Sound Machine

The other night morning when I walked back to my room, I just stood outside the door mesmerized by the sounds from the other side. Seriously, without little bulldogs of your own, it's hard to even explain. Mostly, because  I imagine the description does not sound all that appealing.

But I walked up just to listen to the sweet grunts, rhythmic breathing, and occasional snores coming from my babies. I love those sounds. If I could create a sleep sound machine, those are the sounds I would bottle up and stuff inside. Ever since they were babies, those are my favorite sounds. Casey and I would just lay in bed listening to our sleeping beauties, and I would tell him how much those sounds melt my heart and how I cannot believe they are ours.

It may sound silly, but my girls are so special to me. So on this night, I walked in and gave my girls a good morning kiss before going back to bed. A full tummy and a full heart. They are going to be the best big sisters. 

Is it overkill to create our baby's sound machine with recorded bulldog sleep sounds? I know, I know, sounds nothing like the inside of my tummy, right? But then again, around 20-whatever weeks, babies can hear outside sounds, so maybe the sounds of our girls at night put Baby K to sleep too...definitely worth investigating.

Midnight Snack

It's official. I'm pregnant. How do I know? Well, apart from the obvious, it's 4 am. And I'm awake. And I'm starving. Seriously. Gaping hole in my stomach. But, I know I'm not literally starving even though it legit feels like it. I couldn't even go back to sleep, and I laid in bed for 30 minutes telling myself I wasn't hungry enough to get up. That, and lately, I've been so desperate for sleep, why am I even lucid at 4 am? I cannot be starving cause I was just at a movie and ate chocolate covered pretzels a mere 1, 2, 3...9 hours ago? Which means I ate dinner of cucumber sushi rolls 11 hours ago? Okay, admittedly not the best choice for staying power, but I love some cucumber sushi. So that was really a very, very long time ago. I'm practically qualifying for over-night fasted.

Time. Out.

Okay, I'm back. I felt like that justified a small bowl of raisin bran with some strawberries on top. Baby's hungry. And, it is delicious. I debated getting out of bed in the first place for fear of waking the girls and them thinking its morning, ready for breakfast and to play. I snuck out though just fine...I think. And I guess it's okay, right? The strawberries make a "midnight snack" okay...well, baby is happy now, and I just hope I can go back to sleep after all this brain stimulation. Perhaps the fact that I can hardly see helps my case for falling back asleep. After I creeped out of the room, I realized I forgot my glasses, and you better believe I wasn't going back in there unless it was to stay...you know, waking the babies and all. So I apologize for any typos. I cannot be held responsible.

I can't believe we* made it 18 weeks without waking up hungry, go us! Or is that normal? Oh well, I feel better. I thought maybe I was just thinking about too many things, but apparently the baby is just growing. Not only do we need food to grow, but we need sleep. So on that note, I think I'll try to fall back into dream world. Good night (morning), ya'll and see you again in a couple hours!

*we meaning me and baby

Side note: I'm working on bump updates, but it's tough when you JUST got a baby bump last week (double meaning: baby=teeny and baby=baby). Sheesh. Grow, Baby K!

Casey is in Florida for training (top secret Air Force stuff), and he called me the other night. They were out in the field. One of the guys had bought a cheap grill at the PX on the way out to the field that night so they could grill dinner. Casey bought a steak to grill. This is what he told me:

"I just ate my steak. With my hands. 
Like a man." 

I just laughed. I love him. He is so funny. At least they cooked them first...

I saw this commercial for the first time ever last night. I'm aware it's not new. But it's new to me. And I love it. Hahaha. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not condone the elimination of cats or any animal. But dogs do rule.

Present for baby

Kate came home with this beautiful present for baby on Wednesday. How beautiful are they? I love them. Baby loves them. They're gender neutral (white). She said the girls helped her pick them out. Naturally. They have excellent taste.

The roses smell divine. Be jealous.

My joy

These girls are my joy every moment of every day. I wouldn't trade them for a million trillion dollars. I think every morning I fall in love all over again, and it's so fun.

Mommy's Little Lamb

Look at what Ash bought the baby! She said she walked by it and could not resist. Natch. Who would be able to? It's perfect. And yellow is girl or boy, so all is good.

Apparently, I'm giving all ya'll the bird (as Casey so kindly pointed out). Totally unintentional. Please disregard. 

How cute is this? "Mommy's Little Lamb" for the shirt in case you can't see. Then the little feet are lambs. I died. Seriously. Too precious!!

These are the things I think about.

I look so big.

I hope our baby has red hair.

When's my bump going to show? For proof. That's its real. That I have a baby inside me!

I hope our baby has curls.

If our baby is a girl, I hope she wants to do ballet.

And run.
Now I want to go run.

If our baby is a boy, I hope he wants to run too.

He can play soccer. That would be cool.

Or ice hockey. Like his daddy. But ice hockey is expensive.

