Goals for Motherhood

I'm a goal-setter. A lofty goal-setter. It makes me feel in control, and as a Type-A/Leo woman, I really dig that. So naturally, having babies & raising children delights me when I think of all the things I can do.

I may not achieve all of these goals, but they're what I'm striving for.

[I played lacrosse. It's a lacrosse goal. It's the first thing I thought of, okay?!]

My goals are...

-To politely but firmly tell co-workers/strangers who try to touch my belly, "Please don't do that. It makes me feel uncomfortable" instead of just dealing with it.

- To avoid unnecessary interventions during labor & birth.

- To politely decline visitors (aside from immediate family) for at least 2 weeks after birth.

- To avoid using an annoying "baby voice" as much as possible.

- To use cloth diapers (more on this later!)

- To nurse for at least 6 months.

- To encourage my husband to do as many things as possible with the baby (bonding is important, and so is Mommy sneaking out for a pedicure).

- To not blindly follow advice from others, and to trust my instincts as a mother.

- To keep my child's amount of toys & clothes reasonable & manageable.

- To ask other's for help when I need it.

- To make my own baby food.

- To embrace thrift shopping & hand-me-downs. We already scored a top-of-the-line Graco pack n' play in great condition for $51. (Retails for $250. Thanks, Mom!)

- To question, question, question advice from doctors and do my own research.

- To not get sucked into the mentality that just because I'm a mom, I have to look like one.

[Oh hey, I'm Gwen Stefani. I'm a mom & I still look rad 24/7]

And my #1 goal... is to always remember that I had a husband before I had a child, and he always comes first. If we don't maintain a happy & loving marriage, our parenting will suffer and the environment we're creating for our little munchkin won't be healthy.

Sorry to get all mushy on ya. Couldn't help it.

Oh, and I will not get a "mom" haircut or wear oversized sweatshirts to the grocery store. Nope. Won't do it!

Growing a Person

I love the phrase "growing a person," coined by my sister-in-law, Amy.
It's so literal.

Saying "I'm pregnant" brings up a lot of negative connotations and it still makes me feel like I'm in high school and my mom is going to kick me out of the house when she finds out.

Saying "I'm expecting" is too vague and makes it seem like nothing is currently happening... when in reality... a lot is happening in there. More than I can even wrap my mind around at times. (Cue hormonal crying...)
And then there's the old phrase which my Mom whipped out the other day, "I'm in a family way." Did people actually used to say that?

Finding out I'm having a baby was one of the most insanely indescribable moments in my life. I could not comprehend what was happening or how I felt about it.

I wasn't overjoyed, but I wasn't mad or sad either... and then I started laughing. It was the oddest mix of emotions. I mean, we weren't that shocked. We clearly know how babies are made. But I was still in disbelief for a long time.
Mainly because I didn't feel any terrible symptoms that most pregnant women tell horror stories about. I just felt slightly...  different.

If I hadn't seen those 2 pink lines on 5 (yes, 5) pregnancy tests, I probably would have just thought I wasn't eating right or coming down with a cold.

After letting it all sink in, we both feel extremely blessed and delighted at this new life we've created. Life is precious, and we're doing all we can to protect it & give it the best environment possible (hence the move into a house).

The best part was not telling people... and I am usually the worst secret-keeper.

My husband and I had this awesome, mind-blowing secret that we would whisper about when we were together. We'd be out at the bar and I'd covertly order just a cranberry juice and everyone else thought I was getting wasted on cranberry juice & vodkas all night. We'd just give each other this "look" and then carry on keeping our secret and acting like everything was normal.

I've gotta admit, lying to people was pretty fun!

Now our secret is out, which is also pretty exciting and a bit of a relief.

We're ready to be bombarded with questions & advice for the next 6 months.

(However, if you have any terrible birth stories up your sleeve, I'd honestly rather not hear about them.  Obviously things can go wrong, but I don't want the thought of them to weigh me down for the next 2 trimesters. Thank you kindly!)


[What our little one is up to right now]



Here are a few tid bits about our human being in-utero
and his/her anxious parents:

- I'm currently 13 weeks pregnant & our date date is November 7th, 2011.

- We're seeing a certified nurse midwife for prenatal care and planning on delivering at the Bryn Mawr Birth Center with the assistance of certified nurse midwives and no pain meds available. (Am I insane? Maybe. Don't bother trying to change my mind, it's already made up. I think.)

- I've had a range of mild pregnancy symptoms during the first 3 months, but nothing to complain about. I consider myself very lucky.

- According to the Chinese Birth Chart, we're having a boy (it's pretty accurate, but not 100%). A boy would be awesome, but so would a girl!

- We'll have a 10-year-old by the time we're 37 (and probably a sibling or 2!)

- Fact: you can get pregnant the first try (or even if you're not trying).
- We're not getting a minivan... ever. (Honda Pilot, holla!)

- I've been running & refereeing lacrosse for the past 3 years and plan on doing so through the summer. Got the official OK on that from our midwife and exercising makes me feel AMAZING.

