2014

Adventures with Baby H- Part 5, Pregnancy Brain or Andrea Brain?

There have been many moments in my life that people refer to as “Andrea Moments”. At our wedding my maid of honor and Sam’s best man both mentioned Andrea Moments in their speeches. I had always heard of pregnancy brain and the forgetfulness that comes with the territory. Since I’ve been pregnant we have had a hard time deciphering if these moments are pregnancy brain or just the way my brain works.

Here’s a few examples to brighten your day:

*Sam plays on a softball team once a week and I like to make sure I take my own water. It gives me something to keep me occupied for the hour that the game lasts. Plus, the concession stand at Rice Field just isn’t like it was when we were kids so I get irritated if I have to contribute. (Side note, and you will only get this if you spent your summers at Miamisburg’s baseball diamonds: I tried to buy 100 red fish and as I held out my dollar the lady kindly informed “that’s not how they do things anymore”. Poor children have to spend their whole post game dollar on one small package of the same candy? Everything’s not a penny anymore? Such a let down.)  Anyway– One particular Monday I left my water in the car so I decided to walk back and get it. As I got closer to my car I realized the real bathrooms (not porta-potty’s) were only a few more steps. Being pregnant you have to take bathroom opportunities when you get them. On my way back to my car I decided I should get a piece of gum while I’m there. I was five steps away from my seat back at the diamond before I realized I went to the bathroom, got myself some gum but did not get my water. Fail.

*I decided to start our registry online instead of actually going into the store. My sister in laws were over so it was nice to have some input from moms who had been through the registering process. When it came time to register for a monitor I was a little confused by all the different options. I mean it’s as if they can do anything but actually put your screaming baby back to sleep. As we were looking at one particular monitor I told everyone I understood what the video option did, what the movement option did but was confused on the sound option. …Out of all the Andrea Moments, I think this is one that scared my husband the most.

*When sending my brother and his family off to Germany I tried to give them some advice.-

“You guys be careful not to get caught up in all the World Cup madness I’m seeing on the news.”

“We won’t since it’s in Brazil.”

“Yes, yes. You should be just fine.”

*One morning I was texting with Sam talking about baby things. I asked his opinion on registering at Target, along with Babies R Us, since they have more decorations for the nursery. Here’s the outcome:

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I think I literally laughed out loud at this one for a good five minutes.

*Have you ever felt like your bladder was going to bust if you had gotten to the bathroom one second later? I have. Have you ever been so relieved that you made it without peeing your pants that you sit down, start to have yourself a little dance party to suddenly realize your drawers are still on? I have. Have you ever laughed hysterically at yourself in the bathroom stall then immediately run out to tell at least 3 co-workers what just happened? I’ve done that, too.

After sharing one of these with a few friends, my dear friend Brittany (who thinks quite similar to the way I do) informed me that the scary part of all of this is that it’s very possible the “baby brain” won’t go away. A plus of having these moments while pregnant is people just accepting the pregnancy brain excuse. I get even more excited when others blame it on the pregnancy before I can get it out. Little do some of you know…it’s just the way my life rolls. I have had these moments for years but it’s nice to have an excuse now.

If you haven’t gotten a chuckle out of at least one of these then you need to have yourself a beverage, some coffee or do some yoga. Whatever you need to do to relax a little. 🙂

Dear Snow

Dear Snow,

As I opened my back door this morning to let my dog out I discovered that you decided to show up for yet another visit. How nice of you! You must not have gotten the hint that you’ve over stayed your welcome. I think I can speak for most people when I say this- you can pack your bags and head out any time. Preferably soon. Actually, I wouldn’t mind to help! Make the process a little easier on you.

I am usually one of your biggest fans and can’t wait for the first time you surprise us with your presence. Looking outside my window at a sheet of your beauty when I’m snowed in, knowing I don’t have to leave my house, is quite wonderful. I especially love when you give us a white Christmas. You really make Christmas time with family and friends feel even more special when you’re white sparkles shine across front yards, roads, and tree branches. One of my all time favorite feelings you provide me with is the first “snow day” of the year. I thoroughly enjoy waking up to a school cancellation. Not many people are able to say snow days are one of the perks of their job.

You have way overdone yourself this year. The first snow was nothing short of fabulous and did end up in a snow day. You couldn’t have had more perfect timing with that one. It had been a rough week at work and a free day off was more than welcome. Then, you kept falling giving us snow day numbers, two, three, four (uh oh we are running out of calamity days, have to save that last one incase we get the blizzard of 2014), AND five. Dang. We are now out. I really have no desire to go to school farther into June than we already do. But you weren’t done! We then got snow day number six and SEVEN plus a 2 hour delay. Now, I understand you were not at fault for every school cancellation but your good friend cold weather was. I’m sorry to blame you for all of this but you should choose better friends.

Let’s talk about Christmas. You really messed that one up this year. You dropped your bags off leaving us several inches of snow a bit before Christmas then decided to let your other pal rain take over for Christmas. What the crap is that? Too afraid to show your face again? Or did you know you were going to be coming back for an extended stay soon?

