Dear Baby Boy... 26 Weeks

Dear Baby Boy,

We sure did miss Daddy while he was at White Pass last weekend, didn't we? But I thought that snowboarding probably wasn't the safest activity for me right now, so I decided to stay home and get some projects done instead. I'm sure they had no fun without me though.

I finished taping off the Chevron stripes in your room, and now I just need to find the time to paint them. It actually wasn't too difficult or time-consuming at all, and I have a genius plan to make sure the paint doesn't bleed through the tape. I hope you like how everything turns out!

On Tuesday night Daddy and I toured the birth center where you will make your debut, and let me tell you... this place is the Taj Mahal of hospitals. Nothing but the best for you, my love!

I'm still feeling pretty great, but this afternoon I do want to talk to the doctor about some lingering tingling and numbness in my hands and feet. I also want to discuss her thoughts on cord blood banking, which I've been researching and think might be a good option for us. And I'll also complete the dreaded glucose screening... I wonder if it's really as bad as everyone makes it seem?

This week you are the size of a head of lettuce, 14 inches from head to heel, and I can definitely tell! Sometimes I swear I can feel you punching me on one side of my belly and simultaneously kicking me at the other end! I don't mind though, I love to feel your movements and to know that you are getting bigger and stronger. You weigh almost two pounds now and your ears are better developed and more sensitive than before. You can hear both my voice and Daddy's voice as we chat with each other... we'll try to keep it clean! You're inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid; good practice for when you are born and take that first gulp of air. Oh, and your testicles are beginning to descent into your scrotum... sometimes I forget that I have a little penis in there, weird!!

I have been rushing around like a crazy person, trying to prepare for your arrival while still taking care of all my other daily tasks. Sometimes I have to remind myself to continue to eat well and get plenty of rest, because that's what's most important for us right now, obviously. I ordered a book that will help us in developing our birth plan, and we're pre-registered at the hospital should you decide you want to join the world a little early. So many things to think about!

Mainly I'm just excited to meet you. I said the other day that I irrationally MISS you, even though we've never met before. I just can't wait to see you and hold you and kiss you and cuddle you. But let's hang tight just a while longer, okay?

My baby boy, you are our greatest adventure...

Love Always,
Mommy

Live & Learn -- Lazy Ass

I had something else all lined up to post about today, but then this came up and I knew I had to address it immediately...

You guys... I think I'm suffering from Lazy Ass Syndrome!

I promise, it's not what you think...

I mean duh... of course we've all been guilty of being a "lazy ass" at some point in our lives. Because sometimes you just need a day (or a week) of lying on the couch watching reality TV and eating take out. It's good for the soul, I think.

But when I was at Breakfast Club with Heather and Lindsee this week and learned that this is an actual, physical condition, I was totally surprised and amused! Anyway, here's what we're talking about...

Have You Got Lazy Glutes?

"The Glute muscles consist of the Gluteus Maximus, Medius and Minimus. Each one has a different role and collectively they are responsible for the extension, flexion, abduction and rotation of your hips as well as helping to stabilize the hips. They are a powerhouse of muscle responsible for speed and acceleration."

If you sit down a lot during the day (hello, desk jobbers!) your glutes are not able to engage properly and you will have tight hamstrings and hip flexors. So when you go out for a run at the end of the day, your glutes are affectively asleep and the opposing muscles are restricted.

What Does This Mean?

Your hamstrings, quads and hip flexors take the load and become fatigued, leading to injuries.
You have no power, speed and acceleration in your run.
It can cause issues all the way down the kinetic chain from your back to your feet, including hip issues, Runners Knee (PFS), sore ITB, calf and Achilles injuries and back pain.

But your butt will feel fabulous, because it's not doing any of the work!

How To Get Your Ass In Gear!

