Wordless Wednesday

I just realized that I promised pics of our outdoor Halloween decorations and never delivered! Last week, I was just about to bug Brad to get off his butt and take them down when I remembered! Whew! So I tried to go out and snap a few pics of our decorations to share with you. The sun was quickly setting as I was snapping away so forgive the blurriness and weird exposures. Enjoy!

Each year, we keep adding a little more to our outdoor decorations collection (much to Brad's dismay since he hates hanging them up). And this year we had some great ideas. (A hanging skeleton on the porch! Ghosts strung up in the tree next to the drive was! A big, icky spider in the web above the garage!). But since we got such a late start (Ahem! Please see: Brad likes to procrastinate!) it seems like everywhere was either sold out of the decorations we wanted or just didn't have them. It was slim pickin's this year.

So we bought a string of spider lights for the porch and that's it. The rest was stuff we already had. But next year we WILL be on the ball. I'm bound and determined (especially for the baby girl's FIRST Halloween) to have the "cool" house on the street, the ones where kids are excited to come and trick or treat!

D-Blog Day

D-blog Day was started on November 9th 2005 during Diabetes Awareness Month, to help unite diabetes bloggers and create awareness about diabetes. I first participated last year. This year’s topic is "6 things you want people to know about diabetes."

But it could also be called "6 things that drive you bananas about people who don't have diabetes."

Or "They just don't friggin' get it."

Or "If I had a nickel every time someone said that to me, I'd have enough money to cure diabetes already."

Or "DAMMIT! Stop saying that to me!"

Okay, I guess that's enough. As I am so subtly trying to point out, everyone who has diabetes has to deal with the stereotypes, ignorance, untruths, etc that come right along with it. Diabetes is something that is talked a lot about in this country and I think that the average person probably thinks they are pretty well-informed about the subject. Unfortunately, the vast majority of what is out there are myths, old truths, untruths, half-truths or misconstructions. A lot of what that people think they know about diabetes either comes from truths about Type 2 diabetes (NOT Type 1, which is much less common than Type 2) or is old information about how diabetes used to be treated and managed (and when I say "old," think 1980's).

I think that because the majority of the population feel that they are armed with correct and complete knowledge about diabetes, they feel justified or obliged to ask you why you are doing something or tell you what you should be doing. Hmmm, rude? And yet it's hard to blame these folks because 1) I'm sure they think they are helping and 2) they've been fed these same lines over and over by the mass media so why shouldn't they believe that this information is accurate and thorough?

So, on to the 6 things I'd like people to know about diabetes:

1. Having diabetes is not the patient's fault. Are there some types of diabetes that could have been prevented? Sure. Is everyone's diabetes that way? No! Either way, is it our responsibility to judge? No! Diabetes sucks enough as it is.
2. Diabetes, nowadays, is not a life sentence without sweets. In the ol' days, diabetes used to mean not touching anything with sugar in it (cake, soda, candy, even fruit!) Today we know that anything with carbs in it will affect blood sugar levels in the same way. A piece of bread with 20 carbs in it will affect my blood sugar the same as a piece of pie with 20 carbs. Maybe one will act faster or slower but, in essence, it's the same. Nowadays, diabetes management is about analyzing the food that you take in and taking insulin for it. Diabetics are now their own pancreas. It's hard work but it affords us the freedom to be able to make choices about what we eat. Should we always make bad choices and justify it with extra insulin? NO! But should you really be eating pie for breakfast? I rest my case.
3. We all know there are complications, you don't need to tell us about your aunt/brother/cousin/grandma's issues. Every diabetic out there has been lectured ad nauseum about the risks you take when you don't control your diabetes as much as possible. Do some choose not to listen? Sure. But for the rest of us, telling us about people you know with diabetes who've had horrible things happen to them just brings us down. We're trying out best to control the beast and be optimistic at the same time, so please don't pee in our Fruit Loops by reminding us about the bad stuff. People who have cancer know that there is a chance they could die but what crazy, insensitive, jerk goes around reminding them of that? Sheesh!
   