There are only so many times I can handle doing repeated amounts of laundry, cleaning the house (even though I had just cleaned the day before) and talking to my dog. Paisley doesn’t respond and I think she gets quite annoyed that I’m interrupting her nap time.

Then comes shoveling. I do not enjoy shoveling. My first shoveling experience at our house was supposed to be a good wife task. You had given me a snow day so I decided to shovel the driveway for Sam (partially for me so I wasn’t stuck in the house all day). I dug out layers of clothes to bundle up and headed outside. About 5 minutes into this adventure you reminded me just how out of shape I am. Rude. By the time I finished I was sweating, out of breath and had no desire to do anything productive. Thank goodness for our neighbors and their snow blower. They have been super helpful and it’s very much appreciated. The last snow day I decided to do some effective shoveling. There is no need to shovel the whole driveway when I really just need two tracks for my car to get out. Here’s what I mean:

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So, my dear friend, Snow…you need to go. We have had plenty of bonding time this year. I appreciate your beauty but I also love sunshine, warm weather and sand volleyball with my friends. This stuff can’t happen if you’re still here. Good luck packing.

One of your biggest fans,

14 things I’ve learned in 2014

I love lists so I’ve decided to make one of some interesting things I’ve learned so far this year.

1. When bathing a 1 year old, make sure to check the water temperature before dumping water on their head to wash out shampoo. Cold water will send the content, water-soaked baby into a screaming fit and make you feel like the worst aunt ever.
2. Baby snuggles (even slobbery, sick snugs) are simply wonderful.
3. There, in fact, is no footage of dinosaurs. Not even anything in HD.
4. A “Big Boy” burger at Frisch’s is not nearly as good as the picture looks.
5. Speaking of, their vanilla Pepsi isn’t as bad as I had imagined. It doesn’t come close to vanilla coke but totally do-able.
6. After nearly 4 days of no voice, it will still come back when it’s ready. I truly was starting to wonder if I just forgot how to talk (very scary thought for me).
7. You are never too old for a good ol’ living room fort. I do believe Sam enjoyed it as much as I did.
8. Holding an intelligent conversation with me when my ADD has kicked in has to be similar to getting your dog to speak, nearly impossible. Especially when talking about the galaxy the Milky Way…my mind automatically drifts to the candy bar.
9. A house payment may be the same as renting an apartment. The plus of an apartment? Maintenance (for free) on speed dial. We had 3 different contractor guys out in 2 weeks, for 3 different problems.
10. Anything topped with peanut butter is heavenly. Angel food cake, Oreos, rice cakes, waffles, my list could go on.
11. The amount of money taken out of my check is sickening.
12. Live with Kelly and Michael is addicting.
13. When your husband offers to do the laundry, don’t give him instructions. Everything in one load, on cold water, never hurt anything.
14. Listening to an audiobook while on the elliptical is quite a challenge for a brain like mine.

January has obviously been quite a month of learning for the Haddix house. 🙂

Goodbye 2013, Hello Elton John

2013 was quite the year for Sam and I. We started the search for our first house in January, received the keys to our perfect starter home in April, got married in July and I started a new job in August. The past 8 months have been spent learning how to properly participate in real life while maintaining our goal of not being those typical grown ups. If you ask us, we have done a pretty fantastic job. If you ask our friends and family, there were probably a couple questionable moments. Mainly questionable times for myself, not so much for Sam.

On New Year’s Eve someone asked on Facebook if people could sum up their year in one word. My word for 2013 is magical.

Our first home…magical. It’s so mind-blowing to me that a little over a year ago we were trying to convince my dad to “invest” in a house for Sam and I. At the time we considered ourselves gypsies. We lived between his grandparents farm (it’s hard to explain but it’s basically a separate apartment attached but not attached to the main house) and my dad’s house. The gypsy stage of our lives could be it’s own blog post. Here’s just a little preview: My dad (we called each other roommates at the time) shared many in-depth, sophisticated chats over Saturday morning breakfast. There were many times I left my dad speechless. Particularly the time I suggested playing rock, paper, scissor with China to help come to an agreement on the debt situation. Another time he locked me out of the house while I was wearing a sweatshirt far too large for me, leggings and my bright pink Snuggie with a kangaroo pouch. I think some of my favorite roommate times were the notes I would receive from “management” aka, my dad. Here’s an example:

Management Reminder

Anyway, we have had a blast creating memories with friends and family in our new home. It’s exciting to walk in your own house and get the I’m home feeling.

