with no end in mind (just a lot of random)

So my being super prepared for Graeme has maybe backfired a tiny bit. I mean, I'm definitely glad to be prepared and wouldn't change it. But, you see, for instance, this afternoon, I have nothing to do. It was the same scenario yesterday afternoon.

I can't work at work (Journey) because I'm caught up to our curriculum. The next month they will release (May) will come out on Saturday. Thank goodness I will have that to keep me busy for awhile, assuming Graeme continues to stay where he is.

As you know, his room is ready and everything else to do with him is ready to go.

I cleaned the house on Monday and Tuesday, so that's done. Dinner is in the crock pot so that's done.

I did throw in some laundry this afternoon, so I felt semi-productive.

That leaves us here. I'm sitting on the couch with no real agenda for this blog in mind. So here's a bunch of random things...

1. Aaron and I had an appointment with the guy that does our taxes this morning. I may handle the budget and pay the bills, but taxes are simply flabbergasting to me. I have no idea how any of that works. But I went along and I helped Aaron gather some of the stuff we needed from the abyss that is our filing cabinet. At the end, the very nice tax man asked Aaron if he had any questions. Then he asked me if I had any. Blank stare. "Yeah...I don't even know how to ask a question here."
2. Last week Aaron and I had a dinner date with Renee and Derrick in downtown Raleigh. We arrived about ten minutes early, so we thought we'd "just go browse" the baby/children's clothing boutique across the street from the restaurant. Yeah right. It's a super cute store called Nuvonivo. It's a bit pricey, but the clearance items are reasonable. We walked out with a couple onesies and the softest baby blanket ever. The nice owner lady also gave us a bunch of coupons and a coloring page if I wanted a "comforting activity" in the coming days.
   
   It did pass some time this afternoon...
3. Aaron and I are on a kick of watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune at night these days. Did anyone see Wheel of Fortune last night? There was this lady, Kathy, who had apparently no clue how to play. She kept forgetting to spin before she called out a letter, she used a "Free Play" to say a consonant, and at one point she wanted to "Buy a 'B'." I think she just kept getting more and more flustered. We laughed so hard.
4. Last weekend we went to see two movies. I'm not sure we've ever seen two movies in the same weekend. On Friday night we saw The Lego Movie (at no charge to our bank account, thanks to our babysitting gig that day!). It was great. And now I wish I could afford Legos to build things. They are so expensive. On Saturday, Aaron wanted to go see Robocop at the IMAX. I wasn't too keen on it at first, but I actually liked it pretty well. Thanks to our IMAX PowerPasses, it's cheaper for us to see movies there then at a normal theater. We are getting in the movie dates while we can, I suppose! 
   
5. We've been leaving Penny out of her crate when we leave the house lately. Unless we're going to be gone more than five hours or so...then we still put her in there. So far, she's been great. Although it's been our experience in the past with her that she'll be so good for like a month and then we come home to a disaster (chewed up ink pen, hole in the wall, etc.) I'm just waiting for her to unleash her next plot. Hopefully, she won't. She's gone about two or three months now with a clean slate still. I'm pretty sure she sits in Aaron's desk chair the entire time we're gone somewhere. That's always where she is when we get back. We feel so bad locking her up anyway...look at her cuteness...
   
6. Growing up, I always had to have a cup of ice water when I went to bed. I used to call it "ice water with ice" when I was little, so that's what my parents would always call it. Sometime around middle school, my mom bought a set of Tupperware cups that became our "ice water cups." They were nothing too special, but they were colorful and had lids. I loved them. 
   
   When I got married and moved out, I was pretty devastated to leave the cups behind. But Aaron said we could get some. And life moved on. Eventually, I forgot about my beloved ice water cups, and became accustomed to just a regular, old drinking glass next to my bedside every night. Fast forward to a couple weeks ago... Aaron said one night, "Can I order something off Amazon that I want you to have before Graeme comes? It's nothing major, but I was thinking about it and want to get it for you." I said, "Sure, as long as it's not something crazy expensive." I really had no idea what it could be. When the package finally arrived after being delayed by the snow, I waited for Aaron to get home to open it. And what do you know, my sweet Aaron got me my own set of "ice water" Tupperware cups! I was completely surprised and excited and wouldn't have guessed that's what he was getting in a million years. Me and my cups are reunited at long last. Thanks, Aaron.

