Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Labor Day

Sad news:
David didn't do the pizza challenge--they didn't have any more spots for a while and his friend left town this morning.
I'm sad for him, but happy for his heart.
That is so not healthy.

So, we spent the weekend dog sitting, avoiding the heat, eating BBQ (provided by our friends Bob & Lindsay two different nights!), seeing a movie, and watching Women's Softball.

Yes, women's softball.  David's obsessed.
I have taken to napping while it's on.

On Sunday, we took the two dogs on a walk together.  
It was SIGNIFICANTLY hotter on Sunday than it was on Saturday, so the walk was shortened to two miles (we did 3 on Saturday) and ended with a dip in the river.

Maggie acts like she's dying for most of the walk, but really perks up at the idea of water.

Nevermind that I give her a drink every half mile, 
it's tough for her to be outside.

Dad says it's like going on a walk in 90 degree weather 
while wearing a 40 lb fur coat.
Poor baby.
Doesn't she look like a manatee?

Linus, the dog we were watching, was less than thrilled than Maggie about the river.
Maybe it was just that he wasn't as close to heat stroke as she was, but he had to be "convinced" to get in. 
And by convinced, I mean thrown.
Before you get mad at us, Linus wore a leash and we had his owner's permission to take him swimming.
It might not have been explicit permission to throw him in, but we sent a video of the spectacle to her and she seemed to enjoy it :)

Friday, May 27, 2011

Summer!

And it's official.... I am done with work until the fall!

Huzzah!

Of course, this comes with a grain of salt, as I'll be going to work 4 days next week and leading workshops a few more days...but summer work is 1000000 times happier than "real" work.

Summer!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Storms

We had some crazy storms in St.Louis yesterday afternoon.

It started raining as I was walking out of work and David started texting me telling me to hurry.  I didn't think much of it, as David is a natural worrier, but decided to skip the gym to appease him.
Yeah, it wasn't hard to convince me--they wouldn't let me swim anyway in the storm.

I hit some major hail while on I-44, but figured it was just some hail, so I got off the interstate and drove side roads home.  Rain, but nothing bad.
About a block from home, I got texts from my friends Laura and Susan, asking if I was in my basement.  I was going to ask them why, and then the sirens started going off.

Yikes.

Turns out, Affton had wall clouds or funnel clouds spotted on the ground.  I would have known this, but I was listening to my positive pregnancy affirmation CD from hypnobabies.
Oops.

Anyway, I high-tailed it home and scurried to the basement with the fur-babies.  I tried to get Maggie Roo to go outside, but she was having none of that.

David got home about 20 minutes after me (after TONS of furious texting and phone calls that couldn't be connected) and we hid in the basement--until it sounded like someone was jumping around on our main floor.

So, being intelligent, we go upstairs to check it out.  No one broke into our house--the hail was just CRAZY loud.
You can't really tell--but there was a crap ton of hail.  
The whole time I was taking this, David kept yelling for me to close the door and go back downstairs.

After the hail stopped, I wanted to go outside and look at it.
I know, I know.  Bad idea.
But I'm stubborn and told David the only way I wouldn't go outside was if he went out and found some "good" hail for me. 
He came back with this--and it had been melting for at least 20 minutes here.

A smaller piece...next to a gross tennis ball of Maggie's.  

We were lucky in the storm--both of our cars have some minor hail damage (I think the dents will pop out in the heat on their own) and that's about it.  No limbs down, nothing broken.

I am ready for the storm season to be over!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Menu Planning

We've been trying something at our house...menu planning.
So far, so good.  It's actually kind of a relief to know for a whole week what I'm cooking and that I have the groceries I need for dinner. 

It also helps me keep a handle on our schedule..for instance, because of softball on Monday, baby class on Wednesdays and yoga on Thursdays, I plan something quick or leftovers.

Which is way better than my old stand-by of cottage cheese and triscuits.

Also, I know that David is doing a Pizza Challenge on Saturday, and will likely not eat that day.
Yes, he and a friend are attempting to eat a 28" pizza in an hour.
Without puking.

For $500.

