Life After I "Dew"

Can you believe it's really been almost a month since I did a belly pic/bumpdate?  Second pregnancy syndrome anyone?

Well...I hate to report, not much has changed since that last bumpdate.  I still feel great, for the most part.  My tailbone still aches every once in a while from when I fell down the stairs, around 12 weeks, and my hips hurt during the night from sleeping only on my sides.  Other than that, I am feeling really great!  My pregnancy with Kendall was much the same, guess I was just meant to grow babies.

My belly {and boobs for that matter} are getting bigger and I swear in this past week I've grown two sizes.  I'm officially in all maternity clothes, all the time.  Right now I love wearing maternity clothes but I know that will change and I'll be dying to get back into pants with a real button soon enough.

In case you missed it, Baby Dew #2 has a full name now!  James Weston Dew.  I am in love.  Weston was a name we were considering before we decided to go the family name route and I just think it sounds perfect.  I love that it will be a great grown-up, man name as well.  Kendall knows his name and says "JAMES! Wes-tin Dew!" so proudly. I still haven't gotten used to calling him James.

I'm feeling movement more each day but still nothing constant.  It's mostly at night, once I sit/lay down for the first time all day and I usually am laying on my side when I notice it.  I have been getting little glimpses of movement throughout the day and I love it. I can't wait till it's a regular occurrence. Jimmy and Kendall are still waiting to feel him move and I just cannot wait for that day!  I just felt him from the outside for the first time this week so hopefully not too much longer before they can get in on the action.

I took a little hiatus on working out for a couple of weeks but this week I'm back at it!  I'm definitely looking bigger than I did at this point with Kendall but I don't know where I stand as far as weight gain.  I just know that I want to remain as active as possible throughout, regardless of what the scale says.  I still feel really great.

We have yet to make any progress on the nursery yet.  We have time though, right?  I've gotten a few things, mostly decor stuff but nothing major has happened and probably won't for a little while longer.  I do know that once it does happen baby brother is going to have his drawers full of clothes!  I've bought a few things here and there but his cousin gave him boxes of clothes that will last through 6 months, if not longer!  Kid is set and will be stylin'.

Next week is my 20 week appointment where we'll have our official gender/anatomy scan.  I cannot wait to see his sweet little profile again.  Oh, and he better still be a he...

This week I'm saying SO WHAT! if...

• I ask Jimmy every day if I look more tan!  I got 2 new bottles of sunless tanning lotion this weekend and they are working!
• I bribed Kendall to eat her dinner with the promise of a cookie.  She ate her dinner and guess what?  She had no room for the cookie.  Mom-1, Child-0.
• I think that Brandi Glanville's book, Drinking & Tweeting, is going to be the next book I read.
• I'm so far behind on RHBH and Teen Mom 2 but I'm using it as motivation to get my butt back on the treadmill.
• After reading all the Blissdom posts, I'm glad I didn't go.  Mean Girls? Ain't nobody got time for that!
• I'm currently wearing sweatpants with more holes than a golf course yet I refuse to throw them away.
• I let Kendall eat 3 sticks of string cheese yesterday.  Here's hoping she doesn't end up constipated.
• I got more excited than most when Kendall asked me to braid her hair 2 days in a row.  This is HUGE, people.
• I love sites like Save1 where you can type in the name to any store you are looking for to find an online discount code or an in-store coupon.  Seriously I never shop without checking for a discount first.  But a bonus to this site?  Every purchase using one of their codes provides a meal to a hungry child!  
• I've already started pinning ideas for Kendall's 3rd, Chuck-E-Cheese birthday.  I'll be 100 months pregnant and it'll be her last birthday without a sibling.  It has to be awesome.
• I will find 500 other things to do to avoid unloading the dishwasher.
• I was shocked to come home from my girls weekend to find that Jimmy did NOT trash the house. 

