who has time to blog?

who has time to blog?  apparently not this new mom.  the return to work made blogging even more unlikely...

emilee went for her 2 month check up on thursday, and my chunky monkey now weighs 13 lbs, 10 oz and is 23.75 inches long.  she's at 97th percentile for weight and at 90-95th percentile for height - craziness!!!  i cannot believe how fast she's growing.

she's come down with her first cold and is a snotty mess.  now i used to be the girl who was gagging over snot, but oddly enough, when it's your daughter, it doesn't make you sick.  i never believe that'd happen, but somehow it did.  i'm hoping her cool new penguin humidifier does the trick and lets stinkerbell start breathing better again.

i returned to work on july 12, and while it was an adjustment (that first day was KILLER - i cried like a baby), i'm happy to report that we're in a good groove now.  emilee seems to like daycare and i've been pleased so far.  my least favorite part is paying them haha...but i knew it was going to be expensive. 

the zantac worked wonders and her reflux is almost non-existent these days.  the doctor said we'd try to wean her off the meds once she's sitting up good.

as for weight loss, daniel and i are doing decent.  the weekends are lacking major motivation.  i'm down 47 lbs since giving birth - nowhere close to my goal weight, but at least all the pregnancy weight is gone, plus about 10 more lbs. 

so this short and sweet, but it's already 7:30 and em is gonna need a bath shortly, and big brother comes on at 8:00...you know, priorities.  hehe.

hope all is well - i hope to get caught up on reading your blogs soon.

1 month, 2 days later

i suck at the updates.  so sorry.  i sometimes don't find time to shower, let alone post a blog.

i've lost all my pregnancy weight, plus about 4 lbs.  i'm down 42 lbs.  i have a long way to go, but was really excited about the jumpstart.  i've started following weight watchers again - but most of the weight fell off without even really trying.  it's only now that i've stalled and know that weight watchers will have to do the rest.

emilee is doing great.  she's up to 11 lbs and 6 oz now, and has grown another inch in length.  i'm really proud of her.  she's doing decent with her sleeping - she goes down around 9 or 9:30 and then is up about 1:30 to eat and again at 5:30...and usually will go back down til 7:30 or 8.  it varies a little.  i'm hoping she will continue to sleep longer periods of time, so it'll ease me back into work.  speaking of work - i return in 11 days.  part of me looks forward to getting out of the house more, but i think it'll be a big adjustment all around.

emilee is a really good baby - but does have about an hour crying spell sometime mid-morning and another one in the evenings before bedtime.  she is just starting to coo and i've had a few random smiles - which i'm not sure they're directed at me, but i like to pretend they are.  haha.  :)

i left emilee with daniel on tuesday night to go out to dinner with manda and we watched the premiere of eclipse.  it felt weird leaving her, but i'm really glad i had a night out and glad that daniel and em had some alone time.

that's about all that's going on.  now does anyone know how to block mr. chinese man that keeps commenting on my blogs????

emilee's birth

emilee's birth story probably starts about 2 weeks before her birth. i go to my weekly appointment to find out my blood pressure had taken a jump. the doctors were a little concerned, so they took me off work, and asked me to return two days later. when i return in 2 days, the blood pressure is still high. the doctors decided to take me off work, and kept talking about inducing labor if the blood pressure continued to climb. they asked me to stay off work, and to monitor my blood pressure at home. they also ordered me into their office every 2 days....each appointment i went in not knowing if i was going to be induced or not. finally, at 38 weeks pregnant, i was told i would be induced the following week, at exactly 39 weeks. however, when i returned that monday, i was told the induction was pushed back to friday.


the week before emilee was born i was having contractions all week. it would start in my back and wrap around to my lower abdomen (the low gut, if you will). it was a really weird experience...as i was never sure if this was "it" or not. obviously, it never was! ;)

i was told to call the hospital at 6:30am on friday, may 28, to find out when they would start my induction. if the hospital wasn't busy, i'd come right in...if they were busy, i'd have to wait until beds were available. talk about the longest day ever...i called the hospital at 6:30, at which point they told me to call back at 8:00 because they were busy. so i called at 8:00, then 10:00, then 1:00, then 4:00, then 7:00...and finally at 9:30 they had me come in. at one point in the day the nurse that answered the phone said "just go ahead and do what you were going to do today instead of sitting and waiting on us". oh really? because i was pretty sure what i was going to do was have a baby!!!!!

