I just have to say...

Isn't it interesting when you talk to someone who always has something negative to say?  They always pick out the one thing that isn't working out for them or that everything would be great if it weren't for that one thing?  I find this irritating and confusing and I hope I never do it (I'm not saying I've never done it, but I hope I don't any more...)  All you can think about is getting pregnant and now that you are, you are so quick to complain about it?  You are dying to go on vacation and once you are there, you don't think the weather is nice enough?  You are so busy with work and the one day you are not as busy you feel bored?

Don't worry this post won't last long, I just have to say how important it is to be grateful for where you are at and to be able to acknowledge all the good in your life.  I know nothing and no one is perfect but now that we know that, let's move on!  Let's not expect everything to always work out no matter what.  Let's not expect everything to be perfect therefore you are less likely to be disappointed.

I just think we need to spend more time being grateful.  Finding the good in every day.  Finding the good in the people we come in contact with.  And this is a good reminder to us all and to myself.  We took some photos of Matt and I and my baby bump and it was so fun to just revel in my pregnancy a little bit more.  Yes it's hot out and yes I am moving slower than I ever have but it's for a bigger purpose and I am grateful for the time to slow down.  I wish a better perspective and a little more gratitude for us all.

Tales of a pregnant lady...

I thought about renaming our blog to "Tales of a pregnant lady" at least until baby is here.  Too much?  Alright, fine, I won't.  Even so, this journey of pregnancy and becoming a mother has been really amazing.  I love every little kick or punch or knee gouge I feel from this little one because it is the best reminder to just stop and be.  To just feel this little one explore her neighborhood (more or less) for now and I love it.  Even in the middle of the night when I move to my side and she doesn't seem to like it all that much so I move again, I still love it.  Because I know that this little one will be here in my arms and not in my belly (I know she's not really in my belly, but I am around kids a lot and that is what I say so deal with it).  Some days I feel like there is still a lot to be done before our little one arrives.  Some days I feel like I could go right back to bed after I eat my first breakfast (usually cereal and then an hour later I eat a muffin and a banana -delicious).  There are moments during the day I get irritated by the tiniest things that mean nothing - dirty dishes in the sink, the lawn needing to be mowed, or dust on the ceiling fans.  Other times I have a burst of energy where I clean almost every room in our house and it feels great.  And today I called Matt after I walked upstairs holding a laundry basket and I was out of breath!  All of these moments are small and add to this journey because the rest of the time I feel grateful.  So grateful that this little one chose us to be her parents.  So excited to hold her and kiss her face.  So scared to be a protective mom, but confident that Matthew will help keep me sane.  So unsure of whether I will have to work or want to work or trying to figure out all the finances that go along with being a parent.  I am so grateful.

Tips from a pregnant lady:
DON'T be rude to a pregnant lady, it's just mean and you don't want to add any extra stress because you can rest assured she has enough to worry about.
DO tell a pregnant lady she looks cute.  You will make her day.  Pregnancy is a beautiful thing and sometimes in our society we forget that.  IF you don't think she looks cute, then keep your mouth shut.  DON'T feel the need to tell her she has put on too much weight or not enough.  DON'T act like you know more about what is going on with her body than she does.

Good weekend!

What a nice weekend we had!  Friday night my good friend Alisa was in town with her husband Ryan and son Owen.  We visited them this past February and it was so fun to get to see them again in such a short amount of time!  We hung out at our house and then went out to dinner once Matt got home from work.

We then drove only two hours away to see our friend Dale and Jamee and they are now living closer to us (they used to live four hours away).  We saw their nice new house, sat out on the porch during a lovely cool evening and hung out with their daughter Lilli. We told Lilli I have a baby in my belly and she would stop her playing randomly, point to my stomach and then say softly "baby in there".

Dale and Lilli playing "airplane!" 

It was a great weekend seeing good friends.

I have started prenatal yoga and plan to go as much as I can over the next three weeks!

Well, that was nice...

I was at Target a few days ago with my hair in a pony tail (I don't tempt the humidity or heat with doing my hair on these hot summer days) and workout clothes (shorts and a t-shirt) and I noticed this woman probably in her early fourties walking with her young child near me.  I could feel her staring at me but just walked past her, before I made it too far away she quickly said "You look so cute!"  I kind of let out a surprised laugh and then said "Well, thank you!"  I shared this with my husband and a good girlfriend who had her son a few months ago.. we all decided it was definitely the best thing you can say to a woman who is 7 months pregnant.  It is still very surprising the rude things people tend to say (whether they mean well or not) but when someone goes out of her way just to say something sweet.  Well, that was nice!

