Master Plan success!

 Well, I'm back.

It was a long and glorious weekend loving on my new niece (and my brother and sister-in-law, too). I was none too happy to have to kiss her sweet head goodbye this afternoon, but I can guarantee that my trips home will be MUCH more frequent now than they have been for the last few years. A sweet baby to love on is about as compelling a reason to drive home as I've ever had, so I don' t imagine it will be too long before we hit the road to head back for more baby loving. Jake, my brother, estimated that I wouldn't make it til Wednesday, but I think I'll stay strong a little longer than that...maybe.

I've got some pictures for ya today, at least. Jake's holding a firm line on the 'no Facebook' picture ruling, which I am happy to respect, even though he didn't explain why and also stated that he might change his mind in the future. I asked whether I could pretty please put pictures on my blog and Instagram, though, because my friends were dying to see my new niece. He had no idea what a blog or Instagram was, and no time or desire to figure it out, so he sorta said 'okay, fine,' as long as blogs and Instagrams aren't 'like Facebook,' and left it at that. So that's where we are, but if he changes his mind and issues me a cease-and-desist, then I hope you'll hold these pictures in your memories for all the days to come. Cause my niece is CUTE!

Meet Carley Anne.

This is the dress that Emily, my sister-in-law, wore home from the hospital when SHE was born!

Matt and I visited them in the hospital on Friday morning and afternoon and then helped them pack up and head home. I mostly helped by holding the baby, obviously, and offering my expert advice whenever asked (or not asked). And I hauled a few loads of pink loot about a million miles to their car in the parking deck. And I kept track of what crap went where when we packed up the room so that later I knew where 'that piece of paper with such and such' and 'that thingy the nurse gave us' were located. This was Stage 1 (Make Yourself Useful) of my Master Plan: Hold The Baby The Most. It went swimmingly.

While Matt fetched their car and pulled it around, I videotaped our entourage leaving the hospital. This was Stage 2: Get All The Good Photos & Videos So That They Won't Want You To Leave. Once we were loading Carley into the car and discussing our transportation arrangements, Emily realized that she couldn't crawl up and over across the back seat of their (huge) SUV to sit with Carley.

 [Rabbit trail: Emily had FOURTEEN STAPLES from her c-section. In addition to the internal stitches and what-not. I'm not sure what's standard these days, but that seemed a little insane. I asked Jake how long her scar was and he holds his hands out about 18 inches apart. And swears he's not lying. But then later on he changes his story and says that the doctors actually had to use the 'pumpkin method' to get Carley out...you know, cut a big circle, pick up her skin, yank Carley out, replace the skin-circle, and stitch? OK, sorry, that's disgusting, but we almost died laughing. So I'm not sure which story is true, but either way, Emily was in a crap-ton of pain from it, and in no condition to be sliding across back seats or doing any sort of movement at all.]

Ever the helpful aunt, I volunteered to sit in the backseat with Carley and make sure she was okay on the way home. This selfless act was well-received by all and I silently congratulated myself for scoring this important job.
 

That's right, suckas-- I'm the one riding with her on her first car ride! BOOM!

 After the slowest and most careful drive of Jake's life, we finally made it to their house. This was when I moved into Stage 3: Make It Seem Like You're Doing Them A Favor.

Emily was exhausted and in pain. She needed to sleep in her own bed. Jake was tired and had loads of sporting events to catch up on. He needed to focus on that. Carley was doing what she does best: sleeping and being cute. I could pretty much handle that on my own. So I made it perfectly clear that everyone was welcome to sleep and I would take care of the baby.

And so they did and I did. And they thanked me for helping them. HAHAHAHAHAHA. No, really. It was excruciating...

I'm not sure if Carley is normal or not, but here's all she does: sleep. She eats about every 4.5 hours, and then she just sleeps some more. She doesn't cry. She doesn't open her eyes. She doesn't fuss. She just sleeps. And does cute little wiggles while she's sleeping. And grasps onto your fingers if you stick them near hers. It's pretty awesome. She seriously doesn't cry. And she has no need for that eat-every-2-hours nonsense most babies apparently need. I guess this is a benefit of weighing over 10 pounds at birth? Who knows. Who knows if it will last, either...heh heh...but it lasted for the 3 days I was there, so that's really all that matters, right? I mean, I think that even Jake and Emily were rather astonished by how easy she is and how little she wakes up during the night.