Well, friends, that's all I have for today I suppose. If you made it through all of my rambling, thanks. Have a great weekend!

at full-term!

It's week 37, and we are officially full-term! Now that Graeme can safely come at any point, we are getting pretty antsy. But we know he will come just when he's supposed to, and the longer he stays where he is, the healthier he becomes. In the meantime, I am enjoying every kick, roll, and hiccup.

Aaron asked me if I would miss feeling him in there once he's born. I think I will a little bit, but having him kicking and hiccuping and squirming in my arms will be much more fun!

I am still feeling good, but I definitely feel pregnant. And people definitely notice now. Also within the past week or so, I have to pee so. much. I feel like I have to go again as soon as I stand back up basically. I get up at least four times during the night, sometimes more. I will definitely not miss that feeling.

Graeme is doing great too. We had an appointment this morning. He is head down and his heartbeat is in the 140s, per usual. It looks like he's pretty content in there still and nothing seems to be stirring yet. (That's good, so his Gigi and Pop can get home from Israel before he arrives). We will go back to the doctor next week and see if anything moves along in the next few days.

Now, we just wait! I am definitely nesting and trying to keep up with the cleaning and laundry. I don't want to be caught off guard with a dirty house when we have to leave for the hospital. Aaron has been "nesting" too. He got the very rare urge to clean out his desk this past weekend (to my delight). In the middle of it he said, "Wait...am I nesting?!"

I can't believe March starts on Saturday and we can say, "Hey, we're having a baby this month."

Woah.

(Well, he better come in March...)

about (finally) reaching our Disney movie goal

Sometimes I jot down an idea for a blog post in a random place and then don't see it for quite some time after. This has happened.

I realized that I meant to document a milestone on the blog, but completely forgot to do it.

Some of you may remember when Aaron and I started out on a quest in February of 2012 (two years ago now!) to watch all (then) 51 Disney Animated Features before the 52nd, Wreck it Ralph came out in the fall of 2012. Well, that didn't quite pan out in the time span we had planned. Wreck it Ralph came and went, and we were still making our way through the Disney movies.

We started off strong, and we started off actually blogging the conversation we would have as we watched each movie. You can read our thoughts on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs through Peter Pan on our old blog. We gave up on the blogging after Peter Pan because it was getting to where we didn't look forward to watching the movies as much because it was too much pressure to keep typing up a conversation.

But, we didn't stop watching them. Slowly, but surely, we pressed on. We would usually go through a kick where we would watch a few in a row. But then the next movie would be one that neither of us was necessarily excited to watch. So it would take us awhile to work up the "nerve" to sit through it. Let's face it, Disney has put out some unfortunate movies. Not many, but a few.

It was just two months ago in December of 2013 that we finally finished. We watched Wreck it Ralph, which should have been our last one, but by then of course, the amazing Frozen had come out.

Now, we can officially say that we have watched all 53 Disney Animated Features in order. From Snow White to Frozen. 

My favorites:  Cinderella (you had to see that coming), Peter Pan, Tangled, Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmations, Frozen

My least favorites:  The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Chicken Little, Home on the Range, The Fox and the Hound, The Three Caballeros, Saludos Amigos

Aaron's favorites:  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty, Meet the Robinsons, The Lion King, Lady and the Tramp

Aaron't least favorites:  Saludos Amigos, Melody Time, Chicken Little, Home on the Range, Brother Bear

Number of movies that didn't make me cry:  20ish

Number of movies that did make me cry:  33ish (especially The Fox and the Hound. I cried through the entire movie. The entire thing.)

It was a lot of fun (minus the boring/stupid movies, but even they were still fun to make fun of). It is also amazing to see the evolution of animation and storytelling since 1938 when Snow White was released. I'm not quite as into that as Aaron is. He loved to watch the "Making of" Bonus Feature on EVERY movie. Plus every other Bonus Feature. And then he read more about each movie beyond that. I just asked for the highlights.

