September 28th!

So... yesterday was just another day... little did i know that around 3 o'clock all my worries would be GONE! before I go on.... let me give you some background! these past 2 months I have been searching for a career path I can pursue once lil man is here, but start before he's here. And let me tell you, even though you are not suppose to be discriminated against when you are pregnant, well it happens and it has happened to me more times than one. It's an awful feeling, knowing you are qualified for a position BUT since you won't be able to consistently work for the next few weeks because of maternity leave, you aren't even considered. It has been a HUMBLING experience and everyday it was very hard to NOT be bitter about it. HOWEVER.... 2 weeks ago, I interviewed at a bank located in Kansas only 14 minutes away. I never heard anything back... So i completely gave UP on them in my mind.

BUT, yesterday Mr. Bank (I'm not going to use his real name LOL) called, I answered & then sat down. I was completely ready for him to start out by saying how qualified I was and BLAH BLAH and then hear the HOWEVER we have decided to pursue a different candidate for the position.... BUT by GOLLY....... HE OFFERED ME THE POSITION! I wanted to do a backFLIP. I accepted OF COURSE. We chatted for awhile and then talked about the training aspect of the position. This is where he said he was completely confident in hiring me and excited for me to join the staff. We talked dates and I'll be starting in DECEMBER and will be earning more than my previous job! He even said to call him once I have the baby!!
This means 5 THINGS:
no more job searchin' for this mama
I know where I'll be working
I know when I'll be working
I know how much I'll be making
I know where to look for a sitter

I thanked GOD immediately after getting off the phone & then called my DAD. He was so surprised! My dad doesn't say much when it comes to important things... and all he said was WOW, I'm proud of you Aud. i CRIED! LOL. He then went on to say... now you're really going to be shopping for a new car! yes, indeed I will be! I then called Dennis (not even thinking what time it was), well he was in class and when he saw me calling he THOUGHT i was in labor. I had to calm him down and then tell him the good news too! He ended up coming home early from class and took me to dinner! LOL

all in all.... this means I will truly get to cherish each and every day once lil' man is here. I'm not saying I wouldn't have if I hadn't got the job but I know it would have been in the back of my mind...... and NOW no worries for me. Believe me, I thanked god 5 times extra yesterday for seeing me through this little journey!
So that's my GOOD NEWS and HOPEFULLY my next GOOD NEWS post will be once lil' man ARRIVEs....or if i win the lottery (prolly not though bc i don't even play) :)

my to-do list!!!

this past week i checked off numerous things from my list... it was a RELiEF!

This is what my list has looked like for the past 3 weeks!!!!!!! that's a LONG time!

-Finalize insurance!!! (DONE, as of last week!)
-Receive new id cards and prescription cards (DONE, as of last week)
-Update both DR and Hospital with new insurance (DONE, as of last week)
-Submit hospital admitting forms (DONE, as of yesterday!)
-Make decisionS on:
-Vaccinations (YES)
-Cord Blood Donation (YES)
-Pediatrician (NOT YET, in process of though) should know by Friday who we decide on!!!
-E-mail directions to the hospital to all the importants (YES, today)
-Make a list of what I'll pack in my "hospital bag" (NO, not completely done. Hopefully by tonight though. Dennis will be home early so then we can decide on a few outfits, blanket to pack for lil man to come home in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
-Organize folder of all my information and forms for when we head to the hospital!!! (YES, just have to add the pediatricians contact info once we decide!)
-Find a sitter for lil man once I go back to work ( MORE ON THIS LATER :))

2 Sundays ago...

I had my baby shower!!! My stepmom and 3 girls in my fam put it on for me! I've never had a real party for just me (besides highschool graduation) so it was a little strange feeling... knowing all the people there were there for me, dennis, and lil man! i could def feel the LOVE. we got everything from diapers, CLOTHES, toys, books, blankets, a tub, and MORE!! it was soooo good to see family members i don't normally see and my friends from home and my friends from warrensburg finally met! it was such a good day and i was sad when we had to come back to kc. it took awhile for my dad and dennis to pack the car! we had to leave the car seat and awhole bunch of stuff behind... BUT my dad made a trip up here that next thursday to bring the rest of the stuff up! Sunday when dennis and i got back to kc.... it was such a feeling... unloading the car and thinking about how much we are loved and so lucky to have such caring people around us!!! we re-read every card.... and looked at each and every item! it took awhile let me tell you! we got basically everything we wanted and needed..... and came home with leftover food and cake too!!! now i just have to add that special day into the baby book!!!!

the ONLY two things i'm getting this week are a diaper bag and thermometer! and that's it!
we settled on a name... so i'm thinking about doing a personalized bag!!! we'll see...... :)

sorrrry!

So i've been a little MIA lately..... we've been super busy lemme tell you!

Since my last post.....

i had my baby shower,
attended a wedding,
had my 36 week check-up,
& checked some items off my long to-do list!!!

i'll be posting later today... i'm heading to a little class today, & by "little" i mean a 20 minute class! it's just a car seat class.... but i thought it would be a good idea to go and actually hear how to buckle in the base, the baby, and all that good stuff.
car seats seem so simple.... but i'm not the type of person who thinks they know everything! :)

happy monday! :)

belly pics and watermelon

SO i couldn't think of a clever title for this..... but anywho here's a few pics I wanted to share!

growing belly....

this was at almost 32 weeks!