Focus on engaging them when you run and run uphill.
Perform static or forward lunges and deep squats, just before you run and in between training sessions.
Perform hip extension exercises (lying face down on the floor) and side lying leg lifts.
Think about your Glutes, tensing and releasing them – and focus on using them when you get out of a chair. Use them to push off while walking, and exaggerated backward walking.

Strengthening exercises and stretching are also key.

So there you have it: Lazy Ass Syndrome... not just for Couch Potatoes.

Live & Learn!
All information in this post was drawn from Hedge End Running Club.

 

  

This has been another edition of
Live & Learn Thursday!


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Birth Center Tour

As my pregnancy progresses, it's likely that the focus of this blog will shift more and more toward all things baby. "Certain truths are self-evident," or however the saying goes. Anyway, this is one of those posts, and I apologize to those who prefer my ramblings about drunken tailgating, childhood ridiculousness, and sh*t Stewart says.
Regularly scheduled programming will commence shortly eventually...

 

But for now, I wanted to recap the tour we took last night of the Birth Center at Swedish/Issaquah.
 

 

If you didn’t know this was a hospital, you might think Swedish/Issaquah was an alpine resort. Out of the large windows you see views of forested hills and mountains. And inside are the very latest features in a birth center: oversized rooms with a Jacuzzi tub, birthing balls, squatting bars, iPod docks, and HDTVs. Oh, and there's a Starbucks and a maternity and baby shop in the lobby.
 

Image via

That photo is no exaggeration, folks. All of the birthing suites really do look just like that, picture window views included. And our tour guide was even sure to remind our husbands to bring their swim trunks for the Jacuzzi... Stew has big plans to sit in there and watch a movie whilst I labor away. Somehow I don't see that happening.

I knew from the first time I set foot in this place that I wanted to deliver our baby here. It felt welcome, safe and secure... the perfect location to celebrate Baby Boy's first birthday. This is where I go to my regular appointments and that experience has been great, but last night's tour really solidified my decision to go with Swedish/Issaquah for our birthing needs. Oh, and did I mention that they also have refrigerators stocked with free food, complimentary newborn photography sessions, and massage therapy available after you give birth?!

Nothin' but the best for my family!
 

 

On the Internet

 

Do you ever sit and think about all the random things that you read about on the internet on any given day? Yesterday I decided to keep track, and here are some of the things that caught my attention:

 

 

40 Must-See Photos from the Past

The phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” could not apply more perfectly to this collection of historical photography that a friend posted on FB this week. Seriously, these shots are amazing! Take a look... The one of Annette Kellerman promoting a woman’s right to wear a fitted one-piece bathing suit in 1907 cracked me up (she was arrested for indecency).

 

 

I Look Down On Young Women With Husbands And Kids And I’m Not Sorry

This post by Amy Glass has probably been circulating around your Facebook/twitter/news feeds. Basically, it's one woman's argument that a stay at home mom and a woman who works and takes care of herself are NOT equal. Frankly (and although my SAHM friends are probably going to snark at me for saying so), I kind of agreed with some of her points. Then I read...

 

 

An Open Letter To THAT Woman Who Wrote THAT Piece

Raven's response to Amy... LOVE. It's just so incredibly well-written, intelligent, witty, and hilarious that by the time I finished I was absolutely having second thoughts about the original article. And it reminded me of my resolution to not be a hater. Honestly, everyone just does the best that they can for their kids, and we all deserve the right to make our own life choices without judgment.

 

 

What Are Stem Cells?

Someone from Cord Blood Registry contacted me this week about saving Baby Boy's cord blood stem cells through cord blood banking. This was not something I had previously heard about or considered, so I started doing some research. If we "bank" them at the time of his birth, stem cells from Baby Boy's umbilical cord will be a perfect match for his own stem cells later in life, and may be a match for a sibling or other family member (and they can be used to treat many life-threatening diseases, including anemia, leukemia and certain other cancers). I think it may be cost-prohibitive for us, but I still wanted to start looking into it...

