Wedding Retake: Dress

This weekend we went over to our friends Dom and Michelle's house for an early supper and some long over due catching up. I've mentioned before but Michelle is an amazing chef. We had pasta, salad, garlic bread and peach and raspberry sangria. It was delightful.

Dom and Michelle recently got married in a sunrise ceremony on the beach in North Carolina. Naturally we talked about our wedding days and the planning process while hanging out.

Now, Michelle and I aren't psychopaths, so neither of us have been planning our wedding since we were three years old like some brides have. We didn't turn into demanding divas or rude bridezillas and just wanted simplicity.

We were both just so ecstatic to tie the knot with the men we love.

That's not to say we didn't get stressed out and wish we knew then what we know now about weddings. You live and learn though.

I''m not saying I regret a thing about my wedding day but if I could make some different choices I certainly would.

I really haven't talked much about my wedding on here and decided it would be fun (for me, not you) if I did a series of posts on it and what I'd do differently. So let's begin...

Dress-

When I was deciding on a wedding dress my goal was to keep it simple and elegant. Something timeless and not at all trendy. I wanted something that when I looked at in ten years I wouldn't wonder why the hell I chose it. I was really defiant on not spending a lot of money on a dress I was only going to wear once, even if it was for a once in a lifetime event. (Crossing fingers.)

The dress I chose is definitely simple, maybe even too plain. It's a sheath gown with a lace overlay. It had some beading under the bust. The neckline was originally straight across but I asked the seamstress to make it a sweetheart instead. The reason I didn't like it so much may be because I didn't like how I looked in it.

I was a few months pregnant when I got married, and my dress was fitted for my pre-pregnacy breasts. Those suckers ballooned up in the first trimester and I had to squeeze them into it. The dress was also pretty form fitting to my torso and I felt huge. Fortunately most people knew I was pregnant, so they couldn't think of me as fat. (They could think I was a whore, but that's a different story.)

I definitely would have gone with something that had straps and was looser around my belly. I've decided I don't really like lace gowns and would have chosen a different material as well. I'd still like a little bit of embellishment but overall similar to what I picked in the simplicity department.

What I wore

 What I'd choose now

Strange Eyes

One of the first things I wondered while pregnant was what my child was going to look like.

Would she have dark hair and brown eyes? Brown hair and light eyes? Light hair and dark eyes...

... you get the idea.

I asked the nurses in the hospital when we would know Natalie's eye color. They said at six weeks. I patiently waited but they stayed the same shade of steel blue as when she was born.

Maybe around four months is when we started noticing a lot of brown in her eyes. The right eye is mostly brown with some bits of blue left in it. The left eye is mostly blue with flecks of brown. In certain lights they both look brown and sometimes they look hazel or green. They really aren't a defined color which makes me believe they'll both end up changing.

For now it's kinda cool to have a freaky eyed baby though.

Definitely born with my attitude.

At what age did your baby's eye color set in?

Three Dollar Pregnancy Tests

Have you ever been completely hammered in a public restroom and thought to yourself,

"I sure wish there were a cheap ass pregnancy test I could buy right now. There's a good chance I'm knocked up".

No? Well apparently enough people do.

Minnesota will be the first state to install a pregnancy test dispenser at three dollars a pop in the ladies restroom in a fucking  bar. 

Because why wouldn't Jack Daniels and fetuses mix?

I really believe in doing what you want with your life. If you want to party and have a good time, put loads of booze in your body then that's great. When you decide to bring another life into this world then you need to consider how your actions will affect it.

The logic behind the idea is to prevent more cases of fetal alcohol syndrome.

I am not arguing with that or saying it's a bad idea.

I'm just questioning the women who are in bars thinking they should take a pregnancy test. I'm questioning if at the point where you're already out and having fun if you'd really want to deal with a life altering event like finding out you're pregnant.

If you think there is a chance you're pregnant then you should deal with that issue before going out. If it takes a few drinks in your system to realize you may have a child in your uterus then I pray for the potential unborn.

The level of stupid in some people is insane.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

Goldy Locks

You know you're bored when visiting your job on a day off seems like a good idea.

