantly, if you were born there. Being a transplant, I never truly fit in and after leaving when I was 18, I have never looked back. Do you know the Rascal Flatts song "I'm Moving On"? This song sums up how I feel about this little town. Don't get me wrong- my parents still live there, in the same house I grew up in, but I have never had the desire to go back (although I miss them so!).

At 18, I convinced my parents to send me to the University of Kentucky. I majored in Communication and lived it up my 4 years there. My friends and I referred to ourselves as "Bar Stars," as we went out often and always seemed to be the life of the party, although looking back, I think that was all in our minds.

At the young age of 21, I "met" my husband at Kitty O'Sheas Irish Pub (May it rest in pieces). I had actually seen him many times, as he was a good friend of one of my best friends at the time. I ALWAYS thought he was hot, but things just never seemed to connect. That night, I had this feeling, that if I didn't talk to him, I would never see him again. I got his number from a friend and called him telling him "I'm hot, you're hot, we should go out sometime." Ha! How is that for BOLD!?!?


One year, 11 months later, JM watched me get baptized as a boyfriend. Two months later, we got engaged in the house that we currently own together. 9 months later, we were married in a small ceremony in Florida. 2 years, 2 months later, we discovered that I was pregnant. My, how life changes! The twists and turns of our journey together has been a wonderful ride!


I suppose that TGIF has been replaced with TGIA (Thank God I'm Alive) in my life. I am having a TGIA day today, which happens coincide with TGIF!

The only way to improve my outlook on life is if the CATS pull off a win against the Gators tomorrow. Unlikely, I know, but a girl can hope! GO CATS!

Say a little prayer for me...

Remember that song? I think Dionne Warwick sang it, "Say a Little Prayer for Me"? I think the last time I heard it was when I was watching my "Best Friends Wedding" and they belted it out at the dinner table. LOVED IT!

Today, I have been a bit somber after reading one of my favorite blogs. If you haven't been to Kelly's Korner you have been missing out. Kelly is a super spiritual woman who I am POSITIVE I would be friends with in real life. My favorite thing about her blog is that she is constantly praying and highlighting people's battles- from infertility, loss of children, loss of spouses, or even just the hardship of being single and wanting so badly to find a mate.

A lot of times, I take for granted how fortunate I really am. As I continue to get more pregnant, I have been praying more than ever for this little boy inside of me. That the world will be an amazing place, that I will be able to keep him safe when he gets here and that I am able to witness his growing into the amazing man I hope him to be- just like his father. These thoughts are all consuming and I was humbled today by a post on Kelly's blog about the Sullivan family.

This wonderful couple recently celebrated 5 years of marriage and the birth of a baby girl. While pregnant, the mom, Sara, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Heartbreaking. A few days after bringing their baby girl, Chloe, home, Sara had a seizure and passed away. Yet, in the face of losing his wife and faced with the task of raising a baby girl, her husband continues to praise God. A great example for all. Please check out their story!

I am so thankful to God for the blessings that I have received. Even of late, my Mom survived a terrible car accident and is slowly recovering. I am not sure if I deserve the gifts I have been given, but when shown how other people struggle and survive adversity, I truly do know how lucky I am. I continue to ask "Why me" all the while praying so hard for these sad, but uplifting stories.

Please pray today. Pray for those who are struggling with anything. Pray that you are able to be thankful for your blessings and praise God for your hardships.

"O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker."
Psalm 95:1-6

Mighty Monday

Borrowing a concept from Babbling Abby, I decided to follow suit with my own version of Mighty Monday!

For those who didn't read my last blog, my husband and I found out we were having a boy. Sure that my "maternal" instinct was right (I truly thought I was having a girl), I might have asked the ultrasound tech how accurate the ultrasounds are for determing gender- to which she said 100% in this case. I might have said "unless the baby is a hermapherdite" Yikes, I might be overly concerned!

I might have went tailgating this weekend for the UK v. UL game. Since I am pregnant, I might have made up for my lack of alcohol with turtle cake and no bake cookies. I might have gotten sick from all those sweets!

I might have the cutest cousin EVER. JM's 4 yr old cousin, Ty, is so excited about the baby. He asked if he could talk to it and after deciding the belly wasn't the best way, he opened my mouth with his hands and yelled "Helllllooooo Baby!" I might have laughed so hard I cried. The whole incident might have made my heart swell with the fact my son might too be this sweet.

I might have made my husband order Pizza Hut last night. I might have ate 3 pieces and 2 breadsticks. I might have had a piece of (early) birthday cake for dessert. I might have a sweet tooth!

I might have my handsful as an advisor for my sorority. The chapter might give me headaches every day, but I might care so much that I cannot help but go back each week!

