Enough is Enough

This week I have decided that I am finally going to heed the advice of my family and mommy-friends and chill the heck out. Since I quit work in April, I have taken on countless organization, financial, and cleaning projects in preparation for our upcoming arrival.

I have created excel spreadsheets and endless to-do lists to track these assignments, making it my full-time job. I have attacked them with all the intensity a pregnant OCD business major can muster, which was sometimes impressive and sometimes laughable. When people ask if I'm bored being at home, I try not to laugh uncontrollably, mainly because the ol' pregnant bladder ain't what it used to be. I usually shrug them off while thinking it would be nice to go back to work so I could catch a break!

I have steam-cleaned and washed and windexed and sorted and vacuumed and dry-cleaned. I have scrubbed and organized and dusted and disinfected. Of course, we've also enjoyed lots of lunches and dinners with friends. We had a great "Babymoon" in Hilton Head for a few days. There have been plenty of evening walks with just the two of us, time spent cooking dinner together, and even a couple of weekend afternoons spent by the pool. But, there has mainly been financial/estate planning and shopping and errand running and Goodwill trips galore. Etc. Etc. Etc. At times, I have astounded even David with these tasks, who has known me for over ten years and should be used to my insanity by now.

The truth is, a lot of the busy work has been a façade. It doesn't take a psychologist to figure out that most of what I've been doing is an attempt at avoidance. Sure, there has been a lot of hormonal nesting. And of course I want to be as prepared as possible because I know how busy our days are about to become. We really did need to get some financial stuff in order and clean out a few closets. And who has the time or energy to do that with a newborn? But did every window screen and sill need scrubbed or the mattress vacuumed? Did the recipes in the recipe box need to be rewritten and laminated or all of the throw pillows dryeled? (Stop laughing, I'm totally serious.) No, they probably did not.

The bottom line is that the busier I stay, the less time I have to think about the fact that our world is about to drastically change. I am a planner and a control-freak, so since I know I'm about to do very little of either, I chose to spend the last few months getting as much of our household under control as I possibly could.

Well, it ends here. I am making a commitment that in the time I have left before she arrives, I am going to be a total bum. Now, let me confess that I do have a just a few short errands to run and that I will do some touch-up cleaning this weekend. BUT, for the most part, the work is over. I am going to sleep in. If I can't sleep in, I'm going to at least lay in bed for awhile. I am going to watch an insane amount of mindless television. I am going to read books and magazines that don't have a single thing to do with babies or parenting. I will treat myself to a haircut and a pedicure. I will cut back on cooking and refuse to organize anything else. I will take afternoon naps. I will lay out by the pool for the twenty minutes that I can stand the heat. When David comes home, we will lounge and talk and read and play Rock Band and enjoy each other's company. We may even go out for ice cream one night. Or two nights.

I'm also commiting myself to spending a lot of time getting into the Word and praying. I'm learning that when it comes down to it, there really is very little you can do to prepare for parenthood. We've taken the classes and read the books, but at some point, you have to give it up and realize that you're about to receive an amazing blessing that ultimately does not belong to you. We'll be in charge of and accountable for Baby Girl, but we will not be able to protect her from everything and everyone. We will make mistakes. It's heartbreaking, but it's true. No matter how many excel spreadsheets I whip up, I will not be able to control everything.

So until her arrival, above all else, I am going to rest in the One who supplies all of my needs. The One that will supply all of Baby Girl's needs. I will pray for and read about His guidance, strength, and wisdom as we embark on this chaotic new journey. I am going to spend time enjoying His sweet grace and take time out to thank Him for all He has done and all He will continue to do.

Enough is enough. It's time to be still. It's in His hands now. In reality, it has always been in His hands...and that's a very good thing.

"'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." Psalm 46:10-11

Weekend Review

We had a wonderful weekend with friends and family. On Saturday we met up with my college roommate and her husband who were in town from Nashville for a wedding. They are also expecting their first baby (due December 26th!) She is 12 weeks, so even though we won't be pregnant together for long, it's still really cool that we get to share the experience.

After having brunch with them, we came home and went to our neighborhood pool for a little while. I can't hold my heat these days, which is probably a good thing considering I haven't been this pale since I was about five years old. We sought refuge in the AC for an afternoon nap and then went out for a few errands and dinner. We came home and made a delicious peanut butter pie that I actually did NOT devour in one sitting. I should get some credit for that kind of self-control this late in the game.

