Monday, February 27, 2012

Stir Crazy

I have been trapped inside our house now for 2 weeks. With the exception of running my typical errands and going to the gym....I've been a recluse in my own house. Well, we did go to Lance and Shellie's about a week ago...but that's it. Why? This darn sickness will not go away. I started feeling better on Friday/Saturday, then BAM...yesterday was completely miserable. My morning started out with severe congestion, then on to a migraine, followed by morning sickness...which left me running to the bathroom. And, all day I had fever, aches, etc. I honestly haven't felt that horrible in years...and would start randomly bawling my eyes out because I felt so awful.

Thankfully, Sophie allowed me to sleep until 10am this morning. This is definitely not typical. I usually awake around 5:30am and lay in bed until Tommy leaves for work...then eventually just get up. Every time I make a movement under the covers, Sophie attacks me with kisses...excited to start her day. While adorable at times, it can also be severely annoying if I'm having an insomnia moment. But, she must have known how much I needed my sleep, because she cuddled up and slept next to me all morning.

I still feel achy and congested today, but my fever has finally broke. I don't think I'm going to be able to do much today...I might attempt a walk around the neighborhood since it's beautiful outside, but I don't know if I'll have the energy.

We are having another crazy weather pattern this week. Including severe storms on both Wednesday and Friday:


On Thursday, I had another call for a showing that afternoon and a call for a showing Saturday. My Thursday showing showed up right as scheduled, but our Saturday appointment was a no show. The agent didn't even call to cancel. So rude. We got up early Saturday morning, cleaned the house, and sat in our car with Sophie for an hour and half waiting on the prospective buyers. I've never had this happen before. Oh well...onto the next.

I wish I had something excited to blog about, but the past week has been a bore. My dad is having surgery on Wednesday, so I'll be at a doctor's office the majority of the day. Also, Tommy and I are going to go Park Cafe on Saturday and use our remaining gift card balance. I'm so excited!

Actually, I'll post photos of our current top 2 houses we love. Hopefully, they'll still be on the market when we're ready to purchase....or something better may come along.

Tommy's current #1 - The pool definitely has something to do with it. 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, 3,030 square feet.





My current #1 - Complete with basement! The last home I owned had a full finished basement, and I miss having one so much. And, the yard...is perfect. 3 Bedrooms. 2.5 Baths, 3,263 square feet.

Ultimately, we want a home we can grow into and live in for the next 20 plus years. Of course, there are other houses on our list that would be wonderful options for us as well. I'm excited about starting our home search. Now, we just need to find the perfect buyer for ours!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Crantankerous

.....is the best way to describe the way I've been for the past 2 weeks. I've been sick off and on with a head cold and my allergies are going haywire thanks to the influx in crazy weather patterns. To top it off, I've been having migraines almost daily, too. I can take Zyrtec D and Tylenol, but it doesn't help. Sorry for the pity party, but I just want to feel better already! On a positive note, my morning sickness is no longer daily, and I'm only having it maybe 1-2 days per week.

We haven't had any showings since Friday, and it's making me antsy. I know this is pretty typical, but I just want to get the ball rolling. We have found several houses that we love, but there's always a chance they can get snatched up at any moment. I haven't heard anything back from our promising showing on Friday, but I'm following up with the agent today.

Also, Tommy and I have rebudgeted our lives...lol. Basically, we need to cut back on a few things. For instance, salon visits for me, take-out, and possibly the gym....amongst other things. Tommy has been taking a Boot Camp class at our gym with Shellie, but it's expensive on top of our already $100 membership fees per month. I'd really love for him to continue, but spending $200 a month on the gym alone is a little ridiculous. All in all, it's a great time for us to start a new budget with the little one on the way and buying another home. Really, something we should have done a long time ago.

I'd really love to find a work from home part time job, but let's get real...these positions are few and far between. I would do anything...even data entry, billing, or customer service, but it's far fetched to think I could find one of these work from home positions....but I'm keeping my eye out just in case.

We don't have anything exciting going on this week, but maybe we will end up making some fun weekend plans....IF I feel better. Today, I'm taking it easy and trying to make myself eat something. (I typically don't have an appetite when I'm under the weather, but the baby has to
eat).

Oh, sorry for the lack of photos.....I'm really slacking.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Confession

I've been in my pajamas all weekend! Well, Saturday/Sunday thus far, anyway. I'm enjoying our "lazy" weekend. I have still worked out (at home), cleaned, and right now I'm baking a cake. It's been nice to enjoy some relaxation time. However, I'm a little bummed we didn't have any showings this weekend, but the weather has been crappy, so I'm not surprised. Also, our showing went really well on Friday. The agent told me that her client was seriously thinking about putting in an offer, then she called back for our property disclosure. But, I haven't heard anything....yet. So, our fingers are crossed for a strong offer!

