The Christmas Quiz

The Christmas Quiz
Many thanks to the fabulous Cole for letting me borrow steal this quiz!

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate?
Hot chocolate no questions asked! Eggnog has raw eggs and that just majorily grosses me out. The only issue I have with hot chocolate is that since I didn't grow up drinking anything hot I have a hard time judging when it is too hot or just right and generally burn my mouth. I guess I'd change my answer to warm chocolate, lol.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
Santa wraps everything in our house and in the Hubby's house growing up Santa didn't wrap anything so we have had that talk lately since Santa will be coming around next year for the little jelly bean--guess what Santa is going to do....Santa is going to wrap everything. :)

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Colored in our house. Actually our tree we do orange and blue lights (Go Gators) and then multicolored elsewhere. I do love the look of white lights, they just look so classy but we tack it up with colored lights.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No but I need to find a pretend mistletoe after Christmas this year to hang up next year.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
I think decorations deserve to be put up the day after Thanksgiving. I did not do that this year, I still haven't decorated--I suck. No questions asked next year the decorations are going up right away!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
I don't have a favorite holiday dish...

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
Hm...we spent Christmas one year in Cocoa Beach and that was a lot of fun. Another favorite was when we spent a Christmas in Canada, I was really young but I remember skiing for the first time up there, I was so cold out there on the slopes so my Daddy bought me M&Ms and hot chocolate--I love my Daddy!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I don't remember I was probably 10/11. But up until I moved out of the house there were always presents under the tree from the "Big Guy in the Red Suit."

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
We only open presents on Christmas Eve when we spend it with our family. If we do dinner at my Aunt's house we do presents from them and to them but that's it. Traditionally no.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Fantastic ornaments. My hubby and I have gotten an ornament ever Christmas we've spent together and then we have odd and end ones from friends and family.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
Love it because the only time I see it is when I am vacationing. I think if I lived in a place that it snowed I'd hate it!

12. Can you ice skate?
Yep, I haven't been in a while but I usually love it!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
I love all the gifts that I get. I can't think of a favorite though. I'm pretty sure I've gotten some fantastic dolls as a kid that I loved as well as some sports stuff. I think I got a Mia Hamm jersey one Christmas and that was pretty awesome!

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Getting to spend time with my family is probably my favorite thing about the holiday time. Phillip and I live 4 hours north of my parents and sister and it is so nice that we get to spend it together. This Christmas we are going to spend a week in the mountains and I am so excited about it!

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
I love holiday cookies. I think that is the only real dessert I associate with holiday time.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
I love seeing houses decorated with Christmas lights. I need to find the neighborhood in our town that has the best lights, I have yet to find it. We used to have this thing called the festival of lights in South Florida which was amazing, you would drive through and look at all these incredible decorations.

17. What tops your tree?
A Gator, duh!

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving?
Giving, I usually do a good job Christmas shopping so I love when I give the gifts--this year I haven't done as great of a job so I'm not looking forward to it as much.

19. Candy canes: yuck or yum?
Yum, but I'm a purest--I like the traditional flavor the best.

20. Favorite Christmas show?
I love watching "Babes in Toyland," it is so old--made the year I was born but I loved watching it every year.

21. Saddest Christmas song?
The Christmas Shoes, easily the saddest Christmas song.

22. What’s your favorite Christmas song?
I love most of them! The hubby and I always listen for Trans-Siberian Orchestra and JAM out. Here is a fab video (do not watch if you are prone to seizures):

Christmas Love!

I just got back from shopping for Christmas pressies! I did not do a good job planning for Christmas shopping this year, I usually got with lists and am so organized, this year...I just wandered aimlessly. I did get some shopping done.

I bought something for Phillip, for my Mommy, for my little sis and for Phillip's oldest sis. That's it. I really need to make a game plan and try again. I still have to buy for Phillip's Mom, his other sister, my Dad and I need a bit more for Phillip--oh and I need to do some stocking stuffing for him.

On another note, I still have not done any Christmas decorating, man I suck this year. I need to finish straightening up around the house and then get the Christmas stuff out of the attic. Hopefully we can get all the Christmas stuff up this weekend, I think that's a lovely goal (mind you it's been my goal for the last 2 weeks but you know, try and try again).

Lastly, once we get the Christmas decorations up, we need to do a Christmas picture of the hubby, myself and the two pups. I want to send a Christmas card out next week after my next OB appt where I get an ultrasound, wouldn't that be cute?!?!

December is here!

