Multiple Quick Takes: Otherwise I May NEVER Update

Untitled1. I’ve been struggling to find time to write although my brain is full of random things to discuss. Nothing that is life changing, of course. Well that’s not entirely true — I’m in my 23rd week of pregnancy and that, of course is changing my life. DUH. But you know what I mean, just crippety crap that I’ve been meaning to share. Here goes…

2. Garrett’s mom was in town last week over Garrett’s birthday and over Mother’s Day and we did a bunch of traveling, visiting, cooking, shopping, and then I worked the entire week as well and MAN I AM TIRED. I sure can’t party like I used to, I tell ya. She flew home Saturday morning and I seriously slept the entire afternoon away and then woke up to eat dinner and basically go to bed. Hosting a guest internally and externally at the same time is exhausting, yo! She brought out a bunch of Garrett’s old baby clothes though, which was a riot to see. Like this little fringed vest…OMG!

Untitled

3. We had our Level 2 Ultrasound while she was here. It was SO FUN to take her with us and let her experience this tiny squirming little baby living inside of me. Well, apparently tiny but with GARGANTUAN legs, according to the ultrasound tech. I guess it’s not that surprising — I’m almost 6 feet and one of the shortest people in my family so I didn’t expect a little guy, but it was still crazy to see long ass baby legs. Crazy and fun. it’s still blowing my mind every time we confirm that there is a human growing inside my body. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH.

Legs!

4. It’s funny to think that neither of our sets of parents had any ultrasounds or even knew our genders before we were born. They are both blown away (for better and worse) about all the monitoring, testing and information that is available to us every step of the way during this pregnancy. It is a little overwhelming at times, but it’s also incredibly calming to go in and see our baby growing and developing just like he should and moving around like crazy. People keep saying to me “Just you wait…all that moving will get annoying.” And maybe that is true. But right now, 23 weeks in, I’m savoring how fun it all feels and really enjoying the process. So far this pregnancy has been very (knock on wood) mellow.

5. I did a free one-month trial of Showtime through Amazon Prime and was hoping to find some life changing fun television to watch and so far it’s just been…okay? I’m definitely not feeling like it will be worth keeping up after the free trial for $8.99/mo. I started watching The Affair because it has gotten so much hype and it was fine, but not like BINGE WATCH WORTHY, ya know? I got about 4 episodes in and took a break and I haven’t really felt compelled to go back and see what happens next. So am I missing out? Is there anything else on Showtime that is a must watch before I cancel it on the 27th?

6. We are in the middle of car shopping, which sounds like a very fun and finite task in theory, but we’ve been doing it for months. We BOTH need new cars, so obviously the singular sum of money we are investing alone is requiring lots of thoughts and discussion. Then add in whether these cars are short term commitments (Is Leasing A Car Cheaper Than Buying?) or long term commitments based on what will work now versus what will work a few years from now (what if we have another baby? OMG I KNOW, I JUST WANT TO HAVE THIS BABY FIRST — but also: MULTIPLE CAR SEATS. And man, I don’t want to be buying another car in 2 or 3 years because I’m more of a “drive it ’til it dies” kind of person) and UGH. It’s just not the most fun chore ever, and I feel like for the amount of money I’m going to be spending I want to be a wee bit more excited. Tell me about your kids/car situation (especially if you have two close in age. This potential variable seems to be the most challenging to deal with. Especially if you want to drive other people around aside from your actual children. BOO.)

7. Also, we are going to be buying a house soon which means we also have to look at home loan and hard money lender options so I’m very conscious of how much we finance on these vehicles/monthly payments/etc and how that will affect our lending experience in the future. I mean cars are great, but I’m more interested in moving. So many fixed commitments based on a lot of future variable scenarios and I’m finding that it’s sucking all the fun out of things. Adulting seemed like way more fun when I was a kid. OMG, and then there’s the fact that Garrett suggested in a 100% serious tone last night that we should consider buying a mini-van, which: HELL NO! NO SIR. I AM NOT READY FOR THAT. ABSOLUTELY NOT. NO NEVER.

8. We spent a few hours at CarMax yesterday sitting in a bunch of cars with the express purpose of eliminating them from the list. And while we were successful, I almost about died of heat stroke walking around on the lot and sitting in cars that had been sitting out in the sun. It was only 86 degrees out you guys, and I know as a pregnant person I’m “running hotter than usual” but OHMYGOD I am now panic-stricken about being knocked up during June, July and August in Sacramento. It’s going to be a long, hot summer and well — I may just hole up in my air conditioned house without apology and never leave.

