Jason's new favorite toy (of course it has 4 wheels!)

I have been searching for MONTHS online to find a safe, well made, good brand and decent looking carseat/stroller. I had pretty much settled on a britax and figured I would frugal-style it by picking one up on ebay. So, I did just that! Found a steal of one that really is in decent condition, but when it arrived this week, well....let's just say that it didn't possess the "cool factor" that young Mr. Herron should be seen with. I agreed to put it back up for sale on ebay and with any luck, we'll at least break even on it.

So, that brings us to this weekend. Saturday morning Jason and I woke up, helped his younger brother put his belongings into a car and waved him goodbye after he finished up his freshmen year of college. We looked at each other, decided we had nothing else that was pressing to do that day, and so we loaded up the dog and ourselves into the car and headed to Tulsa. We have been a bit frustrated that most stores in NWA don't have much selection to choose from when it comes to strollers or infant car seats. I just wanted to take a look at them in person and see how they open/close, etc.

We ended up at the coolest baby store called Dingbats (if you are in Tulsa, you should check it out!). They stock the brand of carseat/stroller that Jason had been looking at. Forty-five minutes later, we walked out of the store with my husband's new favorite toy.

It is: 1- cool enough for the new dad to walk around with.

2- Compact enough to be taken as a carry-on if we are travelling somewhere

3- Light enough that mom can carry it.

4- Adjustable enough to where we can zip out the entire toddler seat when the kid is too young to sit up.
5- Blue enough that (hopefully) people will instantly know that our baby is a "he".

AND... 6- matchable to the diaper bag that is manly enough for dad to carry without feeling humiliated. (actually, this is a SUPER cool bag that has a ton of features that I am excited about).

Lastly...I found a fun baby food tray for freezing all that yummy spinach I plan on making him eat. ;-)

The stroller was a decent price, and after spending so much time online over the past few weeks/months looking for one, we decided that we couldn't actually get a better deal on a new one anywhere else, so we bit the bullet and bought it. It is fun to have in the house. Makes it feel all the more real that our kiddo will be here soon and we are getting ready for him. He still has no name, but at least he will be riding home in style. Haha.

I am still kinda in a funk. Today I was fine most of the day and by evening I was all emotional and just irrational. I knew that I was being that way, but couldn't help myself. I know that I am exhausted, and that is a major contributing factor, but I am sure that my hormones aren't exactly helping the situation either. This week felt like the longest week ever, but for no real reason! Work was exceedingly easy, but strange because all my students were gone and I didn't feel like I got a good chance to say "goodbye" to them. They are all coming back in the fall, so I am sure I will see them again. They were who kept me sane this past year at my job. I hope that the guy taking my place will be as blessed as I was to have such wonderful students.

I am processing through what it will be like to not have a job after next week. I am totally thrilled and totally scared about waking up next Monday and having no where to go at 8:15 in the morning. Other than the 9 months where I was in between 3 different jobs, I have had at minimum a part time job since I was 15 (with lots of odd jobs for a few years before that). For those of you that don't know my family, they were missionaries, so money didn't grow on trees and other than the basics of food and a roof over my head...there was never any money leftover for other stuff. My 16th birthday present was a belt, because I needed one and because it was affordable. I've always provided for myself and it is going to be a hard pill to swallow to not be at least contributing to our income. I am already feeling guilty about not working because just cleaning, cooking and taking care of a baby doesn't seem like enough. I am very blessed to have a husband that is very encouraging of my staying home and is excited for this new phase of life. It is just going to be hard to have to rely on someone else for all my needs. To be honest, I really don't like that thought at all! It will be a growing process and I know that.

So, I am making a list of all the things that I really want/need to do before Baby Herron makes his grand debut:
- Go to Muskogee and sew some curtains for a best friend
- May- Pick strawberries
- June- Pick blueberries
- July- Pick blackberries
- Set up my sewing table and make a quilt, diaper bag, bibs, burb cloths, and changing pads
- Buy a canvas and pull out my oil paints (it has been TWO years)
- Find a pediatrician (just realized today that I have to do that....where does one find a pediatrician?)
- decorate baby's room
- take my dog for a daily walk/waddle ;-)
- spend more time reading and doing devotions
- Spend time with some girlfriends
- work on some photography

Ok...I am sure there are other things too, but that list looks long enough for tonight.

What are some things that you current moms did before baby #1 came that you found to be helpful? Or things you wish you had done? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

a little grouchy

I have decided that with Jason and I both working full time, both pursuing master's degrees, being pregnant AND trying to sell our house, that we have filled up our schedule entirely too much. I desperately want to cut something out. Thankfully in two weeks I will be done with work and then I can get all the "home" stuff done during the week. I currently hate that my clothes for the week are still in the dirty laundry hamper and won't be touched until Wednesday because I have two finals to study for and a paper to edit.