 So this is basically what we did for three days. Hang out on the couch, pass the baby around, maybe go sit outside for awhile (babies need to tan, you know!)...poke at her and try to wake her up...marvel at how she will make really mean baby faces but never cry...it's pretty awesome.

On Saturday I decided to have a photo shoot with her. Jake and Emily were sleeping, I was in charge, and I decided to put some of the trillions of clothes in her closet to good use before she grew out of them. This was my first newborn photo shoot and I must say, it was pretty awesome. Pretty much she just stayed stuck however I set her, so it was really easy. We did this shoot on their dining table on the covered porch outside.

 I actually got tons of good pictures (Emily cried when she saw them later. SCORE!!) but it takes too long to resize and upload them here, so this is all you get. I thought the yellow dress was just TOO cute!

Later I entertained us by doctoring up the photos a bit on Picmonkey. I think I did a really good job.

Preparing to be the Bachelorette one day!

 Oh, the sunglasses are real, by the way. They were super cute and I thought she'd pitch a fit when I put them on her, but she didn't. Nothing fazes this one, apparently!

So all in all it was a pretty perfect weekend. I would estimate I was the Baby Holder approximately 75% of the time I was there, with the other 25% of the time being shared by the other 7 people who were present most of the time (Matt, my parents, Emily's parents, and Jake and Emily themselves). Those are pretty good numbers, so I feel confident I've sealed my position as Most Favorite Aunt (and sister/sister-in-law) for the time being. Jake and Emily seemed a little panicky when we left town, but we have plans for plenty of FaceTiming and hopefully that will help me out (not gonna help them, since I can't babysit via iPhones...) until we get to be together again in person.

Lest you think I did nothing but hold Carley all weekend, here are a few of my less-notable accomplishments: went to a county-wide yardsale (bought a book and a new bike helmet), ran a 9:34 mile (PR!), spent $$$$$ at Ulta, drank 2 new beers (summer bucket list goal), and uncovered a veritable treasure trove of laughs in my own baby books/'school memory' books my mom kept about me as a child. Don't worry. More coming from that soon. If you follow me on Instagram, you've tasted but a preview...mwah ha ha.

With that, I'm off to get ready for a new week (bah) and -most likely- stare at pictures of my sweet baby niece. And text my brother to see if he misses me yet. Yippee!!

new babies are seriously distracting

I'm an aunt (again)!! My brother's baby was born yesterday morning, happy and healthy. Here's the sad part- no pictures for you yet. I mean, I have pictures...but I was instructed to not put any on Facebook yet (and Jake and his wife haven't, either)...so I'm not sure whether  or not that extends to my blog (not that they're even aware it exists), but I'll err on the side of safety and save the photos and name for once I'm sure they're okay with me sharing. Plus maybe I'll get some pictures in REAL LIFE when I meet her tonight and then I can be in the picture too, and obviously that will be way better, right? 

But! She is here! She arrived via a scheduled c-section two weeks prior to her due date and she weighed 10 pounds 3 oz, so I'm gonna go ahead and say it was a great idea to not go full term there. My sister reports that Baby already has a couple extra chins and fat rolls and is about 7 feet tall (my estimate based on pictures), so I'd say she's off to a great start! And not to worry- my hair stylin' sister already had Baby's hair done up in bows, so we know this one won't be lacking in the fashion department. All in all I am thrilled to death and counting the minutes until I get to meet her tonight! I was pretty worthless for anything except staring at my phone and waiting on people to text me pictures and videos yesterday...my apologies for anyone that wanted me to think about anything else!