 

 

To Wives: Before You Were "Mommy"

A friend on FB linked up to this post and it totally touched my heart. Seriously, a year from now someone really needs to re-send this post to me and remind me how I'm feeling at this moment. As Becky outlined the preparations she and her husband went through in preparing for their little boy's arrival, it was like I was reading about my own life. But the most important part was her advice for the future: "Look into the aged eyes of the one you love and see the one for whom your heart fell."

 

 

What's been catching your attention around the interwebs these days?

 

Dear Baby Boy... 25 Weeks

Dear Baby Boy,

Oh my goodness, we had a busy week, didn't we?!

Nana came up to visit and we painted your room a lovely soft grey color. I still need to touch up the baseboards where the paint soaked through the tape onto the wood, which also had me pretty concerned about attempting to paint chevron stripes on the back wall using tape. However, one of Daddy's friends has told us how it can be done using spray paint, so I think that's our plan for now. I might start taping it off this weekend while Daddy is on a snowboard trip to White Pass.

I'm still feeling pretty great these days, but I've been having a lot of numbness and swelling in my hands and feet. I'll have the doctor check everything at our next appointment, but basically it just means that my shoes are too tight and I can't get my wedding rings on anymore. I hope people don't see that and think I'm some knocked up unmarried whore. I haven't noticed the linea nigra (dark line running down my belly) yet, but most people say it's inevitable... we shall see! However, I've definitely been blasted with a new dose of pregnancy hormones, because my face is breaking out like a teenager again. Sigh.

This week you are the size of a cauliflower, anywhere from 13.6 inches to 14.8 inches and weighing 1.5 to 2.5 pounds. People have definitely begun to comment on how much I am showing, and we still have such a long way to go! You are enjoying a new sense of equilibrium as you begin to sense which way is up and which is down. I'm definitely feeling those kicks and punches all over the place! You're growing more fat and hair, too... just getting cuter and cuter!

I'm working hard to get our schedule in order so we can fit everything in before your arrival. This means we'll be attending lots of childbirth preparation and safety classes as well as exercise classes for me. I'm working so hard to try and make sure that I can deliver you in a manner that allows both of us to experience the least amount of pain and stress possible... wish me luck!

As for you, don't you worry about a thing except growing bigger and fatter in there. Mommy and Daddy want some nice puffy cheeks to pinch in a couple months!

We're getting so anxious to meet you, my darling!

Love Always,
Mommy

Live & Learn -- Listen to your husband

Stewart has told me about eighteen times to quit leaving our huge Costco bottle of liquid laundry detergent on top of the washer, because it will eventually fall off and make a mess. So I don't know why I was surprised when I went in Monday night to switch over the laundry and found it on the floor. It had exploded, and the detergent had spread out over the entire floor, all the way under the washer and dryer to the wall behind.

 

It took us over an hour and about a dozen towels to clean up the mess. Stewart was understandably frustrated with me as he held up the heavy appliances so I could crawl underneath them to mop up the sticky disaster. And I'm still going to have to mop the floor a couple more times to get it all up, I think. But at least it will probably smell April fresh in there from now on.

 

As I cried tears of frustration, I thought to myself that I really ought to listen to Stew from now on. Because sometimes it is in your best interest to listen to your husband.

 

  

This has been another edition of
Live & Learn Thursday!

Join the party... follow your hosts and link up your post! 

 

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

I've really been feeling bad lately reading everyone's posts all over the place about the extreme winter weather they're experiencing. Frankly we haven't had to deal with any of that this year out here in the Pacific Northwest (knocks on wood).

 

However, Erin over at Love, Fun and Football (who I am sponsoring this month!) had the brilliant idea of highlighting some of the things that people DO like about the cold/winter. I love how this girl puts a positive spin on everything...

 

I think there are actually a lot of things to love about these cold, chilly days. For example...

 

 

Okay, maybe not that last one. But Stew does enjoy a little creativity when it comes to winter facial hair. I think it helps keep him warm since he doesn't have any on his head.