- Aside from my husband, Jackie Giordano & Devon Wisneski were the first to know. P.S. It's your turn, ladies ;-)

- This will be the first grandchild for Tim's parents and lucky number 7 for mine.

- Only Tim and I can tell that I'm showing. It's the first time I've ever had a gut. I have to unbutton my pants when I sit down. It's weird.
- We'll only be getting 1 ultrasound at 20 weeks and yes, we're finding out the gender, if possible.

- We have a few names in mind, gotta keep something a secret though!

I could go on & on... but that is the essential information you're probably wondering about. And maybe you don't care... that's fine. I really didn't care about pregnancy & babies until my nieces started being born. I still look at children I don't know with a disgusted look on my face, but that doesn't worry me. I'm ready for my clothes, furniture, sleep habits & social life to be completely wrecked by my sweet little babe.

Brrrrrring it, motherhood!

Hiatus

My sincerest apologies, but A is for Awesome will be going on hiatus until the 2nd week of May. We are moving into our new place on April 30th and have a ton of stuff to do!

See you in two weeks.

Weekend To-Do List

I have a bad habit of creating overly ambitious weekend to-do lists.

2 days, Meg, it's only 2 days.

I feel like if I'm at home, I need to be doing things constantly, so I overbook.

Good thing I'm not an airline.

1. Get boxes & pack at least 10 of them. My brain cannot comprehend the fact that we're moving in 2 weeks.

2. Make homemade coffee ice cream.

3. Referee 2 lacrosse games on Saturday & go running at least once. The games are 2nd and 3rd/4th grade... which means I'll get little to no exercise. I basically get to watch a cluster of 8 girls go after a ground ball for the entire game. (Hey, I was them once!)

4. Sunday night: family dinner! Make roasted potatoes.

5. Clean the bathroom and the shower. My most loathsome task! I'll probably put this off until next weekend. I won't lie about it.

6. Take box of books-to-donate to the 2nd hand bookstore on Church Street. See if they'll give me store credit. Cha-ching!

7. Pick out outfit for Sheri & Matt's wedding on April 23rd. I'm thinking the short black dress with ruffles down the front from Ruche. But what shoes...

8. List external hard drive on eBay & look for a new one formatted for PC.

9. Scour Craiglist for furniture deals. $675 for old plaid couches is NOT a deal. I'm not sure what these people are smoking that makes them believe their old crap is worth that much money. THIS is what I'm talking about.

10. Get outside as much as possible & soak up some sweet sweet Vitamin D!

[I miss squinting]

 

Hope you all have a productive weekend!

We took a hike

Does anyone remember those cheesy public service accouncements on TV that tried to encourage teens to do something other than play video games?

Some hip actor would yell at you through the TV, "GO OUTSIDE & DO SOMETHING!"

Well, on Sunday, we did just that! We went outside and did something.

That something happened to be taking a 4+ mile hike on this awesome new trail through the woods. It was 10 minutes from our apartment and we didn't even know it existed until just recently. I guess advertising is not in the Parks Department budget.

The trail was probably a huge victory for our town's version of Leslie Knope.

We got suited up in our fancy hikin' shoes & even packed a little backpack of water and snacks. I mean, who knows when you're going to get lost in the woods, right?

We were definitely sore the next day. And I even got a blister.
Hardcore.

Happy Place

Yep, another Monday.

Let's just all close our eyes and imagine our happy places, shall we?

This is Happy Gilmore's...

And this is mine...

[Photo courtesy of House of Turquoise]



The best thing about spring

Tim grills the main course & all I have to do is make a side dish.

I can't tell you how much this simplifies my life.

Yes, we ate all 2 pounds of that steak.

The first and best cheesecake I've ever made

Let's get one thing straight. I hate baking.

It's messy, time-consuming and by the time I'm done and the 3 bowls, 4 spoons, measuring cups and spoons, mixer attachments are washed & the counter is wiped clean, I don't even want what I just made anymore.

I much prefer the carefree-ness of cooking to the preciseness of baking.

However, my hankering for cheesecake over the weekend pushed my dislike of baking aside and I went to work.

Step 1: Find an amazing recipe.

Step 2: Survey pantry & acquire missing ingredients. Plus a 9" non-stick springform pan. (Thanks, Devon & Paul!)

Step 3: Throw on a sweatshirt over my pajama shirt (it's 4pm...) and head to the grocery store.

Step 4: Pick up random things that are not on the list.

Step 5: Drag grocery bags 2 blocks to apartment because there were no close parking spaces.

Step 6: Unload groceries & haul out baking equipment.

Step 7: Follow recipe to a T and then...

Step 8: Have a minor meltdown when I read the last line of the recipe: chill in refrigerator overnight. Son of a bee sting!

[The aftermath]

Step 9: Eat cereal and a pint of blueberries for dinner since husband is out at the bar watching the Phillies game and I don't feel like cooking.

Step 10: Watch the rest of Season 1 of Dexter (amazing!) and go to sleep dreaming about eating an entire 9" cheesecake on Sunday.

