8/31/11

The Big News


Have you heard? This blushing bouncy baby de Lisle is a Boy! We are absolutely thrilled, I couldn't stop giggling at the doctor's office when we were seeing our boy move is hands and little froggy legs. He kept covering his little face with his hands. I love him already. Knowing the gender, even though there were only 2 chances, makes the whole thing more real. I must say that the waiting from 5pm yesterday until this morning's appt was excruciating. It was worse than the months I had to wait up to this point. But now its out and we are elated!

The doctor said that everything is developing properly and that the baby looks good. We did have quite the scare last night, however. I woke up at 1 am with the most uncomfortable pain in my right lower back. I honestly thought I was going into labor. After the pain went away, it felt as if I had a side ache the rest of the night. It was so uncomfortable, that I slept a total of about 3 hours. When I addressed the doctor about the situation this morning, he reassured me that back pain like that can be normal when the baby is growing and your body is stretching. You can imagine my relief :)

Now with the gender known, its time to really begin planning. Something that Chad and I have ALWAYS wanted is an amazing children's library. The fact that we are both English majors, books are kind of a big deal in our home. I have been thinking about all my favorite books when I was little so I want to share some of my favorites.


Do you have some favorites books from childhood? Please share! I would love to hear and get ideas. This baby boy is going to have a bursting library!

Happy Wednesday!

Hil

P.S. Baby's name to come :)

8/30/11

Blah, Tuesday

Today was one of those days where I left the house with the most unflattering shirt on, ever. It used to be cute without the belly but now its just unflattering. I didn't have time to change because I was already running late to pick up Chad from school. Thus, I will not being showing a photo of today's shlumpy outfit.

On a lighter note, I am 21 weeks along today. Tomorrow, we find out the gender of our baby. Its seems unreal and I am already beginning to worry about weird things. Like the fact that I really haven't felt my baby move yet. They say that can happen with women who are obese, which makes me even more nervous...haha. I have felt small flutters here and there but nothing that made me really think "Wow, my baby is a mover and a shaker". In fact, I can never tell if it was actually a movement or gas. I am trying to take this as "Wow, my baby is going to be calm and collective all the time, lucky me!" Sadly, this isn't working and I am going to worry the rest of this night until we go to the appointment tomorrow morning.

Everyone thinks it will be a boy, 50% chance that it is and we will be thrilled either way. However, I would be very happy to prove a certain Grandma wrong (not my Mother or my Mother-in-law, they have both been fantastic). I have a weird issue with this one telling me that she already knows the gender, its bursting my bubble. I don't want to feel like she knows something that I don't...I should be mature and respectful about it but it rubs me the wrong way! I want it to be a surprise and when she tells me that stuff, even when it may not be true, it makes me highly irritable. Maybe pregnancy hormones are to blame on that one :)

Sorry for the drab post today, I am sure tomorrow's will be much more pleasant!

Happy Tuesday!

Hil

8/28/11

No Secrets

20 week photo I wanted to share with you all! Baby is now the size of a cantaloupe and we find out the gender in 4 precious days! I wore a striped maxi dress and good heavens, it did not hide much. If people didn't know I was pregnant before, they do now!

The front is fairly well camouflaged...

...and then I turn to the side.

Fortunately, it didn't bother me. I am excited to see my belly growing. I complain to my husband about the weird aches and pains but just a few days ago I told him how grateful I am to be pregnant and that I love that I get to carry our baby. He said he felt bad because he gets the baby without having to go through the pregnancy part. He is the best. He deserves a cookie.

Happy Sunday!

Hil

8/27/11

Fall Window Shopping

Growing up my mom would talk about window shopping. Meaning that you don't buy anything but look at all the lovely items. Though I would much rather be aggressively shopping, where there is major purchasing taking place, I understand that there are not always opportunities for those situations.

This post is dedicated to my most favorite time of the year, Fall. Its starting to cool down, the leaves are changing color, food tastes better because its not so hot, and Halloween is quickly approaching. And what is one of my favorite parts of fall? The clothing. I love bundling up in sweaters and wearing boots. You can really layer an outfit with scarves and such during this time of year.

This is my window shopping for the day. I haven't purchased any of these items but this is really what I am looking for this fall (but will probably purchase when marked down or a cheaper version of a piece).

Coats:

I really love coats. Living in Utah where it has beautiful snow every year, a good coat is a huge priority. I tend to lean drastically towards the military coats because they are very structured. Being a bustier gal and a bit on the curvaceous side, I need something that defines a waste and isn't floppy or drapey.

Red Military Coat: The red gives such a fun flare but can really be worn with anything. Black, brown, navy, grey, you name it and that red will go with it. Its also even better than a standard black coat because it stands out and makes you look fresh during a cold, wintry, season.