 

Honestly though, as much as I love summer, I could have gone on and on about winter. Of course we have Thanksgiving and Christmas, but we also get two holiday weekends in January and February that are perfect for ski trips, or just hibernating inside on the couch with a blanket and cup of hot cocoa.

 

But don't take it from me, pop on over to Erin's blog and check out what other people had to say about their favorite parts of winter.

 

And stay warm out there kiddos!

 

Nesting

I think my pregnancy nesting instincts have begun to set in...

 

I've been trying to get us really "settled" into our house since we first moved in, but lately my behaviors have reached another level of frantic. This past weekend I forced my mother to come up and help me paint two different rooms in just one day. Because I couldn't stand even one more second of it not being done.

 

We bought the paint on Friday night and finished up just about 24 hours later. I could barely walk or move my arms by the time it was done, but it was totally worth it.

 

 

Choosing colors was definitely the hardest part.

 

For the nursery I wanted to go with a soft, "baby" grey color, and the plan is to paint white chevron stripes on the back wall next. This room turned out great, and we got the whole thing done in just about three hours. I'll definitely post some "after" photos once I pull the whole thing together, but for now it's just an empty grey room...

 

And as you can see from the bottom left photo above, I'm going with a grey and purple theme for the master bedroom. I bought most of the accent items like pillows, curtains, and bedding quite a while back, but the walls needed to be painted before I could move forward with anything. I chose a darker grey for the walls, and then did a sort of light plum colored accent wall behind the bed for a splash of color. I love how it turned out! Once again, I'll post photos of the final product when I'm all done.

 

We already picked up a brand new king sized bed frame a while back, so this weekend I forced Stewart to enter the world (despite his post-Hawks hangover) in order to purchase a brand new mattress set. Priorities. We got a killer deal on this beauty, which will be delivered tomorrow!

 

 

It felt so amazing to get a couple of these big projects accomplished, but it also only succeeded in highlighting all the rest of the things around our house that still need to be done. You know, before life becomes so hectic that I don't even have time to shower anymore...

 

Super Bowl Bound!

The road to the Super Bowl goes through Seattle...
and that's where it stopped for the San Francisco 49ers yesterday.

Victory is so, so sweet.

The Seattle Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl, baby!!

And we were there to see every epic moment of their victory.
My mind is still reeling, and I'm surprised my poor heart was able to handle the anxiety of it all.
This was honestly one of the most monumental moments of my life...
(I may or may not have peed my pants a little at one point, and there were definitely tears.)


Of course there was no place else we would have rather started the day than with our Hawkwagon Tailgater Association family.

And then, finally... finally!
The moment we had been waiting for all season... Kickoff at the most important game I have ever attended.

I'll admit we were a little worried throughout the first half. Stew was so frustrated that he wasn't even fully able to enjoy the special performace...

 

 But I never lost faith, and the Hawks began the second half with enough heart and determination to carry them all the way through to victory.

Awesome. Fantastic. Incredible. Amazing.
There aren't enough words.

This is what we've dreamed about, anticipated, deserved...
And it unfolded right before our eyes.

I knew we could do it.

SEAHAWKS WIN!!!
23 - 17
Final

I should say so much more, but I'm still at a loss for words. I'm just so thankful that we have been able to be a part of this amazing journey.
Here's to the power of the 12...

GO HAWKS!
 

Let's just be kind to each other, shall we?

Earlier this month, Mama Laughlin posted something on her Facebook page that really struck a chord with me. And all of the sudden I realized...

I was being a hater.

 

Recently, I've been getting all bent out of shape about people and their behaviors that really, in the grand scheme of things, have no effect on me. I needed a reality check...

Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged.

 

Guilty... guilty as charged.
I have been totally, unashamedly bashing on all the newbie gym members this month.

