But, we’ve been an unsettled household this evening. Dear old Nimbus is fumigating us out of house and home. We can’t escape his foul odors, and it’s reached a breaking point.
Sweet little Nimbus.
Don’t try to use those chocolate eyes to woo me, buddy.
We’ve turned on every fan, lit matches in the rooms he blesses, and have tried every way to escape him.
He just loves us too much… and follows us from room to room.
Oh, Nim.
When I envisioned pregnancy, it was all about my cute baby bump, all of the sweet little clothes that we’d purchase fill the baby’s closet, the smell of Johnson & Johnson lotion, and the joy of bringing home our first baby that had a mixture of Kris’ and my best features.
This is also known as Pregnancy La-La Land. I still go there often. I mean, when we registered for baby gear last week, I walked the aisles of Target in a dream-like trance.
That is, until I started seeing spots and my vision got super fuzzy and my OB/Gyn’s office had just conveniently closed and all Google wanted to tell me was that I was in the beginning stages of Pre-eclampsia. A Snickers bar and a little rest in the Target food court didn’t fix it. And a phone call to my mother, and then one to Laurie Beth, convinced me to head home, drink a bunch of water, and take a nap.
Of course, I woke up 3 hours later after a mini-migraine and was completely fine, but these are just the things that no one tells you about pregnancy.
I guess I thought I’d do pregnancy like some sort of Earth Mother… you know, like all glowy and floaty and beautifully pregnant.
But then 6 weeks hits and you literally feel hit (by a baseball bat or some other bludgeoning object) and you’re like, “Eh, this is not what I signed up for.” There is a MYRIAD of other super fun symptoms. Like the ones that most advertising usually targets old people with (prune juice anyone?), and you’re like “HELLO! Why is this not talked about in normal lady conversation?” We need to be warned!
Or maybe it’s for our own good.
I’m a control freak. I like lists and I like agendas. I like to know on Tuesday what our plans are for Friday. So you can imagine that I’ve done a lot of reading and research on pregnancy, labor & delivery, post-partum recovery, and the first few months of baby’s life. Honestly, I’ve scared myself with some of the discoveries I’ve made. I’m trying to have a great “g0-with-the-flow” attitude with this pregnancy, and for the most part, I’m doing a great job. But when it comes to the labor & delivery of this child, I have little control. I know what kind of a birth plan I’d prefer, but that doesn’t mean that it will go according to my plan.
I guess I’m just saying, Google wisely and sparingly. Educate yourself but don’t freak out when you discover some of the more concrete details about pregnancy, labor & delivery, and recovery. Because it’s easy to freak out about stuff like that. (I’m typing this mostly to remind myself.)
And seriously, when I feel her move throughout the day and night – which has to be one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced – it’s all worth it.
So, I was a brat in high school.
Seriously.
So much so that I feel like I need to apologize to people that I run into who only “kind of” knew me in high school now that I’m an adult.
Anyway. I went to West Florence High School. And at West Florence, there’s a pageant. Miss West Florence. I convinced the golf team to sponsor me because I really wanted to be in it.
No… not just be in it. I wanted the crown, baby.
So my mom and I did some major shopping and came up with my theme for the pageant… RED.
I told you I was a brat.
I had a red suit for the interview with the judges before the pageant. I had a red skirt and crisp white top for casual wear with red accent jewelry, and a red ball gown for the evening wear.
This is the dress. But I wore it to prom, and that is when this photo was taken. The year? 2003.
But let’s get back to that interview. During during the interview, one of the school administrators/judges asked me to describe myself in one word.
Do you know what I said?
Without skipping a beat, I said, “Classic.”
CLASSIC? …seriously?
I hope you can laugh with me, and not at me.
Well, I can understand if you want to laugh at me for a minute.
Good. I feel like we’ve peeled a layer of this onion called Whitney back tonight. I’m glad we’re friends.
This is the video that my husband Kris produced for the 2010-2011 United Way of Florence campaign! It’s wonderful to have an organization like this in our area, and I feel like the stories shared in this video really capture the good of people in the Pee Dee.
United Way Of Florence from Kris Meade on Vimeo.
Don’t let the “90s” fool you. This doesn’t include the heat indexes of around 103!!
I’ve heard on more than one occasion that it is trite conversation to discuss the weather.
I’m going to deviate from Emily Post for just a sec.
IT IS HOT OUTSIDE. And not just normal South Carolina in July hot. It is like… “when you go outside at 11:00 p.m. and you could still suffer a heat stroke” hot.
And what happened last night? A BLACKOUT. At 10:30 p.m.! We were having dinner with the Blantons when the lights first flickered (during the prayer for our meal, of all times. Kris added, “Yes Lord?”) But then, as we were about to leave, the lights completely shut down to what we first believed was our block. (We live very close to each other.) But as Kris and I drove home, we realized that it was more widespread. All of the neighbors were hanging out in the street with flashlights, and this prego didn’t feel like being attacked by mosquitoes. So Nimbus and I hung out inside in the dark on hold with Progress Energy, where the kind call center employee informed me that over 750 homes in our area were without power. The estimated time of restoration was an hour and a half later, but they weren’t “really sure.” So Kris and I decided to utilize the A/C in our car and drive to the Super Walmarts for candles, where we were greeted by the Gangs of Florence.
