It's been a while.... and A LOT has changed.

Well my Google Reader says it has been at least 8 weeks since I last posted... That is a new record for me.
Pretty sure I have a great excuse... and I am going to call it my Maternity Leave.


This was taken right after Miss Vivienne Charles McCracken was born on October 18, 2011 at 1:13pm.

I did write her Birth Story a few days after we all got home and some what settled in... I actually wrote and sent it to a few of our best friends.... I will post it tomorrow, just so that I have a record for myself to look back at one day...

A lot has been going on in our house as you can tell. We have been parents for 6 weeks and 1 day. Yes there have been tears, happy and sad/ frustrated ones, but it has been the greats thing that we have ever done. Thanksgiving was a blast, and Christmas will be magical. Yes Vivi is way too young to understand and get excited about Christmas, but something is different about this Christmas. I think that it is knowing that we are going to wake up and open presents, but that this year having her with us will really be the greatest gift we could have given each other.

Now I know that you all came to see the pictures of Vivi and not read this... these are from our cameras and of course from our iPhones... Tomorrow I will post all of the wonderful pictures that Mrs. Southern Belle (Candace Carroll) took for Vivi's newborn pictures. They are SO CUTE...

Right before we left the hospital to go home... We couldn't believe that they let us walk out of there with her!

This was Halloween!

One Month Old. I cannot believe that she is already a month and a half! Where is the time going?!?!?

And this is me and Vivi on Thanksgiving... she is such a easy going baby... until she shit all over me that night. That is another story for another time... but believe me that I will tell that story when she goes on her first date.

Now I must go and put Vivi down, and tend to the pile of never ending laundry... She has fallen asleep on my chest again. (who doesn't love a baby sleeping on their chest?) Hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday.... I am glad to be back.

XOXO

Becoming more real...

I know that I am a terrible blogger. There has just been too much going on this past week and a half to post.

Well lets start with off with a little update.
I am now 36 weeks pregnant. Or That is what I thought that I was... I went to the Doctor two weeks ago (right after my last post) and she moved my due date up a bit to the 25th. I, meaning Vivi, was measuring a little big....

Then this past week we had an ultrasound as well as a weekly appointment.

I have one big baby growing inside of me! She is measuring at 6.8 lbs... and also measuring earlier. Moved my due date to October 22. So we talked about an induction. We now know the date that Miss Vivi will be born!!! October 18th will be her birthday!
This is also my brother Chip's Birthday! She is named after my dad and him- Vivienne Charles.

But during that ultrasound they also noticed that while my fluid was " in the normal range"... it was in the "very low normal range" , so I have to have another ultrasound on the 11th. Hey- sounds great to me! I like getting to see her! I have been instructed to take it even easier and drink a lot more water. I dont know how that is even possible to drink any more water than I already am! I feel like I am going to just float away!

So now for a little update! I am sorry that some of them are the same as last post- but the strtech marks, I mean battle wounds, are still there... and the belly button is still flat.

How far along?: 38 weeks! I have 15 days left... unless she decides to come earlier!

*Total weight gain?: Well... since I lost close to 15 lbs in the beginning.... I really am only up a little since the starting weight. And I think that I have hit the max... I had no gain for the past two weeks- or maybe it will all show up on the scale this week? I hope not!

*How big is baby?: According to my ultrasound 6.8 lbs... Babycenter.com says 6.8 lbs and over 19 1/2 inches long!

*Sex: Sugar and Spice and Everything nice! That's what little girls are made of!

*Maternity clothes: I am ONLY in maternity clothes.... T-shirts and maternity jeans every day! Oh and my feet are too swollen for anything but this one pair of black flip flops!

*Stretch marks: Looks like a tiger got me. BUT as soon as they come they fade... I just keep oiling up.... I finally accepted that there is nothing in the world I can do to prevent them. IF they are going to happen they will, and the only way to get ride of them short of lasers and a tummy tuck is to just accept them for what they are. Battle scars on the road to motherhood.

*Sleep: Not good. Not good at all.... Vivi thinks that my sides are punching bags and a treadmill. She is most active at night.... I sleep for an hour or two at a time then get up to go to the bathroom and chug more water. I am constantly thirsty... AND ALWAYS have to go to the bathroom.

*Symptoms: Fat feet, sore hips..... REALLY sore hips! Waking up to numb hands is getting worse.

*Movement: Yes, she is a mover and a shaker! BIG TIME! IF I eat anything sweet then she will go crazy... Most movement is at night.

*Food cravings: Not really anything lately...I feel like Im not as hungry lately. Just VERY cold and juicy fruit, cereal, and more cold and juicy fruit.

*Labor signs: Having some period type cramps occationally and also some Lightning/sharp pains in the cervical area....which I read means things are progressing! I was checked at my Dr... and NOTHING. So really they are just Braxton Hicks contractions! However this weekend it looks as if I have "dropped"....

*Belly button in or out: Flat-ish... At night after I eat and am full... it wants to come out. I want it to stay in.

*What I miss: Being able to sit up, taking a deep breath, walking normal, sleeping on my back, sleeping through the nite, not peeing every 5 minutes, my ankles... I do miss having a Coors Light. Classy right? I mean it is football season... I missed it at the lake this summer as well... I thought I would miss wine- but really? I don't miss it at all. That was last week. This week I still miss Coors Light.

*What I'm looking forward to: Dr. Appt. this Friday... This Friday is also my Dad's birthday AND my wonderful sister-in-law Rachel's Birthday!!

*Best moment of the week: My wonderful Shower!!!! It was absolutely perfect! My Windsor Oaks Mama's are the best! It was so very girly and just perfect. We got everything we needed and more! There were so many beautiful handmade sweaters, hats, and blankets- Those women are talented!
Now to write a ton of Thank You notes tomorrow- and yes I already have the stamps! Picture to come on the shower!
Today we went shopping for the rest of the essentials and ran in to a great couple who gave us some of the BEST advice on what to get and not to get! INstead of the swing that I really really wanted we went with a MamaRoo.... It is the coolest thing I have ever seen and I really would like one for myself. I mean it even has an iPod/ iPhone adaptor. Yes that is right. SO that she can also listen to music off of there! It seriously looks like something from the Jetson's, but it is AWESOME.

Coming up this week I am going to start the washing process. I have my Dreft and I am ready to use it! From blankets, to towels, sheets, and CLOTHES. It all has to get done. As I write this JM is installing the car seat... today he set up the video monitor, set up the carseat adaptor for our stroller. He has also assembled, added batteries, and also is going to hang stuff on the walls tonight! He is so excited because it is all becoming so real. Vivi will be here SO SOON.
And at the same time. I still have no clue what we will do once we bring her home! It will all come naturally right? I have read books on what to do, and I know that I will just "get it"... that or I will be calling my mom and MIL to come right over!

This week I am going to do a post on the nursery! Everything is in there! It is done. And I cannot wait to show everyone! It is my absolute dream nursery... and I cannot wait for you to see it!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

34 weeks and 3 days...

How far along?: 34 weeks and 3 days!

*Total weight gain?: Well... since I lost close to 15 lbs in the beginning.... I really am only up a little since the starting weight.

*How big is baby?: According to Babycenter.com 18 inches long and 4 3/4 pounds...

*Sex: Sugar and Spice and Everything nice! That's what little girls are made of!

*Maternity clothes: I am ONLY in maternity clothes.... T-shirts and maternity jeans every day! Oh and my feet are too swollen for anything but this one pair of black flip flops!

*Stretch marks: Looks like a tiger got me. BUT as soon as they come they fade... I just keep oiling up.... I finally accepted that there is nothing in the world I can do to prevent them. IF they are going to happen they will, and the only way to get ride of them short of lasers and a tummy tuck is to just accept them for what they are. Battle scars on the road to motherhood.