I love December so much and I'm so happy it's here. December means:

Our anniversary:


The Nutcracker (which is my anniversary date from my wonderful hubby):


Heading up to North Carolina to see the family for a full week (this time there will be snow on the ground!):


and of course...Christmas (I probably should start shopping):


Happy December everyone!

8 Weeks, Nov 25!

8 Weeks (November 25, 2011)
Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 8 Weeks

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com the baby is about the size of a raspberry (app says). This is what babycenter.com has to say about Gummy Bear's journey:

How your baby's growing:
New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I've gained 5lbs, OMG! I need to slow the heck down, I think that weight gain is from me being vegetarian and starting to eat meat--yummy! My BFF who is preggo, about 11 weeks ahead of me told me to ignore this weight because most of it is bloating.

Maternity Clothes: Yep, hubby bought me jeans that I love love love! (Thanks honey.)

Gender: No idea--we'll find out on Valentine's Day!

Movement: Nope, not yet, but I'm excited for that to happen.

What I miss: Nothing really.

Sleep: Much better, but this time I've gone to the opposite end of the spectrum. Hubby made a joke about me hibernating.

Symptoms: I pee all the time, I've also been nauseated, I have to wake up in the middle of the night to have a snack and OMG do I get bloated--holy crap. Ok so all the same stuff as last week but add in there extreme and I mean EXTREME fatigue. I am so freaking tried it is unreal. No joke, yesterday I took a 6 hour nap!

Cravings: Nothing really, I am eating a bit more then usual though!

Best Moment this week: Seeing baby Jelly Bean on ultrasound, it was so cool!! The picture is just a little blob of something but seeing the heart beat was amazing!

What I am looking forward to: Going to the just between friends consignment sale with my friend Meghan next week. That should be fun, I went with her two years ago when she was preggo with Bree, it was cool and this year I get to actually buy stuff!

Here are the pictures of little Jelly Bean and her/his incubator for the next 9 months (Holy big belly, WTF?!?!):

Paparazzi

Since I am mildly obsessed with taking pictures, this past MD appointment was just getting this little baby ready for his/her close up when they finally get here!



To be completely honest, before I was preggo people would always show me their ultrasound pictures and I thought oh that's great--I mean they never actually look like a baby early on and truthfully, my ultrasound is no different. Don't get me wrong, it was amazing to see the little baby's heart flicker on the video monitor but my MD printed us three pics or so and they are hanging on the fridge but it just looks like a little blob to me.

I know there are so many women out there that struggle with infertility and my heart truly goes out to them, but without getting any rude comments I am going to be a little honest for a bit (I mean it is my blog after all). I am scared shitless, I mean my/our life is going to completely change. Phillip and I had such a comfy little life where we get to do what we want when we want and that is going to change in 7 and a half month or so. We both go to the dog park every Saturday and Sunday morning with the dogs but on our way home yesterday morning it dawned on me that after the baby is here that isn't something we'll be able to do. Phillip said that one of us will go to the park and the other will stay home with the baby. **sigh** That is usually time we get to spend together. Another thing is Gator baseball, we had season tickets last year and will probably renew them again this year but for the 2013 season...we probably wont be able to get tickets because most of the games will start at the baby's bedtime. Another sigh.

I am well aware that people who cannot have children, probably want to shoot me for saying this but I just wanted to be honest. Don't get me wrong, I think having this baby will be absolutely incredible, but it will just be a change and for that will be an adjustment.

7 weeks, Nov 18!

7 Weeks (November 18, 2011)
Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 7 Weeks

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com the baby is about the size of a blueberry. This is what babycenter.com has to say about Gummy Bear's journey:

How your baby's growing:
The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.
If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I've gained 5lbs, OMG! I need to slow the heck down, I think that weight gain is from me being vegetarian and starting to eat meat--yummy!

Maternity Clothes: Yep, hubby bought me jeans that I love love love! (Thanks honey.)

Gender: No idea, I had two different subconscious thoughts last night that it was a girl--we'll find out on Valentine's Day!

Movement: Nope, not yet, but I'm excited for that to happen.

What I miss: Nothing really.

Sleep: Much better, this past week I've still been flipped from work but I honestly haven't made an attempt to flip back.

Symptoms: I pee all the time, I've also been nauseated, I have to wake up in the middle of the night to have a snack and OMG do I get bloated--holy crap.

Cravings: Nothing really, I am eating a bit more then usual though!

Best Moment this week: My friend Meghan bought some wonderful stuff for baby Jelly bean and it is so cute--it gets me so excited!