4. There is a big psychological component to diabetes. Diabetes sucks both physically and mentally. It's a disease that follows us around every second of every day. With every action (exercise, eating, illness, etc), people with diabetes must sit and try to calculate how it will affect their blood sugars. And it gets exhausting. Add to that the pressure of maintaining good control during a pregnancy or trying to prevent complications later in life and it can feel like a lead weight on your shoulders. The guilt of a bad blood sugar, the fear of complications, etc, etc . . can do a number on any diabetic's head.
   
5. There is no easy answer. Taking care of your diabetes isn't like brushing your teeth. How would you feel if you brushed your teeth 6 times a day, flossed and rinsed and still had 3 cavities at your next dentist appointment? Sometimes, that's how diabetes is. You can do everything right and still not predict what your blood sugar will do. Will the physical activity of exercise make my blood sugar go down? Or will the stress of the heat and physical activity make it go up? The path isn't always cut and dry. Another reason why diabetes can mess with your head. Please understand that one bad blood sugar doesn't mean a diabetic is being irresponsible or doesn't know what they are doing. It just means that their diabetes is doing what diabetes does.
   This is the biggest reason that I want people to know that insulin is not a cure. It doesn't fix diabetes it just puts a band-aid on it. No human being can ever be as good as a working pancreas and, as a result, complications still happen. We need a cure and we deserve a cure!
6. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are totally different animals and function by totally different rules. Look it up! This is probably my biggest pet peeve right now. I really hate having the rules and traits of Type 2 diabetes thrown back at me by someone who thinks they know diabetes. No, if I eat right, exercise and lose weight my diabetes will NOT go away. And you know what? That's true for some Type 2's also! My body doesn't make insulin. That factory shut down when I was 8 and it ain't coming back! If I killed off all your kidney cells, you wouldn't make pee anymore. No matter how healthy, athletic or great your diet is. Same kinda thing! No, having an insulin pump does NOT mean that my diabetes is "really bad." No, a random blood sugar of 200 doesn't mean I suck at managing my diabetes. There are so many differences between the types of diabetes (Type 1, Type 2, Gestational, Monogenic, LADA, etc) so please don't assume that the rules of diabetes that you are aware of apply to every diabetic out there.
   

The moral of the story is that there's a lot that goes into controlling diabetes, it's a shame that more people aren't aware that it isn't all black and white. We all have good and bad days and we all deserve a break. As hard as it can be to face the ignorance, I really do my best to be patient with people and explain where their knowledge is missing. Some people really want to learn. And others don't and will still think they know more than you. I just try to walk away from those. In the meantime, I feel lucky to be part of such a big wonderful online community of folks who do get it.

PS: If you want to check out some other posts from DOC-ers on D-Blog Day, check out this link!

Finally

Well, it finally happened. I have somehow warded off evil spirits for nearly two years. That's right, it's been since January 2009 that I have been sick. And don't think I haven't loved every minute of it while quietly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sure, there have been sniffles and sneezes (especially over the last several months, all pregnancy related). And even when I thought it would progress into a full-on headcold . . . nope! Still just pregnancy snuffles, no big whoop.

Until, that is, this weekend. After my 24-hour shift (well, 25-hour shift since it was over the time change!) on Sunday morning, I headed out the door and noticed that my throat was pretty scratchy and sore. But it had been a particular cold, dry couple of days in Florida. I just figured that my throat was dry because of the weather.

But it kept getting worse and worse and today I'm feeling like roadkill. In case it's not obvious, pregnancy + tonsillitis + upper respiratory infections don't equal a good time. Add to it not being able to take any meds for relief, not getting any sleep because you are so stuffy and uncomfortable and having to go to 2 doctor's appointments, the grocery store and pick up dry cleaning . . . well, lets just say today and I did battle and I lost.

I had a great post planned for today with a 29-week update, belly pics and all! I even have new ultrasound pics of the kiddo to scan in. But I just can't do it. My wonderful husband was sweet enough to pick up dinner on his way home and carve me out a fort on the couch. And that's where I am currently: poised on the couch, slumped over, with a box of tissues and a glass of tea within reach trying to get through Dancing with the Stars without falling asleep or hacking up a lung. I'm chugging out this post during the commercial breaks just to be able to say I posted something. NaBloPoMo be damned!

I'm hoping to take it easy(er) tomorrow and be able to actually get a real post out, scan a few pics and give you folks a real update. Until then, I'm praying for a good night's sleep and a clearer head in the morning.