When you have been going to the gym for years and years, you often forget that the new year calls for new resolutions, often involving health and fitness. I forgot, and blindly wandered over to the gym smack dab in the middle of New Year's Day. I figured I'd take advantage of the day off and get in a nice quiet workout. That was, until I reached the parking lot and couldn't find a spot to save my life. Finally I made it into the crowded locker room, where my usual changing area had been taken over by someone who had spread their things out all over the entire bench. The day lockers were completely full, and once I finally found a place for my things I had to wait to get on a treadmill... say what?! This was not the relaxing, endorphin-releasing experience I had been hoping for. I began to fume...

And I've been pissed off almost every single day as the month has slowly ticked by. I roll my eyes at the gym, post obnoxious Facebook status updates about annoying exercise rookies, and complain incessantly to anyone who will listen. I'm sorry, but what makes me think I'm so much better than these people? Yes, it is moderately annoying to have my typical routine interrupted, but my attitude has been entirely uncalled for. At one point I was a new person at a gym, too, and I appreciated those who took the time and effort to show me the ropes and encourage me. Instead of a hindrance, I should be looking at this as an opportunity...

So now when I hit the gym I do so with an open mind and positive attitude. I smile encouragingly at people who look as though they're not going to make through those last five minutes of cardio, I point out directions to those who look lost or confused, and I generally try to slow my roll and realize that ultimately there are enough lockers and treadmills for all of us.

Let's just be kind to each other, shall we?

 

I sent my friend Jess a text the other night on my way home:

 

"I just stood on the bus for 40 minutes while a dozen able-bodied people stared right through me. Chivalry is officially dead."

 

She said she'd make a note of the date and time and alert the historians.

 

After waiting for almost a half hour for an extremely crowded bus to finally arrive and take me home on a Friday evening, I was totally exhausted. My back hurt, my feet hurt, I was having killer heartburn, and suffering from some kind of pregnant heat stroke. When the bus finally pulled up, I waddled on. As I hugged my belly and looked around desperately for a place to sit, almost a dozen people either pretended not to notice me, stared right through me, or did not glance up from their various forms of technology. Nice.

 

At the next couple stops, more and more people crowded onto the bus, and people continued to sit in blissful ignorance of my miserable state. I began stripping off my gloves, scarf, coat and sweater while awkwardly balancing my purse and lunch bag on one arm. The bus got hotter and hotter, and a man wearing a coat that had apparently been rubbed in cat poop pressed up against me as I staggered to stay upright. I tried to hold my breath, keep my knees unlocked, and refrain from passing out or puking onto a fellow commuter.

 

I fumed and cursed the universe and every single asshole on that bus. I don't know what you were taught, but my parents told me that the polite thing to do is give up your seat when an elderly, disabled, or pregnant person gets on. I guess not everyone gets this memo.

 

But really... who's to say if every single one of those people didn't also deserve a seat on the bus that day. Maybe that woman is in her first trimester and trying not to vomit herself. Maybe that man has a sprained ankle. Maybe that girl just worked a 12 hour waitressing shift. Maybe that guy has a migraine. I judged people without knowing one single thing about their situation, and that's probably not my business. But I just wanted to sit down, yo! In any case, I shouldn't have let it ruin my evening, and I definitely need to work on my blind judgment of others.

 

Let's just be kind to each other, shall we?

 

 

 And, finally, let's talk about the Seahawks.
Because no post these days would be complete without some mention of them.

Stewart and I are season ticket holders and we attend every single game. We are die hard fans who put our hearts and souls into being the 12th Man, and we expect nothing less of others who choose to attend games at CenturyLink. Therefore, it royally pisses us off when people who attend the games do not understand appropriate fan behavior...

Who are these freaking morons who think that it's okay to hoot and holler when we're on offense?! Sit down! Shut up! Now is a time for quiet, to let the players focus and listen to one another. When you cheer them on you are a distraction! Duh.

Why are you somehow under the impression that you get to tell me to SIT DOWN when we're on defence?! NOW is a time for noise... out of your seat, jumping up and down, screaming at the top of your lungs, Beast Quake style energy. This is where the 12th Man comes into play. Duh.

