The future Carney's

My little sister.

This weekend kicked off what will be many future wedding celebrations for Eliza and Rich, The Future Carney's. My parents threw an Engagement Party for family and friends at Upstream. We had a wonderful luncheon and got a chance to meet some of Rich's family. Everyone got along wonderfully (of course!) and it was great to see some of Eliza's friends that I had not seen in several years.

It was quite a party and I put my new little camera to work....I am still learning and getting reacquainted with my new love....and of course Philip is learning too as you can see (since I am in some of the photos).

The Bridesmaids minus Kim :(

Jen, Eliza, Me and Mary

My sister's new family...

All of their friends!

Kelly introduced Eliza and Rich...

The Jodi/e's and their husband's!

The Bass Girls....

Me and my only Sissy!

The menu.... Yum!

Chicken, Salmon or Ranch Burger

The Bride and Groom in their new aprons!

too cute for words....

more friends...

The Banner

Our family gift to them...

...

...

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The groom....hahahaah!

I can't blame him. (just kidding this was staged!)

The Day Off...

After my near hellish week I needed a day off. I earned it as far as I was concerned.

I scheduled a 3d/4d Ultrasound at the Prenatal Picture here in Charlotte since I knew my sister and Grandma would be in town. I thought it would be a special treat that they would get to come (for me at least!). Unfortunately Grandma came down with the flu and Eliza's travel plans didnt pan out in time for the appointment, but the Ultrasound still went on!

Both sets of parents came.

Theatre style seating on couches. Large projection screen.

There he was in all of his glory. My handsome husband's clone.

His plump and juicy lips, his precious flared nose and (we think) his MUST HAVE clef chin!

He was everything I could've hoped for and more.

He is our baby. Our very first born.

I can' wait to set my eyes on him in another 13 weeks and hold him in my arms.

This was an opportunity to see into my incubator. To live his life for just 30 minutes.

Oh I love you... you are your father!

Philip was so sweet. He looked at me and said, "Honey I hope/bet he has your beautiful blue eyes!" I think I melted.

We found out that I have an anterior placenta which made the ultrasound a little more difficult. Don't worry an anterior placent isnt anything to worry about. It just means that for right now my placenta is in front of the baby between my belly and the baby vs in the back. This is also the reason why I have popped out so quickly these past few weeks and my belly is so pointy! There is a very high chance that it will move to a posterior position (which is a little more common). During the ultrasound you could see the placenta as a haze over his head. The umbiblical cord also was often seen floating near his stomach, arms and face. He was even holding on to the cord at times. We also saw him sucking his thumb! We walked away with several great shots and a 30 minute DVD of all the action.

He has 10 fingers and 10 toes and we are so blessed!

After the ultrasound I ran around town getting errands done before our family came in town for the Shower weekend (Eliza's Engagement and my First Baby Shower). I was exhausted by the end of the day but got the energy to go to Big Daddy's for dinner with Aunt Diane. Don't worry I ate a Turkey Burger!

After dinner we made a quick stop at Roni's Bat Mitzvah Party. If I had more energy and wasnt 6 1/2 months pregnant I would've been out there jammin with those 13 year old's. What I would do to be 13 again. They were having an ABSOLUTE BLAST!

What a wonderful and exhausting day off!

Trash TV

I cant believe I am even wasting a blog on this.

After tracking this show since its first season I am quite disgusted.

I thought they finally had it right. A great story. A great guy. A sweet kid.

WRONG.

ALL WRONG.

Trash I tell you. Absolute junk. And I get sucked in. Ridiculous.

How can you come on a show where you have already been "heartbroken" twice and do the same thing to to someone else? How can you NOT know what you want at this point in your life and reveal that to millions of viewers? How can you walk away and actually be ok with being seen in public!?

This guy needs theraphy. He has no clue what he wants just like oh so many men out there that break my single friend's hearts on a regular basis. I depsise you. Even worse is the pathetic girl who took him back after he dumped her on live national television.

In past seasons I knew things wouldnt work out. It was mostly entertainment. But this time I thought I was wrong. Oh ABC, I bet you staged this. This was in your plans all along and you paid them good money to shed some tears on live national television.