God speed.  

I will be filming that.
In other news, this is what the rest of our fridge looks like.

Softball schedules, photos, and save the dates. 

Oh my. 

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Shelving

We put some things on the wall in the nursery!

It's a Christmas miracle!
Yes, I know a yard stick, drill, and hammer should not be stored on the changing table.

I was tired.  Sue me. 

And of course there was drama with the shelving.  I bought 2 shelves from Target, then decided they were too long...so they got returned.  No biggie.

I went to about 7 other places before finding shelves in a better length.  I bought three because that was all they had and I was worried I would get home and want more and regret.  I'm weird like that. 

Sunday night I decide it's time to hang the shelves.  I get the 6 HUGE holes in my freshly-painted wall, hang the support, and try to attach the shelf.  The screws go in, but fall out immediately.


Cue over-reaction.


I might have thrown some things and went on about how "nothing is easy with this nursery."

Thank God for David--he figured out that the first shelf I bought was defective and we just opened a new one and put it on.  After, of course, calming me down.  And buying me ice cream.

Initially I was thinking we needed two shelves...but now I'm thinking just the one is good.  What do you all think?  

Monday, May 23, 2011

32 Weeks

As of Saturday, I am 32 weeks pregnant.

Does this seem like REALLY pregnant to anyone else?

I feel awkward.   And large.


And hungry.

On Sunday, I met some teachers at 6:30 in the morning to do a 5k at the zoo.  By "do" I mean that I ran the first mile and then walked the rest...which makes me very proud.  It might make David even more proud than it does me--he was worried that I would get stubborn and run the whole thing just to prove a point.

He knows me too well.

Luckily, one of the other teachers wanted to walk after 1 mile, so it was easier for me to walk then.

In other news, enter the Baby Brady Pool!  I'll bake you a cake if you win!

http://bebepool.com/darciebrady

Actually, I probably won't until the kid is older.  But maybe David will buy you a cupcake or something.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Balloons

 On the 13th, the middle school had it's end-of-year bash.  I'm always impressed at how fun they manage to make a work party--but it probably helps that it's off-site AND has an open bar.
Even though the open bar and I weren't friends this year, I still enjoyed myself--they had an adult balloon maker come to the party.
Yes, adult.  Weird.  Luckily for me, my table was the first one he approached, so he did non-adult balloons for us.  Later on in the evening, they got a little more risqué...which probably would have made me REALLY uncomfortable.

At any rate, Henselface got an awesome fish...seriously--look at those bubbles!

He made me this poodle...but not just any poodle.  It was a pregnant poodle!
Do you see the tiny balloon in the middle?  How great is that?

You can't really see Kelly's in this picture, but it's a really elaborate monkey on a palm tree.

I'm thinking that someday, The Cactus will get a balloon animal party...but probably not "adult" balloon animals :)

Friday, May 20, 2011

JD!

Last night, David graduate from Law School!

Here he is getting hooded.  I know it's blurry, but my camera is not fancy :)

And here's the graduating class...about 300 of them.

Look how snazzy he looks!  
For some reason, he thought his hat was too small, but I think it looks smashing.

 I am so proud of him--he's worked hard for the past three years.  

He's managed to study and do school well in spite of some drastic life changes.

Seriously, since starting law school, David..
  • Met me :)
  • Got engaged
  • Got married
  • Bought a house
  • Got a cat (and adopted a dog)
  • Worked/Clerked at 3 places
  • Dealt with a preggo/cranky wife during finals
  • Handled the stress of starting a family in a job market that, frankly, blows for new lawyers
Yay for David!


Thursday, May 19, 2011

Cards!

David and I attended the Cardinal's game on Tuesday night with a huge group of his friends from law school.

We had a good time, even if David's "bad-ass" face doesn't convey that.

Much better!

The highlight of the evening is when David got his picture taken with the Puma.
Apparently, Berkman's nickname is The Puma and this guy must LOOOOOVE Berkman.

I fully supported this, especially since Berkman won the game for us.

Also, notice David's holding two beers.  Since I can't drink, he's taking up the slack :)

PS--David graduates tonight!
Praise the Lord!!!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Absent!

