…love Jillian

This week has been sooooo much better than last!  I got the results from my 3 hour glucose test and I passed with flying colors!  Our baby furniture is being delivered tomorrow AND I was able to sneeze without crying because my butt hurt—we are on a pregnancy up swing :)

Over the weekend my Mom and I decorated the wooden letters for Baby Carter’s nursery.  We went to Michaels and picked out a million different kinds of sparkles/ribbon.  They turned out so good!  They are super girly and I want to post pics but since we’re keeping the name a secret; posting them is next to impossible.  Baby’s name is rapidly becoming one of the worst kept secrets and I’m starting to think we should just tell.  Also, when someone mentions her by name it makes my heart melt–so maybe we will share her name in the coming weeks. 

The nursery is coming together nicely.  Mom has been coming over during the day to touch up the trim, paint Little Miss’ closet and just touching things up in general.  Sure, I’m going to be a mom but I think that “Mommies Touch” is something that comes over time and my mom definitely has it.  Oh, and my favorite part?  She’s been doing laundry!!!!!  (There is just something about laundry, washed with love by your mom that makes it so much better than when you do it yourself.)   

So, with the painting complete and the furniture being delivered I’m hoping we can get some serious decorating on this weekend!  I can’t wait!  I’m as anxious to see how the nursery turns out as I am to see what our sweet baby looks like….

1 Comment | In: Baby, Baby Bump, Family, Our Home | | #

After my earlier post I got to thinking about some other things that are going on in life that (believe it or not) are NOT BABY RELATED!

First, we are finally getting the rest of the work done on our house this week.  After the big hail storm back in April our insurance company decided we needed a new roof, garage door, screens, gutters, and (thank the lord) our deck stained.  But our contractors were a little slow to get it finished.  Sure, the roof (aka the most expensive part) was scheduled and replaced right away but they have definitely been dragging their feet on the rest.  Tuesday, our deck was power washed and hopefully they will be back to stain it tomorrow. And I think our screens are scheduled to be replaces this week too!

Also, I managed to score a “Photo Enforced” Driving Award.  Seriously, the light changed just as I was at the line and isn’t it better to just go through the light than risk slamming on the brakes and causing a multi-car pile up involving a pregnant women?  Apparently not, because KCMO did not hesitate to mail  a ticket for $100 accompanied by photos of the alleged infraction.  The worst part of getting a ticket?  This does not boad well for my ongoing argument with Hubs about who is the worse driver.  Seriously, he drove on the wrong side of road.  Not once but twice.  I mean, suuuuuuuure he was going well below the speed limit but let’s be real; driving on the wrong side of the road totally discredits his, “slower is safer” platform.  But for now, I suppose any traction I gained with the “driving on wrong side of the road” instances was lost the moment I opened that stupid piece of mail.  Can someone ask Hubs for $100 for me :)

And speaking of $100, the same day my infamous ticket arrived I got a bill from my primary care physician for an office visit I made over a year ago.  It turns out since we discussed getting pregnant during the appointment my insurance is refusing to pay.  Apparently, discussing trying to get pregnant is the same as a fertility issue.  Isn’t insurance stupid?  I mean, unless someone from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of KC is reading this post and then I meant, how awesome is it that I’ve only had to pay a one time $20 co-pay to my OB-GYN?  I guess it kind of balances out (but let’s not tell them.)

Oh, and now that I finished that paragraph I realize that the preface of this post is officially null and void since I’ve talked about “getting pregnant,” “trying to get pregnant,” and “co-pays at the baby doctor.”  Anyway, let’s get on with the “Non Baby Related” topics, shall we? Actually, now that I mention it, I really only have one additional non baby related topic and that particular topic deserves it’s own post entirely—so I will save it for tomorrow.

In the meantime, I have a whole plethora of baby related things to talk about, like the nursery (should I post step by step pics or wait for one exciting before/after,) our baby name (and how I’m having an increasing difficult time keeping it a secret,) how I feel like I need to get a crackalackin (yes that’s a real word) on updating my registry, and deciding weather or not I should take a birthing class.  Should I prepare myself for what’s to come OR should I just wing it? I have a feeling Little Miss is coming out whether I take a birthing class or not so I’m kind of on the fence about birthing class.  (Oh, and while I was writing that sentence I thought maybe I should have said, “we,” but in my next thought I thought “we” won’t being pushing the little bundle of joy out of a key hole, I am, so I decided to stick with “I”  Although, it is entirely possible Hubs might want to be prepared for what’s to come.  Maybe I should ask him what he wants to do—perhaps he can be the swing vote.

