Positives VS. Negatives

Dear Diary,

Today is all about POSITIVES and NEGATIVES.

• NEGATIVE: Garrett woke up around 4:00 this morning and started throwing up. It continued most of the morning and my first thought was, "Great. Now we're all going to get it."
• POSITIVE: Not a positive for Garrett but for Addy and I. We think it was food poisoning so HOPEFULLY Addy and I are in the clear. And he is feeling a bit better this PM so we'll keep our fingers crossed the worst is over!

•  NEGATIVE: My DR told me she would rather I not travel to Pittsburg over Valentines weekend. This will be the first Valentines Day in 5 or 6 years that I wont be working at the flower shop with my favorite ladies in the entire world! And I just KNOW they are going to be totally bummed to hear the news considering I am not only the life of the party, BUT my designs are like inspiration to them =) JUST KIDDING. They'll get along fine without me I am sure, but nevertheless, I am still sad I wont be there =(
• POSITIVE: My appointment went great this morning and baby appears to be right on schedule!

• NEGATIVE: I had to go to the store this morning alongside half the planet to stock up on groceries for the week.
• POSITIVE: Keebler cookies were 2 for $5.00 so for the next few days I will get to enjoy a delicious, tasty treat!

• NEGATIVE: A huge storm is headed this way. By huge I mean GIGANTIC. The news predicted we are to get anywhere from 8-20 inches! Yikes!
• POSITIVE: Garrett's work has already decided to close for 24 hours starting tomorrow afternoon so we'll all get to be snowed in together!

So I guess as long as Addy and I don't get sick, baby #2 continues to be healthy, the Keebler cookies don't go too fast, and everybody stays safe and warm during the blizzard, the negatives don't seem so bad!

Everybody bundle up and be careful!

Sincerely Yours,

The Name Game

Dear Diary,

Oh the name game...

With Addalyn it was easy. Well not easy I guess. Garrett and I debated over names for a short time after we found out we were having a girl. We of course just KNEW it was a boy so that name was already set in stone. When the ultrasound tech told us it was a girl I think we both were in shock (happy shock) so the name situation took a few days to set in.

It was the same story daily: I'd like a name - he'd hate it. He'd suggest a name - I'd hate it. We had a short "maybe" list that neither of us were thrilled about and we learned quickly to keep anything we semi-liked to ourselves due to the negative response we'd get from family and friends. "Oh gross, I knew a girl named that and she was so mean." OR "Hm, yeah that's not my favorite but it's OKAY."

We had kind of quit talking about it for awhile and then one day I get a message from a friend of ours. She had a dream that we had a girl and named her Attalie. The name kind of clicked with me and when Garrett came down the stairs I told him. I could tell it kind of settled with him too and his response was, "I kind of like it. We could call her Addy." If I remember correctly, I think I smiled really big and thought, "Aww, that's her. She's Addy." We weren't crazy about Attalie as her full name so we looked into our options and we both really liked Addalyn. And that was that. We kept it a secret because we didn't want to be persuaded into not liking it anymore and on September 10th at 5:08PM we got to meet Addalyn Paige Forsythe and her name has fit her well.

And now, just a short time later, we are back to the name game. I've spent many days on random websites and in baby name books, filing through options. I've had family and friends shooting us suggestions left and right, and so far, no luck. I can even admit to visiting the Baby Name Genie quite a bit. You plug in your last name and the sex of the baby and it gives you suggestions. Yesterday it gave me Laura (sister-in-law) and Lyndsey (awesome name but spelt stupid, haha), so the Genie isn't helping me out much either.

Naming Baby #2 has not been fun. Garrett and I don't agree on anything and it doesn't help that I am dealing with Mr. Picky Pants. I like boy names for girls - he does not. He likes random names from his favorite movies and bands - I do not. Our "maybe" list is even shorter this time and I find myself liking names that are either already taken by someone we know, that doesn't go well with Addalyn or Addy, or that Garrett just absolutely hates.

It is definitely much harder this time around and Garrett seems convinced that he just wont like anything as much as he liked Addalyn, so he is more or less leaving it up to me. Well, I should say that he knows a name or two I am leaning towards and he is fine with either. He still says a firm "NO" at 90% of the names I throw his way. I guess I am still undecided because, while I really like the names on my "maybe" list, I think I am still eager to get that same "Aww, that's her name," feeling out of the both of us.

