Where's My Hair?

I tend to be incredibly irrational when it comes to my hair.

I get long, pretty hair in the summertime

but it's too hot on my neck

and I end up cutting it all off

juuuuuuust in time for the harsh Minnesota winters. 

Smart, Michelle.

And then, all winter long, I'm whining and complaining about how much I miss my hair.

I always do this.

Every. Single. Year.

But I never learn.

I ended up having to get extensions for my wedding.

At first, I loved them.

But, it was too much length

way too fast.

So, after a few weeks, it began to drive me insane.

But I had to suck it up because I paid a good $80 for them to be put in

and I wanted my hair to look stellar for the wedding.

After the reception

Nick and I came home to our brand new apartment.

And before I even let him kiss me

I locked myself in the bathroom

and spent a good hour taking out those blasted extensions. 

Two days later, I cut my hair into an a-line bob.

Which looked really cute

for a while.

But the back of my hair ends right at the nape of my neck

and the front comes just a bit below my shoulders.

It's too short.

So, here's my plan for the remainder of my pregnancy:

1. Absolutely no heat styling of any kind.

2. No more using tight, rubber elastics to hold back my hair.

3. Trim hair as soon as possible to ensure maximum health.

4. Exercise regularly and increase protein as well as vitamin c in my diet.
5. NO brushing my hair while it's wet. [Combs only!]

By the time Alexa is born in July, my goal is to have my bangs grown out, and my hair grown out to my chest.

This may or may not happen

but I think eliminating heat from my regimen will help a lot.

Inspiration for this drastic change has come from Annelise over at Bye Bye Beehive. 

Friday's Letters

Another day, another link up.

This one comes from Adventures of Newlyweds and is known as 

Friday's Letters.

Dear Husband: I hope you know how crazy I am about you, and how grateful I am to have you in my life.You really and truly are the best man on this planet. Thank you for being the father of my child. I'm sorry that I cry so much at stupid things. I promise that I won't be like this forever. It's just that we got pregnant the DAY AFTER our wedding. Don't worry. I'll show you.

Dear Mr. Next Door: You are creepy, and your music is way too loud. Please stop having parties EVERY Friday night. I'm glad we're moving soon.

Dear Alexa: I haven't met you yet, but you already have me wrapped around your little finger. I was so surprised to find that you were coming, but I wouldn't change it for the world. But, please be nice to mommy. Pregnancy is hard.

Dear Ex-Husband: Thank you for letting me go. Now I finally know what it feels like to have someone actually love me.

Dear Amanda Seyfried: Your hair is gorgeous. Please teach me your ways.

Dear Foul-Mouthed People: Just stop. You sound unintelligent.

Thursday 13

So, I've decided to link up with aunieSAUCE and participate in the

Thursday 13 every week.

This week it's

The Last Thing I...

1. Ate: A mini Gummi Bear from my secret stash.

2. Listened to: "Thunder" by Boys Like Girls

3. Watched: "Sympathy for the Devil" on Supernatural season 5

4. Purchased: Water and a "How-To" book on crochet.

5. Wore: I'm pretty comfy today in my sweats and a t-shirt my parents got me from Mexico.

6. Thought: "I wonder if I ever creep into his head at random times, too. Probably not, though. It's probably just pregnancy hormones, anyway."

7. Drank: Some yummy milk. I have to drink, like, a gallon a week or something ridiculous like that. WIC has me buying 4-5 gallons a MONTH.

8. Wanted to buy: Some super cute leggings and top from Motherhood Maternity.

9. Prayed for: My baby. I want so badly for her to be healthy and strong when she is born.

10. Painted on my nails: I don't paint my fingernails. They're too stubby for that. But I just redid my toenails a lovely shade of orange-y pink.

11. Craved: Doughnuts. I want them so bad I would probably punch someone if I saw them eating one. Does that make me a bad person?

12. Wished for: Summertime. I miss it SO MUCH. If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's being cold.

...and coats. I don't like wearing them.

13. Laughed at: This picture. Right here.

Because it's true.

Food for Thought

Anyone who knows me

knows that I am in love with music.

I love listening to it

making it

and letting it carry me through boring long car rides.

So, here I sit.

Listening to the Disney station on Pandora

and wondering if life can possibly get any better.

Hakuna Matata.

Music really does have an adverse effect on our lives.

Our moods.

Everything.

You've all seen the pictures like the one above.

One plant is grown "listening" to only rock music.

The other - classical.

Now, don't get me wrong,

I love rock.

