Project 12: September

Okay, I know I totally skipped posting a recap of August, but that's because it would have been a blank screen with one word: baby. August was baby month, and you could say nothing happened and everything happened all at once. 

Now for September. In case you couldn't tell from my posts lately, I'm basically having a giant life/identity crisis and am working through it on the blog. Sorry not sorry (but kind of sorry) for all the dramatic posts lately. Thanks for sticking around! I bet some of you are like, "That girl be crazy." Well, yes I kind of am. Because keeping my emotions private just isn't how I roll. Unfortunately for my daughter, I think she has my tendency to wear her emotions on her sleeve. (See: below) Good luck to you, R. 

By the way, just a reminder that I am not going to share her name on the blog, and I'm going to keep calling her R. However, if you are just dying to know what her name is, I am happy to share as long as you a) email me privately and b) are not a child stalker.

Last month, Jordan and I took R on her first road trip! We drove to Texas for my sister-in-law's bridal shower. (She and my brother are getting married THIS WEEKEND and I may or may not have found a dress. Stay tuned.) My grandparents were in town from Illinois, and we had four generations in one room. It was perfect.

I took R out for her first walk in the stroller! I haven't run with her in it yet, but we have gone on a few walks, and she seems to like it, so I'm hoping by the time I take her for a run she'll be used to it and fall asleep or at least not scream the whole time.

We finally made it to church as a family of three! We were only fifteen minutes late, so I'm calling it a win. It felt so good to be back in church. Sleeping in on Sundays really messes up my weekend something fierce. (Plus I miss learning about Jesus.)

One of my best friends came to visit for the weekend! Justine and I were roommates in college, and she flew from Illinois to meet R and spend the weekend with me. I pumped a bottle of milk for R and left her with Jordan, and Justine and I hit up the Oklahoma State Fair for all the fried things. I tried fried cookie dough, which unfortunately sounds better than it was. I also got Chaco suntan lines on my feet, so I think that means I'm an official hippie now.

R got shots at her one-month appointment. Isn't this band-aid on a baby thigh just the saddest and cutest thing you've ever seen?

_____

So those are a few of the highlights. Life is a blur right now, so I'm sure I missed some things. If you haven't been around lately, here are a few posts from the last few months to check out:

R's birth story part 1 / part 2
Thoughts on postpartum weight loss and recovery
R Month One
A Tour of Our House

Project 12 // July

Project 12: A photo on the first day of every month

The above photo wasn't taken on July 1. This was after our birthday date! We went to PF Chang's for dinner. I wait all year for those lettuce wraps. After that we went and visited our friends in the hospital who just had their baby.

I rated this 3/5 on Goodreads. Check out my full review here.

Spark notes version: it was like, eh.

July was birthday month! Woo! Jordan's and my birthdays are one week apart. He turned 30, and I turned 29. I threw him a surprise birthday party! See pictures here.

This month I had my final baby shower. My church threw it for us, and it was the weekend Jordan returned from Nicaragua (see below), so my mom was still in town and able to come! It was really special, and we feel so loved. We love our church!

I did not announce this on the blog for obvious reasons, but Jordan left me for a week to travel to Nicaragua. Every year a group from our church goes to a remote village to set up a medical clinic, do church services, and share the Gospel. Jordan and I went last year together, and I was sad to miss out. Jordan was nervous the baby would come while he was gone, but thankfully she stayed put.

My mom came and stayed with me for the week while Jordan was gone. While I went to work, she organized my house! She unpacked and hung things and basically did all the things I'd been avoiding. Thanks, Mom!

July was kind of crazy. It seemed to go slow and fast all at once. I mean, it's BABY MONTH now. Our baby will have an August birthday! And next month's Project 12 recap will have one very notable event.

Posts you might have missed in July:
5 Things I'm Obsessed With
How to Make a DIY Recipe Binder
On Running and Pregnancy
Week 37: Bump Update
Recap of Jordan's Surprise 30th Birthday Party

Project 12 // June

*Project 12: A photo on the first day of every month*

The Husband's Secret: 3.5 stars
Fluffy read that I felt would be good for the beach. The story was interesting, and I did not feel like the secret was a letdown. Some cursing and non-graphic sex scenes, just FYI.

Gathering Blue: 3 stars
The book took a while to get going, and then just when it was getting interesting, it was over, so that was kind of a bummer. But interesting story!

^^^This is our old bedroom in our apartment.

WE MOVED! This is a huge and notable event in our lives. I may or may not find time to write a post about the moving process, but here's the bottom line: moving has been a very stressful process for us. I kind of want to hit people when they say, "Have fun moving!" That is not a thing, okay?

Last month we paid rent and mortgage plus double on all our utilities, and our budget did not like that. I'm happy to be paying just one of everything now, and hopefully the more stuff we unpack the more this place will feel like home and not just like we're sleeping over in someone else's house. I feel severely overwhelmed with the amount of things we need to find places for, not to mention a baby is coming soon and will need a mattress for her crib. So yeah.