So the name game continues. We are just under 8 weeks until the big day and I have high hopes that either the perfect name will present itself between now and then OR one of these "maybes" will become the name we can't resist. Either way, it'll happen. I don't think they'll let us leave the hospital with an un-named baby and I have no doubt that whatever name we do choose will fit baby girl quite well, as they always seem to do!

Sincerely Yours,

Grocery Shopping: It's Not For Everyone

Dear Diary,

I have a LOVE - HATE relationship with grocery shopping.

I HATE coming up with the meal plans for the week. I HATE the entire process actually. What haven't we had in awhile? What is easy? What ingredient list isn't going to cost me a million dollars? What is something new? What is the most convenient to make on the days I have two toddlers to work around? This is the entire problem: Too many questions, too much time spent flipping through recipe books, and too much thought process...

Then there's the shopping. I HATE shopping for everything I need. And maybe it's not fair to say the actual shopping is the part that bothers me. I think I'd be okay if I was the only person in the store, but it's the other shoppers that tend to ruin my mood. When I go to the store on my big shopping day I take my list. A list that is organized by where I start in the store, to where I finish. I don't like to have to go back an aisle for something I forgot to grab. I go with a purpose, with limited time, and with one goal: get in and get out. I get frustrated when someone is standing in front of the one thing I need. I don't easily tolerate the person strolling ahead of me that is casually shopping through the cereal section. Grocery shopping isn't casual. You either like Frosted Flakes or you like Golden Grahams. There shouldn't be much of a debate. And I really cant stand the cold and frozen aisles. Someone is always in the door I need, the milk never has a good expiration date on it and there is always a small crowd gathered around the cheese. Come on people, grab your Shredded Mild Cheddar and lets go!

And if the store wasn't bad enough, I think I hate the aftermath the worst. I HATE putting all the groceries in the back of the car. I HATE that 90% of the time something falls over on the drive home. I HATE carrying all the bags inside and I really HATE putting it all away.

With all of this being said, I do LOVE when I have my weekly meal plan figured out. I LOVE not having to ask the question, "What am I going to make for dinner?" I LOVE when the shopping is done and everything is in its place in my kitchen, ready for me to use when the recipe calls for it. I LOVE when an old recipe is just as easy as it always has been and I LOVE even more when a new recipe becomes a "keeper."

You know what else I LOVE? My Price Chopper. I LOVE how organized it is and how clean it appears to be. I enjoy the fact that I know where everything is and that I notice if something changes. I LOVE that I am familiar with most all the checkers and that I have my favorites, whose lines I always try to get in. I LOVE when I see the cute Zac Efron look-a-like bagger, who is much too young for me but who I still like to think will slip me his number one of these days =) He is surely interested in a married, pregnant, older woman right? Haha

If you couldn't tell, today was one of those shopping days. My hate relationship got cut in half though when my husband was nice enough to come with me. He got to push the cart with our "grabby hands" child while I roamed from aisle to aisle, weaving in and out of traffic at a rapid pace. I didn't have to put the groceries in the car, nor did I have to carry them all inside, which made putting them all away in the kitchen a bit more tolerable than normal.

Another grocery week down and about a billion more to go. I'll let this feeling of satisfaction linger as long as it can because come the end of the week, I'll be starting all over again.

Sincerely Yours,

Every Good Thing Must Come To An End...

Dear Diary,


And so the day has come. I knew it was in our future and yet I still held out for the chance that maybe, just maybe, it would continue on as normal. I realize some parents have this day come sooner than we have, but regardless, I was hoping to at least hit the 18 month mark...

What am I talking about? NAPS. Yes, we have now officially moved from the 2-naps-a-day stage to the 1-nap-a-day stage. Ugh. It was so nice. All you Mom's who still get those 2 naps in, cherish it. Do everything you can during those quiet times and remember that it could change at any moment.


I felt like I didn't get things done as it was. Now, I get to use my small window of free time to get a shower in and MAYBE fold a couple loads of laundry or dust something. It's stages of my life like this where I am thankful I own a crock pot. Dinner is cooking itself, giving me one less thing to try to get done while 2 toddlers are running around.

