On Staying Productive

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So, as my pregnancy comes to an end I'm looking maternity leave square in the face. I am so looking forward to having that time at home with our sweet little boy. However, the idea of leaving my job for 12 weeks {or whatever, I haven't really figured out how long yet} is a pretty intimidating. The longest I have ever been away from work was for our wedding and honeymoon for 2 weeks. Of course this time someone will be covering my accounts for me but it's still a little scary.

I've really had to put some thought and intention into my last few months at work {count down... 8 weeks to go!} to make sure that everything is neat and tidy by the time I'm ready to walk out the door. When I "come back" to work, I'm actually going to be working from home full time, at least for a while,  which is a big change compared to what I'm used to. Right now I'm in a big fancy office building, get dressed for work, cubicle type of situation. The transition to working from home with a newborn is going to take a lot of focus and will definitely require me to figure out some methods to stay productive so I don't get behind.

Here are some fool proof methods that I already use and some that I plan to put into place.

A Pretty Work Space
Like I said I'm in a cube for right now. I actually enjoy my little space, everything has it's place and I've decorated it up pretty cute. But in the end it's still a cube. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to be able to put together my own little home office. I wouldn't mind something a little like what you see above. I'm going to be setting up in our gym room. Queue the Pinspiration!

Coffee.
Not much more needs to be said. Waking up and knowing that a nice hot cup of coffee {let's be honest, it's usually lukewarm} will be spending the morning at my desk with me definitely gives me a little more motivation to get my a** out of bed and get moving. I'm sure that after late night feedings, diaper changes and other newborn shenanigans this will be even more necessary.

A {bunch of} Calendar{s}
I would forget to screw on my own noggin every morning if it wasn't on my to do list. I rely so heavily on written reminders that it's a little concerning.  I keep my lovely Lilly Pulitzer planner in my purse, my iCal on my phone, an Outlook calendar, a desk calendar,  and a white board calendar on the fridge all completely synchronized at all times. Everywhere I go there is a calendar within 12 inches of me. I can't even imagine what this is going to look like in another 5 years when we have a million kid activities to keep track of?

Music/Quiet
Depending on the task at hand usually determines if I need quiet or music. If I've got a day full of conference calls, I'm musicless. If I'm drowning in budgets {which I currently am} I've got Pandora on all day long. And? As of November 1st I've got Christmas music on. Not at all sorry.

Pressure
I do my best work under pressure. Good thing because my job can be mega stressful. I was never the type to start a paper in college weeks before it was due. I was much more likely to be awake for 24 hours before a midterm exam or paper was due. It's just the way I am. This is both annoying and amazing to Nick, who is definitely a write the paper 3 weeks ahead of time type of guy. I work best with deadlines and harassment. It's sick, I'm sick, I know.

There are times that I have day dreamed about starting our own business. I love the idea of leaving the suburbs and the corporate world far behind. Maybe we'll move to a small little town in the mountains {or by the beach} somewhere and do something that we love. Nick wants a coffee shop where he can spend all day making perfect sandwiches. I'd love a cute little boutique. That's where Kabbage comes in. Kabbage offers small business lines of credit from $500 to $100,000 with just a quick online application you can be qualified within just a few short minutes. If you’re an entrepreneur looking to boost your productivity, Kabbage is an online provider of small business loans that can help you grow your dream business!

Fall Favorites

I'm linking up once again with some of my favorites April, Christina, & Co for my favorite kind of Friday post. And Andrea for Friday Favorites. Two is better than one :)

One | Friday Treat Day
Just like every other Basic B, I do love me a PSL. But, it wouldn't be like me to not complicate things just a little bit. So, my actual preference is a 1/2PS1/2VL {in Starbucks language that's a one pump pumpkin spice, one pump vanilla latte. Way more delicious in my opinion and almost always gets an eye roll from the barista.} I have always dubbed Friday as Friday Treat Day. I love Friday Treat Day and look forward to it all week long. My favorite Friday Treat is always my Vanilla Latte from Starbucks {or 1/2PS1/2VL, or Eggnog Latte, or Peppermint Hot Chocolate depending on what time of year it is.}


Two | Rainy Football Sunday
According to the forecast it's supposed to rain this weekend. This is extremely exiting. I love Sunday mornings when we're still in bed and Nick proclaims it a chili day. Nothing is better than sitting around all day Sunday watching football in pajamas with chili in the crock pot.

This is what a typical football day looks like in our house. Sweats, candles, and our fun fall decorations.