1. If calories didn't count, I would eat...bagels with cream cheese for breakfast, pizza for lunch and endless pasta for dinner.  Take that carbs!  Oh and I'd top it all off with ice cream, every night.

2.  On my prom night...I was not having sex.  I went to my senior prom with my BFF {one of The Pregnants from this weekend} and it was lame but we loved it anyway.  My prom dress cost more than my wedding dress.  Nothing will piss your mom off more than spending a small fortune on your prom dress only to end up going with a group of friends.

3.  When I go to the store, I always buy...stuff for tacos.  We eat them every week because they are easy and I am lazy.

4.  Family functions typically...end with me being so stuffed I cannot breathe.  No, really.  I have no portion control when it comes to that, even when I'm not pregnant.

5. I think my blog readers...are amazing for reading my nonsense over the year.  I thank you all.

6.  I'd much rather be...rich. I know they say money doesn't buy happiness but it would buy more propane so I could heat my house seeing as that damn groundhog was 100% wrong. Heat=happiness.

7. I have an obsession with...warm weather, blogging, Twizzler bites, and nap time {for KP, not me}.

8.  My work friends...are two-years-old.

9. When I created my Facebook account...I thought it was so lame and Myspace was so cool!

10.  My least favorite word is...nonexistent. Used to be panties but now we use that word on the daily.

11.  I don't really remember...high school.  No really.  The Pregnants and I were talking about that this weekend.  I wasn't even on drugs or drunk {well sometimes} and I can't remember a thing.  Except for pizza lasagna because no one could forget that shit.

12.  Justin Bieber...needs to retire.  The real Justin {Timberlake} is back now so, take a seat.

While the rest of the blog world was off at Blissdom I was off enjoying some quality time with two ladies I love and are the closest thing I'll ever have to sisters.  Collectively we've been friends for 25 years and no matter what happens in life we always there for each other.

You know what's even cooler?  We're all pregnant. Due within 3 months of each other, May, July & August.  It's really cool and when we all go out in public it's like a freak show.  No, really.  We got all sorts of stares, comments, reactions, etc.  It was really fun.  We ate tons of junk food, got pedicures, went to Target ALONE,and even did face masks Saturday night.  Because no sleepover is ever complete without a facial.

It was just what the doctor ordered and I came home feeling refreshed and ready to be a mom and wife again. Best of all?  The house wasn't a total wreck when I got back!  Even sweeter?  Jimmy and Kendall had so much fun, just the two of them, and it made me feel even better about leaving for a couple of days.  Last night when he was putting her to bed he took his guitar into her room and I heard him over the monitor.  He had learned how to play "I See the Light" from Tangled {KP's favorite movie} and was singing her to sleep.  Talk about a total heart-melter.

***

You know what's not cool?  The white stuff I {and the rest of the mid-west} woke up to today.  I mean, it's spring, right?  You wouldn't know it looking out my windows.  So instead of complaining and posting nasty pictures of the 4-5 inches that is piled up on my deck I'm going to think warm thoughts and look at our beach pics until spring decides to follow suit.  If I will it, it will come, right?

***

I finished Gone Girl last week and I take back what I said about being friends with Amy.  Psycho.  I still stand by saying that I think Reese Witherspoon will do a good job in that role.  I can see why people don't want her to play a crazy girl {we all love Reese} but I think she'll be perfect because she's THAT good.  I, unlike everyone else, did not hate the ending.  It {kind of} ended the way I thought it would and in a twisted way {like the book was} I think it was the perfect ending.  The only thing I will say is that since the rest of the book was SO intense I thought the ending was a little...rushed?  But other than that I thought it was awesome.  Now I need a new book to read.

***

Kendall is full on having conversations these days and it's so cute and funny to hear the things that come out of her mouth is so amazing to me.  How do they come up with these things?  She's even been going by an alter-ego this weekend.  Apparently starting Friday night she wanted to be called "Kendee" and "Kendee" is wild and talks in jibberish...I mean, really?  Where did this come from?  I swear just as soon as you think you can't love one stage more than the last they go and do something ridiculously awesome, like that, and you find yourself saying "this is my favorite age" every time.

