Adios Trabajo!

Do you see how close that little blue birdie is to the end of the vine? WAHOO!!!

This little weird-o countdown has been on my refrigerator since day 45 of my countdown to my last day of work. Every morning I have woken up, had breakfast and crossed a little red X over that day's number. Tomorrow I will cross off that little 1 in the top center.


Tomorrow is my last day @ work- and I can honestly say that it is bittersweet. Not because I will miss the work, but because for 2 weeks I won't have a baby... so I will be at home... feeling kind of guilty. Is that weird? K has to go to work, and I will be piddling around here sleeping and doing whatever I want. Kind of unfair. Kind of sa-weeeeeeeeet! See my confliction?

We went to the doctor yesterday. No progress. That's all I am sayin' about that.

I have been so happy this whole pregnancy that my feet didn't swell up like balloons as everyone warned. They look alright, but they have gotten bigger this past month- for. sure. I kind of think it happened overnight. I wore flip flops to work the other day and then went to switch to my heels- they didn't fit. Rats. And so far, the weight gain count is up to 29 pounds. 29! Everyone keeps saying it's "all belly". Muhahahaaaaa I have tricked you! Things are not as they seem! Two girls approached me in the line at the cafe today... asked me when I was due, and continued to keep talking to me- but to eachother...? Then one said, "You look great though, you know, for being pregnant." "Yeah, totally. For being pregnant, you look pretty good" replied the other one. I didn't thank them. For one, they weren't really talking to me. And secondly, that wasn't a compliment! Would she have thanked me if I had said, "That looks great, you know, for a spray tan." Probably not.

And yes, I am blaming the 'tude on the heat. It's hot ya'll.

Sidenote: Where is football season? This will be the first year since High School that I haven't worked Saturdays- I get to watch every game! We can take Cham to a game! Yipee Yahoo Day! I can hardly wait. So glad that her first year of SEC football won't contain this rivalry:

Not sure if I could handle the stress if they played each other yearly. Phew!

Anyhow, GO DAWGS!

Until Next Time,

The Guff

Howling at the Moon...

Tonight is a full moon! Let's hope something cRazY happens!

...or at least gets started...

I have been sitting on my birthing ball bouncing up and down, up and down for around 2 hours now. Reminds me of The Price is Right: "Chamblee Ophelia... COME ON DOWN!"

We met with our Pediatrician this afternoon for a pre-natal appointment - Love her. She had all the right answers to my researched questions regarding breastfeeding, immunizations, hospital privileges, etc. She was highly recommended and has some of the highest ratings and reviews in the area- I am so glad that she takes new patients:) I'm also excited to see her again in a few weeks with Baby G!

My Braxton Hicks contractions have still been pretty inconsistent- they are getting a little bit more intense, but they are still scattered in time. Everyone says that when they are the real thing- I'll know. I'm not so sure!

Let's hope that this ball does more than make me dizzy!!!

Sing it with me!

"...Get low, get low, get low..."

Until Next Time,

The Guff

Pedicure, please.

37 Weeks... and Chamblee is the size of a watermelon!

We went to the doctor last Friday and apparently I'm not really making any progress. So much for this little girl coming early! I was only 50% effaced, not dilated at all and the doc said, "Looks like you will be carrying to term!" with a smile. Wonderful. Does he know how hot it is? Does he realize that I need to have her like, NOW? No, he doesn't. When he asked if I had a cold or if I was just tired of being pregnant (after being prompted by my constant sniffing...) I told him that I was hot, too top heavy and just ready for baby. He offered to induce me this week or so- but that would cancel out my hopes for a non-medicated birth. Basically, it was now or natural. UGH. Of course I chose natural. I am such a loser. Tomorrow is a full moon, and I am hoping something crazy happens.

Speaking of crazy, tomorrow also starts my last week of work. Wow. Only 5 days left! I feel like last week flew by and this one will probably drag on. K asked me the other day what I was going to DO for 2 weeks with no job and no baby... uh, sleep. Duh.

Note to self (and to you, I guess): When you are pregnant, just hang it up and go get a pedicure. I can't see my feet, much less paint the nails. Awk. Ward. They look a hot mess, and I kind of like it - only because when I do see them it makes me laugh. What a disaster. The whole time I was painting them, and all the skin around them, I was thinking to myself, "This is what your toes might look like when you deliver Chamblee. They have to look good. They are gonna be all kinds of up in the air and all over the place." Now thinking about seeing them during labor is hilarious to me. Because they are a hot. mess. (*Please don't look at them if you come visit me in the hospital. They are for my amusement only. Thanks.)