But sometimes I'm just not in that kind of mood.

Hence my Disney music now.

But, does that mean that if we listen to a specific kind of music-

rock, for example-

are we going to wither and die?

Of course not.

But it does affect our mood

and our actions throughout the day.

Just some food for thought.

Pregnancy update:

I can FINALLY feel the baby move!

YAY!

Although, sometimes she moves in such a way that it's incredibly painful.

What the heck is she doing in there?

I'm having trouble sleeping, though.

Well, no.

I'm having trouble staying asleep.

I can fall asleep whenever I want.

Sometimes at the most inopportune moments.

I'm really not inconsiderate.

Really.

Just pregnant.

I'm incredibly forgetful, too.

Like, I forget to shower.

How does that even happen?

I forget to put on a bra before I leave the house.

I almost forgot my money when I was going out to buy groceries.

Sheesh.

Pregnancy kinda sucks, huh?

True Love Tuesdays

Well, good morning.

Or something.

I'm not a morning person

so forgive me if this post is dripping with sarcasm.

This topic was originally called "Significant Other Saturdays", but I obviously missed it.

So, now we have True Love Tuesdays.

Voila!

This week's topic is to introduce your significant other.

Simple, right? 

This is Nicholai.

Or Nick.

He is my soul.

He is the reason I get up in the morning.

He is the reason for my smiles.

He's my lifeline

my weakness

and my strength.

We met at church when we were 14. 

I'm older.

But only by a month, so it doesn't really count.

He still calls me a cougar, though.

I thought he was super hot.

Although he was really skinny.

He is a running fool.

He loves to study.

And he simply cannot get enough of Nickelback's music.

But I'll forgive him.

I can't imagine my life without him.

I don't want to.

We fell in love after one week of dating.

We just knew.

This was it.

He is kind.

He takes such good care of me.

He even holds my hair back when I puke.

Despite being supremely grossed out by it.

Sorry, girls.

My husband is the best man in the universe.

It's a.....

We found out the gender this morning.

I could hardly contain myself when I woke up at 5.

Then 6:15.

Then 6:45.

Finally, my alarm went off at 7.

I can't believe that's my baby.

It was so amazing to sit there with that whale loogie goop on my stomach

and watch my baby hiccup.

And kick

and be a total snot for the ultrasound tech

because she wouldn't sit still.

That's right.

She.

Her name is Alexa Nayeli. (Nye-el-ee)

And she's perfect.

I knew it was a girl.

Seriously.

I kept having her name pop into my head.

I kept calling my belly "she."

I kept ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the little girl clothes.

I knew it.

Sometimes I still wonder if I'm actually pregnant.

Or if I just let myself go.

Because I still can't feel her move.

But the doctor says that's okay.

So, I guess I'll trust him for now.

Now I can be impatient about something else.

Packing Up & Shipping Out

We found it.

THE house.

We walked into it yesterday and just felt

home.

It's in a safe neighborhood.

With a little playground in the middle of everything

that I can see from the living room window. 

It's just...

nice.

I'm so excited to finally move in.

I love decorating, and I can finally start 

the "nesting" process.

I have so many cute ideas for the nursery.

Like this:

or this:

I can't wait!

Maybe I should be an interior designer.

I spend so much time

trying to make my house feel like home.

Like my home.

I actually really love letting my creativity flow into the house

onto the walls and into the vibes that the house gives off.

I like it when people walk in and say

"This house is SO you."

or 

"I love what you've done here!"

It makes me happy.

And in this new house, I'll have even MORE room to play!

See?

Needless to say, we're pretty stoked.

Bring on April 1st!

Tres Leches and Butterflies

On Saturday, Nick and I made cake.

It was the most glorious cake

EVER.

It's called Tres Leches Cake.

Or Three Milks Cake if you don't speak the Spanishita.

It was actually INCREDIBLY easy.

And inexpensive.

I was super proud of myself. 

And the house smelled amazing for days.

Unfortunately, it is incredibly addictive

and impossible to stop eating.

We probably gained, oh, ten pounds?

I'm not going to think about it.

On another note, I'm getting VERY impatient.

We have four days until we find out the gender of our baby.

That's it.

But it seems like an ETERNITY away.

Plus, I've been worrying like crazy.

Just on the off chance that there is something horribly wrong with my baby.

I mean, the quad screen test came back with abnormalities

but the doctor said that there is a high chance of a false positive.

WHY TAKE THE TEST, THEN?!

Now I'm pregnant, AND I have an ulcer.

