Max's new bedroom set

How freaking adorable for a little boy is this bed? We've ordered this exact bed, dresser/mirror and nightstand set for Max's new bedroom....it will be here in one week! Which means I have one week to paint his room and pick out his bedding/accessories.....ahhh! I hope Max likes his new bed as much as mommy does :)

Staycation Woohoo!

We are currently in the middle of day two of our "stay-cation" and it ROCKS! Now, I LOVE my Max, but having a few days of "me" time and actually GETTING THINGS DONE around the house has made me refreshed and more laid back. Yesterday, after we dropped the big boy off at the lake in the morning, we came back here and did a little yard work until it rained. Then we came inside and were extremely lazy, watching tv and TAKING NAPS! NAPS! I haven't napped since I was in college...it was amazing! We finally got ready, went to dinner at Hana Yori (Mark's favorite) and went to the movie theater and watched "Get Him to the Greek"...it was an okay movie, but still a pretty good night! We then came home and I, of course, was exhausted and went straight to bed. Slept THROUGH THE NIGHT. UNTIL 8AM.....I also don't think I've slept in until 8AM since college, it too was AMAZING! Today we woke up, took our time getting the day started, and finished our yard-work....bushes trimmed, flowers planted, weeds pulled, grass mowed....ahhhh :) Tonight, we are thinking of a somewhat lazy evening...possibly run a few errands, then stay in with maybe a pizza, some good movies, play Wii and catch up on some much needed laundry so I'm ahead of the game when Max comes home. Oh, I should also mention that my house is STILL CLEAN since the cleaning lady came on Saturday...which has to be a record! I'm loving it and am going to try everything in my power to keep it somewhat that way! We moved most of Max's toys to his playroom in the basement and have decided that we will spend most of our time down there now so the mess isn't all over the main floor of the house....we'll see how that works out.

Anyway, I'm so in love with the way my house looks and feels right now that I may even post pictures at some point since I realized I never did that since we moved last August. As on to more news, I'm currently in the middle of my 11th week of pregnancy and feel as though this is the slowest moving pregnancy ever. I'm PRAYING that the second I hit 13 weeks all nausea and grossness will disappear and I will begin to feel normal again. It's not as bad as it was in the beginning, but it's just downright annoying that I have to feel icky everyday and I'm so over it. I want my energy back, damnit! Also only about 8 weeks or so (or maybe a little sooner?!) until our ultrasound to find out the gender of the baby :) We're still tossing names around, but we've seemed to narrow it down and hopefully I can announce a name in the near future.

Well, I guess I better shower and get goin. We have lunch to eat, more baby gates to buy, and more money to spend (groan). Which, by the way, I'd like to complain about how expensive flowers and landscaping crap is....we spent $100 at Menards yesterday on, basically, flowers! RIDIC! I've felt like an ATM machine lately, and we all know that I am extremely tight with money, so imagine my anxiety.....

I hope that everyone else is enjoying their summer! Now if only the sun would return....

Responsible Adults...we're so old.

Sooo, in my last post I talked about Mark and I wanting to go on a vacation next week while he has a week off from work. We searched high and low...Vegas, Florida, Cedar Point, Chicago, Michigan cottages, etc...when we finally decided that the best and most economical vacation for us would be to stay right here. The plan? My parents will be taking Max up to the lake for a "mini-vacation" for 3 days or so...spending the night with them, swimming in the lake, boat rides, getting spoiled...he'll love it! Mark and I on the other hand will get some much needed yard-work/house-work done during the day (after a sleep in a tiny bit...), then head off to dinner and a movie, possibly Four Winds Casino, etc. for those nights. It will be relaxing and rewarding...we will get some stuff done around here without chasing a 20 month old, while still getting some time for fun at night. It also won't cost us too much money, which is perfect considering the list of things we're about to purchase for the house! So, I'm really looking forward to next week :) Right now I'm trying to catch up on some laundry and reorganize a little bit...then our cleaning lady will come on Saturday, and I don't know exactly what it is, but I work so much better with a fresh and clean house! Saturday is also Mark's 28th birthday....which means I need to finalize a birthday present for him STAT!