Seriously… that’s where they hang out on Saturday nights. You do not want to go there.
That being said, the power did eventually come back on and we watched an episode of Cops and ate ice cream and everything was fine.
Except it’s still really hot…
I hope that this doesn’t sound superficial, but I think one of the wonderful things about having a baby girl are the sweet clothes and bows! When we visited our family in Moncks Corner this week, my mother-in-law gave us our first “bow ribbon” with mini-sized bows for when Livingston is first born all the way up to a substantially-sized bow with an “L” monogrammed button (in pink, of course!)
I want our baby girl to look like a baby girl for as long as possible. I don’t want her in jeans, or little “mini-mommy” outfits. We’ll be dressing her in soft cotton onesies, bubbles, sweet rompers, and smocked dresses! I’m also loving the Kelly’s Kids bunting sacks for newborns. We’re getting Livinston the red and white polka dot bunting sack since she’ll be a Christmas baby…
Baby Bunting Sack from Kelly's Kids
My best friend Laurie Beth also called me yesterday to tell me about a precious website called Just Ducky Originals. I love this dress – and it’s on sale right now! I’m going to order it today!
Smocked Marmalade Bishop dress from Just Ducky Originals
And don’t forget about Cary Hairbows. It’s time! I’m not a fan of the headband with a humongous bow for little babies, but Cary Hairbows does have a cute selection of single bows.
Cary Hairbows in Bow Confetti
I also found this little jacket on sale at Boden yesterday that will be perfect for Livingston’s first few chilly months in South Carolina:
Teddy Button-Through jacket from Boden USA
To say that we’ve enjoyed our Staycation is an understatement. It has been A. MAZ. ING. My wild-up British grandmother called me yesterday to see if I’ve “gotten anything productive done this week,” and the answer is YES! We (Kris haha) have dug a flower bed in the front of the house and planted some flair. We’ve cleaned out Livingston’s closet and assembled her crib (WITHOUT arguing)! We tackled our insane laundry situation which took an entire day to accomplish, and we’re still working on it. We drove to Moncks Corner and back to celebrate Brielle’s “Gotcha Day.” AND we registered for baby goods!
Oh yes – and purchased a body pillow. LOVE it.
There are so many women I know who are around my age and pregnant right now, or have just had a baby. It is really awesome to live in a town where we can support each other and experience motherhood together!
Now, I have a confession to make. I used to look at maternity clothes and get sooo excited about them because of the cute baby bump. Now that Livingston’s bump has emerged, I’m not looking at maternity clothes the same way anymore! I want to be able to buy normal clothes! It’s almost time for Fall shopping and I’m getting kind of sad that I can’t wear any of the new cute stuff. The only thing that I can really wear that’s “normal” is shoes, and even then, the precious heels for next season are impractical for me to teeter-totter around in! I’ve been eyeballing some flat oxford styles, and I really want to find a great pair of designer maternity jeans. Maybe a shopping trip to Charlotte is in store.
Goodnight!
I wish I had the energy to go into great detail about what happened yesterday, but I am currently in my bed with a Beagle Bull, a sleeping husband, and a Capri Sun and I’m a little worried that Livingston will have trouble finding room when it’s her turn to snuggle among the crowd. So I guess I’m saying that I’m tired.
…?
Anyway, yesterday, we smelled something funny, heard some odd noises in our pipes, and concluded that there was a major block somewhere in our sewer line and we needed to vacate the premises. I love our old house, but it’s times like these where I want to scream I’M ON VACATION GIVE ME A BREAK and it be fixed automatically by the Old House Fairy.
So we spent the night at my parents’ house. The plumbers showed up an hour and a half late this morning, but it’s fixed.
And now the Staycation continues…
Check yo self before you wreck yo self.
Hi friends! Today marks Day 1 of our Staycation. Actually, Kris has a wedding video to shoot this afternoon so he’s not officially on Staycation until this evening, but there has been an uncannily relaxed atmosphere to our home this morning. Livingston is squirming in my tummy and enjoying the caffeine from my cup of coffee and the slices of baguette that I ate for breakfast. It is still amazing to feel these early movements. I can’t wait for Kris to feel her move! That should happen in a few weeks when her kicks grow stronger.
I’d like to give props to my sweet friend Lydia for recommending the film “The Young Victoria.” Kris and I watched it last evening, and it was so enjoyable. The filmography was absolutely beautiful and the costumes were to die for. The story is not the typical, “She falls in love and then he dies tragically and I’m left with this empty crappy feeling at the end of a movie” story. First, it’s real life. It tells the story of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and their love. And second – it is all about the sanctity of marriage! There’s no cheating!
Next… have you ever checked out Lonny Magazine? It’s an online publication that is very similar to Domino.
Image from Apartment Therapy
Pause. RIP Domino. You can always check out the Domino Files for the old images.
If you loved Domino like I did, you’ve got to check it out. Oh, and I discovered another cool magazine a few weeks ago. It’s called Garden & Gun – kind of like a distinctly Southern Town & Country. Except after I read it, I feel like I need to read something at the total opposite of the hoity-toity spectrum to balance everything out. In the current issue, they feature these whiskey stones. I’m not a whiskey drinker (well, especially in my current maternal state), but these look so cool and would make such a great gift for of-age brothers:
Image from Garden & Gun
Happy Saturday! Happy Day 1 of Staycation 2010!