This week has been a total wash as far as tri-training. Bah. I was in way too much pain Sunday and Monday to do anything other than the bare minimum of movement. I took a verrrrry slow (21 minutes, hahahahaa) mile walk Tuesday night to get a feel for how it would go. Yesterday I decided to try biking instead, and luckily that went much better than walking, since my stomach stays basically still the whole time. So that workout ended up being a good one. And now we're leaving right after work to head to Augusta for the weekend (BABY TIME!!!), so who knows if I'll get in any more decent workouts. We haven't had a chance to get a bike rack for our car yet, so we can't take our bikes with us (they won't fit in the Matrix with all of our luggage and Lola hogging the space)...but we can run there or go to the gym (our gym has a location just a mile from my parents'...CONVENIENT!), so hopefully we'll make something happen. I'm trying to not get discouraged by basically a whole week off. And I'm trying to get used to the idea that this might happen...uhhh...every month. Piece of crap. I'll just have to train extra hard the other 3.5 weeks of the month. Bah. I hate you, endometriosis.

Last night I had to run around the yard to take pictures of all the plants to show my mom when we go home. Most of the pictures are total crap, but I am happy to announce that our blueberry bushes are full of (unripened, obviously) fruit!!

So that'll make for an easy check-off on the ol' Summer Bucket List (pick berries)! And oh yeah- ALL are welcome to 'do' the list! Don't feel like only people who fit the very specific demographic described in the title can do it...you may notice that that would exclude even me, co-author of the list, due to my not exactly being in my 20s anymore...so, yeah. We just felt like making a ridiculous title for it. :) 

Okay...so, clearly my brain is empty of everything except thinking about squeezing my chunky little niece as soon as possible (which is, sadly, not very soon...a loooot of hours and miles between us), so I'll stop boring us all now. If you have any tips about how to politely hog the new baby away from all the other relatives in the hospital, feel free to let me in on them. Good time to play the woe is me, I am childless card? No? Makes people feel uncomfortable like I might steal the baby? Is there a reason my dad went on for 30 minutes yesterday about how high-tech the anti-baby-stealing system is ("Baby has this anklet and DON'T EVEN THINK about crossing past the nurse's desk unless you are Jake or Emily because YOU DON'T HAVE THE MATCHING BRACELET and ALARMS WILL GO OFF!!!!!"....ummm yeah, I know...)...does my own family not even put me above kidnapping? I mean, I'm not...but my own niece? It'd be a little obvious, wouldn't it? Easiest crime to solve EVER! Sheesh. Give me some credit. OK sorry- back to the topic at hand: LEGAL tips for monopolizing baby cuddle time? Thanks!

summer sun, something's begun

I have an awesome prize for the first person who tells me what song the title of this post is from. GO!


Yesterday Diana and I were discussing the abundance of 'summer bucket lists' floating around Pinterest these days. 

(Exhibit A)

Source: Uploaded by user via Rebekah Budziszewski on Pinterest

 (Exhibit B)

Source: thedailydigi.com via Kids Club on Pinterest

They're fun and all, but we have some serious problems with most of them. First of all, they have like twelve thousand items. Clearly they are meant for people who have twelve thousand free days of summer...which is incidentally not us, since we have the exact same amount of free hours during the summer as we do the rest of the year. So I don't need that many new things to do. You're killing me, Bucket List. Secondly, most of them are for people with kids. Or people who ARE kids. Because let's talk about how creepy it would be if I went and showed up at a splash pad by myself. WOOOO!!!! Water shooting up out of the ground!!! I'm losing my miiiiind!!!!!!

Not. Happening.

Also, I do not want to make a robot (???? Nor would I want to make one if I were a kid or if I had a kid or EVER, really. Robots are for scientists. Not people like me.) or catch a frog or throw water balloons (seriously, who's gonna clean up all those tiny pieces of plastic balloon bits when we're done? Plus water balloon fights always result in tons of ant bites. Not sure how that happens, but it's a guarantee) or basically do anything except drink rum-based beverages while I work on my tan by the pool. That's what summer is for. 

But then, it's good to make goals, to make a point of doing fun things that aren't just sitting by a pool...you know, like training for a triathlon! Or painting the living room! Obviously I'm all about trying new things. Just not the things I've seen on most of these 'bucket lists.' 

Which is why Diana and I did the only logical thing. We made our own bucket list. Our bucket list for people like us. People who are semi-old, who do not have kids (or even a spouse, necessarily) to base our activities around, who spend most of their summer hours WORKING, and who do not have unlimited money. The best Summer Bucket List Ever.

And then we made it pretty.