Signing off,
~Layne

Pregnancy is funny

. . . in an embarrassing kinda way. In the last couple weeks I have noticed a pretty big change in my belly and with it my mobility, agility and (to some extent) my sanity. Let me explain . . .

First, apparently, I'm a clutz. I can't seem to hold onto anything! At first I just thought it was a serious case of "butterfingers" but I actually read in one of my weekly pregnancy emails that a woman's grasp tends to weaken and she starts losing some of her hand-eye coordination about half-away (or more) through pregnancy. Well, holy cow?!? I felt a little better knowing that it wasn't just me being clumsy. On the other hand, though, it's also kinda like a cruel joke. Because you know what gets exponentially harder when you are later in your pregnancy? Well, let me tell you . . . it's bending over . . . as in, to pick things up off the floor. The things that you dropped on the floor!

And it really doesn't help that I look like a total moron while doing it. Again, let me explain. I have loooong lost the ability to bend at the waist and squatting isn't as fun as it used to be. My solution is a half-bend/half-squat where I actually bow my knees out to make room for the belly that tucks in between them on the way down. Trust me, it's about as graceful as it sounds and is (I'm sure) pretty amusing to view.

You can stop laughing now . . . .

I'll wait . . . .

A few of the other embarrassing things that I've had to enjoy over the last few weeks (as my belly gets bigger and bigger) are:

• The noises I make everytime I change positions. It's mostly getting up but occassionally when my back is hurting I'll let out a nice groan as I sit down too. And it's especially obvious in the middle of the night when I'm changing sides. I keep wondering where the 80-year-old arthritic man is until I realize that it's me making those noises!
• Speaking of the middle of the night . . . Since pregnant ladies aren't allowed to sleep on their backs and (for obvious reason) can't sleep on their bellies, we are relegated to 2 positions: right-side and left-side. But, ironically, I don't roll as well as I used to and it seems like it takes an act of Parliament to re-position from one side all the way to the other side in bed. Between the grunting and groaning and the moving of the pillow and then the (clumsy/bumpy) turning of my body and then fishing for my pump tubing and arranging it so I don't get tangled . . . it's quite the ordeal. And I'm sure my poor husband is jolted squarely awake each and every time this event takes place.
• Lifting my legs up to cross them has gotten harder and harder. Not suprising since my center of gravity has changed so drastically and my abdominal muscles don't have the leverage they used to. No big deal, I don't really need to cross my legs. Well, I do need to wear shoes. And to wear some shoes I need to tie them. Oh! And I also need to wear socks. And it is only when I try to put on shoes and socks that I have realized how far away my feet have gotten from me. Most days I can muddle through. But there are days when my back is killing me or (worse) when my feet and legs are particularly swollen and stiff (mostly after my long, 24-hour shifts at work) when the idea of tying my shoes or putting on socks is just So. Not. Worth. It. I have actually become one of those people who grabs their pant leg in order to hoist their leg onto their lap. That's me!?!? I have even (to my own horror) made puppy-dog eyes at Brad and asked him (pathetically) to help me off or on with my shoes and socks. It's seriously pitiful.

Those are the biggies and I'll spare you the more gory, less tasteful delights of pregancy that really shouldn't see the light of a public blog. Most days I just can't help but giggle at myself. Sure, my back hurts and I'm stiff and sore most nights, I wake up once a night (minimum) to pee and go about every hour during the day, I'm wobbly and clumsy and awkward and there are some days my ankles are indistinguishable from my calves (luckily those are still few and far between).

But it's all so ridiculous I just can't help but laugh at myself. And then she kicks me and makes my belly jump and jiggle to remind me that it's all because of her and how worth it she really is. (She could also be kicking me to let me know that I'm squishing her and to stand up straight already! Either way, still worth it!)

~Layne

Diabetes Meme

That's right, folks. It's Day 6 of NaBloPoMo and I'm already resorting to memes. Well, in all fairness, I am working today and I have had this meme bookmarked for a while for a "rainy day." I really liked that it was all about diabetes and for all the DOC'ers out there, it would kinda catch them up about me and my diabetes. I also don't want to be one of THOSE women who drones on and one about their baby and their pregnancy. (Who am I kidding? I already am! Oh well!) So I figured I'd use this meme to break up some of the pregnancy talk.