We do love Disney and can't wait to share it's magical-ness with Graeme. We are seriously pumped to take him to Disney World sometime this year, Lord willing. Obviously he won't remember or care yet. But we will remember and enjoy taking him for the first time. Plus, he's still free!

with just one month left! (also, here's how to spell and say my baby's name correctly...)

We have made it to the beginning of the ninth month! I can't believe that we have reached 36 weeks. Just 4 left until our due date. That's only 28 days! I thank God every day for this baby boy and bringing us to this point. I trust His timing and even though it's getting hard to be patient now, I know Graeme will make his appearance at just the right time.

Sometimes, this pregnancy feels like it has been looong. Not because I'm miserable or anything. Just because we are SO. EXCITED. It's kind of like how it was waiting for our wedding. We had a ten month engagement. By the end, we were extremely ready to just be married. Now, at the end of this pregnancy, we are extremely ready to meet Graeme.

Speaking of Graeme, I just have to do this one more time. Actually, I know I'll have to do this many times in his life. We join the other parents who give their children "unusual" names that people have trouble saying and spelling. It's not the people's fault. They try their best. We chose the name. We knew it was different. It's our own fault. So Aaron reminds me to be gracious. But, again, if you're reading this, please take note:

His name, which is a form of the name "Graham," is a spelling that we thought more people would have seen or heard. We didn't make it up. It is a more popular spelling in Europe I believe. We saw it spelled that way because Aaron owns several children's books by the author Graeme Base. His website is here. There are other Graemes in the world too, according to Google. At least when our Graeme complains about how no one spells his name right one day we can show him that he's not alone. We just really liked that spelling.

Now, his name is NOT pronounced "Gray-mee."  

It IS pronounced "Gray-em." (Silent "e" at the end). It's kind of like how "Graham" is pronounced. We didn't want that spelling for his name though, and we also wanted it to lean towards a two-syllable pronunciation instead of saying it like you would say "This weighs one 'gram.'"

So, I hope that helps anyone that was or is confused. We have other friends who just posted a video of how to pronounce their baby's name, so we might follow suit and do that as well. Here, however is this helpful little YouTube video that I found for now:

Here's the link if your phone or tablet wouldn't play it:  http://youtu.be/FzprmTs6d1Y

Ok, my rant is over. We love the name of our little Graeme Grayson Bauer.

Back to the weekly update.

With just one month left, I have little to complain about still. I feel very blessed to have had such an easy pregnancy. I barely remember my "sick days," even though back then I know they felt long and awful. I know every pregnancy is different, and I will remember this one with fondness should I not be so lucky the next time!

It is getting a tad tricky to maneuver these days. I feel like I drop things all the time now that it's such a pain to bend over. I am sleeping pretty well at night, but if I stay in one position too long, I wake up quite uncomfortable.

I've also been experiencing some contractions. The first night I really noticed them, I wasn't sure if that's what they were. I went to the most reliable source we have these days:  the internet. (Yeah right!) It was basically useless because apparently everyone has a different opinion of how a contraction feels. But, I did deduce that I was having them. They were still pretty inconsistent, so no worries yet.

Now that we are in "the zone" where he could come anytime soon, I am a little more on edge about symptoms again. Like in my first trimester when every little pain or ache totally freaked me out, now at the end of the third trimester I'm all like "What if my water broke in the shower?! How would I know?!" and "Are these contractions the real thing or was it just because I cleaned the entire house and then gave the dog a bath and now I'm paying for it?" (it was the latter of course)

We had an appointment yesterday morning. Since we were one day off of 36 weeks, they actually didn't measure or do any checking of things besides the normal. Go figure. On the bright side, the doctor said Graeme had turned around and is in the head down position, so that was an answer to prayer! His heartbeat was miraculous and amazing as always. And we go back in just one week. We'll go every week from here on out.

Sorry for the long blog post. Who knows how many more of these I'll have to do...one week soon the update will be that he's finally here!

of Valentines gone by...

Aaron and I celebrated our sixth Valentine's Day together yesterday. That was hard to believe. I felt like taking a trip down memory lane...

1. I searched the archives of our old blog to find a post that Aaron had written about our first Valentine's Day together in 2009...