Our wedding…magical. Planning a wedding in 7 months can be a little stressful but I would do every little part of planning again. Our wedding day was the best.day.ever. We were surrounded by our favorite people in the world who were there to help celebrate us. There were a few mishaps such as rain that stopped us from having our outdoor wedding or getting grease down the left side of my dress 20 minutes before walking down the aisle. Ok, story time. Because of the downpour of rain we got an hour before our wedding which stopped us from getting the beautiful outdoor pictures our photographer had planned, he found an indoor carousel and we hopped on for a little photo shoot fun before walking down the aisle. It was a blast to relax and have fun with our wedding party before the madness began! When we finished our ride, we got off and were talking about how awesome the carousel was when I heard a little bit of panic in my bridesmaids’ voices. They informed me I had grease on the back of my dress and I was going to walk down the aisle in 15 minutes. After a few minutes of frantic chatter, my Uncle Rod ran to the closest store to get some Dawn dish soap. My bridesmaids instantly became my personal Cinderellas as they frantically tried to get out as much grease as they could. Our photographer, Tad Killian (look him up, he’s great), captured this photo.

Cinderellas hard at work

Cinderellas hard at work

Everything went perfectly the rest of the night. Not one person mentioned the grease (glad I know people smart enough to not tell a bride she has spots of her dress 🙂 ), we laughed, cried, danced, sang and simply enjoyed every second of that day. The Hilton Garden Inn in Miamisburg spoiled us with hospitality for our guests and couldn’t have done a better job with our reception. Thank you to our parents, wedding party, family and everyone else who made our day magical.

Our honeymoon…magical. We went to Cancun, Mexico thanks to our friend Leigh Anne’s parents being excellent organizers and travel agents. This was our first trip out of the country together and without any adults with us. When we told people this they were quick to remind us we were adults. “Wellll…I wouldn’t go that far” was always our response. We spent 6 days in an all-inclusive paradise doing whatever our little hearts desired. We swam with dolphins, golfed (Sam golfed, I rode along) where we were almost attacked by raccoon type creatures who wanted to get on the golf cart with me, got massages, rode on a Mexican version of a jet-ski and went snorkeling in the ocean, laid on the beach while having food and drinks delivered to us, ate delicious dinners and enjoyed our time just the two of us relaxing after months of wedding planning. Our view from the hotel…

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Gorgeous

Our first Christmas…magical. We spent some left over gift cards from the wedding on outdoor lights. We did not realize how expensive the Christmas light process can be. I assured him it was fine, we wouldn’t need to buy new lights for a couple years. Wrongo. A few days later I was telling this story at a family function and was informed that we would get lucky if they all made it to next year. Their expertise on life was correct. It seemed just a few days later we had a section in the middle of one of our strands go out. Wooo for new lights next year! After writing about my love for getting Christmas cards in my last post, my mom sent out an email to all her little elves. She shared with them my excitement over receiving cards since I was little and asked for them to share a little Christmas spirit with our house. The first day we received 17 cards from old neighbors, old and new co-workers of my mom, family and people we don’t even know. Of course, I got a little teary eyed. Sam didn’t really find as much excitement in the fun as I did until we received a card the next day from the radio crew at Mix 107.7, handwritten and signed by all of them. Over the next few days we received 63 Christmas cards. Talk about excitement! Thanks Ma and all your little elves for helping to make our first Christmas memorable. We decorated, hosted our friends party, listened to hours of Christmas jams, laughed continuously while watching Christmas Vacation, opened presents, and enjoyed the magic of the season, together, in our first home.

This finally leads me to the Elton John part of this post. Today’s guest on Live with Kelly and Michael (I am seriously going to miss watching this show every morning when I go back to work) was Elton John. I honestly had never watched anything that had to do with Elton John until I watched him on Ellen this past summer. So when he came on Kelly and Michael this morning I was intrigued to watch an interview with him again. In his interview he said he was playing some really fancy piece on the piano when he was three. He said “We didn’t have a tv so I learned to play the piano when I was young.” And then it happened…my mind started wandering. THREE? He played the piano at three? Makes sense, no tv or electronics, they had a piano so, why not? Then I start to think of musical geniuses of my time. Are there any? Will our children have any musical geniuses they will be intrigued by when they are my age? I mean, children have so many electronics to keep them busy tv, game systems, tablets, phones, etc., etc., will as many children have interest in musical instruments as children did during Elton John’s day? Will we have musical geniuses of our time for our children to learn from? Or is music going to turn into the rap crap (makes me sound old) where you can’t understand what they are saying half the time and the words you can understand are all derogatory words for groups of people other than themselves? I know some think this kind of music has a great beat and speaks to them. More power to you. I’m just saying this isn’t the type of stuff I enjoy. I’ve been a country music listener my whole life. People have their opinions on that, too. When I think about country music now, I wonder, who is the next George Strait, Garth Brooks or Reba of the up and coming singers? We can only hope we still have musical geniuses to listen to in years to come. When I text this thought to Sam his immediate response was, “Are you watching Kelly Rippa again?” My friends loving laughed at my thought of the day and tried to seriously help answer my questions. 🙂

So, Elton John, you have inspired me to try new things. Listen to new music, try new recipes (I’m starting to get the hang of the kitchen. I recently made a dinner that the hubs approved for an “every week” meal.), have a glass of Saturday night wine on a Monday night, keep in touch with old friends, enjoy making relationships with new friends, create new traditions with the hubs, craft as much as possible, finish reading books I started months ago, continue adventuring, and always spend some time in fake life.