who is Nugget?

A lot of people have been asking me lately about this little gal's name - I've called her "Nugget" from the moment we found out I was pregnant. When we found out she was a girl, we knew almost immediately what her first name was. Her middle name came not long after that - Justin & I had a little ephinany together in the car one night. Her name is perfect, girly and sweet and a nice nod to some of our dearest family members.

I want to tell everyone her name, just like I did with Sidney - but something holds me back. I want to find the right way to tell the world, a personalized and sweet way. I've got a few ideas to kind of "announce" her name, but I may just hold off until she's here. I'd like to incorporate her name reveal into my maternity shoot in May, but we'll see.

I know it's got to annoy people - I'm sure there are some out there that think it's silly to keep something like a secret. But there are some people out there who feel the opposite, and for whatever reason, that's just how I feel this pregnancy. She'll be here soon enough (I'm 27 weeks already!) and I've managed to keep my mouth shut this long, so I'm just going to keep on keeping on.

[Then again, I may spill the beans tomorrow! Who knows with me!]

eek! so cute!

Organic Teething Wood Toy from Little Alouette

I just bought Nugget this adorable teether & I couldn't be more excited about it - I love Amy's work (almost as much as I love her blog) and I've loved this particular little piece for what feels like two years!

Now, after spending way too much time staring at it on her etsy page, I am finally the proud owner of one. I'll be frantically checking the mail 'til this little sweetheart arrives. I'm already thinking about maybe buying another one so I'll have a pair of "birdie teethers"! They're so stinking cute, who could blame me?

lately

Life's been all about babies and money - you can/can't have one without the other!

not a race fan

It's race weekend once again in Bristol, TN and for thousands of fans that means fast cars, semi-naked young girls and endless cans of beer strewing from the back of motor homes and pick up trucks. No matter how much the Bristol Motor Speedway PR team try to dress it up and class it out, Bristol is still redneck as ever. Fancy redneck, with its big stadium and press boxes and costly advertisement stunts. But still redneck and true to the spirit of a Southern racing fan.

I've never been to the race, never really had much of a desire to. I don't really see the fun in watching a bunch of overpaid drivers race around and around in circles for 400 laps driving over-amped cars that don't resemble a single thing the original NASCAR stood for (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing - those definitely aren't stock cars you see on the track today)!

The one thing I hate most about race weekend is the traffic - I live about 50 miles outside of Bristol thankfully, but that doesn't mean I'm free and clear when it comes to dealing with idiotic out-of-town drivers. Whether they're in a bus, RV, truck or mini-car they somehow manage to hog the road, speed like demons, and drive ONLY in the left lane (you know that lane meant for passing only)! You would think they'd learn a thing or two after coming to Bristol year after year, but no, they're just as dumb as always. If you're from out of state this weekend, you better be driving the limit and following every state law to the "T". Troopers sit and pick them off the roads like fish in a barrel - and yet they don't learn!

Obviously, I have zero tolerance or compassion for these race fan enthusiasts. To me, the race is just boring, over-priced and aggravating. I get plenty of satisfaction spending my weekend doing other fun things: like taking out the trash, clipping my toenails or organizing the socks in my drawer.

Like Dale Jr. once said, "It's Bristol, baby..." Yee-freaking-haw.

kind of lonely

My dear husband is working seven day shifts right now, and to say that I'm starting to "miss" him would be an understatement. He's always busy and always tired because he's so busy - there's so many conflicting emotions bouncing around within me right now, I just feel frustrated and confused.

I'm grateful he has a job. I can remember all too well being in that fog of unemployment and not knowing where things were headed. I so glad he has a steady paycheck and job security right now, it's an all-comforting feeling. I feel guilty for missing him while he works when I know there are plenty of spouses out there missing their loves for big chunks of time, for example deployment or jobs on the road. At least my husband is home every night - sure he's dog dead tired and collapses into bed before it's dark outside most nights. But he's home, and I can see him. I can smell him and hold him and stare at him for hours while he sleeps if I want to. I feel selfish and juvenile for feeling bad in the first place - this is life, this is the real world. We're grown-ups now, and this isn't eleventh grade anymore. This is just how it works, and I've got to get over the school-girl feelings.

But I mostly I feel kind of lonely. I do love my husband and even though people like to question our marriage sometimes (before he was working this shift, people would say we didn't spend any time together and that made us weird), this is my marriage and I treasure it. It just doesn't feel right right now - it's all funked up. And I really don't like it.