-ps- We went to the movies today and saw Inception. Mainly because all we have heard are raves and raves and we figured it must be fantastic. Eh. I really would have rather rented it and saved $40. Perhaps for a pedicure?

Until Next Time,

The Guff

Play-by-Play of the Week

This week was supposed to be a lazy, slow week. It totally wasn't. Monday we took Bailey to the vet and had him put under to get his teefies cleaned. WHOA did he need it- his breath was rank! Toxic! His teeth are now whiter than mine, and his breath has done a complete 180. Thank the Lord!

The poor little guy was totally out of it once I got him home. I kept getting worried that he wasn't breathing- but he was just sleeping so soundly. It was SO weird- he is usually my perky pup.

State had no one to play with, so he passed out, too.

Tuesday was the longest day in the history. I worked from 8-7 and then picked up my parents from the airport! (Did you hear that, Chamblee? You can come anytime, now. Nona is home from California.)

Wednesday I had the pleasure of going to Target after work to look for nursing bras. I hate shopping for stuff like that. Ugh. Anyway, I settled on this kind:

It is so, so comfortable- and affordable. (Do you know how expensive some nursing bras are? Like, Whoa!) I got it in 2 colors and I should have probably gotten more. I didn't though, because I was too busy buying everything else in the store. I have this weird brain malfunction that sends signals to my wallet saying something like: "It's on sale, so get it! No matter if you get 9 things that are on sale, and the total is still ridiculous, they are all on sale!" So, that's what I did. I got it all. Pajamas, a robe, pants, tank top...items for the diaper bag... whatever. I neeeeeeeded them. Then I came home a re-packed my hospital bag. With all new things. K was thrilled, as you can imagine.

Today was haircut day. I got my haircut and I like it. No big changes. Just a trim. I wanted my bangs cut shorter, but he wouldn't let me- not with a baby on the way. He said I would get annoyed with them. He's probably right. So long they stayed.

Tomorrow we have another doctor's appointment (it's kind of weird going every week now...). I am excited just because. I watch all these shows where people go in for a routine visit and the doctor tells them great news like "You're already X centimeters!" and "I don't think you'll make it to your estimated due date, you should have a baby within the week!" and I dream that one of these lines will be fed to me. We'll see tomorrow... Although I think I still have my plug and I haven't had consistent BH contractions since last Friday :( There's still hope.

Tomorrow is also a good day because today at the salon they talked me into getting a facial tomorrow afternoon. I haven't told K about it yet. Should I? Nahhh.

To end this not-so-interesting play-by-play of my week, check out this picture:

Bailey does this all. the. time. Just hops on the couch and puts his little bitty paw on sweet baby Cham Cham. And stares at me. I really, really like it. They are pals already.

Until Next Time,

The Guff

Driving Miss Chamblee

28 days from today is my due date. August 15th. It still sounds so far away- August. We are hoping that she comes in about...2 weeks. This will allow me to work my last two weeks -get paid- and then have her right after that. I realize that I can't decide when she is ready, but this is our wishful thinking. I have had someone tell me they delivered @ 35 weeks, someone tell me they delivered @ 36 weeks, and a few people tell me they delivered @ 37 weeks. This freaks me out- it really could happen any day!!!

I hate surprises~ K knows this. He used to always surprise me while we were dating. Probably until I told him I hated them. Our honeymoon was a complete surprise to me- he planned all of it and didn't tell me where we were headed until we were walking out of the church as husband and wife. I allowed him to do this big fantastic honeymoon surprise as a grand finale. No more surprises. That's the thing- the whole surprise element of when she will come is killing me. Give me a date, and I'm good. Tell me to wait and see... not so stable.

In the meantime, we are constantly crossing things off of our to-do list. Last thing we checked off: Installing the car seat:

Here's K getting started on the install...

Making sure it's level and tight...

Wah Lah! The cutest little car seat.

I'm ready to drive her around! I am not a very cautious driver, and especially not a patient one. I am sure that will change when I have a little one in the back- right? Right. I went by the local Fire Station today to have her car seat inspected but no one was there... Huh? What if there is a fire on a Sunday?! Weird. I thought maybe it was a volunteer station, but there were cars there. Oh well. Try again later.