Who told you that halftime is supposed to drag into the third quarter? Get back in your seat before the game starts!! While you're chit chatting on the concourse eating your overpriced nachos, the energy and sound of the 12th Man is lacking, and often the opposing team will score around this time. Why did you buy a ticket if you're not going to watch the game? Duh.

But you know what? Really, as long as you're a Hawk fan, Stew and I should probably tone down our obsessive, superior fan attitudes. Everyone attends the game to have a good time and to cheer on the Hawks, whether they're at a level 10 like us or at a level 5 like a lot of other people. We should encourage the people around us, not give them the stink eye for "doing it wrong."

That being said, any Forty-Whiner fans at the game tonight are going to get more than the evil eye, they might accidentally have a beer dumped over their heads. But other than that...

Let's just be kind to each other, shall we?
 

Dear Baby Boy... 24 Weeks

Dear Baby Boy,

Well, it's been an exciting week, what with the Seahawks beating the Saints on Sunday and advancing into the final round of the playoffs. It was an exhausting but exhilarating day for Mommy... standing for that long in the cold weather is kind of a drag, but it was totally worth it to see the Hawks win once again. I hope all the jumping and yelling didn't jar you around too much. Someone asked me this week what I would do if you aren't a Seahawks fan when you grow up. I said it's fine if you're into something else (ice dancing, curling, ultimate Frisbee... whatever floats your boat) but that supporting another NFL team will NOT be acceptable! Just so you know...

This week you are the size of a cantaloupe! You are getting closer and closer to being ready to survive in the outside world. You have pinker, more opaque skin and you're looking more and more like a baby every day. Your movements and kicks have been getting stronger, too, and Daddy felt you move again the other day which is always super fun for us. On Tuesday you hadn't moved much, so I sat quietly in the car and talked to you for a while... that made you start kicking right away! Good Boy!!

I'm feeling really great and am actually quite enjoying this part of pregnancy. I still have some mild backaches and my hands and feet are getting a bit swollen, but other than that I can't really complain about anything. Oh, except for my belly button, which is starting to look really weird. I'm terrified that one day it's going to pop out like the timer on a butterball turkey and it's really going to freak/gross me out! I sure hope you end up with an innie...

I've been feeling a little bit stressed about all the things we need to accomplish before your arrival, but we're making slow but sure progress. Daddy and I will start childbirth preparation classes next month, I've picked out the furniture for your nursery, and Nana is coming up to help me paint it this weekend. The doctor said I need to start thinking about my birth plan, and I definitely have some opinions about how I want it to go, but we'll talk about that a little later.

For now just keep fattening up in there, my precious!

Love Always,
Mommy

Live & Learn -- Blogging Don'ts

Welcome to another edition of

Live & Learn Thursday!

Join the party... follow your hosts and link up your post!

A couple weeks ago Amanda wrote about the reasons why she will "break up" with a blog. I found that I had quite a bit to say on the subject when I commented on her post, so I thought I would share my opinions with you here as well. Without further ado, here are a few things I've learned about blogging in the past eight or so years I've been doing it... 

BLOGGING DON'TS
...in the world according to Sarah...

Although everyone treats it differently, I take blogging pretty seriously, and I put a lot of time and effort into it. I don't feel it's too much to ask that some of that energy be reciprocated. Therefore...

I will probably stop following your blog if you:

Ignore me.
Every single time I receive a comment on one of my posts, I take the time to thoughtfully reply to that comment via email, and then also visit the commenter's blog (if they have one) and leave a comment for them as well. Because that's just good karma. But if I continually comment on your blog and receive radio silence in return, I'm going to quit visiting. It's a two-way street, yo!

Do eleventy billion sponsored posts.
I get that we all want to grow our blogs and readerships or whatever, I do. But I started following your blog because I'm interested in YOU. When I visit your blog and am continually greeted by the faces and stories of strangers, or products, items and services that I don't care about, it's extremely distracting and annoying. Once in a while is fine, but too many equals sayonara, baby.

