37 weeks: What's in your bag?

Are we really at 37 weeks? I mean.... really? Because it's hard for me to imagine that I'm going to be delivering a baby.. A BABY... in about 3-4 weeks. You guys, A BABY. And then, the nurses and doctors are going to send me home with that BABY and we have to somehow figure out how to take care of it. Just so we're clear, I know nothing about babies. Like... nothing. I mean I know they poop and pee and eat and stuff but that's all I know. 

Here's what I do know. I know what I'm bringing in my bag to the hospital. Because that's semi-important, I think. Thanks to Pinterest and other mommies out there who have given me their 2 cents here's what I have so far... 

1. Nursing sleep bras
2. Nursing pads (because apparently I start leaking from places I've never leaked before)
3. The most comfortable Gap v-necks that are now on sale for $8
4. Ugg Slippers
5. Gap Maternity leggings (in both black and grey)
6. Nursing tank
7. Camera, video camera, and chargers that go with them
8. Boppy pillow for nursing
9. Wine to celebrate
10. Pillows for Nate
11. Cheap underwear
12. iPhone charger
13, 14: Blow dryer, straightener
15. Shower stuffs
16. Maxi pads
17. Make-up bag filled with... make up.
18. Not pictured: shower shoes, nipple cream, snacks for Nate, coming home outfit, and nursing bra to come home in.

So basically, it's a normal overnight bag minus the boob pads and cheap underwear. Unless, boob pads are your thing. I also have baby Maddie's bag packed with clothes and swaddles and other goodies, but the hospital provides all the diapers, wipes etc. (I packed a few just in case). And obviously, the car seat is ready to go. Insurance info is also important but the hospital already has all of our stuff so we don't need to bring anything.

I'm sure I'll pack a few more items along the way! But right now this is all I have. It's so crazy that I'm already getting ready to go to the hospital. It feels like yesterday that I was just making the pregnancy announcement.

Ok so what am I forgetting? any other suggestions?

Things I Don't Like Right Now

True Story: I started writing a "favorites" post and then I realized that I hate more things than I love them right now. Welcome to my life, friends! I'm currently miserable, waiting for this little girl to make her debut so I might as well show my honesty on this blog. But really, let's talk about what I'm hating right now.

1.

THESE crazies! Let me tell you... I used to be the real housewives of whatevers biggest fan! I could tell you about every cast member and what they're currently eating at the moment based on their instagram feed. But for the past several seasons (of every city), I just can't get into it. I don't know if it's because I'm growing up or can't stand their over-plastic surgery faces, but these ladies drive me nuts. In fact, every show on Bravo drives me nuts. THEY'RE ALL THE SAME. They're all about rich women with marriage problems buying a new home they can't afford. Like, can we chill out and go back to my favorite New Jersey cast members? and Orange County before Tamra? She's too much.  OK but I will admit that I love "Don't Be Tardy" with Kim from RHOATL. She's my favorite.

2.

Camille Leblanc-Bazinet/the fittest woman on earth. And to be clear, I love her so much I hate her. She was crowned 2014's CrossFit Games winner yesterday and she earned every bit of it. She's the definition of perfection. She can lift heavy weights yet she doesn't look like Hulk Hogan. Which if we're being honest, a lot of CrossFit ladies are starting to look... manly... and it's awful. Keep it feminine and beautiful like Camille, and you'll be a fan favorite. Except I hate her because I'm currently shoving a brownie in my mouth while looking at her abs. Gross.

3.

Fajita night because all I want right now is a frozen margarita with no salt in one of those giant glasses with the dark blue rim. And don't even talk to me about that virgin crap. It tastes like pure sugar with ice and I don't have time for that. 3-4 WEEKS you guys!! Can't wait to cheers!... and obviously, to have my daughter here...

4.

this smelly nonsense. In the last month of pregnancy I've had 5 stretch marks pop up on my sides. FIVE. and they're not pretty. Like I'm sorry... where did you come from and who invited you to the party? NO ONE. I've gone this long without a mark, and all of a sudden I have this to worry about. Thanks cocoa butter for doing your job... NOT. Ugh...