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1. It turns out my dream life and real life are starting to get a little fuzzy.  I’ve been dreaming about the most mundane unimportant stuff.  Conversations with co-workers, weeding the garden, being lazy with Hubs.  When I wake up I feel like I’ve lived an entire day and have to remind myself that the conversation I had with one of my customers was totally not real and the baby is not yet here.
2. When my friend Erin was pregnant last summer she told me that she thought her life was going to change AFTER baby arrived and she surprised at how different her life already was—I thought I understood, but now, at 25 weeks, I’m realizing I had no idea what she was talking about and I can’t believe how different MY life is…it’s unrecognizable.  Sometimes, I feel like my life will feel more normal after Little Miss Carter arrives but something tells me that my life will never be the same and I might as well get used to THIS life.
3. Speaking of 25 weeks, I feel like we (baby and I) are in a nice pregnancy groove.  Not too many dramatics, just an ever expanding belly.  I’m well over halfway, I’ve only gained 13 lbs and on SOME mornings I can still see my ankles (Winning!)  Her movements are getting strong and sometimes it feels like she is grabbing my insides and pulling them to the other side.  Seriously, it feels like she’s saying, “is this button that makes you get up? No?  Ok, what about this one?  No?  Hmmmm.  Weeeell, what about this one?  Yes!  I did it!”
4. Hubs’ big race is this weekend and we are camping in Lawrence so he can just get up and walk over to the start.  My good buddy Laurie, her Hubs, and their little one are coming too.  I am super excited and nervous, you know, since I get up every hour and go to the bathroom.  I’m afraid it’s gonna be a long night but it’s only supposed to be in the low 80′s so hopefully that will make it a little more enjoyable….
5. My parents came over this last weekend and we scratched a lot of chores off our list.  Turns out another set of eyes focusing on our overly soaked backyard and we finally got the mud pit dried out.  Hubs and Dad changed out a bunch of boards on our deck (since it’s suppose to be stained this week), and we got some bushes planted!  It was a very productive day!  I use the term “we” loosely since Mom and I went shopping for curtains, stuffed animals, and some other odds/ends for the nursery while the boys did the manual labor.
6. On Sunday, I got up and went to Blue Springs Lake with the family.   It was sort of strange being at the lake without wakeboarding or skiing or tubing or doing something ‘exciting’ but it was still fun.  I guess I’m still getting acclimated to the lower key nature of life these days.  In fact, I had to practically beg my Dad to even let me get on the boat.  The bouncing motion of the boat made him nervous but hopefully with a successful trip under our belts he will relax just a little….

In case you were wondering how my life is different; every bullet point thus far has circled right back to baby.  Having a baby, growing a baby, or getting prepared for baby–it’s all consuming!  And I suppose it’s only going to get more baby oriented when I have an ACTUAL baby!

I take that back!  I do have one unrelated to baby topic, I had a humbling and unbelievable moment with Maggie.  She was the first one to poop in the house.  I know, right?  I still can’t believe it myself.  After all the evidence (here and here) I would have bet my life Tyson would have been the first one to poop in the new house.  I could just see the satisfaction in his eyes (and if we are being honest, Hubs’ eyes too.) Turns out Miss Mags wasn’t feeling good and actually had a couple more incidences later that day (in the garage.)  So, in her defense—SHE WAS SICK!  But it doesn’t change the fact that Maggie will forever hold the title of, “First to Poop in the House.”   Heartbreaking.

Actual Conversation:

Maggie:  I’m sorry Mom.  I wasn’t feeling good.  Don’t be mad.

Me:  Oh, Maggie!  I’m totally not mad.  Are you sick?  (Cuddles)

Tyson: Tyson 2012!

Tyson: Voooooote Tyson!

Tyson:  Tyson for President!

Maggie to Tyson:  Next time, I’m gonna poop on your face.

2 Comments | In: Baby, Baby Bump, Family, Good Buddies, Home Repair Hubby, Our Home, Puppies | | #

This weekend was busy.  Mostly, for Hubs (although I was close by making sure our projects kept moving forward.) 

Friday night started off with dinner and a movie with Lisa.  We saw Fast Five.  It’s definitely a ‘boy’ movie but we had fun none the less.  The plot line was pretty predictable but hey, when you are looking at Paul Walker the plot line isn’t exactly important.