when i got there, the nurse got me changed and then my doctor came in. he checked me and i was still at barely 1 cm dilated and my cervix hadn't thinned enough, so he decided to start cervadil. not before telling me scary stories of women who were induced and stayed in labor for 4 days first, though. haha. he was trying to scare me...and it kinda worked. however, it had already been the longest day in history and i just wanted to get this thing rolling. jill, manda, and daniel were all there with me...they gave me ambien to help me sleep. haha. no sleeping for this girl. i kept watching my contractions on the screen and watching my blood pressure and watching emilee's heart rate.

at about 2:30 am, i told the girls "i think my water just broke". when the nurse came in, i told her and she used this little strip to swipe the pad under me and said, "no, i don't think so. you probably just peed". i was like um, no really - my water broke, but she wasn't buying it. about 45 mins later, she came back in to help me get to the bathroom and when i stood, my water HAD broken, and proceeded to spill all over the floor and near her feet. kinda like "i told you so". haha.

this part was all very boring, as the cervadil had to be in for 12 hours. after my water broke, my contractions picked up and started to intensify. but 8:30 am they were starting to get really uncomfortable, so the doctor gave me some pain meds to help. at 10:00, they removed the cervadil and and checked me again. at this point, i was 2 centimeters dilated and 80% effaced. they decided to start the cervadil. there was a doctor change at 7:00 am and i was kinda glad, as i liked my female OB better than the other guy.

the rest of the day was pretty eventful. i got my epidural around 1:00 pm, and i seriously just hung out. the biggest fiasco was the inlaws losing manda's pass to get back to labor and delivery. seriously, my labor was so uneventful, and i'd be lying if i said it was hard/bad.

i was checked on and off all day - and finally at 6:00 pm, i was 10 cm dilated. did this mean i got to push? nope. sure didn't. i had to "labor down", as emilee hadn't dropped low enough. at 7:15 (after an hour and 15 mins of sitting there just shaking - be it nerves or the transition phase or whatever, it was weird) - my doctor came in and said she had a c-section scheduled at 8:00pm and did i want to just wait until after she completed that to push. i looked at her like she was crazy. no i did not want to wait any longer. she said she was worried i'd hafta push for 2 hours or so (i guess this is common for overweight gals), but if i wanted to go ahead and try, we could.

a nurse came in and coached me. it was a nurse, my husband, and jill in the room. it all went faster than they expected and the doctor came just in time. i actually had to stop pushing to keep from having emilee without the doctor. 28 minutes of pushing and out popped this baby girl with the chubbiest cheeks known to man. :) it was crazy to me. once her head was out, the next push had her body out and i swear it felt like a little fish swimming out of me. (keep in mind i had an epidural haha).

as soon as she delivered the doctor literally tossed her onto my tummy and i went to pull her closer and got a "wait! the cord is short!!!" and then watched as the doctor talked my hubby through cutting the cord. he handled it all like a champ. i was so proud of him. so, so proud. he didn't think he'd be able to watch any of it, but he did. and fed me ice chips in between contractions, and told me when he could see her hair.

after daniel cut the cord, they pushed her down my gown and my girl laid on my bare chest, covered in blood, and fluid, and white pasty stuff. lol. it didn't even matter. i was just so happy to finally see her.

we both had a fever, and they were worried they'd have to send her over to NICU, but it came down quickly and she was just fine. after i got over to my room, we kept our girl with us for about an hour or so and then let the nursery keep her for the night. we had had very little sleep in 48 hours and were needing it.

i can honestly say i think labor was the easiest part, with recovery being the worst. the absolute worst. this could be because i tore really bad (i don't know exactly how bad, i just know that the nurse apologized while i was pushing because "oh, honey, i'm sorry - you're already tearing" and the doctor said "i need more sutures when stitching me up!).

emilee's birth story is not what i expected.  nothing about this was what i expected, but i will say i went in thinking it'd be a LOT worse.  :)

Emilee Claire!!!

just a quick update to let everyone know that i gave birth to miss emilee claire on saturday, may 29 at 7:58 PM.  she was a healthy 8 lb, 13 oz and 21 inches long.  i promise to update with the full birth story soon, but until then, here's a few pics to hold you over:

2 more days

i'm being induced on friday.  i cannot believe the pregnancy will be over in just 2 days.  2.  how did that happen?  how did i go from counting down the weeks to finding out the sex to counting down the hours i have left?  insanity.

my due date is not officially until next wednesday, but my blood pressure has decided to do a few magic tricks the past 2 weeks.  i've seriously been to the doctor every other day for almost 2 weeks now.  lol.  it'll be high, then normal, then low, then high, then low, then normal.  but it's all okay - emilee looks great, i feel okay (minus this headache and some pressure and irregular contractions and other typical "i'm 9 months pregnant" complaints). 

i'm really excited about what friday holds, and can't wait to see what my baby girl looks like.

i'll update with pics soon :)

quick update with pics

i'm horrible.  i try to find the time/motivation to update this thing, but most days i fail miserably.  things were incredibly hectic the last few weeks of march into the 1st week of april, but have thankfully slowed down quite a bit.

my oldest friend had her baby boy on april 2.  we went to wv to be there to welcome mason into the world. 

so happy that he's finally here!

looking like a natural!