I'm fortunate to live really close to where I work, so I walked down there yesterday with baby. I was planning on just popping in to say hi  but I ended up staying longer than I thought. My boss asked me if Natalie has ever had a haircut and she hasn't. She barely has any hair to cut. She has fine, blondish hair that's way thicker than when she was born though. A few strands of hair were way longer than the others, so I told him he could cut those. 

Not sure if this really counts as a first cut or not. I guess it technically is. I of course made a big deal about it all and had another co-worker snap some pictures. It took all of thirty seconds to do but Natalie didn't enjoy it much and cried a little bit at the end.

After that I stopped by a little cafe on the way home and grabbed a sandwich. We headed to the park  and had a picnic together. Whenever we're sitting outside she loves pulling on grass and finding leaves or sticks to put in her mouth.

I love days with her and have been soaking up every minute of it.

Curious

Not sure what I was doing with my hand in this one. Looks like I'm going, nah-uh, girlfriend.

Trying on Natalie's headband. 

She clearly was sad to see her long locks go.

Bottle in the park

I love self timers. Too bad Natalie didn't want to look at the camera.

Notice the tiny twig in her mouth.

Just hangin' out.

Seriously Serious

When Natalie was a newborn I eagerly looked forward to the age she's at now so I could hear her laugh and babble and see her smile without farting

I was so excited the first time she giggled. I thought it was the beginning of many many more laughs to come. Little did I know how hard it would be to please my baby.

Whenever anyone meets her their natural reaction is to make her laugh or smile. People dance, make funny faces, play peekaboo and hop around all in an effort to get some sort of reaction. She almost never gives in. She'll just look at them like they're crazy for thinking their simple gestures will entertain her.

She gives us little laughs or a pity smile when we try really, really hard but most the time she is just so serious.

Even new experiences that I think she'll really enjoy and smile for don't seem to amuse her. Like yesterday when I put her on the swing at the park for the first time. She just looked at me like, are you for real?

She seems to observe her surroundings and to take everything in and process what's going on around her though.

Or I suppose she could just blankly be starring at things and not thinking much at all.

Whatever. If she's not an intellectual hopefully she can get by on her good looks.

"Is this shit suppose to impress me, Mom?"

Hair Show

Every year the company I work for (I work at a hair salon) has a competition that the stylists participate in.They round up some models, do their hair and do a photo shoot. Then we have an awards show to find out who won what.

I've worked at my job for four years and have only been to one awards show so I knew I had to attend last nights. It was hosted at a club in DC. I must say I am not and have never been a fan of the club/bar scene. Fortunately we had the whole place to ourselves, so it wasn't completely crowded. I carpooled with my very pregnant friend/co-worker Zalina and her husband Nate. Matt was at home on baby duty.

The show itself was kinda dull but I had fun having a few drinks and chatting with co-workers who had had even more drinks than me. Seriously, drunk people are so much fun. The location I work at actually won a category and got a thousand bucks too! Pretty cool.

I really like almost everyone I work with and we all get along well. Last night we showed each other a lot of love and support it was a nice refresher from the typical work day.

The time stamps on the photos are way, way off. I might be irresponsible but I didn't stay out til six in the morning as it says. I actually got home around ten thirty, which in motherhood feels a lot like the wee hours of the night.

Mama sluttin' it up in her little black dress.

Looking uncomfortable.

My favorite Russian and I.

I have no idea what was going on here.

Party girls

G and D.

Right before Rachel fell on the ground

Sometimes it's fun to look and  act like an immature jackass.

Home Improvment

When I first met Matt he had just purchased the home we live in now. I feel like I've done a decent job decorating and turning it from a tacky man cave into a real home. The outside, however, is still in need of some serious lovin'.

 In March we finally got around to knocking down the awful back deck that led into our house. It wasn't just ugly, it was dangerous and confidence shattering as well.

Let me explain. One day a step broke in half just from me stepping on it. Then, not long after that, I was unlocking the door and part of the deck broke off and my foot fell through. I should've knocked it down then just for making me feel like a fatass.