Yesterday we went to our nephew's dedication at my brother and sister-in-law's new church. It was a great service on parenting and it was so good to hear their Pastor unapologetically preach about what the Bible says on the subject. Carson did a great job hanging in there and I'm so glad we got to be a part of their special day.

Afterwards, we ate lunch with my family and had an early Father's Day celebration. We spent the afternoon hanging out and being entertained by Carson. (What DID we do before he came along?!) Right after we left their house I realized I left my purse at the church that morning. Nice. My sister-in-law had to call her friend who oversees women's ministry to meet us up there and let us in (thankfully she lives close by.) I was so embarrassed and mad at myself for forgetting it. I've been doing pretty good not succumbing to "pregnancy brain" but I guess I failed yesterday.

Other than that, the day was wonderful! It's hard to believe that the next time we see them Baby Girl will be here! Can't wait!

Erin and I...it's really not fair that she's not even showing in our pregnancy pic together!

Kevin, Jenny, and Carson at his dedication:

Grandpa and Carson hanging out:

Thankful Thursday

It's been a really nice week. I seemed to have finally struck a good balance between productivity and relaxation. I did a lot of errand running and final "stock-up" shopping (is it possible that I won't have to see the inside of a Wal-Mart for at least a month?!) I finished my heavy-duty spring cleaning, organized photo albums and home videos, and cleaned out/straightened the laundry room. But, I also squeezed in three social lunches and a few afternoon naps! Next week I'm definitely going to lean more towards relaxation than I have been (so please don't be offended if I turn you down for getting together!)

We've got a lot going on this weekend, but I'll save that for a later post. Until then, here is what I'm thankful for on this Thankful Thursday:

1. Making it to full-term pregnancy! On Tuesday I was 37 weeks, which is considered full-term. Praise God...and keep praying for a healthy baby and a smooth delivery!

2. Girl talk! I have learned so much from my girlfriends and family these past 9 months. There are some things that only women can understand (specifically those that have carried and delivered babies!) I have asked and heard some really personal stuff and the ladies in my life have risen to the occasion. I do not like surprises, so the more I know ahead of time, the better! And, as far as David is concerned, the more I can talk to females about this stuff, the less he has to hear! Although, there have been plenty of times I'll ask him "Did you know such and such?! Isn't that amazing/gross/crazy?!" He usually just nods politely.

3. My mom and mother-in-law. It's true you can't fully appreciate what your mom went through to bring you into the world until you go through it yourself. Obviously, I have so much more to experience in the mommyhood department, including labor and the whole parenting thing itself, but I am definitely thankful for what these ladies endured in pregnancy: Nine (actually, ten) months of nausea, heartburn, swollen hands and feet, exhaustion, weight gain, anxiety, being a human punching bag, emotional chaos, tiny bladder syndrome, etc. I hope they consider David and me worth it!

4. Photographs. As I've been catching up and organizing my photo albums this week, I've really enjoyed looking back at old pictures. It's wonderful to have the technology to capture important (or even trivial) moments in your life so you can reflect on them later. More importantly, I'm thankful for all of those amazing times. I can only imagine how many album pages will be filled in the coming years...

5. Chocolate milk. 'Nuff said.

25 Random Things About David

A few days ago, I copied an old note from Facebook and posted a list of 25 random facts about myself. I couldn't leave David out of the fun, so below is a list I wrote about him:

1. He plays guitar and owns an acoustic, an electric, and a bass. Though he doesn’t play them often anymore, I cannot wait for him to serenade Baby Girl.

2. I’m convinced he could eat Mexican food three meals a day, seven days a week. And to him, Taco Bell totally counts as Mexican.

3. His first job was a bag-boy at Kroger. And I recently learned that he also used to fill-in in their meat department when they were short staffed. Kinda ironic given my raw meat phobia.

4. He now works as a Systems Engineer at the same company that his Dad has worked at for 30 years. I’m still trying to figure out what he does, but I know it has something to do with antennas and tracking satellites.

5. Growing up he played hockey, golf, and was on a bowling team for awhile. He still loves playing golf and rock climbing when he gets the chance.

6. Even though he doesn’t know a lot of lyrics, he likes most types of music, including country. Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire, however, drive him crazy.