31w4d pregnant

i had an ultrasound the day after we returned.  these are the 3d pics at 31w6d.

i think she looks A LOT like her daddy in these.

everything has basically been about preparing for her arrival lately.  we have an insane amount of clothes in her closet, waiting to be worn.  manda has been awesome about making bows/headbands to match every cute thing we have.  lol.

i had a little scare on april 9 - i was spotting a little.  i called the doctor and they had me come in.  luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it) it was "just" a yeast infection and UTI.  fun, let me tell you.  but much better than emilee arriving almost 8 weeks early.

i go tomorrow for my 35 week appointment.  35 weeks - seriously.  so we're at just a little over 5 weeks until my due date. i 'm wondering if she'll go to term or if i'll have to be induced.  on one hand, an induction would be nice for work purposes, as well as my fam and friends in wv making it up for the delivery.  on the other hand, i know that labor can be easier if you're not induced.  hoping to get some answers at my appointment tomorrow. 

here's a pic from last weekend.  i feel like i get more massive by the day.  lol.

33w4d

emilee's room

#100 and all showered up

huge milestone - this is my 100th post.  if i were awesome, i would have planned accordingly and had a cool giveaway.  instead you're stuck with an update.

yesterday was my mom's birthday, and i'm finding myself a little lost today.  (no, not about LOST, but did anyone else watch tuesday's episode?  i love richard!!)  i guess i didn't realize that getting pregnant and preparing to be a mom would make me miss my own.  there's so many things i wish i could ask her about her pregnancies, and about what to expect, and what to do, and if she liked being pregnant, if she swelled, how much weight she gained, how her blood pressure was, why the insides of my legs cramp like crazy.  the list goes on and on.  i recently told daniel that all this baby stuff was making me miss her - and i know it's probably hard on him too...his dad isn't here, either.  i hate that emilee will only have one grandparent - it's really hard for me to accept, especially given the relationship i have with my own.  the more involved daniel's mom gets in the pregnancy and emilee's upcoming arrival, the more i miss my mom.  weird, right?  i think i'm slightly delusional...lol.  i know that my mom was far from perfect in oh, so many ways.  but she was still mine.  she may not have always gotten the mom thing right, but i do think she would have loved her granddaughter - and it would have been fun to see them interact.  i hope i can find a way to point out the positive things about my mom to emilee some day when she's old enough to understand.  in some ways, i guess i just wish she could say she was proud of me...

on a more sunny topic, saturday was my baby shower, and it was everything i had hoped for.  my friends did an amazing job pulling it off.  we got soooooooo much stuff.  we got almost everything we need for emilee, and then some.  i still need to pick up a few odds and ends, but the stuff we got will go a long way with preparing for her arrival.  here are some pics:

me and the bestest friends ever:  jill (also pregnant), manda, me, and mandi

my family - sister misty, aunt brenda, mommaw betty, me, aunt angie, cousin rachel

my pretty cake - which was also awesome tasting!!!  (sam's club, people.  seriously)

the cake table with the diaper cake, made exclusively by manda!

me and the hubby...he needs to shave lol.

seven

it's been too long since an update.  what's new on this end?  not much, really.  work, work, and more work.  i think that's why i struggle with updating this thing - i feel like i never have much to update on.  haha.

daniel and i are headed to wv for a long weekend thursday evening.  my baby shower is saturday - yay!!! - and then sunday i'm throwing my friend jill's baby shower.  i'm pretty excited to see everyone...it's been a long time since i've gotten to visit with most of the people i'll see this weekend. 

about the only thing i have going on is the pregnancy.  i'm more than seven months pregnant - can you believe that? i hardly can. it's gone by so fast as a whole...though some weeks have seemed longer than others.  i did a repeat of the 3 hour glucose test last week, and have been awaiting my results.  no news is good news, so i'm hoping i passed.  guess we will see.  i go back for another checkup tomorrow, so i'm sure i'll find out the results by then at the latest.