We did have a dusting of snow this morning, but it has already melted away. I'm really bummed that we haven't had a big snow this year. There's still time, but it's going to be in the 50s this week, so very unlikely. I will say that I am very ready for Spring! Bring on the sunshine and warmth!

I'm not sure what's in store the rest of the day...we might actually venture out and I'll have to get dressed...lol.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

FINALLY

I actually was able to get some sleep last night! I went to bed around 10:30pm, fell asleep by midnight, and only woke up 2-3x during the night. I probably slept around 7 hours total - which is a lot for me. So, I'm starting to not feel so much like a zombie!

In other great news, my doctor's office called me today with my NT bloodwork results. We are not at risk for any chromosomal abnormalities or Down's Syndrome. I know the doctor told us that we'd most likely be in the clear, but it's nice to hear "official" results. We're so happy!!!

Yesterday, I decided to take a crack at my Summer Sander's Prenatal Workout DVD. Let's just say that it is nothing like what I expected. I was thinking...hmm...a pregnancy workout video, surely it'll be pretty easy. Well, I was wrong. It was basically similar to a Jillian Michael's workout, only for the preggars. There is an express and full length workout for each trimester. I started with the 1st trimester full length - which was about an hour long. I am so sore today. At least I know this will keep me toned if I keep on track. My trip to the gym today was not very pleasant due to my soreness, but I gotta stay on my routine.

Today we had *another* showing on our house, and I have a separate showing tomorrow. That's 5 showings in under a week - which is wonderful. I really hope we can sell sooner rather than later due to the baby....and well, it's just nerve wracking selling your home, too.

So far, we don't have any weekend plans on the agenda...but that could be a good thing. We've been so busy the past few weeks, it will be nice to relax. However, I will happily give up any relaxation time for more showings.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Whirlwind Week

Ah! I'm finally able to blog!! I've been so busy the past few days.... it's been hard to keep up. Where shall I start? I guess I'll back track to Friday. We got our house listing officially on the market Friday afternoon thanks to Lance on MLS. I'm still selling the house by owner/agent, but since my license is retired, I had to enlist Lance's services...which have been such a HUGE help, and we owe him big time! He will be our agent whenever we purchase.

Friday night, we went to Japanese Hibachi with Lance, Shellie, Tyler, Katie, Ray and Sandra. It was delicious as always, and I ate way too much. Afterwards, I was absolutely exhausted...went home and attempted to go to bed. It was an unsuccessful attempt considering I didn't fall asleep until 4am, and was up by 6am. However, I was excited to get an early morning phone call for a showing for Saturday afternoon! Woo-Hoo. During showings, I have to get Sophie out of the house, so I thought it would be fun to take her to Petco. She was not delighted by this idea. Petco was packed, and also holding an adoption pet drive. Basically, she spent the entire trip pawing at my legs. Poor girl. She did get a new walking leash and Plaque Blast.

We headed home, and the agent contacted to let me know she was running late. I decided to park down the street and "stalk" the potential buyers. You know, get an idea of the buying demographic and also how long they stayed in the house. Well, they stayed for 45 minutes, which is a great showing! I spoke with the agent and it's on their "top" list, but it doesn't sound like they are in a hurry to buy.

After the showing, I had to shower for the evening's festivities which included Hooter's and a downtown bar to celebrate our friend Zach's birthday. Why Hooter's? I'll be honest. I love Hooter's wings and curly fries with cheese dip. I might get to eat at Hooters once every two years, and I wasn't going to miss this opportunity. As redneck, trashy, and tacky as Hooter;s maybe, it's still delicious. We headed to the party, and surprisingly, I lasted until 11pm. Once again, I came home and crashed....but didn't fall asleep until 4am and woke up at 7am.

Sunday morning, I woke up exhausted with the worst headache, congestion, etc. I felt like death. It was awful. I laid around most of the day, and then had two Realtors call within 5 minutes of each other. We had one showing scheduled for Sunday evening, and another Tuesday morning. We quickly picked up the house, then headed out to visit my parents. We drove around potential neighborhoods where we are hoping to buy, and narrowed it down.