I might be toying with the idea of getting my hair darkened. I might want to get closer to my, ahem, natural color before the baby comes. You heard it, I might not be a natural blonde! :-)

I might have gotten a cute shirt from my wonderful sis-in-law. It might still fit despite my growing belly.

I might be excited to be 20 weeks pregnant! I might be 1/2 way there- I might be anxiously counting the days until my next ultrasound so I can see our baby boy again.

I might have run out of things to say.

Hope you have a MIGHTY Monday too!

Finally Friday!

I have several (a Top Ten to be exact) reasons to be happy its (FINALLY!) Friday:

1. My beautiful sister in law celebrated her birthday yesterday and is coming in town this weekend to celebrate.

2. UK (my Alma Mater) plays U of L (the Biggest Rival) tomorrow in Lexington. I love a good football game...and tailgate. Bring on the O'Douls!

3. My mom, who was in a terrible car accident last week, has been moved to a rehab facility in a hospital closer to home. Although in pain, she is trying to improve each day, so by February she is ready for her grandbaby!

4. I have the best friends in the world, who continue to send Mom cards and flowers every day. She is so grateful and so am I!

5. My birthday is next week. And although the prospect of turning 27 seems well, not so awesome, I am happy to be where I am at this age. Comfort in your own skin is ageless!

6. I have less than 8 hours left in my work day.

7. Mike has painted the nursery (a light chocolate brown color) and I found hardwood floors on CLEARANCE at Lumber Liquidators. Saved 50%- SCORE! Come this weekend, the nursery will be officially on its way :-)

8. I finally broke down and bought the most unattractive maternity support brace....and I don't care if it looks awful- my tailbone is feeling so much better at work! Totally worth the $30 (which I hemmed and hawed at-debating whether the $8 for the remaining 4 months was too much)! Don't you worry, I will post more on this later :-)

9. I found out this week that a great friend and sorority sister is moving back to Lexington! I can't wait for May now...new baby, new babysitter :-)

10. And...for the biggest thing this week. Mike and I had my 20 week ultrasound on Wednesday. We really debated about finding out, but ultimately decided to....drumroll please....

WE ARE HAVING A BOY!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Go Cats!

Labor(ed) Day Weekend

Whew! Labor Day proved to be a busy one in our house. About a month ago, I found out that JM (who works in a bank) did not have to work the Saturday of Labor day. YEAH! Long weekend, now where to go?

We ended up agreeing to travel to Chicago, stay with my sister and brother in law, then travel to Bryon to see my uncle, aunts, cousins, parents, etc. AND let me tell you...I am happy I went, but happier to be home.

Friday proved to be a not so bad driving day. Of course, JM drove the entire way, as I complained of an aching tailbone (I am so thankful for this pregnancy- but this is one ailment that literally is a pain in my A$$) and had to stop approximately 5+ times to use the bathroom (FYI- pre prego Sallie would not have stopped once. I am an idiot like that).

Once we got to my sister's...baby K decided that it did NOT like the greasy McDonald's I had inhaled approximately 100 miles prior. So, lovely way to greet family...puking in their bathroom.
:-)

After some snoozin' we headed early the next morning for my Uncle's house. 4 children, 11 adults and 2 large meals later...we headed back to my sister's house. After more snoozin', the most delicious french toast breakfast and a small incident involving my sister locking us out of her apartment, we were on our way to downtown Chicago.

Here is a pic of JM and I at Navy Pier... 18 weeks + walking lots of blocks = one tired prego!









I will tell you one thing: As wonderful as it is seeing family, I truly feel there is "no place like home!"

Random Quiz Day!

One of my best friends posted this, so I figured I would play along! Feel free to steal...



- What is your salad dressing of choice? I am a huge fan of the Ranch/French combo. Can I get an AMEN?!?!



What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of it? Currently spaghetti with butter and cheese.


- What are your pizza toppings of choice? Any veggies, minus onions


- Are you right-handed or left-handed? I'm a righty


- Have you ever had anything removed from your body? My tonsils, my wisdom teeth, and sometimes my pride.


- What is the last heavy item you lifted? My husband doesn't let the prego lift.


- Have you ever been knocked unconscious? I got hit in the face with a baseball in second grade because I was staring at Matt Rohde- playing on first. Sigh.


- If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? What a terrible thing to know. Why not just live like you will die tomorrow?


- If you could change your name, what would you change it to? I always wanted to be named Maggie.


- Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? At this stage in the game, no way. The baby would literally kill me.


- Last run-in with a cop? I fit several cops last week in boots- for my job :-)


- Last person you talked to? Jillian Baker. I love her so much!


- Last person you hugged? Also Jillian. We came, we lunched, we hugged.


- Favorite Season? Fall- my birthday AND the Packers!



- Holiday? Christmas. My dad's birthday is Christmas eve, so we always have an extra special reason to celebrate.


