Pillow talk

This is the true conversation that Greg and I had last night as we drifted off to sleep. Let me set the scene, our apartment is only connected to two other units, both of which are currently empty. There is no unit above or below us. Aaaaand action! --


Greg and Beth's Cozy One Bedroom Apartment:
It is late and Beth and Greg have just turned off the lights and snuggled into bed.

(weird apartment noises)

Greg: What's that sound?

Beth: That banging sound? I don't know...

(both listen for a bit more)

Greg: That can't be our neighbors... that's so strange...

(more weird apartment sounds) 

Beth: Sometimes I think someone lives in our attic.

Greg: That's ridiculous, that couldn't happen.

Greg: Don't be silly, whatever makes you think such things.

Greg: Oh Beth, I love your imagination.

Greg: Yeah. Sometimes I think there's someone in our attic too.

Beth: ??!!

Greg: Welp, goodnight!

(Greg rolls over and happily passes into dreamland)

Beth: !!!

(Fin)

Of course, in the light of day, I realized how silly this conversation was -- but, guess who had nightmares last night about a homeless person coming to get her via a trap door in her ceiling?

(This girl!)

More

Here are some more photos from our trip to Oklahoma last week. Some of these images are STOLEN from my sister-in-law's facebook page, she has a much nicer camera than my little ol' phone.

Greggers with a tuckered out baby Henry

Siblings on the stairs!

Date night! Trivia game at Dave & Busters

Snuggling with baby Anson

I was trying to pull a photo of all six of us siblings/spouses, but for some reason fb wouldn't let me steal it. (Come ON, facebook!) I'll try again later.

But you can see that our days were full of baby cuddles, quality time with family members that we wish we could see more of throughout the year, and even a surprise date night when Greg's mom and aunt offered to stay home with the babies.

We just loved it.

Okla"home"

Greg and I just got to spend nearly a full week visiting family in Oklahoma!

I'm sure I'll write more about it soon, especially as people begin posting photos on facebook that I can steal to illustrate our Okie adventures, but I just had to post this image of my brand new baby nephews meeting for the first time.

These little guys are only two weeks apart, and they were quite captivated by one another, don't you think?

It was a happy accident that my belly ended up in this shot (aka "Cousin #3")

As much as we enjoyed our time in Oklahoma, it is always nice to come home, and tonight Greg and I will enjoy a dinner at Outback because we have a gift card. Greg also has a gift card to Best Buy that he is excited about, so we'll probably swing by that place as well.

A date night with Greg should prove to be a lovely distraction to the baby nephew withdrawals that I'm having today. I miss scooping up their sweet little snuggly bodies -- gah, they are so precious!

Have a great weekend!

Living in the NOW

I'm a very goal-oriented person.

I enjoy making lists almost as much as I enjoy crossing things off of them. Obviously some things are more fun to plan and strive for than others, but there's just something so darn satisfying about accomplishing a goal that you had set your mind to.

PROOF! -- Me happily organizing a photo-timeline before our wedding (circa 2009)

The downside to my love of planning, is that at times I can get so wrapped up in the future that I forget to embrace the present. I don't want my eyes to glaze over moments that are happening today simply because I have my sight focused on something that I'm excitedly planning for tomorrow.

I want to enjoy the journey as much as the end result, and sometimes I forget to make the effort to stop and smell the roses.

It seems that many of my current goals these days have a June-ish deadline that coincides with the arrival of our son. In the next few months, I want to make a conscious effort to make the most of each day that I have left with Greg as a family of two.

As eager as I am to meet this little guy (who has lately decided that kicking mommy's internal organs is the most fun way to pass the time in the womb), I recognize that my life will change once he's on the scene, so I don't want to miss the blessings of my current lifestyle in my anticipation of his arrival.

Here's to not only counting those daily blessings, but also to making them count!



Valentines Day memories

Here are my top Valentines Day memories over the years:

• Making mailboxes for our desks in elementary school and getting to pass out valentines to my classmates. I always especially enjoyed receiving valentines that came with candy.
• My family didn't get all hyped up over valentines day as I was growing up, but we lived in a small town in Georgia when I was in 7th grade, and my mom worked at a florist shop at the time, so my brother and I got goodies delivered to us at school.
• In college, a crazy kid named Greg donned a red shirt that read "Happy VD" paired with heart-covered boxers, and a boom box that blared love songs & lonely heart songs on loop. I followed him as he nonchalantly wandered all over campus "sharing the love." It was quite the stunt, and his boldness made me smile. (I had no idea then that we'd be married 10 years later)
• Also in college, a girlfriend in our class bought an entire box of Crocodile Hunter valentines and addressed them all to Greg from a "secret admirer." Not only did she leave them in random places all over our Fine Arts building for him to find, she passed them out among our friends and had each of us anonymously hand-deliver valentines to Greg throughout the day. To this day I still think of Steve Irwin every February 14th.