We're also currently searching for the "perfect" new bedroom set for Max. I know the baby isn't coming for about 6 months, but trust me, those months will fly. Also, I think Max will need quite a while to adjust to a new room and a new bed...so, we're working on it now. The baby will be taking over Max's crib furniture as well as room, since that room is perfect for a nursery due to it being the smallest bedroom. Max will move across the hall into a bigger bedroom with new furniture and new big boy decor :) I've scoured stores here in town and online to try to find a good set for him, but I'm so torn on what I want....I kind of want a full bed instead of a twin bed, basically so he can grow into it and keep it a lot longer...and also so we can snuggle into bed with him at night and read stories. He's also quite the violent sleeper and thrashes around the entire night, so a big bed may suit him better....but, I'm also concerned about him rolling out of the bed. Anyone know if you can buy rails you can attach and detach from any bed? I originally wanted bunk beds in his room....I think they look so adorable in little boys rooms, and later on when he has friends or cousins spend the night they can sleep on the bunk....but, they kind of scare me in the fact that he may try to climb them, etc. So, the search continues. Mark and I also have yet to agree on a "theme". Mark wants a hardcore pirate theme in Max's room....I want something more, eh, "pottery-barn-esque" for boys. Who knows what'll happen....our next battle will be the nursery...except if this baby is a girl, I'll probably be granted free reign since Mark won't have a clue :) 10 more weeks...10 more weeks!

We ALSO need to purchase a shed for our backyard. Apparently, the people who lived in this house before use either: A) only parked one car in the garage, or B) didn't have much yard crap to store. Our two car garage is NOT cutting it in the storage department for our yarding needs. We can only park one car in the garage, and that's even a tight fit. So, to declutter our garage, we've decided to bite the bullet and purchase a shed. Since we live in a neighborhood with an association and restrictions though, we have to buy a shed "to code" - meaning a nice shed that matches our house....meaning, expensive. *Sigh*. So, these a just a few reasons why we decided not to go on vacation and to be, well, responsible adults who spend their money on furniture and sheds instead of martinis and beaches :) I wish we fell into the category of those who could do BOTH....someday, folks, someday!

Anyways, I'm counting down to our mini vacation of Hana Yori, Coldstone, casinos, movies and sleep! :)

Freedom!

That's right, FREEDOM...from the past year of stress and worry! School ended last Friday, and after spending an awesome Memorial Day weekend up at the lake with the fam, I officially began my summer (semi-permanent) vacation today. I even went to the baby doctor for a check-up on the last day of school and received WONDERFUL news....after a year of having extremely high blood pressure (from a stressful work situation), my blood pressure was NORMAL....she even used the word FANTASTIC! Woohoo! I was so scared that because of everything from this past year, that my health would continue to suffer with high blood pressure...especially during my pregnancy. I was elated to learn that my body is becoming healthier again and that the baby is still doing excellent with a strong heartbeat :)

As for summer, our plans are pretty open. I'm still feeling a little icky as I reach the end of my first trimester, although it's A LOT better than it was, thankfully! Max and I will be spending a lot of our time up at the lake since Max LOOOOOVVVEEESS it there....he just runs right into the lake like a pro! He enjoys finding rocks/clams/whatever he can on the beach and throwing it for 2 hours straight. I have to say, the kid has a rocket for an arm....possibly a baseball or football career in his future. Another fav of his up at the lake is taking boat rides....Max loves looking down at the water and the waves the boat is making. Grandpa also bought a ton of rocks he brings on board for Max to throw overboard since he has a throwing obsession....and it's better than a sandal or sunglasses going overboard....

