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!