2013: The Year of Amy

I've proclaimed it to be, so it must be!

I feel like I've been pregnant for years at this point. And, aside for the nearly 9 months between Annie and this one (at least 3 months of which was no picnic), I kinda have. That's a long time to feel like your body is not yours! (I know it's nothing in comparison to all you ladies out there who had oodles of babies, but, for me- it's been rough!) Since we only want 2 kids, after this little lady comes, I'm done! So... starting in 2013, I'm baaaaack! The timing should be perfect. I'll have the month of December to recoup, and then, starting January 2013, operation YEAR OF AMY is in full effect.

Year of Amy TO-DO list (version 1) ...to be updated as new I think of new, fabulous YEAR OF AMY things to add...

1. Reclaim my body! I'm tired of being pudgy and pregnant, or pudgy and post-partum. I want svelte Amy back (assuming there ever was a svelte Amy!?). I'm actually thinking I might do something somewhat drastic (Nutrisystem?) for the first couple of months to really jump start the process. Any one have any experience/suggestions on that? Hopefully big time diet, along with getting back to the gym, will get me back to where I need to be. I have a whole bag of my old 'skinny jeans' (in a gorgeous size 6) and my goal is to fit into them by my 36th birthday (which will be in December 2013). (God, 36!! that's just painful to write. Instead of 36, I think I shall henceforth refer to it as the 15th anniversary of my 21st birthday...)
2. BOOB JOB! I've never been happy with the girls, but pregnancy has really really taken a toll. So, once my body shrinks to an appropriate size (god willing), I would like my boobs to be plumped and perked to their appropriate places! I've been secretly looking into boob jobs since I was 18 years old, so- I think this is definitely high time. I'll probably need the whole shabang- lift, reconstruction and implants, but we shall see. Don't worry, I fully intend to share all the gory details... Would before and after pictures fall into the category of TMI?
3. Get OUT! Working from home (aka- never having to leave the house) can really make you feel like you are in a rut. And, although it's wonderful to have the flexibility I have, some days I think I might just pull my hair out! When you work from home, and then have a baby to care for at home, it's easy to find reasons to just stay at home. BUT, in 2013, I plan to find the motivation to be a little joiner and get involved in things! It's ironic, I try so hard to make sure Annalise has tons of structure in her life, but I am totally unstructured with my own life. I need structure and activities and plans, for both of us. (I guess in 2013 it will be for all 3 of us). Whether it's a volunteer thing or some sort of club/group/hobby/play group, or just making sure I'm getting a babysitter on the reg to meet up with friends, I need to find something to get out of the house and get myself more active!
4. Drink! Don't worry, I don't have full-fledged lush plans, but good god, do I need a good stiff drink after all of these months sobriety! Closely linked to item 3 above, I need to start planning time to get out for some adult time. In a perfect world, I'd love to plan a 'date night', but since it's probably only appropriate to date my husband, and the odds of him getting out of work at a reasonable time on any sort of regular basis is slim to none, I'll have to find some pals to go out with. The nice thing is that we do have a great babysitter, and babies go to bed early, so if I make getting out for some 'me time' every couple of weeks a priority, it just might happen! 

On that note, I'm signing off. But, fear not. I have an awful lot of political rants floating around in my head and will be back soon to regal you with my (self proclaimed) intelligent, and admittedly liberal, political commentaries. Stay tuned.

Once a blogger, always a blogger?

I know there are a lot of skeptics out there who question the reason to have a blog at all. And, I know to some people it makes no sense. TMI all around? But, for me, a blog is really an outlet. I consider myself to be a very social person. I love people. I love to talk. I love to tell stories and rattle on about life's little details. And yet, I have an incredibly solitary job, a husband who works long, long hours, and family and friends scattered all over the country. Sometimes the lack of adult interaction during the week is enough to drive me absolutely crazy! So, instead of allowing myself to be deafened by the silence (or maddened by the baby babble), I blog. Don't judge.

So, in the last 6 months (and since I last posted on the old blog), we found out that we were having another baby (and thus a horrible 3 months of sickness ensued), bought a house, packed a house, left the city, and moved to the new house in the burbs. I then spent months feverishly unpacking, decorating, and organizing- because, of course, it all has to be done yesterday in my world. The move has been an adjustment and suburbia takes some getting used to, but I was so ready to leave the city that I'm really loving every minute. It's quiet, we have a big yard, there are deer out my window, I can DRIVE any place I want to go, and people don't get shot/mugged/robbed mere blocks from our home. It is true that I am more isolated now, and I miss my city friends, but I love our little house on our quiet street with plenty of closet space. It's official- I'm a suburbanite. No looking back now.

As of today I am 30 weeks and 5 days pregnant. For those of you who are counting (and I am), that's 64 days left. She is due on December 1st, but I'm determined to get her out in November. (December birthdays suck!) I wish I could say I am one of those people who love being pregnant, but I'm not. It's tough. I'm tired and grumpy and fat. And, I kinda feel like life is on hold. Since we just moved to a new area and, as I said- I'm really isolated, I'd love to start volunteering or join something. But, it doesn't make sense to do anything until after the baby is born. So, it's a waiting game. And then of course, when she comes, life is going to be that much busier, so will I even have time/motivation/desire to start something new?

We've decided to name the new little lady Violet, with the middle name yet to be determined. (The middle name- assuming the penis that she was supposed to have- was to be Douglas, but Violet Douglas doesn't really seem to work for a baby of the non-male persuasion.) I really don't know how we came up with Violet. Somehow it was just a name that both Brad and I actually agreed on. For fairly modern folk, we definitely have a flair for the traditional. If your Grandma could have had the name, we probably like it... Our little old fashioned ladies- Annie and Violet... It was only after we both agreed on Violet that we found out that my Gram's sister's name had been Violet, which I think is AWESOME because I love family names and, no offense to Gram, but "Dorothy" wasn't a great one to pass on. We also hadn't put two and two together until after the fact, but Brad's maternal grandmother's name was Viola. So, family connections all around. 'Violet' is totally meant to be! Plus, I think it's pretty adorable.

Speaking of adorable: Annie, 15 months