Monday, July 23, 2012

It's Like Waiting For Santa!

I feel like I am waiting for Santa to come!
Not because of presents, but due to the excitement of my soon-to-be guests!
My sweet friend, Jilly, is coming along with... drum roll please... Katie Bubbles!
Katie is her oh-so-adorable, squishy, cuddly dog.
Also known as Jimmy's girl crush!
J is staying with my parents for a few days, but will certainly be here for part of Katie's stay so they can have some fun times together!
I'm not sure how much blogging I will be doing while Jilly is here, but I really hope to have some fun stories and pictures to share after the visit.

Thankfully she is more like family than a friend because today is my hardest day yet. I think I am struggling the most with being pregnant today than any day so far (besides the whole morning sickness thing). She is the super clean, super chef, super friend, and she is going to see my reality these days! Oh, and the anxiety of making dinner for someone who actually got paid to be someone's cook? Yikes!!

She is going to see our home just like it always is... Clean, but not scrubbed. I had all intention for making today my scrubbing day, cleaning everything perfectly, so it would be just right for her arrival, but I can barely do a thing.

I loaded my first load of wash. Sat down.
Unloaded the dishwasher, then sat down.
Re-loaded the dishwasher, and again, sat down.
Vacuumed our bedroom... yes, I then sat down.
Vacuumed our bathroom... sat down.
And now I am sitting down, blogging, and will shortly get up to switch loads of wash, to then go back and sit down.
The girls will be here in about two and a half hours and I know I won't get everything on my list accomplished.

She is getting finger prints and dust bunnies.
Dirty windows and a full garbage can. 
Unmopped floors and smudges on our fridge.
I have a few things to bring upstairs and get ready for their visit, and I have to vacuum the den.
There will be no dusting, but I thought that would be nice. She can leave her autograph in the dust. ;)
How does a house get so dusty so fast?! I just dusted a few days ago.
I just scrubbed a week ago.
It seems like some things need to be done daily, or else it sneaks up on you!

So, my clean, yet unclean little home, along with one very pregnant, tired momma, are waiting for Jilly and Katie's arrival!

Here's to a fun week ahead! Dust, swollen feet, and all!!

Note: Our house isn't disgustingly dirty. Please don't think that! It's just not in tip-top shape! ;)

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Leftovers: Thoughts and Food

We're having leftovers again tonight.
I'm not a big fan of them. I don't mind eating them, but I feel like I've failed in making a delicious, freshly cooked meal on the nights we eat re-heated food from the refrigerator.
With only about 6 weeks to go before our boys are born, I am getting tired quicker, my back hurts more, and my swollen feet increase by the minute when I stand.
Thus, nightly home cooked meals are a bit few and far between.
With the amount of swelling in my legs/feet, I have to lower and watch my salt.
I'm not one that cooks with a lot of it, nor do I add much to my food after the fact, but there is a lot of pre-made ingredients that have it. So cooking for me has become quite the chore.
Last night I made a fresh batch of spaghetti sauce, which then caused a night (and into this afternoon) full of extra heartburn, so I am not sure what to do about this evening's dinner.

A bit of my leftover thoughts...

Last week we had such a lovely visit with family (from Mono's side). Mami, Bello, and Bella came and stayed for about 10 days or so. We were so pleased to have them here and keep them as long as we did!! Family visits are always so great, and never long enough. The crazy thing about this visit was it is the last one before our little men arrive! Next time we see them, the boys will either be just about to make their grand entrance into the family or it will be at their Baptism shortly after... it all depends on when family can arrive. It truly blows my mind to think of that! 
Only 6 more weeks to go being a family of two three (sorry Jimmy). Soon there will be five of us! Mono, Marezy, Jimmy and the two little men... who still don't have set names!