[Drop in strawberry sauce]

[Get your swirl on]

[Bake & chill for an ungodly amount of time. Top with extra strawberry sauce & savor. Try not to make any weird, semi-sexual noises. Oh, you'll want to!]

The results? So worth the time & mess. Better than any cheesecake I've had at a restaurant. Yes, that includes Cheesecake Factory. In your face!

Uh, is work over yet? I really need another piece.

See what happens when my husband makes the grocery list

My love of list-making is no secret. My love of proper grammar & spelling is also not confidential information. So when we were in a rush to get to the grocery store and I was still wrapped up in a towel getting ready, I decided to recite the list (in my head) to Tim so he could jot it down on paper. And he decided it would be fun to misspell as many words as possible.

He's not actually at a 3rd grade reading level, I swear.

And you know what?

It was hilarious!

Especially when I read OG. Which was apparently short for orange juice.

I love how we can take a boring task like grocery shopping and find a way to make it something fun to do together :-)

It's official. My husband is one sweet dude.

The Dealio

Sometimes I don't blog because there is literally nothing exciting going on in my life.

That is not the case right now, trust me!

There is a heck of a lot going on... but I'm going to hold off on that and talk about random things I've been doing instead.

Good things come to those who wait. How annoying am I?

1. Selling all of our possessions on eBay, Amazon & Craigslist.

Well not all of them, but that's what it seems like when I'm at the post office every single day shipping something out. I went through all of my books and decided to sell/donate at least half of them. I'm hanging onto the classics like Sylvia Plath's poems and anything by Jane Austen and Homer. Whatever doesn't sell before we move is going straight to the used book store down the street.

[SOLD!]

2. Watching Dancing with the Stars.

Well, I'm watching it, and Tim is usually sleeping on the couch. Every night, my darling husband asks for a head rub and then passes out instantly. It's pretty darn cute! Except when the snoring begins...

3. Collecting Boxes.

For the move. Not because we like boxes. They are actually pretty annoying space-hoggers. Thank goodness our 2nd bedroom doesn't actually serve a purpose.

[Boxing movies > Boxes]

4. Trying a New Shampoo.

Bye bye, Head & Shoulders. Hello, J/A/S/O/N.

(It's really Tim's but I used it this morning & now Jason and I are in LOOOVE!)

5. Being all-around awesome.

It's not always easy, but we manage.

Where for art thou, Spring?

[Budding tree in our backyard]

We're Spring cleaning, I bought some pieces for my Spring wardrobe, I already officiated a girls' lacrosse game... outside and I switched over to my Spring purse.

You'd think it was Spring right?

Nope.

March 20th is a sham.

It's still freezing cold and we were graced with snow last week.

Granted, it melted hours later, but still, the sight of it when I woke up made me ill.

I thought my husband was pullin' my leg when he looked out the window and said in a horrified voice,

"Oh my God, it's snowing."

In order to have something to look forward to, we booked our Spring camping trip to Rickett's Glen.

Weekend of June 3rd, holla!

We'll be seeing a whole lotta these bad boys.

(And hopefully no bears.)

Wedding Photos, Part I

Half of our wedding photos are here!

Enjoy this little slideshow, or go to my Picasa page.

Backyard Garden, Numero Dos





When we move during the last weekend in April (next month, ahh!), unpacking might take a backseat to starting our garden. It will be prime planting season and we are itching for fresh veggies and herbs. There's something so satisfying about eating something that you grew yourself. And the taste... holy moly... is so much better than anything you can get at the grocery store. This is especially true with herbs, which start to lose their flavor within an hour of picking them.

Okay, that's not a fact, just what I've found.

We're still deciding if we want to do a raised bed or start it right in the ground.

The backyard is on a slight slope which makes for perfect drainage, and it gets plenty of sun which will make the tomatoes very happy.

We may have to pot most of our herbs, as well as the lettuce, and place them in a shady area. Wussy plants. Learned that the hard way last year.

Still a lot of planning to do - my specialty! 

Not to mention that we want to do an irrigation system on a timer & make a rain barrel.

Hey, go big or go home.

Our first garden was definitely an experiment, but overall, it turned out well.

The plants I started from seed did terrible. Not enough light, too much watering, maybe I planted them in the wrong kind of soil, etc. And like a true amateur, I didn't label them. DUH.

The only thing that lasted outside when we transplated was the zucchini (below), parsley & basil, which EXPLODED by mid-summer. Like seriously, out of hand.

We didn't know what to do with it all.

I ended up getting tomato & pepper seedlings from our Amish "neighbors" and they did fabulous. I'll be leaving the hard part up to them from now on and buying their seedlings for all of the plants that I want. They are ridiculously cheap, too. I'm talking $2.50 for a tomato plant that ended up giving us about 40 tomatoes.

Bananas.

Basil & Flat Leaf Parsley

And let's not forget all the beautiful perennials my mom dug up from her garden & gave to me. They're baaaaaaaack! Fool-proof garden staples. You cannot kill them.

Yes, I'll be digging some up & taking them with us again :-)

I like having a part of my Mom's garden in mine.

It's like bringing a little bit of your history everywhere you go.