In awe: a quick note

Well, I'm officially a mommy now! It's hard to believe. I don't have time to reflect very thoroughly right now (I've got to catch some shut eye while I can), but I did want to say it's wonderful. I had no idea I would be flooded with such a depth of emotion. Of course I'm overwhelmed with love for this tiny perfect person, but it's so much more than that. I'm flooded with a deep terrifying awareness of my responsibility, my need to live beyond myself and the unexplainable awe of how I now have so much to lose. It's scary to love someone so much. I, of course, feel I couldn't breath without my husband, but this is different than that. It's indescribable. With all of this in mind, I keep thinking, how did God give up His Son for me? I'm dumbfounded by it. After just 9 days I could not give up Elli for anything, let alone for someone that is undeserving and doesn't even love me back at the same level if at all. God's love is becoming more and more beyond what my mind can handle. I'm completely in awe of who He is and what He has done in me and for me. I love you, Lord!

Sweet Discovery!

I love finding home remedies online and seeing if they really work. For example, a few months ago I discovered that squirting an old shadow stain (or melted chapstick stain) with water, rubbing it with a Fels-Naptha Bar, leaving it to sit over night and then washing it like normal takes that old stain right out! It doesn't even matter how old the stain is! Well, my new discovery came today as I tried to tackle a really gross job. Friday night I went to the movies with my lovely husband. When we arrived home I realized I was kind of stuck to the seat! Turns out someone had left their nasty dark blue fruity gum in the theater seat and I had the pleasure of sitting in it. So, needless to say, I had gum all over the back of my jeans AND all over our leather seats in the car. This gum wasn't just globbed on either, it was smeared in, completely "unpickable". So, today I hopped on google and searched for a solution. Turns out hot vinegar, a toothbrush and some elbow grease is all you need! I started with my jeans first. I poured some vinegar into a cup, microwaved it for about a minute, and dipped an old toothbrush in it. I then scrubbed the gums spots with the toothbrush, dipping it every now and then. Voila! The gum came out almost instantly! The car interior went a little bit differently. There was A LOT of gum on the seat and it was smashed in really well. I went to work with the vinegar and toothbrush. At first it didn't seem to do anything, but once I grabbed a dull metal spatula to help with the scraping (and some fingernails too, gross) off the gum came without hurting the leather! Woo Hoo! My mom has used vinegar for countless cleaning projects, now I can add gum removal to the miraculous list! =)

Date #1-Skyline

Brian has made a resolution this year to go on 52 dates in 52 weeks. This is a pretty ambitious resolution considering the fact that we will be having a brand new baby within the next 6 weeks. He's determined, despite the creativity it may require, and since he's my favorite person to be with, I'm thrilled. So, with that, we went on our first real date of the year! We enjoyed a slow and lazy morning and then, with google maps in hand, started off on our date. We spent the first part going to a few furniture stores. This may not sound very romantic, but we had received a gift from "The Grandmas" that has given us the ability to actually buy a few things (all of our current furniture is either hand me down or from craigslist) and considering my love for creating a cozy atmosphere at home, this was a perfect way to start. It actually paid off in the end because we scored an awesome deal on an area rug at Crate and Barrel (over 75% off!!). The next part of our date was probably the best. Brian likes to find remote, unique or unknown places to eat and he definitely did that this time! Knowing my love for a good burger and fry, he researched for the "best burger and fries" place in town. This lead us to a teeny tiny burger joint named Skyline Restaurant that was literally in the most random, remote place in the west hills. There was one waiter/cashier/host who looked and sounded like the guy in Rocketman and only about 5 booths. 50's memorabilia and kid's drawings were the decor. Although we had laughed as we drove up because the building was in sad shape, the food inside was awesome! (See Brian's blog for pics) We ended our date with a movie and are now enjoying some chill time at home. It was a great day. I'm so thankful for a loving husband and the best friend ever!

Knock Knock

I was reading one of my favorite blogs this morning (Brandiandboys) and she mentioned her survival tactic of list writing. She also featured a new notepad she recently purchased. After this I began to think about how much I would not be able to survive (with sanity at least) without pen and paper. I am a list maker through and through. As I've been getting ready for the baby I've been list writing like crazy! There have been lists and lists to amend the original lists and the cycle goes on and on! I may have a problem. In the midst of increased technology, you'd think I'd be all about getting some type of palm or pc system that would make all of this writing more efficient, but I simply cannot let go of the act of writing onto paper. I actually find joy in crossing things off with a thick, dark line and then tossing the paper when it's completed. So, with that in mind, I would like to mention one fun website for my fellow list writers: www.knockknock.biz. This site is stocked full of different forms of notepads, check lists and more, all with a cool, retro feel. Happy list writing and organization to one and all!

I'm ready now!

Not much to say today other than I am so ready to have this baby! Sure, we don't have everything we need and have only taken 1 prep for birth class, but the discomfort of a baby in the 91 percentile pushing everywhich way inside of me is beginning to outweigh my control freak tendencies of having everything ready and in its place. Whew! Just had to get that out there! Here's to crossing our fingers for an early delivery!