Oh yeah, I'm pregnant

Can we just do a short little baby update real fast?  I can't believe I am already 4 months along.  So crazy! Sometimes I forget I'm pregnant because I don't feel like it's obvious.  My clothes still fit and I'm showing a little but it pretty much looks like I got carried away during the holidays and packed on the pounds.  I'm ready for the beautiful pregnancy belly that I see in the mall and in the magazines.

I've had a pretty good last 2 weeks.  From about week 6 to about week 12 I was nauseated all day long.  Never threw up (thank you Lord!) but the nausea was enough to make me think that this may be a one kid family.  After the nausea let up I started getting really bad headaches and when you are only allowed to take Tylenol you don't get a lot of relief.  I might as well take tic tacs.  They just don't ease the pain.  Especially for a girl who gets some fierce headaches.

I've finally brought myself back to the gym and it feels good. (When I'm able to go.) Sometimes when I get off work I just want to come home and get in my jammies.  I keep getting told and I keep reading that the 2nd trimester is the best and you feel like yourself again and maybe even a little better.  I'm waiting for that to fully kick in.  

I've already gotten a couple of baby gifts which is so exciting!  We went to an appointment last Monday and listened to the heartbeat.  The nurse kept moving the wand back and forth and I could hear a real faint heartbeat and then she would move it and I could here a real heavy heartbeat.  I asked her "That's just one heart, right?"  She laughed and said "I really can't tell you (chuckle chuckle) I'm sure it's just the baby moving around."  Then that was it.  She left the room leaving me and Zach looking at each other with our mouths open.  If God wants to give me twins then I will take them, but come on, I'm just planning on one baby here :)  Anyhow, we left with the good news that everything sounded great and we would find out the gender on February 13th!!  That is going to be an awesome day!!! Can't wait!

I don't really see the changes in the mirror but I definitely can in pictures.

My cousin Kaycee got me this adorable baby book from Vera Bradley.

Not a fan of the purses but this is way cute!

A friend of mine at work got me these little house shoes.

They have slip resistant bottoms and little tails on the back.

It makes me laugh :)

I saw an add for Babies R Us that said you get a gift bag when you register.

I know we aren't near the time to be doing all that but I just had to have this bag and whatever was in it.

I told Zach "I'm going.  I'm going today.  I want whats in that bag and you are either with me or against me!"

He went with me :)

I only registered for 4 things and the lady looked at me funny like she knew what I was up to.

I didn't care.  I got my goodie bag! 

There was actually some good stuff inside.  Mostly magazines and a congratulations kit from Pampers.  Guess what was inside?  The tiniest little sweetest diaper I've ever seen.  I brought it home for Phoebe to smell so she can get used to it.  She sniffed it a couple of times and then licked it.  That's a good sign, right?

BUT WAIT.....I'M NOT DONE

We bought the baby their first pair of Converse.  They are so little and precious.  I really bought them for a photo I want to take (thank you Pinterst) and it's also special because it's the first baby thing we have bought.

OH.....AND

Did a little photo shoot this weekend for my new album I'm working on.  The pictures are still being worked on and we are deciding on an album cover.  I will keep you posted and maybe get you to help me choose one.

Happy 4 months!!!

April

Beverly Hills, What A Thrill

"Gather 'round you friends of mine

We're Wilderness Girls and it's cookie time.

We work hard and we play fair

So buy a box and do your share."

Come on, admit it, you just sang that song and you just got WAY excited.  If you are thinking "I have no idea in the world what all that is."  Well, then I guess you're not a huge Troop Beverly Hills fan.

I always watch this movie this time of year.  Why? Because it's cookie time.  Girl Scout cookie time.  I'm kind of annoyed that you just can't fill out an order form anymore and wait for the amazing sugary day they come in and you eat an entire box of Thin Mints before you get home.  Last year we made a few stops in front of Wal*Mart to pick up a variety of cookies. Some I found in the safe.  I guess Zach didn't want anyone to get to them.  I may or may not have eaten some and put them right back on in.