Three | An Empty Calendar!
In the fall our calendar always empties out. We actually have several weekends in. a. row. at our own house, waking up in our own bed and I love it. We have fun in the summer time but I miss being home. Right now being home means spending way more time at Babies R Us, Hobby Lobby and Pottery Barn Kids than ever before in my entire life.

This is what November looks like. Okay so it doesn't look THAT empty but trust me. Compared to other months that you can't even see the lines between the days on my calendar, this is bare bones.

Four | Beach Trips
Okay, I know this sounds really weird. The thing is, where we live, the fall is the absolute most beautiful time to be at the beach. Every fall we try to take a trip out to Half Moon Bay which also happens to be pumpkin patch central. They have so many cute pumpkin patches to visit and fun things to do. This year we didn't get to do our pumpkin patch visit but we did have a wedding in Half Moon Bay back in September and it was such a perfect weekend. Next year we will have a 10 month old to take to the pumpkin patch at the beach and I cannot help but be so excited for that!

This was our trip just last weekend to Pismo Beach. A little bit different than our normal fall beach trip but just as wonderful. I swear there is a baby bump somewhere in there...

Five | Fall TV
I love our fall tv line up. We have been watching Sons of Anarchy & Parenthood {both in their final seasons. I can't even deal with that.} The Walking Dead {this is my love to dread show. I always want to know what's going on with them but I really hate zombie anything} and our new favorite How to Get Away With Murder. Viola Davis is amazing and stunning and I just love her.

Happy Friday!

Bump Date | 28 Weeks

How Far Along? 28... whoa baby. slow down.


Size of Baby: According to my What to Expect app, he's 16 inches and weighs just around 2 1/2  pounds. I'm guessing he's actually a little bigger than that since he's measured just a little big bigger than average all along. 


Gender: All boy. By the way, I'm not going to include this on here anymore. We all know he's a boy.


Weight Gain: Another 3 pounds,  making it 10 pounds total since my first doctor's appointment in June.


Stretch Marks: Nope! I thought I saw one the other day when I woke up, but breathed a huge sigh of relief when I realized it was just a wrinkle imprint from my shirt. Thank goodness, hopefully they continue to stay away!


Maternity Clothes: Yes! Finally! After whining and complaining I am finally the proud owner of a very cute pair of Jessica Simpson maternity skinnies from Motherhood. I am so disgusted disappointed in the pathetic maternity section at Target. Somebody is really missing a market there. I also placed a big 'ol order with Pink Blush Maternity this week and stocked up on all kinds of fun stuff for the holidays.


Nursery: We officially own every piece of furniture that we will need for this room. We got his dresser/changing table, side table, rocker, and of course crib and everything is put together! Everything is set up and in place and I can't help but walk in there a few times a day and try to picture what it will be like when he's finally here. All I have left to do is some decorating!


Purchases: I finally have started buying clothes and I just bought his entire bedding set last week from The Land of Nod. Which, by the way is perfection.  I held off  on buying clothes for so long and did such a good job. I do have one rule though, only clearance items allowed. I know we are going to get so many clothes as gifts that I don't want to over do it. But, if I see something I can't resist and it's on clearance, you better believe I'm going to buy it. I went to a consignment sale on Saturday morning and came home with a ton of cute stuff. You can check out Consignment Mommies for all kinds of good info on upcoming sales in your area.


Movement: We are starting to have more rolls and big stretches but still lots of kicks and jabs. He's suuuuuper active at night and loves when his daddy talks to him.  I was sitting in a staff meeting last week and all of a sudden his little hiney {I think it was his hiney} just sort of bulged out of my right side. It was such a crazy feeling and looked pretty funny too. I think {hope} he is finally starting to turn and get himself into position. How crazy is that?!


Symptoms: Holy reflux. It really sucks. It's really getting worse and worse all the time. I got the go ahead from my doctor this week to start taking Zantac since even water is giving me heartburn. I really, really have tried to stay away from any and all medication but eating half a container of Tums every day is clearly not helping that cause.


Sleep: Sleeping so good! My nightly bathroom trips have increased to 3.  I don't think that's going to get any better any time soon so I'm trying really hard to train myself to fall back to sleep right away.


Cravings: Cheesecake!! And Mexican restaurant chips and salsa. That's all I ever really want to eat for lunch. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm solely responsible for keeping the organic milk and orange juice industries in business.