***

I have a bumpdate coming this week.  I can't believe I'm almost halfway through this pregnancy and I haven't done a belly pic {besides the occasional Instagram pic} since I was 15 weeks.  Well, I guess I can because not a whole lot has happened except I think my belly grew 2 sizes this weekend and I'm starting to feel movements throughout the day, not just at night, now.  Oh, and, in case you don't follow me on Instagram we have a full name now, James Weston Dew.  I kinda, sorta am IN LOVE with it.  The rest will have to wait till the officially bumpdate.

***

Happy Monday!  

This week I'm saying SO WHAT if...

• I could eat pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I never get full off of it.
• I don't feel the least bit guilty about leaving my husband and child this weekend.  
• I'm addicted to Twizzler bites.  OMG so good.
• Pretty much every text I send has an emoticon with it.
• I don't know if I'm more excited about getting my hair done tomorrow or my girls trip this weekend.
• I bought the Peach Bellini Crystal Light so I can feel like I'm having a cocktail every once in a while.
• I forgot how much I love feeling baby kicks.
• I can't wait for the day that Kendall just wants to sit and color for more than 2.5 seconds.
• I'm dedicating all of my "free time" to reading Gone Girl.  I must finish it by Friday!
• I plan on not opening my computer all weekend.  In fact, I don't even think I'm going to take it with me.
• I deleted my Poshmark account after having no success with it.  Everyone else loves it, I think it's annoying.
• I get really annoyed when people link up here without writing a SWW post.
• I show Kendall pictures of little girls with pigtails in hopes getting her to let me put some in her hair.
• I don't know what Google Reader being gone is going to do as far as this blog is concerned but I joined Bloglovin' just in case.

All items must go!

With Baby Dew #2 approaching it's time for us to realize that Jimmy and I will now be sharing a closet. We have NEVER shared a closet before. This has got to be some form of torture but to make room for my darling husband means I have to get rid of some things.  Today, it's purses.

 I guarantee all items are 100% authentic, come from a smoke-free home and most are in like new condition {aka like brand SPANKING new} or gently used {see notes}.  If you are interested in any PLEASE leave your email in the comments section.  **must have PayPal account**

The Prada MV633 Tessuto Pochette Bag.
Perfect little black bag for an evening out.  Used a dozen {or so} times.  In like new condition. Retails for $250, asking $60 shipped.

Coach Signature Mini Wallet  **SOLD**

Small wallet, perfect for a few cards and some money.  One pocket on the exterior backside.  Key ring to attach keys or attach it to your purse.  Brand new condition {used a handful of times}.  Retails for $40, asking $15, shipped.

Coach Leather Mini Wallet

Same as above but in dark brown leather.  Asking $15, shipped.

Coach Penelope {leather}  **SOLD**

Beautiful blue color, perfect for spring {color like the top left image}.  Like new aka brand new condition.  Carried a dozen or so times.  Retails $348, asking $125 shipped.

Coach Hampton Hobo {leather}  **SOLD**

Like new condition.  Perfect for everyday use.  Retails for $268, asking $90 shipped

Juicy Couture choker/necklace

Mix of gold & rhinestones with large safety pin closure. Never worn. Smoke free home. Original box.  Retails for $125, asking $45 shipped.

I'd be happy to answer any questions.  All items up OBO so if you'd like to make an offer I'll entertain anything at this point.  Let me know if you'd like to see more pictures.  

Please make sure if you leave a comment there is an email attached too!  

Thanks for shopping!

First let's talk about "mom guilt".  I don't know the exact definition but it's basically when you {a mom} feel guilty doing something 1. for yourself, 2. without your child.  I think it's a pretty common thing that comes with having a child.  You are bound to feel like you should be devoting all of your time and energy to your child.  But, truth be told, I need some "me time" to be a good mom.