Amazing, right? It took us almost 20 whole minutes to think of the perfect balance of 'okay, what are things we'd probably do anyway? we need easy things to check off...' items plus 'what are things that would be FUN but not TOO hard to work in?' plus 'must think of something that isn't related to food' goals. I know. We are super dedicated. And then Diana whipped up the little graphic after work and...voila! The perfect List. You are welcome. Feel free to join us in our ambitious endeavors, and look!!!- we even made three blank boxes so you can make your OWN goals! We are nothing if not givers. Truly.

Also, we definitely did not start off by aiming for 20 new beers. Definitely not. That would make us look totally un-classy when we are clearly super classy (please see: gray chevron background, bright turquoise and green color scheme). But I am saying that if anyone sees any Adult Beverage Bucket Lists floating around, I know someone who might be interested. A friend of a friend. Yep.

It's summer, yall. Even for us 'working girls' (Diana says that phrase has bad connotations? I don't get it...), it's an exciting prospect. Summer!! Yay!! Summer with 23 new goals?? SUPER YAY! Let's see who can finish them all first. GO!

ch-ch-ch-changes

So as I was laying in bed all day Sunday, staring through the bedroom door out into the living room, I had plenty of time to think. And think. And plot. And plan. And look at Pinterest. And analyze. And then it came to me: I definitely need to redecorate my living room.

It's been in the back of my mind for a few months now. Lurking. But I've been ignoring it. Because don't nobody have time for that. Except for really, I do. I mean...I could. And it would be fun, right?

So here's the thinking. I don't really want to redecorate so much as re-paint. That's the main thing. I'm tired of the green. And while it's not quite as neon-ish and glowy as it is in these pictures, it's still a bit...much. I used to love it. Now it kind of gets on my nerves. But that's okay, right? I mean, we've been in our house 4 years. It's okay to want to change things up after four years. 

I'm just over this green. Not all green, which is convenient since my kitchen and laundry room are two other shades of green (which I still like)...just this one. And I want to lighten things up. I'm thinking I want a light bluish-gray for the walls now. Lately most of the decor I've acquired (via yard sales, crafting, etc.) has involved varying shades of blue, and I think most of my furniture/textiles/decor would look nice against a bluish-gray backdrop on the walls. Obviously I don't have the money to do any kind of FULL makeover, with new furniture and all, so finding a color that will look good with what I have already is key. Oh but I do want to get a new rug. That's part of the plan. New paint and rug(s). Matt agreed to that much.

Source: decorpad.com via Erika on Pinterest

Not that my house will look anything like this (way more minimalist and trendy than my stuff!) but I like the overall colors. I might want the walls to have slightly more blue in them? Who knows. 

                                                                                      Source: buddysrecipes.tumblr.com via Erika on Pinterest

I like these colors. Maybe not quite so light on the gray, but the darker gray/brown color can represent my couches (which are actually totally brown, but...similar), then there's the fun blue and green (which are the accent colors in much of my decor, plus the colors of the walls of the rooms that adjoin/are visible from the living room- the kitchen and our bedroom). 

Anyway. So I've decided that as much of a huge pain in the booty it's gonna be to paint our living room (hello super high ceilings...and heavy bookcases...AND GIANT PIANO), I seriously think we could do it in a weekend. If we worked really hard. And got a super fantastic primer so that we maybe only have to do one coat of primer and 2 coats of paint...??? Or actually, I wonder how much it costs to have someone come paint your living room for you. Professionals. I'm 30...should I not be doing my own dirty work at this point? Ha. 

Here's a final thought/question: What's the deal with Benjamin Moore paint? I notice lots of people using this...and not just Rich Bloggers and Magazine People. Like...real people that I actually know, that I know are just regular people with regular redecorating budgets. But in my mind, Benjamin Moore is like...really expensive (not that I've ever been inside one). I usually just get my paint at Lowe's. It seems expensive enough there. What's the draw with BM? Is it the quality of paint, the colors, or both? Does buying that brand of paint somehow make painting a living room a magical, delightful experience? I need to know this stuff.

Alright. So. Operation: Redo the Living Room. It's gonna happen. Get ready. And if painting walls is a deep passion of yours and you want to come help, feel free to let me know.