• The first year of our marriage for Valentines day Greg rearranged our shared bedroom closet so that all my clothes are the easiest to reach (we have a high hanging bar as well as a low one). He also hung a bag of gummy bears and a valentines day card at eye level so that when I opened our closet door I was surprised with a little gift.
• Last night, as Greg and I were driving home (late!) he asked me if I would be his valentine today. Then he confessed that he hadn't gotten me anything this year. I confessed that I hadn't gotten him anything either, but eagerly accepted his request to be his valentine. It was a wonderful memory to me because it was exactly what I wanted -- to be Greg's darling, yes on valentines day, but not because it was valentines day. I love that with Greg, regular days can be special, and holidays can be normal. Just feels right.
• Also last night, upon entering our apartment I found a small package from my mother, who likes to occasionally send sweet care packages for holidays. Along with a valentines card and a thoughtful gift card to Target, this is what was inside:

Our baby boy's first pair of shoes. Size 0.

I hope you are having a wonderful valentines day full of memories this year. You are so loved!

Dear Baby

• This week, you are the size of a cantaloupe.
• I love to feel you moving around and kicking, and your dad loves when he can feel you too.
• You are becoming more and more present in my thoughts these days, and I find myself making plans for the near future with you in mind.
• I look around our apartment with fresh eyes, mentally rearranging things to make room for you.
• I pray for you and your daddy a lot these days, because I know that you two are going to have your own special relationship and I am so in love with you both.
• Having you in my belly has given me a new appreciation for tums. I killed a bottle the other day and as I popped that last chalky tablet into my mouth, I felt the same way I used to when I ate the last caramel delight girl scout cookie.
• When I laugh with your dad, I wonder if you can tell how happy I am by the way that you get jostled around by my giggles.
• I sing songs to you when I drive in the car, just because I know you can hear me now.
• Next week you will be the size of a banana. I'm sure all your kicks will get even stronger as your legs grow.

You just take your time and finish cooking, you little bun!

Your dad and I will be waiting for your grand entrance into our lives, and we can't wait to meet you.

Already you are so very precious to us.

Ladies room soap box

I was recently in a public restroom (I'm in restrooms a lot these days, go figure!) and I overheard a gaggle of women talking.

One of the girlfriends casually mentioned that she had found out via their computer history that her husband was looking at porn a lot in his spare time and it bothered her. She prefaced this with "Maybe I'm overreacting, but..."

From the stall I listened as each of her girlfriends belittled her concerns, telling her "it's not like he's cheating" and offering solutions like "maybe you could find something you can watch together."

It was all I could do not to insert myself into their conversation and reassure this woman that her feelings were valid and that not all people feel this way.

I'm sure it's no secret to anyone who reads my blog that through my work with Treasures (an outreach to women in the sex industry), I have a lot of opinions on the topic of adult entertainment. One such opinion is that porn consumption just plain isn't healthy for a relationship. To each their own, I suppose -- but having learned a considerable amount about the sex industry and the affects it has on both the participants as well as the consumers -- I stand firm in this belief.

It broke my heart to hear those women talk. To hear the lies that they were feeding one another -- lies that condoned secrecy in a marriage, glorified fantasy in intimacy, and diminished real feelings of betrayal over something that is, after all, quite common.

The women ignored me as I washed my hands and exited the rest room. I racked my mind for any way that I could possibly offer the girl who had spoken up some encouragement -- but the window of opportunity didn't present itself. All I could do was pray for each of those particular ladies, but I keep thinking about them.

This is blog post is quickly turning into an after school special, but to anyone reading this who may have any doubts in their head about this sort of thing please hear this: You are loved and valued. Period.

You are worthy of genuine intimacy with your husband, and there are plenty of marriages that embrace/display that belief. If you feel that there is something in the way of your intimacy -- be it porn or something else -- your feelings are valid. Open the lines of communication with your husband and work together to find a solution that works for you two.

That is all.

The halfway point

I had a wonderful weekend full of friends and quality time with Greg and a new found energy after last week's allergy attack left me wiped out.

Greg took me on a date in Santa Monica which was really fun, and I enjoyed myself so much. We ate pizza and watched a funny sketch comedy show late into the night. Even though I've been nesting lately and have preferred to spend most nights in doing homebody things -- I realize that nights out with Greg will be more scarce once the baby arrives, so there was something very sweet about going out somewhere new. A mini-adventure outside of our usual haunts.

Also, I was reunited with a girlfriend who moved to another state a few months ago just after she and her husband found out they were pregnant. She was in town again this weekend and we had a meeting of the bumps! It was soooo great to see her again and to pick up where we left off.

She's 8 months and I'm 5 months

Also, I'm 20 weeks along as of today -- that's halfway done! (Although, I think I'm equal parts excited that I still have 20 weeks in front of me as I am that I have 20 weeks behind me.)

This weekend Greg sang softly to my belly and our baby started kicking a whole lot. Greg got to feel the little kicks. It was one of our first "family" moments that all three of us shared together, and it was really lovely.

Current "Love vs. Detest" Hierarchy

I'm telling it like it is:

Benadryl = Best friend.
Kleenex brand tissues = Frenemy.
Allergies = Nemesis.


That is all.