I need order, formality, cleanliness... I'm not the neatest person. I'm not OCD clean or anything like that, but I am seeing more and more how I need to have things in the places they belong, not have a million things out, etc... I am sure a lot of that has come with living with my husband these past 9 and a half months! He is so neat, so clean, and so orderly! Sometimes it drives me up a wall, but I am honestly very grateful to be married to someone that truly likes to take care of his and our things. A lot of guys are not as neat as him, in fact, maybe even slobs, so I have a lot to be thankful for! He is rubbing off on me more and more. Sometimes it makes me wish I had more money to spend on little organization projects, decorating a little differently with better furniture to be more functional, but for now, we are blessed, happy.... and clean!

Yesterday, only 9 or so months later, I finally finished our honeymoon album! About two years ago I had purchased a Groupon for an album/photobook company that I had planned on saving for something important... like our wedding or honeymoon. We will have an album from our photographer for our wedding, so for now, I thought it would be best to have an nice book to treasure our photos in. I've never made a book before and had quite the frustrating moments, but thankfully Mono is quite the computer man and was able to find quick fixes for me. It made me realize even more how I am far from being able to use photoshop! ha. I can't wait for it to get here, and I am praying hard that there are no errors in it. It will be so nice to have it in our little collection of coffee table books in our den!

While Mono's family was here and we were together, my parents were up in New York with all of my Mom's side of the family for a big celebration. It was really hard on me not being there. Not only did I miss celebration number one being my baby shower, but I was missing number two as well! I'm dying to get away, even for a day to the beach, much less a whole visit with family up north, but thankfully my Dad had it set up that I could be on either Skype or Facetime quite a bit during their party! It was great to see everyone and be as much a part of the day as possible! They were celebrating birthdays, graduations, new jobs, engagements... the whole works! At one point my cousin got me aka the iPad a chair so I could sit there and everyone could see me while we chatted. It was quite amusing. As much as I love living here in the south, I miss family. I wish it were easier for them to travel down here to visit. I'd love to show them around, have them stay for a while in our home, take them to our favorite vacation spot on the Gulf... But for now, and until the boys are old enough to travel up there, we're going to have to make do with chatting via a webcam.

A pregnancy update for all of you:
I'm 31 weeks, leaving only about 6 weeks to go according to my doctor!
So hard to believe that it was at this stage of the game in the beginning that I told my family I was pregnant - 6 weeks along with many more to go. Now I only have 6 to go before our cuties are cuddled and safe in our home with us!

At our last visit I gained more weight, which is a good thing of course, but the number keeps inchin' on up there! It's all in my stomach which everyone says is good and the boys are quite the big guys already so maybe that adds to the number on the scale!
One little man moves more than his brother, which makes me a tad on the nervous side. I wish I could feel them both move the same amount. And some times I can't tell which boy it is that is doing the moving. It does seem like it is all coming from Baby A (the lower one).
My right foot/leg is still like a gorilla. I am keeping it up, trying to stay off of it as much as possible and reducing any salt I can. Hopefully it won't get too much worse because I am only able to pretty much fit into one shoe... my Havianna flip flops!
The past few nights (besides last night) I had actually gotten a better night's rest than I have been getting. It's still certainly no way near great, but there was an improvement that I was more than happy to welcome!
When our family was here, each morning Bella saw me she'd say she thought my stomach grew since the night before... and I think she may be right! My tummy is growing by the minute it seems! I have no idea how I am going to even last the 6 or so weeks that are left! Can my skin stretch that much!?
The boys may still be somewhat nameless, but their room is ready... for the most part! They won't be in it for a while, but it is still ready for their arrival! Cribs are up, dresser is cleaned and filled, initial clothes and some random things are in our room. We still have to hang a few things in their room, set up their changing table and work on making sure our room has everything needed in it to be ready for them to join the crowd!
 30 week bumps
I'm not nesting yet... not sure if I even will. I told Mono that I think I am too fat to nest. haha. I keep my house as clean as I am capable to, I have projects done that I wanted done... It will be interesting to see if it creeps up on me between now and the end of August. I have a few things I need to look for and do before they come, but nothing too major... well, all but one thing isn't major.
The wall above our fireplace looks quite lonely. Ever since we moved in, I have put off painting something to hang there. I know once our little guys are here, there will be no painting in my schedule for quite some time, so I am going to attempt painting and finishing something to hang there in a frame.
I am very critical of myself when it comes to paintings I do and I am known to get nearly all the way through one, hate it and not be satisfied and just throw in in the bottom of a closet somewhere to collect dust and never finish. I am really praying that that does not happen with this one. I hope I can be content in my work enough that we can frame and hang it within the next few weeks. We shall see!