We planned a day on Friday, February 13th to go to the beach.  We couldn’t go on Valentine’s Day because she was singing at Journey on Saturday.  It was a great day.  We went to the beach, cold, yes.  A lot happened that day, but the best thing was we were together and had a fantastic day.  That evening, after explaining a little more about myself, my flaws and defects, letting her know what she’d be in for if we kept this thing going, I told her.  I said, “I love you.” And she couldn’t wait to tell me the same.

Those words are sweet, and sacred.  And I like that I have shared them with my best friend for life.

February 13,2009

2. After much research, I was finally able to remember our second Valentine's Day together in 2010. We were engaged, and Valentine's Day was on a Sunday. So, the day before, we went to Southpoint for dinner and to see the movie Valentine's Day. Aaron found a post on his Facebook Timeline from February 14, 2010 that said we were watching the Winter Olympics and I was commentating (sounds familiar...).

February 14, 2010

3. The next Valentine's Day, we were married, and I distinctly remember this Valentine's Day because I got an awful stomach bug. Thankfully, we had celebrated the weekend before with a trip to the Biltmore House where Aaron gave me my heart necklace that I still wear most days of the week. On actual Valentine's Day, I was so sick that I couldn't eat the special dinner I had planned. I still cooked it for Aaron. It was my first time roasting an entire chicken and the first time I made chocolate mousse (which turned out more like chocolate pudding that time...).

At Biltmore in February 2011, wearing my Valentine's Day necklace.

4. The year after that, 2012, we were in our house. That year we had a low key Valentine's Day at home. We both worked all day, then I made dinner and gave Aaron a band that made his iPod Nano into a watch. He got me beautiful flowers. Oh yeah, Penny was around by then too.

5. Last year, in 2013, I enjoyed my freedom of not having to work anywhere (I hadn't started working at Journey yet and had stopped my nanny job). I sent Aaron off to work after making him a fun breakfast (see picture below), and then I set out on making him a lunch that I thought was quite clever. You can read all about it here. We had dinner at home (which apparently is our tradition...it is such a hassle to go out to eat on actual Valentine's Day), and I made chocolate mousse that turned out WAY better than the first time. My culinary skills had progressed quite a bit.

6. That brings us to this year! We decided to forego presents, but we went out shopping for cards together the weekend before. Aaron struck out on finding a card that he liked, and planned to get his later. I, however, found the most perfect card ever created by a greeting card company. 

The "snowpocalypse" that struck Raleigh ended up foiling Aaron's card and flower plans, but I didn't mind at all. He made me a card that was way better than one he could have bought.

Our sweet neighbors ended up supplying Valentine's Day flowers. They were waiting for us when we got home from the gym.

I made breakfast that included Valentine's Day toast, of course.

We did venture out for a bit in the afternoon. Caribou Coffee was having a BOGO deal. And since we were basically at Crabtree after going to Caribou, we stopped in to walk around. Aaron spent an American Eagle gift card that he still had from his birthday, we traded two Vinylmations (and somehow walked out of the Disney Store without spending any money), and bought pajamas for Graeme that we just couldn't pass up (somehow he and Penny got the only Valentine's Day presents, and I'm pretty sure they don't even know it was a holiday...).

I tried out a new recipe for dinner from my handy Betty Crocker Cookbook that our friend Lisa gave us so long ago. Betty has yet to let me down. It was so tasty.

Herb crusted pork tenderloin, rosemary roasted potatoes, and broccoli.

We had a wonderful, relaxing meal together that ended with chocolate mousse, of course. 

After dinner, we danced in the living room, laughing at the ever-growing bump in between us that makes dancing a little more difficult. We then had the funny, clever idea to dance with a star show around us using our son's swing. Might as well put this swing to use any way we can while it's just sitting here empty!

It was a wonderful Valentine's Day to end six years of celebrating "just the two of us." Next year, we will have another little Valentine to spoil. Although I am sure a homemade dinner and chocolate mousse will still be in order. And probably a date night without the little one on a different night. I have a feeling his grandparents will be more than willing to let us go out...

counting on one hand now...

I'm sitting here watching the snow pour down, praying my sweet husband home safely. In order to occupy myself, I will attempt this weekly update.