emilee has discovered a new trick.  she is kicking so hard these days.  she and daniel play a game almost every evening now.  wherever he puts his hand on my stomach, she'll kick until he moves it.  so he'll move it further left or right, and she'll follow him and do it again.  they do this for like a 1/2 hour every night.  he can't believe it doesn't hurt.  it really cracks me up.  i do not even know how she knows his hand is there...he's not really pressing hard on my stomach, so i don't know if she just senses the pressure or heat or what.  we've also been trying to get her room organized.  jill gave me a bunch of baby clothes of madi's, so we've been going through those, and separating everything according to size.  i'm trying to stay ahead of the game, but it takes a long time - your washer will hold soooo many baby clothes.  :)

my favorite thing about today is a new episode of lost is coming on.  i'm seriously addicted.  i'm kinda sad it's the final season - and i really just can't figure out what's going on. 

okay, i'm done with the randomness.  i'll try to update again after this weekend - complete with pictures.

aimsology

stolen from ang, in an attempt to avoid the work in front of me.

Rules: YOU! Yes, you, reading this. You’re tagged. Now that you know more about me than you ever wanted to know, play the game, it’s fun! Let others know a little more about yourself, repost this as your name followedy by “ology.”


FOODOLOGY:

What is your salad dressing of choice?  french or tangy tomato from outback

What is your favorite sit-down restuarant?  probably outback, but there's many close seconds

What is your favorite fast food restaurant?  wendy's

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?  pizza (or pork chops, according to daniel)

What are your pizza toppings of choice? pepperoni, mushroom, and banana peppers when not pregnant, cheese right now

How many televisions are in your house?  one

What color cell phone do you have?  black - but it does have a cute pink/purple cover

BIOLOGY:

Are you right-handed or left-handed?  right

Have you ever had anything removed from your body?  wisdom teeth, tonsils, adnoids

What is the last heavy item you lifted?  i have no clue

Have you ever been knocked unconscious?  i've been put to sleep...does that count?

Have you ever fainted?  nopey

BULLCRAPOLOGY:

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?  i don't think so - i'd probably just freak out the whole time
If you could change your name, what would you change it to?  i think i'll keep it
How many pairs of flip flops do you own? probably 8 or so - i am so ready to be wearing them

Last person you talked to?  manda on im, mandi on the phone

FAVORITOLOGY:

Season?  spring

Holiday?  birthdays lol

Day of the week? friday or saturday

Month?  april-range, typically.

Color?  purple

Drink?  canned diet pepsi, fountain diet coke, and wallaby darneds...yum.

Alcoholic?  oh, this is where the wallaby darneds should go

CURRENTOLOGY:

Missing someone?  yep

What are you listening to?  the boys talk about dogs (and i really don't wanna be hearing it)

What are you watching?  my im flashing blue because manda just messaged me about the cheesyburger biscuits

Worrying about?  not a lot at the moment, i'm in a hateful mood, so i'm more focused on that ;)

What’s the last movie you saw?  Dear John (skip the movie, read the book)

Do you smile often?  i think so!

If you could change your eye color what would it be?  green

What’s on your wish list for your birthday?  wow, that's a long time away - maybe a winter dmb tour
Can you do a chin-up?  lol hahahahaha, no

Does the future make you more nervous or excited?  nervous, but i'm probably more excited

Have you been in a car wreck?  not really - got rearended once, and have been hit by deer many times...yes, they hit me, not the other way around

Have you caused a car wreck?  lol i hope not

Do you have an accent?  according to everyone here

Last time you cried?  yesterday, because daniel had to dig through the trash lol

Plans tonight?  watch all my dvr'ed shows from last night

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?  yes...but it worked out for the best
Name three things you bought yesterday?  i didn't buy anything yesterday - oh wait...subway sandwich, chips, and a drink

Have you met someone who changed your life?  several
For the better or worse?  better

How did you bring in the New Year?  with the Clines, playing catchphrase! :)
Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?  yeah, i'd like to talk to my momma
What songs do you sing in the shower?  none
Have you held hands with someone today?  not yet

Who was the last person you took a picture of?  manda

Are most of the friends in your life new or old?  i haven't made any new friends recently, so i'm going with old

Do you like pulpy orange juice?  no, that's nasty

Last time you ate peanut butter and jelly?  last weekend

What were you doing at 12 a.m. last night?  snoring

What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?  why do i dream about nonsense?

snow, snow, and more snow

we got another blizzard - after the one over the weekend.  i've only worked 4 hours this week, as my agency keeps cancelling work due to the snow and crappy road conditions.  i seriously cannot wait to get out of this apartment...i'm going stir crazy!!!

daniel has been off work, too.  he actually drove all the way to work monday morning - which is over an hour commute - only to find out it had been cancelled.  he was a lil annoyed, but i was kinda excited because that meant he could take me to my appt!  they did a follow-up ultrasound.  originally they acted like i'd have to go in every 4 weeks after 20 weeks for ultrasounds to check on baby girl's growth, but she's doing great and they decided they didn't need to do another ultrasound until 32 weeks.  yay!  she was measuring right on track with everything, and weighed 1 lb and 6 oz.  here's a pic...per usual, she didn't wanna give up a good picture, though she was kicking and waving a lot this time.

