16 Weeks going on 17

Oops! Looks like I'm already behind on the weekly posts!  Oh well, I don't feel like that much changes week to week at this point so it's probably going to be quite sporadic. Buckle your seatbelts, this is going to be a crazy ride!

HOW FAR ALONG?:  16 weeks, 6 days

TOTAL WEIGHT GAIN?:  I don't step on the scale unless I have a doctors appointment, which means next week I'll know. If I looked at the scale all the time, nothing good would result from it!  I just know my belly is becoming more and more visible and my pants barely button (I wear a bellyband instead of buttoning them at this point! Think it's time to get some maternity pants. Or convince the world that sweatpants are acceptable!!)

STRETCH MARKS?:  I hope never to see these beautiful things ;)

SLEEP?:  This week my sleep pattern has been really regular. I've been up by 7-8 am and sound asleep by 9-11pm. I haven't been tossing or turning, just getting some magical sleep and the occasional weird dream.  I sometimes think day shift would be a good thing but you just miss so much time away from the kiddos it doesn't seem worth it. At least when I'm at work, baby will be sleeping (eventually) and when baby gets big enough to go to school, I can sleep during those hours vs. working 12 hour days and having kids asleep both before I leave for work and when I get home.   

BEST MOMENT/S THIS WEEK?:  This week was fabulous! My mom was out here visiting! We got A LOT accomplished! We painted the nursery, put together the crib, hung curtains, went to IKEA (bought & assembled the purchases) and cleaned our our extra storage closet (outside of our apt) and hung bike hooks. Our bikes were being held in the nursery. I'd love it if we could put them in the bike rack our apt complex provides for us, but we had two bikes stolen last summer and I'm just not willing to risk it again!

Besides working my mom like a dog, we spent some quality time together and went to the beach for a day, taught her how to golf and pampered ourselves with a mani/pedi. 

WORST MOMENT THIS WEEK?:  Taking my mom back to the airport :(

MISS ANYTHING?:  Wine, craft beer and sushi. I have a feeling this answer will never change. 

MOVEMENT?:  Baby is moving, but too small to feel anything yet! Probably within the next few weeks!

FOOD CRAVINGS?:  No real cravings. A lot of times I feel hungry but nothing really sounds good. I went through a rut for a few weeks where I just didn't want to eat anything I cooked, or cook for that matter, so baby got a lot of take out. I just need more recipes! 

LABOR SIGNS?:  No and hopefully not for a very long time. 

SYMPTOMS / MOODS?:  I poke at B a little too much, but all in fun. I don't think I've been any more snippy than pre-pregnancy. 

BELLY BUTTON IN or OUT?:  In, along with my belly button ring still.... which I need to take out, yesterday. 

WEDDING RINGS OFF or ON?: On.

LOOKING FORWARD TO...?:  Next Thursday (9/6) we have another ultrasound and get to find out the sex of our baby if it cooperates! 

Here is the baby's nursery. The walls are a grey color and yes the curtains are blue. I plan to add all kinds of colors/decorations once we know the sex. 

Big Announcement!

Well, we made it Facebook official, so I guess its real life. Brett & I are expecting our first baby February 7th, or 1st, or 2nd... the doctors seem to be having a difficult time determining the due date.

I'm going to try to post weekly updates to keep the family updated & to keep a little journal for myself during this exciting time! I stole this layout from my friend, Kaitlyn, so here goes the first post:

HOW FAR ALONG?:  12 weeks 5 day, or 13 weeks 5 days (it really depends who you ask!)

TOTAL WEIGHT GAIN?:  Nada, but I'm sure that won't last too long. 

STRETCH MARKS?:  I hope never to see these beautiful things ;)

SLEEP?:  My sleep schedule is all out of whack! It doesn't help that I work nights, I'm sure. I can pretty much sleep anytime, anywhere. Although my complete exhaustion has pretty much resolved, so I'm beginning to feel human again. Or at least I was, until I thought I had enough extra energy to pick up extra shifts at work... 

BEST MOMENT/S THIS WEEK?:  We had our Nuchal Test this week, which involved a really high resolution ultrasound and we received a DVD copy! This was our third ultrasound but the first time we got to HEAR baby's heartbeat! He/She was doing all kinds of flips and showing off, wonder where that came from ;) The baby was showing all of it's parts, except the private parts, modest little thing! We'll have to wait until September 6th to find out the sex. 

WORST MOMENT THIS WEEK?:  My golf game today ;) 

MISS ANYTHING?:  Wine, craft beer and sushi. I have a feeling this answer will never change. 

MOVEMENT?:  Baby is moving, but too small to feel anything yet!

FOOD CRAVINGS?:  No real cravings. 

LABOR SIGNS?:  No and hopefully not for a very long time. 

