Dear Baby.

Dear Baby, 

I've needed to write this letter for a while now, but I guess I just didn't know what to say. I mean, it's pretty obvious that I love you - I've been sharing my ice cream with you for over nine months now, and we all know that that's true love (I don't even like to share with your dad, and I love him a lot). Where do I begin?

I thought you'd be here by now. Really, I did. Call me naiive, but I thought you'd be my sweet little Mother's Day present. I woke up that morning knowing that it wasn't your time, though. In fact, every morning I wake up and I know that it's not time to meet you yet. Every morning I'm a little heartbroken because I'm so ready to see your beautiful little face and hold you in my arms, but I try to remember that you're giving your dad and I just a few more days as a family of two.

Baby, I love you so, so much. Putting the love I feel for you into words is impossible. Really, it is. So much so, in fact, that I'm not even going to try.

Baby, I'm scared. I'm scared that I'm not ready. I mean, I'm ready to meet you, but am I ready to be your mother? Am I good enough? Will I teach you all the right things? I'm horrible at baking, so I can't teach you that. I'm not the best at sewing, so I probably can't teach you that, either. I'm not the most patient person, so patience is not a virtue you'll be inheriting from me (you'll get that from Dad). What will I teach you, then? I hope I'll teach you to love yourself. I hope I'll teach you to see how beautiful you are, both inside and out. I hope I'll teach you kindness, love, and empathy. I hope I'll teach you to respect yourself and those around you. I hope I'll teach you how to be a good person with good values.

Baby, I feel like I know you so much already. I know that you, like your daddy, love music. I know that you, like your mommy, are a stubborn little thing (why else would you still be in my belly 9 days past your due date?). I know that you're going to be a night owl (hello, future sleepless nights). I know that you love to listen to me read you stories and I know which lullabies are your favorite. I know that you are going to be ridiculously hard to shop for (you inherited some freakishly long legs). I know that we have a bond that is unlike any other.

Baby, please hurry up and come. We really can't wait to meet you.

Love, 

Mom 

Sunday Confessions Link Up

Happy Sunday!!! 

Grab a button, write some confessions, and link them on up!
  <center> <a href="http://itsalyx.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6701442513_4c7153a301.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></center> 1. I am probably the most irritable person you will ever meet right about now. I don't know if it's hormones or what, but dude. Don't disturb the beast. Hint: I'm the beast. A very grumpy, sleep-deprived, uncomfortable whale of a beast.

2. I'm out of things to clean. No, really. My living room got vacuumed three times yesterday. My bathroom is the cleanest it's been since we moved in, and our kitchen and bedroom are spotless. I should have worked right up until this baby came, because now I'm just wandering around like a lost puppy looking for things to do!

3. I hate lotion that smells like flowers. It makes me think of 90-year-old ladies, so I cringe to use it, even when I'm desperate and have alligator legs. I'd rather have alligator legs than smell like my great-grandma.

4. I haven't straightened my hair in a month. I haven't done my hair with my bangs in 2 months. I pretty much let myself go around 35 weeks.

5. I have the BEST husband in the world. Seriously - no one could even come close to this dude. He's so hardcore and awesome. And I love him. Oh, and he's a champ for being able to deal with "the beast." That's me, in case you forgot.

What do you have to confess? Link up your post below!

Five Things You CAN Say to a Pregnant Lady

Happy Friday!! 

Still no baby, but instead of complaining about that, I'm going to take this girl's advice and enjoy these last few days to the best of my ability.

Anyway. You all remember this post, right? Well, Anna pointed out that I should do a post of things you CAN say to a pregnant woman, since apparently almost every comment gets old or annoying. So... in light of the recent pregnancy epidemic, I thought I'd share:

1. You can do it. DO NOT EVER SHARE YOUR STUPID BIRTH HORROR STORIES. EVER. EVER. EVER. Instead, be encouraging. If you really thought birth was that bad, keep your trap shut. Don't tell me how you screamed throughout the entire delivery. Don't tell me how awful it was. Instead, be encouraging. Tell me that I can do it. Tell me how rewarding it is. Tell me what an amazing experience it was for you to finally meet your sweet little baby. I could go on for days about how much it pisses me off when people tell me about how awful birth was. Put yourself in a first-time-mom's shoes. She is probably nervous and a little scared. Do you think you're making it any better for her when you tell her how awful your labor and delivery were? Look. We are under no illusion that giving birth is easy, so just shut. up.

2. Your belly is so adorable! Do not comment on size, large or small. All women carry differently. I know it can bother me when people tell me how tiny my belly is. Chances are, a pregnant woman feels anything but tiny. If you think she's huge, don't insult her and tell her that. And never, EVER ask if she's having twins.

3. You look so radiant/ you are glowing! We probably feel a lot like a bloated, swollen whale, so it's nice to hear that we look radiant. If you can't say this and sound genuine, though, it's best to skip it. I don't want your pity!