This should be called: The Bachelor meets Jerry Springer

meets

Gag me! What a waste!

Airport Humor

I was wearing this very same velour zip up jacket. I probably look just like this girl in size.
I approached airport security. Removed my real houndstooth jacket and scarf.
Put it in the bin.
The lady asked me to remove the stuff from my pocket's in my velour top.
There was NOTHING in my pockets. Just a baby in my belly.
I explained this clearly.
She asked again.
I repeated, "Ma'am I am pregnant"
She asked again.
I was about to rip her head off, but decided against this idea since it was afterall airport security.
As I rubbed my belly I repeated nicely, "Ma'am this ia maternity top, I am pregnant, there is a baby in there and there is nothing in my pocket's"

No response. She just stared at me like I had flat out lied to her.
I swear I look pregnant!?

Oy vey. Now I know why your not supposed to travel pregnant lol.

Achoooo!

IKEA IS OPEN.....and I saw it with my own eyes!

I had a wild idea that I wanted to go to IKEA (yeah its only been open for 2 weeks). I am sure it was because I was "Nesting", but then again I always Nest. I reoganized and cleaned out my dresser drawers and the entire art room (partially because all of our family is coming this upcoming weekend for my sister's engagement party and a family baby shower). I was determined to get what we needed for the nursery and get it done now. This week would be too busy with a business trip to KY.


The husband complained the entire car ride because in all honesty it was POURING. But I HAD to go to IKEA. Go figure. We ended up having a grand ole time till I about had a temper tantrum because the bookcase I wanted to buy for the nursery was to big for our car. I settled on a cinnamon bun. Great compromise, right? Thank god my lease is up next month and we will be getting an SUV.

We enjoyed all things IKEA... the cafeteria, the showrooms, the kids section, furniture and the pushing people. We are thankful that our house is fully furnished and decorated because that place could get someone into a lot of trouble.

We ended up buying several things and one of them was a small table for Asher's nursery. Philip enjoyed putting it together with the "help of my dad". You can see how helpful my dad was!

Happy Birthday Mom & Dad!

The Bass parent's happen to be one day and two years apart so every year we are blessed with a double birthday celebration on March 1st and 2nd.


Unfortunately our bowling & dinner birthday plans got squashed when we got hit with a huge snow storm around 5 PM on Sunday so we decided to get together for some good ole take out from Brooklyn Pizza. We all enjoyed chicken parmesean, pizza and salad. For dessert we had a lovely chocolate and oreo birthday cake.

Pregnancy Update:

This week marks the beginning of my 3rd trimester at 26 weeks!

There is no more hiding the fact that I AM INDEED PREGNANT! I feel fantastic STILL and am waiting for the workouts to start getting harder. I've done great this week with cutting out cheeseburger's, french fries and limiting the Oreo's. I am sure it will pay off in more weight gain regardless... I'm pregnant afterall. Friday we go for our 3d/4d Ultrasound and we can't wait to see Asher again on the big screen! We havent seen him since my 20 weeks check up and this will probably be the last time we see him before he is in our very own hands! My sister and grandma will also be in town in time for the Ultrasound and they will get their first peak out their new Nephew/Great Grandson! So far no stretch marks and no dark line down my belly. I can see my face changing as my belly grows...but I sure do love it.

Pregnancy Secret: Achooooo! I finally sneezed and accidentally peed (just a tiny, dont worry....no need to get out the Depends yet!) Yup. Everyone talked about it and I did it twice this weekend. I guess I need to make sure my bladder is fully empty all of the time from now on!

We finished our Bradley classes and we are really excited about our plans for an ALL Natural Birth. No drugs, no epidural, no IV, no nada. (we are flexible though...FYI) Our birth plan is typed up and ready to go! I'm praciting my kegels, squats, hip tilts, rocks and hoping my little man is heading in the right direction!

I made out like a bandit!

I can't wait to hold you.
Caress you.
Play with you.
Learn about you.
Make many memories with you.

You are name worthy.....

