Refreshed on a Rainy Monday

~ I am beyond thrilled to report that last week's sickness is gone! I'm pretty sure it was just our sinuses, but with me being pregnant and Keith being...well, being male (you know how men get when they're sick!) it was a rough week. But, that week is gone and we are back to normal. YAY! 

~ For the past few days it has been pretty rainy in Atlanta. Our maternity session on Saturday was pushed back to Wednesday...but it looks like it may rain then, too! I am praying for sunshine and also for any water retention to hold off until after these pictures are taken. :) So far, so good...but I am 8.5 months pregnant and who knows when that hits. I am so excited about this session because a) we're taking our photos in Piedmont Park and b) our photographer is awesome. This is a picture from her last session at the park and I love it! :)

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~ Living in Atlanta without any family and friends can get rough, but thankful we have been blessed by visits over the past week from some very special people! Yesterday, our dear friends Chad and Melissa flew into Atlanta for the day and we had such a good time. It was a very relaxing day and we enjoyed their company so much! Then, two weekends ago we headed to the mountains with one of my oldest friends Kim, her husband and sweet baby girl. We went to Ellijay, GA and it was only an hour drive from our home in Atlanta. The trip was very relaxing and it was nice to get away from the real world and hang out in the North Georgia Mountains with these sweet people. 

Our lovely friends! 

My little family!

~ Last week, I applied for a fee waiver from the Law School Admission Council. (I am preparing to take the June LSAT, or if need be October) My request was initially denied, but I've appealed the decision and sent in supporting documents and an essay on why I think I should be eligible. I've only been waiting a few days, but I have been stalking the goodness out of my LSAC account. I know that it takes at least two weeks for a decision, but I just can't help myself! I can only imagine how crazy I'm going to be on LSAT score release day... :) 

Happy Monday, Readers! 

Baby Joe Visits Atlanta

Last Tuesday when Keith and I left Charleston, we brought our 2 year old nephew, Joseph, back to Atlanta with us. Joseph (aka Baby Joe, JoJo) is my sister Lauren's son and is such a precious little boy. When he was 6 months old, Lauren and Joe actually lived with us in Charleston. Keith and I got a lot of practice taking care of an infant/toddler and really bonded with this sweet boy. 

While Keith was a bit hesitant about having Joe with us for a whole 4 days, I was excited! Joe is such a happy kid that it's impossible to have a bad day with him. Now I will admit, it wasn't easy taking care of him. Kids are needy...especially ones who are sick! Joe woke up on Wednesday with a fever and was very congested, so that made things a bit difficult. But, I did enjoy the time with him and it definitely makes me more and more excited for Gavin's arrival. 

Smiiiiiiiile

Like our booster seat? :)

Sweet boys eating breakfast

Such a little ham!

Coloring with Addy :)

 How stinking cute is he??? :D

One of the things I love so much about him is the names he calls us. Keith is Guncle Keith and I am Addy. He even knows that Baby Gavin is in my tummy. :) 

Discovering My "Economic Value"

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Last week, my husband and I were at State Farm Insurance answering questions about Life Insurance. We were both interested in getting policies, especially since we have a child on the way and if something were to happen, we want to make sure that financially, everything would be taken care of. While we were there, one part of the conversation went something like this…

Agent: So Lindsey, do you want to set-up a policy for yourself as well?

Me: Yes, that would be great.

Agent: What do you do for a living?

Me: Well, I used to work full-time in Charleston, but now that we're in Atlanta I'm staying home and working every now and again editing weddings for my grandmother's company.

Agent: Alright. Your economic value is going to be around $35,000 since your child would need care from a nanny is his prime "growing years". If the child was already grown, your economic value would be significantly lower. 

Me thinking to myself: What? My "economic value" is dependent on my professional status...or if my child is young and in need of care?? Hmph. I don't get it. I am valuable regardless of these two situations! What is she talking about? I mean, I am valuable, right...?  

That may not have been word for word of the conversation, but it definitely went something like that. I know that the agent was talking about my value in the sense of a life insurance policy, but I was really disturbed when I found out that unless I have a kid or a job, I am practically valueless.

But, I know better than to believe this. I know that first and foremost, I am a woman and a child of God. He loves me and values me, even when I don't deserve it. I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) God has given me a heart that is so full of passion at times that I feel like it might explode. I am a servant, I am a fighter. I despise injustice. I am loved and adored by my husband. I am a wife, mother-to-be, daughter, granddaughter, sister, cousin, aunt, godmother, and friend.