4. You're going to be a great mom. Ummm this is probably one that you want to save for someone you actually know (because how awkward would it be to walk up to a random pregnant lady at the store, tap her on the shoulder and say, "Excuse me, but you're going to be a great mom. I can tell by all the oreos and pop tarts in your shopping cart." Just... don't). But if you know someone well enough to tell them this, please do! I know I sometimes get discouraged and think of all of the things that I could be doing better, and all the things that I can't do in the first place. I'll never be the mom who has freshly baked cookies for the kids when they get home from school - that's just not me. Does that mean I'll be a bad mom? Absolutely not, but when hormones are raging, it's REALLY easy to think of all the things you're not going to be the best at.

5. You look great! It's always good to hear that you still look like a human being instead of an elephant, so if you see me at the store and want to tell me how great I look, I will never pass up a compliment! HA!

In other news... Blogger Book Club! In case you've forgotten, the book for this month is 1984 by George Orwell. We will be linking up our reviews on Tuesday, May 27th. In order to give you some time to get the June book, we are voting on it now. Genre is paranormal. Vote below by Next Friday, May 23rd!

What paranormal book should we read for June book club?

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Gone by Michael Grant

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

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Said by No One, EVER.

Yep, I'm still pregnant. 

As I sit here listening to my "embarrassing favorites" station on iHeart Radio (great station - highly recommended, btw), I have come across a serious problem - skip limits. Here I am, jamming out to favorites like this:
and this:
and then what pops up? This:
I try to give it a "thumbs down" and I get a message saying, "Sorry, you've reached your skip limit for this station." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Because of this dreadful occurrence, I have compiled a list of Things that were said by no one. EVER. 

1. What? I reached my skip limit on iHeart Radio? And the song is Photograph by Nickelback? That's okay, I LOVE Nickelback! -- No one. EVER.

2. What's this? Another invite to Candycrush saga on Facebook?! AWESOME!!! --No one. EVER.

3. That guy who played Steve on Blue's Clues was so. hot. --No one. EVER.

4. Tell me more about your love life and one night stands, girl on [insert means of public transportation here] screaming into your phone. --No one. EVER.

5. I'm so glad a thunderstorm decided to roll in on the first day I took the time to straighten my hair and put on makeup in over a month! -- No one. EVER.

And now for some of my favorite "No one. EVER." quotes... 

via

via

via

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What are some of your favorite "No one. Ever." memes? Or are you of the opinion that they're overdone? 

The Top Five Questions Pregnant Women Hate

1. How are you feeling? Look, we know you're trying to be nice, but when you get asked this question by everyone you know every time you see them, it gets old. Chances are high that I'm feeling like I want to punch you for asking me how I'm feeling.

2. Are you still pregnant? Look. My due date was two days ago. We talk regularly. You're friends with me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I take pictures of my food and share them on an almost daily basis... you think I'm going to forget to update the world on whether or not I've had the baby? No way, dude. I'll be instagramming myself in that sexy hospital gown with my swollen ankles and big belly at four in the morning while having a massive contraction.

3. Are you ready? Ready for what? To pop a baby out? To take care of a human for the next eighteen years? Is there such a thing as being ready? I mean, really. We all know that this first child is going to be a huge wake up call. I like to think I'm ready, but we all know there's no way anyone could possibly be 100% ready for what's about to hit me upside the head.

4. Aren't you afraid? Why do you automatically assume that? Why do people associate giving birth with fear? WHY DO YOU TELL ME THAT YOUR LABOR AND DELIVERY WERE SO AWFUL THAT YOU SCREAMED AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS THE ENTIRE TIME?!? WHY? What good could possibly come of that? How about you do us both a favor and 1) skip your stupid horror stories and let me experience my own birth and 2) don't even ask this ridiculous question.

5. Did you know that ___________ makes the baby come? You know what, I've researched pretty much every "natural induction" technique there is, and nothing has worked. Therefore, I don't want to hear your "did you know that sexwalkingcastoroilspicyfoodsbouncingonabirthball makes the baby come" questions. I can answer you with a, "Yes, I've heard that that can induce labor, and believe me, I've tried..." but just know this - I'm annoyed when I give you that answer. This little terd will come when she's ready. No sooner, no later.

And now that I probably sound like a huge witch with a capital "B," I'm done. Ha, let's just blame this post on the pregnancy hormones that are making me increasingly insane and irritable.

Happiness & Changes

Before you ask... 

YES. I AM STILL PREGNANT. 

See? 

Phew, now that we've got that over with, let me let you guys all in on what's been going on in my life lately (you know, besides growing a human). I'm going to be a bubbly Betsy and share ten things in life that are making me happy.
1. Yesterday was my last day of working full-time. I can't really describe the feelings that have come from ending this chapter of my life - part of me is absolutely ecstatic that I've chosen to be a SAHM this summer to my sweet little girl, but part of me also feels guilty - guilty for leaving people and a job that I care about behind. Guilty for taking away our primary source of income. Guilty for taking away our health, dental, and vision insurance. Guilty for not working. After a lot of prayer and running the numbers, though, Mike and I know that this is the right choice for our family. This makes me happy.