Then there are days like yesterday, where my sweet, adorable, precious child decided that an hour was plenty long enough of a nap and she insisted on getting down to the playroom to wake up her partner in crime from his nap too. Granted, the two have been separated for a month now and yesterday was their first day back together, but I really didn't need two kids waking up before they were due. So instead, I hauled her up to Mom and Dad's room where I tried to fold laundry without her jumping right in the middle of it. And with every "No" that came out of my mouth, came her acting skills as she "fell" on the ground pretending she was hurt in order to get some sympathy out of me. Smart? Yes, but Mommy is smarter.


She finally got her way as her hysteria did wake Beckett up and the two got to spend the rest of the afternoon as tornadoes in the playroom and watching Toy Story for the 20th time. I, however, was pleased that the two didn't need me for entertainment and I got to read away in my book that I can't seem to put down.


Maybe one day I'll actually be able to leave the little lady alone for longer than 2 minutes at a time. The playroom was good for that in theory but then Houdini child learned that climbing anything and everything was the funnest thing to do AND is even more fun when Mom leaves the room. I have found her standing on the coffee table, behind the entertainment center, walking out in the garage (didn't even know she could open doors), and inside the Pack-N-Play in the playroom. From the sounds of it, you'd think I was off taking a nap somewhere, but I kid you not, she does these things in the 2-3 minutes it takes me to wash a couple sippy cups, go to the bathroom, or clean off lunch trays.


I guess I am at least thankful she is funny and I get a good laugh out of it most the time. I honestly don't know what Garrett and I did before she was born. I can honestly admit that most of our evenings are spent laughing at her crazy antics or taking turns at who is going to get her off the end table this time. It makes me wonder what Baby #2 will be like? Will she look like Addalyn? Will she be as good of a baby as Addy was? Will she get herself into as much nonsense as Addy does? Who knows... But I am eager to find out!


Sincerely Yours,

Add It To The List!

Dear Diary,

Well once again I found myself wishing my book had never ended. I LOVED my latest read, Emily Giffin's "Baby Proof." I have enjoyed Emily Giffin's novels in the past and just got my hands on two more of her books.

 About The Book:

"Is there ever a deal-breaker when it comes to true love?

First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes . . . a baby carriage? Isn’t that what all women want?

Not so for Claudia Parr. And just as she gives up on finding a man who feels the same way, she meets warm, wonderful Ben. Things seem too good to be true when they fall in love and agree to buck tradition with a satisfying, child-free marriage. Then the unexpected occurs: one of them has a change of heart. One of them wants children after all.

This is the witty, heartfelt story about what happens to the perfect couple when they suddenly want different things. It’s about feeling that your life is set and then realizing that nothing is as you thought it was--and that there is no possible compromise. It’s about deciding what is most important in life, and taking chances to get it. But most of all, it’s about the things we will do--and won’t do--for love."

And while I am sad I read the final page of "Baby Proof" last week, I was thrilled that I had Emily Giffin's, "Love the One You're With" waiting for me to start. It has already caught my attention in a good way and I have no doubt that in a couple of days I will be saddened that the book has ended as I read its final pages.

Not only has Emily Giffin provided me with great novels, but as I was looking over her website I discovered that one of my favorite's, "Something Borrowed," is going to be turned into a movie! The cast couldn't be better as Kate Hudson will be playing Darcy, the adorable Ginnifer Goodwin has been cast as Rachel and my absolute favorite, John Krasinski will be stepping in as Ethan. While I have mixed feelings on whether the movie can even compare to the book, I feel like the casting alone has given it a good start! I can't say that I get to the movie theatre much these days, but come May 2011, I will definitely be there!

http://www.emilygiffin.com/inthemovies.php

Sincerely Yours,



Sharing Old Memories, Making New Ones!

Dear Diary,

Today I am thankful for my friendships. Particularly a friendship that goes back years and years. Ashleigh, Brianna, Jeni and I have been friends for a long time, and because we have an opportunity to get together this weekend, these girls are on my mind!

What I wouldn't give to go back to one of our many sleepovers in junior high. I would try to distract us from calling the boys, from fighting over who got to type on ICQ or from watching "Teen Witch" for the hundredth time, just long enough to ask where we'd think our lives would be 12 years later. I don't think any of us would have predicted that at 25 years old, we would all be married and have children, and I REALLY don't think any of us would have predicted that we'd all have baby girls. If I was talking to our 13-year-old selves, I would guess we'd each have one of "the boys" from our class picked out as our future spouse and I can only imagine the careers we would have predicted and the names and number of children we would have (with lack of a name for baby #2, I think I'd take my 13-year-old suggestion at this point, haha).