Once again, last night I tried to get some sleep, but I didn't fall asleep until 3am, then Tommy's alarm abruptly woke me up at 6:45am. Ugh. I've only had 2-3 hours of sleep per night for over 2 weeks now. It's awful, but that's insomnia for you. I go through spurts like this quite often. I just need one good night's sleep to get back on track!!!

Now, for more exciting information. Today we had our NT Scan for the baby. Everything measured normally - which is a huge sigh of relief. However, we won't get our official results back for another 7-10 days, but our doctor is not concerned. We got to see the baby hopping around in my belly, waving at us, and turning his/her head. We did ask the ultrasound tech if she could give us a hint at gender, but it's still way too early to tell. (Our gender determination appt. is scheduled on March 13th). The heartbeat measured 165-170 beats per minute, which is also within normal range. And, I'm measuring exactly 12wks, 1 day....so we are right target! So, I'm so happy everything looks great!!! Below is a photo from today...not a great one. They made us a DVD, but it doesn't allow me to save it!!


By this point, I'm about to fall asleep typing, so I am going to try my hardest to take a nap.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Burrrr....

After experiencing an unseasonably warm winter with sunshine and highs in the 50s and 60s, today is a rude awakening that it is indeed still winter. It's a cold, dreary, cloudy day.

Monday and Tuesday were spent sanding, mudding, and painting our drywall repair. I literally spent 4 hours trying to match paint to our existing color. I had to mix several different paint colors together to try to match it, and I still failed. And for the record, "color matches" at Home Depot do not work, either. So, the paint just isn't going to match, and the perfectionist in me is going to have to get over it. We still have to nail the trim back up...I'm waiting on Tommy to get this done. He's more of a procrastinator, where I am the type that likes to get everything completed as soon as possible. But it must be done tonight!

Earlier I had to venture out into the cold and buy groceries. My pregnancy cravings have turned to citrus fruit. Anything citrus sounds amazing to me! I came home, and decided to try Progresso's Loaded Potato Soup with Bacon with a large glass of OJ. First, I'll say that the can is huge, and a serving for 2 people. So, I added half of a can to a pan on the stove top to warm. I added in cayenne (of course), black pepper, onion powder, garlic, and just a touch of Italian seasoning. It was actually pretty decent for a canned soup. But, it definitely needed the extra seasoning, otherwise it's a typical bland canned soup.

I was going to work out today even though it's my gym day off, but I'm exhausted. My energy level has definitely gone up the past week, but I'll over do it, then crash. The rest of my day will be spent either cleaning, or let's be honest, on the couch. It's the perfect couch day.

Monday, February 6, 2012

11 Weeks and Counting

I'm starting to get very antsy about knowing the gender of our baby! I decided not to get the Intelligender test after reading more reviews, and it was $45 at CVS. Instead, we're going to do a 3d ultrasound at 16wks for gender determination. I know it's only 2 weeks sooner than my anatomy scan at the doctor's office, but I am getting impatient. There's a chance they'll give me a hint next Monday at our NT Scan, but it's likely that it won't be 100% accuracy.

I did make my first baby purchase this weekend (Well, other than my diaper stock pile I've started). I bought the JJ Cole Teal Fleur Norah Diaper Bag! I figured it's gender neutral, and Tommy is going to buy a "man bag" for the baby. I had to pre-order it, so I most likely won't receive it until the end of February. Of course, there's no rush.

Saturday, I headed to the mall for my first time in 6 months. Shopping is something that I have drastically cut back on since getting laid off. I used to go shopping every week, and spent embarrassing amounts on apparel. Those days are now over! The mall still had the same enticing smell, sparkly lights, and shiny displays. for a former avid shopper, it was intoxicating. I decided that I wanted to get a few maternity items for this summer. I headed to Motherhood, located in Macy's, and they didn't have hardly anything - all still winter attire. So, I went to Pea in the Pod. They had a few cute pieces, but nothing that was exciting - still mostly winter clothing. I did try on the 7-8 month belly. I have to admit, it didn't look as bad as I thought it would....as long as I don't gain weight anywhere else..lol. It was so uncomfortable, but I'll have to get used to that.

After trying on shorts, I realized that I've lost some tone since gorging on carbs and stopping Zumba and weights. So, I ordered Summer Sander's Prenatal Pilates/Yoga DVD from Amazon (only $12.99). I plan on doing this 3x per week, along with my trips to the gym. The mirror and awful retail lighting was a definite reminder that I will indeed have to show my legs in a only a few months. Hopefully, it will do the trick!

