So.Many.Options.

So I thought I was going to blog about how my first trimester went, but I can sum it up pretty quickly - I was tired and nauseous. That's about it. Moving on.

Something about leaving the first trimester and entering the second has caused a clock to start ticking in my head. At first, I felt like it would be forever before we had the baby, and now I know how quickly that time is going to pass and I've gotten into a frenzy to figure everything out. Well, not everything - but some things. I've started researching baby products and holy cow it's overwhelming.

I could spend weeks just trying to figure out what kind of stroller I'm going get. There are safety features and size limits and cost to factor in. Not to mention, what pattern to get.

Did you know that there are different types of car seats? I knew there were different brands, but not different types. Like, they serve different purposes. Maybe I should reiterate that I know nothing about babies. I've never changed a diaper, and I've only held 2 actual infants in my whole life and both of those have been in the past 2 years. They're small and fragile and that's scary. I know I'll be fine with my own baby, but I haven't had a lot of practice with other people's so everything is completely new to me. So no, I was not aware that there were different types of car seats. First I have to figure out if I want an infant seat, or convertible seat. What's the difference? After days of research I've found out. Infant seats are rear facing only and usually are made for children between 4-25 lbs. Once your kid is bigger than that you have to get an entirely different car seat. Or you can get a convertible seat, which is rear facing up to around 22 lbs or so, then you turn it forward until your child is about 45 lbs. Well at first it seems that convertible is the best option right? Only one car seat serves two purposes. But then you start reading about car seat safety and you find out that while your child is only required to ride rear facing until they are 1 year old and 20 lbs, but it's much safer for them to ride rear facing until they are at least 30 lbs. Also, you can't carry a child in a convertible car seat, so if you think you're going to be one of those people who wants to use their car seat as a carrier in restaurants or grandma's house the store or where ever, forget about it. Not an option. Well how the heck am I supposed to know if I want to do that or not?! I've never tried it. Inexperienced expecting mother here people. Maybe Babies R Us will let me put 10 lbs worth of stuff in an infant seat and try it out...

My brain hurts from looking at stuff. And that's before I get to the price tag. I have 177 more days to figure this crap out. This week I've spent 3 to car seats. If any of you would like to donate knowledge or research feel free to. :)

13 weeks 6 days

I know my big news isn't exactly news to anyone anymore, I think anyone who actually reads this is also my facebook friend so it's not like it's a big announcement, but I am proud to finally put it in my blog that I am having a baby.

We found out June 9, 2011 that we were pregnant. I didn't actually think I was pregnant, because I didn't "feel" pregnant at all, but I was late so I took a test anyway. I was shocked when I saw that plus sign appear. Derek didn't actually think it looked like a plus sign. The vertical line was very faint. So I took another test, the two pink parallel kind - two lines again. Then another plus sign one. And a digital test the next morning. I took 6 pregnancy tests (two were broken and never did anything) which may seem like a lot, but I've learned that it's far more normal to take several than just trust the first one. This is one of those things you want to be as sure about as possible. I thought I was going to pass out when I saw that first plus sign, which quickly turned to elation, then frustration that Derek was being so skeptical, then panic, then back to bursting with joy. It wasn't a surprise pregnancy, I had stopped taking birth control, but it was still surprising that it happened so quickly. I know how naive that sounds when I write it, and of course I knew it could happen at any time, I just still thought it would take longer somehow. It didn't.

So here I am, 13 weeks and 6 days pregnant. Baby B (as in Baldridge, no indication of first name or anything) is officially growing and thriving and I will begin my second trimester on Saturday. We found out so early (about 2.5 weeks) that I've really been able to soak in this first trimester. I had some really bad days of nausea, but never any sickness - praise the Lord. There have been days when I could have gone to bed at 5 pm and not woken up until the next morning, but I'm starting to feel more energetic now. I can feel how much my body has changed and it's completely crazy. I'm pretty in awe of how this whole thing works.

I have so much to write about, but I just wanted this to be an intro. I want to have this record of my pregnancy thoughts and feelings. I'll definitely be writing more and more often. Well, in between bathroom breaks anyway - they are not kidding about having to pee all the time! I'm looking forward to sharing this pregnancy, so if you have questions or anything just leave me a comment and let me know - I'll try to be honest, but not gross. Seriously, some stuff is just gross.

Love,

Buh & Baby B

Give A Little

Note: I wrote this yesterday, but couldn't get the video to embed so just pretend like I posted it yesterday.The day is finally here friends. Oh, you didn't know that today was hugely important in my life? Well it is. I've been waiting for this day for quite some time.

Today, the video for my favorite Hanson song was released.

Not what you expected? Yeah, I get that. But anyone who has known me between 1997 and this exact moment knows that my love for Hanson has not ceased in all this time. I have every CD. I've seen them on every tour. I've traveled over 8 hours to see them. I.love.Hanson.

One of the greatest moments of my life is when I got to walk barefoot through the streets of Atlanta with Zac Hanson. Like, my wedding is greatest moment number 1 and that walk is number 2. I.LOVE.HANSON.