House Hunting

First of all, I did a major overhaul on this blog.

It took me forever.

I'm not too familiar with html coding, so I'm super proud of myself 

for it turning out so hot.

Now that I'm done tooting my own horn...

How many of you have moved?

Like, by yourself.

YOU are in charge of where you go.

YOU are in charge of finding the place

and paying the rent.

It sucks.

Nick and I are planning a major jump to The Cities in the beginning of April.

We're excited.

And terrified.

I mean, we've never done this before.

We don't know who is a total sleaze.

We don't know which apartments actually stay warm.

We want to find a good home for our baby when he/she comes in July.

But, no pressure.

Right. 

My patience is wearing thin with people who purposefully leave out "minor" details from the listing.

Or landlords who insist that you submit a credit check prior to the release of information.

WhatEVER.

Where are the honest people?

WHY has that become too much to ask of people?

Them: "Trust me."

Me: "But, I don't know you."

Them: "Sorry, dollface. Thems da rules. Take it or leave it."

After talking to some of these people, I feel like I need to shower.

Bleck.

Promoting Myself Shamelessly

I'm pretty proud of myself.

Last night and this morning, I created three grab buttons to help promote my blog.

They're kind of really cute if I do say so myself.

So, if you feel so inclined

and you like what you're reading thus far

grab a button

and stick it on your blog.

:)

On another note:

I'm getting more and more pregnant with each passing day.

My belly button is becoming shallower.

More shallow?

Regardless, it's going to pop out soon.

My father likened me unto a turkey timer last night.

Thanks, dad.

I don't have any recent pictures of my belly right now.

I tried to take some a few days ago

but I looked awful.

And it's my prerogative

not to post them.

So, na na na na na.

I saw this really great recipe the other day for chocolate chip lava cookies.

They looked divine.

But I don't have the stuff to make them!

And I think I might die.

Okay, so I jest.

But seriously.

Don't they look good?

I'm trying to expand my repertoire of things I can cook and/or bake.

So far it's not going so well.

I think it's because my back hurts when I stand up.

Or because I'm just too tired to care.

I'll just have macaroni and cheese, thanks.

Pass the salt?


P.S. 
What  do y'all think of the new header? Should I keep it, or go back to the old one?

Reminiscing

So, check this out.

I found an old blog of mine

and discovered this post dated

March 28, 2008.

Nick got back from D.C. about two weeks ago. We had a date the Wednesday after he returned. It was really great. The movie (Fear Dot Com) wasn't as scary as I had always anticipated. Actually, it wasn't scary at all. I was pretty disappointed. I only screamed once, and it was because some dead chick moved and I wasn't expecting it. I had gotten a scary movie in hopes of doing the "fear cuddle" thing. Pathetic, I know. But Beth agreed with my methods of "planning ahead." It worked, regardless. About halfway through the movie, I noticed his hand inching over ever so slightly. I smiled to myself, and started doing the same. Guys are so oblivious. By the time he caught on, our hands were practically on top of each other. 

This past Wednesday we had another date. Well... a mini date. He showed up at the theatre a little bit before I got off work. About fifteen minutes, actually. He just stood there staring at the wall. It was pretty funny, really. After I got off, we drove around for a bit just talking about random things, then we went to Wal-Mart for a small adventure. We walked around the store once, and on our second trip around we ended up in the toy department. We discussed old board games for a while, and decided that when we had money, we'd go back and buy Apples to Apples. Such fun. :)

When we finally made it back to the movie theatre (we had taken my car and left his in the parking lot) we turned on the radio and discovered that "Low" was playing. After celebrating a bit, we danced like idiots with our seatbelts still buckled and laughed at how funny it sounded to rapidly change stations. Eventually, after about an hour of joking around, his hand found mine. I tried not to smile like a fool, but apparently I failed. Embarrassed, I tried to take the focus off me, and attempted to give him a wet willy. THAT war went on for a good five minutes, and he eventually tried to forego wetting his finger and just put his tongue in my ear instead. That's gross, so I didn't let him. But during our battle, we had gotten uncommonly close. Our fingers tightened around each other as his lips made their way toward mine. 

Then he kissed me. And I'll be honest with you... I've never been kissed like that. I don't even know what was so different about it, but I find my thoughts on that kiss when I allow my mind to wander. After all was said and done, I asked him what he was thinking. 

He said, "That took four years..."

Nick and I really enjoyed reading that. Afterward, he promptly gave me a wet willy.

Jerk.