Saturday morning after Hubs got home from his bike ride we started our long overdue landscaping projects!  Happy wife, happy life!   We went to Lowes and picked up some blocks, dirt, mulch, and work gloves for Hubs.  Then we headed over to one of the happiest places on earth—the Heartland Nursery.  Hubs was by far the most masculine guy there:

After we got home, the real work began(at least for Hubs.)  Growing Baby Carter has turned my official job into “holding the baby” so I pretty much stood around and supervised.  ”Are you sure you want to put it there?” and “Wouldn’t it be easier if you used the BIG shovel?”  and “You look thirsty, can I get you a drink?’  You know, that sort of stuff.  I’m sure Hubs loved it….

Here’s Hubs with his final masterpiece.  Sure, it’s a little pink.  Buuuuut, so is Baby Carter! 

 Then on Sunday, we spent the afternoon over at my parent’s house.  My Grandma and Grandpa came in town from Arkansas so my Grandma could recover from some medical stuff.  We don’t get to see them too often since they live so far away but it’s always nice to log a little time with them! 

And finally sunday night, we went to Yogurtini and watched The Tourist.  I was sure it was going to be an action movie but it turned out to be a love story!  Score!

2 Comments | In: Home Repair Hubby, How much I love my Husband, Our Home | | #

         The new house is good.  We are getting settled and more comfortable.   My parents, sister, and brother-in-law spent the weekend helping us get unpacked, putting things away and really just helping us get settled.  I think my mom worries that I might over do it while the little one is baking so she made sure I took it pretty easy.  I haven’t logged that much time with my family in a long time and I really enjoyed having them around.  Hubs’ parents came for a little while on Saturday too.  We are so fortunate to have so many people in our lives that love us.  Everyone was so helpful and it really made for a productive weekend.  I’m not sure how long it would have taken Hubs and I to get all unpacked by ourselves—probably months.  So I’m super grateful to everyone for everything….

         As far as the actual house goes, it’s soooo much bigger than our townhouse.  We have so much room to move around and I think the dogs are really enjoying the space to run and play…especially in the backyard.  Although, I think everyone is still figuring out where they feel most comfortable.  Maggie slept in the kitchen for a few nights and it took me a while to find my new place on the couch. 

         I suppose a new house just takes a little bit of adjusting; we took a few chilly showers before we turned up the water heater and we’re still having a tough time resetting the thermostat to a temperature that suits us…it somehow keeps resetting to 64!  And let me tell you what—64 degrees in the house is way too cold!!!!!  The laundry pile has moved and

         But day by day and night by night we are getting it figured out.  I think we are going to be super happy here….in case I haven’t said it enough lately; I feel like a lucky girl!

No Comments | In: Our Home | | #

Ok, I know it might appear as though I have fallen off the face of the earth but I assure you that is far from true.  Hubs and I have just been super busy.  (Now, I always think exactly the same thing when I hear one of my favorite bloggers say they haven’t posted because they were “super busy,”  because honestly, how “busy” could one person really be?)  Well, let me tell you! 

First, we put on offer on this house:

And, theeeeeeeen, they accepted.  So we had to do a bunch of inspections, loan stuff, organizing, cleaning, and packing.  Well, I did most of the organizing, cleaning, and packing but it’s not like Hubs can write an adequate post for jillianranee.com so blogging had to wait. 

Then, in the midst of all the aforementioned stuff we were delivered this piece of priceless news: 

Queue: sleeping, eating, hormones and emotions.  We are currently 12 weeks and it was the hardest kept secret of my life.  We feel incredibly blessed and now I feel like I can post again without having to keep this monumental news a secret!   Last Monday we heard the sweetest (and fastest) little heartbeat in the world–it was definitely a moment I will not soon forget.  However, Hubs has really needed his suit of armour lately; I’ve cried, yelled, and been all around unpredictable for several weeks and it doesn’t appear there is an end insight, well except for when the baby gets here…sooooo, in like 6 or 7 months.

Right now, all my emotions aside, I feel incredible blessed.  We have a new house, a baby on the way, and an amazing family.  I don’t think a girl could as for much more in this moment.

