Never Send a Pregnant Woman to the Grocery Store

That's right, I went to the grocery store by myself this morning. Natalie was in preschool and we needed to restock some basics (like green beans and canola oil) so I went grocery shopping, list and coupons in hand. I'd even already eaten breakfast and wasn't hungry, so I didn't think I was in much danger. Little did I know... We, I mean I, came home with not one but 2 boxes of brownie mix, a box of cake mix and frosting, and a box of chocolate chip muffin/bread mix. In my defense, we were out of all of these things and I did actually get everything on the list. Except for the Dove chocolate covered almonds, they were out. I also bought Dora yogurt and yogurt drink stuff in hopes of using the gimmicks on Natalie to get her to eat. The moral of the story, if you must send the pregnant woman to the grocery store, make sure she takes the toddler to keep her from dawdling on the baked goods aisle.


In other news:
This weekend Josh and our friend Jay used the four-wheeler and trailer to move the 3 truck loads (I'm talking actual real Dump Truck loads) of dirt from the top of the yard to the bottom and make a beautiful level area for Natalie's new swing set to go on. For those who haven't had the pleasure of walking back there, our backyard has such a steep slope to it that even a mountain goat would have difficulty walking. In the next few days - before it rains, hopefully - We, I mean Josh, will get the fertilizer and starter seed down there to get some grass growing. We also bought the ugly black erosion control netting to keep our precious flat area from washing away before that grass does grow. The only unfortunate result of all this hard work is that Josh has developed Intersection Syndrome in his right arm. Sounds pretty scary, I know, but it's basically a type of tendinitis that is "so rare most orthopedists haven't heard of it," according to Dr. Ortho Guy who is treating Josh. Lucky for us he had!






Natalie learns how to use a shovel.

Now that the weather is Spring-like again - with the added bonus of rain this year! - our next projects include replacing some azaleas that have died in the last few years, either from the droughts or the freeze last May, killing weeds, washing away the pollen, digging up pansies and planting something more season appropriate, and placing bales of pine straw and bags of cedar mulch all around the yard.








Enjoying her new Sand/Water table.

On Monday Natalie and I met my mom at the Mall of Georgia for a day of girl fun. We do this every few months and always have such fun. This mall has a carousel and an indoor toddler play area, so it's great for Natalie, plus we're really good at spending money there. This week it was Gymboree, Gap & BabyGap, the Croc's kiosk, Barnes and Noble, Toys R Us, and Starbucks that took us for a whirl. Although, when I think about it, that's not so different from our usual trips. Natalie and Baby came home with some great stuff, and Josh even got a bag 'o boxers out of it.


Tired of being in clothes all day, Natalie strips down to try on her new Crocs.

Pregnancy update for those who don't see me often: Tomorrow begins week 15 and I'm feeling great. This baby truly is taking it easy on me and I'm not sure yet if that's a good sign that it will be an easy baby, or a bad one in that it's using up all the "good" now and will be a bit more difficult in the outside world. I'm told that at this point there's a good chance an ultrasound would show us the boy or lack-of-boy parts, so I'm having to use my will power and stay far away from that machine at work. I'm dying to know, but I refuse to find out without Josh there beside me. Don't get me wrong, I'd do it in a heart beat, but I'm unable to keep a secret and then he'd be mad and I'd feel guilty and I'd cry, and me crying is not fun. I did order two fun reads from Amazon, Baby Laughs by Jenny McCarthy and Motherhood is Not for Wimps (the book by the lady who writes the blog that I have a link to), so I'm looking forward to reading those while waiting in the doctor's office.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Don't forget your sunscreen and hats!