How can we even afford a baby? Insurance alone is so expensive. Nevermind diapers.
Good thing the baby will be on the boob. No formula for this mommy and daddy.

Do I want to work? I don't want to work.

But will I miss working?

I don't want someone else taking care of our baby.

Will Brooks and Boone be mad at me for bringing home a baby?

No, they'll be so sweet to the baby and be so helpful.
What am I going to do when I can't run? Running already hurts my Queen Victoria. Push through the pain though...right?
When will I feel the baby kick?
Are we having a girl or a boy?
I kinda hope we have a girl so that at the gender reveal party, the cake can have raspberry filling. But buttercream icing dyed blue is good too. So it's okay if we have a boy.
If we have a boy, I'm going to buy him cute little shoes. And a shark towel. And the little wall art from Etsy with the mustache and "Little Man" written under it.
If we have a girl, I'm going to buy her a tutu and cute little rompers and skinny jeans and purple Brooks.
Has Brooks even seeped into the baby market yet? Oh no. Nikes will do.
When will I be able to wear my skinny jeans again?
What if I'm not a good mom? I have no idea what I'm doing.
My boobs are probably going to hurt.
That's what everyone talks about.
It would be funny if our baby is tall. We're not tall.
I wonder if our baby will go to Carolina. Or maybe West Point. I love NY.
I still want to go there in December. Maybe next year. Can babies ice skate in Rockefeller center?
I hope our baby is smart.

Maybe we can teach our baby a second language. So that at age 3, our baby can just break out in a conversation of Mandarin. Is that presumptuous? Okay, age 4. That would be cool. I guess I ought to learn Mandarin first.

I'm scared of teenagers. Can we skip that stage of life?

I want to go to the beach. 

Good thing Casey and I are going to the Bahamas for a babymoon.

I hope the baby likes the beach. And boats. 

I can't wait till Casey can teach our child to fish.
Will our baby like fish? Will the baby like vegetables?
The baby better at least like sweet potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, and zucchini.
I think the baby will like vegetables. Or at least cucumbers. I've been eating cucumber sushi like nobody's business.
Now I want some peanut butter. On raisin bread toast. So it starts to get melty cause the bread is warm.
I hope our baby doesn't have a nut allergy. I'll feel even worse if our baby does because, confession: I've been eating peanut butter.
I wonder if I'll be a good mom.
I'm probably going to have some major meltdowns. I had a couple meltdowns when we first got the girls cause I thought I wasn't going to be a good mom. And now a human? Oh dear.
I hope our baby loves God. And loves singing.
I hope the baby loves my singing. Questionable.
I hope the baby loves me.
I hope I'm a good mom.
I hope I become a good juggler. Not objects. Tasks. Although, objects would be cool. Another way to entertain the baby. Maybe I'll have to start practicing that.
I have so much to learn...

P.S. We are about 99.9% sure we have a boy name and a girl name picked. We love them. We just won't tell anyone until we know what we're having. Don't pee your pants when you find out. And try to get some sleep at night until then.

Oh-Em-Gee

Look at this!!

It's cookie dough that safe to eat while you're preggo!!

I randomly found it at The Cupcake Project. I wasn't even on the hunt for edible raw cookie dough so I really can't remember what happened or how it went down that I stumbled upon it. But I'm definitely ready to try this for something. I don't know what though because I would never want to have the whole batch just hanging out in the fridge begging to be eaten. I need to have a party. Where the refreshments are raw cookie dough. And milk. Get it? Cookies and milk? Even though I don't like milk. I should though because it's healthy for babycakes. I'll work on that.

And here's a picture to whet your appetite so you can start drooling.

Put on your apron, wash your hands, and pull out a mixing bowl and some measuring spoons.

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c unsalted butter, melted
1 cup  packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 T vanilla extract (Mexican, if available)
4 T milk
any amount of mix in (in our case, chocolate chips!!!)

Mix all ingredients. Get a spoon. And sample stuff your face. Within means of course. You don't want to blow your whole day's worth of healthful eating, right? Or that run on the treadmill? We're all entitled to a little treat though, so enjoy!

I cannot wait to try this. AND I just had a thought...even if no one wants to share with me, I can divide it up and freeze chunks of it to get out in portions! Brilliant.

Carolina Girl

Last weekend Casey and I went back to my old stomping grounds courtesy of Kate and Dawn (best sisters in the whole wide world). We tread the streets of my college days. It was so fun. I haven't really been back to visit in 7 years...since I graduated. Now I know why though. Because I was ready to buy a house before we left on Sunday. I L-O-V-E that little town. It was our little peanut's first visit to their future school :) Haha. We did get the baby a precious t-shirt. For whatever reason, I did not get a picture. What! You'll just have to wait and see it until babycakes actually wears it.

We stayed at The Carolina Inn...a fabulous, Victorian-style, little (big) hotel located just behind Franklin Street and basically on campus. Kate and Dawn gave us a night there for my birthday present. It was the best ever.