SYMPTOMS / MOODS?:  I have a super sense of smell and occasionally gag, but no nausea (Thank God!). I don't think I've been moody, but maybe that's a question for B.

BELLY BUTTON IN or OUT?:  In, along with my belly button ring, which I really need to take out since I'm not 16 anymore!

WEDDING RINGS OFF or ON?: On.

LOOKING FORWARD TO...?:  The month of August! We are going to San Diego next weekend, Brett's performing all weekend at the Comedy Palace and we will get to spend some time with my college friend, Alisa. And my mom is coming to visit at the end of August, so I'm already working on my to-do list for her to do while she's on "vacation." 

Well three months ago I vowed I would start working out again, I did work out today. And very few others between then & now. I've lost 75 lbs!!! Totally kidding, that would be gross anyway :) What have I been doing the last three months? Clearly I've been way too busy to blog to the universe...

I honestly don't know what I've been doing. Work, sleep, repeat. The American Dream! Brett has been all over the country doing stand-up and I've been doing my best to schedule myself the days he's gone so we can hang out when he is in town, but this fall a lot of the gigs were last minute.

I ended up going home in November, unexpectedly. One of my BFF's from a million years ago, lost her mom to cancer. It was a short trip, and not for a fun reason, but I did get to see quite a few people and catch up. I saw all three of my brothers, my sister-in-law, my three nephews, one of my nieces, my grandma and my aunt and a few friends. My oldest brother decided it was his duty to make me a bottomless vodka + something else that must have been alcohol filled because this girl was (a) DRUNK & (b) so hungover on my flight home. Thanks, bro.

I was seriously so hungover, even though I vomited an insane amount the night before. My flight was direct, and for that I was thankful. I flew Allegiant Air, which is so cheap & always direct, which I love! But you know, as a typical American business they try to add on costs to everything... priority boarding (who wants to be the first person on the plane?) ... seating... baggage... etc. So anyway, I was the person with a carry on, no specific seat and one of the last on the plane. I found an empty aisle and parked myself next to the window to nap off the hangover. Until a larger lady, who required a seatbelt extender, decided to sit in MY aisle. Still, there was a seat between us, so I figured it couldn't be too bad.

I dove into my Oprah magazine to learn all about everyone's favorite things when the beverage cart came around. I desperately needed that $2 Sprite so I wouldn't vomit all over this woman. Then she says to me, "When did they start charging for drinks?!" Now, I could have taken the easy way out and said, "I don't know?" The end. But instead I said something about how it probably started around the same time they started charging for bags and isn't it ridiculous and whatever else my numb brain said. This statement seemed to open the flood gates, I learned way too much about every single person in her family and their problems. No nap for me. Pounding headache upon landing. Empty gas tank when arrived to car. All of this = sick call to work. I still feel hungover almost 3 weeks later. Blah...

Anyway, then I worked a whole bunch more and then my mom came to visit me!! She happened to have a terrible flight experience in June when she last visited and received a $200 voucher from a certain airline. We had such a great time. We shopped til I dropped, I don't really care if I don't shop for 6 months. We had a girls day (which was her Christmas gift) that started with a trip to the Farmer's Market, then had a fantastic brunch followed by a spa day. Mani, Pedi, Facial and hot stone massage, all of which she's never had! She deserves a day or 30 of pampering :) We spent an entire day at the beach, and did a lot of lounging/relaxing. It was great! It was sunny and 70-80* here and she missed the Midwest's first blizzard!

Now we're just a few days away from Christmas. I can't believe it. Time is flying! Brett and I are spending another Christmas together in LA. Last year was so nice. It's nice seeing LA as a ghost town, it doesn't happen often.

Tomorrow I'm back to work, then we're having what should be a super fun Christmas party through my work that Brett is performing at, and then I'm working for a few more days. Looking forward to my stretch off around Christmas! I know one gift I'm getting, a much needed camera! Soon I'll be able to post photos again!! I think I might superglue this one to my hand so I don't drop it in the ocean or get it stolen!

Happy Holidays!!

Here I Go Again

Alright, I'm getting on the exercising/eating right wagon again. Oh Joy! So I weighed myself today, Tuesdays will be "the day."

Official weight: Overweight.5 lbs. (You didn't actually think I'd reveal that number, did you?)

So I guess maybe I'll just be posting my progress, my diet and exercise plan. Possibly photos. Someone has to hold me accountable!

On (what I think is) a HILARIOUS note, last night I was digging around under my bathroom cabinet and found a pregnancy test... I'm sure it was expired, but I took it anyway because, really, how have I gotten this fat? Well it's negative. Big shocker, I mean I use the Nuva Ring. It's pretty idiot proof, unless of course I happened to put it in my butt, but I think I'd notice that:)

fall 2010

So far it's September 13th & I have yet to get homesick! This time of year is always so difficult for me. I miss the colors of the leaves changing, the brisk fall air, the bonfires, etc. SoCal has had a strange summer this year though, and we're already down to the 70s, which actually is feeling a lot like the Midwestern fall. Now, I'm not an idiot, I know it'll likely reach 100* again before October is over, but for now I'm taking it all in! PS This morning I'm sipping on Starbucks coffee with Vanilla Chai Spice creamer that is absolutely delish! Try it!