This weekend I'll be gone from Jimmy and Kendall for the longest time since she's been born and I don't feel slightly guilty about it.  I will leave Friday evening and come home sometime Sunday, if they're lucky.  {I'm going on a girls weekend trip with my two best friends, not Blissdom like the rest of The Blog World.}  The longest Jimmy has had to be alone with Kendall is a few hours, while I get my hair done, go to dinner with my friends, go on a blogger meet-up, etc.  I don't feel guilty taking this time to myself because I need it, I deserve it.  I will be a better mom when I come home because I took this "me time".

This past weekend was great but it came to a crashing halt on Sunday.  I was barely asleep for 30 minutes when Kendall woke up and was then up for 2 1/2 hours just whining "mommy, daddy" over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and, well, you get the picture.  I was so defeated, so tired, so frustrated I cried and said to Jimmy, "I cannot wait to go away this weekend" {but not in front of Kendall}.  I think it's safe to say I had reached my breaking point.

I am with her for all day, every day.  I get her up, feed her, bathe her, clothe her, play with her, keep her safe, take her on play dates, put her to bed, normal every day mom stuff.  I don't miss a minute.  I am her main source of entertainment from the time she wakes up until she lays her pretty head on her pillow at night. It is all me, all day.  Jimmy's work schedule is so screwy right now that he sees her for about an hour Monday-Thursday, an hour.  So during that hour he plays with her and is the good/fun guy and then she takes a nap and by the time she wakes up it's back to just mom, just me and my girl.

There is nowhere else I'd rather be than at home with my daughter and I am so thankful that life has lead us to this place in our life.  I cherish the moments like waking up slowly and randomly going to the playground, things I would miss if I were working BUT that doesn't mean it doesn't take it's toll on me.  It does.  I wish I could be one of those "every moment is wonderful" moms but the truth is, some moments suck ass and make me want to run for the hills.  This past Sunday night was one of those moments.

So, no, I do not feel the slightest bit guilty packing my bags this weekend.  In fact, it cannot come soon enough.  I can honestly say that I give my child my all, I don't miss a thing she does, I am always here for her and I think that is why I can comfortably leave this weekend with no guilt.  What I do worry about?  The disaster of a house I'm probably going to come home to.  If it's not one thing it's another but I'll gladly deal with the mess for 2 days of sleep and peace and quiet and I know only good can come from our time apart this weekend.

What about you?  Do you have mom guilt or has anyone made you feel as though you should feel guilty for taking some "me time" when you are nothing but excited about a few moments to yourself?

Let's talk about being a first-time mom. You.Are.Clueless. Sure, you have 9 months to prepare, you read the books, you go to the classes, you are given all the {unsolicited} advice you could ever {not} want. Then, there you are, leaving the hospital with this brand new baby and you're like "OMG don't we get a pamphlet? Don't we need some sort of license?" And off you go.  Feeling clueless as ever.

The first few weeks are all about finding out what works, and it's all about survival.  In the anticipation of doing it all over again I thought it'd be fun to relive some of my "this worked for us" new mom moments.  Although reliving it is making me kind of nervous all over again. Something that we found, that worked for us, was that Kendall slept in her swing for like 3-4 months. She was in our room, she slept through the night, it was glorious. Who cares that we spent a pretty penny on her beautiful crib, if she slept we didn't dare change it.  We moved her to her room around 4 months and I remember that first night vividly.  Jimmy was freaking out, "Go get her!  I miss her!  I want her in here with us!" and here's Kendall "zzzzzzzzzzzzzz..." all night in her crib.  