*Sleep: Not good. Not good at all.... Vivi thinks that my sides are punching bags and a treadmill. She is most active at night.... I sleep for an hour or two at a time then get up to go to the bathroom and chug more water. I am constantly thirsty... AND ALWAYS have to go to the bathroom.

*Symptoms: Fat feet, sore hips..... REALLY sore hips! Waking up to numb hands kinda sucks.

*Movement: Yes, she is a mover and a shaker! BIG TIME! IF I eat anything sweet then she will go crazy... Most movement is at night.

*Food cravings: Not really anything lately...I feel like Im not as hungry lately. Just VERY cold and juicy fruit, cereal, and more cold and juicy fruit.

*Labor signs: Having some period type cramps occationally and also some Lightning/sharp pains in the cervical area....which I read means things are progressing! I get checked for the forst time next week and I am scared... What if she wants to come now? I am not ready for her just yet! Ultrasound in two weeks to see what is going on...

*Belly button in or out: Flat-ish... At night after I eat and am full... it wants to come out. I want it to stay in.

*What I miss: Being able to sit up, taking a deep breath, walking normal, sleeping on my back, sleeping through the nite, not peeing every 5 minutes, my ankles... I do miss having a Coors Light. Classy right? I mean it is football season... I missed it at the lake this summer as well... I thought I would miss wine- but really? I don't miss it at all.

*What I'm looking forward to: Dr. Appt. this Friday... After this one we go to once a week appointments!

*Best moment of the week: I got an AWESOME package from my dear friend in Canada!!! She sent me some awesome loose leaf tea, salsa, and enen a scrapbook of me and JM! IT was a craft project she had on her blog! It is too awesome! Will be sharing pics soon!
Last week was getting my hair done.... this week will be going back to have it fixed. Boo.... I asked for the newest trend... Ombre highlights.... (Thinks Sarah Jessica Parker darker roots, with brighter ends! Very low maintenance....) well there is not enough blonde at the ends! SAD! It looks good, but not what I wanted. HEy if I had the gift certificate then I am going to get what I want right?


So that is what is going on this week...
That and I had a breakdown today. I have not had any serious freak outs until today...
Today I went to Kroger after having lunch with my Grandparents and my Great Aunt Bunny... (Hey Papa! Thank you for the Chinese!) I went to get stamps so I can mail out the thank you notes I wrote LAST WEEK! I have been to the store 3 times for stamps and keep forgetting them...
Today I forgot them again! AND they didnt have JM's favorite yogurt either.
SO when I called JM to ask him to please stop and get them both... I CRIED. Like a baby. I cried all the way down Peachtree Rd. Then I cried when I saw a Pampers commercial when I got home!You know the one I am talking about... I cannot see that commercial without tearing up. Today it was all out boo-hoo tears.

It was terrible. I dont even know why I cried... Because there was not yogurt and that I forgot the stamps? Or because I just want for Vivi to get here? Yup I am thinking that is it... and the hormones are taking over.
I am hot, tired, and sore. But I woudlnt trade it for the world right now. I am so excited that she is going to be here before we know it!

Hope that everyone is having a wonderful week!!!!

A Winner, a Discount, and a few pictures!

Happy Friday everyone!

Thank you so much to those of you that participated in the Give Away from Adorable Banner Co!
Since there were 4 wonderful commenters on the last post... I had JM pick a number 1-4.

Drum roll please.....

And the winner is commenter #2 Snoopymeg- Meghan... we are so excited about your wedding in a few days! Now before your wedding, I hope that you check this blog! Please visit Adorbale Banner Co's Etsy Shop and email me what color towel and what you would like the monogram to be. You can pick ANYTHING for it to say! It could even say "Go Dawgs" if you are cheering on UGA... in our house it would be "Go Eagles" for GA Southern!

So excited for you Meghan! Email me at kmccracken1030@gmail.com to claim your prize!!!

*****THIS JUST IN! **UPDATE** Trixie, the owner and creator of Adorable Banner Co. just emailed me to tell me that if you would like to receive 10% off your order use the code word MCCRACKEN. Her entire boutique is perfect for thoughtful gifts! I love the towels, banners... all of it! Submit your orders now the discount won't last long!******

So since today is Friday and I am in an excellent mood I am going to share a few pictures!







My dear friend Caroline cave over last Friday to hang out and have breakfast with me and we did a few Maternity Shots! She is an excellent photographer... and we always have SO much to talk about I swear we could talk for 3 days straight! We have such similar taste as well. Next time we are going to have a Pinterest Party... More on that next week.

Today I had a great Dr's appointment! I will have one more appointment in two weeks before I drop down to once a week... crazy! I cannot believe how fast time flies... Vivi will be here so soon. And there is STILL so much left to do and set up!

I have learned that nesting is a serious thing.... and it is making me a crazy person... more on that next week too.

For now I have to get back to putting my feet up and relaxing. PLUS we are celebrating this weekend... My dearest husband, JM is having a BIRTHDAY come Monday so we must celebrate all. weekend. long! That is the rule... it is now his Birthday Weekend... the weekend where I don't complain about baseball or football and I cook whatever he wants! and I cannot WAIT to give him his Birthday Gift... More on that next week as well...

I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

My First Give Away!!!

So today is the day... My first ever Give Away!

I am so happy that Trixie with Adorable Banner Co. has asked me to host a give away! Now I know that everyone just had their last fun at the pools and beaches this past weekend... but we are giving away a Monogrammed Beach Towel. These make great gifts or even keep it for yourself! This way you will be ready to hit the beach first thing next summer- or even if you take a winter get-away to the beach.
The towels are the finest quality beach towels and can be monogrammed with whatever you want.
If it were me I would want one with Vivi's name on it! LOL!


So here is how it works to enter...

1. Follow my blog and comment letting my know that you already follow or that you are a new follower.

2. Tweet about this give away and comment on my blog letting me know that you did (make sure to use my twitter name as well @kmccracken1030)

3. Facebook! Post about this give away and comment here to let me know about it!

Right there you have 3 chances to win!

To make this a little more fun... in your comment, let me know what you are looking forward to this fall!

I am so excited about cooler weather, all of the fall smells and decorations returning to this house, and we are MOST excited about the arrival of Vivienne!!!! We cannot even wait to meet her!

The drawing will be done on Friday this week so you have until Friday at NOON (EST)! After that we will get the towel to you as fast as possible!

I hope that everyone is having a great Tuesday and that everyone had a long and safe Labor Day Weekend!

Good Luck everyone!

Happy Friday!

Well I promised I would be back this week (sometime) and that I had a few announcements...

The first is that on Tuesday I will be hosting my First Give Away! I am still ironing out a few details since this is my first one of course... But I do know that the "prize" is AWESOME.
Remember back when I shared about my cousin's new Etsy Shop? Adorable Banner Co.
Well she is the one that I am doing the give away with!

Check out her site Adorable Banner Company- it is great for gift giving!!! And check back on Tuesday when I start the give away! It will end with a winner on Friday!

The second thing is that this morning I had some maternity shots taken... Pics to post next week! A wonderful friend Caroline took them this morning in Dunwoody and I hope that they turn out great! So excited to see them and post a few here!

The third is that we have come up with a name for our little girl. I was not sure if we should announce it in any special way? With a picture? With something cute?
I am still lost on this one. And I am lost on if I should even announce it.
I see where if someone were to want to monogram it for a shower, or if someone were just dying to know... but all of them know the name.
So here it goes. Nothing fancy here...

Her name is Vivienne Charles McCracken. We will call her Vivi for short. We loved that Vivienne is much a classic name (I have always loved that name since I was little!) then Charles is for my Dad and my Brother! Two of my bestest friends in the whole world. We also decided when we were in Charleston that our baby really was a girl (before we found out) that this would be her name.
I have heard the name once before, but then again we all got our names from somewhere... Plus it is not a name that she will hear a lot growing up.
Katie was a VERY popular name when I was born and I remember having like 3 or 4 Katie's in classes... I am sure that Vivi will not have another Vivi in her class. Well I guess you just never know.
We cannot wait to meet her! I cannot even stand it anymore I want to meet and hold her so bad- but a few more weeks and she will be here.