What I am looking forward to: Going to the just between friends consignment sale with my friend Meghan next week. That should be fun, I went with her two years ago when she was preggo with Bree, it was cool and this year I get to actually buy stuff!

Here are the pictures of little Jelly Bean and her/his incubator for the next 9 months (Holy big belly, WTF?!?!):

Thanksgiving Thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!



This year I am working on Thanksgiving which is ok, because some kiddos are stuck in the hospital and at least I get to go home at the end of my shift. We are making a little feast at work and I am bringing in Apple Pie, Sweet Potato Casserole and lastly some Spinach Dip with Pumpernickel bread as a little starter. Yum-O! I'm super pumped about yummy food.



I think giving thanks all year round is super duper important, but remembering what this holiday is for is super important! I don't say it very often, but I am so blessed. I have an incredible husband who works hard every day to make my life as perfect as possible, I have a wonderful family--my parents and my little sister mean so much to me, we have a fantastic little gaggle of furkids who are just my babies, I adore them, of course I have some great friends who would go to the end of the Earth and back for me, which I would do the same for them, lastly, I have this little gummy bear growing in my belly--how freaking exciting is that?!?! I cannot believe that next Thanksgiving, which I am going to make sure I have off since I am working this Thanksgiving, we will be home in South Florida with my family and a little bitty baby. That is so freaking awesome!



I hope everyone has a fantastic time celebrating this wonderful holiday with your loved ones.

6 weeks, Nov 11!

6 Weeks (November 11, 2011)
Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 6 Weeks (Finally caught up on my weekly posts!)

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com the baby is about the size of a (sweet) pea. This is what babycenter.com has to say about Baby Jelly Bean's journey:

How your baby's growing:
This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil (my iPhone app says pea).

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Next appt is Nov 22, we'll find out then (I hope not though).

Maternity Clothes: Yep, hubby bought me jeans that I love love love! (Thanks honey.)

Gender: No idea! Hubby had a dream last week that the baby was a boy, wouldn't that be great?!?!

Movement: Nope, not yet, but I'm excited for that to happen.

What I miss: Being able to take medicine I have an awful head cold and I can't take anything to make it better. :(

Sleep: Much better!

Symptoms: I pee all the time--that's about it.

Cravings: Nothing really, I am eating a bit more then usual though!

Best Moment this week: Telling my parents, they freaked! It was crazy but they ecovered quite nicely and we headed baby furniture shopping the next day. I have the best parents!

What I am looking forward to: my next appt on November 22 where I'll actually get to see the little bean!

Here are the pictures of little Jelly Bean and her/his incubator for the next 9 months (Holy big belly, WTF?!?!):

5 weeks, Nov 4!

5 Weeks (November 4, 2011)
Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 5 Weeks

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com the baby is about the size of a sesame seed. This is what babycenter.com has to say about Baby Jelly Bean's journey:

How your baby's growing:
Deep in your uterus your embryo is growing at a furious pace. At this point, he's about the size of a sesame seed, and he looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. He's now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of his organs and tissues.
The neural tube — from which your baby's brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone will sprout — is starting to develop in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to his skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and tooth enamel.
His heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer, or mesoderm. (This week, in fact, his tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood.) The mesoderm will also form your baby's muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue.
The third layer, or endoderm, will house his lungs, intestines, and rudimentary urinary system, as well as his thyroid, liver, and pancreas. In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to your baby, are already on the job.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Nope, same weight as I was at my GYN appt back in August.

Maternity Clothes: Nope, just my normal clothing but they are definitely snug. We have plans to get some maternity jeans for me next week.

Gender: No idea! Hubby had a dream this week that the baby was a boy, wouldn't that be great?!?!

Movement: Nope, not yet, but I'm excited for that to happen.

What I miss: Nada.

Sleep: Much better!

Symptoms: I pee all the time, and my nipples are tender--that's about it.

Cravings: Nothing really, I am eating a bit more then usual though!

Best Moment this week: Hubby telling me he had a dream about the baby.

What I am looking forward to: telling my parents next week--I think they'll freak!

Here are the pictures of little Jelly Bean and her/his incubator for the next 9 months (I feel like I look like I'm getting bigger yet there is no real reason for that to be happening yet!):

4 weeks, Oct 28!