The one thing I loved about our parenting style with Kendall was that we were never inflexible.  If Kendall wanted to eat every 2 hours instead of 3, fine.  If she wanted to nap in the morning, afternoon, and evening, that was ok with us.  It just wasn't worth it, for us, to try to be so rigid that we drove ourselves nuts.  Again, it's all about survival and that worked, for us. Then there's all the products.  Five million types of bottles, pacifiers, diapers, wipes, butt cream, you name it.  Baby stuff is serious, yo.  Again, we had to find what worked for us via trial and error.  Holy canoli.  I think we received every brand of every baby item possible.  Some things that worked for a lot of people didn't work for us or Kendall.  
One product that we loved?  Boudreaux's Butt Paste.  It was not oily like some of the others, the odor wasn't strong {heck, it was barely noticeable}, and it went on really easy.  I can honestly say that when we'd use it, her rash was gone by the next diaper change.   What was your go-to rash treatment?  Did you have any product you hated that others loved?


  Not only are they clever and have a great product, but they'd like to offer up a $100 Visa gift card to a lucky reader!  Holler!

Sweepstakes Rules:
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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
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This sweepstakes runs from 3/18/13 - 4/15/13
Be sure to visit the Boudreaux's Butt Paste brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Google Reader is going away, so I hear, and yeah you can follow me on Bloglovin' so you don't miss a single beat! I mean, could you imagine if you missed Baby Dew #2's arrival?
Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I remember a while back this little meme was going around where bloggers were professing what type of blogger they were/are. A fashion/style blogger, a DIY blogger, a health/fitness blogger, a wedding blogger, etc. I never "participated" at the time because back then I didn't know what type of blogger I was.  I didn't want to limit myself by categorizing just one area of my blogging life.

I talk about a little bit of everything around here.  Being a mom, food/recipes, weight loss {when there's no baby in my belly}, decorating {or lack there of}, the occasional bitch-fest, celebrity gossip, it's really the definition of hodge podge around here.  But, you know what?  I like it that way.

I like it that I can't fit myself under one label.  At first I thought, "I'm a mom blogger" and then I was like, "well, not really because I don't talk about how to raise your kid or offer the best parenting advice" so I wouldn't say that a "mom blogger" fits me completely.  When I was losing weight I did a few posts here and there about what was working for me but that doesn't mean I'm a health/fitness blogger.  I just redecorated our master bedroom but that surely doesn't qualify me in the same category as Young House Love or Bower Power.  I occasionally {rarely, these days} give my two cents regarding the haps in Tinseltown but I'm no Suri's Burn Book.

I just do me.  

I like to think I'm more than just a _______ blogger.  I like to think I'm the whole package, if you will.

That's the beauty of blogging though.  We are free to be whoever we want to be but there is one thing that is never cool and that's being fake.  No matter what I'm blogging about in the moment I hope that you always know what you "see" is what you get around here.  I pride myself on being honest 100% of the time and I'd hope that if we ever got the chance to meet in person you'd feel like I was the same in the flesh as I am behind the words on the screen.

I am a honest blogger.

This internet life is a tricky one because, as I said above, you get to be whoever you want to be online.  Kind of like that Brad Paisley song, "Online".  I've had the pleasure of getting to know a lot of bloggers "offline" {if you will}.  Ones I talk to on the phone, via email, text or Voxer.  Ones I'd consider my true friends, not just my "online friends".  In the same respect there have been a few bloggers that I loved reading their blog and then when I got to "know" them a little deeper, away from just reading each others blogs, and I was disappointed with what I "saw" and it kind of ruined that/those blog{s} for me.  You live and you learn.

My biggest piece of advice that I could give anyone looking to get their feet wet in this blogging business is to be yourself.  People love real, raw, honest, things they can relate to.  No one wants to read a "perfect" blog about the "perfect" life and "perfect" children because that shit doesn't exist and reading things like that only makes people feel bad about themselves and feel inferior.  That's not to say you have to air your dirty laundry either, just be real.