2. In the fall, I will be going back to school. I am so, so excited to be going back to school for my master's! I'll be in a dual major master's program, getting master's degrees in teaching and German. 

3. I was offered a Graduate Teaching Assistantship position at UNL! This is a huge blessing, you guys. HUGE. As in, I was past the deadline to apply, but a professor approached me and basically offered me a position that wasn't even technically open. I will have my graduate tuition waived and will receive a monthly stipend (that just so happens to be enough to cover all of our bills). If ever you doubt that things will work out... just stop. Because things have a way of working out. Always. 

4. The weather has finally warmed up. Obviously I am ecstatic about this, considering the fact that there was snow on the ground a week and a half ago.

5. I got to spend the entire weekend with my husband. We were able to spend every waking moment together this weekend, and words cannot even begin to describe how happy that made me. I know that our time as a family of two is limited, and I will always cherish the simple, lovely weekend we just had where it was just the two of us.

6. I get to meet my little girl soon. I am so excited to be able to hold this precious babe in my arms and learn what it is to be a mother.

7. I'm about to rediscover my wardrobe. At least I hope I can get small enough to squeeze into some of my pre-pregnancy clothes. Regardless, I am happy that I'll be getting my normal clothes back soon!

8. I will finally have a little bit of time to blog! I have missed blogging so much while I've been working over the past 10 months. I don't know how people who work full time also manage to blog full-time. That was a balancing act that I just wasn't prepared for. I'm definitely excited to be able to blog again, though!

9. Husband got me a pedicure for Mother's Day. I'm happy that my husband is not only OK with me pampering myself on occasion, but that he encourages it! I'm such a lucky gal.

10. Tis the season for driving through town with the windows down and the sunroof open. All while blaring some feel-good jams. THAT is happiness all bottled up!

What is making you happy right now? 

Hey, Look! It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a DIY Project??

Yo, yo, yo homie g fries! 

It's a lovely Monday here in good ole Nebraska, and it JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE MY DUE DATE!!! No baby yet, but I don't feel like blogging, either. So while I'm off nesting, running marathons, and gettin' jiggy with it to get this baby out (TMI? sorry), I'd like you to get your crafty side on and check out this DIY (ummm talk about an awesome baby shower gift if you know anyone who is preggers... which you probably do, because there's something in the water).

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Hey there lovely friends of Alyx!! I am thrilled to be BABY sitting her space today while she's off welcoming her new BABY girl into the world! :) I know she said posts minus the BABY might be a good idea, but that's what's been going on in my world lately too, so I hope it's cool that I share a baby related craft with you today! ;) Real quick, my name is Kassi and I blog over at Truly Lovely. Hope you'll pop by sometime and say hello! Now onto the craftiness....

Ever since we announced that we are expecting and the gender of our little one, we've been receiving some of the cutest baby clothes from our friends as gifts. I'll be honest... there for awhile I had them all stuck in a box and stored in our bedroom. Then we got a changing table for baby's room so I moved the box in onto the changing table... That's the way things have stayed for months. Every time we get something new it just got added to the pile. Being that I'm now about 30 weeks into this pregnancy I decided it might be a good time to get baby's closet set up and organized. I have a friend that just had a baby boy a few months ago and she said she had trouble keeping track of what she had in what sizes... My solution was to google baby closet dividers. Sure you can buy them at Wal-Mart for a few bucks, but they lack personality... So... I made my own!

The materials needed for this craft include:

• Wooden door hangers
• Your choice of craft paper (I used some pretty rose scrapbook paper I found at Wal-Mart.)
• Mod Podge
• Brush
• Small paint brush and paint to match your scrapbook paper
• Baby clothes hangers

Step 1: Trace your wooden door hanger onto a sheet of the craft paper. Lesson learned here... those wooden hangers are not all cut exactly the same... Each one needs to be traced or you can end up with paper that doesn't fit your door hanger. Then just cut out your tracings with scissors.

Step 2: I painted the sides that wouldn't be covered with paper just to add a fun pop of color. You don't have to do this step... you can definitely leave it as just the wood grain. Another lesson learned here... Two paint bottles make a great drying 'rack'.

Step 3: Next decoupage the papers onto your wooden door hangers using a brush and Mod Podge.

Step 4: I designed sizes on my Silhouette SD software. NB for New Born, 0-3 for zero to three months and so on up to 18-24 months. I cut them out on white vinyl to make stickers for each divider. If you don't have a cutting tool you could just as easily cut out sizes and Mod Podge those on as well, or purchase number stickers from the craft store to use instead.

Step 5: Hang your new baby closet dividers in baby's closet then fill closet with adorable baby clothes organized by size!!! So at this point it looks like I need to stock up on NB to 3-6 months clothes... But 3-6 is looking pretty nice! ;)

Thanks so much for hanging out with me today while Alyx is away welcoming HER new baby girl! If you have any questions about this craft or just wanna chat I'd love to be friends! ;) You can find me here:

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