Enjoying The Moment

For the last couple of weeks, I have often found myself not really stopping to smell the roses very often. I justified it by how ridiculously hot it is outside (I pretty much don't go outside unless I'm going from point A to point B) and how it often seems like I'm the only person in the world who hasn't had her baby yet... not to mention all of the third trimester discomforts that have finally hit me full force. (I pretty much don't sleep at all, I'm in desperate need of a pedicure, and I move around like I'm 1000 years old). Also, as we've been preparing for this baby and the baby's room gets more and more stocked up with adorable baby blue items, it's really hard to appreciate the moment that I'm in right now since I just want this baby to be here already!

Well, I've decided that this needs to change. There is SO much to enjoy about NOW.... like the fact that me and Michael get wonderfully ridiculous amounts of time together for the rest of the summer. This is going to happen again....... when he retires? Yeah, it'll probably be that long. My baby shower is in two days, and our anniversary in three. Oh, and I get to pretty much do whatever I want all day, even if it's to just sit around and watch movies while my baby rolls around in my belly. It's pretty great. Life is good. I have no doubt that it'll be even better once Baby Byram makes his appearance, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy these next three weeks(ish) as well.

So, here's to enjoying the moment. I have so much to be thankful for.

And here are a couple pictures of our summer adventures. (bowling and a picnic.... yes, I braved the heat for a few minutes....)

Wimps

A few days ago, I came to a realization: me and Michael are total wimps. We LOVE scary rides at amusement parks and trying new things, but we have one major wimpy thing in common: We are not 'nature people.' Sure, I enjoyed going to Girls' Camp when I was in Young Womens, but we mostly always went places with cabins and showers. Michael went camping twice while growing up- and didn't love it. As he likes to tell people, he was raised by a woman. :-) In college, I had a fear of marrying someone who loved camping and would want to go all the time. I would so much rather camp in a hotel in the Caribbean. Well, I definitely married the perfect guy for me. Michael is just as big of a nature wimp as I am.

Earlier this week, I decided that we should finally go check out the lake that we live pretty close to. It's HOT here, and I thought it would be nice to pack a lunch, have a picnic on the sand, and then wade in the lake. Sounds nice, right? Once we got there, we saw a picnic table under the trees. Within one minute, we had seen about four HUGE spiders hanging out under the table and the flies were attacking our food like crazy. Gross! I also heard some suspicious animal noises that scared me to death. So we packed up our food and moved closer to the water. Sadly, there was no sand- only rocks. We set down our towels on a big rock and figured we could dangle our feet in the water while we ate. This time, we made it a whole two minutes before the spiders (and this time, mosquitoes) made an appearance and we chickened out yet again. We were sweaty and creeped out and decided to just leave. We didn't even go in the water- no one else was in the water and apparently there are poisonous water snakes here. Ugh! So yes, we are lame.... and incredibly wimpy. I did take one picture to prove that we at least tried to appreciate the nature around us.


We enjoyed the rest of our lunch in the comfort of our air conditioned apartment. Seriously, someone needs to take our poor little boy camping because I would love for him to actually appreciate things like that, unlike his parents. :-)

Fourth of July

We had a great time on the Fourth of July this year. It didn't start out so wonderful, but then the day got better and better. I had wanted to go to the lake because that's the next best thing to the beach, (and I grew up going to the beach on the Fourth) but by the time we got there we were told to turn around because it had already reached the maximum capacity. Bummer! So we came home and watched a few episodes of our latest favorite TV show, House. Then we headed over our friends' apartment (Brandon and Anna) for a BBQ. They are awesome! Their adorable little baby boy isn't even a month old yet and they still threw a fabulous party.

Then, some of our other new friends, Nic and Christy, hooked us up with an amazing place to watch the fireworks in downtown Nashville. Unlike almost everyone else who watched the fireworks downtown, we didn't even have to get there super early. Awesome. We went to the top of a building downtown and watched the fireworks from the balcony.

Anna, me, and Christy. We matched, so I had to take a girls picture. :)

I'm not sure where we'll be next year on the Fourth, but our Fourth of July in Nashville was definitely a good one!

On My Mind

In no particular order....