I think we need to feel free to say more nice things to one another, especially if you can tell someone is not having a good day, or if you happen to notice they are carrying a child.  I now see pregnant ladies everywhere I go and sometimes will smile at them recognizing that they may smile back acknowledging the club we are now apart of together, or they might just look at me like a crazy lady.  Either way, it's the small things that help make ya feel good on hot, tiring days.

What the what...(some light reading)

So my full time job is kind of in limbo at the moment, our program has it's funding until September and with any luck we will get "renewed" for the next three years however that is not looking great.  One of our sister programs has already been completely cut and ends in July.  22 employees in another program were let go last week   Needless to say I am not feeling that secure at my current position, and more than anything I am focused on how we can best provide for our daughter that will join our lives in September with or without this job I have now.  Yesterday I went to a big event called "Get Motivated", the billboards advertise the many faces that may appear when they tour your city including; Colin Powell, Rudy Giuliani, Laura Bush, John Walsh, Joe Montana, Steve Forbes, and Bill Cosby (a few others but I don't feel like looking up their names as I forgot, but just think rich old white guy and you're set).  The arena was packed full of business people likely seeking a free training opportunity as myself and a few co-workers were.  The original price of these tickets was $235.  For real.  Thankfully they rethought that ridiculous idea and gave a ton of free tickets away, and apparently charged $2 bucks for the rest of them.  I think they realized it was more important to have butts in the seat rather than hold out until some goofball actually paid over two hundred dollars to go to this weird, weird event.

An old white guy started the day sharing stories of his success and different ways he has made money in the business world.  Next confetti covered the stage as Rudy Giuliani greeted us all and strategically dodged the confetti pieces from letting them cover his mouth.  His first comment was how the confetti reminded him of his dark days in New York with the endless amounts of snow and how he was blamed for the snow.  Next Laura Bush posed behind her podium as she updated us all on her family and their whereabouts. Mrs. Bush then went straight to recounting some of her memories from 9/11 and then right to the end of her husband's presidency.  She said she got frustrated by the "cowboy caricature" her husband was made out to be.  And discussed a few of the countries she was happy she had the chance to visit.  A few questions ran through my mind while she was on stage... 1. Why is she speaking at a "Get Motivated" event?  2. Why is 9/11 the only thing she felt was worth mentioning throughout her husband's 8 year run as president?  Truly between Rudy and Laura I haven't heard the words 9/11 so much.  3. Why does she say Uganda like "U-Gan (as in Can)- duh".  And finally, 4. There was no other female presenter they could find for this event?  I mean really.  She was the only woman out of the ten speakers and she wasn't even speaking on her own legacy but her husband's.
About an hour and a half later streamers fall from the sky and they start blasting the song "Livin in America" as Colin Powell takes the stage.  I felt like I was in a very cheesy and kinda creepy convention from the movie Yes Man.  Mr. Powell gave a great speech and seemed like a much more welcoming leader and representative of America compared to the first three presenters. 
After spending $9.25 on two tiny bottles of water and a decent muffin, a very weird guy came up on the stage.  He was over the top preachy and opinionated, so much so that you could tell he loved offending half the crowd.  He was a perfect mixture of Dana Carvey's the Church lady because he said "you know where those temptations come from?  .... SATAN!" (I swear he said that).  And Dane Cook because he would crawl and bounce around the stage like a dang monkey.  He even kicked off one of the mum plants to prove a point of wildness.  Also he said things like "dig this" and "this is really major"  I even heard him address us all as "homes".  Next he was a sleazy car salesman because he real goal was to have us buy a ticket to a three day opportunity to learn how to "find our purpose" and "buy property".  What if we had no desire to buy property you ask?  He didn't care.  In fact, you are an idiot if you don't want to buy property! 

It was kind of interesting seeing all of these people in person, even Mr. Cosby who looked old and fragile but still had his pudding face eye rolling charm as you'd hope.  Colin Powell had much more personality then we have ever seen on t.v. (I guess that makes sense considering his role in the U.S. government).  Did I leave with any new information or extra motivation which I am guessing was the point of the training?  No.  Did I entertain myself by observing and taking in the weirdness of it all.  Clearly.