Oh how I love the Rebel XSi.
We bit the bullet... and purchased our new camera.
She will arrive in just under one week.
Hopefully just in time for my sister's engagement party and my first baby shower.
I am ready to capture memories that will truly capture what my eyes see.

I have been dreaming about this camera for several months. Probably close to 6 if not more. Having worked for a photographer for one short year I became obsessed with REAL cameras. SLR's. Not point and shoots (which frustrate the mess out of me). My Uncle Steven would be so proud of me. He was a professional photographer in NYC.

Philip agreed it would be a great idea to purchase this for the long haul since I love photography and we are about to have a new ever so adorable subject to photograph.

The big hold up was convincing myself that this was worth the investment. Thanks to a shady consultant (work related) .... I was able to rack in some extra commission.  Thank you to the shady people who hopefully learned their lesson. I made out like a bandit!

The Note

"He is healthy enough to come home, less contagious now. Viral illness - no treatment needed except rest, H20, Tylenol and Time"

Normally we get Dr's notes to stay out of work, go back to school. But NO, not my husband. My husband needs one to come back to his home. Enough said.

Pregnant Lady was pleased, but still super cautious!

The Dr. said that he must have a ridiculously strong immune system because he had extremely fast flu recovery compared to most people. He most likely had a very minor case of the flu. I guess that is what happens when you only get sick 1 time every three years.

I am holding on healthy and strong!

Doom, Gloom & Quarantine

Ive been saving this blog in bits and pieces and its finally time to spill.

I admit.
While a majority of America was probably tuned it to watch President Obama last night I was NOT.

I had so many other things on my mind than this Economic Crisis, Money and Lost Jobs.
I was thinking more along the lines of Lost lives and disinfectant.

Although I am sure what he had to say was important it wasn't as important in my mind as the news I have been receiving on a daily basis about very sick loved ones, dying friends of family and family of friends. Cancer, Malignant Brain Tumors, Losing Babies before their delivered, Leukemia, Breast Cancer, Surgeries....This month turned into quite a difficult month. Thankfully, it is almost over and I am determined that March will be 200% better. I am not comfortable with publishing all of the people's names, but please keep praying for all of those that are sick and for those that we have lost over the past few weeks.

Not only was I mentally distracted last night BUT I was disinfecting every square inch of our house. Around 11 AM Philip came home feeling very ill. He was confined to the bonus room. I went to check in on him around 3 PM and found him like this....(like a little Taco, wrapped up in a mattress pad with a dollop of sour cream on top "Bella") Philip is always warm and always kicks the covers off so this was a sight to be seen and at this point I KNEW he was really sick.



He quickly cancelled his business trip to Myrtle and Charleston and skipped his night class. Philip has been quarantined to his parents house for at least the next few days with the FLU. Unfortunately somehow Philip forgot to get his flu shot this year and is quite a sick boy. The boy who only gets sick once every two years is sick.

Pregnant lady is FREAKING out. I mean panicking. I can't get sick. I can't take most medications. I've only taken one regular strength Tylenol in 6+ months. Medications are not part of this pregnancy. As I mentioned earlier I have heard some real and unfortunate stories lately about pregnant mom's catching viruses and passing them on to their babies. Unfortunately the babies didn't make it. This is enough to scare the crap out of me. I know I know... call me paranoid, but I am NOT a good patient and I already have a weak immune system due to my
Chron's Disease.

Yes, we both have jobs - thankfully!

Yes, the economy is going to get worse before it get's better

Yes, people unfortunately die every day

I get it. I know there is light at the end of the tunnel.

So...who has some great news for me?

ps. Please spare me the sickness.

Blooming & Blossoming

The flower's are blooming...

This week we "bloomed"! Our pussy willow bush is finally popping up blooms on every twig. Our scattered bulbs have even started sprouting beautiful purple flower's and they even multiplied since last year! This is one of my favorite times of year. I can't wait to get out there and plant a few annuals next week..... cold weather please stay away for good!

Personally this was a tough week. Lots of things going on with work and outside of work that really clogged my brain. For the first time in awhile, I threw my hands up. I am sure Philip felt the brunt of it, seeing that I can tend to be quite moody these days. I confess. I finally shed a tear or two... I won't go into to details but I am thankful that things are simmering down and my mom has helped me come back to reality and get peace of mind on everything.

