mom fashion.

I was just browsing over AE's new arrivals for no real reason because I rarely shop there but I found it interesting that I really cringe at the thought of wearing things like this and this and this (unless there is a higher-cut tank underneath). No. No. No. Not only has my body changed since having my first baby (which mainly affects the cleavage area) but it just doesn't feel right anymore, lol! Instead, I find shorts like this much more appealing and much more tasteful. And I'm grateful that places like AE have such options to cater to those of us who aren't in college anymore. :P But are not quite here yet (and I hope to God I never will be...).

baby names.

Matt and I had another conference last night and made some good progress on baby names! So here is what we have:

Emery Nolan Hales - I'm 99% sure this is the name we will stick with if it's a boy. Emery is English and means "work ruler". Nolan is Irish and means "descendant of the famous one". Nolan is a surname from Matt's Grandma Hales' family.

All of the middle names I have are somehow tied into family history. I think it's important for a middle name to reflect family history but Matt, on the other hand, thinks it's more important for a middle name to be Biblical. So I guess that's going to be our biggest hurdle. With Noah, his middle name is a family name and it's Biblical so we didn't have any issues there!

Emery William Hales - I thought I would throw this one into the mix just to have another option. For some reason, I can't just have ONE name for a boy already! William is English and means "strong-willed warrior", which I really like. William was my Grandpa Livingston's name.

I'm a pretty big "meanings person". I think it's important to consider the meaning behind a name you are choosing for your child as well as the visual/phonetic appeal of it.

Isla Catherine Hales - Isla is Scottish and means "island". Catherine is Greek and means "pure". Catherine was Matt's Great Grandma Root's name.

Isla Katharine Hales - Catherine is not my favorite spelling of the name but it's how Matt's Great Grandma spelled it. However, I thought I would have Katharine as an option because it just seems classic to me (Katharine Hepburn).

Isla Colette Hales - Colette is French and means "victory of the people". I chose it as a middle name option because Cole is my maiden name and this is just a feminine spin on that!

Isla Marie Hales - Marie is French and means "sea of bitterness". Marie was my Great Great Grandma Andersen's middle name.

Isla Corinne Hales - Corinne is a version of the name Cora, is French and means "maiden". Cora was my Great Grandma Livingston's name but it doesn't flow well as a middle name so that's why I chose to use Corinne instead.

I've covered all the same middle names that would be used for the name Lilah or Lyla instead. This gets a little interesting now because Matt prefers the spelling Lyla and I think I prefer it spelled Lilah. The interesting part is that the two different spellings are actually two different origins and, therefore, two different meanings. Lyla is Arabic and means "night". Lilah is Persian and means "lilac tree". So I definitely wouldn't shun Lyla even though I like the other spelling better. Maybe if it's a girl and she's born at night, we will go with Lyla over Lilah! lol

Lilah Catherine Hales
Lilah Katharine Hales
Lilah Colette Hales
Lilah Marie Hales
Lilah Corinne Hales

Lyla Catherine Hales
Lyla Katharine Hales
Lyla Colette Hales
Lyla Marie Hales
Lyla Corinne Hales

Chloe Marcella Hales - This might be one of my favorites just because it sounds so pretty. Chloe is Greek and means "verdant and blooming". I had originally spelled it Khloe but Matt prefers Chloe so I changed it. Marcella is Latin and means "young warrior". Marcella was Matt's Great Grandma Nolan's middle name.

And that covers it! If you want to vote on each name, click here (or on the badge to the right)! :)
OR
If you prefer it the Babynames.com way. So many options, I know.

christmasss.

Yes, purchasing Christmas presents every month up until December is going to make Christmas come so fast! That makes me happy, lol. Not that I want to wish away the entire year but you know... Christmas is fun! Can't help it.

So my plan is to buy each child one gift per month and today I found, much to my delight, a little gift for the newb. It's just a long-sleeve onesie that says "little lion cub" on it. I figured it could work for a boy or a girl and it was only $8.00. It will probably be more like a stocking stuffer. But I'm excited! January gifts are complete.

maternity pictures.

