- putting a waterproof mattress pad on the bed. . ya know. just in case my water breaks. who wants to live with THAT smell/memory on their mattress?

- only being allowed to take 10 minute walks. its impossible to get ANYWHERE in 10 minutes (and tucker isnt a fan either).

- birthing classes. and the videos that go along with them. especially when the couple giving birth looks like molly ringwald and kfed.

- can i just say “being pregnant”. from the waddling, to the giant bump, to the growing a CHILD inside of you. the whole thing = awkward. (buuuut i guess the outcome is awesome).

awesome:

- new jeans. its no longer torture for me to put on “real” clothes. and i’m pretty sure my leggings are thanking me for giving them a break.

- birthdays. and friends & family who make birthdays extra special.

- being less than 8 weeks away from meeting lexasarus (yes, she already has dinosaur nicknames. which is another awesome).

- jenny mccarthy and her books. ive been losing my sense of humor about this whole “pregnancy” thing (its been replaced by sheer terror), and her books about pregnancy and newborns literally are making me laugh (OUT LOUD). i love her for getting me back on track attitude wise.

And then i got home and there were a dozen cupcakes waiting for me. a DOZEN CUPCAKES. from sprinkles. someone (coughsaracough) is majorly praying on this pregnant girls major weakness.Overall it was one amazingly sweet (literally) birthday. And I can’t wait to see what year 28 holds for me!

well its friday. . . fridays always make me smile. Just knowing the weekend is so close. Our weekends lately have been filled with long puppy-walks and lots of home improvement projects. But guess what- the home improvement projects are winding down quickly. The nursery is done, the bathrooms have new tile, the walls are painted (minus ONE room. damn restoration hardware and their back ordered paint), and the pictures have finally been hung. We’ve entered a major state of calm. . . hopefully with enough time to enjoy it before our lives are turned upside down with Alexandria’s arrival (in approximately 9 weeks and 4 days).

Speaking of Lexi and her impending arrival. We broke down and had a 4-d ultrasound taken last weekend. We invited the grandparents, and everyone got a sneak peak of her chubby cheeks. Now, I was majorly hesitant to get this fancy 4-d thing done– mainly because the child always looks like a claymation alien. It’s a little freaky, and half the time I already feel like there’s an alien inside of me kicking and squirming- i didnt need photo proof. And then I had a dream Lexi was a boy. Yes, a BOY. Her nursery is pink, she has adorable little girl clothes, what on earth would we do if we brought a little boy home from the hospital?! I  made the mistake of telling my mom about my little dream, and day after day I would hear about how I “might be carrying like a boy”, and “maybe we can stain the furniture”, and “have the doctor check on your next appointment”. . . well my next appointment came and went, and the little bugger had her legs crossed. SO in order to put everyone’s mind at ease we got a little sneak peak of the babe. And here’s what we learned:

- she is 100% a GIRL. no questions. hands down. ALL GIRL. and thank goodness, because she already has personalized stationary.

- she smiles when she hears her dad’s voice. daddy’s girl already. melts my heart.

- she has her dad’s full head of hair. I kid you not, this child is going to be born with hair. and the longest, sweetest eyelashes EVER.

- weighing in at 3lbs and 4oz she’s right on track for being 8lbs when she makes her debut.

- she’s already a thumb sucker.

- she has her dad’s toes. Her 2nd toe is longer than her big toe. Mike claims its a sign of genius.

- she has chubby pinch-worthy cheeks.

- we can’t wait to welcome her to our little family

How can i NOT be obsessed with this picture? Alexandria’s nursery is in the background (look how done its starting to look!)– so here’s a little updated baby bump picture at 30 weeks:

If you want to see more- head on over to her blog here:

http://www.loveala.net/shoot-from-the-heart/

Morgan and Alex are perfection together. Being around them it’s easy to see why they fell in love. They’re that couple you take notice of (one reason is Morgan’s insanely long gorgeous legs) from across the room- they smile, they laugh, and they act like the only two people in the room.  Perhaps not much has changed since that fateful halloween party just a few years back.

Morgan and Alex live out in Colorado, so when they decided to come around for Christmas I was thrilled to steal them away from the eggnog and mistletoe for a few hours and head out to the Viceroy in Santa Monica.  Morgan and Alex, I wish you two the best in the months leading up to the Wedding.

i know- its hard to tell what to look at. my giant bump or shaun’s beard. . .

yes. my mother is choking tucker. but i’m sure its out of love.

pretty sure shaun is smiling, but with the abundance of facial hair its impossible to tell.

** try not to be too jealous of my hat and boots. . . i have a thing for fur.

It’s thursday!!! (nope, not friday– no matter how many times i asked mike last night if it could be friday) and i’m hooking up with Sydney from the Daybook to bring you all the awesomeness & awkwardness from the week!

Awkward:

- throwing up every morning for 26 weeks and counting. Not really awkward, more super duper annoying. BUT an old wives tale says that the more morning sickness you have, the more hair your baby’s going to have. Which means she’ll totally come out sporting mikes luscious justin bieber locks (yup, this just turned into an awesome).

- Reading Hunger Games THREE times. and loving it more and more every time. Anyone want to babysit a 3day old when the movie comes out this march?

- Glucose tests. that involve THREE needles in  a two hour time span. Not my favorite pregnancy experience to date.

Awesome:

- Nursery furniture that arrives monday. Yes, THIS monday lexi’s room will be filled with all things baby-girl.

- Christmas gifts. Mine are done, wrapped, and under everyone trees. Now i get to focus on extreme amounts of baking.

- Mammoth this weekend. with amazing friends (and amazing adult supervision. yup- my dad’s tagging along with the “youngins”). I cant WAIT to be in the snowy winter wonderland with the Higgins and the Jones.

- Our Christmas tree. I’m seriously considering leaving it up year round. . . the room is going to feel so empty once he’s gone!