We are at 35 weeks now! Only FIVE weeks left! That's just 35 days! It won't be long at all.

It is really just a waiting game now. We are ready. And I mean that we are really ready... (it's our first kid, so let me be crazy and ready five weeks early please)

The carseat is in the car. 

The hospital bags are packed.

I am caught up with work until the end of April.

The house is stocked with essentials.

I've started freezing a couple of meals.

As ready as you can be, I think we are.

So, we wait.

We go to the doctor next Tuesday and will hopefully get a better idea if anything has started progressing.

In the meantime, I am still feeling great! People keep asking me if I'm tired, but I'm really not. Not drastically anyway. Although some nights I do fall asleep on the couch at 9:30pm (I'm trying hard to make it later now since the Olympics are on until 11!)

The dreaded heartburn comes every so often and my back will get sore if I try to do too much. No other complaints though!

Graeme seems to be well and growing. He must be running out of room in there because he sticks out a lot. We cannot even wait to meet him. We tell him that a lot. 

See you very soon, Graeme!

about my sick car

Aaron and I were very blessed when we got married and my parents gave us the completely paid off car that I had been driving since I got my permit 11 years ago. My dad had bought what is now my car for himself, but ended up giving it to me to drive when I turned 16 since I had learned to drive in it. (He's the best dad.) It's a 2002 Dodge Intrepid. It may be 12 years old, but I love it so. It's sporty and safe and any car that doesn't require a car payment is amazing in general. I'm pretty sad that Dodge doesn't make Intrepids anymore, because I would probably get another one.

My car has hardly given me and Aaron any trouble, despite it's age. Since it's been in our possession, I think we've only had to deal with a dead battery. But, the universe knew that we are due to have a baby in a month, so of course it was time for some unforeseen car trouble. Isn't that just how it always goes?

Now, you must also keep in mind that I know absolutely zero about cars. I can put gas in my car. I can glance at that little oil change sticker that has the mileage on it and compare it to my gauge. I can drive it. Other than those things, I'm useless.

On our way to work Wednesday, I was in front of Aaron. It was a very cold morning, and I noticed about halfway through our ten minute drive that I was still freezing despite my heat blasting.

I then realized that my car was actually blowing frigid cold air instead.

I thought this was odd and was going to mention it to Aaron straightway once we got to work. With another month or so of winter, and with a baby coming soon, I was not keen to drive around with no heat.

Another couple miles down the road, I heard a "ding!" and a little light came on the dash. I wasn't sure what the little light meant, other than it kind of looked like a boat on the water to me. But I figure any light that comes on isn't a good thing probably. I mean, when the gas light comes on, I can fix that. All the other lights...not so much.

At this point we were literally around the corner from work, so I tempted fate and kept driving. I then noticed that the little dial that has a "C" and an "H" was quickly climbing to the "H." And up by the "H" is when the lines turn red. Usually red is a bad color.

As soon as we pulled in the parking lot, I pulled over to the side before parking and rolled my window down. Aaron stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I'm not sure. First of all, I'm still freezing because my heat isn't working. Also there's a red light that just came on that looks like a boat. And that dial is all the way up to the 'H.' Is that bad?"

"YES! Park it right now!"

By the time I rounded the corner of the building and parked, smoke was pouring out of my hood. I was never so glad to not be out and about by myself. I perhaps would have exploded my car. Who knows.

Aaron knows a bit more about cars than me. He looked under the hood and said something about how it had something to do with my coolant. He explained further but I didn't really pay attention. He called his dad then, who has put cars together and stuff. Dave agreed that it was something with coolant but he wouldn't really know until he could come look at it after work. (He's the best dad too.)

Long story short now, Aaron sent me of all people to buy coolant. The Walmart guy thought I was a moron for sure. Aaron filled that up in the afternoon only to watch it leak back out like a waterfall. When Dave looked at it later that night, he said it was probably the water pump. The night after that he brought a car-lifting thing (sense my cluelessness again) to determine that was indeed the problem. Then he gave us a number of a guy who could come fix it so we didn't have to have it towed anywhere.

So, there's a nice man from our old church that's a traveling car mechanic person. He's at Journey working on my poor car right now. Lord willing, it will be home safe and sound tonight. 