Right now, Mark and I are currently trying to agree on a mini-family vacation. Mark has a week of vacation time the week after his birthday (in the middle of June), and we definitely want to take a small family vacation as just the three of us before we become four. The problem is, we can't agree or decide on anything! I really wanted to take Max to Disney World...especially since he'd be free the entire way because of his age. I've been told by several Disney World veterans though that he's still a little young and it'd be better to wait on that one. I guess I do agree....we'd still be paying a lot of money for Mark and I to go, and right now Max doesn't seem to have the patience or attention span for a more expensive vacation such as Disney World. We WILL be going ASAP though, because I secretly really want to go too ;)

Our next thought was Cedar Point. My family went there every summer while I was growing up, and I LOVE it there. I definitely want to make Cedar Point a yearly tradition with my family as well.....some of my favorite memories growing up are from Cedar Point! We're still tossing this one around. The price is still kind of salty, and Mark isn't convinced that Max would have that much fun yet. Since I'm pregnant, I can't ride on any of the rides, which would suck since I am IN LOVE with Cedar Point. My parents had volunteered to go with us a long time ago so they could take Max for a little bit while we rode some rides, but being pregnant makes that impossible. I think it'd be fun for Max to have a hotel pool, beach, waterpark and amusement park all right there - with a lot of options for kids - but Mark is still not convinced, so we'll see.

We've also kicked around a few ideas such as Indiana Beach, going to a few museums in Chicago, etc. Problem is, we need to figure it out FAST because Mark's vacation is in, like, two weeks. Anybody have any suggestions/ideas/comments to help?!

Icky Vent

I need to vent. I'm so sick and tired of feel, well, sick and tired that I've HAD it. I had a pity party for myself tonight and shed a few tears. This nausea and feeling so ICKY all the time has made life very difficult to enjoy lately. I do don't sick very well...so imagine feeling sick every day all day....it's pretty much my personal hell. Not to mention I'm trying to wrap up a school year, chase after a 19 month old, keep my house in somewhat order and just be a full functioning human being. Instead, I trudge through my day at school feeling terrible. Then I come home to a son that wants to see me and a husband who wants me to act alive, and all I can do is sit on the couch and try to read books with Max or watch him play. Then it really starts to kick in around 6ish at night....nothing sounds good to eat (most of the time is sounds repulsive), yet eating is the only thing that makes me feel A LITTLE BIT better for about, oh, five minutes. Then I just drag myself upstairs at freaking 7:30 at night, and instead of bath time with Max and getting him to sleep, I have to rely on my husband to do that like a no good mom so I can go lay in bed and moan while I lay there motionless. It's truly ridiculous and I've had it. I'm only just about at the 8 week mark, and another month of this crap seems like insanity. Also, what if I'm one of those "horror stories" where it DOESN'T get any better and lasts THE ENTIRE TIME?! I miss playing with my son. I miss watching movies late at night with my husband. I miss CLEANING MY HOUSE....I broke down and called our cleaning lady today in tears asking her to come on her off week this Saturday just because I'm so WORTHLESS! I want to feel normal again....I want to laugh again...I want to feel good again :( Instead, it's just all day icky-ness. My husband has warned me that if this baby is, indeed, a girl, we will not be having any more kids....frankly because he doesn't want to put up with this again, and I don't blame him! I always said I wanted three or four kids, but after these terrible weeks, I'm about ready to say "enough" if it is a girl....I know I'm probably overreacting (me? never!). I know I'm probably being a little bit of a drama queen (I'd like to see ya'll in my shoes right now, though!). BUT....at this point, I don't care. I need some pick-me-ups. If anyone else felt this horrible in pregnancy, please tell me what you did to relieve the icky-ness! I really don't want to have to ask the doctor for anti-nausea pills....moms who took pills that were said to be "safe" for sickness way back when had babies with major birth defects. SO, tell me what to do! Help a miserable woman out!

Okay, that's the end of my second pity party of the day. I'll try to stop. Try.

January 1, 2011...

