Thanksgiving and thoughts about how life is going to change...

That's a long title for a post.  But it sums this up.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and as every year we head up to Hiram Georgia to Steve's parents house to spend it with his family.  Although my family has grown, adding Todd and Tim's kids, it doesn't get nearly as big as the Ladendorf-Goelz clan.  Being that our family has always been somewhat small in comparison, I tend to get slightly overwhelmed after a little while.  I always need about 30-45 minute downtime.  Add to the fact that last night I had a migraine, and that a pregnant woman should NEVER eat that much food in one sitting and I had to crash for a little bit.  I can't wait until Christmas eve to spend with the Corlew's and enjoy the anticipation of things to come.

Next year, life will be so different for Steve and I.  We will have the newest family member Elsa Anna joining us.  I think about what all that will mean, how much it will change our lives and what new traditions we will create with her.  It makes me excited and makes me even more impatient than I already am. Hurry up and get here already!!

Registering...a Racket!

Yesterday we travelled to Jacksonville to start our baby registry.  We had to go up there because Gainesville is lacking in baby items overall.  Sure there are some cute boutiques, and Target and WalMart like places that have things.  But the quantity is dismal. I wanted to be able to look at stuff, read the packaging, etc.

We went to Babies R Us.  The lady who was setting us up told us we needed to register for 150 to 200 items.  Yeah right!! Nice strategy for sales I suppose.  But we couldn't possibly need that much stuff.
Steve had fun using the gun.  When we registered for the wedding a lady went around with us and she wouldn't let him use the gun.  So I think he loved that. It took us about 2 1/2 hours, and wore us out.  It was so exhausting. Courtney was a trooper and did the whole thing with us.

Afterwards, I compared prices online with Target and moved items around to register for the best price between the two places. Goal accomplished!!

And we wonder why America is obese...

You here all the time about how America is obese, and that it is an epidemic.  But it's no wonder why when fast food restaurants keep upsizing everything.  Yes, we all have our own responsibility to eat in moderation and eat healthy, but seriously do we need to upsize the following??

KFC Mashed Potato Chicken Bowl: Now with BACON.  I love bacon, but really did the heart attack in a bowl need more heart attack? Without bacon 680 Calories and 2130mgs in sodium!!!!

Taco Bell Triple Steak Stack: Triple, more, more, more! 3x more! 690 calories and 1950 mgs in sodium.

Burger King buy one get one free Original Chicken Sandwich: The cashiers don't know how to process the order if you only want one. "But you get the other one for FREE." So what! For BOTH sandwiches: 1260 calories and 2780mgs in sodium.  I don't need 2, I really don't need one.  I just happen to really like them.

Color Psychology

Steve and I have been stuck on what color scheme to use for the baby's nursery. I really wanted yellow, and Brittany said that I should look into the psychology of color  So I did and I found a great article: http://www.creative-baby-nursery-rooms.com/color-psychology.html

Warm Color Psychology

Warm colors include the red, orange, and yellow sections of the color spectrum. 

They will make a large room appear smaller and cozy and they elicit feelings of happiness,comfort and relaxation. However, intense shades tend to be stimulating and excitingand can result in the buildup of too much energy - not what you need for smooth nap times!

Red 
While reds add a sense of warmth they can be over stimulating. If you want the warmth of red in your baby's room try toning it down from a bright, vivid red to a more earthy terracotta tone. Also avoid using it on all the walls. Maybe use it on a focus wall and balance it out with a more neutral shade in the rest of the room. 

Bright, bold red has been associated with headaches and aggression. However, it is a great accent color. Use it to add a burst of energy and fun to a neutral palette. 

Orange 
Orange is less intense than red and still very warm. Only the most intense of oranges will result in over stimulation while the softer tones will create a place of homely comfort and vitality. 

Orange rooms can tend to feel cramped though, so make sure there is an abundance of light before using this color. 