I've been absent for a while...but there's been no drama.  Mostly, I've been swwwwwaaaaa-amped at work and too tired/cranky at home to write something witty.

Biggest news:  I had a surprise shower at the middle school last Thursday.  I have never had a surprise ANYTHING before and was completely shocked.  Like ABSOLUTELY no clue what was happening.

The staff went together and got me the mother of all jogging strollers--the BOB Ironman.  I was floored--it was an incredibly generous and thoughtful gift.

I'll post pictures as soon as I can get them off my friend Susan's computer... apparently my "shocked" face was classic.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Granola

David called me today at work to tell me about the dream he had last night... apparently, he had a delivery dream.   He said that I went into a coma because I didn't get an epidural, but the baby looked good.  Apparently, The Cactus had a lot of hair.  Brown hair.  David decided that his dream was a sign that I NEED to get an epidural.

This got me thinking about some of the more granola things I'm considering.  I'm not hard and fast about all of these, but I'm giving them a shot.

Natural Childbirth:  I'm realistic.  I know it's going to be tough, but I REALLY want to give this a shot without painkillers.  It's totally a personal desire and I have no "issue" with getting help.  Heck, I might get in there and completely change my mind...but I want to at least try.  I've been doing Hypno-babies to prepare (and they tell me not to listen to stories about painful childbirth...but it's been hard to stop them!) and so far, so good.  However, I mostly want a healthy baby...so if I end up getting an epidural or a c-section, I'll deal.  But I want to try.  I think David's more freaked out about it than I am :)

Prenatal Yoga: I love my prenatal yoga class.  Everyone's preggo, so we bond over shared aches and pains, pediatricians, and gas.  We spend the last 10 minutes or so in a "relaxation pose" which is as close to sleeping in public as I've ever been.  We also thank our baby for loving us and thank ourselves for carrying the baby.   Oh  yeah, and I get a good stretch :)

Cloth Diapers: This is primarily a money-savings decision, but it's got some great environmental benefits.  No stinky diapers sitting around for eons!  Less garage!  Go nature!  Yeah, it will be slightly less convenient, but I'm ok with that.

Breast Feeding: Again, a money-savings decision, but one that is a little hippy-ish.  I want to breastfeed because "breast is best" and all that great stuff.  I know that it's hard to do, but I'm hopeful that I can make it work.  I've attended a La Leche League meeting with my friend Rochelle, and I feel lucky that I have a couple generations of breast-feeding women to call when I feel like sobbing.

I'm sure there are more things that I'll decide later on--like I think it would be cool to make my own baby food--but we'll tackle those issues as they arrive.

What granola things are you planning on trying or did?

Monday, May 9, 2011

Almost-A-Mother's Day

Our weekend was pretty low-key.  I was originally supposed to go to DC for my darling Nate's wedding, but was unable to go (stupid hip pain).  I was then planning to go to KS for the weekend, but felt like poop on Friday.

I ended up sleeping from the second I got home from work at 3pm until 7pm.
Then I sat on the couch until I went back to bed.

I didn't even eat dinner.

After two easy trimesters, I think the third might get kind of rough.

But it's ok--less than 10 weeks until The Cactus's ETA.

Saturday was another low key day.  
I got some groceries and went for a swim.

David had some friends over to watch some boxing match...it was fun, even though I had no idea how to tell if someone's "winning" other than they're bleeding.  And, apparently, that doesn't always indicate winning.

Sunday, we slept in.  As in I slept until 8am.

It was a miracle! 

David also celebrated my Almost-A-Mother's Day.  He's sweet.
 He got me Easy Feet... 
apparently because he doesn't think I can reach my feet anymore.
 He said I should't post the above picture because I look less than thrilled about my new foot cleaning system.
I just told him I didn't know my feet were that dirty.
And I can still reach them :)

Still though, thoughtful gift for a preggo.  :)

But not as cute as the little think I'm holding...
 A tiny crystal owl!
How cute is that?
I love it--once I get the shelves up in the nursery, it's got a prime location.