Unfortunately for me, I stepped on the scale today and now can't help but notice it has 35 calories/tablespoon. It's time to get back on the diet train. OMG I disgust myself. You all know I lost 15ish pounds earlier this year. I'm sad to say, I've found it again. Boo! And my friend Dave just reminded me this is "Weight Gaining Season." AKA Football Season, AKA Way Too Many Beers in my Belly Season. Hmf... be happy and chubby or skinny and hungry, but also happy and in cute jeans.

I'm feeling like I'm going to start my eating right again and *maybe* keep track here. Yikes! Online for all to see. I'm still pretty squeamish about this idea.

That's it for now, I have butterflies in my belly and really need to consider & reconsider this.

& PPS, THE CHIEFS WON TONIGHT!

... The Cleanse ...

Oh boy. So many, many months ago Brett & I were in GNC and decided to buy a body cleanse. The guy at GNC explained to us that this one was wonderful, we should follow a pretty strict diet, don't drink, etc and we'd would feel SO MUCH better and probably lose 5-10 pounds. Sweet deal right?

Well, the boxes were neatly tucked beneath our bathroom sink for many months. Then they were moved to the bathroom organizer thingy, where they collected mountains of dust. I looked at them every day, but just wasn't ready. We almost did it before Brett's sister's wedding, but then decided we would be having a "lot of fun" in Milwaukee (aka drinking our faces off) so we might as well wait.

Not wanting them to expire, we finally started the cleanse about two weeks ago. I told Brett I would do the best I could to make him compliant since he's a very picky eater. I decided not to strictly follow the diet because I eat pretty healthy anyway. The first day, breakfast called for the following:

Rice cakes

2 tbsp yogurt

1 c. raspberries

8 0z. water

Probiotic Formula

Sounds simple enough, but I knew Brett would not eat raspberries if I just handed them to him (the man hates fruit, what the hell? Even raspberries? The best fruit on the planet? YUP.) So I piled some yogurt on a rice cake, smashed up the raspberries (even added a packet of splenda) and topped off the rice cake. OMG. You should have seen his face. He was doing that weird swallowing thing, like before you vomit, before even tasting it. He said "It's just seeds! I don't eat this sh*t! I thought you were going to make this food that I liked."

ME: C'mon, quit bein' a baby. Just try it. Jesus, it's delish!

Brett: Ugh. (Eats one bite, gets up from chair, runs to bathroom, and "throws up")

Whatever. Baby. So there goes Brett's diet, however he will still participate as long as he can eat what he wants. I'm not really sure how that works, but whatev.

The first night was absolute hell. Not because I was shitting my pants, but because I had the.worst.headache.ever. Yeah, this body went through caffeine withdrawal, bad. So bad that I took Excedrin (which I HATE taking meds) and texted Brett, who promptly left what he was doing to comfort me (what a sweetheart!).

The whole week, we had planned to be feeling great, eating well, hiking, spending time together in the sun and just loving life. Not the case. We were SO exhausted. Sleeping every chance we got. Honestly, I would have quit after two days, but I was so proud of Brett for not smoking, that I stuck it out.

I don't know that I lost any weight. I certainly didn't feel amazing like I thought I would. I definitely enjoyed my first margarita, followed by a Skinny Vanilla Latte the next morning. Moral of the story: Don't do cleanse(s). Waste of time. No real benefit. Just try to be healthy every day. :)

Wowza, really didn't realize how long it had been since I updated you strangers about my amazing life! Let me try to quickly recap, starting with January!

JANUARY:

* I started a new diet! I got an iPhone for Christmas and downloaded My Fitness Pal, a free calorie counter/exercise tracker. It has done wonders for me! I lost 12 pounds within the first 2 months (quite an accomplishment for a girl my size with my frame!) I'm so proud of myself!

* Brett got a new agent. He is now signed with Joint Venture Entertainment.

* And then he shoots a promotional video for Toy Story 3, which you can check out on here

* He was also called back for a Nascar commercial but I guess he just wasn't redneck enough :)

* Lucky boy Brett also got to attend the Late Show (Conan's) wrap party. Where the heck was I?!

* Then Mother Nature roared her ugly head and dumped rain on us for a week, there were even tornado warnings. In southern California?! What the???

* Brett performed at the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club @ Universal City Walk for the first time

* We went to lunch & a wine tasting at the San Antonio Winery in LA to celebrate my

coworker's husband's birthday. That same night we went out in downtown LA for another coworkers birthday party. We ended up going to HWood and then did some after partying at yet another coworker's boyfriend's bar. Oh what a day!