Enjoy!

What type of diabetes do you have: Type 1

When were you diagnosed: July 1991

What's your current blood sugar: It was 130 this morning before I ate my cereal. I know. . . that a crappy fasting blood sugar?!? Ugh.

What kind of meter do you use: One Touch Ping (which also functions as a remote control for my pump).

How many times a day do you test your blood sugar: Before the pregnancy, about 6-8 times/day. Now it's more like 10-12. YIKES! That's a lot of strips!!

What's a "high" number for you: Anything over 150 mg/dl really gets my goat. But while I'm pregnant I'd really like to stay under 130 mg/dl.

What's do you consider "low": Anything in the 50s or lower, for sure. If my blood-sugar is in the 60s and I'm symptomatic I'll treat it, I just try to be careful so I don't over-correct.

What's your favorite low blood sugar reaction treater: Most often? OJ or a juice box. But if you really want my favorite, recently it's been Halloween candy! ;-)

Describe your dream endo: Supportive, encouraging, realistic. I want someone who will push me to have the best control possible but understand that this thing has to work in my real life and sometimes getting post-prandial exactly 2 hours after a meal just doesn't happen. Or being the perfect carb counter. The best I can do is read labels and even still I wonder if they are accurate based on some of the crazy numbers I get. I don't want someone who will expect my blood sugars to look like someone's who doesn't have diabetes but I also don't want someone who is fine with "good enough" control and feels like complications in a diabetic are inevitable. I also want someone who will listen to my gripes and be understanding that there is a heavy psychological burden with this disease. Someone who cares as much about my mental health as my A1C.

I want the right balance of MD, cheerleader, counselor and therapist! ;-) Not too much to ask right? And, while my current MD isn't all that great, his nurse practitioner who I try to see as much as possible is beyond awesome. They only MAKE me see the MD once a year and I don't really feel the need to make it more frequent!

What's your biggest diabetes achievement: Ask me in January and hopefully I'll say a safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery for myself and my baby girl!

What's your biggest diabetes-related fear: Complications. I want a long, normal, healthy life. Having to deal with diabetes for the rest of it doesn't sound stellar but I'll take that any day over blindness, renal failure, amputations, death! I have had diabetes for nearly 20 years and (thank God) I'm still complication-free. I wait and I worry at every doctor's appointment, expecting the other shoe to drop.

Somehow I feel like even the tiniest complication would make me a failure. And (even more scary) like it would be the beginning of the end. I know that's ridiculous. But it really, really scares me. That a spot on my eye or the tiniest amount of protein in my urine would mean that, oh well! There goes my body! Because if I'm already showing problems in my 20s, how could I ever expect to live a long, healthy life without everything else falling apart?

Who's on your support team: My husband, my mom, my friends, my daughter (or she will be!) Basically, everyone who loves me, wants me to be healthy and has actually gone to th trouble of trying to understand my diabetes. But I have to give credit to Brad for being the one who actually helps me shoulder the burden of diabetes, mentally and physically. He gets it and he really tries to do whatever he can to support me and make things a tiny bit easier.

Do you think there will be a cure in your lifetime: I really don't know. I used to think so but my hopes are slowly fading. . .

What is a "cure" to you: Well, it's not insulin, that's for sure! And it's definitely not transplantation, because those immune suppression meds are a whole other nightmare unto themselves. A cure is something that will allow me not to have to even THINK about my blood sugar. No meds, no blood sugar testing, no shots, no Endo appointments every 3-4 months.

To me a cure can't mean that I have to keep tabs on every little thing. I can't be the ex-diabetic who needs to test my blood sugars a couple times a week and monitor my A1Cs "just in case." In the end, I'm okay with a "cure" being something that we need to make sure works. (Like transplanting cloned islet cells that can't be killed off by my wacky immune system.) I'm okay testing for the first couple weeks and then maybe a yearly Endo appointment to just keep following me to make sure that those cells are still alive and kicking and cranking out insulin. But much more than that and I feel like it would be like trading one disease for another. Or even better, one form of treatment for another. It may be nice but it's not a cure.