I am more than the ecomic value that society has given me. 

And so are you. 

So when moments of doubt come into our minds, we need to remember Ephesians 2:10. "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." 

Life in Georgia

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So far, life in Georgia is very different than life in South Carolina was. For starters, I get to see that sweet husband of mine everyday! It may sound silly, but I was a tiny bit nervous about how we would act around each other after being apart Monday - Friday for 5 months. Would be bicker? Would we revert back to our honeymoon days? Would we annoy each other?!? Well, I am happy to report that we easily jumped back into our routine and it has been marital bliss. :)

Another thing that is very different is my job schedule. Back in Charleston I worked 9-5 every weekday at a place I was mostly happy at. Working full-time is all I've ever known, and I've been doing that since I was 18 years old. Now, I am working part-time from home editing weddings for my grandmother's videography business. Yesterday we set up the office and starting today I will begin editing around 4 hours a day! I'll be editing weddings, but here's a baby dedication I did for my bro/sis in law to give you guys and idea of what I'll be doing.

I was a bit hesitant to work part-time, however school is starting at the end of the month and I'm taking a whopping 16 hours. Working a full-time j-o-b would have definitely not blended well! (Side note - I hate how I get SO excited for classes to start, and then once they're here it's like BAM. Reality. What was I thinking?!?!)

While we haven't been able to venture out and explore our new town yet, we are very excited to get to know Atlanta and meet new people. Actually, someone who has inspired me greatly may be moving here, but more on that later! 

Have a great Tuesday lovelies!  

 

We Made It!

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Just wanted to write a quick note to let you guys know that we made it to Atlanta! We have been settled into our new home since Monday and are loving it! :) Getting to see Keith every day is simply amazing and we are adjusting well to our new place. 

I'll keeep this short and sweet so that I can continue unpacking the 237957382 boxes that we have. ;) I hope you guys are having a lovely week! Tomorrow, we're heading to the doctor to see Baby Christmas. AH! I. Can't Wait!

My Final Charleston Misc. Monday

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* This week is my final one here in Charleston. My husband and I are packing up our life this weekend and heading to our new home in Atlanta, GA. I'm not sure if I'm ready for this week...but I guess I'll have to be. My last day at my job of two and half years is on Friday. We say goodbye to our first home together on Sunday. BUT, we say hello to being together everyday again. No more weekend only quality time. And that is worth picking up and moving to a new city. :D

* We had three potential renters look at our home on Saturday. We've only heard back from one, but this one sounds promising and it's looking like we will have a tenant in our home for August!!! Thank you God!

* I recently purchased Colbie Caillat's new album, All of You and I must say that it is fantastic. :) She has a voice like an angel and I've been listening to her new tunes constantly. Her song What Means the Most really spoke to where Keith and I are at in our lives. 

No more days far away 

where I miss you 

No more nights trying to fall asleep 

without you 

From now on I’m always gonna be there

I won’t miss another day that we won’t share

*sigh* Ms. Caillat, you rock. :) 

* Last but certainly not least...as many of you know, little baby James of Jamesie Beats the Tumor went to be with the Lord on Saturday. I have been following this family's journey and words cannot express how much this news saddens me. I am truly rocked to my core. I do not personally know this family, but what I love about "blogland" is that when something like this happens, we all band together in prayer and offer support and love. This week and beyond, please pray for the Sikes family. 

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Rest in Peace sweet James

Will Someone Please Rent Our House??

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I previously mentioned that Keith and I hired a property management company to help us rent our home in Charleston. Well, last week this company was fired. 

I was originally going to write a long, whiny post about how this company failed to meet our expectations, was very late to their first showing, and even entered our home without our knowledge...thus setting off our security system and prompting a call asking if we would like to dispatch the police. (Not to mention, they sent me an empty envelope that was supposed to deliver the extra to my house but instead they blamed it on the postal service. Now, they are sending us a check so that we can re-key our home. AH!) 

Okay, so maybe I whined just a liiiittle up there, but I've decided to sum up this sob story and move on. I am happy that we no longer have to deal with incompetent people, but now we have our home listed on Craigslist...AKA Sketchville. I am being very careful to not fall victim to creepers and scammers, but it just creeps me out to list an ad on this site. 