5. My toes because I can't reach them.

6. My fingers because I want to paint them but I have no patience.

7.

the added .99 pastry from Panera Bread because I can never say no and they're so delicious that I want more than one. If you're wondering how much weight I've gained through this pregnancy, don't. It's more than you and I want to know. Really... it's bizarre.

8.

sleep. I know, I know. This is also bizarre. Sleep for me is waking up 4-5 times a night peeing or trying to get comfortable. Rolling over just isn't the same when you're in your 9th month of pregnancy. It hurts and then she starts to move and then I get hungry and then I think I have to pee and then... the list goes on. I just live a really hard life, ok.

9.

Speaking of sleep... I'm supposed to be reading this book about how to make sure my baby is getting enough sleep at night. But it's boring and I'm tired and I don't want to read it... so obviously, I hate it.

10. I should probably end on a positive note. So I'll leave you with something I love.

Nate and our first child, Emily. They really are the best. and Nate gives really good foot rubs. I hope they continue after pregnancy... a girl can dream, right?

What are you hating right now?

-Max

Some Maternity Pics + New Hair

about 3 days ago I swore against maternity pictures. I've gained 40+ pounds, my face is fat, and my thighs are bigger than they've ever been -- so why in the world would I want to remember myself like this? Why would ANYONE want to remember this? This stage in pregnancy is anything but glamourous. But when Michelle asked if she could test a new picture site on me, I thought "she's a good photographer, she can't make me look THAT bad" and I was right, she did a wonderful job. Before she asked if she could take them, I made the decision to ditch my blonde and dive into brunette. This dramatic change also scared me a little bit to take some pictures. Because let's be real, I sort of resemble that salsa dancer emoji. Or that's what I feel like anyway.

Let's get to it, here's a quick look into our session....

Michelle Miller Photography

I know, I know. My hair is a lot to take in right now, but let's focus on what a wonderful photographer Michelle is. She really knows her stuff. Sadly, the hopeful new picture site turned into a bug infested, tall grass, hard to walk through area.... but these pictures were worth it! If you're in the Little Rock area and need some pictures, go to her Facebook page and get her info. 

Let's move on to the hair. 

What were you thinking? Here's the honest truth. I had a scheduled hair appointment on Monday morning. I was planning on getting the usual until I went to bed Sunday night and thought, "I really don't want my roots anymore" and started looking up new hairstyles on Pinterest. I fell in love with the Ombre look and thought it would be perfect because it looks like less maintenance. Since my hair was so blonde before, we decided to go a little darker so my blonde doesn't start peeking through so fast (if you've ever made the transition, you know what I'm talking about). Believe it or not, this color is closer to my natural hair color than the blonde was. Obviously, I've always been the salsa emoji dancer at heart. 

I'm still in shock that I don't have my blonde hair. Literally, every time I look in the mirror I think I have a wig on. It gives me a quick heart attack every.time. But like I said, it will fade in about a week or two. I'm just so relieved I don't have to worry about going to the stylist every 6-8 weeks to have my roots done. We'll be saving TIME and MONEY, which is important with a newborn hanging around your house. Right?

What do you think of the ombre look? 

Cheers to forgetting how to blog!

No one said having a blog was easy. I think I've quit writing at least 100 times this year, I just love it so much I can't delete it. I sometimes daydream about getting back into it again like the old days, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Something about a "link-up" just doesn't catch my fancy anymore. And let's be real, I'm really fancy. 

Instead, I want to use this space for something different this time around and I think that will help me 1) actually write something and 2) not get so wrapped into it. Not that I have much time to get serious about it anyway (countdown to baby: ONE MONTH) yikes! 

Here's what I'm going to do. Write about whatever I want whenever I want, take as many pictures as possible and shocker: share them without writing anything, share my favorites no matter what day it is, and talk about my weekend even if I'm posting on a Thursday. Sure my follower count may be low, but who is this blog for anyway? ME. It's so I can go back and read how my life was and reflect on how far I've come. Life around here is about to get really crazy and surprisingly, I want to remember it all. So here goes nothing! Cheers to a post that will bring more posts!! 