- Day of the week? Saturday!


- Month? I am pretty excited for February


- First place you went this morning? To work- not exciting, but true


- Do you smile often? Of course I do! I am so thankful for my implanted tooth! :-)


- Do you always answer your phone? No- I am in customer service, I deal with phone calls all day. But I ALWAYS call back...within a few weeks ;-)


- It's four in the morning and you get a text message who is it? No one would text me at 4 in the morning...but maybe my sister if she was on a bender?


- What flavor drink do you get at Sonic? I love the lo-cal diet cherry limeade. Delicious!


- What's on your wish list for your birthday? I already got an early present (Coach purse!) from JM's mom, but I am gunning for a matching wallet (hint, hint honey!)


- Can you do push ups? Yepper! I can still do them with this big belly!


- Can you do a chin up? That is a stretch. Nope.


- Does the future make you more nervous or excited? Excited AND nervous. Being a first time parent gives you a bundle of both.


- Ever been in a car wreck? A small rear end issue when I was 18, but otherwise, THANKFULLY no.


- Do you have an accent? It is an interesting mix of Wisconsin, Philly (from Mom) and Kentucky.


- What is the last song to make you cry? Tough Little Boys by Gary Allen (love him!)


- Plans tonight? Returning some tubs to Liquor Barn (for work), cooking chicken (bleh!), then resting.


- Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? I was a bit wild in college, but haven't gotten that old.


- Name 3 things you bought yesterday? I only bought a Sonic Lo-Cal Diet Cherry Limeade.


- Current worry? What if my child has something wrong with it? Is that (insert ache, pain, twitch) normal? What kind of parent will I be? Are we ready for this? (Insert irrational fear of parenting here...)



- Current hate right now? My wardrobe- nothing fits!


- Met someone who changed your life? I have met many people who have changed my life!


- How did you bring in the New Year? I think I watched some guy jump with a motorcycle on a building in Vegas...oh and kissed my hubby.


- What were you doing 12 AM last night? I was passed out for a good 2 hours by then :-)


- What was the first thing you thought when you woke up? I wish I had a few more hours to sleep!

Red Lobster

Ah...pregnancy cravings. Luckily, I haven't really had any major cravings...minus one HUGE pang of hunger that occurs whenever a Red Lobster commercial comes on. Seriously, do those shrimp not look succulent? Really? Cheddar Biscuits? YES please! This girl had a serious hankering for the RL and luckily, my dearest friend C came to the rescue.

C and I were college roommates for approximately 2.5 years (if you count the .5 that we were neighbors in the dorm). We have been through it all together- hook ups, break ups, tears, laughter, broken hearts, love, marriage- all that great stuff you share with your best friends. I haven't seen C in a couple of months (since I found out I was pregnant) so of course, she was PUMPED! to see...my belly. I would have like to said me, but if I wasn't actually carrying this child, she totally would have bypassed me for the goods.

Anyways, when she got to my house I sheepishly (what a great word!) asked if she would be willing to alleviate my Red Lobster fix. Being the true friend she is, of course she agreed (I mean, she loves the cheddar biscuits too!). After a 45 minute wait, I was starving. It had been like 7 hours since my last meal (tsk, tsk...I know- but I work full time!). We sat down and dug in.

After polishing off a salad, 2 cheddar biscuits, stuffed flounder, a few cocount shrimp, and a couple bites of a baked potato- I FELT LIKE A NEW WOMAN! Whew! I was so in love...with the Red Lobster. I didn't even care that I couldn't have a Lobsterita (which by the way has like 1,200 calories according to my husband's Men's Health...can you say Hasta La Vista Diet!?!?!?).

With a full meal like that in your belly- what's next? Babies R' US. That's right, a full, tired prego went straight to the store. Exhausted, but feeding off my dear friend's excitement (look at that! OMG! I can't believe it. You HAVE to get this. We use this in the NICU. Don't look at the price, Sallie, just enjoy. Insert loads of random super excited and sweet comments here). After a few bummers (the crib we picked out was discontinued and 0 left in stock) and excitement (we found the cutest onsie with dog feet that says "I Woof You"), we headed back to the homestead.

We settled on the couch for a sleepover, since JM went out with his friends also that night. About 20 minutes into SATCM, I felt a rumbling in my tummy. Not the "I think I can finally feel it kick" but more like a "Emergency, Emergency...Stomach is rebelling" feeling. I looked at my friend and my last thought before making a run to the restroom was "please no, I love Red Lobster!"

Alas, my friends, I may have had a love for the RL, but my baby did not. The current lists of don't for Baby: Seafood (Boo!), Chinese, Italian, Mexican and anything involving large portions of meat.

I don't know what to say- this baby is a picky one! RIP Red Lobster, your commercials no longer do it for me. Next!