Well what news do you have? Anything interesting???
Next week will be the Give Away and a lot of pictures. Hopefully VIvi's bedding will be done and I can show that off! YAY!

OH and PS.... there is no pink in the nursery incase you are wondering. She will wear a ton of pink clothes I am sure, but I am not about to redo a nursery if the next "one" is a boy... So no pink. Just not my style.

I hope that everyone has a happy and safe Labor Day Weekend! We will be at the Lake or at the Pool! But now I must get the floors clean... Time for the "shake down" before JM gets home from work!

xoxo,

What we've been up to...

Hey there everyone!

I am so sorry that I have been MIA lately. I have no real excuse.((Other then I really love Law and Order: SVU and NCIS) But I have had a lot on my mind lately...

1. JM got a new job! It is going to be great! He only started today- yes on a Friday- but he is so excited about it, a whole new challenge. Not to mention it is 3.6 miles from the house!!!! YAY! So he can come home for lunch, will not be stuck in traffic everyday on the way home, and with this position there is room for growth. He will not be working until midnight and going in at 5 to deal with some crazy deadlines! YAY! Did I mention it is 3.6 mies from the house!!!
(As excited as I am about that, I am also a little worried that since he will not be stuck in traffic, I will have to get my chores done way in advance now so that I don't look so lazy!)

2. Speaking of chores... I have set up a little daily planner for myself. Since I am home and must keep my feet up for a good portion of the day, I have come up with a little plan for me to get the house ready by the time our Girl get here. However I am thinking that washing the sheets once a week, vacuuming the floors once a week, as well as a few other chores kept on a weekly rotation is not going to cut it! Does anyone have a list or a link they could send me to get my house clean in a month... If not then I am going to have to have a team of maids come a week before she gets here!

3. Nesting. This is soon to start. I can feel something changing... and it is like the calm before the storm. Last night (after the 5th time I got up to use the bathroom!) I laid in bed thinking of how I need to get the house ready before she gets here. This was at 5:00 am. I am talking baseboards and trim people. It is not bright white. And I NEED it to be bright white. I NEED it to be BRIGHT WHITE yesterday.
I am also thinking about hair bows. (random I know) But I think that miss priss will NEED them, and I MUST make them soon. I am not sure that I will be putting the massive big ones in her hair, but I think that some cute clips are in order. Bows are a MUST.

4. Modifies Bed Rest is going great! My ankles are not swollen, my blood pressure has returned to normal, and so has my iron level. I feel so much better not being stressed out, not to mention that I don't have to fill up my car twice a week, nor do I eat out for lunch every single day anymore. So we have been saving some money- kinda...
But my appointments are now getting closer. Next on is in 3 weeks, then after that 2 weeks, then down to 1 week in between visits. It is getting real. Really really real. I know that she cannot stay in there forever, but to be honest i am scared to death. I mean this is uncharted territory people.... I just want to meet her already and bring her home.

5. Today is Friday. YAY! That still means the same thing as before to me. No work tomorrow, but now it is JM that will be home with me. It also means that it is a date night to celebrate JM's new job. We both have been craving a good steak! So we are going somewhere I have never been. Bones. I hear that it is amazing... so I will make sure to write about it next week!

6. Tomorrow my wonderful Sisters-in-law are throwing me my first Baby Shower! I cannot wait! This one will be only the McCracken side of our family. I am so excited I can hardly wait.

7. I had mentioned in a post once before that I will be doing a giveaway.... Well that time has come! Next week I will give you all of the details and let you know what it is... Then next Friday I will announce the winner! I am really excited about this!

8. I am also really excited that the next few weeks of blogging are going to be fun! A few announcements to make, as well show off a few pictures too!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend! I will be back next week. Now it is time for another episode of Law and Order: SVU, talking with the kitties, and of course more laundry and dusting to do....

OH and PS. My MOM told me that a bunch of people read this blog and that you all have informed her that I am really slacking over here... I am sorry! Follow the blog then I will know just how many of you are missing out on my updates! IF you don't Follow then I will never know!

Have a Happy Friday!!!!

xoxo

The last day...

Well today is the last day of work for me. Forever.

Forever is a pretty long time, so maybe I will just say for a really really long time. Like until our girl and future kids are in middle school. Or high school. Maybe even college. We will see how that goes. I am SURE that JM will tell me that I need to find something to do once they are in school... but then I can be class mom right? I can volunteer and try to make the world a better place? I could go and hold babies at the hospital? (OK that is bullshit, all of it... The class mom thing though- I can totally do that!)

Maybe I will have a garden next year. I would like that... and I will be calling my friend Erica for advice there. She is the master gardener (and baker too). She likes me, makes me laugh, and listens to the same music as my JM. I will miss her here. She might think that she is negative (she said it-not me) but I think that she is real, can say it how it is, and she is damn funny. She even gave me suggestions on making a bucket list before baby gets here. That will be next post for sure!

After some tears this morning over breakfast (because my amazing friend Elisabeth brought in breakfast for the entire office for a little going away for me) I have decided that this really is an awesome thing. Yes bed rest, even though it is modified, might suck... being able to be home with our girl once she gets here will be awesome. I am so very thankful that we are fortunate enough that I can do that.

I know that it is not going to be all picnics, dress up, and playing tea party all day. (Well I might have some days like that!) I know that there will be tears from both of us, that there will be a time when I might not get any sleep at all. (I can count on that one right?) But what I do know is that it will be the most amazing thing ever. And that me and JM are going to love her to the moon and back.

While laying down and resting with my feet up watching re-runs of NCIS, Bones, or Law & Order SVU will be nice for a week or two... I know that is what I have to do. Plus I think that JM will like coming home to a few dinners a week. Thank you all for the book suggestions... I am going to start with "The Help" and then start with your books!

I think that this is going to be one hell of an adventure. And I will tell you all about it I am sure.

We are off to the beach tomorrow and I assure you I will not be blogging from there. I will be relaxing in the condo watching the waves. Hopefully I will get down to the ocean some. We will have to see...

See you next week when the adventures of being a stay-at-home wife who is on bed rest begins... I know you are so excited...

Happy-Last-Friday-in-the-Working-world to me,

Short but...

not so sweet...

So today I had my Dr's appointment for my 6 month check up... I had the dreaded Glucose Test today.
Let me first just say that that drink honestly tastes like 10 boxes of cheap orange Popsicles all melted down into a drink. I will never have an orange Popsicle or even orange soda again...

Well I PASSED... by 1 point. I was so excited... until they told me that my iron levels were really low... and that my blood pressure was getting worse. And then that all of the swelling I have is, in fact, NOT normal for being 6 months pregnant...
All of this news was followed by a shot of Rhogam in my ass. (I have O Negative blood type)That was all before the Dr walked in. Nice right?

She comes in and we walk about the swelling, and I hear the words... MODIFIED BED REST.
As in I am on modified bed rest now... laying down, feet up, no stress- bed rest.

I don't even know what to say about it right now. Considering I am at the office right now and trying to clean my desk out, get organized, and prepare to meet with my boss this afternoon... I am a little overwhelmed with the whole thought of it all. I mean let's be real here... it is not as if I was going to come back to work after our little girl arrives anyway.

So once I talk to bossman I will know more...Maybe I can work some from home? Doubt it since one girl burned that for everyone here...

All that I do know is that I have to cut all of my salt intake in half at least. And I do know that I will be at the beach all next week. Which I AM allowed to go to the beach, but it will be in the shade or floating in the pool with an umbrella the entire time.

ALSO I am taking book recommendations as well now. I will have a lot of time on my hands it seems...
Wish me luck!