23 weeks 5 days

emilee's bedding came in and i love it.  i'm not a big fan of "themes", so we went with some bold colors/dots/circles designs.  it's super cute.  i can't wait to get her crib put together and finish decorating her room. 

daniel is doing so well with the non-smoking...he's been 7 days without a cigarette now.  i hope he continues to do well with it - the chantix is working wonders.  i know there's some weird side effects, but so far he hasn't experienced any of those.  he said the hardest part is just not knowing what to do when he typically would've smoked.  he's chewing gum like crazy.  lol.  i'm just so glad he's not going through withdrawals.

nothing else going on - praying that the snow stays away from the mid-atlantic area for awhile!!!!  ready for spring.

non-dq blizzard and baby preparations

us lucky people in the DC/Baltimore area are being blessed with another blizzard.  seriously.  i'm not looking forward to it.  we were supposed to head to good ol' wv this weekend for a friend's baby shower, but instead i'm gonna be stuck watching the snow fall with a husband that is attempting to quit smoking by using chantix.  sound fun?  not so much.  no - seriously - i'm just teasing, he's doing really well, and i'm proud of him for quitting.

i hardly ever update, yet i'm finding myself at a loss for words.  basically the only thing going on is baby stuff...we did get the crib and changing table/dresser in.  we're not putting it together, however, for fear that emilee would end up collapsing on the floor, based on her mom and dad's skills in that department.  it'd either end up crooked or we'd end up broken and divorcing.  neither seem to be a good scenario.

i have another ultrasound on monday...they didn't get all the measurements they needed at my 20 week ultrasound, so they're doing another one at 24 weeks.  and probably another at 28 weeks.  since i'm overweight, they like to take extra precaution with her growth.  i also will be redoing my glucose screen at my 27 week appt, as well as all the other 28 week labs.  in less than 4 months emilee will be here.  it's kinda crazy to think about - but exciting at the same time. 

i feel like i've ballooned in the past 3 weeks or so.  i'm starting to feel her move more, and daniel has felt her move on one occasion, but i really think that was a fluke, since there hasn't been a repeat session.  here's a pic of me and daniel from a friend's wedding in january...you can kinda see what i'm talking about with the "ballooning"...

it's gonna be a busy few months...i'm heading back to memphis - oh, yay, bbq city - on february 21 for more work training...i'll only be there a week this time.  then it's several trips to wv for birthdays, my baby shower, and the birth of my friend jill's baby boy.  i really think this year is flying by, and that kinda scares me.

for all you lost fans - tuesdays are now my favorite night.  i cannot wait to see the next episode.  this sideways stuff is getting to me.

what does everyone think of biggest loser?  i am having trouble getting attached to anyone this season - though i can't stand the red team.

dmb tour dates were announced - and it feels so weird not to be prepping for 6-10 shows this summer.  does this mean i'm growing up?  i'm not sure.  my love for the band hasn't changed - i just don't see how it's possible to go to that many.  i really do want to try to go to a show or two.  my 1 year anniversary will be july 10, and they are playing a show about 2 hours from the house on july 9, so i'm hoping maybe daniel and i can slip away for that one...aunt manda has offered to babysit - and if something comes up, i'm sure mamaw dee would be willing as well.  there's another show like 45 mins from our place later in july, so that one is a possibility as well.  i guess i will play it by ear, and see how emilee's doing.  while i'm excited about her arrival, there's a part of me that feels really sad about letting such a big part of my life go...i am not sure what else to say about it.  but i do have a vision of her sitting on daniel's shoulders at a show singing along to grey street while we dance in the lawn section...so time will tell. :)

i'll end this for now - if i think of anythign interesting to share, i'll pop in.  maybe with some ultrasound pics on monday?

no longer an it

we're having a baby girl!  we went to my 20 week ultrasound appt on tuesday, and little miss hughes did not want to open her legs for us...but the ultrasound tech finally announced that it was a girl.  i think daniel might've died from happiness - he thought all along we were having girl, so he says.  i personally think he was just hoping all along, but whatever...

after the appt daniel and i went to the mall and bought emilee lots of new clothes.  i tried really hard to limit what i spent, because i know that a baby shower is coming up, plus my friend jill has tons of little girl stuff she's sending my way.  that's gonna come in handy, especially with the $1,000+ per month daycare expense, but that's a complaint for another day.