Toggle Coat: The grey toggle coat is awesome because of the toggles. I love toggles, I have ever since I was a kid. Grey is also one of my favorite neutral colors. Again, it can be worn with anything but would probably stay more casual. Awesome everyday coat for running to the store, out to lunch, or walking the pup!

Sweaters:

Oh dear sweet sweaters. We have a special relationship. I would say that sweaters and cardigans really define my style and wardrobe. On a standard day, you will see me wearing a t-shirt, skinny jeans, striped cardigan, and a pair of dorky flats. That is like my uniform and it makes me feel at home. Here I have 3 styles of sweaters and I will break each of them down for you.

Raccoon Sweater: I adore sweaters that have ridiculous things on it. Like a raccoon or a sheep (I own a sweater with a sheep on it and its my favorite). They are subtle statement pieces that show personality. Also, being curvier, the more structured sweater (like this one) suites my body type well. I still look like a female (its kind of unavoidable with my bust) but there isn't tons of other fabric that makes me look, well, fat. Though they aren't for everyone, this is one of my favorite styles.

Elbow Patches: I am on the hunt for the perfect sweater with elbow patches. They are hard to find at a reasonable price! There is something so deliciously nerdy and quirky about the elbow patch. It suggests intellect and grandpa while still looking super cool. I may, find a cheap sweater somewhere and sew some elbow patches on it. I really might, it will be a fun project!

Striped Cardigan: A cardigan in general can be a girl or boy's best friend. I wear mine ALL the time, they truly are a huge staple piece in my wardrobe. I have always been a huge, ridiculous, fan of stripes. I love them. Always will. Because I am taller (5'9") I really love the longer boyfriend/grandpa style cardigans because it breaks up my stature nicely. They are easy to layer with and so comfortable.

Shoes:

*Sigh*. I save the best for last. As early as I can remember, I have loved shoes. I would encourage my mother to wear high heels to the grocery store when she would go shopping. I would play dress up and wear my oldest sister's ballroom dance shoes and cinch them as tight as I could so they would fit. Shoes are just awesome. One's shoes say a lot about that person. Here are two fall pairs that I would LOVE to own.

Leopard Loafers: Look at those beauties. I would wear these with a pair of ankle length denim or colored slacks. Throw a button down with a cardigan or sweater and you have it made. Or an awesome retro dress with tights. Yum. I will keep my eye on those puppies and when they go on sale, I will do all I can to snatch them up! They are truly perfect when wanting to give a cool, hip, artistic, vibe.

Black Riding Boots: It is no secret that I ADORE riding boots. I have referred to them several times in my past posts, this one most recently. They can be worn with skirts, dresses, jeans and if good quality and kept properly, can last a long time. I have a pair of brown leather riding boots that I have worn all through the winter the past 5 years and have aged beautifully. Its true, I spent some decent cash on them but I would say they were entirely worth it. Some women prefer to have a heel with their boots, which can be nice, but I would still say a flat riding boot is priceless, and everyone should have a pair!

Well, I had way too much fun doing this post. So much so, that I imagine I will to more!

Happy Saturday and happy window shopping!

Hil

8/26/11

Oh the Lists

Major baby brain as of late folks. The fact that we find out the gender in 5 days is only making it worse. I have been making list upon list of things to do, purchase, and get rid of before baby gets here. I understand that I have 4 months left before the little squirt gets here but I am a planner. I was born with this desire to prepare for things. My father is a Financial Planner and the most scheduled, prepared man, I have ever met. Ask my sister, we plan until its unhealthy and then when things don't go as planned....disaster.


My first list is all the things we need for baby. Things like cribs, dresser, stroller, car seat, etc. As I was writing up this list I started looking at things online and seeing the huge price range of everything. Feeling overwhelmed, I contacted my sister (also a fellow planner) and she gave me some amazing tips of what to spend good money on and what is not worth it. This baby list also includes some things for Bobbie (being our first child, furry and all). She needs to get a new harness, a soft crate for the car (so she can't trample baby), and a cape for the winter (she has a hard time going on walks when she gets fresh haircuts and there is snow on the ground). This list is long and slightly daunting but we want to get as much before baby gets here because when I am done working, we will be poor as dirt :) Its fine, we have accepted it!

My next list is, of course, fall clothing! Though I am still in my pre-pregnancy pants (miraculously), I am assuming that I will need a pair of maternity jeans eventually. So, I found an amazing deal on Gap.com. They are having a limited time sale on their jeans so I got a pair of their maternity skinnies for 50% off (I tend to wear skinnies everyday so I figured this would be my best option). I was quite thrilled. Some may ask if I was worried to order them without trying them on. Sadly, I have done a great deal of online shopping and know my body pretty well so I feel fairly confident that these will work. If not, I will return them! Other things on my fall attire list? Black riding boots: I have a pair of brown Steve Maddens that I have loved and worn for about 5 years now and they save me every winter. I would like to get another really nice pair of black leather riding boots because after baby comes, I won't be able to afford them :) Also, some maternity tops, not a lot of them because I won't be able to wear them for very long but soon enough, this belly will outgrow my normal tops.

