oh hey.

29 weeks pregnant::

a long ramble about life these days.

Things in life just keep moving along very fast. I guess that's what happens when you start a family and work and try to build a house (plus we are trying to buy one. I really hope it happens, I will definitely post more about that if it does!) We are just in our own little bubble with our own work situations that we come home and talk about, we cook together more often now because Jonas gets home earlier and it is so nice. We order Blue Apron meals  regularly and it forces us to be healthy.. Of course we have ice cream to balance that out ;) I feel like I am talking to customer service people a lot these days- ordering things for the baby and all that. I have taken many hours of maternity education and have done tons of research- this baby world is one that I was never interested in before, but I am grateful that are so many great resources. I posted about it on facebook, but a guy tried to rob me one morning this past week and it was terrifying. The police are not going to do anything, which makes me mad. Now we have a wonderful alarm system and I have pepper spray ready anytime I am alone. I cannot believe that I was spared something worse, but I will never forget how lucky I am. Earlier in the summer we also almost had a horrible accident on 64 that I never want to talk about, but it left me shaken and questioning a lot of things. Luckily, nothing terrible happened that day either. Let me just say that with these crazy situations, I am just so glad to be here!... Jonas does pretty well with work and he was promoted. I am super proud of him, even though it is more stressful for us (especially him). Our first baby (the cat, hehe) got fleas again but we are experts after last year and got rid of them easily. She also started this peeing thing (fleas bring out odd behavior in her) but it is better now. I just have to note this because we have such a ridiculous cat, I still love her so much!
I have been getting massages. Oh my word. I will definitely keep them as a special treat in my life.
I have also been listening to lots of talk radio, but that's not really new... there are some great programs and podcasts out there!
Really, these days I feel like I am in limbo, preparing for my life to change so drastically and so soon..it is a strange chapter in life. It is a good one too. It is going so fast and it makes me never want to have this baby because I want her to stay tiny forever!

My 28 week photo, looking giant::

The beginning of Fall::

And our (mostly) empty lot. We kept the back half. Pretty soon a foundation will be laid for the main part of the house::

a crib & stuff.

I am not trying to lose myself and turn over my life to this baby we are about to have, but it really takes your focus. I mean, everything changed the moment I found out I was pregnant. It's like nothing from before matters as much as it used to. I love my husband more for creating life with me and I feel connected to the universe and God in a way that I cannot explain. I really love it.

Since finding out my due date, I have been carrying a mental image of our Christmas tree in the living room, music from the record player, a candle burning, our little cat purring on the couch and our beautiful baby between us. Pretty soon, that will be a reality.

Now we have a crib and some of the things we need and plans and hope and anxiety and a whole lot of happiness :)

summer is holdin' on.

i thought summer was coming to a close.
then..boom! we are back in the 90's over here!
i will really miss summer but we are at the point with the allergies. so that could stop, i wouldn't mind...

we had a good weekend, throwing in some fun stuff even though we had to work.
we finally had dinner at the DKD food truck.
it is usually parked at the Flea off Market (an event i love).
we also had super indulgent ice cream from the guy that sells it from his motorcycle.
on saturday night we went to see Z for Zachariah. it was most good.
we took a couple of walks.
i made a wonderful and easy dish. you should try it :)

pregnancy stuff.

Enduring the first trimester was tough. Everyone suggests things that help but really you just feel awful and you can't get around it. I am glad I haven't stayed sick because I really don't think I could do it. I definitely can't imagine throwing up fish tasting water again (from the prenatal vitamins) and the unreal exhaustion. So unreal. But it's over and now pregnancy is going way too fast. It makes me sad to think about this baby girl being on the outside but I am also very excited about giving birth and seeing her for the first time! Anyway, I just thought I would share some of the things that have helped me through my second trimester. Honestly I love hearing what works for other women. So...

1. This pillow. Oh my word. My friend Catherine let me borrow hers and I got a jersey knit cover for it. I am all about the jersey knit, always have been. When she showed this pillow to me, I laughed at it because..come on. It is so ridiculous looking, but this thing has been a lifesaver. I believe in it.

2. I don't particularly like shea butter because it's thick and messy and makes your clothes stick to you, but I am never ever itchy and always have moisturized skin. This is good stuff, hopefully it will help keep the stretch marks away, even though I have some of those from the early teen years. urghh.

3. Lemon water was a huge craving for me. For a while, I constantly got a big cup of ice water with so much lemon that most people wouldn't be able to stand it. It wasn't just a craving though, it a great thing to drink in the hot summer.

4. Storq maternity clothes. These are the real deal. So comfortable. So easy to put outfits together. I haven't had as much energy to style these clothes and dress my baby bump as much as I hoped, but that's okay. I guess.

5. 502 Power Yoga. I love exercise so much, sometimes I would do it twice a day. I never dreamed I wouldn't continue to workout everyday and with the intensity from pre pregnancy. I know some women can, but for me, no. I came home from work and took naps. naps?! That is not me, but like I said earlier, the exhaustion can be unreal. It really bothered me and made me feel like a failure, but exercise took the back seat. In my second trimester I started to go back to the gym and still found it difficult to do the things I used to, I needed something a little easier. So I quit the gym(temporarily) and joined a yoga studio. This place is great and it has been easy to go everyday. I know it will help me give birth and be less stressed through everything.

6. Smoothie King has been such a treat! I usually get a kid size and it makes me feel so refreshed! Especially after the yoga :)

7. Good Birth Companion is a wonderful book! I know every women needs to follow her own instincts and do what she feels is best. Through research and following my own feelings, I have determined my personal birth plan. I know things may be out of my control, but I feel there is a very good chance I can have the beautiful experience I have planned for. If you are anxious about birth (no matter what kind of birth you hope to have), this book is such a big help. It helped me to feel comfortable with birth and actually look forward to it! That is just crazy for me, I never ever wanted to get pregnant because of all the fear. I am SO grateful the fear(for the most part) is gone).

There are some things I cannot figure out- like how to deal with the back pain, but I am planning on getting a prenatal massage next week. I hope it helps!
Also, being big is hard for me. It is mostly mental, I pass by a mirror and think 'oh. whoa. no. that is not okay.' It is tough to see the scale go up, I secretly thought I would gain on the lower end, but that is not going to be true for me. The rational part of me knows it is okay as long as I am healthy and knows that I will go back to normal (kind of ).

five year anniversary.

To celebrate our five year anniversary, we took some time out in Tennessee. We spent a couple nights in a cabin on a farm that is surrounded by mountains. It was lovely. We cooked all of our meals and made breakfast from fresh eggs and produce grown right on the farm. This place was great, the owners are so friendly, there are adorable animals and some space to take some nice walks.

We also visited Cade's Cove. There are spectacular views, lots of wildlife and the chance to visit part of an old community.

For the last part of our trip, we visited Gatlinburg. This is just the kind of place that I can stand for half a day before I am ready to go. haha. We walked the strip a few times, spent some time in the World Record museum, ate pizza from Mellow Mushroom, played mini golf and went through a mirror maze.

Before we drove home, we took the tram up to Ober Gatlinburg and then a chairlift further up the mountain where we heard some fun music. They even sang a song about Kentucky :) The views were the best! It was nice just to slow down and have time to talk.

5 years ago..

we were married. 

this photo is from copenhagen :)