Lately...

You know how there are days when you are "just not feelin it"... I have had a lot of those lately. They mostly revolve around one thing. Work.

It is not that I don't like that what I do, because believe it or not, I am pretty lucky to like what I do. It is more that I am getting bigger (what feels like daily) and the process of getting here, being here, making it through the day, and even more getting home. It is getting harder and I didn't think that it would be this hard. (or that it would feel as if my tailbone is shattering every time I sit in my desk chair!)
The 60 miles I am putting on my car a day is beyond making me mad as well... but then again at least I am against traffic and that I don't take my work home with me.

I guess what I am trying to say here, is that even though I am just not feelin it, I am still doing it and trying to see the bright side in it all.
I can say that I HAVE a job. I can also say that today I wore leggings, a t-shirt, sports bra, and tennis shoes... It is wonderful when you can wear what you want and there is no "business casual" mentioned here.

While I may not know what the future holds... I can still try to be happy trying to get there right? Right? crickets...

There are many things that are making me happy these days...

Our health and our baby's health

We have good jobs

The steal I got on a Kate Spade Diaper Bag this weekend... At the outlet... Get this for 50% off the outlet price! (Yes I know snob right? again don't care- it is beautiful!)

That we are going to the beach in 11 days!!!

When we get to see baby kicking me... really cool. She can kick seriously hard! And this makes me even happier when I get upset about something and then feel her moving.

It makes me realize there is nothing more important to me right now than her and JM. Family is what is most important to me right now. I think that I realize that more and more every single day. and I have always dreamed of this... this family when I was growing up. You remember? When we were all playing "House"... The mom, the dad, and the baby. I guess I am living the dream. Tear... and I am damn lucky to be living it.

Family will always be the most important...
Everything else is last.

The Nursery...

Some of you know that JM has been hard working on the nursery for his baby girl... ( yes we do have a name I am just not sure about announcing it yet- sorry that I am a pretty private person- hell I don't even share pics on facebook anymore!)

So...

It has been a SERIOUS construction project... and man has it ever paid off. There are a few things left to do... The window treatments are being custom made by my wonderful MIL, Terry... and she said that she will help me with the bedding too! YAY! They will be here in the final pics of the nursery to come!

Without further adieu... The McCracken Nursery!

Before... a Guest Bedroom...





While I was in NYC, JM surprised me and when I got home and the room looked like this...



and then add a little crown moulding to the top...



and with some fresh paint and furniture... It looks like this!
Yes I am sitting in the glider... might be my favorite place in the house!

and another... the crib! It was mine... and yes we made sure that it is up to code and is not a death trap...



Here is a pic from the night before (we didn't have the crib up yet) but it is me in the glider... the best chair in the world! It reclines and swivels... and even has a foot stool that glides with it. Will be perfect when she gets here! (and yes we did scrape the windows too!)


We love it! we did not want to do anything girly and keep it pretty gender neutral. I mean what if the next one is a boy? We do NOT want to re-do that room again for a LONG TIME! Once the curtains, valence, roman shades (black out of course!), bed skirt and bumpers are done... it will look 100 times different!
More pictures to come...

6 months down and only a few to go. We cannot wait to meet our little girl!

xoxo and a Happy Monday to you!

What I am loving Friday!

So I thought I would do a happy post today!

So far I am having a great day... that might have something to do with the fact that I just got an email that we will be closing today at 2:00! YAY!
ALSO I am happy for this weekend! Fourth of July Weekend is one of my favorites- no only because we are celebrating our Country and our Freedom, as well as everyone who has made that possible for us.... I am also because excited because that means family and friends BBQ at the lake! and of course FIREWORKS!!!

There are also a few other things that I am loving today...

1. Coca-Cola Classic. Yes the one that is NOT a diet drink that comes in the red can! And don't yell at me because I am pregnant. I have to have a coke every now and then...



2. Sea Pac Coconut Shrimp. Don't yell at me for eating shrimp when I am pregnant. I have been through enough and will bite your head off. This shrimp is damn good...


3. Tomato Sandwiches... Need I say more? This is a pretty Southern thing, but who doesn't love home-grown tomatoes, Mayo (must be Hellman's), and White Mountain Bread- toasted of course!


4. Oil of Olay! I love all of their products (JM does too- shhh don't tell him I told you!)


5. Stila Eye Shadow in "Kitten"... Caroline (my brother's wonderful girlfriend) showed my this while I was in NYC. I had to have it... and I love it. I am even wearing makie up again. (sometimes) (yes that is the real color and it is AWESOME!)

6. Chanel's Rouge Coco Lipstick #09 "Organdi Rose". Yes I know what you are thinking.. and yes I am a lipstick snob. I am not even going to apologize for it either. This lipstick is AWESOME and the perfect year-round color. (this too is the real color... it is the perfect light pink/ neutral color! Also makes your lips SO smooth!)

7. I am seriously loving my cousin's Etsy Boutique Adorable Banner Company It is AWESOME!!! She makes some of the cutest original and one of a kind applique products.
Please check her stuff out- Everything is heirloom quality and hand made by her. Her talent is above and beyond anything I have ever seen in ANY gift shop! I am going to ask her this weekend about hosting my first every give away... I will keep you posted on that Tuesday next week! ;)

and last... because I cannot think of anything else I love more right now...
Other than my dearest husband... our wonderful baby girl... and our two kitties...

8. I am loving that JM felt the baby move last night. Not once.. but a few times in a row. She likes to dance around 11:30, and JM couldn't believe how active she was! It was so exciting! I cannot wait to feel her move more and more (from the outside of course!)

I hope that everyone has a fun and SAFE weekend!!!! Happy 4th of July!!!

xoxo

NYC... and a few days at the hospital...

So where do I begin?
The last two weekend have been very interesting and to be honest the exact opposite from each other.

June 16th, the day after my birthday we went to NYC to see my brother Chip and his wonderful girlfriend Caroline! My dad and I flew up there to meet my mom and brother Will for a long weekend for some family time. JM was having a guys weekend in Atlanta!

We walked all over the city and shopped for our little baby girl like crazy. She has got some beautiful new things to wear when she gets here! Including this little number that Carline (and Chip too) got for her!

I promise I will send a picture of her in it to you for your wall.


We ate at our favorite place in Little Italy: Florio's and then went to my favorite Ferrara Bakery...


These are my two favorite things... A Blueberry tartlet and a Chocolate mousse chimney (Ok I don't know how they really spell that... but it is AWESOME!)

We went to FAO Schwartz one day as well. And I found this for baby girl...

That is right- it is a Barbie Foosball Table. For only $25,000 She could have this wonderful thing! HAHAHA!!! That place was a mad house, but really I wish that I could have gotten her a life size stuffed animal. Not that we have room for that or anything... but it would be cool!

Sunday we left and I was swollen, exhausted, and was SO excited to see JM. It was so nice to be home and in bed that night. He had the biggest surprise for me ever when I got home! He had started the nursery and almost got it finished... I will have to do a whole separate post on that! It is absolutely beautiful...

Then Tuesday rolled around...
Tuesday morning I was talking to my friend and co-worker Erica (thought you might like that shout out!) about how she had hurt her back... and we were exchanging stories... Just normal Tuesday banter after talking business. She mentioned how one of her friends got e.coli in the hospital after she delivered and was a nightmare... Was a terrible story, but so glad that it had a happy ending. Everyone was healthy and back to normal.

Later Tuesday by back started to hurt... I just though I pulled it or turned the wrong way. By that night I could barely move. Then around 3:30 am I was crying I was in so much pain and JM was helping me in and out of bed so I could go to the bathroom. (because you go about 5 times a night!)
Wednesday I couldn't get out of bed so I stayed home from work. I called the nurse at my OB and left a few messages. I really didn't think that it was too much to worry about until I took my temperature because I thought I had a fever. It was 101. Shit.
Then I called the "Emergency only" line... and then called JM crying after they just had told me it could be much worse and to head over to Northside Hospital in the Labor and Delivery Unit. Double Shit.