in other GREAT news, i passed my 3 hour glucose test...so yay - no gestational diabetes right now! :)  i was thrilled...after i failed the 1 hour, i was convinced i had it, especially with being overweight.  i got that news on tuesday, too, so all in all, it was a good day.

no much else to report on this end.  i've been really busy at work.  i'm heading to VA to visit with manda this weekend...we're gonna tackle the start of the baby registry.  daniel was supposed to make the trip down with me, but he is going to have to work overtime this weekend.  he told me to go in so he could get some sleep, since he'll be working midnights.  lol.  you'd think i was loud or something... ;)

you guys have been all healthy and exercising and stuff.  i'm actually looking forward to the day i can go all hardcore on weightloss again.

enjoy the rest of your weekend and the long 3 day weekend (for you federal employees!).

out with the old, in with the new

the new year that is.  2009 was a pretty big year full of new adventures for me.  started the year off moving to a bigger place (in wv) with the then boyfriend, joined ww, got engaged, planned a wedding, got married, went to hawaii, left my 1st "real" job, moved to md, started a new job, got pregnant, and moved again to a bigger place.  that's my year in a nutshell, and while all of these things have turned out to be positive choices, it seems like a lot for one person to endure in one year.  i'm wondering if 2010 will be full of lots of changes or just the biggest change yet - becoming a mom.

in baby/pregnancy news, last monday i had to go in for my 18 week checkup and they did the glucose tolerance screen a few weeks early since i'm overweight.  well, those results came back and i failed it, so i go again this coming friday to do the 3 hour test that will determine if i have gestational diabetes.  that means a strict, low carbohydrate diet for this ol' girl. 

we should get the results for daniel's cystic fibrosis gene carrier blood screen back tomorrow.  can't remember if i mentioned this before, but i was determined to be a cystic fibrosis gene carrier, so daniel had to get tested as well.  if his returns negative, then there's no chance baby hughes will have CF.  however, if he's positive, there's a 25% chance our baby will have it.  i'm trying to think positively, as the odds are in our favor, but it is still kinda scary.

baby stuff seems to be on my mind a lot these days.  i think that started with the baby's first movement.  i am dying to know if it's boy or girl (9 more days!!!) and to start really prepping for him/her.  daycare research is still taking place.  i'm hoping to make a decision sometime this month.  the expense of it all really freaks me out!!!

hope everyone enjoyed their new year's as much as i enjoyed mine.  daniel and i drove down to va to meet up with manda and jay.  we had a nice dinner, and then went back to their place to play games (lots of guitar hero, some wii arcade games, and then i introduced them to the awesome catchphrase).  it was one of my favorite new year's yet!  did anyone else watch the dick clark countdown?  we couldn't help but giggle, but wow, i feel bad for him.  he sounds so bad...that stroke did a number on him.  i think it's good they still let him participate, but still...

okay, i'm outta here.  i'm freezing and need to get back under the covers.  this -7 windchill is getting old!!!

it's been awhile...

i realized it's been over a month since my last post.  i guess i just haven't had much to say, plus we've been really busy with trips home to WV, moving, and the holidays.

we moved to a bigger apartment earlier this month....3 bedrooms, 2 baths - compared to our 1 bedroom, 1 bath previously.  i feel like i moved into a house - lol.  we left 900 square feet to move into 1500 square feet....it's been really nice so far.  (except for our neighbors upstairs who sound like they're moving furniture at least 10 hours of the day)

we find out what the baby is on jan 12....less than 2 weeks now.  the suspense is killing me.  i'm ready to know if we're having emilee or evan.  we've been trying to prep for the baby - seems like there's a million things to consider and do, but we're slowly getting there...and i'm feeling less overwhelmed the more decisions we make.  daycare seems to be the biggie....it's soooooo expensive up here.  we're almost halfway through this pregnancy thing - 18 weeks today.

from my 1st prenatal appt, i'm up 7 lbs.  i don't love that, but i partially blame the holidays.  well, i guess i blame myself, but the holidays were thrown in there.

as for new year's plans, we're getting together with manda and jay - i'm looking forward to it, as we haven't seen them in FOREVER.  we'll probably just grab some dinner and then hang out for awhile.  i'm really excited for the easy, 3 day weekend.  :) 

okay, i'll try to make an appearance more often.  you guys keep blogging, it keeps me entertained at work!

crazy easy

i've been at work for about 45 minutes and am already to get out of here.  it's a short day, though...i leave here at noon to head to the doctor for my 1st trimester screening (ultrasound) and then i've got about a million things to do before we hit the road to wv later tonight. 