Last but not least in my update for you, my sweet friend is coming to visit, along with Jimmy's sweet girlfriend (her dog). I am really looking forward to having them in our home for a few days!! I wish I was a little bit more capable of having things just right for her visit, but she will totally understand if there is a little dust or not a ton of home-cooked meals. It will be so nice to have time to chat, catch up on all her latest goings on in life, relax and do a few fun things together! I am sure I will post about her visit once it happens!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Why Do I Complain?

Oh, it is such a beautiful morning outside! In the low 70's, with the warm sun, and a slight breeze. The birds are chirping and the breeze is swaying our wind chimes so they sing to me!
I was out earlier with Jimmy and was wishing I could have stayed out for a longer period of time.
If my computer wasn't in need of being plugged in for charging (I had it in bed in the wee hours of the morning when I couldn't sleep so it ran out of battery), I'd be sitting out there while I blog.
All is quiet in the house right now and I have Jimmy sitting right beside my gorilla foot as I write.
I'd take a picture of that foot of mine for a pregnancy update, but I don't want to scare anyone. It's not such a pretty sight. Even though having only one foot swollen makes me look lopsided, I am glad it is just one and not both. At least I still have one semi-nice looking ankle left... for now.
Mami, Bello, and Bella are visiting us for a while and we have really been enjoying their stay. It is always so, so nice to have family here visiting. Lots of house projects have been going on, and will probably continue through their visit. Bello seems to know how to do a bit of everything and we have gotten things in great need of fixing, done and like new! But for now, everyone is asleep, and it is just me and the J.
I'm 30 weeks today, which really excites me! That means the boys arrival will be here somewhat soon! I think it really just hit me, like really hit me, that life will be forever changed and we will have two little guys here with us. I knew life would change and I knew they'd be coming, both things I am excited for and looking forward to, but it hadn't really hit me up until now.
I had my first dream of them last night and I loved it. I can't fully remember the details, but it went from when they were first born until maybe they were about 1-2 months old and we went to visit Mono at work. I loved those little guys so much in my dream, so I cannot even imagine how much I will love the real thing! 
I go back to the doctor on Thursday and we will find out how big the boys are! I am really looking forward to that. I want to see if they are still quite a bit ahead of the growing schedule. 
I am also curious to see how much weight I have gained. Mono thinks my belly gets bigger each and every day. I think he may be right.
Thankfully besides my gorilla foot, most all of the weight has gone to my stomach. I have a feeling with one and a half to two months left, I am going to reach quite the number on the scale! haha. I'm not too worried. In time, I'll get somewhat back to normal... hopefully.