Sharing our strengths AND weaknesses is what most people {I} like to see.  Made a great recipe?  Share it!  Had a "I hate my kid day"?  Been there, done that, let's be friends.  Found a good sale?  Tell me more!  Need an extra glass of wine tonight?  Cheers!

Now that this post has officially gone in a completely different direction than I initially intended, I'll wrap it up by saying this.  Let's create a new category of blogging, honest bloggers.  How bout it?

Hope you have a great weekend!

Thanks to everyone who asked me a little something, something last week! I love hearing from my readers and what you are dying to know more about {insert sarcasm font because, let's face it, I'm not that entertaining}.  Let's just get right to it and for those of you that think this is just going to be a boring answers post, scroll to the bottom because now I have some questions for YOU!

1.  Amanda asked: "I'm having a hard time deciding if I want to have kids, when did you know that it was the right time? Did you plan to have kids sooner rather than later?"

I don't think there is ever a "right" time to have kids. If you are of the mindset that "we need to pay off this, buy this place to live, go here on vacation, etc" first I feel like there will always be something "next".  Does that make sense?  With that being said, I think that you'll know when you are ready to take on the responsibility of another life.  If you are still on the fence, I'd say you probably aren't ready.  At the same time, I never think you are fully prepared for all that comes with being a parent.

For us, I knew I wanted kids as soon as we said "I Do".  Jimmy was OK with waiting, enjoying some husband/wife time first but, as luck had it, we were pregnant one month after our wedding.  Looking back, my husband was probably right about enjoying some more husband/wife time but I wouldn't change our lives for anything.

2.  Jennifer asked:  "Are you guys still planning your annual summer trip?"

YES!  We have it all planned and I'll be 32ish weeks pregnant at the time.  As long as my doctor OKs it, we're going!

3. Michelle asked: "When I first started reading your blog you were team one and done. I would like to hear more about how/why you changed your mind (if you're willing to share)."

This week I'm saying SO WHAT if...

• I just now found out about the "do not disturb" feature on my phone.  Hello night time genius.
• I've eaten fast food more during this pregnancy than in the entire past year.
• I tip-toe down the hall when Kendall is sleeping because I SWEAR she can hear me breathe so certainly she'll hear my footsteps.
• It took me almost a month to actually take pictures of our master bedroom makeover.  
• I can't believe how close this blog is to having 2000 followers.  I have a big treat for you guys when that day comes!
• I record episodes of Friends every day to watch when there is nothing else on TV. Love that show.
• Kendall is in PJs more days than she is in street clothes.
• I'm going back to my roots {blonde} next week.
• Kendall owns more sunglasses than I do.
• I hate putting laundry away.  I'm good at most other household chores.
• I'm already tired of hearing about Blissdom.  There, I said it.
• We have absolutely no plans for St. Patrick's Day.
• I've already started using my sunless tanning lotions.  If I will spring it will come, right?
• I don't make our bed most days even though I said I would once we did the bedroom makeover.
• I freak out when we get low on anything and don't have a back up.  Toilet paper, laundry detergent, coffee, we must always have plenty of them in the house at all times.

This bedroom makeover has been years in the making.  When we first moved in {almost 3 years ago} we decided that all of the other rooms were more important, because more people see them, and so our bedroom has always been put on the back burner.  At first it didn't bother me because we didn't spend much time in there and so who cares.  Then one day it was like "DUH!" the reason we don't spend any time in there is because it SUCKS and we are husband and wife and damn it we deserve a nice place to rest our heads at night!

I had been bugging and nagging and bribing and begging Jimmy to "PLEASE let's redo our bedroom!!!" and finally, after nearly three years we have a place that we love to be in at night. Actually we just love being in there period.  I finally love showing guests our bedroom instead of closing the door and saying, "Oh it's a mess".

For reminders, this is what our room looked like when we first moved in.  I wish I could say it looked this "good" right before we redid it but sadly it got worse over the course of the years and the real "before" pics resemble a college dorm room, pathetic. We should be ashamed of ourselves.  Yes this was "good" for us.