I also scored some sweet flowers.
I told David to be careful-- 
when the baby is actually outside of me, he's got to top this :)

And... so you all can enjoy, here's my 30 week bump pic!
I told my friend Guinn on the phone that I think I'm sticking out about 6 inches past the boobs.
Accurate?

Friday, May 6, 2011

Empty Wall...you can't just leave that!

Now that the Cactus has a dresser,
I'm starting to think about the only empty wall.
Because I CANNOT just leave a wall without something.
That's just crazy.

So here's the corner/wall that's empty.
I'm willing to shift or move the chair as needed...
My options for filling it are pretty varied.  I'm not thinking art so much as I am storage.

On our target registry, I have this bookcase.
Source
It's simple and it has a teeny drawer.  It's about $100, which isn't terrible, but is also the most expensive option.

And that's the only pre-fabricated thing on my inspiration list.

I saw these on a Blog... and I wouldn't do gold rods, but it could be cool for storage.  And I have some random fabric left over.
Source
With that, I would actually probably do several rows.
Too much?  Too pokey-out?


Next up, there are these fabric book slings.
Source
This would stick out less than the one above and could add a pop of color....

The final inspiration I would probably beg my father to make.
He's handy like that.
I like that you can actually see the names of the books.
cg bracket bookshelves 1
Source
And I could paint them orange.  I think I would leave off the decorative scroll thing on the side, though.

What do you think?  Any winners here?

Should I figure out a combo of multiple ones?

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Cardinals

Last night,David and I attended the Cardinal's game...
Aren't we cute?

David managed to score AWESOME seats at the last minute. 
We were about two rows behind the coveted green seats...and close enough to get a toosh shot of my man, Holliday.

 Fancy.

The game was fun, even though it was cold and we played like poop.
Seriously.  4 errors.
Not cool, guys.

Around the 6th inning, David wandered off to "go to the bathroom" and returned about 30 minutes later with these t-shirts. 
How cute is that? 
He bought matching father-son shirts and went with Holliday.  He wanted to get one for me too, but I told him  it looks better when he matches the son.  I think it might be a little creepy if The Cactus starts dressing like me :)
Apparently, while he was checking out, he had  a LOOONG conversation with the cashier.  After telling him that it was darling he wanted to match his son, she preceded to ask him if he was married to his baby momma.

David said yes, sure was.

She told him that was good.

Because "People ask fewer questions that way."

Cute.

I love that David apparently had a 10 minute conversation with his cashier.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Dresser Saga

This has been ongoing drama in the Brady household for a very long time.

See, the Cactus needed a dresser, and David's parents generously offered to purchase one for him.  They told me just to pick out what I wanted and they would make it happen.

So, being lazy, I opted for the dresser that "matched" his crib.

Here it is...
Delta Venetian Combo Unit - White - Delta  - Babies"R"Us
Source
We ordered it, and had it shipped to our house because it was only $20 extra (there was a shipping promotion or something) and we don't own a truck.
I figure by the time we borrowed a truck, it would cost us at least $20 in gas and thank-you beer.
Plus the stress of coordinating.
The dresser arrived less than a week later...except it was in pieces.  I guess I didn't read the description well, because I didn't realize it was a DIY project.
No worries... I'm handy.

So I ripped open the box and started pulling pieces out.

After I had pulled 4 pieces out, I noticed that 2 of these 4 had damage...the wood was damaged--cracked, scrapped, and just looking shoddy.

So I sent it back and Babies R Us had another one overnighted to us, refunding shipping fees.

The next one arrived, and I started putting it together.  
None of the wood seemed damaged UNTIL it was almost entirely done and David helped me flip it over.

(Note: the instructions said to put the piece together upside down.)

HUGE scrape and chunk out of the top front of the dresser.
HUGE.
I don't know how I noticed this...
except it was upside down and sitting on a sheet.