I'm close with my mom. Not just close in proximity (since she lives in my neighborhood). Without her...and my vent sessions I'd be lost. If it wasn't for her this week, I think I might've shed a few more tears...maybe even a full all out breakdown. I am so thankful that not only is she someone I can talk to about anything and everything, but we live in the same neighborhood (even if it isn't forever!) . Although I admit I don't think I would mind it one bit if they stayed:)

The week ended. I made it through. I am firm believer that something good always has to come out of something bad and that happened on Friday at 3:30 PM. I finally closed a deal at work. (This by the way was not the cause of my stress initially). This was a BIG deal. A 6 month deal which means I will at least have one contractor working while I am maternity leave and therefore I will still make SOME commissions. My biggest fear about my maternity leave is that I am not going to have any commissions coming in. Yes I am paid for 6 weeks, but 6 weeks are NOT paid. This put me one step closer to feeling more secure about my maternity leave.

We also interviewed our first nanny this week. We received her name through a family friend (from my mom). She was a former Au pair for a local family and aged out of the program Au pair program. She was a doll. We absolutely loved her and so did Bella instantly which was a HUGE deal. We are trying to work out the logistics and will keep you posted. This is a huge weight off my shoulder's. I panic more about what is going to happen after Asher is born and I go back to work than I do about the actual labor. I want him to stay in our house for the first year with an in home nanny. Hopefully my prayers will be answered and it will all fall into place.


My body is blossoming....
25 weeks and I am still feeling great.
Still running (believe it or not, I have witnesses) and craving my 4-5 day a week hour long work outs. I am still craving cheeseburger's, french fries and chocolate. I have officially decided I need to cut back on these so that I don't spin out of control. "Hello Brain... I like salad just as much as this junk. Let's work a little harder to remember that, OK? Thanks!" If I wasn't working out I am convinced I would be huge....actually I KNOW I would be huge. I am unfortunately just one of those people with THAT type of body. I don't know how other people do it and I am envious...but then again my work outs are my sanity.... call me insane.

Today was our 25 week check up and I have gained right under 13 lbs so far... I had a feeling this weigh in would be big...but I think I did fairly well and am proud of my weight gain thus far. 1.2 lbs per week since my last appointment! I can see my face slowly changing with my body....but I love it and am embracing it. My goal is to not gain anymore than 35 lbs. Wish me luck....hopefully kicking the cheeseburger/french fry habit will help slow the weight loss back down to a normal 1 lb a week pace.

Does anyone notice anything different about me in these photos? Other than my belly and face are growing? HINT: compare to previous weeks. Its not super obvious but give it a guess and leave a comment!

This past weekend was the calm before the storm. Starting this coming weekend is 30 days of straight GO GO GO. 8 birthdays to celebrate, 3 engagements, 2 bridal showers and 5 baby showers (3 for me!) .... ALL IN MARCH! I am so excited about all of the celebrations and can't wait to see everyone that I haven't seen over the past year since I got pregnant!

Blog Stalker's ...

Yup you are all busted....
Oh so many of you ... that I know read this blog but have never left a comment.

It's time to come out of the closet and express yourself. It's fun to write and document in this blog, but its just as fun reading YOUR comments.

Many of your have mentioned to me in coversation, "Oh yeah, I saw that on your blog".
While I sat there thinking, "You read my blog?"
or
"I tried to leave a comment but it didn't work!"
or
You leave me messages about my blog on facebook vs on here....

So here are instructions as to HOW TO LEAVE A COMMENT :)
I know many people have tried and did not have success so I figured I would give you all a little nudge.

1. At the bottom of a Post select: Comment (it is a clickable link)
2. A screen wil come up with a box to leave a comment. Type your comment
3. Most of you dont have google accounts..... so select NAME
4. Type in your Name or whatever you want to show up next to your comment to identify you.
5. You do not need to fill in the URL section.
6. Select Publish Comment.

Voila! You have officially left your first successful comment.
No more excuses... now come out of hiding and show your love!