I hit 30 weeks pregnant! People keep asking me how I'm feeling, and I keep saying great! I seriously feel really good, minus a few aches and pains. You can read my 33-week bump update here.

^^^ We put the crib together! And by we, I mean Jordan, his brother, and his dad put the crib together while I watched. The nursery has nothing on the walls or anything really in place, but at least we have a crib now.

^^^Another notable event was eating Sonic shakes like four times last month. We were cracking up because we had just been saying, "Ice cream sounds good," when a Sonic commercial came on TV for half-prices shakes after 8:00. Marketing for the win.

We waited until halftime of the Blackhawks game (holler! Stanley Cup champions!) and drive to Sonic, where we were DUMB and ordered Sonic blasts instead of shakes and therefore paid full price. Sonic: 1, Bumgarners: 0.

Our big travel event was a trip to the Bahamas the first weekend of June. 

You can see pictures from Atlantis here and pictures of the downtown area here.

We also went to an Oklahoma City minor league baseball game for a friend's birthday.

In June we were mostly focused on packing and moving, and we spent more than a few nights overwhelmed and stressed out. We are now in our new house, and July is birthday month for both of us, so it hopefully should be a good one! We're hoping Baby Bum keeps cooking and doesn't make an extra early appearance. I really just don't think I could handle all three of us sharing a birthday month. Truth.

Posts you might have missed in June: 
He Saw Us

My #1 Budgeting Tip

Things Strangers Say

Blog Survey Results Part 2

Project 12 // May

*Project 12: A photo on the first day of every month*

This blurry picture is an ode to the batrillion tons of rain that dumped itself onto Oklahoma this month. I took this while we were sprinting out to the car under a floppy umbrella to go over to Jordan's parents house and possibly get into the storm shelter. 

Because pictures > being alive. 

I mean seriously. Have you heard about all this rain? If I wanted to live in Seattle, I would move to Seattle. I like my weather windy and hot, thankyouverymuch.

Okay, I am majorly striking out on books this year so far. Of the 13 I've read, I think 6 have been less than 3 stars on Goodreads. Follow me here for book reviews. Here's the cliff notes version of the ones I read this month.

Food: A Love Story [2.5 stars]

It was fine, but it wasn't what I wanted, aka an actual book. This read like a collection of jokes, some of which I chuckled at, but overall I think the audio version would be much better.

The Chaperone [2.5 stars]

The first half was really good. The second half killed it for me. It was one of those "If I had edited this book..." moments. Those are never good.

The Girl on the Train [2.5 stars]

The premise is interesting. The writing is not. Is it too harsh to say that I didn't care one bit what happened to any character? They were all highly obnoxious. I only kept reading so I could get to the end and find out what the twist was. I'd say don't waste your time, but I know some people loved this book, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.

Where do I even start on this month's notable events? First off, I took my glucose test. The drink really wasn't that bad. I just didn't appreciate having to drink so much so quickly. However, I passed with flying colors, so hurrah! I also found out that I only gained 2 pounds since my last baby doctor appointment, so bring. on. the. cake.

I'm sitting at 154 pounds, people.

In other baby news, my stomach is continuing its march outward and onward. I captioned the most recent one "Do these stripes make me look fat?"  Hashtag bathroom selfie at work.

One of my best friends and her husband drove from Illinois for a visit and to throw me my first baby shower! It rained almost all weekend, which ruined my brilliant plans to be an awesome Oklahoma tour guide. But we did get out for some fun between thunderstorms. And by fun I mean bowling, where I lost spectacularly.

I had THREE baby showers in May. To say I am nearly exploding with gratefulness is extreme and cheesy but also true. Baby Bum's nursery might not have any furniture, but darn it if this little girl won't have enough onesies and books to last until she's 25.

Other notable events?

1. We took Jordan's mom out for frozen yogurt on Mother's Day. We found out when we got there that mother's were free, so basically cheapest date ever.

2. We celebrated our 4th anniversary! Jordan bought me flowers unexpectedly, and we woke up early for our traditional breakfast before work at iHop. Read more here.

3. Jordan mowed our yard! We painted! See pics from inside the house here. No, we aren't moved in yet.

On the last weekend of the month (aka last weekend), we drove to Texas. My mom threw me baby shower #2 AND my brother got engaged!

We all knew it was going to go down after the baby shower, and it was so hard to keep it a secret from Bethany, who was at the baby shower. My brother is so cute and planned this whole date. He rented the gazebo and had my other brother go early and set up flowers and a chalkboard sign with a special note. She was shocked, and then after the proposal they came back and we'd set up a surprise engagement party! Yes, two parties in one day! It was crazy and awesome. What is happening to life right now, you guys?

There's more. Much more, but I've already spent way too long on this post. I have no idea how I'll do this blogging thing with a baby. Just for kicks (pun sort of intended cuz get it? She's kicking?), here's another bump picture. 

There's a human inside me, and I will meet her in just about 2.5 months! I can't wait. HINT: Her name does not start with a B. I'm not one of those people who alliterates first and last names, just in case you were wondering. Not that there's anything wrong with those people. I'm just saying those people are not me. Amen.

p.s. In case you missed it, I posted the results of last month's reader survey. 