We are very thankful it wasn't something worse, and hopefully this will fix my car right up for another few years. (I sure hope it's not on it's downward spiral.)

I do love my car.

Waiting for the car doctor.

in week 34!

Happy 34 weeks to Graeme, who according to different pregnancy apps is the size of a small pumpkin or a butternut squash. We've come a long way from a raspberry six months ago. It's just amazing, and I can't get over God's creation in this whole process. You cannot help but believe in a big, all-powerful God when you look at the journey of a baby from conception to birth. It blows my mind.

I am definitely feeling Graeme's pumpkin-size self in there. He is all over the place and does a lot of pushing as well as kicking/punching. There will be times that he shoves against the side of my stomach and just holds there for a few seconds so there's a big lump. It's quite entertaining. I like to think he's saying "Let me out!!"

We are more than ready to meet him. His laundry is all done and put away. A sitter for Penny is lined up. The carseat is going in the car tonight, actually. The diapers are on their way from Amazon Mom. I've made a list for the hospital bag that I will probably pack later this week. And we are touring/interviewing a pediatrician in the next couple weeks (I'm waiting for them to call me back).

Yes, I'm aware that I'm probably a little ahead of the game on some of these things. But, hey, I'm crazy and I always like to be organized. Plus, there's no harm in being ready for an unexpected early arrival!

Graeme and I are doing great. I am still feeling very well and have good energy. I am uncomfortable every so often, mainly lying down in one position for too long. And of course the bathroom breaks are constant again.

We missed an appointment because of the snow last week, and weren't able to make it up until yesterday. Even then we had to drive to the other office that's like 30 minutes away and see a nurse practitioner instead of a doctor. Not that I have anything against nurse practitioners, but the lady that made my appointment was like, "I can only get you in with a nurse practitioner," and I'm thinking, "Ok, they are clearly just as qualified to use a measuring tape and a little heart rate monitor thing that I could buy myself at Babies "R" Us..." 

Anyway, the nurse practitioner that we saw is like my new favorite person we've seen. She might just be the sweetest ever. I love her. She did say that Graeme seems to be breech still because his heartbeat is way up by my ribs. We will see if he is turned around when we go back in two weeks. Who can blame him? I wouldn't want to stand on my head for six more weeks either.

Anyway, from our next appointment on, we will go every week and they will measure and determine his position and all of that stuff every time. 

Not much longer!

about my other baby shower

I've mentioned several times that I have a group of girlfriends that I've had since high school and even elementary school for some of them. Somehow, through different colleges and different states and different jobs and different schedules, we've still kept up with each other. We've stayed in each others lives through college graduations, careers, marriages, and now, a baby on the way!

Us, minus three (who were there in spirit).

They threw me the sweetest shower last weekend. We met up at PF Changs first (one of my favorite restaurants), and then made our way to Ashley's house. Ashley is like the cutest decorator ever. Her house is absolutely adorable. I couldn't get over the mantle she put together for my shower. 

She also has amazing handwriting that I want to steal.

My best pal Renee added these adorable onesies to the mantle as well as the bear and "G" below.

It just worked out perfectly that Renee's last name starts with "G," don't you think?

Everyone brought something so we had some awesome desserts and snacks, and punch in a pitcher with a "G" on it (that last name thing really came in handy). Renee is the brains behind this shower, and she made it just perfect. There's a reason she is my best pal.

No party for a pregnant woman should be complete without chocolate.

Renee found adorable super hero accents to add to the food table. 

Seeing as I really haven't had much else to drink in 9 months except water (so. much. water.), milk, and the occasional juice or hot chocolate, the punch really got Graeme moving!

My friends are, again, the sweetest. Everyone, even those that couldn't be there in person, wrote birthday cards for Graeme that he can open starting on his first birthday and going up to his fifteenth (I hate to even think about that!). They also covered a canvas with scripture to hang in his room.

On top of all of that wonderfulness, they showered me and Graeme with awesome gifts. They each got something for Graeme and something for me. I seriously couldn't ask for better friends. God has blessed me so much. I loved EVERYTHING.

