WM Smashbox Giveaway!!!

Hey ladies! My fabulous friend Julie over at Wearing Mascara is having one heck of a giveaway (and if she knows what's good for her, she'll let me win!! Haha!!!)

As I am, she is a biiiiig fan of the makeup - hence her blog name - and in celebration of quite a few blogging milestones she is giving away some really fantastic Smashbox goodies. Check out her blog for your own chance to win!

Good luck! (But not too much because, seriously, I'd better win.)

It's Called Motherhood. Google It.

Ok, something has just finally gotten to me, and I think it's time to have a mini gripe fest about it. I don't mean this towards any person in particular, but more against a mindset that, in my opinion, is all too popular among "seasoned" parents towards first time pregnant women and moms. And by "seasoned," I generally mean those who have one, maybe 2 kids under the age of 3.

What is it about a women in her first pregnancy making a comment about how she's tired, not sleeping well, or up earlier than she'd really like to be, that makes you think you should immediately respond with sardonic laughter and an "Oh, you just wait. Once that baby comes, you'll really know what no sleep is like." Who the heck asked you?!?!?! And what gives you the right to be anything but happy for someone expecting her first child?

I realize that there are SOME unsuspecting, clueless poor saps out there who somehow have created the mindset that motherhood, especially EARLY motherhood is somehow simple and that all babies do is eat, sleep, and poop. Oh, and I guess they're supposed to eat only between the hours of 8:00am and 10:00pm so Mommy can get her beauty rest. Any takers on that theory? No???? I didn't think so.

Believe it or not, THIS IS WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR!!!!!!! I already know that I won't be getting any sleep once this little girl comes, that she's going to be needing me at her every beck and call, and that I will literally get nothing accomplished for at least the first 4 months of her life. And you know what? I'm ok with it! I actually want what comes with a newborn, and those crazy, terrifying first steps into parenthood. None of this comes as any big surprise to me.

Thing is, right now, I don't have a little baby screaming for me at 3:30 in the morning, 20 minutes after I finally got her back to sleep. I don't have the inability to shower for 5 days at a time, to never eat (the REAL reason why breastfeeding mothers can lose weight so fast, for anyone who was wondering), and to probably be disolved in tears at least half the time my child is. I'm not saying that I'm completely prepared for it psycologically and emotionally, but I do know what's coming.

I'm almost 6 months pregnant, I'm tired, I'm not sleeping well when I do sleep, I wake up at 5:30 in the morning with indigestion that lasts until I finally get to sleep at midnight. Right now, I'm working a job that has me up and out at 7:00am, driving around town all day, chasing after diabetic cats (more on that later this weekend), and IF I have any energy, doing whatever I can and need to around the house during the day before going back out for my final visits at or after 9:00pm.

I enjoy my job, but it's not easy. The schedule is rough some days and I don't always have it in me to run around with what ends up being a 14 hour day when I can't get myself to sleep for a nap during the day. If I'm tired, and want to whine just a little bit about about how I'm not happy to be up before 9:00am, I think I've earned the right. I'm pretty darn confident that any other pregnant women out there felt the exact same way their first time around.

It doesn't take much to either not say anything, or to say, "Sorry you're not sleeping well. I went through that too. I know it's rough." Is that so hard??? What is it about other moms that completely leeches them of any sense of empathy, any sense of happiness on the part of a new mom coming into this weird new world where we could use all the help and encouragement we can get? Saying crap like, "Oh, just you wait," just gets old and after a while, it just pisses us off. Do you not realize how much we're looking to you for guidance? You've walked this path before. You know what's ahead with better awareness than we do. We have a respect for you that can only pass between a first-time pregnant woman and a mother. Do us a kindness and return the favor a little. And don't be such a pain in the ass about it.

Funniest Blog I've EVER Seen!

I just could NOT pass up the opportunities to share this blog I just discovered with you fabulous people. I was cracking up laughing the whole time I was reading. My husband actually had to come upstairs to see what all the fuss was about.

That said, please enjoy Cake Wrecks to your heart's content. Cheers!

A Little Breather

After the hellish day of pain I had yesterday, I am pleased to report that I am doing MUCH better today. The cramping has been basically non-existent all day and my baby girl has been popping and kicking around all afternoon. She is going to be the cutest thing on this planet, I SWEAR!!!