After Natalie arrived we decided we had to do something about it. Matt and his dad built our new deck from the ground up and put in a lot of hard work. I'm really proud of that and think it makes it that much more special. Plus, we saved a ton of money on labor. I really do love it.

Before you look at the picture of the old deck, it's important to me that you know I don't live in the projects. The back of my house looks pretty ghetto, especially with all my neighbors crap lying against the chain link fence.

 Alas, it's finished though and I'm so happy. My nieces came over for a couple days and we got some great use out of it. We blew bubbles, colored with chalk and sunbathed.

Not only is my new deck not a lawsuit waiting to happen but it's practical and fun too!

Before (Kind of a long story as to why it was in such bad shape.)

After

 

 

 

Looking evil

Daughter

A year ago today I went in for my fateful sonogram to reveal the gender of the baby inside me. I had been counting down the days, anxious for months to find out what I was having.

 I have never heard a parent say that they were hoping for one gender over the other. It's always the same line: "We'll be happy no matter what we have." And why shouldn't people say that? How big of a dick are you going to feel like if you say you want a boy vs. a girl and get a girl?

I'll be completely honest, I was hoping for a boy.

Most of that hope lied beneath the fact that it was my gut instinct that that was what I was carrying. To say I thought I was having a boy is an understatement. I was convinced I was having one. It wasn't just me who thought this either, everyone I knew said it was a boy.

On my appointment day the sonographer went through every body part telling us what is was. It was a complete mystery to me how anyone could make out the blobs on the screen but I didn't question it. I was so nervous waiting for her to say the sex. She went through just about everything before Matt asked, "Can you see the gender?" She sounded a bit surprised and said she didn't know if we wanted to know or not and then moved the device around until she found the right spot.

 "Looks like a girl." she said. What?! I asked if she were sure. She said yes and suddenly I was hit with a wall of emotions I didn't expect. Tears rolled down my face. I couldn't believe it. (Of course I knew the odds were 50/50 but it was incredible to know for an almost fact what the baby was.)

I imagined my life as a mother to a little girl. Beyond the cutesy pink clothes and bows, what did that mean for me? What was it going to be like having a daughter? I couldn't imagine what she'd be like. I couldn't imagine how sweet she would turn out or how beautiful she'd be.

Fast forward a year and I can't imagine things any differently. I am thrilled to have such a wonderful baby girl today. It boggles my mind to think that I ever did care what the gender of my child was going to be.

Our Family is Expanding!

Don't you just hate it when a blogger titles a post something like mine, making you think they're going to announce a pregnancy, only to read on about something less exciting like a new puppy or kitten?

Well, I'm going to be really lame today. We didn't get a puppy or kitten and I'm not pregnant. We got fish. Yes, fish. Two female Betta's named Midnight and Violet. 

Is that even blog worthy, you ask? Probably not.

For now they're family though and this is Natalie's first pet. I want to remember it before they end up dying in a month.

Moving on to something else.

I put Natalie in her crib this morning so Matt and I could snuggle for all of three minutes before she started whining because she's bored.

She yelled a little so I went to check on her. She was standing up, holding on to the side of her crib. For parents with older babies this is probably typical. This, however, was a first for her!

Speaking of milestones, Saturday she started waving to people when they wave to her.

She also constantly wants to practice walking. She has me hold on to her hands and she moves her little feet in front of each other. She does pretty well. Who knows, maybe she'll walk before she crawls?

I'm so proud of all the little things she does. She is growing so fast! I'm just glad I can keep track of it all as best I can. 

Standing for the first time!

Fitness Friday

 Here we are at another Fitness Friday! Shannon is away on vacation (lucky bitch) so I'm at it alone this week.

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I must confess that in the past two weeks I have started slacking BIG TIME. My habits may not have reverted to as bad as they were before I started trying to lose weight but they have been pretty awful. It doesn't take much for me to get thrown off track. When I do, it can be a real challenge to start things back up. When I eat bad I start to feel depressed and when I'm depressed I eat bad. It's a vicious cycle that I need to break.

How do you stay motivated? 
Apparently I don't. When I am on the right path I just tell myself that all the hard work the day before wasn't for nothing and I have to stick it out. Guess that's not all that effective though, huh?