It was the sweetest, funniest (with five married girls who have known each other for years, there's obviously a lot of fun talk), most adorable shower.

I really can't thank them enough!

to introduce Gordon

Before Christmas, we lost our trusty Betta fish, Jonah. He had been with us since July of 2011 (who knew he would live that long?!). We were sad to see him go, but we were also excited because it's fun to get a new fish. We like having a fish because...I don't really know. But they are cheap and fairly easy upkeep. Plus, Betta fish are pretty, and we like to talk to our fish when we're in the kitchen.

So, we waited until after the holidays and our trip to Tennessee, and then we headed to Petsmart to pick out our next fishy companion.

We debated briefly about switching it up and getting a red Betta (our first two have been blueish...anyone remember Carl Winslow?). But, the blue ones are so pretty, and we quickly found one that looked lively and fun and stared at us from his little plastic cup.

We knew then that we had found our fish. And here I am to officially introduce...

Gordon Ramsey.

Aaron (and I, but Aaron really) loves Gordon Ramsey. Aside from his foul mouth, he is very smart and a great leader and funny. We love Hell's Kitchen and Masterchef. And we thought Gordon Ramsey was a great name for a fish that lives in the kitchen.

Gordon has fit in swimmingly. Penny doesn't really know he exists, but we pretend that they get along just great.

Welcome to the family, Gordon.

Happy February!

It's the first day of February, and after our snow days this past week, I am ready for warmer weather. We probably have another month or so of cold, but that's ok.

Now that we are in February, Aaron and I can say that we will meet Graeme next month.

Unless he pulls a fast one and comes early (he'll be full-term at the end of this month). We have already discussed with him that he needs to stay in there until March 1st. His Gigi and Pop are going to Israel for two weeks, and they get home March 1st. He has the go ahead to come anytime after that. (Seriously, if only you could plan when they arrive...)

Anyway. It's hard to imagine there being anything else to look forward to this month since we have a pretty one-track mind right now, but there are some other happenings...

1. My baby shower.    Tonight, I have another shower with a small group of some of my closest girl friends. We have been friends since high school and before, and it's great to have friends that have been around through so many seasons of life. I am excited to share this new season of my life with them! (And now some of them need to get busy so Graeme has a friend.)
2. Groundhog Day.    While everyone else in America is excited for the Superbowl tomorrow, Aaron and I are pumped for Groundhog Day. We obviously could care less about football, and we have an annual tradition of watching Groundhog Day on Groundhog Day. So that's what we will be doing Sunday night.
3. The Olympics.    I love the olympics. I like summer and winter olympics, but winter might be my favorite. It might be strange since I really have no desire to watch actual sports that come on throughout the year. But I could watch snowboarding, skiing, and figure skating all the day long.
4. Bensen's birthday.    My buddy Bensen turns FOUR this month! It's hard to believe that he will be four. I feel like I just met him as his little eight-month-old self. He is having a birthday party, and any excuse to see him and Keyen is a great day.

   

   Back in the day with Bensen.
   

5. Daddy Daughter Dance.    We are hosting our first ever Daddy Daughter Dance at Journey this month. It should be fun, and I am pretty sure it will be filled with beautiful, adorable little girls smitten with their daddies. Cute overload.
6. Haircut.   I am getting my last haircut before Graeme comes this month. Who knows when I'll make it back for another one since it usually takes me at least five months anyway. I haven't decided what I want to do yet. No bangs for sure since I want to be able to easily keep my hair out of my face in the coming months.
7. Renee and Derrick.    Our monthly date with Renee and Derrick is scheduled and will most likely be our last one without a baby in tow. We have promised that even after Graeme comes we will try not to talk about him the entire time on our dates.
8. Valentine's Day.   Valentine's Day is a fun day and I love spoiling Aaron. I don't mind him spoiling me either so I guess it works out all around. We aren't sure what we are doing this year, but we will make sure to have a great Valentine's Day as a family of two.
9. 37 weeks.    We hit 37 weeks of pregnancy at the end of the month. I know Graeme will stay in there until he's ready to come out, but it's exciting to think that he could be ready in just a few more weeks! We are ready whenever he is!

That's the list for this month, folks. Happy February!