I get there. Takes FOREVER to sign all papers and get a room. I get checked out and find out that I have a very extreme case of "Pylo" what we all know as a Kidney Infection... which was brought on by e.Coli. REALLY?
I was handed a gown, got an I.V. in my hand, and had to record all urine samples. FOR 72 HOURS.
We thought that I would be in and out... a bag of fluid, an antibiotic... Umm no. We are talking many pills, a pain pump, shots, getting woken up every 2 hours to check my vitals and baby girls vitals as well...

We were told we would be leaving Friday by my Dr and another woman Dr in the practice. Then a male Dr (who I will not write his name on my blog) who is an asshole, tapped on my back Friday morning, which still was hurting, and my knees went weak. He said that I will be in there another day and when JM asked a question- because the other Dr's have all said I would be discharged Friday morning... He snapped at JM said "this is not about you is it" and then left the room. I started crying. Hysterically. I had a break down that day.... It was terrible. They had to sedate me... again nightmare.
AND I refused for that Dr to enter my room again. Even to check on me. I told every single nurse what an ass he was and that if he came back then I was out. In my next appointment I will also be letting my OB know how I feel because he is one of the only 3 Drs who are on call at Northside during my window time of delivery... So that is a 1 out of 3 chance he coud deliver her. THAT IS NOT HAPPENING. I seriously want to ask if I can be sure that he will not be near me or my child. Umm EVER. This is why I have only had women Drs.
Dramatic? YES... Do I care? Not one bit. I am emotional, yes, but that does not mean that I am going to deal with a Dr who has terrible bedside manor and who made me feel like a worthless piece of shit... not to mention made JM feel absolutely terrible as well.

And this post had gotten very long. So to sum it up.. I am doing much better. Once the fever was gone for 24 hours I was released. I went home, showered and then had donuts. Yes Chocolate Cake donuts from Dunkin Donuts.

Baby girl is perfect... and I am getting better. Now all that can happen to make this pregnancy even better would be some bed rest. ut hey- I might actually welcome that after what I went through this past weekend!

PS: I realize that I will have to come up with a name to call our baby on here. I am not sure that I want to share her name publically until she is here... or ever on this blog. We will have to see. However I now realize that it might be confusing since our cat's name is Baby Girl. Yes we are crazy... but I love it.

Publish Post.

Pink or Blue? AND Happy Birthday to Me...

So today has been the BEST Birthday I have ever had. Ever.

This morning I woke up to some beautiful flowers, a bag of Sour Patch Kids (my all time favorite candy!) and Sour Cream and Onion Pringles. Yes you did read that correctly. Hell I am pregnant- and this is what I asked for! I also got two wonderful cards... One from my dearest husband, JM and the other from our little baby. So sweet.

Then we went to the Doctor for our 20 week appointment and Anatomy Scan! It was absolutely unbelievable to see that our baby can go from this...


To this...

All stretched out!!!! To me that is just unbelievable! Would not stop moving long enough to get some very clear pictures... They say it has to do with the FULL MOON and all. (Which means I hope that our friend Kempton is going to have her baby tonight!)

And a profile shot...


All of the measurements came back perfect... 10 fingers and 10 toes. A perfect heart, kidneys and everything! She was even sucking her thumb in the picture above!


AND then...
My Birthday Cake!YES that is right... We are happy to announce that we are having a healthy baby girl!
We could not be happier at ALL!
and for all of those who guessed girl the whole time- YOU WERE RIGHT!
And one more thing... I totally thought it was a boy. All of the "Old Wives Tales" said boy...
But I could not be more excited to find out that she is a girl! A real mover and shaker too.


So there. We did find out. It might have killed me not knowing for another week!

It is also my birthday today. What better present can that be?

I am also leaving for NYC to see Chip (my brother) and Caroline (his awesome girlfriend) tomorrow night! This little baby girl is going to get some terribly cute clothes while I go shop in the big city!

Hope that you all have a wonderful day! I sure will....

Friday! Some likes and dislikes....

I am SO glad that it is Friday and I know that you are too.

What is it with Friday's? We know that we don't have to sit in traffic and go to work the next day? We know that we get a break from the people we secretly HATE at work? Or how about we know that come Friday at 5:00, that we can mentally "check out" for a few days?

Well I love Fridays... for all of those reasons above. (and yes I do secretly hate/loathe/despise someone at work- don't care either. Because writing that makes me feel better. Even though I know that you are "not supposed to hate anyone" I still do.)

I also am loving being pregnant right now. I feel so much better, still tired, but better! When I finally felt this little baby move for the first time, I think that I realized that this is "real" ya know?... and realizing that we have created this life? Well damn that is just insane to me. Insane to think that two people can do this. This thing called life.
Still amazes me.

I love Yoo-Hoo. There I said it. My name is Mrs. McCracken and I am addicted to Yoo-Hoo. Yes I do know that it is a "chocolate drink" not even milk... but when it hits my lips it can make my day that much better. It is the little thing in life right? Right? anyone out there?

I also love this...

Pure Grace Perfume... I also have the body wash and lotion. It smells just like clean soap and water- and to me it has a hint of sunscreen-smell. Yes I love it. I love that when I buy this every year, it means it is summer to me. I smell like fresh soap and water... and it is heaven I tell you!

I also love paper chains... I am thinking of starting one myself! Tearing off a new ring each week can mean so much, a sense of accomplishment with ripping off one mmore little ring each week. I love the sound of that... and I do love a good countdown.
And I have a few going on...

20 weeks until we get to meet baby! I am half way there...
12-15 weeks... I have a deadline of my own I will tell you about another time.
7 weeks until I go to the beach! YAY I need some sand in between my toes!
6 days until I leave for NYC. So excited to get away for just a few days to the big city!
5 days until we get to see this little baby again- 20 week Anatomy scan on June 15th...
5 days until my birthday. This make me sad, and kinda feel a little old. But I am going to rock it out like always. Celebrate with my favorite person JM- he is taking me to eat at my favorite Thai place in all of Atlanta!
and only 6 hours until the weekend.
I hope that I can make it that long today...

Have a wonderful Friday... and an even better weekend!

PS: IF you are in Atlanta this weekend! Come on out to Pints for Pups this weekend at Meehan's Public House in Sandy Springs! This fundraising event benefits Atlanta Pet Rescue and Adoption!
Event Includes:
Silent auction
Food and drink specials
Dog friendly patios- so you can bring your dogs!
Live music featuring Demartes
It is from 1-4- We hope to see you there!!!
OR follow Pints for Pups at http://www.facebook.com/pints4pups?sk=info

1 Year Later...

Today is my Blog Anniversary. I cannot believe that I have been sharing my thoughts online for a year. That is just crazy... to be honest I am surprised that I didn't give up!

Some of the posts have been happy and funny, some have been sad or even mad... most of them have been random as hell! And I like that because I am all of the above.

This past year has been one big whirlwind, and I have had a wonderful time. There have been some SERIOUS life-changing events that have happened to me and my wonderful now husband JM.
So today I just wanted to do a recap for myself of this past year... and just now while typing this I decided to "save draft" and go back and read some of my posts...
Damn it was one hell of a year!

Planning a wedding... Attending 12 other weddings... and re-decorating a house. To being married, getting a joint checking account, writing a BILLION "Thank you" notes... Going on trips, JM stealing my Harry and David Pears at Christmas...
So much has happened in a year it is unbelievable... even as I sit here and write this I still cannot believe that love and life has taken me to where I am today.

So lets do some picture from the past shall we?


Engagement pictures by Mrs. Southern Belle


Don't know if I have shown you my rings before now... but DAMN did JM do a great job!


and then we got married! Best day of our lives. Ever. I love you JM!