The most annoying thing people say to you about your diabetes is: It depends on my mood and the day of the week. Right now, the thing that's driving me crazy is everybody's inability to distinguish between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. They are such different animals it almost seems erroneous to give them the same name!! And, by the way, since when in medicine do we give every disease that causes the same symptoms the same name? UGH! Grrr. . .

What is the most common misconception about diabetes: See above.

If you could say one thing to your pancreas, what would it be: What have you done for me lately?

Nursery Anticipation

I'm so excited about our nursery. We have everything picked out. In fact, we picked out most of what we wanted for the nursery (bedding, furniture, paint colors, etc) within a couple weeks of finding out the sex of the baby!

And yet our guest bedroom (the future nursery) has not been touched. Not for lack of motivation, either! We (especially Brad) have been itching to dive into this particular project. Brad is so excited about the nursery and has been even before we were pregnant. It was his project. Of course, he expected me to be a big part of the decision-making but when it came time to do the work, he has always talked about how much he was going to enjoy putting the nursery together. Everything from painting to building the furniture to doing the all manly things that he can do in preparation for the baby. You know, while I grow her. ;-)

And I think that's mostly because in every way, it really is his thing. Not only is there not much else can he do during his stint of the pregnancy (except for make me comfortable and help out around the house, which he has been amazing at!) . . . but also this project is perfect for him! While I love decorating and putting a room together in my head, he actually has the patience required to do the job the right way. For example, whenever we've painted a room together, I take the rolling and he does the cutting in. Why? Because I need to feel productive and like I'm blowing through a task and he actually has the patience to sit and paint the tiny, detailed areas meticulously, all the while not spilling a drop and not getting frustrated. In this way (and because he has to deal with me day in and day out), my husband has the patience of Job.

Oh! And he's also much more artistic than me. I, for one, can't draw a stick man with a ruler and he can pretty much copy whatever he sees through painting, drawing, whatever! How lucky am I?!?

And for me this is great because it means that he is not only willing but eager to let me choose anything for the nursery (paint, furniture, projects, etc) and he'd happily be up for the task! Not to say that he isn't interested in being involved in the design part of the process. Instead it's just to say that because he's so artistic and patient, that inability or unwillingness on his part wouldn't be something that narrowed our options for what we could do with the room! Even things that I was sure he'd need help with, he would insist he could do on his own!! Woo hoo!

So why on Earth haven't we even started on the nursery? Ugh. Well, since it's our only guest room we've had some trouble letting go of it. We'd still really like a room for our guests. So we've been trying to think of a way to preserve our hosting abilities (combine the office and the guestroom, get a sleeper sofa, etc). And until we figured out how (or even if) we can do this, we couldn't very well start on the nursery. (Where would we put all the guest room stuff?) But I've definitely tried to do as much as possible without keeping it from being a guest room in the meantime. We cleaned out the closet in that room, threw out a bunch of unnecessary stuff, re-organized and re-shuffled and found a home for everything in there that was non-baby . . . except for the furniture.

So finally, about a month ago, we just decided to let it go. We don't have overnight guests often (maybe a couple of times a year) and it just wasn't practical to shove a bed into our office, a room we use every day of the year. In the end, it's our home and we have to be comfortable in it and make it work for us, not guests. We may get a sofabed in the future if it seems reasonable. But part of me doesn't even want to do that because I can't think of anyone who would visit who would rather sleep on a sofabed in our den rather than have their own hotel room. I guess we'll see.

BUT my brother and sister-in-law were visiting at the end of October and it seemed like a perfect final farewell to our guestroom. I mean, what a shame to convert the room into a nursery right before we knew they were visiting. So we held out a little longer.

And this is the first weekend that we've been FREE to officially start on the nursery. It seems like everyone I know who is pregnant (online and off) whether they are due about the same time as me or not as far along, has started on their nursery. I feel like such a slacker! Plus I'm so envious of all the adorable nursery pics I'm seeing. I just can't wait to get started. I helped Brad clear out the room today and Habitat for Humanity will be picking up all of the guest room furniture from that room. I'm working tomorrow but he'll be spackling nail holes, prepping and painting while I'm out of the house. (Have I mentioned that I think he's awesome?)

