Coming Right Along!

"I can't wait to come home and drink a beer and build a bed for my princess." - Ben

So he did...last week (pre-surgery). The furniture came in 3 different shipments, so luckily he was able to build the crib Tuesday when it came in.

 He's really excited!

 Daddy and his bff (my first baby!)

 I know something's up, Mommy. I'm not sure I like this baby. I'm the baby!

 finished product! Won't be leaving the bumper up,

but just wanted to see what it would look like....

still debating on a paint color

 In love with these little sheets!

I need a baby elephant intervention.

not kidding.

Crazy Saturday night at the Wood house!

Some of our awesome friends came over Saturday night and cooked us dinner and helped build the chest. The dresser will be assembled soon! After the surgery/spending the night in the hospital we were pretty wiped out, so having them come over to help us was such a huge help. We are so lucky!

My patient is doing wonderfully! The surgeon said his disc was herniated so badly (and pressing into his nerve so hard) that it had attached itself to the nerve. They had to unattach the two before they could remove the disc material. His healing process may take a little longer because now the nerve also has to heal, but either way he'll be up and running before Baby Girl arrives.

Needless to say we definitely made the right decision going w surgery. I'm even happier we chose NOT to do it in St Cloud. I'm so pleased with how everything went and his surgeon was really great. I can't say enough good things about him. The first time he had this done was about 5 years ago and from what he says it was a total nightmare, so we have both been dreading this. But, so far, this entire process has been much easier than I expected.

Funny how things change in a year! Though this isn't ideal, it's nothing compared to what we were dealing with this time last year: my Dad's quadruple bypass/Cartoid surgery/ICU/A-Fib/pacemaker/2 week hospital stay nightmare. SO glad that's over. Glad this is almost over, too.

-LJ

Umm...Did Caesar Live Here?

A few weekends ago Ben and I went to Vegas for his brother's wedding. We got to see friends that we haven't seen much since moving to MN, & Ben's extended family members from all across the country, and of course Ben and I got a sister-in-law! We had such a great weekend!

Ben and I somewhere in Caesar's Palace



The 2nd baby Ben has ever held, he looks a little scared!

Our date night was so much fun! We had dinner at a place called Trevi inside the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace. The atmosphere and the food couldn't have been more perfect. The boys were troopers too, I'm sure they'd rather be at the casino than out with the women. :)
 

Ben and I at dinner for date night! 



Fountain of the Gods, our dinner table was right in front of it.

 

Date night!

 

Ben and friends (all of these guys were in our wedding!)



fountains at the Bellagio....
post-cry/tears of pain from walking for.e.ver to try and ride the gondolas at the Venetian.
They were sold out.... so we did this instead.
It was gorgeous! So worth all the trouble
(before we left for the night I had to go buy these ugly leggings bc it was soooo cold in Vegas!)

 

soooo pretty, I'm so glad Ben took me

 The bachelorette party was such a fun night! I planned the Chippendales party and at the time, I wasn't pregnant. I was a little afraid strangers would give me judge-y dirty looks for being pregnant and being there, but it seemed like no one really thought anything about it. I definitely broke the caffeine rule, but pregnancy exhaustion + Vegas...what can ya do? I'm sure she's fine.

After the Chippendales!! Bachelorette party night
(calm down, they don't actually take their clothes off...well, not all of them. lol!)



Even pregnant girls are allowed to have a little fun!
Our fabulous bartender kept the diet cokes coming -
 Baby Girl was dancing the whole time! She likes to party!



Bride and bridesmaids getting ready!

Ben and his brother, my MIL crying in the background :)
I have no idea who the weird Cyndi Lauper looking chic in the background is,
she must've been a guest of the prior wedding.



Wedding Party!



Ben and I at the wedding reception



We had such a fun weekend!! By the end of the trip to say we were exhausted would be a total understatement. It was sooo worth it and the wedding was perfect.  I'm so glad Ben was able to get a much needed break from his daily grind. He deserved it!

-LJ

Pregnancy Advice

...is pretty annoying, really...unless it has to do with how to get some sleep - then I'm all ears. Since announcing our pregnancy we've received advice on pretty much everything...except maybe the one thing that would have been useful.


Yesterday, as I was in my underwear (whatever, it's hot in my house!) scrubbing my bathroom floor with bleach and a toothbrush, I was wishing for perhaps the one piece of pregnancy advice no one ever gave me:


Just because you're pregnant, not sleeping, not feeling well...there's NO excuse to slack off on your housework! One day you'll wake up and realize holy cow, this place looks like a frat house, how did I let this happen?? - and then you'll make an Excel spreadsheet of what all needs to done, divide it up per section of the house and on which day of the week it needs to be completed, and then color code it when it's done. That's normal, right?!


In other news, Baby Girl's closet is out.of.control. and I love it.



Grandma and Mawmaw have bought a lot, Mommy has bought a little, and I have a friend who's little girl was born last winter and very generously donated a ton of stuff. We are so blessed!

I love going in there and playing with all her stuff - hanging it all up, organizing, putting up labels,  and getting it all just right. Usually after I've been in there for a while my husband will come in and see what I'm doing, give me a kiss and tell me he loves me, then he'll smile and look at me like I've gone crazy...then he leaves me in there to play as long as I want.  He's going to be such a sweet Daddy!

"Babe, stuff like putting together cute outfits, and what other hair bow colors does she need...that's all you. I'm really gonna need you to stop asking me for advice on this kinda stuff." - Ben

hahahha, he'll get used to it =)

-LJ







20 wk appt!

My 20wk appt was last week, in the midst of the rush to get ready for Vegas. She's definitely a girl!!! They checked for birth defects and any abnormalities and I am very happy that so far - everything looks perfect!! Her head is measuring to a due date of February 18, but apparently that's totally normal, so they won't change my due date. For the first part of the ultrasound she was swimming around and giving us a lot of good pictures....for the second half we learned, she is so stubborn!!! I have no idea where she could be getting that from! No matter how hard we tried, she absolutely would not come out of this position:

Even the ultrasound tech was laughing at how stubborn she is. He said he'd never seen a baby so determined to stay in one position!

I'm so happy that everything seems to be going perfectly with our baby girl. Everything is going well with me so far, too. I am feeling much better! She finally lets me eat (sometimes), so I've gained about 5 pounds. 

I scheduled my 40 wk appt for Feb 21 - 1st thing in the morning!! That way if she's not here yet, it will be 1 day after my due date and they'll send me straight to the hospital to be induced. Feb 21 is also my sister's birthday, so that would be neat! Her due date is March 5, and she found out last week there is a 95% chance she is finally having a GIRL!! SO exciting!! I can't wait to start buying extra pink stuff!!!

I'm hoping to be able to write more soon, if I can ever get rested up from Vegas! Baby girl was a dream the whole time, she likes to go places - just like her Mommy!


-LJ

Glory Days!

This song makes me laugh, big time.



It makes me laugh bc it is probably one of the top 10 dumbest songs ever made. But, also because it is exactly the kind of song I would've had blaring on the ipod....5 years ago in my college apartment, back when size 2 me and my hot friends were getting ready to hit the bar and sucker a bunch of boys into buying all our drinks, dressed in cowboy boots and mini skirts. Oh, Glory Days!!

And because now...
I'm 20wks pregnant feeling like a giant beluga whale, today I made a special trip to Macy's just for granny maternity panties, and can't even remember the last time I wore a bra that's made without elastic.

And somehow, I have a wonderful husband who tells me I am beautiful every.single.day.

And, I wouldn't change a thing.

-LJ