7. He constantly has a song stuck in his head and hums or whistles it aloud. Strangely, “Moon River” and the theme from Sesame Street are very frequent in this repertoire.

8. His first car was a Nissan 240SX that was nicknamed “The Red Rocket.” It went through approximately a quart of oil a week.

9. The only pet he had growing up was a fish named Abraham. Every time it would die, as goldfish often do, his parents would replace it without telling him. I think he was probably up to Abraham V before they broke the news.

10. He has a shelf full of books that he has only read half-way through. The only books he finishes are mystery novels when he is traveling.

11. Our friends from high school call him “Sinyard” (since we hung out with another David a lot in Cobb), “Super Sexy”, and “Super Genius.” I think the last two are very appropriate. :)

12. He only has 24 teeth (most adults have 28) and two of those are baby teeth. He never got his wisdom teeth.

13. He can sleep pretty much anytime, anywhere. I think this comes from traveling a lot for work. Time zones and jet lag don’t really bother him all that much. I, on the other hand, take two weeks to get adjusted to Daylight Savings Time. This probably says a lot about our personalities, too.

14. Speaking of travel, he has been to Japan, Dubai, South Korea, California, Alaska, Colorado, New Mexico, Florida, and several other states for work in the past five years.

15. All of this travel has made him a Platinum Medallion Frequent Flier with Delta. However, he hasn’t actually traveled at all since he achieved this status.

16. He has Pi memorized to the 25th decimal place. He conquered this great feat in High School Algebra class because the teacher had a poster of it on the wall and he was bored.

17. He likes to hoard electronics and cables if there is even a tiny chance he’ll need them one day. This drives me crazy (see #22 on my list.)

18. He broke his arm when he was four from falling out of the bed. I suspect this is why he is such a bed-hog now – he has to sleep in the middle for fear of that happening again.

19. He is crazy, over-the-top, unbelievably smart. The most amazing part about this is that he’s also crazy, over-the-top, unbelievably humble about it.

20. Even though he is very intelligent, he has a hard time reading analog clocks or remembering left vs. right. I gave him a binary clock one Christmas that he could read faster than our wall clock.

21. He can’t roll his “R’s” but still made it through four semesters of Spanish.

22. He has worked with students at several different churches for the past 5+ years. During this time, he’s done a lot of crazy things for the sake of entertaining them. The best by far, however, was the time he made Jell-O in his pants.

23. Despite living in Georgia his entire life, he doesn’t have a very thick southern accent. Except when he gets around his extended family and then it really comes out.

24. He makes a mean grilled cheese sandwich and grills delicious hamburgers.

25. He is hands-down the most amazing husband a girl could ever ask for. He puts up with more from me than I can tolerate of myself and does so with amazing love, patience, and a sense of humor. We are a perfect match and I can hardly remember my life before him nor imagine my world without him. He is my very best friend and I love him more than he will ever, ever know.

25 Random Things About Heather

As with The Baby Registry Checklist, I came across another note I wrote on Facebook that I thought would be worth copying and pasting to our blog. Below are 25 Random Things About Me:

1. I was born and raised in Georgia and cannot imagine living anywhere else. And, even though it’s silly because it’s so close, I still really miss Cobb County. I know every square inch of it and it will always be home to me. After almost 5 years, I’m still just not that in love with Gwinnett.

2. I am left handed. And, yes, if given a marker or gel-type pen, I’ll smear what I write all over the place.

3. I LOVE things to be organized and neat. The Container Store and school supplies make my heart happy. I am also a huge planner. I plan everything…well in advance. But, I must admit, I have learned to be more flexible and spontaneous over the past few years. And please don’t comment with “just wait until you have your child.” I know things will change…I’ll live.

4. I had three speeding tickets before I was 21, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the type of cars I drove. In order, they were: a minivan that backfired, an old Pontiac Grand Am that had to warm up before it would go into gear, a Buick with terrible brakes, and an Explorer that had over 100,000 miles on it when I inherited it.

5. My first job was at Shaw Pharmacy at the age of 15. I learned just as much about professionalism and work ethic there as I did in college.