Baby Girl... JM is her "human"... she loves him WAY more than me.


Tilly... She loves me way more. However I think that she "knows" there is a baby in my stomach because she still tries to sleep on my stomach all the time! Only started once there was a baby in there!

There have been TOO many home updates to post ALL of the pictures... PLUS we have started on a new room... The Nursery!

And how can I forget about this little one... Our BABY! Well now that might be the MOST life-changing thing that has happened yet. Getting married is very life changing I assure you...
BUT once I found out we were going to have a baby. I also realized that it has to come out sometime in the next 9 (really 10) months! It will not just stay in me forever! I also realized that we are responsible for another humans life for the next 18 years. As in raise them to have manners, to teach them, feed and cloth them, and to make sure that they do not become serial killers. I still think that I want our parents to write a book and give it to us!
There are so many fears that go along with being pregnant... I have yet to realize that those fears will only double when they are really here! We are going to get home with our baby and I will say "now what do we do?"
JM's response might be "Well let's call one of our moms."
Guess I need to get a book on what comes after Labor and Delivery!

There is so much more to come on this little space of mine... There will be more fears and tears over the next few months. There will be many laughs and (hopefully) more pictures to come. After that there will be so many questions I will have... and I am sure that I will questions myself on more than one occasion about blogging. But then again I foresee myself having a lot more time for picture taking and blogging in the future.
Couponing too... this is something that I want to get good at... but NOT to the point where I have to buy 150 bottle of ketchup to get a deal! have you seen that show? They are PSYCHO, and I am positive that my dear JM would leave me if I brought home that much crap and had a grocery store in my house!

Well MY birthday is around the corner and I cannot wait... that is also our big Ultrasound Day!
I know that I have said in the past that we are not finding out what the sex will be... Well all of this yellow and green is killing me so it might just be a "game day" decision that we make...

Now this has been one big random post... but I really wanted to thank all of you who read my pretty little blog. It meas the world to me to know that you might be going through the same thing- or already have been. I have made some great friends from blogging... and even joined Twitter to keep up with them!
I hope that this will always be my own little escape... Happy Anniversary to "My Crack in the Grigsby Life".

Have a Happy Wednesday!

and PS. I legally changed my name today... so now I am truly Mrs. McCracken...

xoxo

Random thoughts... and nightmares.

So 16 weeks pregnant and counting over here. I kinda feel like a slacker for not posting "bump pictures" and filling out a cute little survey about what this past week was like.
So to sum it up... I feel good some days, but mornings are still a little rough. I wish that I felt great all the time and that I could say that my hair is shimmering and I have tht healthy glow! Today I was lucky to get in the shower because all I wanted to do was sleep... sleeping is my favorite thing right now.

I am also still having one of the same nightmares. Over and OVER! It is kinda making me paranoid... so here it is and tell me what you think.

Setting: Northside Hospital Labor and Delivery
Cast of Characters: Me (duh!) JM, and Dr's and nurses. (Sorry no one is allowed in that room! and I dont care how selfish that might be. My vagina. Our baby. The end.)

So this is what keeps happening... I have been pushing for like 30 some odd hours and the epidural just wore off. The nurse says that I cannot have another one and that I will have to have a emergency C-Section and that they are going to be putting me completely under for the precedure... I, of course, freak out but tell them just get baby out and keep up both alive.
I go under...
Then wake up in recovery with EVERYONE I HAVE EVER MET in the room. AND they have ALL HELD OUR BABY! I start crying and tell someone to get everyone out of there and to give me my baby... Everyone starts laughing at me and they keep playing pass the baby.

Now I want to be the first (or even the second if JM wants to first) hold the baby. There will be zero exceptions to that one. I don't want people in recovery if I have to have a c-section.

I wake up in a panic every.single.time I have this dream. Then I have to go pee.

What in the hell is wrong with me? Have I lost it completely? Maybe I have lost it...

BUT this is having me think seriously hard about a whole "Birth Plan" about the day of delivery when it comes...
I do know that I want some time with just me and JM and baby. Alone. Our family. Time for me to nurse, time for skin to skin bonding (that I keep reading about).

But I don't know how "selfish" that could be? I mean I know that it is a little selfish, and I know that this is the first Grandbaby on both sides... and that I do want family there first thing just not during the actual labor part or the after part of clean up and mess! But hell, I carried this baby for 9 (really 10) months, and he/she has made me sick as all get out... it should be MY (really our) plan right?

So ladies (and gentlemen) what would you do? Tell me your stories? Or send me links to your own birth stories...
There is only one goal in my mind about having this little on in the first place. To have a healthy baby. 10 fingers and 10 toes... Everything else will be second.
I know that I have a good 24 weeks left to think about all of this... but the nightmare is really getting to me now.

I will have to tell you about another dream I have been having lately... Pretty much I have this beautiful baby that happens to have my cat Tilly's head. AND I think that it is perfectly normal to breast feed my beautiful cat-baby in public no less. Maybe this is because I wake up to Tilly sleeping on me all the time? Who knows... it is kinda strange.
This might also be the reason I have a ton of dreams about me having a liter of kittens!

Seriously... these pregnancy dreams have me going crazy! Tell me you all had crazy dreams pregnant or not? If so share them with me! I need to feel a little bit normal.

15 weeks! YAY!

First I want to say Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful Moms out there! Especially my mom, my grandmother, and my mother-in-law. All of you are so special to me I don't know what I would do without you!

Second... I don't want to jinx it, BUT... I have been feeling SO MUCH BETTER lately. I actually feel like a human again.
And for the record I have read too many old wive's tales about being so sick... It doesn't mean that you will have a girl at all. It just means... You are pregnant and that you must deal with it. You must puke and lay back down. Crackers just don't work, and they taste like crap.

I am sure that JM is very glad that I am back to myself... I think that he missed me. Maybe.

So this week we are 15 weeks pregnant! YAY! See I am very excited about this as 1. I am not sick... and 2 I am getting closer to the half way point! I just cannot wait to feel some movement!
I had a Dr appointment this morning and everything went perfect... minus the fact my blood pressure was a little higher. Nothing scary or to worry about. However I was told to stop stressing. As in no stress. Period.

and it has me thinking...
Just how do you do that when you have a job? When you drive 30 miles to work and 30 miles home? When the price of gas is CRAZY expensive? When you have so much on your plate some days you feel like you might drown? I am a worrier by nature. I get so anxious some times I must remind myself to CALM. DOWN.

Well... Frankly, I don't give a damn anymore.
About anything.

I have realized over these short weeks of being pregnant that nothing matters to me anymore but our baby's and my health. OF course JM's health as well! And that family is above everything else now to me.
(This is just crazy to me... I mean I used to think that the latest sale at Nordstrom was the end all be all of things! What has happened to me?! Who have I become!)

I mean is that what happens when you start a family? Does everyone go through a time of complete selfishness... UNTIL they are married and having a baby? Well I did and I can say that I just now realized it.

And to me that is just life right now... I never thought that my life would lead me to the path that I am on. However I can honestly say that I have never been more happy in my life than right now. I have the most wonderful, loving, and supportive husband- who is too hot for words as well! and to also have such a wonderful support system in all of our families and friends.
I never realized just how blessed I would be!

See now this was a happy post...
Happy Monday!

xoxo

Pregnancy... So far. Help me!

I wish that this was going to be a happy-go-lucky blog post about how much I love being pregnant.
This is more like a post about how I am jealous of everyone out there who has had easy pregnancies... or who have "never been so happy in their lives."

That is just not the case for me right now... and explains the serious lack of posting here!

Let's get one thing clear first- and I mean crystal clear. I love this baby more that I ever thought was humanly possible- and I cannot even imagine when I get to meet him/her in person. We wanted to start a family early... I am so excited, feel so lucky and blessed to be able to be pregnant.

BUT...