- Only a couple more months until I'm officially a mom. I can't decide if my due date is coming on fast or slow. I change my mind every day. Sometimes I really just want my baby to be here, but other times I stress out thinking about how much I still don't know and how many things I have to do to get ready. I'm definitely going to be driving my family and friends crazy over the next several weeks asking them things like what brand of diapers is the best and whether or not to invest in a baby swing.
- I am actually watching The Bachelorette this season. I have never watched it before now, and it really is addictive. It's also two hours, and I really really hate when TV shows are two hours long, unless it's So You Think You Can Dance. ;-) It just feels like such a waste of time. I'll finish this season, and enjoy every minute of it, but I probably won't watch it anymore after that. Also, Ashley should choose JP. And I heard that Bentley comes back, which is very upsetting. (he chose to leave a couple episodes ago, and he's beyond evil) I hope he gets dumped.


- I can't wrap my brain around certain trends that stay popular for way too long. Right now, I'm baffled by guys who wear skinny jeans and/or have a faux hawk. What in the world?!?!? Who are the three women out there in America who told men that these things look cool?


- We might be moving shortly after the baby comes. It all depends on where Michael gets a job. I'd love to move to the West, but moving is SUCH a pain, and I imagine moving with a newborn would be even worse.
- I have never made really good chocolate chip cookies. I have no idea what's wrong with me. Nobody else seems to have this problem. I have even gotten recipes from people who make really awesome chocolate chip cookies but my cookies never turn out like theirs do! I don't seem to have any problems following any other cookie recipe, so I don't get it. I might just give up, but any advice is welcome.

- I want to get that 'shatter' nail polish. It's cool looking.

- I made some really yummy burritos this week for dinner, and even my fast food-loving husband went as far to say that they were better than Chipotle burritos. I'm pretty sure he changed his mind after they made his stomach upset a few hours later. Oops. Not really my fault though- he has a weak stomach, remember? ;-) Okay, I probably should have left the peppers out, (spicy food doesn't always love him as much as he loves it) so maybe it is my fault.
- I am so happy that it's summer, and that our cicada infestation is over. (Big, loud, nasty bugs that emerge from the ground once every 13 years in Tennessee). I love summer activities and even though I will be huge and hot, summer is the best. :)

- This is kind of funny:

Third Trimester

Well, as of today, I am officially in my third trimester, and I thought that it was time for a pregnancy update. First, here is my 28 week picture: (taken this morning)

I am definitely starting to get bigger! A little over a month ago I started to actually look pregnant enough for a couple strangers to tell me congratulations on my baby. I was super excited when this happened because it meant that I actually looked pregnant as opposed to looking like I'd been eating too many milkshakes and candy bars. However, I was warned that as more and more random people started noticing my belly, not all the comments I would get would be super nice. I told myself over and over again to not get offended if/when people started calling me huge, and it's a good thing that I at least sort of prepared myself because I had a convo a few days ago that went something like this:

(me and Michael get into the elevator after touring the OB unit at the hospital)
Random Lady: When are you due?
Me: August
Random Lady: Wow, you still have TWO WHOLE MONTHS!? (while looking wide-eyed at my belly)
Me: (thinking, 'uh, it's actually much closer to three months than two, thank you very much') "Yeah...."
Random Lady: And you're carrying so low!
Me: (wondering how to answer that.... with a 'thank you?' or just another 'yeah?' - so I just nod my head)
(elevator doors open and we walk separate ways)

Rude! It's true that some people don't filter very well. I guess telling me that I'm carrying low isn't so bad, but I don't really love being indirectly called huge. :) I vented to Michael about it for a minute (I could tell he was trying not to laugh) :) and got over it. Sadly, I'd better get used to it!

The baby gets hiccups a lot. I never felt them until last week but ever since, he has gotten them at least every other day. Poor guy. At least it never lasts very long.

Michael and the baby love playing together already. Michael will push on my belly and the baby will push back. It's pretty cute. And, it's great entertainment for all three of us during boring talks at church. (Am I allowed to say that?)

The baby measured kind of big at my last ultrasound, so I have a fear of delivering an 11 pound baby. His kicks actually make me jump because they are already so strong, and this doesn't really help me worry any less about him being big, haha.

I get full really fast and hungry really fast. I imagine that this will only get worse as that 40 week mark gets closer. My bladder is starting to shrink, ;-) and I have put away all of my pre-pregnancy pants and shorts. I'm always hot. The super, super hot weather lately doesn't help. I have never felt any Braxton Hicks contractions.

I still feel that while I've definitely had my discomforts, I have had a relatively easy pregnancy. I am very lucky. And I am still SO excited for this little boy to come. Preparing for another Byram is even more fun than I hoped it would be. He is already so loved by me, Michael, and our family and friends. Is it August yet???