Sheepie Vs. Country Thunder

Whew! We had one whopper of a thunderstorm last night. I'm talking the kind of thunder that booms and cracks so loud it rattled our window panes! Sullivan, who appeared to be accustomed to a bit more suburban thunderstorm, must've thought the sky was falling out here in the country. He hunkered down in the deepest, darkest corner of the upstairs hall and refused move during the entire storm. And when I say hunker? I mean lay as flat and as still as humanly (sheepily?) possible. Yummy, tasty chicken treats couldn't even get the poor guy up and moving!

Poor lil' Sheepie...

WTF, DQ?

I've been really good about cravings. Throughout this entire pregnancy, there really hasn't come a time where I've felt like I needed a specific food item RIGHT THIS SECOND or if said specific food item was not had immediately that second, the wrath of this angry, angsty, moody pregnant woman would be unleashed in all it's fury.

Thankfully, this hasn't been the case, as I'm sure my husband is thanking his lucky stars (or should be!)! Sure, at times some things have sounded better than others- but it wasn't until this past week when I was absolutely dying for, undoubtedly craving and salivating at the mere thought of, a vanilla soft-serve cone with chocolate sprinkles. Even as I write this, at 1pm in the afternoon, I'm thinking that a vanilla soft-serve cone with chocolate sprinkles is a perfectly acceptable lunch option.

Out here in the sticks, the closest soft-serve-selling establishment is the Dairy Queen right down the road from our house. And my darling, loving, wonderful and obliging husband, didn't waste one second hopping into the car with me as I sweetly demanded the delicious dessert late one Tuesday evening.

Let's stop for a minute and consider how the stars are aligning:

1. I'm craving something suitable and realistic for the time of day.
2. I'm craving something that is within an attainable distance.
3. There just so happens to be a Dairy Queen 3.1 miles down the road AND it has a drive-thru window.

Seriously, could life get any better?

I pull up to the order box, practically drooling with anticipation. The headset-wearing, Jonas-brother-loving teeny bopper kindly welcomes me to the DQ and asks what I'll be having. I begin to stutter, I'm so excited. "I' I' I' I'll have a small vanilla soft-serve with chocolate sprinkles, please!"

And then, she says it. Those dreaded words no pregnant woman wants to hear.

"I'm sorry. We only have rainbow sprinkles."

Excuse me? Did you say you only have rainbow sprinkles? I sit there, astonished. Hubs has to pinch me, forcing me back into reality although, what I'm pretty sure what I'm experiencing can most certainly be classified as a nightmare.

How could this be? Did I miss this memo? Has Dairy Queen always only sold rainbow sprinkles? You are an ICE CREAM ESTABLISHMENT! IT IS AGAINST ALL THINGS CREAMY AND ICY AND DELICIOUS TO ONLY SERVE ONE KIND OF SPRINKLE! HOW COULD THIS BE?

Biting my tongue, swallowing back tears that I'm sure may fall any second, I reply, "Ok then. Rainbow sprinkles it is."

I drive around, sullen and sulking. Frowning, I pay for my dessert and eat in silence.

WTF, DQ? What a way to ruin a pregnant girl's day. Next time? I'm bringing my own chocolate sprinkles.

Lawn Envy.

I never thought I'd say this, but I have lawn envy. It's not like I don't have enough going on in this house to occupy my time (a master bedroom headboard that needs making, paintings that have yet to be hung, cabinet doors that need hinging) but every stinkin' time I look out our front/side/back windows, I get lawn envy.

Me. A girl. With lawn envy.

We have fabulous neighbors. They're a bit younger than our parents, the wife a retired nurse (woo-hoo!), the husband (well, we're not sure what he does, other than mow his lawn. more on this later) and two college age kids that are always home and always willing to help a pregnant lady unload an SUV full of groceries. I mean, hello? Who wouldn't love neighbors who shower you with homemade cookies, wine glasses and a plant upon move in? They truly seem like great people- and it doesn't hurt that they have a gorgeous in-ground pool. Pregnant women LOVE pools, I'm pretty sure.

Ok, so back to our lawn issue. The previous homeowners, I fear, did not care much for their lawn. In fact, I'm not even sure they realized they had any. It was overgrown and full of bald spots. Our garden? I'm not even sure you can call it that- looks like someone with what they thought was a green thumb threw up all over it. There's a random rhododendron bush planted next to a rose bush, planted amongst some vinca with a random smattering of tulips and an unknown purple flower thrown in. The rhododendron is in full sunlight! Didn't these people know rhododendrons like shade?!

Two words. Garden vomit.