I am not going to know what to do this week @ work. . . the last 4 weeks I have worked a max of four days a week, using up all of my vacation days before I leave. These final 2 weeks I am working ALL 5 DAYS! How horrible! Haha... they are going to be such long weeks! If I make it that long :) It's just so hard to be so uncomfortable, sitting at a desk in uncomfortable clothes, for 8 hours a day. Especially when you have already trained your replacement and have relatively nothing to do. Yike.

Well, we have started this hobby of netflix-ing shows and watching an entire season in a weekend. (Now that our traveling has been put on a solid hold.) This weekend: Dexter. Not really that good. But it is time for the next episode, so off I go.

Until Next Time,

The Guff

You don't even know!

Ok, So maybe you do. I am kind of OCD. And by kind of, I mean I am, but not in an annoying, count my blinks and tap the door knob 3 times kind of way. I do count a lot of things -in my head- and I do things that are so weird sometimes I fear that if anyone ever found out what I was doing I would for certain be locked away for the simple fact of being, well, weird. All that aside, most of my OCD is for the good team. Organizing, color coding, categorizing, alphabetizing, cleaning out and starting over. I think that is why 'nesting' hasn't really applied to me. Nesting is what I do every day. In every area of my life. I get things ready and I am always prepared. I always re-organize things a few times before letting them stay for a few weeks. Sure, I have nested around in Chamblee's room a bit- but nothing that I wouldn't do if I had gotten new towels and been provided the honor of re-arranging the hall closet to better suit them.

All this to say that I think my 'nesting' for this pregnancy has decided to manifest itself in the form of..... Cooking! What? Huh? No Way. Yes way!

My sis gave me a link to a recipe that she thought I should try... And because I have always followed her advice and done everything she asked me to as a loving and obedient little sister, I made the recipe for dinner tonight. Success? Understatement.

(You can get the entire ingredient list/recipe here.)

This is everything you need. Most of which is probably already in your fridge/pantry.

Seriously, if it was in mine, it is definitely in yours.

Multi-tasking. Again. Look out!

Directions didn't say to drain the meat...but K "suggested" kindly that I do it. . .

All the ingredients mixed in.

FYI: I went nuts and didn't measure the salt or the parmesan cheese.

Wild, I know.

I also added fresh basil (as recommended by the Pioneer Woman herself) that I just happened to have lying around.

Heh.

Look at the cheese melting off of the spoon... oh. my.

I thought some garlic toast would be delish with this...so K taught me how to use our toaster oven.

No really, I had no idea how to use it.

Top it off with an ice cold glass of milk.

Perk? There's almost nothing to wash afterwards.

After I made this and K loved it, I asked him "Love it like, you could eat it 3 days a week, love it?" I got a smile and what I consider a nod. Yesss. We have so many leftovers that it probably will last for lunch and dinner tomorrow. It is so. good. Ya'll have GOT to try this!!!

Thanks HBC!

Until Next Time,

The Guff

Blueberry Booyah!

So, this weekend K and I traveled down south for my mom's birthday! It was awesome! The birthday girl taught me how to make a couple of things while I was there...

One being a Pepperjack Pimento Cheese Dip:
2 cups of shredded pepperjack cheese
1 block of super-softened cream cheese
1/2 a jar of pimentos (the small jar..uhhh 4oz?)
1/3 cup of mayonnaise
a pinch of garlic

Stir together in a sa-weet, hot red kitchen-aid mixer, and wah-lah! Delicious Pimento Cheese. MMM MMM.
Oh, get some Triscuits or Wheat Thins to dip.



AND, she taught me how to make a blueberry buckle:
3 cups of blueberries
1 cup of milk
1 box of cake mix
1 whole stick of butter
*post-baking must have* vanilla ice cream

Fresh, handpicked blueberries from my Mimi's garden

Any kind of yellow cake mix

Yup, 1 whole stick

Pour blueberries on bottom, then milk, then cake mix

Drizzle butter over top

Bake for 30-40 minutes @ 350

Scoop into a bowl, add vanilla ice cream and totally devour

I can't believe these were both a success. Maybe after baby guff is born this blog will become a COOKING blog!

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! Ahhhh hahahahahahahahaha!!! That was just too much.

Until next time,

The Guff

35/35!

35/35! As of yesterday I am 35 weeks pregnant, 35 days to go! That seems so soon, and still so far away. We are definitely ready to go- we have tied up loose ends and gotten everything that we need for our daughter's arrival. And now, we wait. We wait for the water to break or the contractions to start. We wait for her to be ready. We wait for her to tell us she's done being cramped up and she's ready to arrive! Woop! Please, oh please, be ready soon baby girl! I have definitely dropped a lot, and at the last check-up the doctor said she wouldn't stop my labor from here on out. Although I don't want her to come this early, it's comforting to know that if she decided to she would be alright. We start going to the doctor every week now- so we will know when I am getting close!!! YIKE!!!