So, now what? We are moving in two weeks and we have no one moving into our home. We already planned on paying August's mortgage, but we really don't want to do this. 

Anyone in the Charleston area looking for a rental home or knows someone who is? If your answer is yes, please contact me and I will send you our ad! Currently we have our home on Rent.com and Craigslist...any other sites we should check out?

On the bright side, I am handling this pretty well. Before I found out that we're expecting this move was completely stressing me out. Now that I am carrying life inside me (which by the way is completely miraculous) things just don't bother me as much. 

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Yes, my hormones are on a rampage and I lose it every now and then, but I feel much more at peace knowing that no matter what happens in this move, everything will be okay. Lord, thank you for filling me with this peace in the midst of the chaos.

Happy Randomness/Advice, please? :)

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Okay, I'm not going to lie -- I am kind of freaking out! I am one big emotional, excited and overwhelmed happy mess! (Please excuse the randomness of this post) First off, thank you guys so much for your kind words on my last post! Keith and I weren't expecting our little miracle to show up so soon, but we are beyond thankful to be blessed by him or her, and by all of the people in our lives. Seriously -- our family and friends have drenched us in love and we are forever grateful. :)

As you guys know, Keith and I are in the process of moving from Charleston, SC to Atlanta, GA. Now that we've got a baby on the way this adds a completely new dynamic to our move and life. (AH!!! YAYYYY!!!!) We literally have so much to do (um, like pack!!!) in so little time (we are planning on moving in three weeks) but we are hopeful that everything will get accomplished. 

Another thing that I am thinking about is school. I am a senior with only two jammed packed semesters left...I should be able to make it through the fall without too much trouble, but my little one is due during my final semester. What do I do? Jump in and hope for the best? Postpone graduation for a year? Decisions, decisions...any advice??

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To my Atlanta bloggy friends -- Can you guys recommend a great OBGYN? Anyone ever been to the Peachtree Women's Clinic? Also, any comments on Northside Hospital and Piedmont?

 Reading material anyone? 

Even though the hubs and I freaked out at Barnes and Noble and purchased way too many books, I still have a few questions. All of my lovely pregnant/mothers/knowledgeable friends...

1. I know that I can't get in hot tubs or take really hot baths...but how hot is too hot for a bath? I am used to taking super long, super hot baths, and while I've toned it down I still don't want to do anything that may harm Baby Christmas. Any advice?

2. Does anyone know over any safe, over-the-counter acne medication that I can use? I was using prescription strength topical creams, but I've since downgraded to a low percent of Salicylic Acid face wash and astringent pad -- can I use this? (I'm using Aveeno Clear Complexion face wash and Stridex Sensitive Face Pads) I am having one heck of a time getting a hold of my dermatologist and once again, I don't want to do anything that will harm my little one.

3. What about heavy stuff? Can I pick it up? Push it across the floor? Drag it??? We are beginning to pack up our house and it seems like every time I turn around I am struggling with a heavy box. 

*Sigh* I think that's all for now. :) I apologize for the random questions and thoughts...it felt great to get that out! 

Cheese Half Ink a Baby

A lot has happened since my last post. For starters, things with my Dad have definitely gotten better. He has moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation/assisted living facility and is sounding much better. As long as he stays away from the alcohol he could definitely win this battle.

But this post is not about my Dad...

I mentioned last week how my stomach and my Mother's cooking did not mix. I was miserable for a few days after that, but eventually got better. Well, it turns out it wasn't solely my Mom's cooking...

Ladies and Gents -- Cheese. 1/2. Ink. A baby. (Full House anyone?) And by that I mean that

I AM HAVING A BABY!!!!

Turns out that those tummy issues were pregnancy related! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Keith and I are beyond excited about this news and couldn't be happier and thankful for this blessing! Here's how we found out, but first a little back story.

At the beginning of the year I started to feel very convicted about being on the birth control pill. Due to my problems with Endometriosis and Interstitial Cystitis I've been on the pill for years to help suppress the pain during my cycles. As of lately, I was no longer experiencing any pain and felt like there was no need to continue taking the pill. Keith and I have always said that we were putting the growth of our family in God's hands. But, here's the thing -- how can we really  be putting this in God's hands if we are taking active steps to prevent contraception? (I truly hope this does not offend anyone, but this is my opinion.)

So after much thought, we kicked the pill at the beginning of April. Around the middle of last week I started getting anxious -- my period was a few days late and I started getting nervous/excited. Could I really be...? 