We walked through the quad and past my old classroom buildings and onto the mall and past the Old Well and through Coker Arboretum and in the bookstore and to the SRC. It was hot as blazes and we sweated our body weight, but it was so fun. I loved being back there. Then we went back to the hotel to check in. We got the best chocolate chip cookies of our lives. Well, of my life anyways. Seriously. I wanted to march downstairs to the front desk and demand the rest of the stash to take home. I'm with child. It totally would've worked. Who doesn't love a complimentary cookie at check-in?

Yes, there it is, folks. Best chocolate chip cookie ever. Worth every single calorie.

Casey rested on the bed and watched the Olympics while I took pictures.

Our (fancypants) room:

And the rest of the inn (foyer, entryway, outside):

It was such a romantic hotel. There were about 30 weddings going on that weekend. Dreamy sigh.

Anyways, then we trekked out to Franklin Street to go in the little shops and just walk around. We both got shirts! Woohoo, tshirts!

Then we went to Top of the Hill. Casey got a beer. And I watched. JK. I got a Diet Coke cause when you're preggo you can have some caffeine. Prom prom. The doctor said it was okay. I swear she did. It's better than me ordering a beer...

Here's Casey's awesome beer. I wanted it merely because it had real live blueberries floating in it. Could it get any better than that?

It was a blueberry wheat beer. Looks refreshing, doesn't it?

Then we went to my favorite little sushi place on Franklin. Yes, it's a hole in the wall. I'm a cheap date. My two plates of cucumber sushi topped out at $2. Total. I got to choose dinner cause I'm the birthday girl, and Kurama it was. That was my favorite little restaurant on Franklin back in the day, and it did not disappoint.

It was delicious.

And here the sushi with my handsome hubby. He knows how to use chopsticks; I don't. I try, and it works for me, but don't expect me to eat a bowl of rice or noodles with them. It wouldn't be pretty. But, I bet I'd know how if I lived in Korea for a year too. Just sayin...

The next morning we walked to Starbucks for coffee and breakfast before an AM yoga class.

Here was our breakfast. Decaf for me, regular for Case. Then we both got the Egg White, Turkey Bacon English Muffin Sandwich. That's not the actual name, but you get what I'm trying to say. Oh, with cheese, Gotta love some melted cheese.

I want to tell you a little story now. See the man (barely) in the picture behind the man in the plaid shorts standing in line? He was about 80 years old and a bean pole. Legit, 6'5"-ish (I don't make a living guessing peoples' heights, but that sounds about right) and probably 130 pounds. Not even kidding. He goes there every Sunday. Yes, I was eavesdropping. He ordered his food and his coffee, then took his bag and sat in his usual plush chair in the corner. He proceeded to put on an apron to keep his clothes clean from any crumbs that may have fallen while eating. It made my life. It was the cutest thing.

Then, yoga. We got our first class free (He-ey) at a new yoga studio, Franklin Street Yoga. Who doesn't like free!! I've desperately been wanting to go back to our Tuesday night yoga class at the Y with Anje, but we cannot tear ourselves away from our little angels in the evenings after being away from them all day. So I squeeze in yoga at home when I can, but I miss our yoga dates so much. Casey was totally up for some stretch time, so off we went! Linda was our teacher. She was great. It was an excellent class, and we were tired. We'll definitely go back next time we're in town. Good thing we had a 6 hours to recover before our family crossfit circuit on Sundays. Yes, we do a family workout on Sundays. Cause we're a cute little family. Me, Casey, Kate, Mom, Dad, and the pups. So we went to check out of the hotel (boo hoo) and off to Whole Foods for some fuel to go. I love me some Whole Foods. Charlotte, step it up a notch and join the big leagues. Get a Whole Foods.

All we wanted to do was take a nap. I actually did take a nap. On the way home. I'm the worst passenger. I always end up napping. Casey lets it slide now because I'm carrying his offspring. Being preggo is the greatest excuse for everything. Very similar to when you're getting married and you can pull an "I'm the Bride" so that basically you can do whatever you want.

Anyhow, it was a very good weekend. Then we had Papa John's for dinner. Cause it was my birthday request.

On a side note, we missed our little girls and talked about them THE WHOLE TIME. And how much we missed them. That's what happens when you have children. It's the craziest thing. I love them to pieces. And I love my family. Thank you all for a fabulous birthday!

Oh and Kate bought me the most awesome balloon set up. It's the coolest balloon ever.

See? Told ya. Love it.

He loves me. He loves me not.

He definitely loves me.

Look at these beautiful, delicate little roses I got from my hubby for my bday! And they're even purple! He said our babies helped them pick him out. All three of them are so sweet.

Thebomb.com

Brand new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12 Running Shoes.

I'm so stoked. New running shoes are like running on clouds. They're so beautiful too.

Who's excited?! This birthday girl is.