I have had a lot of requests for nursery pictures as well as bump pictures! I don't want to put up nursery pictures until it is completely finished- which should be soon. Just waiting on some wall art and a few last touches here and there. I promise it is worth the wait! It is the cutest nursery- in the world. I'll give you a few bump pictures that were taken a few weeks ago- and I haven't really gotten any bigger:

Baby Shower @ Miss Malone's

'A Baby Story', anyone?

How classy is this picture with my gut hanging out? Nice.

So there I am, big as a house and only growing more by the day. Homegirl is supposedly around 5 1/2 pounds as of this week, and measuring in at a whopping 20 inches. One thing that I asked for and received during this pregnancy? An innie belly button! My belly button never popped out! It kind of pokes out when I laugh or sneeze, but it's not an outie. Phew! I don't know why, but I just did not want that to happen. Kind of freaks me out. The back pain is getting worse, but the sleeping is getting a little bit better. My doc said that Tylenol PM was perfectly fine to take- so I tried it- and it was the best thing that I have had in a while. I totally slept through the night. I don't see myself taking it very often, just because I am not a huge medicator anyway...but it's nice to know that there is something I can do to put me out of my misery if it becomes unbearable.

Oh, and here is the promised Chain link update:

I mean, how pitiful is that? I love it!

Today: We pack our hospital bags.

This week: We install the car seat and have it inspected.

But, Tonight: I am cooking. I am totally excited to blog about it. (Don't hold your breath, it's only dessert.)

Until Next Time,

The Guff

The House White

So, K's sister-in-law sent me the cutest picture of a onesie she saw in San Diego:

"I'll try a glass of the house white"

It got me to thinking about how much I looove milk. Last Sunday we got a gallon of milk at the store and it was gone by Tuesday. All me. We went back on Thursday to get another gallon- that will no doubt be finished off by tonight. I have always had an odd relationship with milk... I won't drink it if the expire date is within 3 days. Nothing nastier than sour milk. Egh. I hated it while throwing it up around February and I almost throw up in my mouth a little bit when I see people put ice in it. Why?! And now- I simply cannot stop drinking it. It's the new ice tea with lemon. I looove it. Um- did your mom ever make you vanilla milk? Mine did, and it was the bomb. I just remembered that. Guess what I am having right now? Mmm... "Does a body good"? You dang right!

So, I mentioned before that we got or maternity photos taken and I am anxiously awaiting the results! We got a couple of teasers the other day that I just love:

I love their style, and I can't wait to see what else they were able to create- Should be sometime next week. Hooray!

I'll wait a few more days to show you an updated picture of the chain link countdown...but it is looking pretty dinky. Well, real dinky actually. I just can't believe it... I know I say that, um, all the time- but seriously. I feel like everyone says the last trimester will drag on, and mine hasn't. Maybe it's because we keep busy; always going somewhere or doing something. Having events to look forward to definitely passes the time. And, not working every day helps, too. I am able to organize and re-organize Chamblee's closet over and over again to my nesting heart's desire. Most of the time I just sit in her nursery and look around thinking of what to do next. I think I have it just right...for now. So far this weekend we have purchased a little teeny dresser for her closet (...girl has too many clothes!) and gone on a shopping spree with K's dad and step-mom. They came down yesterday with their oh-my-gosh adorable son and we went to town in Target and had a fabulous dinner at Maggiano's. It was so nice to spend some quality time with the three of them. How generous they are to us and the little babe!

It could be anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 weeks. No, She will not be overdue.

So, my parents are going to see my sister in California in a week and a half. . . for a week. . . Let's cross our fingers that our little hoot doesn't come too early- I cannot give birth without my mama! I won't do it! *stomps feet and crosses arms* Who will tell me I'm doing great even when I'm not? Who will be there to piddle around the room until I need a calming voice of reason? She'll be there. She has reassured me that even if she does come that early- which is very unlikely- she'll catch the first flight out to Atlanta. She'll make it.

Just in case... JMB, you're on deck.

Happy holiday weekend, everybody! I hope that ya'll have a wonderful, sunny Sunday and that you remember why we celebrate it.

Until Next Time,

The Guff