The friendship between the four of us started at different times. Jeni and I were forced into it as babies, Brianna and I became attached at the hip in Kindergarten and I stole Ashleigh away as my best friend when she showed up in fourth grade. We had our ups and downs as all girls do throughout the years but I have laughed, cried and shared more memories with these girls than most people in my life.

While we all graduated and went to the same college, we drifted apart a little. We each had goals, boyfriends and new college friends competing for our time, but I am proud to say we never quit staying in touch. I love that we can get together and relive old memories. I love that I can call any of these girls at any moment and they'd be there for me. I love that even though we've been out of school for 6 years, they all still know me better than most people do!

But, I think what I love most is we now have a new generation of girls to carry on our friendship. No, we don't all live in the same town, and no our girls wont be going to the same school, but you can bet that as their Mommy's stay such good friends, so will they. They are far to young to understand now but as they grow up and get together when their Mom's do, they will start to share their own laughs, cries and special moments together.

This weekend we all get to be together with our little ladies and share one of those special moments! My favorite photographer is providing a fun photo session that the girlie's are going to take part of. What could be cuter than four toddler girls getting their picture taken together? Well, that's easy - OUR four toddler girls getting their pictures taken together. While I am a bit biased, I have to say that you don't get much cuter than Ella, Addalyn, Natalie and Gracyn. I know for certain that the Mommy's are far more excited than the girls, but I have a feeling these are pictures they are going to love looking back on someday!

So thank you Jeni, for remaining my friend, yellow scrunchies and all! Thank you Brianna for being my partner in crime at the early age of 5. Thank you Ashleigh for ditching those other friends in forth grade to be my best friend. Thank you God for the miracles of Ella Kay, Addalyn Paige, Natalie Ann and Gracyn Marie! And thank you Sammie Dawn Photography for giving Brianna, Ashleigh, Jeni and I another reason to get together with our little ladies! Now all we need is for four toddler girls to behave and take nice pictures. Am I pushing my luck? =)

Looking forward to it ladies!

 

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go.
Others stay awhile, make footprints on our
hearts and we are never, ever the same."

Sincerely Yours,

My Husband: Flooring Master!

Dear Diary,

Well, give the man "the go" and it'll be done in no time!

Garrett and I bought this house November 2008. We loved the neighborhood, the layout and the possibility of what it could be as our first home. The previous owner, Sandra, who we refer to as "the old lady," had just that, an old lady type of home. From wallpaper borders to a bedroom decked out in Red Hat Lady garb, it took a little imagination to convince us that with us a few weekend projects and new paint on the walls we could really turn this place into a home we loved.

With the help of family and friends we have scraped wallpaper, painted walls, remodeled two bathrooms, painted A LOT of trim, had the exterior painted, created a playroom, got a new front door and turned one heck of a wallpaper mess bedroom into a nursery. It has been a long standing goal of ours to replace the mid level carpeting with wood floors. Garrett has researched real hard wood vs. laminate, having it done vs. doing it himself and the best way to tackle our stairs and spindles situation.

While I have hated the carpet in the living room for some time, I never really thought I wanted anything different than new carpet someday. In fact, laying flooring in the space wasn't really an option at all until one thing after another convinced me otherwise. With a dog going in and out of the backyard frequently, and the two of us coming in and out of the garage on a daily basis, the carpet is near impossible to keep clean. I guess you could say the final straw was the morning our lovely dog Philly got into some mud in the backyard and tracked footprints all over my carpet. As I am down on my hands and knees, scrubbing it clean, I realized that different flooring was a pretty good idea.

All it took was the go ahead from me, and one week later Garrett was laying new laminate wood flooring down in our living room. We got a heck of a deal and I must say, I was a little nervous as to how it was going to go, but with the help of his buddy from work, they finished in no time and it looks great! I had a feeling if I liked it I would want the mid level done sooner rather than later and that is exactly the case. It is a bigger area and will be a little more challenging but hopefully it will go as smoothly as the living room did!

So here's the before, during and after pictures. As with most pictures, it is much better in person, but regardless I think you'll be able to see how nice of a job Garrett did! We have a few trim and transition pieces that need to go in still and I am on the search for an area rug I love, but here's the mostly finished project!

Before: With Carpet

Before: With Carpet

Before: With Carpet

During: Furniture and Carpet Removed

After: New Flooring

After: New Flooring

After: New Flooring



Sincerely Yours,