Our weekend was spent with both of us stuck behind our laptop screens feverishly writing papers and then scrubbing the house down before our "open house" today. I just got back from a study session and really should be pouring over my notes some more and memorizing my drug list from Psychopharmocology instead of blogging. But, I am tired....and grouchy.

I was a child that watched Anne of Green Gables (any other fans?) and my favorite line was that of Miss Stacey to Anne..."tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it!" Whatever happened today will be done and behind me. The thing I am most looking forward to tomorrow is that it is supposed to be SUNNY! I love the sunshine and after a week solid of rain and clouds, I need a little sun and warmth to liven my soul back up. Maybe I will take a break and go for a walk tomorrow and remind myself of all the good things that God has blessed me with.

a lovely weekend

This weekend was simply wonderful! We started it out by heading to Rogers on Friday night and had a great dinner with some friends and hung out a benefit cocktail party for a bit. I won a woodwick candle and Jason won two free appetizers from Fish City Grill....he drank a yummy blue dolphin (or something like that) and I had some sort of "pregnant lady drink" which I think consisted of pineapple juice, cranberry juice and orange juice. It was pretty good! We then went upstairs and relaxed in a super swanky modern hotel room. We woke up and watched some Food Network and National Geographic chanel. Since we gave up cable entirely back in January, it was a big treat for us to watch a little bit of the chanels that we really enjoy.

Saturday was spent registering at Target for baby stuffs, eating lunch at chic-fil-a and then participating in the annual dogwood festival. We ate kettle corn and walked the dog. We had two people ask us if Pooka was a "Sesame Street Dog". :-) Today we watched a sermon online and tidied up the house before the open house. We weren't sure if today would be slow today or not since the dogwood festival was still going on, but we ended up having 13 people come through today. Not as high as the 35 from last week, but still not shabby! We've had the house on the market for a little over 3 weeks and have had close to 75 people come through to see it. A lot have been just curious or they watched us build the house and have been dying to see the finished product, but hey...traffic is traffic! God is in control, he knows our needs today, tomorrow and in the future. SO, we are just continuing to pray that God would bring the right buyer at the right time. We are encouraged.

All in all, it has been a relaxing weekend. We realize that once the baby comes we won't be able to go for 10pm walks outside or just putz around for the day so we are soaking up time together while we can. Tomorrow brings my 28 week appointment at the drs, I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy is going. He'll be here before I know it. :-) We are so very excited to meet our son.

Hope everyone has a great week!

confessions of a non-teenage drama queen

My dear husband is spending this week in Puerto Rico. Can I say that I am slightly jealous?!! He called me two nights ago and said he was laying in a hammock between two palm trees watching the waves crash onto the shore and was drinking a corona. AH!!! I was sitting on my couch, fighting the dog for space, massaging my swollen ankles and eating a leftover baked potato. Sometimes life is so very much unfair.

Anyways, before he left he said "Sweetie, our vendor has given us a hotel room for Friday night in Rogers and it is free drinks and all these fun people are going to be there. You want to go? It will be romantic and we'll get to spend some time together". Well, I kinda flipped out on the inside. You want to know why? Because in my mind, this was my conversation I had with myself..."Great, a hotel...that means a swimming pool, which sounds great, but I have no bathing suit. Cocktails...YUM, but I can't have any. Fun people...true, but all their wives are SUPER cute gals that always look put together and are skinny. Currently there are two shirts that my stomach fits into and they are both t-shirts...no pants/skirts that are dressy enough and my feet won't even fit into flip flops much less into heels...I will yet AGAIN be "frump girl" and I will totally be an embarrassment to my husband." It didn't help that I was falling asleep while typing a paper while he told me this. I dragged my butt upstairs, fell into bed and almost started crying. I am blessed to have a husband that sat beside me, rubbed my feet and said "this is ridiculous, we are saving money becuase of the baby, it is the baby that is causing all these body changes, while I am gone I want you to go shopping and get whatever you need!"

So, yesterday I left work and drove to Fayetteville and bought a BUNCH of clothes and some shoes. I haven't spent that much money on clothes in YEARS! I gotta tell you, it was a huge relief this morning to wake up and look in my closet and realize that I do in fact have something to wear. Granted, I still won't be wearing heels tomorrow night becuase my feet really will not fit in them, but, at least from my shins up I will feel presentable. It was funny though, I haven't seen myself in a full legnth mirror in a while (I don't own one)...so yesterday while in the changing rooms and trying to find a bra that fits, I realized that my body has morphed into something else entirely different that what it used to be!!! I was SHOCKED! Not that I was really slim or trim beforehand, but it is beginning to really soak in that being a mother means sacrificing everything. I kinda thought that meant mostly just sacrificing sleep, sharing your food, no more spare time...ya know, that kinda stuff. But, nope...my boobs are no longer what I would consider "mine". I hear it only gets worse after the baby comes. I had a moment of panic...called Jason and apologized for the fact that I didn't realize just how umm..ugly my boobs have gotten. He just laughed and said he didn't think they were ugly and he thinks it has been fun to watch my body change. I am a fortunate girl! All I have to say is, thank the Lord that I don't live in a naked tribe in Africa. I can wear clothes over all those body parts I am sincerely not fond of. ;-)

Ok...there is my superficial ramblings for today. Sorry if that was too much information. Just needed to get that off my chest (ha..no pun intended).