I have been so sick for the past 2 almost 3 months it is not even funny anymore. I laughed in the beginning of getting sick... Seriously I would be laughing because I know it is "all so worth it in the end". Well I am not laughing anymore- even though I know it is "all so worth it in the end".

I get sick an average of 5-6 times a day. Some days less... some more. Some days I cannot get out of bed. I can barely work a full day.

I have missed 9 days in the last pay period. And I have run out of all sick, vacation, and comp. days... So these are all unpaid days. (OK 5 of those were unpaid vacation to St. Lucia! but still the others were not)

I want to quit my job. I love everyone here and I like what I do (most days), but driving 30miles to work and 30 miles home while I am so weak and tired has me honestly concerned for my health.

It is not realistic for me to leave my job right now. It is nice to have the extra money right now.. so leaving is just not an option. Yet.

I have been eating whatever I think will stay down lately... BLT's worked for a while. Random right? Well they don't work anymore... So I am looking for a new thing to eat. Thoughts?

Last week I posted on "Facebook" asking people any suggestions as to what helps with "morning sickness"... the responses were overwhelming! and I was so thankful for them all... except that most said "Saltines".
I HATE, loathe, despise, all Saltines. I honestly think that they are one thing I will never be able to eat again.

Some people said to call the Dr to get prescription meds... The Dr. has given me Zofran and Phenagran. (BOTH are safe to take during pregnancy) However Zofran doesn't work anymore as I cannot keep it down. Phenegran does... but it will leave me passed out and unable to move- let alone drive a car.


So this sounds like a lot of complaining over here- but really... So many people go through this with every single pregnancy. I have heard of some people being sick up until their baby comes! I have also heard that people start to feel better when they are 16-18 weeks.
I am hoping that this ends in the next few weeks. I am not sure how much more JM can take from me right now. He is just happy that I am still working right now, I think. Because he knows if it were up to me I would be in bed or on the couch right now and that I would have most likely quit last week.

In other news... some positive news!
My parents are in Ireland and I am so excited for them to be having a great time!

I am excited to say that we (more like JM and a shovel) have fixed up the front yard! Pictures to come... It looks SO wonderful! and I am sure that our neighbors are much happier with us now!

I am MOST excited to have learned that Osama Bin Laden has been taken down! GO USA! Thank you to all of the men and women who have served, who are serving, and who will serve our Country. I hope that this means that we are closer to the end of a war. I still remember where I was on 9-11. I was in Art class in high school... It was one of the scariest days and one I will never forget. Do you remember where you were?

Now hopefully I will make it through today at work. I have lost the battle with breakfast...
Anyone else have any suggestions for morning sickness? Please keep in mind that I am lactose- intolerant, HATE SALTINES, and anything with ginger makes my tongue swell (Gingerale was not so bad, but I have lost that battle too many times and it is on the black list!).
Damn I am a mess.

One day I will do cute "bump pictures" with the size of fruit that the baby is and weekly updates... Sunday I started the second trimester and am 14 weeks. Baby is the size of a lemon in case you were wondering!

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Monday!

Leaving on a jet plane...

Saturday morning we are off...


and this is where we are going...


Knowing me this is where we will be the whole time...


Or here...


and we are going to have these in our hands the ENTIRE time...
VIRGIN for me of course!

and I know that you are jealous... because I am going to order a side of this with EVERY meal...
Maybe... maybe not. But then again I gotta get my money's worth if I am not drinking on this trip!

We leave on Saturday and cannot wait until we get there. I have been mentally "checked out" of work pretty much all week- and you know what? I don't even care or feel one bit guilty. This trip has been planned for SO long now that not a single thing can make this a bad trip.

But now do we call this a Honeymoon? or a Baby moon? This is the last trip that JM and I will be taking before we are a family of 3... so I guess that it kinda is both. And we are perfectly fine with that!
OR maybe we can take a long weekend away somewhere... Hint hint, JM

The day that we leave I will be 12 weeks... and hopefully this morning sickness will all be gone. I have my 12 week appointment tomorrow. I am so excited to hear Lil Bunny's heart beat, and to tell them that last night I couldn't keep anything down...

Today is going to be a great day... because I am going to let my mind float away to St. Lucia!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Wednesday Randoms

and it already feels like this has been the longest week in history. But that could just be because EVERYONE in Atlanta (andin my office) is on Spring Break right now! Which I do not mind at all because traffic is SO much lighter.

I don't know why but it feels as if the days are creeping by a little slower... and I don't know how I feel about that just yet. Part of me is loving it, but the other part of me is pretty tired and in bed at 8... even if the sun is still out.

This is going to be a random post so stick with me while I get it all out. This is what I am looking forward to over the next few weeks...
I need to write it all out and be positive because this little baby has me running to the "Porcelain God" every few hours right now... and it's not fun when you work from 8-5!

This weekend is the Brave's Home Opener! That I am so excited about it, I cannot even wait. Now I am not the biggest fan of watching every.single.game. on TV like JM (and my PaPa) does... but I do love going to the games... and it makes me even more excited just to see JM act like a little kid walking into the stadium for the first time every year.

Next week we have my 12 week Dr appointment. I am so excited about this! I am hoping and praying that after these 12 weeks pass that the "sickness" does too!

On the 12 week mark we are flying to St. Lucia!!!! YAY! We are so excited about FINALLY getting to go on our honeymoon... There WILL be pictures of that for sure!
We will be in paradise for a week, and honestly I don't know if I will ever want to come back to "real life".

After that I am going away for a much overdue girl's weekend to Smith Mountain Lake. It is the most beautiful lake I have ever been to. Plus it will be so nice to catch up with some wonderful friends. Chelsey, Jean Gray, Whitney, Erin and myself


April is booked solid, and it seems that I never know how this even happens. We make too many plans and we are always busy. Not to mention, I cannot even believe that it is already April. How did that happen? Where did the time go?

Before you know it I will be home with a baby and wrapping presents for Christmas...
Have I mentioned how amazing that is going to be to have a little one come Christmas! I cannot even wait to meet lil Bunny who is making me miserable right now!


AND guess what I am doing this Saturday morning??? Going to the Marietta Square Farmer's Market! I cannot wait to get fresh veggies and fruit all from local growers!

Give me a shout if you are going to be there too!


Hope that today was not too random for you and I hope that you are all having a wonderful week...

Go Braves!

Meet Lil Bunny...

This is Little Baby McCracken.

Last week we had our first ultrasound! It was the coolest thing I think I have ever seen.... A real living baby. A perfectly healthy heart beat. A little brain developing. Such a tiny little thing. The size of a kidney bean.

So I guess it is time that I do one of those question things... About the baby of course. And no in case you are wondering this blog will not be all about the little baby. It will still be about our lives and the madness that goes along with being a newlywed! Of course there will be a few baby ones in here though- maybe a once a week survey... Like so many others have done before me...

Here we go!

*How far along?: 9 Weeks 2 days

*How big is baby?: The size of a grape!

*Sex: Going to erase this one soon- but we are NOT finding out! We have made it clear to all that know in IRL that we want the surprise- so if you have an opinion- please, PLEASE keep it to yourself... I am hormonal and if you feel the need to call OUR baby a "he or she" then I might kill you. :) We will also let the Dr and U/S tech as well know that we DO NOT WANT TO KNOW!

*Maternity clothes: Not yet... I am a little "thicker in the middle", but just bloated. The Bella Band is a life saver right now! Buttoning my low rise jeans is over-rated right?!?!?

*Stretch marks: Not yet... However I have heard many things on this- if you are genetically prone to them (i.e. your momma got them) then you will get them. Well I have a few already for the ups and downs over time... Do I care? Not so much- but will I try to prevent my stomach looking as if a wild cat got to it? Duh... the answer is hell yes! So any advice of lotion, oils, hell even magic spells? I will take it! Right now just cocoa butter for my extra dry skin!