When you think of our neighborhood, think Pleasantville. Plush green lawns, perfectly manicured gardens. Children playing nicely in their front yards. Dogs sunning themselves on front porches. I hate to say it, but our neighborhood is disgustingly perfect. And I love it! But I don't love our lawn. And lawns are not easy to fix overnight. Unless you live in a show on HGTV network. Which we do not. Dagger.

Re-enter our neighbor, who comes home from work early, every fourth day, to weed whack, edge and mow his lawn. Now, for once, I'm not trying to be funny. When I say every fourth day, I truly mean every fourth day. At 2pm. He's out there. Weeding, whacking, edging and mowing. His yard? Makes our yard look like the "before" picture on the backs of fertilizer and grass seed bags. Woof.

It's pathetic. But the good news is? We're trying. We've seeded. And on most days? I remember to water the bald spots. And when my parents came to visit? My mom helped me fill three huge planters full of gorgeous flowers for both our deck and our porch. You know, because a little splash of color goes a long way. But I still have lawn envy. Me. A girl. With lawn envy.

I should probably cut back on all of the HGTV I've been watching...

Having No Internet Is Like... An Abomination. So Here's a Belly Pic?

If you had spoken to me about this issue in the previous weeks, you would have thought my world was ending. Yes, I have an iPhone. Yes, I can use it to accomplish mundane simple tasks, like checking facebook and reading my emails- but let's be honest. I can't use it for the most important things, like blogging and shopping. And during those previous two weeks, I thought I was going to lose my ever-loving mind.

Always one to give credit where credit is due, my darling Hubs has worked his incredibly studly behind off to get our house in liveable order. Always thinking, "What can I do next, Ash?" We've worked tirelessly together to hang curtains, glaze and seal kitchen cabinets, replace bathroom lighting fixtures, hang paintings, plant flowers and most importantly, hang blinds! And most of time? He's doing the work and I'm sitting on the floor... supervising. Needless to say, it's been wonderful and amazing and fantastic to watch our new house come together so quickly, but a constant casuality of our preoccupied-ness? Cable and Internet. I die. For two, almost three whole weeks.

Well my internet friends, as of 9am this morning, my new best friend (aka the Comcast guy) hooked Sheepie and I up with glorious, lightening fast internet. And I couldn't be happier. I almost chanced running out to my car in my husband's gym shorts and a way-too-small-for-the-belly tank top, just so that I could grab my camera from the car and start uploading the BAZILLION pictures I can't wait to share! But then I quickly thought to myself, "AP, you probably shouldn't risk it. The neighbors really like you and you certainly don't want to scare them away."

First things first, my bi-weekly Bumpdate. 24 and a half weeks. Holy smokes.

How did we celebrate the infamous Viability Day?

I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate such a momentous

yet fear-inducing milestone than with yummy water ice, of course!

why, hello veine-y belly...

Total Weight Gained/Loss? A gain of somewhere between 17-18lbs. And it's pretty much all there in my belly and my butt. Thanks, kid.

Maternity Clothes: Eh. I'm still on the fence about them. Spend a bazillion dollars on Heidi Klum's A Pea in the Pod line? I wish. I have a few mom-tops, basic solid color T's and three pairs of mom-jeans (Mavi skinnies, Seven bootleg and Motherhood Maternity skinnies that I adore. And those? Mixed in with some adorable non-maternity staples that I can't live without, pretty much make up my ensembles these days. Now that the warmer weather's been hanging around- I can get by with most of my super cute summer dresses. Bring on the heat, Mother Nature!

Sleep? Still pretty yucky. I'm pretty sure that soon enough either Hubs or I will need to move one of our heiney's into the guest bedroom. I'm not sure we can both still fit in our bed with all of the pillows I'm beginning to acquire just to get a few decent hours of sleep. Two beneath my head, one between my knees and one underneath my belly/bubbies. And did I mention that if I sleep on either my left side or right side too long- my shoulder, hip and hands start to go numb? Awesome.

Best Moment of the Week? Reaching 24 weeks and finding some reassurance in the fact that if Baby Boy were to make his arrival early, there's a pretty great chance he would survive (with the help of a Level III NICU and some pretty heroic measures, no doubt).


Movement? All the time. He's all over the place. One of the coolest things is being able to make out body parts now- whether it's his butt or his head I'm feeling. Or if he's jabbing me with hands or feet. He's the most active early in the mornings between 8am and 11am and again at night between 9pm and midnight. He LOVES to lay pressed up against the front of my ute, too. Not very comfortable, if I do say so myself.


Food Craving? This week? I thought I would die if I didn't have any soft serve with chocolate sprinkles.


Food aversions: No issues there. Come one, come all. Nom. Nom. Nom.


Gender? Daddy's little sport.