Jason took this picture last week...so here I am in all my (clothed) glory:

It really is worth it! I can't wait to see his little face!

15 years

No deep thoughts for tonight...just a fun thing I saw on another blog:

15 years
HOW MUCH HAVE YOU CHANGED IN 15 YEARS?

****15 YEARS AGO (1994)****

1) How old were you? ... 11
2) Who were you dating? nobody, but I totally had a crush on a high school boy named Bret
3) Where did you work? Just watching my little bros
4) Where did you live? Pifo, Ecuador
5) Where did you hang out? In a treehouse across the field from my house
6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? big plastic purple glasses
7) Who did you hang out with? Kari & Janelle
8) How many tattoos did you have? None
9) How many piercings did you have? None
10) What kind of car did you drive? None
11) Had you been to a real party? Nope
12) Had you had your heart broken? Nope
13) Were you Single/taken/Married/Divorced? I repeat...I was 11
14) Any Kids? Nope

***10 YEARS AGO (1999)***

1) How old were you? 17
2) Who were you dating? Nope
3) Where did you work? I was a nanny 
4) Where did you live? Corning, NY
5) Where did you hang out? at a friend's house
6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? Yup....big metal framed blue speckled glasses
7) Who did you hang out with? Amber & Laura
8) How many tattoos did you have? None
9) How many piercings did you have? just my ears
10) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? single
11)Any Kids? Nope
12)What kind of car did you have? I drove an old woody station wagon with four car seats in it for the kids I nannied. 

**** 5 Years Ago (2004) *****

1) Age?... 21
2) Where did you work? The admissions office on campus
3) Where did you live? on the JBU campus
4) Where you in school? my junior year at JBU
5) Where did you hang out? school, Jason's apartment, fayetteville
6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? contacts...finally!
7) Who did you hang out with? Mindy, Andrea, Jamie, Carissa, Jason
8) How many tattoos did you have? None
9) How many piercings did you have? two in my ears, one cartilage, one nose piercing
10) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Dating
11)Any Kids? Nope
12)What kind of car did you have? 2003 Hyundai Elantra 

****TODAY (2009)****
1) Age? 26
2) Where do you work? JBU admissions office (for 5 more weeks)
3) Where do you live? Siloam Springs
4) Where do you hang out? My house, sometimes the local coffee shop
6) Do you talk to your old friends? a few
7) Who are your best friends? Elizabeth, Mindy, Heidi
8) How many piercings do you have? just my ears now
9) Do you wear contacts and/or glasses?  yup
10) How many tattoos? none
11) What kind of car do you have? 1996 Honda Accord
12) How many kids? One still in the womb :-)
13) Are you Single/Taken/Married/Divorce? Married to my favorite person in the world. 

Thoughts tonight

I have been meaning to post, but wanted to put up some pictures of my belly and so was waiting.  Unfortunately my hubby isn't so great about taking pictures for me and since i don't have a full length mirror, I can't even take them of myself holding the camera.  Just know that my belly (and my rear end) is growing a LOT.  

So, I have been thinking a lot the past few weeks.  Contemplating on life, the new life that is about to make his appearance, the economy, our house situation and what not.  I have really had to consciously choose not to worry.  When I start fretting over what "could be" or what "might happen" I just have to stop and pray and ask that God would give me peace and that He would do His perfect will in my life.  In the Bible there are a lot of verses that about the need for people to trust in the Lord.  He told that to the people in the Bible, but He is also telling that to me.  So, here is my list of things that tonight I really want to worry about, but am choosing not to: 

- our house selling at the right time, at the right price

- finding a new home that will have room for us, the baby, all the family about to visit and our dog.

- all my papers and finals for the next month

- finding a carseat and stroller that meets my budget

- the financial changes in a month when I stop working

- picking a good name for my kid

It is so hard to choose NOT to worry and to just let God handle the details.  I was thinking back to the book "The Shack".  I don't necessarily agree with everything the book portrayed God to be, but the part that made the most impact on me was that God IS accessible to me.  Not only that, but He WANTS me to come to him and say "Dad, I am struggling with this, could you handle it for me?" I often think that he has better things to do and more important people to take care of, but that isn't true.  God created me because He wants to spend time with me and love on me.  I am trying to rest and bask in that tonight.  God is good.  Always.  Just needed to remember that again.