(They have the incredibly sexy stretchy waistband too. Chad is a lucky man!)

My last list are things I need to get rid of. Like our old car, we want to sell it for uber cheap. I would be pleased to get $700 out of it because we got it for free and we could add that to savings. Also, we have school books from previous semesters that I want to try and sell back. Can I tell you how awesome those businesses are that buy books back. They deserve a cookie. Even if I get a sum total of $20, I will be thrilled because those books will be out of the way and freeing up shelves for us to put more books upon. Lastly, we are getting rid of our fancy phones. Its great to have the internet on our phones but I think its even more great to have a bigger savings account. We have enjoyed the coolness of the touch screen but we don't utilize all the fancy parts of our phones. I want a phone that gets texts and has a crappy camera. That's all I ask. Plus, our phone bill will be like $60 cheaper each month. Yes please!

Well, I realize that this content could be rather boring to some. However, I love lists and so I share my lists with you all. Also, any Mommys out there that have tips of what I should get before baby and what they loved in a crib, stroller, or any other baby item, I welcome them openly!

Happy Friday!

Hil

P.S. Fall is quickly approaching (my FAVORITE season) so it will be time to pull out the old Fall wardrobe. I think I shall post about that as well!

8/25/11

Birthday Boy

I would like to wish my husband/best friend a happy birthday (yesterday). He truly is my light and I shiver to think where and who I would be without him. He is truly the greatest. We spent yesterday just relaxing and eating yummy food.

Instead of a cake, he wanted doughnuts for breakfast so I got up and grabbed some from the Provo Bakery. They were quite the treat and really hit the spot! For the rest of the day Chad played some video games and then we ended the evening with a ton of Pizza and watched the 2nd and 3rd Indiana Jones movies (which I haven't seen in forever and thoroughly enjoyed!)

I wrapped his presents and immediately after, he opened them. But I had to wrap them, it didn't feel like a birthday with out it!

The pup, not amused by the presents because they were not plush and did not squeak (though the pic suggests otherwise, our pup does have limbs).

The goods. I surprised Chad with the Indiana Jones movies and the animated Hobbit and Return of the king DVDs. Also a comic and CD. I was quite the wife this year!

So, in honor of my love, here is a little list of things to help you get to know him!

1. I fell head over heels for him within a month of knowing him. I was throwing myself at him and he was so oblivious. I had never had to try so hard to get a young man to notice me!

2. He lost 100 pounds in 2 year. One of his biggest triumphs was getting healthy and losing the weight. He says he did it so he could marry a hot wife (which he did) but I told him I would have loved him anyway.

3. He is an insane runner (hence the weight loss). There were times in our life together where he was running 6-7 miles a day. That's right, he would literally run and run and run.

4. He is one of the brightest people I know. Chad is sharp, he picks up on things quickly. Suspiciously quickly. He is also an extremely talented writer. Like, so talented that all his college English professors love him and think he is a genius. Yes, its disgusting :)

5. He is the best big brother anyone could have. Chad has a special bond with his little brothers. He loves them so much, its extremely precious to see. They can hang out and laugh and be dorks for hours. While I sit on the couch and say sassy things. I'm just jealous ;)

6. He is quite the drawer. He will go down to the grave denying this but I can't tell you how many times I have found a little sketch or scribble thats ridiculously good.

7. He is a guitar God. He will also go down to the grave denying this as well but he is insanely good. He can play the blues like a black man in the 1920's (its amazing).

8. He loves to cook. And he is dang good at it! Chad probably does about 80% of the cooking in our home. I do 100% of the baking but he puts dinner on the table. It will be strange once I am at home and doing the cooking because he is better at it :)

8/22/11

Metal Gear Month

Its Metal Gear Month at our house. What is Metal Gear, you may ask? It is Chad's all time favorite video game...EVER. The story has insane twists and turns and intrigue and he has explained it to me so many times but it still seems so foreign. Its actually very cool (from what I have understood).

I have watched him play Metal Gear 4, Guns of the Patriots, about 5 times because our pup had just been spayed during that time and we all wanted to have a calm relaxing few days so she would rest. It was like watching a thriller movie (over and over and over again) but it was rather enjoyable.

Now, why would one dedicate an entire month to a game? Well, August is Chad's birthday and the past 3 years it has been tradition that he play all his Metal Gear Solid games during that month. Its something he looks forward to like a little kid all year. Doesn't that bother you? No, never. I have never been bothered by him playing video games. I like him to have hobbies that he can enjoy and unwind with. I usually just watch a show next to him on my computer with my pup close by. I am happy as a clam as long as we are in the same room.