Become a link up whore.
I love link ups. In fact, I host this one every Thursday and usually participate in at least one more each week. But when you do a different link up every single day, in an obvious desperate attempt to splash your name all over the blogosphere, I'm not a fan. Especially when your link up posts consist of short answers to boring questions that we've all heard before. Get creative with your posts! Tell me who you really are, in your own words!  

Are a whiner.
Seriously, if I wanted to listen to a bunch of whining, I'd lurk Facebook all day. Or hang out in the 49ers locker room. I love it when you share your innermost thoughts on your blog, including your disappointments and failures, but if that's ALL you ever post about, your blog is not going to be someplace I continue to frequent. Sorry dude, but I can't take all that negative energy.

Aren't real.
I know, I know, this is kind of hypocritical. But in the same vein, if I want to bask in all the fabulousness that is your life, I'll go to Instagram to see all the most beautiful and perfect moments you've had in the past week and felt the need to show the world. But when I visit your blog, I want to see the real you. We don't always wear makeup and have our hair blown out perfectly... our dogs die, we get fired, we break our legs, and people break our hearts. Tell me about your real life, not just your life the way you hope it appears. Everybody poops. 

Have comment verification turned on.
Now I'm getting really nit-picky, but I'm just sayin'... I know this is snarky, but I am incredibly busy and I don't have time to type in those freaking illegible letters and numbers multiple times before getting it right every time I want to leave a comment on your blog! It makes me leave with a bad taste in my mouth, and I probably won't return...

 Are a no-reply blogger.
Please don't make me search all over the freaking internet for your email address. I beg you, PLEASE add your email address to your Blogger profile! If you've never received an email in reply to a comment you've left on another blogger's blog, its' probably because you don't have your email address associated with your profile. I think it's very important to acknowledge every comment I receive, but I should not have to spend 10 minutes trying to locate your contact information! Jenni has a great little tutorial on how to quickly fix this problem.


And those, my friends, are the things I've learned that annoy me the most about the blog world. Some of them enough to cause a full-blown blogger breakup.

How about you?

 

If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?

My sister and I were emailing the other day about our shared suffering of FOMO, or Fear Of Missing Out. Erin expressed my feelings about this condition perfectly:

 

"I love people and I want to do all of the things but then I over commit and am super tired."

 

Yep, exactly.

 

It's like I am physically incapable of saying no. If I am invited to something and there's not another event already on the calendar, I automatically accept the invitation. It makes no difference if it's my only free day (or free hour) that entire week... I am unable to decline. Stewart is the same way. I think part of it can be attributed to FOMO, but another part to simply not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings. So we book, re-book, pre-book and overbook until our heads are spinning and we can't keep track of where we're supposed to be or what we're supposed to be doing. And I'm talking weeks, months, years in advance. It's exhausting.

 

For example...

 

Coming up in the next few weeks we have trips planned to White Pass, Port Townsend, Silver Star and Roseburg.

And in March there will be two baby showers and a trip to Vancouver (and let's throw our anniversary in there, too).

Spring will bring Stew's birthday and a wedding (oh, did I mention the multiple bachelor and bachelorette parties?)

Then two more weddings in July, another in September and another in October. No one else is allowed to get married this year.

Summer means lakehouse vacations, camping trips, and Hawaii!

Then the holidays will hit again in full force.

 

And these are just the pre-planned, MAIN events of 2014.

 

In between, we'll have football games, snowboarding, daily workouts, theater tickets, meals with friends, family parties, and yep, we both work full time.

Oh, and have I mentioned that we're HAVING A BABY?! That means doctor appointments, classes, registries, and countless projects. 

 

Okay, I need to stop, I'm having an anxiety attack.
 