6. I hate scary movies…and am a huge wimp about what I consider scary.

7. David and I met on a blind date when I was a sophomore at Harrison High School and he was a senior at South Cobb High School. After going to his senior prom, I decided I just wanted to be friends. I dated a couple of other guys, but then we got together the spring of my junior year in HS and have been together ever since. It's been 9 years (almost 5 of marriage) and I cannot imagine my life without him.

8. I broke my ankle skim boarding in New Smyrna Beach on the first day of vacation in 2005. It’s still slightly bigger than the other one and pops when I walk down the stairs.

9. My favorite flower is the Sterling Rose…David left one for me on the doorstep the night of our blind date and then I had them in my wedding bouquet. It’s also why I chose to name my business Sterling Event Planning.

10. Poor grammar and poor spelling drive me crazy.

11. I don’t really like imaginary stuff. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Never Ending Story, Medieval Times, and The Wizard of Oz all really freak me out. But it’s not like I don’t enjoy kiddy imaginary stuff (like Disney and cartoons.) Maybe it’s just when “real” people make-believe. I’m too much of a realist.

12. My maiden name is "McGraw" so my nicknames used to be "Bonesaw" (from Spiderman) or "Quick-draw." The only nickname I have now is "HJ", which my only my family occasionally uses.

13. My husband is a genius. For real. He got the highest SAT score in his graduating class and made straight A’s his entire academic career, including at Georgia Tech. I know this one isn’t really about me, but I’m so proud of him I had to sneak it in. The best part is that he has a personality and a sense of humor unlike most super geniuses!

14. I once ate guinea pig while on a mission trip to Ecuador...after I exchanged my bowl with David’s so I didn’t have to look at the claw.

15. I know a ton of song lyrics…unfortunately I know way more lyrics than bible verses. If only I had learned more to music!

16. I hate clowns. There is a back story and justification for this, but it’s too long to get into.

17. I have a huge fear of eating raw meat. Whenever I bite into a hamburger or chicken, I have to look and make sure it’s cooked through. If there isn’t enough light to see (i.e. we drive through a drive-thru at night) I’ll turn on a light to double-check.

18. I have really bad eyesight. I’m -6.5 in one eye and -5.75 in the other. I got glasses in 2nd grade and contacts in 7th. I’ve thought about lasik, but I’ve never really known life without corrective lenses, so it isn’t a big deal to me. As of right now, it’s not worth the money or the risk of something going wrong.

19. The older I get, the more of a homebody I become. I really don’t like being out more than two or three nights during the week. I also like a lot of alone time. Again, please refrain from the “enjoy it now” comments.

20. I’m wordy. I just realized how long this list is getting. Sorry, but I like to explain. I’d much rather over-communicate than under-communicate.

21. I love to travel and see new places with David. We’ve been on a ton of really amazing trips together and I’m so thankful we took time to do that before kids.

22. I am an anti-packrat. I take a trip to Goodwill about once every 4-6 weeks. Funny thing is, I’ve never missed anything I’ve donated or thrown out.

23. I really, really like gummy bears and gummy worms. In fact, I ate some today. I wish they had some nutritional value. Chocolate also tops my list of favorite foods.

24. I have just about every episode of Scrubs memorized. Especially now that I stay up watching reruns late at night when Baby Girl is kicking too much for me to sleep.

25. Without a doubt, I am fearfully and wonderfully made and undeservingly loved by a God who never ceases to put up with all my quirkiness.

Thankful Thursday...and the rest of the week

Well this Thursday has been far better than last Thursday! It’s been a busy week, but I’ve tried to take some time for social stuff too. Monday I ran errands and had lunch with a friend from college. Tuesday I straightened up the house and videotaped it for homeowner’s insurance documentation.

Side Notes About this Project: Videotaping the house is something my insurance rep strongly recommended a while back that I’m just now getting around to doing. You walk through and video your home and possessions and then put the tape in a safe deposit box at the bank or at a relative’s house. It takes a while to video every room, drawer, and closet and talk about each valuable item, but it’ll be well worth it if we ever have to make a claim due to fire or theft. The rep told me not to overlook anything. Homeowner’s insurance is designed to replace every single item in your house, right down to the toothpaste in your bathroom cabinet. Other tips: Try to give an approximate date of purchase for big-ticket items if you can, videotape receipts too if you have them, and don’t forget the attic, garage, and any outdoor/patio items.