No Comments | In: Babies, Family, Our Home | | #

I know it’s been quite some time since my last post and after seeing my Google stats I see that a lot of you are coming back time and again looking for something new.  Hubs and I have had a lot of things going on–you know, with buying a house, packing, judging cheerleading, blizzards, and such it’s been a little bit hectic.   Also, every time I sit down to post my entry never really rounds out exactly how I was hoping and I end up deleting it.  So, I thought I would just write about what’s been going on in our lives…

• Let’s start with what I’m doing RIGHT now…and that’s eating chicken noodle soup from Panera.  My usual lunch go to is half the Chipotle Chicken sandwich with a cup of soup.  Today I was disappointed to see the recipe had changed but when I tried it…I loved it.  It’s super yummy!  I highly recommend it.
• We are set to close on our house in two weeks!  Two weeks?  I need to get back to packing…ASAP.  I’m a little bit torn on whether we should move in the weekend after we close or spend a weekend cleaning, shelf papering, filling holes in the walls/letting the boys do their stuff before we actually move in.  I think I’m leaning in that direction.
• We are not any closer to finding renters than we were a month ago.  I’m starting to get a little bit nervous.
• Hubs and I signed up to judge several cheerleading competitions this season and we are having a great time traveling around, judging with cool people, and staying relevant in a sport we both love.  Also, it’s a nice change from racing.  We are going to be judging quite a bit until April (the end of the all-star season) and I think by the end April we will both be ready for a break.  Most of our competitions have been pretty local (within driving distance) but we have a couple coming up in Denver (we will finally get to meet Baby Boeckman :) and Connecticut (which Hubs is super excited about since he’s never been there.) 
• My job is going a lot better.  I’ve turned a corner and my numbers are growing every month.
• I stopped talking to a good friend.  She had a baby and things changed.  Not in a ‘I don’t understand about having a baby,” way.  Changed in a “I have a baby now and if you want to meet me and my baby you need to accommodate me no matter how many times I stand you up at the last minute” changed.  I basically gave up the day she left me sitting at our lunch destination for 10 minutes and didn’t bother to let me know she wasn’t coming till I texted her.    Don’t get me wrong, I have friends with kids, even babies, and sure there are times when our plans don’t aline with babies schedule and I’m perfectly fine with that…but this particular friend took it to a whole other level.  Anyway, the point is that after a couple months of waiting for her to make a move…I sort of miss my friend. 

Anyway, those are the highlights of life right now.  I know I need to post more….maybe I will find some time during our next blizzard–fingers crossed :)

No Comments | In: Eating, Life, Our Home | | #

So, we have so much exciting stuff going on right now.  I’ve had a couple big days at work setting up some new high volume accounts…which should come in handy when it comes time to move into our new house.   (Moving is expensive.  So is puppy food.)

Speaking of the new house, we finally got the official paperwork organized and we will be doing inspections on Saturday!  I’m getting really excited to move.  Now, I just need to start packing….maybe I will do that this weekend too.  You know, after I nap.  I have the worst cold right now and everytime I start to feel a little better, I relapse–mostly at night and first thing in the morning.  Nothing feels worse than when you can’t stop coughing…

Last weekend we had a busy and fun weekend, we went to the Kansas City Comets soccer game.  We had never been before and it turned out to be a really good time.  (Some of our finest heckling for sure :)

 Then, I went to see Black Swam with a good buddy on Saturday.  (I had heard some less than favorable reviews from my family BUT since there was so much skuttle butt about it, we thought we should make our decisions. 

I thought Natalie Portman did a great job and I loved all the dancing but I could have done without all the weird sex scenes—I got a little embarrassed and I don’t embarrass easy.  

Then Sunday was family day!  We watched the Chiefs lose their playoff game (I can’t help but still LOVE them) and had dinner.  It’s always nice sitting on the couch with Mom, Dad, and Juls, it reminds me of living at home….and how easy life was then.

No Comments | In: Family, Life, Movies, Our Home | | #

We got the paperwork!  It looks like we are going to be closing the last day of February.   Yay!

In other news, I have the worst head cold in the world.  My chest is full of stuff, and my sinus’ are killing me and my throat is super scratchy.

So, tonight I will spend on the couch…watching Brad Womack.  I really didn’t even like him the first time he was on the bachelor but giving this guy a second chance has to be a recipe for good tv…why else would they invite him back?

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We finally heard back from our trusty realtor!  It looks like we’ve agreed on a price and conditions.  Now we’re waiting for the official paperwork!

It looks like this is where we will start the next phase of our lives together:

We have a lot to look forward to (and a lot of work) in the coming months!  How early is too early to start packing?  Can you start packing before you have an official purchase contract in hand?  Let’s get started….

2 Comments | In: Our Home | | #