Yellow 
Yellow is a bright, sunny color promoting feelings of happiness. It's great for brightening a dim room. However, bold yellows are associated with increased intellectual and muscle activity and if over used can be disturbing - babies have been found to cry more in yellow rooms. 

Therefore, bold yellows should be kept to a minimum and used only as an accent color to add sparkle to your nursery design. Soft yellows are calming, however, and are a lovely sunny choice for your baby nursery. 

My Picks:
Red                                           Yellow

 

Cool Color Psychology

Cool baby nursery colors include theblue and green sections of the color spectrum.

Lighter shades will make a smallbaby nursery appear spacious and airy and they are calming and soothing. However, darker shades tend to be depressing and cold so be careful when introducing these.

Blue
Blue is a wonderful color forpromotion of baby rest times - a key component to a new mom's sanity! It slows down the human nervous system and produces a calming effect that prepares the body for sleep.

As mentioned above, dark blues can be cold and depressing and can zap your baby's energy leaving him listless. However, used sparingly as accent colors in your baby's room, dark blues can have a very striking effect.

Green
Green is a calm, tranquil nursery color promoting feelings of peace and well-being. It is also a refreshing color that can lend vibrancy to an otherwise dim room.

Green can result in a complacent feeling, however, and is best counter-balanced with hot shades of red and orange to inject some energy into the nursery room. 

My Picks:
Blue

 
Green

Neutral Color Psychology

Neutral baby nursery colors include brown, beige, cream, ivory and white. 

Neutral shades have a warm, relaxing, grounding effect. They enhance the size of the room, unify and tone down bolder colors and go with anything. 

Neutral shades are an excellent choice for your baby room making a wonderful anchor for splashes of other bright, fun colors. 


My Pick:

And the winner is.......

Productive Day Off!

Steve and I took the day off to get some things done.  First and foremost, we had our 2nd ultrasound for the Quad Screen.  They measured everything from the length of the arm and leg bones, the abdomen, the skull, the heart chambers, the bladder and kidneys. They made a dvd for us, so we can watch the whole process in real time.  Which is super cool.  We can see her cough, move around, kick and open and close her hands.  Oh yeah, and it's a GIRL!!

Um, still not sure how appropriate it is to show this photo.  It shows her hoo ha, and well is that bad?  :-)

We also applied for additional life insurance today.  UF cut back our life insurance policies about 2 years ago, so we had to get more.  Still have to get the exams, but I feel better now that the process is underway.

And we toured a daycare center.  The place was nice.  A co-worker has her baby there and another old co-worker had her baby there.  So it comes with good recommendations.  But Im still not crazy about the idea of having to go back to work after she is born, and having to put her into daycare.  We also have an appointment with a home daycare late in Nov.  This lady has come highly recommended, so we'll see how it goes.

So all in all a productive day!

And we think she is a smart aleck already. Is she giving us the finger?

And one last one....

Art Festivals

I had such a great day with Courtney at the Micanopy Art Festival. It has grown so much since the last time I had been there.  It was almost 2 full streets, both sides.  We were originally just strolling our way through, looking at just about every booth.  When we realized how big it was we had to step it up, and move along.  We saw some goofy stuff, pretty stuff, unique stuff, and typical stuff.

Courtney got some fun stain glasses, a box office door bank, and some Cross Creek Honey.  I picked up 2 outfits for Lando. I love them.  And the lady had so much more I totally wanted to buy.
Check it out!

First baby dream

I have had dreams about being pregnant.  Not many but some.  But last night I had a dream about giving birth and what the gender was. In the dream we gave birth at home because the baby came too fast for us to get to the hospital.  Not something I would want of course.  But everything turned out fine. And it was a ......GIRL!  So I wonder if this is premonition of sorts.  Until now I have had no "feeling" of the gender whatsoever.  But now I'm thinking it might be a girl.  Hmmmm....we find out next Tues (Nov 1) so stay tuned!!!