10 Little Fingers, 10 Little Toes...

.. a precious little mouth and a little wrinkled nose!

Have I mentioned how much Benny and I completely adore our little miracle?! Because we are totally, completely, rediculously in love.

Poppy was somewhat cooperative for our 4D ultrasound today. I had to lie on my side for most of it so they could get a better picture. He/She kept wanting to put his/her hands, feet, umbilical cord, etc. in front of their face. My foot fell asleep halfway through but I didn't say anything because I didn't want them to move me and not get as good of pictures... ha!

It was a unique experience because the hospital is demo-ing new machines to decide which one to buy, and we were offered a free ultrasound. There were 3 techs in the room, a guy with the  company, another guy from the hospital, Benny and myself. At one point, they went and found my doctor in the ER to show him. It was quite the party!! I think Poppy loved all the attention because he/she was moving around like crazy.

I stuffed a few kleenex in Benny's pocket before we went in remembering how emotional I got last time .. 5 seconds in and I was already asking for them. Everyone in the room would "aww" in unison when we'd get a good picture. They said out of all the ultrasounds they'd done today, ours was getting the best pictures! They were very, very careful to not really go in any other area than the head so that we didn't accidentally get a peek at anything. It was tempting once again, but we did not give in.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the ultrasound (you can see all of them on Facebook) and as soon as I get ours scanned from the last ultrasound, I'll be sure to add them:

Hand, 4 Chambers of the heart, Foot, Blood pumping to the liver!

Poppy sticking his/her tongue out!

Our precious little Poppy .. more and more in love every time I look at these!

And here's a couple videos of our little one. The first is of Poppy sticking his/her tongue out and the second of Poppy moving all around and putting a hand up!

Poppy Sticks His/Her Tongue Out!

Poppy Moving All Around!

100 More Years

"Let it be said that... We followed our hearts more than the rules. We were often happiest about the littlest, most insignificant things. We took the scenic route. We sometimes hugged and didn't want to let go. We danced when we could. We laughed more than we cried. We messed up daily. We got a few things really, really right. We loved our families. We were blessed."

Our Wedding Day - May 22, 2010

I still can't believe that two years ago I put on that perfect dress and walked down the aisle with my daddy to marry not someone who was perfect, but someone who is perfect for me. I thank God every day for putting such an incredible person in my life. We've grown from two flirty teenagers without a care in the world to two adults taking on the world together. Our life is a constant adventure and we continue to grow as individuals and together every single day. Not a day goes by I don't think about how truly lucky I am to have met someone who never stops amazing me. There have been many rough patches along the way, but at the end of the day I know that no matter what this life brings we have each other and no one can take that away from us.

This video sums up how our fairytale day went. The tears flow every time I watch it -- I can't think of a day there was more joy in my heart and it was also the last "perfect" day I experienced before a big part of my world fell apart. I think that day prepared me for what lied ahead because I think of how we were surrounded by so many friends and family who have helped us through some very difficult times over the past couple years .. having so many people who love and support you makes all the difference in the world.

Our Fairytale

I asked Benny for a little help on this blog since this marriage kind of takes two people. He objected at first and told me his brain doesn't work like mine (FACT).

Benny's Advice for Surviving 2 Years of Marriage:

1. Let her think she's right even though she's never right. (Little does he know, I am usually ALWAYS right)
2. Don't forget to say, "I love you."
3. Think before you speak .. and then think again before you speak.
4. You don't always have to like her, but you always gotta love her.
5. Compromise.
6. Make time for her and you.
7. Remember when she tells you she's getting a haircut and make sure to compliment her hair before she starts whipping it around asking if you notice anything different.
8. Tell her she looks pretty EVERY day!
9. If she says she MIGHT want a root beer float, that means get her a root beer float.. pronto.

"That's the keys to success!" - Benny

Our First Anniversary

Grace's (less cliche) Advice:

1. Dance Together. No music required.
2. His socks will NEVER (I repeat NEVER) make it in the laundry hamper but rather right next to it. Don't buy a bigger laundry hamper - it won't help.
3. Popcorn is a perfectly acceptable supper.
4. Don't hint at things. It's no good for anyone.
5. Let him win in ping pong every now and then - it's good for his self-esteem.
6. Rather than having him move his XBox to the basement, invest in DVR. Otherwise, you may never see him again.
7. You may feel the only time his eyes actually work are when he believes the Cyclones have been cheated by the refs. This is indeed the case. For awhile, you might get annoyed or even angry that he can't find anything right in front of his face - eventually you'll realize it's funny and you'll play the "you're getting warmer" game until he's annoyed that you won't just get whatever he's looking for.
8. Everyone will tell you, "Never go to bed angry." I'm here to tell you - go to bed angry. It sure beats working the next day on 2 hours of sleep - and usually when you wake up you realize it was nothing to be angry about.
9. Remind him often that you appreciate all he does for you and your family.
10. Most importantly, pray together.