They released a new album last year, which is by far the greatest yet. I say that with every album, but it's true. But imagine my surprise when this album turns out to have the catchiest, most loveable song they've ever written on it. (Obviously this is just my opinion, but I consider Hanson to be one of the few things I'm an expert on). "Give A Little" is saucy, and fun, and holycrapitscatchy. It makes me want to dance every time a hear it. I knew it would be the second single from the new CD "Shout It Out" and I have been so ready because I feel like this is finally the chance for them to make a return to Top 40 radio. People need this song in their lives. So without further ado, I present you with:

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

Recommendations

So, at the request of several people, I am giving in to posting again. While I'm trying to think of a couple of things that I might actually want to write about, I figured I could at least link to two of my favorite websites in hopes that they might bring you as much joy as they do me.

The first:

When Parents Text

This website is glorious. I wish my mother even knew how to text because I'm sure that gems like these would come out of it. My new goal in life is to teach her, just so I'll have something to post on this website. I. love. it.

Second:

People of Walmart

I don't shop at Walmart, so sometimes I miss out on the colorful characters that show up there. You can look at crazy people at Walmart's all over America, or you can just see those from your own state if you're looking for someone you know. Either way, this website will make you feel better about the outfit you're wearing right now.

Enjoy!

A Christmas Tree Quandry

I've always loved real Christmas trees. I think my family had a fake one for a couple of years, but one fateful Christmas we had a new puppy in the house who decided to unwrap all of our gifts and chew up the tree a few days before Christmas. I think we stuck with real after that. And kept the dog outside while the gifts were under the tree. Really it's a miracle nothing caught on fire.

But I digress...
The question is: real tree or fake tree?
Keep in mind I haven't done any research (i.e. googled it) or anything, but I thought I'd share my thought process going into this holiday season.

Real trees:
Pros- They smell awesome. Really really awesome.
They look prettier than fake trees (to me).
It feels like Christmas when I have a real tree.
Cons- They shed needles all over the place.
I'm always scared my dogs will try to pee on real trees (even though they never have).
How environmentally friendly is it to have a real tree? (This is what I need to google more).

Fake Trees:
Pros- They're way cheaper in the long run. If you take good care of them...
Cons - They don't smell anything like awesome.
Way less pretty than real trees (to me).
Maybe my dogs will use a fake tree as a chew toy?!
I have no idea what fake trees impact on the environment is. I feel sure they aren't biodegradable, nor can they be turned into mulch. Even I know that.
What on earth are these things made of anyway?

What have you or your family decided? Real tree or fake tree? Why?

If you are going for a real tree, and you live in the good ol' LG, I do know of a farm where you can cut down your own tree, and pet their cows, horses and yes people, llamas. You just let me know if you need directions.

While you're thinking about all this, turn on your favorite Christmas music and drink something warm - it's Christmas time!

How do I look?

Like the new look of my blog? I thought it would be nice to get in the Thanksgiving spirit. I feel like Thanksgiving is being taken over by Christmas already. Have you seen how many aisles of Christmas stuff Target already has? Of course, Thanksgiving doesn't require gifts, doesn't have pop music to go along with it, and there's nothing to carve or decorate or dress up as specfically for Thanksgiving so I guess it's not very beneficial for stores to promote it all that much.

Thanksgiving might just be my favorite holiday. I love to eat. And Thanksgiving is the time of year I can guarantee my favorite food will be abundant. Between now and Christmas, I will most likely eat my own body weight in dressing. Oh it's so delicious. But I also love that Thanksgiving doesn't have the same expectations that other holidays do. I know on Thanksgiving, I'll watch the Macy's parade, eat a lot and hang out with family and friends. I might take a nap, I might be forced to watch some football, but I'll definitely laugh. I love how full I feel on Thanksgiving - of joy, not just dressing. I think the best word for it is comfortable. So give thanks and enjoying being stuffed!

What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving?

We're back!

I know what you're thinking... this is another "OMG I haven't posted in so long and I'm so sorry but I'm going to be the best blogger ever now!" post again. Nope. Well, it can be that too I guess, but I think we all know that I'm a remedial blogger at best. I'm okay with that. Let's move on.

What I actually mean is, we're back to Georiga. For good. Long story short - we had some family emergencies and re-examined our priorities and realized that we needed to be much closer to our families pretty much immediately. So that's what we did. After rushing down when Derek's little brother got put in the hospital we drove back to DC, packed up all our stuff, and were back in GA in a matter of 3 days.

I can't say that we miss it. We wanted a big adventure, and we wanted to feel like we were really doing something with our lives. We're over that now. I know we would have always wondered "what if" if we hadn't moved to DC, but we'll never have to wonder that again. We hated taking an hour to an hour and a half to get absolutely anywhere. We hated how expensive everything was. We hated that nothing was convenient. There were great things about the city, but we didn't get to experience most of them because of where we lived. I spent 3+ hours a day in my car. I never drove further than 16 miles in a day. It was frustrating.

We're getting settled in here. We got a new house that we L-O-V-E! I'm working back at the college, but in a different position than before, and Derek is still interviewing for several jobs. It definitely feels like home though.

Our whole perspective changed throughout all of this so we're definitely glad we had this whole experience. We're so glad to be back near the people we love and we can't wait for what's in store for us next!