Belly Button? It just makes me laugh everytime I glance down at it. There's no hiding it. I may have to start using a Band-Aid so that I don't constantly have "turkey-thermometer belly button syndrome" through all of my t-shirts and tank-tops! And it's so doggone sensitive, too! Why is that?


What I miss? Not peeing a little every time I sneeze. Laugh. Cough. Run. Yep, I just said it.


What I'm looking forward to: a summer full of celebrations! Between our housewarming party, my little brother's high school graduation, my best friend's wedding and two baby showers, this summer is sure to be a blast!


Weekly Wisdom: TUMS are a pregnant girl's best friend. Fo' sho.

Milestones: We have lot's of crazy movement, we're all moved in, we've ordered our crib and glider/rocker combo, Mom can't walk into any department store and walk out without at least ONE adorable outfit for Baby Boy and we're viable! What a couple of weeks it's been!

Stay tuned for post overload this week.

I have LOT'S of catching up to do

and LOT'S of house pictures to share!

Boy, how I've missed you!

Happy Tuesday!

You Know You're No Longer Living On The Main Line When...

You haven't seen a Range Rover since your arrival a mere three weeks ago.


Every day at noon, the local radio station plays the National Anthem.


The "main street" that sits just a few blocks from your house consists of two antique stores, a pilates studio and a pub. And that's it. No more one-of-a-kind and overpriced boutiques, or corner jewelers dotting the sidewalks.


You don't stick out like a sore thumb when running to the grocer in black cut-off yoga pants, your husbands college fraternity t-shirt and your hair in a messy bun.


Checking in at the obstetrician's office, rather than piping elevator music throughout the waiting room, legit honky-tonk is playing. For real.


Driving home from the mall, the grocer, the gas station, or even church, you pass not one, not two, but at least three horse/sheep/cow farms.




Whew. It's been an ongoing adjustment, but I can honestly say, I'm growing to love our new home. If only I could get my parents to move down here, it would be perfect.


Sidenote: Bear with me, friends! Our house is nearly unpacked but we're still without cable and internet. How in the world am I surviving? I wish I could tell you. Let's just say it hasn't been without a few more meltdowns and lot's of long walks with the sheepdog. I've also been downloading new books on my Kindle as if they're going out of style.


Everyone's doing great. Hubs loves his new job and Baby Boy M is growing like a weed. It even looks as if a possible adjustment of his due date is in our near future. As for me? Like I said, it's an adjustment. I still feel a bit lost when I wake up in the morning and don't have anywhere to be. I never thought I'd say this, but I really miss working. I miss my coworkers, my patients and just having that overall sense of purpose as a nurse. Being a homemaker isn't easy. As if I didn't love doing laundry and cleaning house before, those two chores fill most of my days. And truth be told? Hubs is such a better housewife than I. But I love having him home every night- and one of the best nights I've had in a long time consisted of watching a movie, in bed, with Hubs, eating mint chocolate chip ice cream out of red Solo cups. On a Tuesday. It was awesome. So, if cooking, cleaning and laundering every day means I get to spend extra time with Sheepie and lot's of time with Hubs? Then it's well worth it, in my book.


Happy Hump Day!

We Still Love Our Sheepie.

when i'm not unpacking, cleaning, staining, moving,

rearranging, folding, washing or shopping,

i'm hanging out with this furball.

and as if we weren't the best of friends before,

now that i'm not working, we're pretty much inseparable.

here we are, reading our Kindle and working on our tan:

If you're sitting there thinking, "Er, somebody needs a bath and a haircut,"

you're absolutely right. And since our newly cramped budget does not include

a Sheepie stipend for a $110 visit to the groomer,

Hubs and I will be tackling the very shaggy sheepdog

by our (hopefully very capable) selves.

Anyone have an extra set of sheep shears they aren't using?

A Hodge-Podge Picture Post- and House Updates!

Day 11 since our arrival in Maryland.

(Doesn't this sound like the beginning of a journal entry during Oregon Trail times?) "Little Miss Mary has the sickness and our wagon axel's been broke near twice now. Poppa's been bit by a rattle snake and we've had to ford the river despite the conditions." Ok, ok just kidding.

There's been no river-fording and rattle snake-dodging around these parts. There has been, however, a lot of painting, unpacking and most of all, a lot of shopping! Since there's not much for this pregnant momma to do in terms of manual labor, retail therapy has been a great time-filler thus far! I could fill posts and posts and posts (and posts!) with pictures of our new loot- but I won't be sharing those pictures for another few weeks. Not until we a) have internet, minor detail yet most important and b) the house is set up in it's entirety. By now most of you should know me well enough to know that I have little patience when it comes to things like this!