I found another photographer who has never done maternity pictures before (like with Heather Garland when I was pregnant with Noah) so I am really excited to work with him! I always love being the first type of session for a photographer so they can put new concepts to work. :) So, I found Will Greene (www.will-greene.com) and we're getting them done February 5! We haven't done a pro shoot with Noah since he was six days old so I'm a little nervous but it should work out fine as long as I bring plenty of snacks for back-up, lol.

and we're back.

So last night Noah fell asleep in my arms pretty quickly after I rocked him. That was just too sweet. I love watching him sleep in my arms. :) So that lifted my cranky mood a little bit, lol.

But it still sucks that Matt is leaving us on SUNDAY, no less! WTF? I'm going to be a single mom again for four days. >:( I hate it.

Well, I've been thinking more about Noah's new bedroom since it's getting close to March. I decided against doing all those tedious squares on the accent wall and am just going to paint that wall one of those colors so it will be solid (some shade of blue or green). Then I think I'm going to add some modern tree decals or something. I also want to get the hutch that goes with dresser we already have. That will free up some floor space of shelving. Then, I found these nifty little bins from Land of Nod

that are stackable and I can use them for toy storage. They will fit nicely in the corner by the doorway. I've also been looking at closet storage systems to install. And lastly, I found these cute little book ledges, also from Land of Nod

that I can hang up at Noah's height so he can still reach his books. There will be just enough space for another crib and still have room to play.

Well, I can hear Noah rustling around in his crib (he was napping) so I better prepare some lunch!

woe is me.

This is going to be me complaining a lot. Because I'm pregnant so I can.

You know what sucks? For one, being behind at work really gripes my ass. That's what I get for leaving for ten days! I wouldn't normally have a problem except for the fact that Noah is sick so I have to continue to let my work pile up while I stay at home taking care of him (and I'm never working long enough to actually accrue a decent amount of paid vacation days).

Matt is leaving me on Sunday to go out of town for work again which really blows. I am not going to be able to handle this when we have two kids. I don't know what I'm going to do. Seriously... sometimes I think it would just be easier to be a stay-at-home mom (I never thought I would say that). Then I wouldn't have to worry about trying to frantically get out of the house on time every morning or missing work a trillion days a year because my kids are sick and my husband's job is way more important than mine.

And my son is screaming his head off in his crib and I can't take it anymore (I'm sitting in his room). So I guess it's time to deal with that.

i'm still here.

Obviously, things have been a little crazy the past couple of weeks but now we are back into our normal routine.

Our trip to Michigan went great! The road trip was fabulous. Breaking it up into a two-day trip was a very smart idea (::pats self on back::). Noah handled it really well. Of course, there were a couple of minor meltdowns (to be expected from a toddler strapped in a carseat for hours on end) but we did our best to keep him entertained and happy. It was great to see family and friends while were were home for the holidays. Vacation is a lot of WORK though so we were ready to come back!

Noah got lots of fun stuff for Christmas. Now, I am realizing I need to find some storage solutions for his mountain of toys that will surely continue to grow over the months and years. It is becoming a serious issue.

So, while it is fabulous spending Christmas Eve and Day amongst family, we've decided that next year (and thereafter), we are going to leave on the 26th and just spend Christmas with the two little ones at home. I think that will be much more Santa-friendly and a little less chaotic for us. Speaking of changes, I also decided that (especially since we'll have two kids to buy for) I am going to buy the kids' Christmas presents throughout the year rather than spending loads in the the months of November and December. SO... I actually ordered Noah's first gift yesterday. :P Here it is...


So it's for 3+ but... that's okay. Two years and three months is close enough. I got a good deal.

I had a checkup yesterday and I passed my 1-hour glucose test with flying colors. Now I just need to test negative for GBS (Group B Strep) and send "non-breech vibes" to the little bebe and all will be just dandy. Oh, and I only gained like two pounds over the holidays. Now that's a shocker.