Anyway, back to the week: Tuesday night we had a baby class on nursing. I’ll spare you the details on that, but it was very educational and hopefully it’ll come in handy. Wednesday we had my 36 week doctor’s appointment and then I came home and started some serious late-spring cleaning. We had the carpets cleaned today, so I wanted everything else to be spotless from the top down. David helped me clean when he got home Wednesday night and then we moved (don’t worry; he moved anything over 15 lbs) onto the hardwoods in preparation. I did more cleaning this morning until the carpet cleaner showed up and then I tried to stay out of his way by working on organizing our home videos. Tonight we had dinner with some friends and enjoyed catching up with them. Tomorrow I’ll be getting the house back in order and re-hanging all of the curtains and bedding (I sent every piece of material in this house that couldn’t be washed to the dry cleaners. Slightly OCD, I know.)

I really thought that when I quit work in April I’d have a chance to be bored before Baby Girl arrived. It hasn’t happened so far, but I’m not giving up hope yet! So that has been my week and here, finally, is my Thankful Thursday list:


1. A good report at the doctor and an obstetrician that is wonderful. It’s always a relief to go in and hear her little heartbeat and know things are going well. And my doctor is amazing – I feel unbelievably comfortable with him and trust his years of expertise. Despite being way behind schedule after delivering two babies that morning and having a waiting room full of patients, he still spent almost 20 minutes with David and me answering our questions and explaining things in great detail. He is going out of town the third week in June, so please pray that I don’t deliver that early. We really want him there for the big event!

2. Old friends with whom you can pick up right where you left off despite how long it’s been. There is something about sitting around a table with people who know your history and remember you when you had a different last name...and hair color. The people I hung out with this week have witnessed mine and David’s dating history, shared in our wedding day, and are whole-heartedly supporting us through this pregnancy...not to mention the million other less important milestones over the years. We are so blessed to have such amazing people in our lives.

3. A husband who is willing to go to a class about breastfeeding with me. I realize a lot of fathers play a much more active roll in parenting these days than they used to. I can’t imagine a lot of guys were that involved thirty years ago. I personally believe it takes a real man to step up the way he has and put aside any personal discomfort to make sure WE are as prepared as possible to raise our child together. I’m grateful my husband wants to be a part of every bit of this experience that he can be. I can’t imagine doing it without his love and support.

4. All of our possessions. As I went around and videotaped this week, I was reminded how very fortunate we are. We have so many nice things that make our lives more comfortable and fun! As one of those “old friends” once said, “We have everything we need and most of what we want!” My prayer is that should it all vanish tomorrow, we’d still realize how unbelievably rich we are to have our health, our friends and family, and each other.

5. The time to clean and work on projects. I’m so thankful that we are able to afford for me to stay home and that I even got to start that a little early. Though it’s been busy, I have really enjoyed these past few weeks off. I can’t imagine how overwhelmed I would feel if I hadn’t had a chance to get the house, financial stuff, etc. in order the way that I have. I’m not finished yet and it’s not perfect, but it’s definitely better!

And I close with the quote of the week - in the midst of my OCD pregnancy nesting, I've come up with some pretty crazy cleaning tasks. With that in mind:

Me: "We have to vacuum the mattress tonight. And no, that's not a euphemism."

David: "That's good, because I would have no idea what it meant."

:) Sweet dreams!

Baby Registry Checklist

Before we started this blog, I posted a note on Facebook about the Baby Registry Checklist that I'd created. I wanted to put it on here as well, in hopes that it will reach more people that can use it. I'd like to think that I'll update it after the baby arrives and we can add our thoughts, but to be honest, I probably won't! Nonetheless, it's a compilation of a lot of research that I think helped us tremendously! Read below for the original note and a link to the Google Doc:

In the process of preparing for Baby Girl Sinyard, I've been working on a baby registry checklist (yes, I'm a super-organized dork.) I wanted something more detailed than those generic things they hand you at Babies R Us. Over the past couple of weeks, I've surveyed more than 20 young moms and then incorporated their recommendations and advice into this list.

Feel free to use this or share it with any friends or family that are expecting. Obviously everyone is different and has to figure out what works best for them and their baby. This is just a starting point! My hope is that someone else out there other than me will be able benefit from my OCD.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg6s3f7v_0g7dshshs

Let me know if you have any questions about anything on the list! I can't answer from a mom's standpoint yet, but I may be able to make sense of my babblings!