Moments before the photo, the pup was sprawled in Chad's lap. Bobbie loves Metal Gear month because she can cuddle up next to Chad for hours on end.

Now, many may say "Once you have a baby, he won't be able to do that anymore". To that I give a dirty look and say "I will do whatever I can for my Honey to have Metal Gear month. He may not have as much time but he deserves to have some game time". We will work it out :)

Happy Monday!

Hil

8/20/11

A Dinner for Kings

Dearest blog, can we be friends again? Pick up where we left off? I know we haven't talked for a while but I have just been so distracted. Again, my sincerest apologies for the absence. Life, as always, has been crazy with being pregnant, school beginning soon, work, and so forth but it truly is no excuse. I dreamed a dream in time gone by, When hope was high (a little Les Miserables for you) and I blogged every day. It will come back, I can feel it in my bones. I actually have a post already written and saved for next week, so there!

Last night was a terrific night filled with friends and fantastic food. What could get better than food and friends, I ask you? We went with all our best buds to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate my Honey's birthday. And what a celebration it was! We spent of fortune getting deep fried mac n' cheese balls (unreal), cheesecake, and I enjoyed a delicious steak. Sadly, I had to get the steak well done, rather than medium rare that I prefer because we don't want to mess up the growth or development of this small child. That is one thing I will always remind my grown children when we are fighting "I didn't eat rare steak for you!" That'll get em'.

The handsome birthday spouse! I am very lucky :)

The Table (sorry for the poor quality). The hand is Jordy's, Aj leaned away from the picture, and Colin is being blocked by a kissy Stephen Marcum Porter-hausen. I am holding camera.

Cherry, Zach, and Jon.

It was truly a great time. And the cheesecake, of course was a delight. I actually have mine at home waiting for me to eat today because I was so full that my back started to hurt, Baby wasn't happy with the tight quarters (plus, I may have had a bite of Chad's while we were there). Though the bill was quite high, it was absolutely worth the quality time, delicious food, and the royal celebration.

New topic! Pregnancy. We are at week 19 people, a little less then 2 weeks away from finding out the gender. I am SO excited. I just want to know so I can give this kid a name and soon after birth it (sorry, that sounds graphic). Week 19 has been fine, I don't feel sick and have pretty decent energy. However, I am noticing that laying down and sleeping is becoming quickly uncomfortable. I still have a lot of pregnancy left so I have to figure something out, stat. What do other mommy's prefer when they are in this stage? I would love advice! Also, my skin is crazy. I have been breaking out still and my skin is nutty dry in weird places!

I am carrying really high. Still wearing my pre-pregnancy pants. (Apologies for the fact that my eyes are closed in this photo.)

Lastly, shoe of the day. Oh shoe of the day, it has been too long! This is a super simple pair that are crazy comfy. I think I got them at American Eagle (random) super on sale and they feel like slippers on my feet. Great for a lazy day (such as today!) Always love a good pair of moccasin slippers.


Well, there you have it. I gave you an update on pregnancy, my weekend AND a shoe of the day. That was pretty good, I must say. I have a post that I have been dying to put up but just haven't found the time. I am thinking of doing an apartment tour so you can see what my place looks like. I LOVE it when people do that because I am snoopy and want to see where they live. Weird? Agreed. That is soon to come (once I clean my place up a bit)!

Happy Saturday!

Hil

P.S. It feels good to be back :)

8/6/11

Updates and Lists

Hello all! I write today with pleasant news. Bobbie is doing much better. In the past week, she has only had 1 day where she was vomity but the rest she has been sleeping through the night quite nicely. We hope this continues and that the schedule we are setting will help her live comfortably with a fragile little tum tum. We truly love her.

Also, pleasant news, we find out the gender of the baby August 31st! I can't believe it! I have moments where none of it seems real but I feel once I know the gender, reality will flood over me. We are beyond thrilled! I used to feel like it would be a boy but now I can't say. I have had dreams of both baby boys and girls. Although, my sister once said that she could see me with a chubby, blue eyed, blond haired baby boy and it really struck home. But we will see, only time will tell!

Here is a new list of things that I need to do/buy before baby comes:

1. Paint the office (soon to be baby's room). As previously mentioned, it is a terrible fleshy color and we are looking for something crisp and white.

2. Get pup a new harness and a smaller travel crate. Once we have baby, it will be important that we don't have our little pup bouncing around when we drive in the car. So, we are thinking of getting a little mesh travel crate to keep in the car so that Bobbie can sit next to baby but be secure in her own little area. We really want to make sure Bobbie is ready for the change, as well as the rest of us!

3. The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Animated Movies. You laugh but we are deadly serious.

4. Save a million dollars. Its funny, while wanting and "needing" to buy these other things listed, we are also trying to save as much as possible. It will be interesting.

Happy Saturday!

Hil