I can't wait to come home Sunday morning to a cleared out, cleaned up, PINK room! We are planning on waiting for our shower to see if we get any of our nursery furniture before we go out and buy it. Until then, we'll still have a little more painting to do over the base color and some shelves and decorations to hang. Eeeeek!! It's like she's actually coming!! :-D

~Layne

PS: Sorry for the convoluted ramble. Can you tell I tend to WAY over-think things?

Big Blue Test and a good cause

So this has been all over the DOC like white on rice but it's a great cause and so easy to do, you really can't help but spread the word. For those of you who don't know, November is a big diabetes month. Not only is it National Diabetes Month, but November 14th is alsoWorld Diabetes Day (and the anniversary of me stumbling upon the DOC).

And finally, also on November 14th, is the Big Blue Test. This is the second year that people in the DOC and around the world have participated in the Big Blue Test in order to come together as a community and to raise awareness about diabetes. The idea is that on November 14th at 14:00 (or 2pm for all you non-military folks), people with diabetes around the world will test their blood sugar, do 14 minutes of exercise, test again and then share their results. And it's called the Big Blue Test because the blue circle is the international symbol for diabetes.

But this year the Big Blue Test got even bigger. Not only was a swanky promotional video created for the Big Blue Test website (which includes several of the most prominent members of the DOC). But also, in order to increase awareness and online views of the video, Roche (makers of Accu-Chek diabetes products) have sponsored the production of the video and will also donate $1 for each view the video recieves, up to $75,000. This is HUGE and the money will go toward two charities supported by the International Diabetes Federation, Insulin for Life and Life for a Child. I can't imagine being diagnosed with diabetes and NOT having access to insulin. But there are so many children around to world where this is their reality. These charities not only provide ongoing clinical care and diabetes education for children with diabetes around the world but also supplies these children with the insulin they need to stay alive!

Please click on this link and watch the video. I'm not sure how Roche is logging video views (if any view from any website counts or if you need to view the video from the host page). So rather than chance it, I'm not going to embed the video in this post. Instead, go to the source at the Big Blue Test, view the video and be counted. It's less than 2 minutes long and could help save the lives of thousands of children with diabetes.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm completley unable to post a picture without giving any description. What can I say? Being succinct is just NOT in my nature.

So to explain: I didn't post any ultrasound pics from my last scan because we just didn't get any god/clear pictures of her with that scan. The tech saw all the body parts she needed to, was able to get all her measurements and re-confirmed that she's (still) a girl! But as far as face or body pics. . . nada. Our baby girl is very uncooperative during her scans! Oh well.

BUT the time before that, at my 21 week scan, not only did we get a few great shots but I also got video! It was the first ultrasound that Brad couldn't be there for and I hated that he was missing it. So I asked the tech if she could try her best to get a few great shots of the baby for him. Instead, she offered to record a DVD of the entire ultrasound!! It was $10 but SO worth it!!

The entire video is about 24 minutes long and in it they go through most of the baby's anatomy (which was cool for me but probably not anyone else) and they went especially in-depth with her heart scan (called an Echo), again super cool for me. I wanted to add this short clip from the beginning of the ultrasound where they were able to get a great shot of her profile and face. A few times you can even see her sucking and moving her mouth!! Toward the end, you'll also see the very beginning of her Echo.

Enjoy!

Baby Shower Invitations!

I had actually planned to post this a couple of weeks ago but since I had an inkling I might be doing NaBloPoMo, I decided to save it for November. Yep, stockpiling blog posts. . . that's my plan to get through NaBloPoMo. :-)

Anyway, I'm so excited to finally share this with you! Albeit, this may be a silly thing to get excited about, but life's about the little things, ya' know? My best friend and mom have been working hard to plan my baby shower. It will be right before Thanksgiving and I'll be about 31 weeks along. Even though I completely trust them to plan an awesome shower, I just can't help but want to be involved. I'm really excited about it!

One of the things I was especially excited about was the invitations. I know a girl I used to work with who was AWESOME at anything crafty, especially scrapbooking and cards. (Hi Amber!) She even has her own blog and Etsy shop! Right before I left my last job, I saw some baby shower invitations that she designed for another friend and co-worker who was throwing a baby shower for her daughter-in-law and soon-to-be grandson. They were absolutely adorable.