Check it out here!

p.p.s For more Project 12 posts, click here.

I'm too lazy to add the linkup code right now. 
If you wrote a Project 12 post, link it in the comments, please! I want to come see it.

Project 12 // April

*Project 12: A photo on the first day of every month*

Faithful Place: Eh. It was okay.
The Giver: I liked this one! Super quick read. I think it took me 2 days.
Follow me on Goodreads for reviews and ratings.

We traveled to Texas: April 18-19 to celebrate my sister's 18th birthday. 

I still haven't stopped crying about it. My little sister is 4 years old in my mind forever, okay?

Um, so this happened. As if I could forget.

^^^ Someone asked me once if I would rather have the ability to rewind time or pause it. I said pause. I've never wanted to pause time more than when my whole family is together, sitting around the dinner table. It's the best.

^^^ Speaking of my family,  on April 22, my mom drove up so we could go to the Festival of the Arts! It's my favorite week of the year in downtown OKC, and we've gone together for the last four years. I have more pictures from the Arts Festival to share in a post to come!

^^^Another notable event? WE BOUGHT A HOUSE. This is us on the way to our closing. 

Yes, the saga of the roof has concluded, and we are officially homeowners! The roofer was actually AT the closing to get a final check from the sellers. Nothing like finishing at the last minute. But at least I can stop being dramatic about the rain, which Jordan is happy about.

This is an answer to a prayer that I have been praying for years now, and I feel so thankful and blessed and also slightly overwhelmed by all the stuff we need to buy. Why are there so many types of washer/dryer combinations?

Also, no, I'm sorry but I'm not posting a picture of our house on the blog. Like, ever. Because, hello internet creepsters. But I'll probably take pics of the inside at some point and show you. Although not right now, because there's literally nothing to see at the moment.

BUT YAY WE HAVE A HOUSE AND IT'S SO AWESOME.

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE CANNOT DESCRIBE MY EXCITEMENT.

INSERT MULTIPLE EXCLAMATION POINTS.

!

The end. 

Coming on the blog in May:

-A look at my pregnancy journal

-An oatmeal cookie recipe

-Pictures from the Festival of the Arts

-Reader survey responses

-Another round of "ask anything" answers

I know a few other awesome blogger friends are doing Project 12 this year (yay!) and so I'll be adding a linkup to my Project 12 posts. This is the lowest of low key linkups. There's not a button or any rules. Just link up if you wrote a Project 12 post!

Project 12 // March

*Project 12: A photo on the first day of every month*

After almost 3 months on the waiting list, this book finally came in at the library. I'm not even going to waste your time with a review. Here's the bottom line: this book is really good, and you should bump this to the top of your reading list asap. Thank me later.

I realized that I was actually in THREE different US states this month! Four if you count my 1-hour layover in Los Angeles. I started out March 1 in Salt Lake City (see photo above). March 20-22 Jordan and I drove to Texas, and March 27-29 I was in Chicago! Other than a road trip where you can easily hit a lot of states in a short span of time, I think this might be the most I've traveled in one month ever.

See posts on: Salt Lake City // Chicago

And then, of course, I travel to work every day. But I don't mind the commute when I can see sunrises like this. NO, MOM, I DIDN'T TAKE THIS WHILE I WAS DRIVING.*

*That was a lie.

Probably the most notable event was putting an offer on a house. They accepted our offer, and things were moving along. We had a closing date! My dream was coming true!

HOWEVER, I am convinced God is trying to teach me patience and trust with this whole thing. We've had an unfortunate setback: a totaled roof due to a hail storm that came through the night after we paid $275 for a house inspection that came back a-okay. (See photo below.) Also after we paid $450 for an appraisal.

So we currently don't know what's happening with that. We told the sellers we weren't going to buy the house unless they had the roof replaced, and we're waiting to hear back. As if I don't have enough to stress about.

Other notable events:

1. Jordan and I attended a marriage conference! I shared some of the highlights of things we learned here.

2. Snow day! Both Jordan and I had a snow day, so we stayed home and worked on a puzzle and just hung out.

3. Giant hail that decided totaling our roof wasn't good enough. It also totaled my windshield. I don't want to talk about it.

4. Finished my ninth half marathon in 2:24! Baby Bum slowed me down a little from my usual pace, but I don't mind. Race recap here.

We found out the gender of Baby Bum! I realize this is nothing short of an epic tease, so.... sorry about that. I'll have a post coming soon! 

After our ultrasound, we went out to dinner and told Jordan's parents, and then we drove to Texas that weekend and told my parents. Jordan and I took turns popping balloons until there was only one color left. My brother took a video, and I'll probably share it with you guys cuz I think it's fun.

Any guesses???

I know a few other awesome blogger friends are doing Project 12 this year (yay!) and so I'll be adding a linkup to my Project 12 posts. This is the lowest of low key linkups. There's not a button or any rules. Just link up if you wrote a Project 12 post!