i'm really looking forward to going home...i haven't been home since sometime in september, which really surprises me.  just had about a million things going on, it seems.  we should get to the g'rents at 10 or so tonight, and won't be returning to MD until sunday evening sometime.  it's a long break, but i'm a little worried about leaving the boycat that long.  d swears he'll be fine, so i'm holding him to it...

no real complaints on this end.  surprised, i'm sure.  things have been rolling along fairly smooth lately.

in the spirit of thanksgiving...
things i'm thankful for at this moment

• my husband, who makes me laugh.  (dreams of fried eggs and random voicenotes come to mind)
• the dot aka baby hughes
• finding jeans that fit last night (this is a biggie, as i've been looking for over a month)
• my grandparents for treating me like i'm their daughter
• bestie, lovely, and richmond friend time this week!
• my in-laws
• girl time with my FF, which always involves good talks, good food, and brutal honesty
• super mario world on wii and the penguin suit in the ice worlds
• bloggers - because they keep me educated, and pass my time at work
• dmb - for making the drive to work much more bearable, and for many other things
• DVR and TiVo
• stephenie meyer for writing one of my favorite stories and leaving me twilight obsessed again this week
• good health insurance coverage
• my prenatal vitamins for keeping me un-sick so far this year
• my iPhone - i can't help it, i'm addicted, and i love it.

four things

as i'm already bored at work, and i've only been here 45 minutes, i thought i'd do this little survey i found on another's blog from a few years ago.  (what can i say, i've been blog stalking)

4 things i did 10 years ago - 1999

1. recovered from a break-up from my 1st real serious boyfriend.   ah, josh colegrove.  would say it'd been awhile since i'd thought about him, but he updates on facebook more than i do.  hehe
2. drove to canada with my mom - that was a good night...
3. started my 1st job - i was 16, working as a cashier at foodland (sidenote:  i honestly did love that job, ended up working there until 2005 - through almost all of college - working as an office clerk and later as the evening manager)
4. scored 64 points during the basketball season...haha.  and yes, i was proud of that number.

4 things i did 5 years ago - 2004

1. skipped A LOT of accounting classes to do things that were more fun:  eat out (black bean soup from chilli willi's or cheese wedges at o'charleys or white cheese dip at rio), go shopping or because it flooded
2. went to walmart at midnight, bought a single rose, some black spray paint, an offensive card, and a lemon meringue pie - and proceeded to leave it on a doorstep...maybe we got caught that night and maybe i peed my pants from laughing so hard, maybe.
3. officially formed the AAA and dreamed of owning a CPA firm with that same name some day (although i'm kinda glad that dream didn't come true - not sure i'd wanna work at a CPA firm, let alone own one)
4. went on my 1st cruise (grand cayman islands, cozumel, and key west) and fell in love with cruising and all of key west (i'm a parrothead, what can i say?)

another sidenote:  i was married to my 1st husband in 2004 and we went through a LOT of crap that year (my mom had recently passed away, his dad was in iraq) but still my favorite memories are with the girls.  wish i'd realized this then....

4 things i did yesterday

1. watched biggest loser from tuesday night with my hubby and found out that rebecca and daniel are now dating, and am still trying to figure that one out
2. talked to my poppaw for almost an hour, which included a very detailed description of the cole slaw he made using my grandma's kitchen aid mixer - don't ask.
3. read a few chapters in breaking dawn
4. sat at work, bored out of mind, for 9.5 hours

4 shows i love to watch

1. biggest loser
2. big brother - when it's on
3. grey's anatomy
4. top chef

4 things i love to do

1. see DMB in concert.  i'm kinda having withdrawals, just a lil.  i realized this morning when JTR came on my iPod
2. travel - for fun, not for work
3. play dr. mario with daniel
4. see the odometer hit a "milestone" number - 9,999 or 12,000 - anything even or a repeat of the same number

i guess technically i'm supposed to tag people, but i'll let you guys do it if you want, though i think amanda should definitely do it, because she hasn't updated in FOREVER!!!

looooooooong

today has been the longest day in history.  no, really, it has.  i should've checked the almanac.  wish they could tell me those things - november 18, longest day of your life.  on this day, dmb tix will go on sale.  on this day, you will be so bored at work that you want to quit.  avoid your hubby this day - he will be cranky.  i think it'd be very useful.

i'm seriously looking forward to next week's holiday festivities.  i am going to enjoy a fabulous 6 days away from work, and will be spending the majority of it in WV - catching up with fam and friends.

that's all i got.  i think the longest day dried up some brain cells.

happy birthday, dear seuss....and maybe a bit of a breakdown.