Please don't think for a second that we are perfect people or have the "perfect" marriage, because if you do, we sure have you fooled.  Someone once told us we are living a "fairytale." Let me assure you -- fairy tales are not reality. We don't always agree, we fight, we get mad over silly things, and sometimes we're even mean to each other ... we have our own struggles we deal with and we don't always get things right. We are humans and we constantly make mistakes. But it's in all these moments that we learn to really value each other -- we grow, we apologize, we move on, and we let go and we remember what's really important ...

Our 2nd Anniversary at Falls Park

The 3 of Us!

We are about to embark on the next chapter in our journey together and we have no idea what lies ahead for us .. we have so many hopes and dreams for the future, for our family, for our careers. We don't know what bumps we'll hit along the way, but with all the love we have around us - we know we can get through anything.

"I want to stay right here - make it last - for 100 more years!"

30 Down, 10 To Go!

How far along? 30 Weeks

Total weight gain: 27.6 lbs and counting!

Maternity clothes: How about growing out of maternity clothes - ah! I can't fit in anything not maternity anymore and I struggle to even get in some of that. My favorites right now are cotton dresses (so comfy!), my maternity leggings, and a blue shirt from Target.

Stretch marks: Yep -- I call them "growing a miracle" marks.  I've never put more lotion on my tummy in my life -- I feel like I could scratch my tummy right off! Benny thinks I'm going to scratch our poor baby's face off. I keep a bottle of lotion by the bed & use it multiple times during the night but it doesn't seem to provide much relief.

Sleep: I've been sleeping really well - just toss and turn sometimes to get comfortable.

Best moment this week: Hearing Poppy's heartbeat and finding out we get a free 3-D ultrasound.

Miss Anything: I really miss being able to wear t-shirts .. now my tummy sticks out the bottom! I wear Benny's but they look awfully silly...

Movement: Poppy is VERY active .. he squirms, kicks, punches like crazy. It's fun seeing little limbs stick out from my belly.

Food cravings: I was seriously craving some graduation/wedding cake, pasta, cheez-it cheddar jack crackers!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just childbirth classes..ha. And really the thought of any of that stuff makes me instantly turn green.

Labor Signs: Nope .. and let's keep it that way!

Symptoms: Itchy stomach, a little bit of swelling in my ankles when I'm up for too long, still very tired. 

Belly Button in or out?  Out about as far as a belly button can go ...
Wedding rings on or off? On! It doesn't seem to be any tighter yet..

Happy or Moody most of the time: Pretty darn happy! We are just so excited .. I do have some moments where I panic, or get a little nervous, but overall I've been very happy!

Looking forward to: Our 2nd anniversary, Cyclone tailgate tour, a 3-day weekend, painting the dressers for the nursery, baby showers, and our 3-D ultrasound!!


10 Weeks to Go (Give or take a few..)! Poppy will be here before we know it!

A Weekend to Remember

This weekend was full of celebrating. I headed home after work on Thursday so I could spend Friday helping my friend, Krista, finish up any last minute wedding tasks. Two of her bridesmaids were there when I got there so we headed to the district track meet to watch her brother run his last race and then we enjoyed my FAVORITE pizza -- Breadeaux -- yummy! We spent the evening looking at pictures from her bachelorette party, working on her wedding video, and just chatting. Turns out Krista was a very organized bride and there really wasn't anything left to do. Friday we got doughnuts from the bakery, practiced our wedding party dance, hung out, and made a delicious meal of hot dogs, chips, grapes, and macaroni & cheese. We were all SO excited for our toddler meal!! Before we knew it, it was time to head to the rehearsal. We left early so we could check out the reception hall. It looked AMAZING, but the best part was getting to eat the leftover rice krispie treats from her cake! The rehearsal went smoothly -- minus getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, and we all hung out at the lake for awhile. When we got back to her house, some of the girls had facials. I put my feet up because they swelled up like balloons!! Eventually we made it to the basement to go to bed. It was quite the slumber party!! Saturday morning I was the first one to wake up because that's just how I am so I was ready to go by the time everyone else woke up.

We all had our hair done at Studio 406 where we enjoyed mimosas (and I enjoyed orange juice) and Krista's friend, Emily, did our make-up. We headed to Maryville where Randall's friends served us sub sandwiches (which also tasted better than EVER) and we got ready for the wedding. Pictures were a blast - Krista had some really awesome props - and I can't wait to see them. The ceremony was beautiful, party bus was a riot, and we all had a great time at the reception. Krista had so many neat ideas that made her wedding unique. I'm really glad that after my original dress didn't fit we were able to come up with something else so I could still be part of her day. I was definitely exhausted when it was all said and done! We drove to Clarinda and spent the night with Robyn, Tim, and Lily. Lily was wide awake waiting for us so I got to enjoy her for a little bit. I also got my awesome Birthday gifts from Robyn -- a diaper bag, an overnight bag, a new purse, TONS of Poppy clothes, and new purse supplies. I'm pretty spoiled! Here are some of my favorite pictures and you can watch the Wedding Party Dance and the Boys' Dance!