Yesterday, I baked cupcakes and made my chili con queso dip for Super Bowl Sunday. Also, my Dad came over and repaired our drywall for us! The total cost was $50, saving us $650...which I will take any day! We still have one more set of sanding/drywall mud to do tonight, but we'll have it done by Wednesday at the latest. Sunday night, Lance and Shellie hosted a Super Bowl Party. I have to admit that the only part of Super Bowl that I enjoy are the delicious foods. I don't watch the game at all. Shellie has become my go to on anything pregnancy and baby related! I'm so happy I have her to educate me on everything that I was/am completely ignorant about!

Today, I made a designed a custom crib bedding set if we have a girl. Tommy and I also picked out a boy and girl crib set this weekend. As you can tell, I'm having baby buying fever!

Custom Baby Girl Bedding Set - Ignore the grey blanket on the left side - would not let me customize.

Boy "Zoology" Crib Bedding - We both LOVE this set.

"Harper Mini-Dot Crib Bedding" by Pottery Barn - I'd also add in a few grey accents.

We're hoping to have our house listed on Thursday this week...which is very exciting. Previously, there were 6 homes listed in our subdivision and in the past 4 months all of them have sold. We'll actually be the only home listed in our neighborhood, which is awesome. I am confident that we will sell this time around. The market is definitely picking up!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Mission Accomplished

I got up around 7:20 this morning and decided to conquer a large project. I needed to get the house in tip top shape in order to put it back on the market. After cleaning out closets, pantries, steaming the carpets, getting the spare bedrooms in order, loads of laundry, etc., I am finished! Such a relief! I am surprised that it only took me 4 hours to complete. Originally, I was just going to complete one project at a time, but I had a sudden surge of energy today. I do want to rave about my at home steam cleaner, SteamVac FH50010 by Hoover. I've had other steam cleaners by Bissell and they weren't very good. I scored this one on Amazon for about $60 with cleaner, and so far it's lasted me two years.

We still do have a few small items to complete. I'd like to get extra flowers for the patio and front porch, and I need Tommy's help with a couple of items. And of course, we need to repair the drywall and door molding strip from the termite damage. I got the quote back yesterday and it was astronomically high at $700! We literally have a 2.5ft x 6inch drywall area that needs to be repaired and one strip on the door that needs to be cut and glued on. The materials are only $20, so they are basically charging $680 for labor. And, it's about a 1 hour project. I don't think so. We might use our handyman, or we might just repair it ourselves. Definitely would save us some money!

To reward myself for my efforts today, I am going to grab Tom Kha Gai and a Crunchy Shrimp Roll for lunch. Yes, the sushi roll is cooked, so it's safe to eat. Then, I'm going to pick up an Intelligender Test. The Intelligender is an at home test you can use to predict the sex of your baby starting at 10wks. It's only 80% accurate, but I think it will be fun to do. I'll probably wait until this weekend to take it so Tommy and I can do it together. We'll get our "real" results on gender during my 18wk ultrasound...which will be the end of March.


Since I probably have already burned at least 350 calories cleaning today, I'm skipping the gym and taking Sophie for a walk. I cannot believe how gorgeous this weather is for February. It's 63 degrees and sunny. I'm starting to get Spring fever!

I'm off to go grab my delicious lunch! Have a great day!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

The Alien

Today was an exciting day! I had a doctor's appointment to hear our baby's heartbeat! Also, my OB went ahead and performed another ultrasound...which was a bonus. The baby has grown so much in just 2 weeks. I have an alien in my belly....its' head is humongous! On the ultrasound, the baby was moving all over the place. It was so cute! And its' heartbeat measured 180. Based on old wives's tales this means we are having a girl, however, I'm not a believer in these tales. We shall see.
Sorry, these came out a little blurry.

I go back to the doctor in 2 weeks for our NT Scan (Nuchal Translucency) on February 13th. This is an optional test that looks for chromosomal abnormalities and Down Syndrome. It's going to be a little nerve wracking, but we decided to do it since there is new technology. This ultrasound is also very detailed, so I'm really excited to see more details of the baby's features. It will take about 10 days to get the full results back, which will most likely cause me anxiety. But, I want to do it.

After my doctor's appointment I decided to run a few errands. One of my errands was quite exciting (for me, anyway). I went to my favorite cupcake shop, Ivey Cakes. These cupcakes are the best!! I discovered them about two years ago randomly, and have loved them ever since. Unfortunately, I don't get to have them very often, but I guess that could be a good thing.

Red Velvet Cupcake - Perfection.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the rest of the day. The morning's weather started with awful thunderstorms and now it's a gorgeous, sunny, 65 degree day! I might just have to take Sophie for another walk.