& this was at almost 35 weeks, do the math, that's only 3 weeks difference and LOOK :):)

& with that.... the watermelon craving came back... like never before! thought i'd show everyone how i cut up watermelon... yes i got alil bored that day and took pics too!

get out the cutting board and knife!

slice it in half

WA LAW :)

the room!

last week... I worked almost everyday in lil man's room or in the laundry room! got to use dreft for the first time... and BOY does it smell so precious! all of the clothes we have so far are all clean and folded and sorted and ready to go! we got the crib up awhile back... just hadn't taken an official pic of it yet! his room has been a process since the beginning... my main goal was to use all that we already have and make them work for the time being.... i felt there was no need to buy several items that I considered extra...

we already had a regular size dresser, white, in which we weren't using, given lil' man doesn't need this, however could still be used obviously
we also had a book shelf, white as well, that i saw had real potential, this too we weren't really putting any use to it because it didn't match anything but the white dresser LOL

so here's what I did and the process that i finally got through :)
all washed up.. just waiting to be worn!
vacant book shelf.....
lined it with yellow liner... notice the doll to the right... that's the doll my grams made for me... next to her is a bear dennis got me awhile back... not sure where they're gonna go when lil' man arrives.... i'm not so into dolls and babies, let alone baby boys LOL... we just haven't found a place for them yet!

finished shelf... i basically just put onesies... sleepers.... some matching outfits in there too... by size.... on top is a Build-a-Bear Dennis & I made for lil man this past week... named him Teddy Pain... or T-Pain :)
hamper..dresser...shelf...

the crib... notice the pumpkin outfit hanging above... IF he comes on time...that'll be almost 2 weeks before Halloween. My stepmom and I found this little outfit with hat @ Old Navy and couldn't pass it up :)

Monday Moment!!!!!!

OKAY! this is going to be something new I do on Mondays... I'm calling it "Monday Moment"


I know Mondays aren't most people's favorite... so i thought I would share something on Mondays.... to help with the Monday dreads.... :)
Because I love photography (& anyone who can capture "the moment, i cant seem to get it!) and basically anything artsy..... I'm going to share a photo that caught my eye during the week or weekend... I typically visit time.com but i may try to find other fun sites that appreciate photographer's work..& from time to time I may post a picture that the paparazzi has snapped of a celebrity like msn.com. Either way I'm just going to share a picture that held my attention for more than 5 seconds.... :)
enjoy.

Since last night was the VMA's.... i'll share this with you!
I'm not a big Lady Gaga fan.... but I appreciated her acceptance speechs... I love when celebrities can show their emmotions and be humble when winning awards.... and also it's always interesting to see what this lady is going to wear... goodness!

Happy Monday yall!

p.s. i promise i won't be sharing pics like this every week...i'll keep it different from week to week :)

this won't happen AGAiN!

so.... this probably won't happen again in a LONG time.. but I'm going to share a recipe with YOU :) I'm no betty crocker... I'm thankful Dennis likes to cook. I like to cook BUT don't love it.... I do basic things and add little somethings to keep it interesting! So what can i say, things never taste the same LOL

It's called 5 cup fruit salad BUT i've changed everything LOL and managed to keep it all the same every time we have it. I love fruit!

This is what I use... it makes ALOT, but we like it so well it doesn't go to waste :)

2 cans of Pineapple chunks (drain half the juice & use the other half in the mixture)

2 cans of Mandarin oranges (drain half of the juice & use the other half in the mixture)

1 pkg. of seedless grapes (you can cut them in half if you'd like)

1 pkg. of mini Marshmallows

1/2 pkg. of coconut flakes
2 containers of sour cream

it probably sounds GROSS already... i thought the same thing! but NOPE :)

there's no rhyme or reason on how to mix it all together... but what I do is usually start with a can of each and some grapes and a container of sour cream mix it a little and add the remaining and then add the coconut and marshmallows... let it chill for a few hours and WA LAW it's like a sweet pudding with fruit! :)

Birth Announcements!!!!

I just discovered Shutterfly and I'm in LOVE! I'm going to do the announcements through them and can't wait! I've already made templates ready for the pics to be put in the slots!!! and what TOPS it all of.... I got free prints just for signing up AND we got a 20$ Shutterfly gift card in the goody bag Target gave us for registering!!!!! I'm sooooooooooo excited!!!

so CHECK it out & if you sign up you'll get"
50 free 4X6 prints
free & unlimited storage
& you can pick up your prints @ Target!!

a trip to Arby's

So lately.... Arby's has been something that I could eat for every meal. I do love Arby's and did before lil boy was even a thought. anyWHO, Dennis gets home one evening, & I suggest we go to Arby's. He wasn't to sure about, since it was a little late for us oldies to be out and plus it was raining and lightening a tad. I convinced him because we have a rule we try to follow that only allows us to eat fast food once a 2 weeks.......so that night was going to be our spurlge!