9. You guys, I really miss my dog. I know it will get easier, but man it is still hard.

So over having his picture taken. With that look I think we might be approaching Buster's teenage years.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

24 Responses to Multiple Quick Takes: Otherwise I May NEVER Update

  1. Laura says:

    Holly, you don’t know me but I’ve been reading forever and I’m soooo sorry about your dog 🙁 And so excited about your baby!

    I’m 36 and my partner and I are trying to get pregnant right now with our first and we’d like to have two kids before our 40’s, and he sells cars for a living so I hear a lot about car sales! So I feel like I can shed some light on #6. I would suggest, if you think you’ll probably have 2 kids close in age and you like to keep cars for a long time, buy as though you already have 2 young kids.

    A big tip that I wouldn’t have thought about on my own: you might want to get your carseat and take it with you, and try it in the seats behind both the driver and front passenger seats and see how far forward you need to slide the front seats to accommodate it. Especially since you’re tall! So that might push you into the SUV category just for the extra space in the backseat.

    • Holly says:

      Great tip! And yes the Smaller SUV (frontrunner: Honda Pilot) vs a larger SUV (frontrunner: GMC Yukon) is the exact debate going on. Bucket seats (Yukon) seem more convenient to me with two carseats + passengers vs a bench seat in the second row, but STILL SO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT!

      Thanks for the comments on Buster! xo

  2. Karen b says:

    My favorite sound in the world to this day is the ultrasound heartbeat (my girls are 19 and 16). Hate to suggest it but minivans are awesome — I was a never ever person too but when you have a bag of groceries, a toddler and a car seat, those easy opening doors solve so many problems. As the kids get older, the sound of six softball players or girls scouts is just plain joyful. Pamper yourself! You are creating life – amazing stuff!

    • Holly says:

      Oh Karen — I feel the minivan coming, I just….CAN’T. YET. hahahahahaha My parents had a suburban growing up and my mom says the same thing about a car full of kids. I’m going to give it a few years and then maaaaaaaaaybe when the kid(s?) are older? OY! 🙂

  3. Michelle says:

    5. I just finished the one-month trial of Showtime, and the only show I found to be binge-worthy was Masters of Sex. I also heartily enjoyed the movie Pride, which is also available on Showtime. And if you’ve never seen Cinema Paradiso, it’s such a lovely movie.

    9. I’m so sorry. I still have dreams about the dog I lost close to 15 years ago being alive again, and they’re my favorite dreams. Yes, it eventually hurts less, but it will always suck that you didn’t have more time with him.

    • Holly says:

      You know, it’s funny — I have had 3 dreams about Buster (only one was a nightmare) but they have all been so vivid and positive so that helps (I probably sound like a TOTAL LOON here) but losing that constant companionship is just like relearning how to do life all over again. Crazy how he could affect our lives so dramatically in such a short time!

  4. Amber says:

    Always happy to hear from you! Can’t believe you’re buying two cars and a house so close together, that’s nuts haha. But soon enough you’ll be all settled and you won’t have those big things to worry about! We are planning to purchase a Ford Explorer before we have a baby. My husband has a Jeep Wrangler and a Mustang… so two vehicles that a car seat will not be going in! We also want something that can transport 2 pups and a baby, so we want that back hatch area for that. And I’m pretty sure there’s a 3rd row of seats you can put up if you want to transport more people too!

    Losing a furbaby is SO hard <3

    • Holly says:

      It *is* NUTS. We didn’t really think through this whole: have a wedding, then 4 months later have a baby — hahahaha! Definitely thinking about babies AND dogs in the future so rear storage is a must too! 🙂

  5. Sarah says:

    I always get SO excited for your posts! Thank you for taking the time to update. 🙂

    Just wanted to provide my insight on the car situation: I have a 2.5 year old and a 9 month old and my husband bought our Jeep Grand Cherokee w/o me being 100% all in (I still wanted to test drive the Ford Escape). I cannot imagine me driving any other vehicle now. I love love love it. It easily fits 2 carseats and any other gear/baby necessities required – albeit I cannot fit any passengers other than the front seat. We have even taken it on a 6-7 hour drive and it was super comfortable for the 4 of us. If you’re concerned about carrying additional people, my husband also bought himself a used Ford F-150 (right? I think….). It’s kinda nice having a truck and the interior space is just unreal, especially going from my Grand Cherokee (which seems big to me!). It doesn’t FEEL that big either, which is a plus when I drive it. It might also be handy to have a truck when you move, too! Buying two vehicles within a short timeframe is a little rough for sure….but we were in the same situation where it was necessary to buy. I also fall into the category of “drive it till it dies” so with both our new-to-us vehicles I feel pretty confident we wont need to upgrade for another 10 years.