So...I went to a bunch "regular" furniture stores.  Everything I halfway liked was either shoddy or over $1000.  
No dice.
How totally not cool would it have been to suddenly change my mind and want a piece of furniture significantly more than first one I told them about?
Not cool.
Debra (MIL) came into town and I convinced her to go to Babies R Us with me and just look around.
We found this...
Baby Cache Bliss Combo Unit - White - Baby Cache  - Babies"R"Us
Source
It was only about $75 more than the first one I liked, 
but seemed like WAAAY better quality.

So I went home and called Babies R Us (because the store didn't know about my drama) and explained the situation.  
They agreed to give me a significant discount AND free shipping (which was normally like $160)...making the total for this dresser slightly less than the crap-fest I had ordered before.
SCORE.

Until the new dresser arrived.

David and I tore open the box, removed layers of Styrofoam and cardboard to find the top right corner SMASHED to bits.  
UNDERNEATH the protective, undamaged Styrofoam.

Seriously.

I almost had a panic attack.

So I call Babies R Us again.

They send us another one.

This one comes, and there's no noticeable damage...except...
The back particle board isn't stapled on.

I call them again.

At this point, we've had 7 different deliveries for this one dresser.
I figure that Babies R Us has spent around $720 delivering and taking away merchandise.

I tell them that I can fix the problem myself, 
but feel like I should be compensated.

They give me $40.
And a future coupon for 10%.  (Really, only 10%.  Cheap!)

So we're keeping this dresser.
Once I get past my bitterness and annoyance, I like it. 
Really.
 I'm not sure if it was worth all the stress, 
but it's one less thing on my to-do list.

Did anyone notice the cute hat on the dressers?  
It's a tiger hat!!
One of David's law school friends gave it to him--
 I've never seen a man so excited in his life.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Maternity Photo Shoot

What do you guys think?  Should I do one?  The girl who did our wedding (Kati) has volunteered that she's totally willing to do a maternity session, but I'm not entirely sold that I'll want it.

Has anyone out there done them?  Are they something you want to have around for a long time or something that will be quickly replaced by photos of the actual baby?

What if I tried to recreate this?
(Lindy sent me this photo--it's from awkwardfamilyphotos.com  Hilarious!  
The guy looks so proud of himself!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Gallery Wall... Complete (for now)

If you remember, last week I posted the paper-taped-idea of the basic shape of a gallery wall in our living room.

Here it is below...

 This weekend I managed to get out my hammer and put things on the wall.

Check it out!
You'll be happy to see that David enjoys the gallery wall as well.
Actually, I think he was watching the Will and Kate Lifetime movie and couldn't be bothered to move.
For the record, watching this movie was not my choice.  
My husband is unique.

Here's a close up of the frames.
A lot of the "stuff" inside will be changing...so these are just placeholders.  
The two floral prints are actually napkins (I talked about them in this post).
My favorite "not staying" picture is the one just to the right of the B... it's David and I on our honeymoon cruise.  We're not actually outside, and this picture makes me laugh because we're so darn cheesy.
Oh and below the B is a picture of David and his parent's cat.  
Cute, but also changing.

I think right now, my favorite thing is the heart in the upper left.  It was a wedding gift from family friends, Fred and Lucille.  Fred passed away this past winter, but Lucille is still hanging in there.
Growing up, Fred and Lucille were like in-town grandparents to my siblings and me--we always visited them for holidays and Lucille would say, "Goodness gracious, goodness gracious. Take off your coats.  You're going to smother.  Let me get you a coke."  Fred would turn on his hearing aide which he often left off when it was just he and Lucille at home :)  They would lock their poodle (usually named Bozo) in the bathroom for our visit and he would bark the entire time.
Darling people.
My senior year of college, Fred and Lucille moved into a nursing home in Junction City.  My family helped them clean out their house (and even adopted a stray they had been feeding--we named the cat Lucille).  For my practicum that year, I spent a lot of time in Junction City, so I would pop in and visit before heading back to Manhattan.  Fred and Lucille have been a special part of my life for as long as I can remember.
For our wedding, Lucille wanted to give me something from their former home--and that heart was it.  
Their daughter, Deanna, had it mounted and framed.  
I loved it, but never really felt like it "went" anywhere in our house...until now.