*Sleep: OK... Right now Tilly (our kitty) thinks that she has to be with me all the time. She sleeps all over me or right in between my legs. She is SO sweet, but it is keeping me up. OH and having to pee all night long keeps me from falling right back to sleep... Oh well. I have a theory that Tilly knows that there is a baby in there, and that she is protecting me... and the pee thing- well just to prepare me to get up every night once LBM gets here. Right?

*Movement:Not yet, but but I cannot even wait for that!

*Food cravings: NO... More like Food Aversions. I will think that I want something only to have it make me sick a minute later. Nothing even sounds good right now.

*Labor signs: N/A

*Belly button in or out: Still in.

*What I miss: Not much yet... I miss not being SO tired. I don't miss the alcohol or anything... But I will miss a cute bikini in St. Lucia! (The girls are WAY out of control!)

*What I'm looking forward to: My next appointment! April 15th! Then the next day we will announce it to the world and leave the country! YAY for St. Lucia! It will be SO nice to get away and relax for a while week!!!

Best moment of the week: Last week it was meeting Lil Bunny McCracken (LBM) and seeing a healthy heartbeat! We also got some great pictures like the one above! It was also getting put on Zofran for the nausea... it is helping some. And this week it was dinner last night. We went our to Alfredo's in Buckhead for my Mom's birthday dinner! We missed chip but it was a great time! and the garlic bread was to die for.



So this past weekend was AMAZING. We left Friday and headed to South GA to see some friends and family and have a good time. That we did for sure! More on that tomorrow...

Hope you are having a Happy Monday!

Morning, Noon, and Night. AND The Waiting Game

Sickness...

I DO NOT get why in the hell anyone ever called it "Morning Sickness"... because clearly over here it is morning, noon, and night.

Tomorrow I will be 8 weeks. I cannot even believe that right now. It is just so crazy to think that we are having a baby!
Thank you all so much for your sweet comments last week and thank you for keeping the secret. I promise to start "Bump Pictures" after this appointment. To be honest, there is a little one starting, but it is more "bloat" than "bump".

We have our second appointment on Tuesday next week, where we will get to meet Lil Bunny and hear a heart beat! We cannot even wait. I cannot even stand it right now... I wish that I had taken an appointment this week. But then again, JM has been so busy at work, we knew that he would be able to get there on Tuesday. I couldn't imagine him not being there!

BUT back to the waiting part...
I have figured it out that pregnancy is a waiting game. 9 (really 10) months of waiting to meet the greatest love of your life.
Right now I am waiting to see if the rest of my breakfast is going to come back to haunt me in a minute... This morning it was to see if I am going to throw up before or after my shower. Gross huh?

Then I will be waiting to announce it on Facebook at 12 weeks. We have a plan for that which includes us posting it as we board a plane to St. Lucia for a week. That way we can just turn the phones off... So you must keep the secret until then.
Speaking of St. Lucia, yes we are still going. A few have asked, and honestly it is is going to be a blast! I will get to eat what I want, get a massage, and be in the sun! Just because I cannot drink doesn't mean that I cannot have a VIRGIN daiquiri. Plus I am not a big drinker to begin with.
I just hope that the nausea and sickness goes away by then...

Another thing we are waiting on... Finding out the sex.
Some of you are saying- "You are crazy! Why would you want to do that?" "You will want to find out because you will be impatient" "What about the nursery?" "what about the clothes?!?!"
Umm yeah, I have heard it all by now, and your questions are making me want to wait until Lil Bunny makes his/her grand appearance this Halloween even more.
So that is what we are going to do.
We are going to wait until Lil Bunny is born to find out, because I cannot think of a better surprise than that... I cannot wait for JM to scream out "It's a ______!!!!!"
I get all teary just thinking about that moment!

But until then we wait...
We wait for the sickness to pass, wait for the next 7-8 months to go by fast and worry-free, and we wait for the greatest joy of our lives to come and meet us.

Promise to be back on Tuesday with all of the news of the appointment!

It is going to be beautiful this weekend in Atlanta, I hope that everyone goes out an enjoys it! I sure will be...

Have a Happy Friday everyone!

Friday's Secrets....

Well I don't even know where to begin... I have been a slacker here.
We have a lot going on right now with home projects and just life in general that there has not been time for me to sit and unwind here. And I have not had much to write!
We have just been living in the moment and taking it all in.... There have been lazy days and SUPER busy days.

There are a few more weddings this year... So far we have 3. Not nearly as many as last year, but weddings are SO much fun and the perfect date night with JM that we cannot wait to celebrate with friends. I will definitely write about those! There is nothing more wonderful than two people finding true love.

And there are a few more things going on this year... We will have our 1 Year Anniversary!
It is so great that Halloween is truly our weekend. We always get to dress up and we know that there will always be a party! Maybe we should throw parties on Halloween!!!

We met on a blind date on Halloween (10-31-08)
He proposed the following Halloween (10-29-09)
We got married Halloween Weekend! (10-30-10)
THIS Halloween we are going to have a baby. Est Due Date is 10-29-11.

See a pattern here? Pretty sure that it is sign that it was all meant to be.

And that is also why I have been MIA.

More on that next week. I promise to answer questions and everything...
We are over the moon excited and cannot wait!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend! We will be relaxing and doing some MUCH needed Spring cleaning!

xoxo

Recipe Thursday- A day LATE!!!

I am so sorry that I didn't get a recipe up yesterday! I am a total slacker right now!
I feel terrible about it because... Well Ashley said that she really needed a new recipe!!!!
Sorry Ashley- it is Friday.

Well we have been busy, and I have a wonderful excuse... I have not planned a meal all week!!! We have had sandwiches, soup, whatever is left in the house...

See I don't want to go grocery shopping unless we HAVE TO GO now. What happens is I go once a week, get too much, then go again the next week! So I am going to start going through the cabinets and coming up with meals.
Last night we had quesadillas... We had the cheese, tortillas, onion, and peppers.
I threw the sliced onion and sliced peppers in a pan sauteed for 5 minutes. Rinsed the pan and added some butter to it. Threw in the tortilla, added the onion and peppers and cheese... fold tortilla in half to cover the inside and then flipped.
Done.
but does that sounds like a recipe that I am going to give you that is wonderful and tastes great? Why hell no I am not.


So here is a better recipe that we make all the time.

Jalapeno Chicken!
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine. (It is equally as light because we dont do anything but add more jalapenos!)

What ya need:
2 chicken breasts
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 fresh jalapeno; sliced ad removed the seeds(Do NOT use the pickled kind that are in a jar. and use 2 if you like the heat like we do!)
8 oz of Pepper Jack Cheese; Shredded. (You have to get the whole 16 oz. block but only use half!)
Pam cooking spray

What ya do:
Rinse chicken and pat dry and put on a plate.
Sprinkle chicken with taco seasoning on both sides. (Use all of it!)
Spray the chicken with Pam. (Totally sounds weird, but it makes the seasoning stick as well as the chicken not stick to your pan!)
In a non stick pan, cook chicken on both sides. Do not add oil... or anything else.
Once the chicken is cooked through add the jalapenos to the top and add the cheese on top of the peppers.
Cover with a lid until the cheese is all melty and cheesy-goodness.

We serve this chicken dish with "Lipton's Rice Sides" the Mexican Rice one... easy as can be and wonderful!

So there you have it Ashley! Low Calorie as well as delish!

PS: I thought that you might like it because you LOVE some spicy food!


Well I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend. We have a date night tonight! YAY!
Also I am getting to go to some of my FAVORITE places ever this weekend! First Surin, then The Colonnade with my PaPa tomorrow for lunch and then to a new place Vintage Pizza Saturday night. AND then Oysterfest on Sunday! Even though I don't like Oysters I hope that they have shrimp!

It is going to be a wonderful weekend! I hope that you all enjoy it as well!

xoxo