Another year, another birthday

Not only is today a pretty fun date - 10.11.12 - it's Mr. B's BIRTHDAY!!

Can you please all take a minute and wish him a happy day? He might not ever admit it, but he secretly loves this blog (maybe more than I do?) and I know your comments would make.his.day.

This year, the birthday celebrations around here will be pretty low key compared to previous years. Partially, because I'm beyond pregnant (yep, it's reached that point) and partially because it just the way it goes some years. Tomorrow, we'll (being me, baby and puppies - duh) bake Rich his favorite cake: German Chocolate and celebrate his special day.

In a sign of things to come, Mr. B will be spending this evening at Disney on Ice with his Little Brother, B. (Oh you didn't know? In addition to being an amazing husband, father, friend - he also volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters.) Disney on Ice folks. Love it.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so instead of me trying to explain Mr. B's awesomeness in words, I'll just leave you with a few photos of him to celebrate his special day.

This was a huge hit on Facebook:

"That moment when you're watching men's gymnastics and your husband decides "I can do that too".

 

You know someone is going to be a great father when he practices reading bedtime stories to the puppies - and they actually listen.

 

Teaching Clem-kadiddle-hopper to swim this summer in Dallas

 

Happy Birthday love - it's been a fantastic year. Can't wait for the next...

 

Nursery Update

Leave it to us to leave this nursery business to the last minute, but I can assure yall, we're almost there!

We got a little behind with the addition of some crown molding (it's a long story but Mr. B insists that if Baby is going to be staring up at the ceiling, it needed some extra decorative woodwork) and several weekends of other home projects that set back our timeline.

However, with Mama H. here this past weekend, everything is nearly complete. The only thing left? Hang it all on the walls and arrange it. Seriously. Just put it all where it goes and we're done!

I promise I'll share complete room photos when it's done, but here are a few pieces that came together this past weekend. You'll see these little bits scattered throughout the room in the final pictures, but at least you can have an idea of what we're doing over here!

Not sure this particular framing company could have taken ANY longer but at least it's done.

Notice the "Clerkenwell" sign below the second "O" in London.

That's where Mummy and Daddy met. At a bar. How romantic.

 

I was short a couple of frames for some pictures so scored some cheap white ones at TJMaxx.

And it's true: this is our family routine. Wake Up, Be Awesome, Go to Bed.

 

Excuse the unedited picture and the setting - the middle of the kitchen is not a normal place for a rocking chair, I'm aware.

We went in CIRCLES about a rocking chair but found a perfect workaround solution for this one.

This, btw, is the rocking chair that my brother and I were rocked in as babies.

 

And what to do with some of our leftover fabric?

Make a kite! (The room has a little bit of a kite theme!)

 

Okay, that's it for now. The room is nearly there and I can rest easier at night (as if there is such thing these days) knowing we will bring a baby home to a finished project and not a work in progress!

 

Happy Anniversary!

September 27 is a special day around these parts. Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband!

Four years ago, we said our I do's and made a promise that no matter what life threw at us, we'd walk the journey side by side.

We were honored that people had come - literally - from all over the world to celebrate with us

 

Pretty sure this face was because I'd dropped the rosary the priest had just blessed.

 

You know how they say the day flies by? I think this is one of the few moments I really remember

 

Two years in, we decided there was no better way to celebrate a wedding anniversary than to purchase your first home together. It'd been a long time coming. We signed our lives away on a million dotted lines and I smiled each time I dated the papers 9/27. It was meant to be and a special day indeed. I'm pretty sure once we had the keys to the house, we popped a bottle of champagne and drank it out of plastic cups sitting on the floor. Not quite the fancy candlelit dinner most would celebrate with, but then again, if you know us, we're not necessarily your conventional couple.   

 

And last year, it was the first anniversary of The Anniversary Home. We celebrated by reminiscing on how much we'd accomplished together in the house. We'd spent a year focusing so much on the physical home - all the blood, sweat and tears (and there were plenty of tears) were certainly worth it - but only learned in hindsight that we were really investing so much in us. The house had become a physical metaphor for what we'd built in our relationship and what we hoped for as husband and wife.

 

But little did you all know that on this day last year, Rich was living in another state, starting a new job, and I was tasked with selling The Anniversary Home. Talk about a 180. It wasn't an easy decision, but as we've reflected on all the changes this past year, we know wholeheartedly, without a shadow of doubt, we made the right decision.

 

So, once again, we spent last night reflecting on everything we'd accomplished together this year:

 

Mr. B started a fantastic new job and is loving it

 

Survived - even thrived - while living apart for 3 months

 

SOLD The Anniversary Home and made out pretty well considering the circumstances

 

Made our way to a new town, met new friends and established a new life

 

BOUGHT a new home

 

Found out we'd be welcoming Baby B in 2012

 

And adopted these two precious puppies

 

2012 has been good to us and we're grateful for the many blessings we've received this past year.