yesterday was my birthday!  i love birthdays like you wouldn't believe.  love them.  would throw a surprise party for everyone every year if possible.  :)

the birthday celebrations started saturday with manda and jay.  we drove down to their house, ate dinner at outback, and then went to see the capitals hockey game.  it was my 1st time on the metro and everything!  okay, fine, i was a little proud of that.  it was a really good time...i didn't know what to expect at the game, but it was very fast paced, and we all had fun!  plus we got the best ice cream ever while we were there.  aunt manda and uncle jay bought the baby this:

love it!

anyways, the birthday celebrations continued into yesterday.  daniel and i got up early and drove to morgantown to meet jill, janie, and the madi girl.  we ate outback - yes, again - and then went shopping.  jill was trying to find some maternity clothes, but had no luck.  madi is a babbling fool now.  she talks soooo much.  she's even saying aimee plain as day, and trying to say daniel - it sounds more like dannel.  lol.  i was really happy to see them, but it made me really want thanksgiving to hurry up and get here so i can see everyone else!!!  i have plans made for almost every day that i'm home over thanksgiving.  i'm soooo looking forward to the long break.

let's rewind for a second.  friday night was a big breakdown by me.  huge, even.  i think daniel wanted to kill me.  i'm trying to decide if it was all pregnancy hormones related...who knows?  whatever the case, it was bad.  so daniel and i went out to dinner friday night (japanese steakhouse food - yum) and then went to the mall to try and find me some jeans that didn't make me leave them unbuttoned. well, no department store had maternity jeans for plus size gals. none. so i went to lane bryant, and the size i normally wear is too small in the waist....so i try the next size up...too small in the waist, still...but WAY TOO BIG everywhere else. so we left the mall, and I was just not happy, because I had no clue what to do. well, i guess i was being a lil cranky, but i honestly just didn't have anything to say, i was just bummed that nothing fit, and i was mad at myself for being fat. so then we get home, and daniel's all like i don't know why you're so upset, you need to calm down, it's not a big deal. you look just like you've always looked. so i started crying, and just didn't say anything, and continued to cry FOR OVER 2 HOURS. because i couldn't find a fitting pair of jeans. seriously.  anyways, i ended up ordering a pair of jeans from old navy in a size bigger and a pair of their maternity xxl jeans. just to see which i need. through tears, mind you. he went to bed like an hour before me, and i was still crying, and finally when i went to bed, he was like are you okay now, and that made me cry harder. i fell asleep crying. my eyes looked so bad saturday morning.  the next day we stopped at the motherhood outlet store in leesburg, and they carried plus sizes. i tried on 2 pairs of maternity jeans, which were all way too big. i did buy the bella band thing, though, and i think it's gonna help. funny thing is, when i got up saturday, i weighed and was down 4 lbs, and my jeans fit.  lol.  all of that over a bloated stomach.  nice, huh?  (in reality, i think missing my mom might have something to do with it all - my birthday is always hard 'cause it's the last time i spoke to her)

okay, this a long post - especially for me, as of late.  nothing else new - going back to the doctor on nov 24 for the 1st trimester screening and there's a *slight* chance we might find out the sex of the baby, and then i go back on the 30th for my 14 week appt.

is anyone else having crazy warm weather?  it's almost HOT here!!!!

squirm

i kinda suck at blogging, huh?  i've been SO BAD about updating lately.  i'm never, ever, ever on here.  it's harder for me to blog from work now that i don't work at massey, so i find that i rarely post anything new.

obviously i made it back from memphis okay.  it's GOOD to be back in my own bed.  for those wondering, yes, i tried the bbq, but i didn't make it to graceland.  the trip could've been much worse - but hey, it could've been better.  looks like i'll be going again in february, but it'll only be for a week this time.  i think that was part of the problem - 12 days away from home! 

i had my 1st doctor's appt for the baby today.  daniel took off work to tag along with me.  everything checked out exactly as it should.  they couldn't pick the heartbeat up with the doppler - the doctor said this is normal at 10 weeks - so we got an ultrasound.  we could see it's heart beating away on the screen.  the baby kept moving around and i think it looked like a wiggling worm.  it's head is way bigger than it's body, too.  haha.   i'm so glad the appt finally arrived - it made all of this seem a lot more "real".  daniel and i were so excited leaving the doctor - i couldn't wait to tell everyone about the baby and about seeing it!

i'm up 4 lbs since getting pregnant...the doctor seemed to think everything looked great, and didn't act like i should be too worried about my weight during the pregnancy, so that was a good thing.  they want me to keep my weight gain at around 15 lbs.

i'll try to be bettter about this, but really - no promises.  but you guys should blog because i still read the updates!!! :)