A few months later, I found out I was pregnant! Once we started thinking about the baby shower, I immediately thought of Amber and the adorable baby shower invitations she had made. So I asked if she would consider designing mine. Because she is so sweet and easy to work with, she not only agreed but also came up with some amazing options for me based on the details I sent her about the baby shower. Since I'm not much of a "theme" person, I decided to just focus on colors and shapes for the shower. Specifically, we picked a pink and brown color scheme and, largely, we'll be using circles and polka dots in pink and brown and white as an accent. Here are some pictures that we saved that function as our make-shift inspiration board:

After sending her a few of these pictures, I ended up falling in love with one of the designs she came up with. And after some back and forth communication and a few tweaks, I had a batch of adorable invitations to send out for my shower! I can't even explain to you how happy I was with them! Even Brad commented on how nice the invitations were. (I believe "wow, these are nicer than our wedding invitations" were the exact words out of his mouth!) You can see for yourself what a great job she did!

Because I'm so happy with these invitations and her work (and because she is a seriously sweet human being), I wanted to share these with you and give out a hardy recommendation for her Etsy shop. The process went so smoothly and so quickly. She was great with communication and her designs are all beautiful, no matter what your taste or style is. I really can't recommend her enough. For all the other expectant moms out there, if you are looking for adorable handmade invitations that are really beautiful and impressive, please consider getting in touch with Amber via her Etsy shop.

In the meantime, we sent out our invitations a couple weeks ago and the RSVPs are starting to roll in. In some ways, it's hard to believe that it's MY baby shower?!?! (What? I'm having a baby girl? I'm going to be a mom?!? How crazy! How fun and exciting!) But mostly I'm just so happy and excited. I'm really enjoying helping with the planning and I'm even doing a couple projects for the shower. (I just can't help myself!) I'll update more once I finish a few more of the projects and (hopefully) post pics of the shower . . . if I can remember to bring my camera, actually take pictures and somehow manage to not look like a beached whale by the time the shower rolls around! ;-)

~Layne

NaBloPoMo?

So, it's November which means NaBloPoMO is back. I participated last year and it was pretty difficult but at the end I really felt like I accomplished something. I definitely caught the blog bug and I think it made a pretty obvious change in my blogging habits. For me, it's easy to see a change in my blogging since last year and my posts have been less infrequent. (Is that a double negative?)

For those who don't already know, NaBloPoMo stands for National Blog Posting Month. The real fanatics participate throughout the year but the biggie is Novemeber and that's when most bloggers will join in. The goal is to get bloggers to sit down and write something every day for the entire month of November. This not only helps reinvigorate and inspire those who blog because they like to write, but it also it does wonders to light a fire under bloggers (like me!) who have the tendency to lose the drive to blog. It gets us back in a groove and inspires us to make blogging a habit rather than a mostly-forgotten hobby. It's a nice reminder of how fulfilling blogging can be and how big a community we are really a part of.

Now, that's all well and good. But I wasn't too sure about participating this year. Which suprised me because after NaBloPoMo 2009, I thought this would definitely be something I would be doing every year. It was a fun challenge and as hard as it was at times, I really enjoyed blogging so often. BUT. . .

This year, my November is madness. I'll be 7 months pregnant, working full time, having my baby shower AND attending my 10-year high school reunion! Not to mention Thanksgiving and the fact that starting in November I'll be seeing my OB bi-weekly, my perinatologist weekly and my Endo every 3 weeks or so!! That's about 1-2 doctors appointments per week!! HOLY SMOKES!! That's a busy month! We are even considering remodeling our bathroom within the next couple of weeks before the baby comes. (Don't say it, I know we are nuts.) PLUS, in October I went to a week-long conference (super fun but SUPER exhausting) and had relatives in town visiting for two different weekends. All this stuff makes for a pretty exciting couple of months, but I'm seriously tired and when in the world am I going to fit in blogging?!?

So I just figured, nope! No NaBloPoMo for me this year.

Then I felt bad. I had given up without even trying. So I'm in . . . kinda. I'm going to do my best to post daily during the month of November. But I'm going easy on myself. As in, I'm telling myself that if I only have time for a pic or a few sentences and that's my whole post, then fine. (There will probably be lots of Wordless Wednesdays in November!) And if I miss a day, I will definitely keep on going but I won't beat myself up about it. In short, this won't be the mad race that it was last year.

So here goes nuthin' . . .

~Layne