So far you're not seeing where the title of this post had anything to do with what I am writing, but now you'll see.
Do you ever find yourself complaining (even if it is just to yourself) about things in life that are really not that bad, but know of others who really have something to complain about?
I have found myself doing that, not just while being pregnant, but it comes out even more now.
I'm huge. I'm incredibly uncomfortable at times, my back and hip are killing me, I can't sleep a wink, heart burn... the list goes on. But why do I moan to myself about those things when within a few weeks, it will all be worth it to have our boys with us.
But even still... even if this wasn't coming to an end. So what! Big deal my hip hurts. Big deal I have heart burn. 
In the past 3-4 weeks or so, our really good friend had a serious accident, leaving him nearly fully paralyzed and he fights back with all of his strength each day to recover... He has something to complain about.
I know of a young man in the military, who was recently married, only about 24 years old, that was overseas for a mere 3 days before being killed in the line of duty... His family has something to complain about.
A young wife and mother of 3, losing her horrible battle to cancer... Her husband, children, and family have something to complain about.
A young man, around 30 or so, again, losing his battle to cancer... His family and friends have something to complain about.
People diagnosed with horrible sicknesses... They have something to complain about.
It goes on and on.
But me? Why am I complaining, when my "ailments" are so petty and so temporary?
I have to remember what people are going through before I complain and moan about how hard it is to turn over at night.
How ridiculous of me! 
Just one more thing to add to my very long list of my incredible weaknesses!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Dear Santa,

Dear Santa,

I know it is a bit early. It's not even July 4th yet, but I wanted to put something on my list.
I am not sure where exactly this would sit in our home, but it is something I would love.
There are a lot of things that I really, really love, but this would be used for giving to others... and you know that is one of my very favorite things to do! 
Not only do I love to give, but I love to present it nicely.
One thing I have been wanting to do is have only a few things to choose from, a few colors, a few types of accessories... one look for each occasion.
This would keep things a lot simpler.

So I ask for Christmas, for this bit of loveliness from Martha's collection.
I can picture it perfectly. 
One roll of brown paper for shipping (and wrapping too).
One roll for Christmas.
One roll for birthdays.
One roll for every day occasions.
Cubbies for handy accessories needed while wrapping the perfect gift.
A row of ribbons, wired, bakers twine, raffia....
And then the clean and open workspace to wrap the package.
Four drawers to hold tissue paper to coordinate with each of the wrapping papers I have chosen, and a drawer for good ol' white tissue.
Then some fun deeper drawers for embellishments and tags for the tops of gifts.

 Can it be any more perfect?
Can't you just picture that being the perfect gift?
Besides being a wife and mom, the two dream jobs that I'd love to do are open an orphanage and wrap gifts. Yes, two very different loves, but they are both in my heart... both for giving. The orphanage is way out of my ability, but the gift wrapping can be done in my own little way for family and friends during the year.
So Santa, if I am on the nice list, and you can send one of your elves to find just the right spot, I'd love to see this under the tree!

Love,
Mary Anne

Doing it All

Do you ever wish you were born to be able to do it all?
Maybe you have been blessed with that gift.
I have not.
I don't know if it is being extra tired and large lately or it's just not in me, but I can't do nearly all of it.
 I want to have an awesome prayer schedule... daily... and have it come so naturally.
I want to take amazing pictures with my camera that is left sitting out waiting to be used.
I want to have thoughtful words for others... and for blogging.
I want to use my talents and creativity for my family.
I want to cook simple, but delicious meals that have a good presentation... with my nice dishes and cloth napkins.
I want to have new freshly baked treats on hand in our kitchen.
I want to be prepared for all the holidays, even if it is just in simple ways.
I want to have thoughtful, simple gifts, wrapped just so.
I want my house to be tidy and welcoming, with not much out and around, everything having their place, just so.
I want to keep in touch with family and friends better than I do.
I want to be patient, loving, humble, and meek.
I want to be a better wife in every way.
I wish I could have the perfect tended garden, with flowers over flowing on my back deck, veggies waiting to be harvested from raised beds and herbs ready to be picked for fresh meals.
I could go on forever. I just wish I could do it all.
The thoughts and desire all come naturally to me and they are deep desires, so why can't I do it?
Sometimes I think I complicate my life in ways that don't need to be and that distracts me and makes me unable to simply life to be able to have some of these things happen. None of them are hard or incredibly lofty ideas, but I just can't seem to get it right. Maybe I should pick one want at a time, and try to master that well, or at least get a grip on it. 
 
Do any of you ever feel this way? Have you found any solutions that have been helpful?