Favorite work out this week?
I didn't work out per se but my favorite form of exercise this week was going to the pool.

Do you have a "cheat" day?
Everyday was a cheat day this week. When I'm on the right track though I do try and allow myself one day to eat something I wouldn't on a normal healthy day. 


Do you have a gym membership?
I've never been big on gyms. Probably because I've never been to one. My in laws have a treadmill in their basement and from time to time I use that. 


Do you eat fast food?
I absolutely know I shouldn't but I do occasionally. I'm not even going to lie and say I choose a healthier option like a salad when I do. If I eat at McDonald's you best believe I'm ordering the nastiest, greasiest meal on the menu.

Do you have a workout buddy?
No, but I think it would help a lot if I did. That's a big reason I started this link up: to have some support from others.



Who is your biggest supporter? 
My husband for sure. He questions me about if I worked out and about if what I'm eating is the best option. I just give him some sorry excuse about how I'm too tired to exercise or give him a puppy dog look and express how I need that bowl of ice cream and he melts. Maybe not the best trainer but he loves me whether I'm carrying extra weight or not. He supports me and makes me feel good about myself.


How satisfied are you with the progress you're making?
I was feeling very satisfied until my progress got derailed.

American Girl: Seven Months

Today is a good day to turn seven months. Here's what has changed in the last few weeks:

We took her to the doctor for her "six month" check up last week (due to scheduling issues we had to push it back). She's looking healthy as ever. She weighted in at 16 lbs (less than I thought), 27 1/2 inches long (exactly what I thought) and her head circumference was 17 1/4 inches 'round (I didn't guess that one). That puts her in the 43rd percentile for weight, 90th for height and 81st for head. Tall, skinny, with a big head. Just like Daddy.

I always talk about her sleep habits and how they differ from night to night. We seem to be on the road to a more steady schedule. She is waking up about two times a night to eat. First time between one and three am the other usually around five. I finally started giving her six ounces instead of four at night and this seems to have helped.


She doesn't seem interested in her pacifier much at all.

Still no signs of a tooth emerging.

She can't hold the bottle on her own for very long. I think the shape of the bottles we use aren't ideal for her little hands. She also likes playing with them and gets distracted easily so she drops it quite often.

She's already a pro at sitting and is well on her way to crawling. I give it another two weeks or so. She has also tried pulling herself up but hasn't manage that too well just yet.

The doctor said we need to start giving her more solids. She said one every three days, take a break for a day and then another every three days. This surprises me because I've always heard wait at least a week in between foods. I tried more rice cereal and carrots and she hated them. I'm convinced I am going to have the world's pickiest eater. Yesterday I gave her plain ol' water because it's been so hot and she looked at me like I tried to poison her.

 She makes the funniest/weirdest/cutest noises and is starting to babble a bit. She's also started yelling a LOT lately. I'm not sure if it's because she's cranky or just figured out she can make that noise on her own without being fussy. It's cute for a bit, until it gets annoying.

She kinda sorta claps her hands. I'm not sure if it's intentional or just some sort of reflex.

Getting posed pictures of her is getting harder and harder. She does not want to look even in the general direction of the camera and a smile is almost impossible.

That about sums it all up. I'm sure if I think of anything else I will make an entire long, drawn out post about it!


Happy birthday America and happy seven months Natalie! I feel proud to call this country home and proud to call myself your mother.

There's that 81st percentile head in all it's glory.

I love this expression

"Wee! Daddy's got me!"

Sweetie pie

Puppy Love

In the last week or so Natalie has gone from a growling little dinosaur to a panting little pup. It's funny hearing all the new noises she learns to make. I doubt this is the cause but she has been spending time with my sisters new doggy. I got some footage of the two of them playing together the other day and I got a little clip of Natalie making her panting sound.

Letting a dog use my baby as a human chew toy probably makes me look like a terrible mother. What the hell's cuter than a friendship between a baby and a puppy though? Also, the only reason Natalie is in just a diaper in the last clip is because it's been ridiculously hot here in Virginia, even with the AC blasting. Not because I'm a redneck and just don't clothe my child.

Hope you guys like this!