Yeah, it got worse from there. Sad, huh?

The after required not that much work, actually.  We bought all new furniture and bedding but besides that I was able to use pieces from other areas of the house for decor.  Spray paint some frames, print some free printables from Pinterest, move lamps and frames from room to room {making more projects in those other rooms} but at least I'm finally happy with our room and we love to spend time in here now.


I can hardly believe this is the same room as before.  We loved the colors of the walls and so we knew we wanted to work with the grey.  I've always loved yellow and grey together and when I found this comforter at Kmart} for $30 I knew I had to have it and that's what I based the entire room off of.


My favorite part of the room is this view, right above our bed.  I love the mini collage wall and how it's not symmetrical yet still balances.  Does that make sense?  At first I didn't like the headboard of this bed, I'm still not in love with it, but it's very functional.  We have two drawers that we keep things like the remotes, Jimmy's watch, a book, loose change, etc in without having it cluttered all on top of the dressers.


This was the thing I couldn't wait for.  Curtains!  I hate hate hate vertical blinds and if I never see them again it'll be too soon.  Not to mention, when it storms or when Casey wants to go outside, she RUNS through them and when you are sleeping that shit scares you.  So new curtains have made a world of difference, not only aesthetically but for our sanity too.


Initially I wanted to do white furniture because of all the white trim and white doors but I kinda like the look of the black furniture with the white.  Plus when I mentioned white furniture to Jimmy he asked if I was trying to turn our house into a beach house...


Like I said, I used things that we had in other rooms of the house and one of them was this family picture {our last/most current one, shame}.  It was in our spare room {future nursery} and therefore we never saw it.  Now we see it every day and I'm so happy because this is one of my favorite pictures of us.

We need to get some throw/decorative pillows still and I'm thinking we need some sconces on either side of the mirrored dresser but right now I'm just thrilled with this much progress.  Hard to believe how long it looked like such a hot mess.  Oh and now that I'm seeing this in pictures I'm realizing how much those cream colored switch plates are annoying me and now I want to change all of those out.  So, besides those things, I love this room just as it is.

I'm so happy that this is finally finished and now I'm wondering why we waited so long.  Kendall loves it and every time she walks in she says, "OH look at mommy's new big girl bed!" and loves to snuggle in and watch movies at night before bed.  We all really love being in this room now and it feels good to finally show it off when people come over!

Currently I am...

Reading: Gone Girl.  I'm only about quarter of the way through it but I love the way it's written.  I love the way "Amy" talks and I think she and I would be friends.  I'm so curious to find out what happens and everyone has told me, "I hated the ending" so that makes me even more eager.  I hear Reese Witherspoon plays Amy in the soon-to-be-movie version and so far, that's a perfect match.

Listening To:  The Band Perry, Better Dig Two.  I don't know why I just love this dark, funny song.  Jimmy thinks it's weird, I think it's a love song.  Plus I kinda think The Band Perry can do no wrong.

Watching:  Pretty Little Liars.  My mom told me about this show when it first came on but for some reason it took every blogger in America to convince me that I need to jump on this bandwagon.  I am about halfway through season 2 and while I'm still hooked I'm sort of losing interest.  Like, can we find out who "A" is already?  It's driving me batty but keeps me watching at the same time.

Melting Over:  My big girl waking up in her new big girl bed.  We finally made the transition this weekend and I caught her waking up for the first time on video.  I think she loved it and I think I love her a little more.

Annoyed By: My stupid stuffy nose.  I swear this never happened when I was pregnant with Kendall and it's like payback times two.  Seriously.  My nose whistles when I lay down which only keeps me from sleeping which is the last thing I need right now.  My pregnancy apps say it's not going away anytime soon either.  Awesomesauce.