We leave the apartment... he drove (of course) and we're driving down 350. it's a two lane highway....the speed limit is 55, but where 435 meets it... people drive FASTER bc they are used to driving 70. anyWHO, we driving like 50 mph because it was dark and the rain had just stopped and I'm like a nazi now when it comes to driving. We enter the city limits and it turns to 45MPH.... dennis slows alittle like usual and then a older Chevy truck passes us going FAST. so fast that it reminds me to put my seatbelt on! crazy? yes i am. I say something to Dennis like look at that truck driving fast... thats when the truck moves into the left lane our lane, which was fine bc it's a 2 lane highway... BUT then he decides to get over again. Let me mention this it's not a 3 lane highway... so he drove down the shoulder for a good while and I say something to Dennis like OMG this truck thinks the shoulder is a LANE!?!? He said... o wow that's weird... at this point the truck goes under an overpass and goes OFF of the road and up this embankment, FLIPS and then lands with it's back end in our LANE. this happened in a matter of minutes.... dennis pulls up and stops.... we sit there for almost 20 seconds... and I said I've got to call 911! I make the call..... tell the operator our location. In the meantime, another vehicle had stopped and that guy and Dennis walk up to the truck. I didn't look at the truck the entire time. I dont know why.... i just couldn't chance it. I remember things to WELL! As they were walking up... thats when I look at the damage. This poor man is hanging out of the passenger side. I said a quick prayer and sat there... tears in my eyes. I couldn't stop thinking that that is someones son, brother, husband, lover, friend.... I see the other man who had walked up there, turn the truck off while Dennis is kind of squatting saying something and doing something with his hands...... that's when the ambulance, fire dept, and various police cars arrive. The man and Dennis walk back to the car... I roll down my window and Dennis is just shaking his head... he noticed me about to cry and all he said was the guy could hear him when he was clapping his hands. The police access the damage and the ambulance and fire dept. do what they do with every wreck. An officer approached our car and took Dennis' statement about what happened. He took his contact information, and said in the same breath that we aren't going to call you or anything it's just that you witnessed the wreck. We were allowed to leave... and it was silent in the car. We pulled up to Arby's and all I wanted to do was throw-up. I know Dennis could hear my thoughts but made me go in and get a sandwich..... we nibbled on our food and didn't even really speak. We just sat in a booth, looking at each other face to face... both of us just shocked. I counted my blessings extra that night.....
the following week I searched and watched the news all that I could so I could hear if the man survived. I heard NOTHING. I'm assuming it was considered just another wreck... but it was a wreck we had actually witnessed and I'll never forget it!

two weeks later: Dennis received a Summons to court as a witness to the accident! So i'll keep you posted on this.... definitely something we'll both never forget!

i'm baaaaaaaack :)

as I promised an eternity AGO... i was gonna share some things that had happened to me lately....
I'll start with the wasps and spiders! UGH

So i DiSLiKE most or all bugs.... i can tolerate butterflies but that's all!
anyWHO, at our apartment, our lovely walk-out patio has pretty bushes and such to have privacy and I guess they serve as something pretty to look at. Upon moving in.... the apartment management sprayed for bugs inside and out. We have found a few dead SPiDERS on the patio here and there....
So one day, while Dennis was at work, I decided I was going to clean up the patio (sweep, organize our items like the grill, solar light, chairs, and other items) AND i was going to clean up the bushes.... it seems like leaves and web things get in them and it grosses me out! So I spent almost an hour out there working, raking, sweeping, and I finished it off by spraying this crazy powerful spray Dennis had bought around the patio and around the bushes ( i did hold my nose and went inside following so I wouldn't breath those chemicals in)! It felt so good to show him what I had accomplished, and it made me feel more comfortable being out there since there was no where for pesky bugs to hide!

The next morning, I open the blind things on the patio doors... and SEE 3 curled up spiders! I screamed... just because it grossed me out but because I was thinking... o yea go ME! Dennis comes in the living room to see what was wrong and I tell him to look out there!! He was like Wow.... good job! lol. We eat breakfast..... and then I decide I'm going to dispose of these potential intruders...and go out and there's only 2 spiders.... I'm assuming one was sleeping?!?! (I don't know why it was curled up and still alive... so i have no idea where it went) It kind of freaked me out... but as I'm outside and Dennis is inside on the other side of the closed patio door... I'm just being silly and sweeping and showing him more in depth what I had did the day before. I happen to look up at the light fixture AND there's 4 red wasps swarming around.... OKAY i freak because I've only been stung once by one and I swelled up like a balloon! I look at Dennis and he looks up and say HOLY SH*T get in here....I drop the broom and almost run through the glass door because he couldn't open it fast enough. It was funny after I was inside and safe.... so he went out there while they were still out there and killed them with the spray... it was just one of the moments... you just had to be there! and we laughed and laughed about it afterwards.... because I went from being silly, to SCARED, to almost running through the closed door, to laughing..... it doesn't take much to get laugh out of us! :)

So i survived... and the bugs didn't :) me 1 bugs 0