    And dear GAWD, please tell Garrett to wash his mouth out after even CONSIDERING a mini-van. Ew.

    Also, you are totally validated wanting to stay locked in air conditioned comfort all summer long. Being preggo during summer months is NO JOKE. The sun is just as pretty from your living room window.

    • Holly says:

      Aw, thanks Sarah! And yes – the mouth has been washed out FOR SURE. I am not minivan ready yet. 🙂 The Grand Cherokee looks MUCH MORE my speed LOL

  6. Jillian says:

    I really liked Masters of Sex on ShowTime, especially the first two seasons. I think it’s worth checking out.

  7. Kristen says:

    My husband and I both loved Billions on Showtime. Also, have you checked out Homeland?

  8. Megan says:

    We have the two kids in quick succession situation over here and have LOVED our Mazda 5. I know, I know it looks kind of like a minivan. But it’s kind of a minivan/hatchback/station wagon hybrid. Sliding doors are totally your friend w/carseats though, AND it has the optional back row or lots of cargo room if it’s just the fam. It’s definitely shorter/more maneuverable than a minivan (easier to park) and gets decent gas mileage.

    Friends with similar situations have opted for Ford Escape and the Toyota Highlander- which I think also has the 3rd row option.

  9. Beth says:

    About a month after Paige was born I told Greg “I think I want a minivan”. He always says “okay, let’s go get one” and then I flip out because damn I want one, but a MINIVAN?

    We have a Mazda 3 which was fine when we had the infant seat in the middle. Once we got the convertible (we have a Diono something or other), it didn’t fit in the middle so it’s behind the passenger seat. It’s a giant pain in the ass because when Greg is driving I’m basically sitting in the glove box. But I’m a drive it until it dies kinda gal too, and it’s only four years old. I don’t know what we’ll do about #2, but we’ll probably have to get a new car soon. That’s my very long winded way of saying go in with the long term goal in mind.

    Also, since having a child, I don’t think we’ve driven around another human being. Get ready for your new life. 😉

  10. Sarah Afman says:

    I think if your looking at a smaller Suva with a 3rd row, you’re fine, if you have 2 kids.. don’t be like me and get a 5 seater Suv.. because even though I love my jeep there’s no way grandma is going to be able to crawl in the middle between 2 convertible car seats. I see car shopping in my near future again!

  11. Sarah Afman says:

    Psychology, a loss in second that you need to bring the car seat to look at cars, because isms a game changer as far as leg room if it doesn’t fit in the middle, or if you have 2 and it will be behind the passenger seat

  12. Melissa Roberts says:

    Holy legs baby!! SO CUTE!- the ultrasound pick and your bump pic!
    We love our Honda Pilot. I wish I could trade it in for the newer one I have an older one 2007 and after that they modified a few things. But overall I love it!

  13. Ann-Michel says:

    I was so sorry to read about Buster. He sounded like such a lovely dog and they take so much of our hearts with them when they go.
    sending you lots of random blog reader love xx

  14. Alex McCoy says:

    Ugh. We need a second car so bad. We’ve been getting by with one at the moment and I just don’t want to take the jump yet! We aren’t quite to the kids stage, but I’m like…do we really NEED this just yet? Maybe just one more month, maybe just one more…

  15. Liz says:

    I was so against minivans. My two are 16 months apart. Having a minivan has been so helpful! I don’t know how to pick up my 2 year old and buckle him in while holding my 1 year old. With the minivan, I can press a button and the doors slide open. My 2 year old climbs inside and I shut the door. He can walk around while I put my 1 year old in and I don’t have to worry about leaving one kid in a stroller while I put the other in. The back is also big enough where I can put my double stroller in without folding it up. Saves so much time when running errands. It’s not a cool car but I feel like I can get my kids in and out more safely and it’s so convenient. But, we didn’t buy it with our first kid. Wait until you have the 2nd one. And if they are close together, you might reconsider 🙂

    • Holly says:

      HA! I completely understand. I will never say never, just…right now, you know? NO NO NO NO NO NOT READY. 🙂

  16. Meg says:

    Love the updates, Holly! You’re just knocking out all the big life changes at once, but how exciting! I’m in a TV watching slump right now, too, which I guess is OK since it’s beautiful outside and I really should be doing yard work. We’re car shopping right now too and are kid-less but have a niece in a carseat that we have quite often which doesn’t work in my husband’s sports sedan and my 13 year old Corolla is not super reliable… we’re looking at trading the sports sedan in for a Ford Edge. Surprisingly spacious without that big-SUV feel and it was fun to test-drive! Sending you lots of love for the loss of Buster xo