Wearing:  My colored maternity skinnies from Gap.  I have them in mint and purple {or neon violet} and if I could I'd wear them every day.  They're the softest skinny jeans I've ever owned and possibly the most comfortable maternity jeans I've ever wore.  I love that they make me stylish even when I'm feeling like a blimp.

Shopping For: Curtains for our dining area.  We have a very open kitchen/living room/dining room area so I'm in the process of making that area flow better.  If you know what I mean.  We have bamboo roller shades on the window right now {they came with the house} and while I kind of have a love/hate relationship with them I feel like the window needs some layering in the form of these pretties.

Writing:  Our bedroom makeover post.  I've been so excited about our new makeover and we've been enjoying our new living space {not new but we never spent any time in there because we hated it} and I need to share it with you!  I'm terrible at actually breaking out a real camera but I promise, it's coming this week.

Excited About:  Warmer weather.  This weekend gave me hope that spring is coming.  We played outside, enjoyed some sunshine on our faces, ate ice cream, cracked the windows {just a bit} while we were driving, it was glorious.  

Obsessed With:  GroopDealz and Ebates.  Are you signed up with GroopDealz yet?  They have the cutest, perfect for gift-giving {or keeping for yourself} things and CHEAP.  I have gotten a few necklaces and a cute monogrammed tumbler for KP recently and barely broke the bank.  The deals change daily so you have to be quick but I am positive you'll find something you {or someone you know} love.  And, I've said it before but I'll say it again, if you aren't shopping with Ebates, you're dumb.  They make it easy to earn money when you're shopping for things you'd already buy.  Last quarter my Big Fat Check was almost $900, I'm not kidding.

Laughing At:  Star Magazine reported that Kim Kardashian {who is due around the same time as me} has already gained 65+ lbs this pregnancy.  Now I find that hard to believe BUT if it is true, it makes my 11 lb weight gain seem A-OK and makes me feel good about myself.  Sorry, Kim.

Fridays always seem to be a little dull around the blog world so I thought I'd keep it interesting today and link up with
one of my favorite funny ladies, Holly, for Finish the Sentence Friday.  Here goes nothing...

This week I'm saying SO WHAT if...

• I'm addicted to buying Baby Brother clothes.  I cannot help myself.
• I still haven't gotten used to calling him James.
• He'll probably be Baby Brother for a while.
• Kendall actually thinks she is  a princess.
• Jimmy hates that I'm on a redecorating kick.
• We bake cookies at least once a week.
• I'm still complaining about winter.  Didn't the groundhog say early spring?
• I'm still shocked that so many people have signed up but have yet to use Ebates.  What are you waiting for?
• Hours after posting Baby Brother's name reveal and saying that we had no middle name, we came up with one.
• I think I'm over my ombre hair. 
• I've already gained 11.5 lbs this pregnancy.
• I still need to take pictures and do a master bedroom reveal.  It's coming. Soon.  I promise.
• I have gotten into the habit of taking a shower at night and then washing my hair {in the sink} in the morning.  Remember, I can't do 2 or 3 day hair.

Hey friends!

Lot's of new faces around here!  Welcome and I hope you'll stick around.  I promise to always try to keep it entertaining, maybe funny, and always honest.

Since I've noticed a lot of new followers I thought that maybe you guys might want to know a little more about me without having to go back through 900 some odd posts.

I'm opening this post up for a little Q&A sesh.  Dying to know more about The Dews?  Looking for pregnancy or parenting advice?  What do you want to see more of on L.A.I.D.?  Now is your chance.  Even if you just leave a comment saying "hi!", I'd love to hear from my new "friends".

I'll leave this open for questions, comments, concerns for a week and hopefully have the answers to all your burning questions next Monday!

Ask away!

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Because Shanna Said So | Gentri Lee | Ramblings of a Southern Belle

Meg O. on the Go | Along Abbey Road | Perception is Everything

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Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife | The Sunshine Diary | lala Lists

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