.....is the day we are due to welcome baby #2 to our family! A few of you may have already known this, but I wasn't going to blog about it until my ultrasound...and I'm not really going to announce it to the entire world (aka Facebook) for awhile. So, if you check my blog, you're special in knowing I guess :) My original due date was actually December 27th-ish, but after my ultrasound today to determine the dates, it was pushed to January 1. I have to admit, I was a little bummed: #1, GET ME OUT OF THE FIRST TRIMESTER...yuck! #2 Having an additional tax credit for 2010 would be nice...I guess it's still a possibility :) The best news, though, is that all looked fantastic on the ultrasound...we saw the baby and an extremely healthy heartbeat just beating away! I'm just about 7 weeks along, so a little over half way through the first trimester...but OH the first trimester! When I was pregnant with Max, I have ZERO "morning" sickness...no queasiness, no nothing. I had an easy pregnancy and an easy delivery. This pregnancy though is already completely different. For almost the past two weeks I have been so nauseous all day long that I can barely eat anything without dry heaving. Here I was, thinking I was a "lucky one" who didn't feel sick with my pregnancies, and BAM!...I got knocked down a peg or two. Some days are better then others, but it always seems a little worse at night. I know it could be a lot worse, so I guess I really shouldn't complain...but I'm ready to be out of the first trimester and to have energy and normalcy back! ALSO...with Max, I didn't start showing publicly until I was around 6 months pregnant. I know it is said that you show sooner with your second pregnancy, but WHAT THE CRAP! It's like the minute I found out I was pregnant, none of my clothes fit. Now I'm sure a tiny bit of this was my imagination and a large bit of it was bloating, but I'm not kidding, I am definitely showing already. Of course it's not that itty bitty baby, but apparently mt uterus remembers what to do and bounced back forward at full force. Since I'm not exactly telling the entire world yet, wearing clothes that don't make it 100% obvious has been quite the challenge...especially to work. All that said, though, we are extremely excited and blessed. We've already begun dukin' it out over names, and I've already tried to convince Mark and my family that it "must" be a girl since I feel so different and like such crap this time! A brother for Max so close in age wouldn't be a bad thing either though :) So, all you mamas out there, did you feel different with your second pregnancy...or even your first, was the first trimester quite the challenge?

Grad School!

After being part of the RIF (Reduction in Force) process for my school corporation, I took a long hard look at what I wanted to do with my life. I sound so philosophical, don't I? Of course I've wanted to be a stay-at-home mom with kids....but, as stated before, that's not really a possibility for our family. SO...I applied to graduate school and was accepted into the program of my choice...go me! :) I will be starting grad school at IUSB in a mere two weeks! I was accepted into the Counseling and Human Services program where I will spend the next three years going to class two nights a week to pursue my masters. Well, towards the end, I have to do some internships and all that jazz, but for right now it's only two nights a week, which is not too awful. With this degree, I can either choose to become a school counselor or a mental health counselor (I'm leaning towards the mental health aspect....with all the crap going on in the schools, I want as much possibility of a good job as possible....plus, the mental health track really interests me). So, there's my life for the next three years. A little bit of unemployment, a little bit of DQ and a lot of school. It will be worth it in the end though, and I've got to admit, I'm pretty excited....this is something that really interests me. I think I'll be happier than what I'm doing right now, and hey, after this long year, I'm excited to return to some NORMALCY!

Speaking of which....18 MORE SCHOOL DAYS! I honestly don't know HOW I'm going to make it 18 more days. I'm tired. I'm drained. I'm mentally exhausted. I'm a mess. 18 DAYS AHHH!! The past two days have gone by slower than any days of my life....C'MON!

Well, there ya have it. Oh, and while I'm complaining, let's mention that my husband's work STILL hasn't cleared him to return to duty from his surgery and we STILL aren't receiving the money we were suppose to from his disability for being out for surgery. He's been out for, oh, almost 6 weeks and we have received about $900 altogether....WHAT THE HECK IS THAT, PEOPLE! Luckily we had some cash stashed away in our savings account...which is quickly being depleted from his ridiculous work and the IRS. Why the IRS? Oh, because they decided to inform us that they don't think Mark paid his taxes in 2007...even though I have the papers he filed from 2007...even though we PAID IN in 2007 and someone cashed the checks...and even though they gave us a refund in 2008. Nope, those Fawleys didn't pay in 2007. SO, we have to wait until FREAKING JULY to see what we're getting back in taxes...if any....once the IRS decides "what we owe" from 2007. Psh.

The end of this post sounds kind of negative. I'm really not angry...just tired and ready for the end of school and summer days :)