Friday my brother called me and told me that I need to check out this article that just came out.  Troop Beverly Hills: The Experience.  Excuse me?  What now? Yeah, The Experience.  You can read the full article here.

Basically, it's supposed to be along the lines of The Rocky Horror Picture Show when it's shown in theaters and everyone participates and dresses up.  I'm not such a fan of Rocky Horror but I'm sure it would be a lot of fun to go to.

Troop Beverly Hills: The Experience is only running in L.A., New York City and Washington, D.C.  So upset there are no showings near me.  Maybe I should start my own in Tulsa.  It's possible I would be the only one doing the Freddie in the front of the theater, but who cares.  I would be having THE BEST time ever.  My inner Phyliss Nefler would be all over the place.  

My cousin is selling Girl Scout cookies this year and made sure her dad knew I would only buy some cookies if her dad called me and sang the Cookie Time song to me.  It happened yesterday.  I now must place an order :)

So this season while you are chomping down a whole box of Samoas, Tagalongs or those good ol' Thin Mints, go ahead and throw the movie in and have an experience of your own at home.  

Phyllis Nefler -Troop Beverly Hills

A little bit of this, A little bit of that

This week has been a little busy and a lot lazy.  How those two fit together?  Well, they just do.

  So, I decided to go ahead and get the hair cut AND colored.  I'm not exactly thrilled with it but I'm not crying myself to sleep at night so that's good.

I ended up taking a picture of Sophie Bush (love her!) and what I thought was a long bob cut.  I didn't want layers shorter than my chin because with the thickness and waviness of my hair it just doesn't style well.  She said the picture I brought was a good one and it would work because of the layers I already had. She lifted up the sides of my hair so that was what I thought she was referring to.  Well, when she got to the back of my head she started chopping away and said "I'm so glad we went with the picture with all the layers."  WHAT?!?!?!?  It was too late then, the hair was gone! But it's cool, it's just hair, it will grow back.  Just a couple more months of growth and it will be perfect.

Guess you have to be a hairdresser to see the layers in the back??

Anyhow - Here is the before and after.

I got mixed reviews at work but most people said they thought it looked really good.

This past week my brother celebrated his 32nd birthday.

Which means my 31st is just around the corner.

Bring it! 

My "old" brother :) and nephew

And my niece who keeps looking more mature every time I see her.

I've been battling a headache all week long and a little bit a nausea but this weekend was actually a good weekend.  No headache and I have had more energy than usual.

On Friday a little bunch of us went to ihop and then to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D.

Both events were amazing.  Have you tried the new hash brown stacks at ihop? SOOOO stinking good.  Or it could be that it was the first time all week that I really had an appetite.

I chose the spinach/mushroom option.

But I didn't eat the spinach :)

We love ihop!

"Be.Our.Guest."

AND.....

I was REALLY craving some Starburst the other day at work so I called my husband to see if he would have the kindest heart and bring me some when he got off work.

He brought me two different kinds.

He loves me!

Have a great week!

Don't forget that American Idol starts this week!!!!

April

To Cut or Not To Cut

I've been going back and forth the past week or so to decide if I want to cut my hair or not.  I don't know if it's because I'm bored and want something new? Do I want a new sassy cut to go with my new sassy attitude (or so I've been told.  At this time in my life people, I CANT HELP MYSELF!) Are my ends so dry and damaged that I think a new haircut will solve all my deep conditioning problems?  I don't really know the reason.

I sit here with tiny tremors of panic because if I decide on a cut - that's it! My hair will be gone.  I do this all the time.  I get my haircut, say I'm never cutting it again, it grows out, it looks boring, it drags my face down so I cut it and then I vow again to never cut it.

Constantly unsatisfied.

Here are a few pictures I found on Pinterest.

I like the length here.

NOT going this short but I love Mandy so I thought I would throw her in here.

If I had the guts I would totally get this cut.

I like the choppiness of this one.

Keep seeing this gal on Pinterest and I think this is so cute.

But it involves bangs.