 

So how will we celebrate this year? Like I said, we're not your typical couple. Today, Mr. B is off to Spain for a boys golfing weekend. I told you I'm a GOOD wife - but all jokes aside - he's more than deserving of some R&R and it's the Kinsale Cup for goodness sakes! And on this side of the pond, Mama H. and I will spend the weekend working on the nursery, resting at home (hello swollen ankles!) and being generally entertained by Clemmie and Dixie. I really wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Happy Anniversary Mr. B. I can't wait for what the next year has in store for us...

 

 

 

 





Me and Pregnancy

I've had a couple friends/readers email me over the past few months mentioning they're surprised I haven't blogged more about my pregnancy these past few months. I've debated on whether or not to share this publicly - those girlfriends who are closest to me have certainly listened in person/over the phone to my feelings on this subject (thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me be me) - but I figure why not put it out there:

I do not enjoy being pregnant.

Gasp. Shock. Horror. I said it. And I already feel better for getting that off my chest.

Before I continue, let me clarify a few things. I am not ungrateful for this blessing. We are thrilled to start this next chapter of our lives. I know there are others who would give their right leg to be in my position. I am very conscious of their desires to have a baby of their own and I don't at all want to hurt their feelings. And secondly, just because I am not basking in the "joy" of this phase of my life does not mean our child will be less "loved" or I won't be a good mother. I don't buy in to the thinking that you have to love pregnancy in order to provide a fabulous life for your child.

With all of that said, I'm a means to an end type of girl. If I have to align myself on one side or the other, I generally prefer the product and not the process. I am outcome-oriented, always looking to the next task/challenge and these 9 months are at odds with how I approach a lot of life.

I'm impatient. I don't like surprises. I don't deal well with change and often create unnecessary anxiety because I dwell on the unknown. I'm modest, hate being poked and proded and don't like the feeling of eyes watching my body balloon up. I'll be the first one to say it, I can be selfish and don't like to be inconvenienced. Yes, these are my weaknesses, I'm sharing them here, and none bode well for this pregnancy experience.

I'm ready to get this over with. I'm uncomfortable, I'm self conscious and I am anxious to feel like myself again. Can you blame me? Perhaps at some point, I'll look back and regret not "living more in the moment" but that is exactly why I feel the need to write this. This is how I feel at this moment. So be it.

So friends, no, there are no weekly preggo posts with belly bump pics. That, for me, would just be intolerable. I get through each day gracefully and with a smile (usually) but I prefer not to dwell or broadcast this journey to the world. I respect (and read with great interest) others who do, but it's just not me.

Plus, I'm paranoid about how putting these things on the interwebz will impact my kiddo later on. I mean, would my son (just an example) really want his mother broadcasting all the details of her body when she was pregnant? Since I can't for certain say yes, it's only fair I error on the side on letting him make his own cyber reputation. You'll all meet the wee one in due course, but I certainly don't see this space becoming a full fledged mommy blog full of personal details. If there's no need to do it later, then there's really no need to start now.

So there you have it, that's me and pregnancy. We're acquaintances by necessity, we probably won't ever be best friends, but I'm grateful to have this burden to bear.

The "Maternity" Pictures

I put "maternity" in quotes partly because that word is just, so, maternal, and because I just really can't deal with the super cheesey, over the top maternity shots. Warning friends: you will see no bare bellies here. (Right about now is when I could launch into a lengthy rant on this topic. I'll spare you the soap box but unless you're say, a supermodel, you don't look so pretty with your bare belly and arm covering your hefty chest.)

That said, it was important to Mr. B and me to at least make some effort to capture the memories of this preggo summer. One of my girlfriends from high school (we were on drill team together) is now a mama to four little girls, and oh, hey, no big deal, runs this super awesome photography biz called Gingersnap Photographs on the side. (Yeah, so, what did you do today?) Amanda and I got to talking about pictures and she was able to fit us in her busy schedule while we were on a last minute trip to Dallas. Thank you Amanda!

Amanda and I decided our approach to these photos would be more of a "couples session when I happen to be pregnant" rather than "hey look at my big fat belly and maybe you'll see an ocassional photo of the hand of the father of my child". Amanda made sure Rich, Clemmie and Dixie were included in most of the photos and I love that the result is a group of shots of our happy little family.

Thank you so much Amanda for a seriously fun photo sesh and for capturing these memories. And for any friends in North Texas - heck, anywhere really! - I highly recommend Gingersnap Photographs! We'll certainly be getting together again soon once Baby B is here!

Favorite. Picture. Ever.

This alone was worth it!

 

I'm sort of obsessed with the lush green contrasted against C&D's red/blonde fur!

 

If you insist on a hand on belly shot, here you go....

 

You can't fake these faces people - so much fun and so much laughing.

 

You knew we'd be reppin' purple, right?

Amanda's a Baylor Bear (we forgave her for that :-)) and she still let us show our TCU love.

 

Dixie with her always photogenic smile

Clemmie with her slightly scared, tongue hanging out the side of her mouth look.

 

 



Happy Easter

Happy Easter from Mr & Mrs. B, as well as Baby B!



More details to come!