We've finally settled on her first name, which we are keeping mostly a secret for the time being, but now we're tossing back and forth on her middle name. The original option is an archaic, Shakespearean name I've loved for several years, but I also thought of the idea recently to use her middle name as a way to sort of name her after my hubby's dad, who passed away 6 years ago.

For those of you with kids, how did you make the choices on how to name your children? Was it a hard choice for you, or did you and your spouse know right away? Did you end up using names you liked most of your life, or did those names go right out the window when you got pregnant and started REALLY thinking of names?

The Saga Continues... unfortunately.

Ok, now for the update I was alluding to in that last post. As I posted before, I've been starting to have some cramping in my lower abdomen the last few weeks. You can catch up on the details from that in this post, this one, and the final one here.

Ok, so, for today's news, I went out on my dog walk, and I LOVE these 2 dogs. They're freaking adorable. Unfortunately the puppy must not be feeling so hot because he had an awful case of the runs. Poor thing. Since it was right in someone's front yard, I kinda felt like I couldn't just leave it, so I did my best to clean up the mess, but unfortunately, that turned into me whirling around and emptying the contents of my stomach (which weren't really ANYTHING at the time) into the grass on the other side of the sidewalk. Awesome.

After I finished their walk, I ate a granola bar to re-settle myself, and went home rather than spend more time out marketing like I had really wanted to. Then the cramping got REALLY bad. It wasn't fabulous this morning, but it was bearable. But then it just kept going, and wasn't getting any better. Finally, about noon-ish, I decided that was quite enough of that, and I was going to bed.

I am so grateful for facebook because I was able to post what's been going on and got some really great comfort and advice from lots of friends who have been there, done that, and have the confidence that what I'm experiencing is probably very normal and that I don't need to panic. Based on my intuition and the confirmation from a friend and my mom, I've put myself on bedrest for the remainder of today and probably the rest of the week except for a couple times I know I'll need to leave the house. I already have a standing appointment to see my doctor on Friday and if things don't improve on their own I'm definitely calling them early to give them a heads up of what I'm experiencing and what I'm doing about it.

For the remainder of today, I'll be lying right here, reading, surfing the web, and watching some movies on my laptop, with my pregnancy tea with raspberry leaf in hand. Just say a prayer for me and my little girl that everything is indeed as it should be.

Take care!

Erin Go Braugh!

Greetings, my dears, and a very Happy St. Patty's day to ye! I hope ye all be wearing your green and/or orange, whichever be your preference.

I was wearing a green sweater earlier today, but have changed back into blacks and grays (as happens to be the color of my current lounging attire) because I've put myself on bedrest for the day. More on that in my next post. I want to keep this one to just one topic.

Today I bring you news from the land of my dear Mr. Brown over at Laughing Soul (no, that's not really his name, but he'll get the joke if he sees this) - I hope that I shall always be the Queen of Your Hearts!! In celebration of his 100th post (WAHOO!!!) he is hosting a fabulous giveaway. Enter to win and you will be in the running for either some fabulous loose teas or terrific offerings from Best Buy.

Amble on over by way of the rainbow to the pot o' gold he has waiting for ye. And watch out for them leprechauns! They be full of the blarney, the do!

Kelly's BABY BUMP?!

So apparently today, Kelly Clarkson's performance on American Idol last night is the MOST Googled thing on the internet today! There are rumors flying around that the first Idol is PREGNANT, despite consistent claims from her for a long time that she's not in a relationship. Check out the article here for more info.

Seriously, folks?! From one pregnant woman to the general public, that is NOT what a baby bump looks like. I mean... did no one else notice the weight she put on while she was on AI? Granted, it's not the same, but seriously! Good grief, Charlie Brown. And for you doubters, here's a picture to compare.
The weight she has put on is evenly distributed and perfectly flattering. That outfit, however, is not doing its job to make her look amazing. If she was a skinny-minnie with no curves, maybe. I'm hardly someone who is Kelly-Obsessed, but I believe in shooting stupid rumors in the foot when I see them. Good luck, Kelly! You did a fabulous job as ususal!