* Did I mention we joined LA Fitness? And Keith kicked both mine & Brett's butts. Ouch!

FEBRUARY:

* I left the boy at home and headed up to Paso Robles for a girls weekend/Marcia's birthday party. Marcia, Mandi & myself headed up to the wine country for a fun-filled wine adventure!

We stayed at the Marriott and drank way too much wine! We had a fantastic dinner at McPhee's (my favorite restaurant there!) and took a wine tour on the Grapeline. Highly recommended. No worries of drinking and driving and we met the most awesome people!

* We were soooo tired when we got back to LA but still made it to a coworkers SuperBowl Party, where I was a crabass. Hind sight is 20/20? Sorry Brett, I was an ass.

* Brett set up a comedy show at the Blue Palms Brewhouse, which was a good time, but not a good comedy venue. Still one of our favorite bars though. Thank you Brian for the opportunity!

* Brett did a clean comedy set for Comedy Time and gets a copy of the DVD

* We headed back up to Paso, where Brett did a show for the locals.

* Then Brett quit smoking!!!!!!!!!!! ... For a few days. Dang it!

* Aaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnndddddddd we're talking a lot about marriage:)

MARCH:

* But then March rolled around and we actually broke up for a week. Brett moved out and lived with a friend for a few days. We actually got along amazingly when we weren't living on top of each other. So we decided to make it work.

* We got our taxes done. Boo. I owe $2300... WHAT?! And Brett owes in too? How is that possible?!

* I became a crazy worker-outer girl because I had to be in a wedding at the end of this month, and stand up between two size two girls. Not fair! Thanks again Kaitlyn! So I hiked, nearly

every day, either Runyon or Fryman.

* We helped our friends celebrate their baby's 1st birthday! Happy Birthday Baby D!

* Brett headed to Vegas to his future brother-in-law's Bachelor Party (& it was Brett's Birthday weekend). From what I'm told, nothing too crazy happened.

* The next weekend our dear friends Eric & Kaitlyn Kambestad were married at Rancho Las Lomas - aka the most beautiful wedding venue I've ever seen! We somehow managed to have after hours in our hotel room, with the bride & groom present!

* Brett advanced to the finals of Uncle Clyde's Comedy Contest @ the Ice House in Pasadena.

* Brett also auditioned, and made the top 13 of LA for a new show called "The Greatest Show in the Universe!" Which he would be perfect for, but they are still auditioning the rest of the country.

APRIL:

* I begin working a buttload of overtime trying to getmy taxes paid. GRRR.

* Then my beautiful mother sent me a monetary gift that brought me to tears to help me out. Which I proudly didn't have to use because I worked my butt off, but the money comes in handy next month.

* My car continues the cycle of breaking down every two weeks. It causes me so much stress and costs me lots of money. So not worth it. My great friend Marcia becomes my personal taxi. Thank you Marcia!!!!

*Brett WINS Uncle Clyde's Comedy Contest!!!!! Which includes money, he gets to perform in the main room at the Ice House & he is entered into the Boston Comedy Festival which will take place in November!!!!!!!

* We celebrated our 5 year anniversary with a wonderful dinner at Spark in Beverly Hills. YUM!

* Brett's xbox poops out (tragically), but he replaces his baby with a PS3, Oh Joy! I hope I'm not that replaceable!

* Brett was asked to be in a new movie (not yet picked up), he taped all day for two days. And his part was substantial.

* Brett does a show in Santa Barbara on a Friday, we getpulled over leaving the parking garage. We may or may not have pulled out in front of a cop. Oops! Just a warning, thankfully. Then we run out of gas on the the 101 Freeway, awesome. Brett pushes us to safety (He's superman!). The next night he has a show in San Diego, and I fall in love with that city all over again. During & after the show we got to hang out with two of Brett's friends from high school! It was a blast!

* Brett finally got a portion of his tiny settlement. He went out and bought an old boat of a Cadillac... this was not something we discussed. Um... it was a lemon & now we have to figure out what to do with it!

MAY:

* It's my birthday!! I spent it at the car dealership because my stupid car broke down again! This is where that gift of money comes in handy, I bought myself a new (to me) car for my bday! A 2007 Honda CR-V, that I'm in love with.

* Then my great friend Marcia packed up her belongings and followed her heart to Alaska. While I'm very sad, I wish her well! But I miss you friend!

* Brett's sister Melissa celebrated her bachelorette party in Miami, but unfortunately I'm too broke to go. Sadness.

* I'm still working 5 nights a week. Ew.

* My mom is coming to visit next month! WooHoo!

*** And that's where I stop for today. I'm tired. I know I still have a month to go. As if anyone is really interested:P