Ya know what else I miss? blog friends. Nothing compares to this little community and I'm excited to reconnect with all of you. Really. I am. 

In the meantime, I'm still going to end this post how I end all of them. Time to take the dog for a walk! 

-Max

Maddie's Nursery

I'm just going to say it. Maddie's room isn't photogenic and I'm totally blaming the lighting and the brown walls and carpet. But mainly the lighting because our carpet does NOT look that brown in real life. And the walls don't look that... brown. It also doesn't help that we don't have many pictures up. I'll eventually get around to decorating her walls when she gets here. I need her newborn pictures to move any further, ya know. I also have a hard time with picture placement, but that's a different post for a different day. So let's get to it: Here's her room!

Ok I can't show anymore pictures because the lighting is so bad. 

Bedding:

Restoration Hardware

Flower Fairies 

I need that wall color. But I'm not picking up a paint brush any time soon nor are we paying anyone to do it, so I'll just have to suffer through my brown walls. Whatev.

One thing I enjoy about the room is that it's not too "baby" and she can grow into it. The crib turns into a bed and she can use that until she grows out of it. If she's tall like me, that may be sooner than most toddlers but that's ok. I'm just READY for her to be here!! Ugh....

#nesting

I'm bad at being pregnant

Well, this is awkward. It's been months since I've seen this internet place of mine so I figured I better start using it again. Ya know, since my life is about to change drastically in about 4-5 weeks. Yikes.

I'm now 34 weeks, but I'll be 35 weeks in a couple days. Every day is harder and every day I seem to complain a little bit more. I'm sweaty, large, swollen, tired, emotional... just to name a few AND my lower half is in PAIN. By lower half, I mean you know what. OMG no one talks about that during the last few weeks of your pregnancy, but really I think it's the most important thing right now. My walk has officially turned into a waddle because of it, and I'm OVER IT.

I get it. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing, but let's be real, it sucks too. Especially during the hottest time of the year. I really love it when people say, "you should have planned it better" -- YA THINK?! who really plans pregnancy anyway?! everyone besides us.

Moving on... here's a lovely picture of me being all pregnant/sweaty and stuff.

sometimes I pass my reflection and think "who is that?" and then I come to realization that it's me and that I'm 8 months pregnant.

34 weeks + 

that's me in our dining room. I swear I look bigger in that room, but whatever. We're so close!! Only 5 more weeks to go, maybe sooner! Emily and I have been walking around the neighborhood or going to the park so she can swim. Apparently, if you stay active during your last few weeks, labor seems a lot easier. We'll see about that... Anyway, speaking of my little angel...

.... she's been a terror lately. Here's the thing, she's AWESOME at home. She doesn't chew, run around, get on furniture (unless I say she can), or bark outside. When we see other people or dogs outside our home... things change. She barks, growls at dogs, becomes aggressive, she HATES children too. She's always barked at men but recently that's changed to both men and women. I mean, she's never bitten anyone or any dog but that's because I'm usually holding her back. This is obviously a problem we need to fix FAST because ya know, we're bringing a child home next month. We decided to get some professional dog training. In true dog whisperer style, she told me that Emily is insecure and just needs some confidence. She did well during our first course at home and we were given homework. YES. HOMEWORK. We have our first "class" this Thursday and Saturday and I'm excited to see how Emily works with other men and dogs.

(update: we went to PetCo and saw another dog, she didn't say a word while the other dog went nuts. It felt refreshing to have that old Em back. Homework is WORKING!!)

Let's see what else..... Oh! We had our baby showers...

You may be wondering who that woman is to the left, and that would be my mom. Girlfriend loves her stylish glasses and I'm ok with that. Baby Maddie is so loved by all of our friends and family and I just can't wait for her to meet them! We officially have everything we need (we think) to survive the first few months she's here. Even diapers and wipes! Couponing has definitely saved us and I recommend anyone having babies to look into it. But if you're not having babies, don't do it. It just makes you buy things you don't need.

I'm taking you around the nursery tomorrow, so stay tuned!/ I'm getting kicked in my side and don't want to sit anymore. BYE.

-Max