4 Weeks (October 28, 2011)
Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 4 Weeks

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com the baby is about the size of a poppy seed. This is what babycenter.com has to say about Baby Jelly Bean's journey:

How your baby's growing:
This week marks the beginning of the embryonic period. From now until 10 weeks, all of your baby's organs will begin to develop and some will even begin to function. As a result, this is the time when she'll be most vulnerable to anything that might interfere with her development.
Right now your baby is an embryo the size of a poppy seed, consisting of two layers: the epiblast and the hypoblast, from which all of her organs and body parts will develop.
The primitive placenta is also made up of two layers at this point. Its cells are tunneling into the lining of your uterus, creating spaces for your blood to flow so that the developed placenta will be able to provide nutrients and oxygen to your growing baby when it starts to function at the end of this week.
Also present now are the amniotic sac, which will house your baby; the amniotic fluid, which will cushion her as she grows; and the yolk sac, which produces your baby's red blood cells and helps deliver nutrients to her until the placenta has developed and is ready to take over this duty.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Not sure, I'm hoping nothing. I go to my first OB appt on 11/3, I'll have a reference range from my appointment because I went to the OB for my annual back in August.

Maternity Clothes: Nope, just my normal clothing--though I feel like they are a bit snug but I think it is just because I'm a little bloated.

Gender: No idea! Hubby and I are both thinking girl because we both come from families with lots of girls.

Movement: Nope, not yet, but I'm excited for that to happen.

What I miss: Sleeping.

Sleep: Pretty terrible. I don't know if it is because I'm excited or what but this lack of sleep thing is crap! I need to get a bit more sleep, this baby needs to grow.

Symptoms: I pee all the time...all the time, my lower back in a little sore, my abdomen is crampy and last and most surprising is how oily my hair is! It is ridiculous.

Cravings: Nothing really, I think I'm a bit more thirsty then usually but nothing yet.

Best Moment this week: Finding out that we are going to have a little baby in our home in 9 months! I still can't believe it!

What I am looking forward to: My OB appointment next week to confirm that we are going to be parents.

Here are the pictures of little Jelly Bean and her/his incubator for the next 9 months (I look so bloated!):

OMG...Surprise!

Lookie what happened on Thursday 10/27:





Then I got my hubby a couple of presents to surprise him.



The piggy bank says:

"Let's start saving for Baby Jelly Bean's Uni of Florida tuition. Another N**** (our last name) Gator!"

The board book says:

"To my wonderful hubby, Start them young, raise them right! We've got a baby Gator on board--be prepared for the ride of your life. I love you, M."

Needless to say this was a HUGE surprise because we weren't going to even start trying until next summer, but I guess sometimes our plans are just suggestions.

Put a Lid on Costa Rica!

Thanks to Sherry and John over at Young House Love, we decided to make a Costa Rica Jar just like their vacation jars that they explain in their Put A Lid On It blog post! We collected little knick knacks throughout our trip to include in our little memento jars.

We started by buying a dozen jars at Publix this afternoon, $10 for all 12--steal!


Here are all our goodies--first we started with a standard post card, we saw both a toucan and a family of these monkeys on one of our hikes.


Next we had our exit slips, you have to pay $26 per person to exit the country, we thought it was kind of funny.


Here are our two tickets that we got when we paid our entrance fee to Carara National Park. This hike was amazing, we paid a tour guide to show us the plants and animals and it was totally worth it. We were able to see a whole family of monkeys and one even had a baby on her back, we also saw a bunch of red macaws, a toucan, a sleepy sloth and loads of plants. The coolest part of this hike was that there was a huge storm while we were hiking and since the primary rain forest is so dense we could hear the thunder and rain all around but didn't get wet at all--so cool!


There Diet Coke is Coke Light--weird!


Our receipt from the toll booth.


Here is our Costa Rican money. The hubby also brought some home for his money book that his Dad started for him.




Final!








And up in it's new home. We will eventually change some shelving around in our home but this is where it'll hang out for now.

Living the Life!

We are just loving life over in our house these days. My hubby and I just have a fantastic life, we both have jobs we love, we enjoy spending time together and we've got rocking fur babies. The newest addition is adorable, we've had her for 4 weeks at this point and couldn't be happier.

Roman is still adjusting, he gets grumpy off and on but that's just Nood for the time being. I truly feel that he is adjusting, slowly...very slowly but it is happening. They play together occasionally.

We headed out and about today, we started at the dog park a little before 8, then headed to get the puppy her vaccinations, then headed to the vet's office for some trifexis and then finally finished up at PetSmart to get both dog's nails trimmed. It was very busy, we finished up with all this by 11ish, so we were BUSY.

Here are some pics from the dog park this morning:







This is proof that they do interact together.


My absolute favorite all time pic of Riley thus far is a pic from today--I literally stuck my camera out the window to get it, definitely worth it!