Bridesmaids (minus one) & personal attendant at rehearsal

 

Team Purple practicing up!

Mimosas and our adorable glasses from the bride. We also got comfy slippers

!

The bride's bouncing curls

Getting my make-up done by the greatest baton twirler ever!

Loved her dress!

Me & the gorgeous bride!

The three of us. <3

We woke up early Sunday morning and headed back to Corning. We took Donna out for lunch for Mother's Day and then I got ready for my cousin's graduation. I am so proud of her -- she has worked her butt off and got to see the rewards of that! She graduated Valedictorian of her class and got to give a speech at graduation. Can't wait for her to join the Cyclone family. I know she will do great things in life.

And last but not least, I got to celebrate my first Mother's Day! Poppy gave me this adorable card (I think daddy helped...)

Team BennyGrace Vs. Window Cornice

Prepare for picture explosion. Benny doesn't understand why I need so many pictures of our projects, but I told him to be a real blogger I need to have step-by-step directions and picture documentation. Now if only I had any photography skill what-so-ever. We set out to make the most adorable window cornice and I'd say we accomplished our mission. And let's remember that Benny and I are the two least handy, least crafty people on this planet - so this is a project that ANYONE (including a caveman) can do! I'd get you step-by-step instructions, but you can find those here: DIY Cornices .. we changed up a few things (we have an excessively large window) but this will give you the idea and if you have any questions, my darling husband will be more than willing to answer them for you! I made him measure the window at least a thousand times... Enjoy!

It all started with a not-so-little board. We loaded up in my dad's truck one rainy Saturday morning to make the 20 minute trip to Menards. As we were leaving town, I looked at Benny and said, "Maybe you should measure to make sure this will even fit in dad's truck." He groaned, pulled the truck over, got out in the rain & measured and looked at me and shook his head -- 1 Point for Grace. So we headed to our local Bomgaars and picked up a 1x10 pine board (you can also use plywood or even foam I've seen..)

 Benny insisted we measure it out rather than just cutting it on the nice crease so that I wouldn't have to worry about cutting straight...

 And then I ironed the fabric with our tiny ironing board (this was the first time it had EVER been used) and the iron we borrowed from my dad (also the first time this iron had EVER been used)

 We wrapped batting around the small board and then wrapped it in fabric & I went to town with the stapling gun!

Benny was being all Martha Stewart and had to make it all perfect... 

 Almost done with side #1!

 Yay!! We have two sides .. and an adorable Benny in the middle!

 Once again, the famous Benny "hmm.." look!

 We connected the boards using "L" brackets - you are supposed to use the bigger ones, but Benny thought I wouldn't notice that he went cheap .. I noticed.

And... crash! If you remember earlier where I had mentioned that I wanted to just cut the fabric on the nice crease and Benny insisted we not waste ANY fabric and measure it all out ... well, he realized that this being our very front window in the house - everyone would see a board with a bunch of staples on it and batting/fabric from the outside .. so we cut the fabric TO the crease and stapled it on the back. 2 Points for Grace.

This is where Gpa John came in..

 These were the roman shades that were on the window -- and they were VERY expensive ones, let me tell you .. they came with the house. But they just weren't going to do with our adorable new window box.

 We've made quite the mess in Poppy's room!

 Benny's pottymouth definitely came out during this ordeal .. apparently his drill doesn't fit behind the window box. And also, the cord doesn't reach the outlet. 10 minute break while Grace finds the extension cord.

 Doing some measuring..and figuring..

 Gpa John & I got bored so naturally he put on a Chicago Bears wrestling mask... I put it on, too, but you'll never see proof of that!

 Where'd Benny go?!

 Putting the new roman shades up (a MUCH less expensive version...) And this is about the point where Benny bled all over the brand new white roman shades. You may be thinking, "Well why did you get white for a kid's room anyway?" Good question - because it matched and is highly impractical. But, the blood wiped RIGHT off so I think we're safe...

This was about the point where I said, "So does it make you mad that we'll only keep the room like this until Poppy's like 2 and then we'll redo it based on what Poppy likes!" I got a death glare and then, "Poppy will live in this room with this window box FOREVER."

 Never give a drill to a pregnant woman... it's dangerous! I did, however, avoid the ladder!

 I think we wore daddy out...

 But we still really love the window box!

 I'm in LOVE with this! Although, I DID tell them to put the box a few inches down to cover up the window and not have a gap .. Benny will be fixing that because he doesn't want to deal with the sun waking Poppy up!

I can't wait to get the crib skirt that matches the window box. And don't you love the adorable swing I bought that morning at a garage sale -- $10 and it looks brand new! However, grandpa John already claimed it so I guess we'll be buying one after all! Just waiting for Poppy's chair to arrive to take up that corner.