So, on Friday morning I decided to take a test. If I wasn't pregnant, I wanted to know now and stop getting my hopes up. I took the test first thing after I woke up and was still half asleep. When I saw those two lines...I felt my heart flutter. No. Stinking. Way. I AM PREGNANT???? :)))))

I immediately ran down the hall and woke up my little sister. (My husband works in ATL during the week) I had her come look at the test and confirm this news!!! We were both so excited, and agreed that maybe I should take another test just to be sure. I ended up taking two more throughout the day and YES they were positive! :) 

Since I was heading to Atlanta on Friday afternoon to see my sweet husband anyway, I decided to keep quiet about my wonderful news! I don't know how I managed, but I did not say a peep to him about our miracle!!! Instead, I went to the store and purchased a tiny baseball glove and ball, and put it in a bag with the pregnancy tests. 

When I got to Atlanta, I gave him the gift and he was ecstatic! WE'RE HAVING A BABY! Even though I'm only a handful of weeks pregnant we didn't want to wait to tell our family and friends. The outpouring support and love that we have received is seriously overwhelming and we are so blessed to have such amazing people in our lives! We cannot wait to share our journey with everyone! 

Between our move to Atlanta and the new addition to our family, life is about to get very interesting! 

KC and I at the Braves game this weekend! We are so excited to become parents!

(Anyone remember the Full House episode http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1TUlZ4WiNI? :) It's one of the first things I thought about when I found out I was going to be a Mom...definitely a child of the 90's.)

Georgia on My Mind

* Y'all, this whole moving thing is becoming more real each and every day! It's so overwhelming to think that in less than two months my husband and I will have moved ourselves, our cats, and our stuff to Georgia. 

Woah baby.

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Last week, I told my employer that I was moving and I did not expect to respond the way that I did. I cried like a baby. My boss/supervisors/co-workers have been a part of my life for two years and it's going to be tough to say good-bye. I also had a Realtor come by the house on Tuesday so that we could talk about property management...what reality check. We. Are. Moving. Wow...

* While we haven't found anyone to rent our house yet, we did find a place to live in ATL! Until we sell our house we will be renting the cutest little apartment! It's quite spacious, has a fire place, vaulted ceilings, and a balcony...can we say YES!!! Not to mention that the community offers free tennis lessons AND has direct access to the Chattahoochee River...need I say more?? (Those lessons will come in handy to help me scratch # 15 off of the list!) I am so pumped about our new home and can't wait to move in and decorate! :)

* For a few weeks Keith and I have talked about freeing our turtles. These little guys have been in our lives for 2 years but lately we've felt that they were just miserable. The tank was not anywhere near large enough, and now that we are moving we definitely needed to make a decision...

Besides the fact that I sound like a 5 year old (and that KC kept telling me to back up) I really love this video of our turtles. (Don't you just love the half sunken sign??) The last one did eventually dive into the pond. :) This pond is in my bro/sis-in-law's neighborhood and is supposedly "safe", but I did see this sign...

Not sure how I feel about that! According to KC, this sign is just a precautionary measure. Allegedly. 

* That's all I've got for now with my ATL updates. My sis and I are meeting Keith for the 4th of July so that we can explore our new home, catch a ballgame (I think I am becoming a bit of a Braves fan), and visit the apartment complex. 

Happy Thursday! 

Cat's Out of the Bag

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Well, it's official, and I can finally tell all of you lovely bloggers my little secret/what's been keeping me so busy. :) 

We are moving to Atlanta! 

My amazing hubby has been doing so well at work that they have offered him a territory!!!! I am so unbelievably thankful for this news! Do you guys know what this means?!? It means no more weekdays being apart! It means a new chapter in our lives in a new (bigger) city! AH I am just so stinking excited. 

I've never been secretive about my dislike for Charleston, and now that we are finally leaving I am feeling a mix of emotions. Of course I am happy, but I am also going to be leaving behind many things that were starting to feel like home. (But that's a story for later) I know from experience that the grass is definitely not always greener on the other side, but I am anxious to see what lies ahead in our new city!

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Anywho...that's what's been going on! We will be moving at the end of July and have beacoup to accomplish before this happens. (Packing, finding renters for our house, finding a new place to live, etc.) but I will try to keep up my blog and document this journey. You really never know what's going to happen next in this crazy thing called life. :)