HIGH FIVE FOR FRIDAY

This is week 33 of my pregnancy. It’s getting a bit harder as the weeks go by, but I know that in just a few more it will be worth it because I’ll have my little boy! My goals for these weeks are to take care of myself, relax, and enjoy the people in my life! 

1. The Ginger and I have only one more birth class left! I really enjoyed the classes because we did learn a lot of techniques to use. My goal is to give birth naturally…or as naturally as possible. I will be induced because of some high blood pressure that I’ve been having with the pregnancy. But I really hope to use the techniques to get through the birth without an epidural or other drugs. 

2. I had a really trying day at the hospital this week because of the blood pressure, but then I spent the rest of afternoon with my sister. We had such a fun time, eating, talking and taking pictures. It totally changed my mood for the day and I’m so thankful! 

3. As difficult as it is to have complications with my pregnancy, twice a week I get to hear my baby’s heart beat for about 20 minutes and it’s wonderful! It’s a necessary test to be sure everything is going as it’s supposed to and it really makes me feel better to know that he is doing well! 

4. The Carnegie museums were free on Thursday! The Ginger, Hope and I wandered through it for a bit, mostly talking. We’re not great at museums…we get bored…but we had fun none-the-less!

5. Those feet! I can’t get enough of this pup! She’s just too cute! 

30 BEFORE 30

To make the most of my twenties I decided to start a list of things I’d like to accomplish before it’s over and I become a thirty-something. I tried to be realistic, but know that I have to work hard for many of these goals. Now let’s see what I can get done in the next four years!

30 before 30

1. Kiss my baby boy
2. Have a drink with my 21-year old sister
3. See a Liverpool game at Anfield with the Ginger
4. Be able to have a full conversation in Italian with my relatives
5. Run a marathon
6. Open an Etsy store with my mom
7. Buy a canoe or kayak
8. Complete a juice cleanse
9. Plant a vegetable garden
10. Spend Christmas in Willamsburg, VA
11. Hit the 5-year mark of full time at KDKA
12. Read Daniel Striped Tiger to my baby
13. Take a full family portrait
14. Feel confident as a TD
15. Learn to properly use my DSLR
16. Put my feet in the ocean with my baby
17. Be totally debt-free
18. Scrapbook my childhood photos
19. Have a weekly date night with the Ginger
20. Learn to play tennis
21. Explore a new city
22. Spend a whole week without social media and TV
23. Fill an entire journal
24. Make all the recipes in my Betty Crocker cookbook
25. Become pregnant with my second baby
26. Get a pixie haircut
27. Crochet a blanket for dad
28. Join a bowling league
29. Stay at the Priory for my fifth wedding anniversary
30. Go to the Harry Potter Park in Florida

High Five for Friday

So this is my first High Five for Friday post in a while! I think it’s the perfect way to appreciate some of the little things that happened during my week. Oftentimes, I blow past good moments and dwell on the negative. I hope to use this fun link up to give me better perspective.

1. I had a really rough time last Friday at a freelance job. It was my first show on a new switcher and it was not pretty, to say the least. I was back on my normal switcher this week for a different show and it was SO much better! It kind of brought back my confidence!

2. The Ginger got a new job a few weeks ago and it was about time I stopped by to check out his new office. And of course I had to take a cheesy proud wife photo!

3. My mom is THE best, hands down. She made curtains for the nursery from fabric I designed and had printed! She was so nervous that she would mess up, but they turned out perfect! They bring so much color to the room. I can’t thank her enough!

4. After many years of waiting, our favorite pub opened up a small take awayshop for fish and chips! The Ginger and I grabbed a quick bite before our birthing class. SOOO good!

5. My week wrapped up with another freelance job. It was a big show as it was the start of basketball season in a new conference, and it went really well. Plus, I worked with some of my favorite people!

30 Is Not The New 20

TED Talks are one of my favorite things about the internet age. I don’t think I’ve watched one yet that didn’t affect me in some way. It almost makes the mindless Facebook checking worth it when you click on a Friend’s link that leads to a talk like this. 

“Thirty is not the new twenty, so claim your adulthood, get some identity capital, use your weak ties and pick your family. Don’t be defined by what you didn’t know or didn’t do - you’re deciding your life right now.” -Meg Jay

I really believe this statement. I know I’m not the normal twenty-something…I decided what I wanted to do and had a job in my chosen field at 20, married at 23 and now a baby on the way at 26. But even if all of these things are not accomplished so early, I believe there still needs to be a plan in place. And not just a plan for family and career, but for developing into the person you want to be. For me it has been so important to travel, attend cultural events, watch or read something that changes my mind on a topic. Jay points out that in your twenties you can make real changes in who you are and I hope that the lessons and experiences I gained from those things important to me will impact who I am for the rest of my life. 

Library Baby Shower

During this time while pregnant, I’ve realized just how many people really, truly love me! I was given the most amazing shower by my mom, sister, and cousins. They put so much time, energy and love into it and I can’t thank them enough. For about a month we crafted every Monday night to prepare! Those nights were just as much fun as the shower, spent laughing and laughing! 

The theme for the shower was Build-a-Library. We asked everyone to bring a book instead of a card and baby Jack is so set to be an avid reader! With the book theme in place, we decided to use Little Golden Books as inspiration for the decorations. Like with the Gender Reveal Party, Pinterest was an amazing source of inspiration. The color scheme was green and yellow to match the nursery. Everything came together so beautifully! Probably my favorite part of the decorations were the reading quotes on brown kraft paper. It was so simple, but really beautiful paired with the pennant banners made from old Golden Books.

 

Most importantly, I loved spending time with so many lovely women who attended my shower. I really have some of the best friends and family! We played shower games (because I LOVE them), ate delicious homemade food, and got to look at all the presents that guests so generously gave to make Baby Jack’s entrance into this world easier! 

Well the spend freeze is not a total success. Nor is it a total failure. We’re sort of right in the middle.

Certainly have stopped spending like wild. I feel like I’ve really made an effort to eat out less, go to less concerts/events, and have completely cut out shopping at the Loft. We’ve made due having just basic cable with Netflix. Grocery shopping has been much more condensed and sensible. There are less frivolous purchases, though not a total success there. 

The areas I have a bit of trouble are Target shopping. And beauty products. I want organic shampoo and conditioner. I want non-bleached, environmentally friendly toilet paper. I want that paraben free press powder and blush from that really awesome make-up boutique that supplies the make-up for Homeland, meaning I wear the same make-up as Claire Danes, which means we should be best friends, and she should let me hook up with her husband at some point. Too far? You know what I mean. These wants weigh me down and I don’t know how to stop having the urge and I don’t know how to put down the debit or credit card and step away from Amazon, or drive past Target when I see it. More to work on, I guess.

At this point, we’re still down two credit cards. Four more to pay off, but the balance is consistently going down. I’m trying to pay at least $100 every month to each of them, but it’s usually more :) Our one car should be paid off by the middle of November, and then we will start saving for a down payment for a second car. We plan to purchase a second car in March before I go back to work after maternity leave. 

Some progress is better than no progress though. And I know that as long as I keep making the effort then we’ll be better off. I just need to remember that this debt free lifestyle will be a better environment for our little baby and future family.