 

And the worst part is that I feel constant pressure and guilt from people about how busy we are, and how we don't have enough time to spare. Whether it's purposeful or not, it just makes the entire situation more stressful. Everyone has advice on the things we should cut out, give up, clear off. But every one of these events and the people involved in them are important to us... how could we ever choose?

 

"I'm sorry, you just didn't make the cut this month... better luck next time!"

With an attitude like that I doubt we'd have many friends left before long.

 

But the point of this post is the article that Erin pointed me toward: Oprah's The Joy of Missing Out, which helped me gather my thoughts a little.

 

"FOMO is the social-media-fueled sense that you are missing everything good; that the world is teeming with super-cool events and parties and talks and lives you'll never be a part of. But blogger Anil Dash has weighed in with his counter-phenomenon: JOMO: Joy Of Missing Out. Basically, it's okay to miss out on the big things in favor of The Big Things, like time with your family, your friends, even yourself. In fact, carving out quiet time in our so-many-invitations-so-many-options world might just transform your life."

 

It's something to consider, anyway.

 

Stew and I definitely need to take more time for ourselves, and time for each other. And when Baby Boy arrives and is totally dependent on us for every living waking breathing moment, I think we actually might stop and re-prioritize. Because spending time with my son and our family will always be my ultimate, guilt-free priority, no matter what.

 

But we'll see how things shake out.

 

Do you suffer from FOMO?

 

Sh*t Men Say

One random Sunday morning a couple years ago, while watching football at a friend's house, I got up to get some drinks...

"Will you get me another llimosa?" Stewart asked.

"I'm sorry... a what?"

"A llimosa," he repeated, gesturing at me with his almost empty glass of champagne and orange juice.

"Do you mean a MIMOSA?!" I asked incredulously.

"Oh, I thought it was llimosa," he answered innocently. "Are you sure it isn't? Maybe it's with a silent double L."

To this day we still call mimosas "Silent Double Ls."

Cheers!

Today's genius link-up was brought to you by Amanda and Danae. I can't wait to read about all the sh*t men say! Because let's face it, guys are often hilarious in all their cave man qualities.

 

This is how we do it!

 Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand... the Seahawks do it again! BOOM.

That pretty much constituted the majority of my weekend.

A full day of standing around in the cold, surrounded by drunken fans, eating junk and screaming my own head off. There's nothing like being a football fan...

Watch out, Douchebag Kaepernick... you are no match for the 12th Man.

Saturday's game meant Stew and I had a rare Sunday at home together. We slept in, took down the Christmas decorations (finally) while we watched even more football, ate blueberry waffles, did some laundry, made some brownies, and generally just hung around our house... a rare weekend occurrence. We even made it over to my cousin's house to pick up some baby stuff... she generously gave us an entire car load of clothing, toys, seats, strollers, chairs, books, and more for Baby Boy! What a lucky child he already is...

And most exciting of all, we finally revived our Sunday Dinner tradition with Matt and Alissa!

We used to get together on Sundays for some eats and conversation all the time when we all lived in Ballard, but it's been seriously lacking for the past year or so. But this summer at the lake we promised to revive the tradition, adding in Amanda and Kevin... It only took us four months to make it happen!

Matt and Alissa made such a fancy pants meal at the lake house that when we made them the lucky hosts of this month's Sunday Dinner I told Matt he had some high expectations to fulfill... gourmet all the way! Oh man, did he deliver...

I can't remember the exact names of the dishes, but basically we had a squash soup, roasted beet salad with arugula and goat cheese, and the main course... pork loin with a delicious date and cilantro relish on top. Everything made from scratch, with love.

I'm surprised I was able to eat anything at all after consuming my body weight in the cheese, crackers, nuts and apples that Amanda and Kevin brought, but I managed. And my brownie fudge sundae dessert went over pretty well, too!

Oh and to top off the evening I came home to a brand new episode of Downtown Abbey, and the season premier of GIRLS... finally!!

Anyway that was my weekend... how was yours?