As for our new house, it's coming along perfectly! Hubs and I decided to re-carpet the entire upstairs (three bedrooms, an office, the hallway and the stairs) and that job was completed nearly two weeks ago. We're also in the midst of having new hardwood floors (distressed wide-plank Oak!!) placed throughout the entire first floor and this task should be completed any hour now! Hubs and I stopped in the house last night for a sneak peak and we couldn't be more pleased with the results. We can't wait to head back to the house tonight to see the floors down in their entirety! Here's a sneak of the family room off of the kitchen with the new floors:

Don't you just love them? I cannot wait to see how they look in the kitchen, dining room and living room. I'm really trying to be patient, but I just want everything to be done already! Speaking of everything, I know I mentioned previously that Hubs and I picked out our Brazilian granite last week- and the good news is, it wasn't on backorder and will be installed this coming Friday! My streak of picking and choosing options and items on backorder or no longer for sale has been broken! Yee-haw!

Being the domestic goddess that I am, I wanted to let you all in on a little project of mine that I hope to have completed by the end of this week. I'll be putting together my very own DIY upholstered headboard. Now, don't get any ideas. This isn't going to be one of those fancy, button-tufted headboards. It's just gonna be some real cute fabric and some batting- but I wanted to share with you all the picture of the intended fabric! Granted, it's another iPhone photo- but you can at least get an idea of the print! It's a Navy pattern set to a white background. Kind of reminds me of the Tory Burch insignia, no? I love it! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

And last but certainly not least, I just knew I had to include a belly shot. What's a pregnant girl's blogpost without a belly shot? Apologies to those nameless few (ahem, Chesed) who request belly shots that include pictures of my gorgeous face- but after two hours of painting, this mug was not one you'd have wanted to see. Believe me. I'm only thinking of your wellbeing here! Well, folks. Here I am in all of my 22 and a half week glory:

Total Weight Gained/Loss? Loss shouldn't even be an option anymore. It's all about the gain now. And to be honest? I have no idea what my number is. And I'm totally ok with that. As long as Baby Boy M continues to grow in there (which he's been doing, like a BEANSTALK, by the way) I'm as happy as a clam.

Maternity Clothes: Daily. Love them. Especially my non-maternity dresses that look super cute on this belly!

Sleep? Miserable. I'm back to waking up 6-7 times throughout the night. Five of them to pee and at least 2 or 3 to change position. My newest pregnancy symptom? Nosebleeds. Like none other. Those have been waking me up every few nights as well. So not fun.

Best Moment of the Week? Just hanging out feeling Baby Boy move. He's pretty active in there all the time and Hubs goes crazy every time he can feel him. Baby Boy had some pretty strong kicks soon after eating half a bag of dark chocolate M&Ms on Easter Sunday. Maybe he's gonna have a sweet tooth like his Momma?

Movement? All the time. Sometimes he feels like he's having his own little dance party in there and I just absolutely love every minute of it.

Food Craving? Gas Station Slurpees. Good thing I moved out to the country, huh? First I'm obsessed with hot dogs from Home Depot and now Slurpees from Royal Farms? Where did my Vueve Cliquot taste go?

Food aversions: I can pretty much stomach it all..

Gender? He's a Momma's boy, no doubt about it!

Belly Button? Just take a close look at that picture up there. It's out. And there's no going back, it seems!

What I miss? My JCREW wardrobe. I won't lie. I may have teared up a bit when I came across the summer box full of City Fit Capris, super cute short shorts and all of those ruffly size 0 tops. These 38 C's don't look like they'll be fittin' back into those shirts anytime soon. Sigh.

What I'm looking forward to: Putting together Baby M's nursery! Hubs and I registered a couple of weekends ago- and we had a BLAST!

Weekly Wisdom: Husbands make for great prenatal massagers. Mine is the absolute best!

Milestones: We're almost moved in, Baby Boy M is making out like a bandit with all of the clothes he's already amassed and Momma loves being pregnant! A little over three months to go!

Happy Tuesday!

Today's Pregnancy Epiphany.

Around five and a half months pregnant,

one becomes astounded at how adept one can be

by picking things up with their toes.

Let's just say I'm getting really good at this...

Just call me Monkey Feets.

via

My New Life Anthem.

As Hubs and I drove away from the settlement on our new home, I quickly downloaded this song and plugged it into my car stereo. I'm not sure which was funnier- the look on Hubs' face when it started playing or his utter shock and amazement that a) I, your poof-wearing, used-to-frequent-tanning-beds, starts-to-talk-with-a-NY-accent-when-she's-around-her-friends, typical North Jersey girl knew this song existed or b) that I knew every single word to it.

We belly laughed and sang our hearts out- driving down the country roads to our new home.

Hope this video gives you the same little chuckle. For me? It's back to reigning in my new found country roots. Afterall, I now live south of the Mason-Dixon line! Holy smokes...