Nearing the End of the First Trimester

Well I am now 13 weeks along, and I am looking forward to the end of the first trimester, which is officially after the 14th week. So confusing, I know. I am still learning. Anyway, this morning I was hit with some morning sickness and I decided to stay home for the morning. I am going to head into work in a few minutes, and thankfully I am feeling a bit better now.

Yesterday I went into Burlington Coat Factory to check out their "Baby Depot." WOW do they have a lot of stuff in there! It was fun to look through everything, but it was also overwhelming. I haven't the slightest clue what I'm going to need, other than a crib, changing table, and some clothes... Ok, I'm exaggerating a bit, but I definitely need some help on figuring out what the essentials are. I am thinking we will register at the Baby Depot and at Target, since they both have a lot of great stuff. Although, I am a little frustrated that practically everything is made in China. I don't want lead going into my little baby's mouth!

Well anyway, I still don't look very pregnant, although I want to start taking photos because I want to compare the various stages. I guess I'll sign off for now. Nothing else very exciting to report here, but feel free to post comments on what some of the "essentials" for having a newborn.

Gardening

Today I spent some time working in my flower garden. I am determined to not let it go unattended like it did last year. So I've been adding some organic top soil to the current soil, and then I'll be putting some fresh mulch. I've also moved a few plants and been pulling out a lot of weeds. Here are a few photos of how things are going so far:

Nursery Update

Well I decided that the best way to make my decision was to order something from each set so that I can see the colors in the room. It's too hard to tell online. Plus, I can return the items right to a Target store, so I don't have to worry about shipping back what I don't want. So, once I get the items I'll let you know what I've decided! Scott likes both sets so it really comes down to the color scheme and which one I like better...

Nursery Options

So I am starting to think about how to decorate our baby nursery. I have been thinking of an ocean theme, but I'm open to other ideas. We already have the room painted a nice aqua color - perfect for a boy or girl. Since I can't get the photos into my blog, I'll link to my top two favorite bedding sets. Please comment on which you like better!

Ocean Set

Safari Set

Sunny Days

I love sunshine. I love warm weather. This week, we've had both. We started the week a little cool, but then each day it got warmer and warmer. It topped out yesterday with 75 degrees!!! Yes, on April 18th in Bangor, Maine, we had 75 degrees. That is insane! Scott and I took Mia and Moxie for a walk up the road across the street, and they had a great time. We were both sweating because it was so hot, and the dogs were panting and couldn't wait until they got to the stream. The only bad part was when they met some other dogs near the end of the walk and it became very noisy because of all the barking!

Anyway, today is not going to be as warm, but it is still sunny and nice. Mia and Moxie are both outside right now and they are totally content. Ahhh, summer! I love it!

Today I have lots to do, since this week has been really busy. My house is a MESS, so this morning is going to be filled with lots of CLEANING. Last night, I encountered an ant infestation, so I need to really clean all the food off the counter and wash all the dishes and also locate where the ants are coming in and try to block them off. ICK! I vacuumed like 50 of them last night, and then sprayed some stuff to kill the ones that were continuing to come in.

Well I'm off to start laundry, one of the 700 tasks for the day...

The Big News

Well I suspect if you read my blog, you probably already know this. But now it's officially public: I am pregnant! Scott and I are expecting a baby and we are very excited. We have waited quite a while before doing this, but we finally decided to take the plunge.

So, our baby is due on November 3rd, so right now I am about 11 weeks along. It is all a new experience, but one I am trying to enjoy and be patient with. So far the side effects have been primarily fatigue (frequent naps and going to bed early) and a little bit of nausea. I am hoping that will pass soon, after I'm through my first trimester. But we shall see.

Anyway, to those of you who were keeping my secret, feel free to share!

Spring Is Coming!!!

Well I think Spring is on it's way. This past week, we had 3 days of close to 60 degrees! Woohoo! On Tuesday I came home and took a nice walk/jog with Mia. She loved it, and I enjoyed breathing in the fresh spring air. Then Friday morning I got up and it was beautiful, so I took her for another walk/jog in the morning. It was great, except this time, she decided to bark like crazy at the neighborhood dogs. She also spotted a pair of ducks in the stream near the end of the road, and she was quite interested in going after them. Thankfully, she did not decide to lunge for them, and they ended up flying away. Don't worry, I didn't forget about Moxie - he's just not that good at going for walks. But, he does love to play stick, so I spent quite a bit of time outside with him throwing sticks over and over. He's much better at fetch than Mia.

Here are some photos proving that Spring is on the way. My flower beds are not in very good shape, and I really didn't take care of them last year, but things are still pushing through the dirt!

Beginner's Luck

Yesterday I was introduced to a new experience: Basket Bingo. Now I want to preface this with two statements: 1. I don't generally support the concept of gambling and 2. I went because it was a fundraiser for my place of work, and given that I'd like to keep my job, I decided to support it. I also feel that playing Bingo to win some free Longaberger baskets is not necessarily wrong - basically I see it as giving a donation to a good cause (i.e. my workplace) and having the opportunity to get something free.

Anyway, for any of you who know me, you know that I am very competitive (watch out Amy and Sarah), but Bingo is a game of chance. There is really no strategy involved at all. However, it is still easy to get caught up in the excitement, especially when you are down to needing only one or two numbers. After I was informed of all the rules and how to actually play (it was confusing at first, but I caught on), I ended up getting into it. The first few games went slowly, and I didn't even get close. Then came the game where I just had a good feeling. I got down to needing two numbers left to make a Bingo. Then, both of my numbers were called. So I called out "bingo" and ended up winning a beautiful Longaberger Pot Luck Basket and a cream colored dish that went with it (valued at $93.00). Yay for beginner's luck.

Therein lies the reason that I have always chosen not to gamble - I can see how easily I could get addicted. Once you win, you just keep thinking, oh, maybe I'll win the next one. Or, if you're not winning, you keep getting excited that you might win. It's an interesting experience. So I probably won't play Bingo again until next year, if we have another fundraiser. But I was very pleased to come home with something nice that I never would have purchased for myself...