I've been told not to get bangs :)

However, if I keep my hair long I think I can pull off these bangs.

The last time I got bangs my hair was right above my shoulder and I loved it at the salon

but after seeing myself in pictures it was not so cute.

I promise you though, if my husband keeps growing out his mustache and twirling the edges like he's going to have just the mustache and the mustache only, I'm getting those bangs!!!

This look on my husband is unacceptable!

Oh, let's just throw another Mandy pic in here again :)

Maybe you can help me out.  I promise if I come out looking like Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka (or Gene Wilder) I won't blame you :)

If it ends up like this, this is exactly the face I will make at all times :)

And I'll probably wear the hat too!

Dear God, please don't let it end up like this.

I will also make this face.

Just add tears!!

It could happen tomorrow, it could not happen at all.

I guess you will have to tune in to find out.

Happy Friday,

April

Welcome 2012

Well, it's finally here.  The year that people think the world is going to end.  It's the year in which my world is really going to get awesome! I always get a little depressed the week after Christmas because I know this is the end of a whole block of time that I will for the rest of my life look back on and say "remember that one time in 2011?"  It's been a very weird year.  I don't want to say it was bad.  I still have a healthy family and good friends and a job that I am happy to go to every day.  There were just some happenings amongst my family that were emotional and surprising and events that were not for better or worse, but they did change my family.

These are things I need to leave behind and focus on this upcoming year where half of it I will be pregnant and the other half I will be becoming a new mom and adjusting to life on a whole new level. I'll be honest, I did not stick to one single thing that I had on my resolution list last year.  Whoops! I'm not even going to bother to make any this year.  I'm going to take one day at a time and make wiser choices every day as I go.  This just may be a better approach to getting things done around here :)

The wrap up of 2011 was a good one. I was off work, I got to share our "big pregnancy secret" with our family and friends and spent some time just hanging out.

I've had people at my house the past three nights hosting different activities so today Zach, Phoebe and I just laid around all day and it was awesome.  Now tomorrow, thats a different story.  I've got to get myself back on a routine and get things ready for the real world again.

Here are some pictures from this weekend.

Had lunch with my brother and good friend Lindsey.

We don't see each other as often as we should so it's always good to spend time with her and catch up.

She's one of those friends that no matter how much time has passed since you've talked, you always pick up right where you left off.  Love this girl a lot!!

While Zach was watching the UPC fights my siblings and cousin Kaycee hit the town and had a couple of drinks (Not me! I just had a Coke.  Oh, AND I added a lemon to it :) I'm getting fancy these days)

My sister Amber and cousin Kaycee

My brother Adam and I

I learned how to play Gin.....

.....on a very small deck of cards :)

My cousin went ahead and gave these to me.  She knows my love for things that aren't there original size :)

THEN.....

We had a little New Years get-together at our house and rang in the new year safe and sound.  I had to take a nap earlier in the day to make sure I could stay up until midnight.

I tried to be a little festive this year with some decorations.

I think these look a little like Footloose decorations, but I'm okay with that.

Good 'ole Zach Rowell and his awesome wife ;)

My sister and cousin

Kaycee and Denver

"Moooom! Make him stop.  It's so embarassing!"

"I love my mommy."

"Cheese."

I saw in a magazine where they turned a upside down hat into a chip bowl.

Instead I made a bottom for the hat and cut out the top.

Our friends brought their sweet baby boy Cale over for his first New Year's Eve.

At one point Zach and I just watched him as he slept getting excited for when it's our turn.

Doesn't he look like a little baby doll? :)

Alan and his mustache cup

My feathered friend Lindsi and Tricia

Chris and Jennifer

Now how cute are they?

Lindsi and Alan

"Cale's parents"

Johnny and Tricia

They have a baby on the way in April

:)

Check out this baby wine bottle

So cute!

But wait, they also make baby beer bottles

Waaaaay cuter in person!

TJ and I

US

You should follow her blog here.

"OMG! Is it midnight yet?"

Not yet! The party is still going on.

Our first picture of 2012

Hope everyone has an amazing new year!

April