Food Aversions & Morning Sickness: Still throwing up about once every two weeks or so. It's like my body decides not to digest something, and then it just comes right back up. Feeling really good over all though, no nausea or anything like that.


What I'm Missing: Sleeping on my stomach. And back for that matter.


Best Moment of This Week: So many! Unrelated, but my mom is finally healthy again and was ready to go home. My sister and sweet baby niece flew down to pick her up to take her home. We miss her so much already. It was pretty special to be able to spend every day with her for the last two months but we are so happy that she is feeling better and ready to be back on her own. It was so much fun to have my sister and Nayeli here for a few days too. That smiley little baby girl is everything. Also unrelated, but our carpet & baseboards are finished and I'm finally feeling like I've got a handle on making real things happen in the nursery. Also, finally doing our hospital tour. It's pretty exciting to see where we are going to be when we meet this little guy and definitely made this all feel even more real!


Looking Forward to: Getting the nursery all finished. I've got a ways to go but I'm really excited to see it all come together. And, we've got our showers coming up in the next couple of weeks!


Funny{ish} Moment: So we were at Home Depot this last weekend and the checker was so sweet and asking all about the baby. She told me I looked fabulous, asked if this was our first, and asked if we knew the sex. As soon as I told her we were having a boy her whole tone changed. Her response? She goes.. Oh. Well, you really should have a girl. My response? Whaaaaaa? Really?


Memorable Moment: The dreaded glucose test. I posted a pic on insta of me on Friday thoroughly enjoying the glucose drink. Silly me. I thought that was going to be the worst part. The entire rest of the day I felt like I was going to puke and pass out. Luckily we were taking a road trip down to Pismo Beach and I was able to sleep in the car for a couple hours and I crashed. hard. I felt like I was hungover for the next two days and didn't feel completely back to normal until Monday. But, I passed and thank goodness! There is absolutely no way that I could have done the three hour. No way.

October Goals

Okay. So, somehow it's October and I had a small panic attack when I woke up this morning. It didn't help that someone on my Instagram posted that there are only 11 weeks until Christmas. That almost was enough to send me over the edge. I don't know how it's possible that we are so close to meeting little G man. I feel like we are still so completely and utterly unprepared. I actually had a dream the other night that he had already been born and we were in the hospital and we literally had no baby items with us or at home. Not even a pack of diapers. Clearly it's time to get our butts in gear.

September went by so fast and I honestly didn't do a good job at all of keeping up with the goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the month. Let's review them shall we?

1. Schedule all work meetings through November. I actually did do this. I'm not looking forward to how many meetings I have in November but I piled them all on at the beginning of the month so I could just get everything over with as quickly as possible.

2. Find G's Crib. We did this one too! It's been sitting in our garage ever since but at least we have it and can get it put together and moved in in the next couple of weeks.

3. Get to Ikea for nursery furniture. Done! I'm always so excited to go spend the day wandering Ikea but as soon as it's over I'm so happy that won't have to go back there for a long, long time.

4. Make a weekly meal plan for 3 weeks of the month. I actually didn't even do a meal plan for one week of the month. Womp.

5. Replace the bedroom carpets. Scheduled for Monday! Finally! Our house is getting turned upside down this weekend.

6. Schedule fence replacement. Done! Our absolutely beautiful fence went in last week. It looks amazing and our backyard is like a fortress now.

7. Do prenatal yoga 3 times each week. So... this happened once.

I guess it actually wasn't that bad..   but I'm going to give myself some grace in October and set a few less goals... especially since these are among 43892 other things that have to happen at work. So, for October this is what I've got planned.


1. Set up nursery furniture. Piece by infuriating piece.

2. Freezer meal planning. Forget the food we need to eat now, I need to start collecting recipes to make in the weeks before the baby comes for crock pot meals that will be completely effortless after he's home.

3. Regular work outs. In whatever shape or form they may be.

4. Read a library book. I accidently reserved a  real book that I thought was going to be an audio book to listen to on my commute. I started reading it, and it's so good but I need to take the time to actually do it before they start charging me late fees. Anybody read Mr. Mercedes yet? I have really been loving the new books Stephen King has put out in the last few years.

5. Re-cover glider. Nick's mom gave us their old glider for the nursery. It is so ridiculously comfy but it really needs a new cover. I need to find some fabric that will match and get sewing!

Bump Date | 25 Weeks | Baby Has a Name!

So there it is! Our sweet boy will be named Grayson Brooks. We are so in love with his name :)

How Far Along? 25! {15 weeks to go! That is just nuts.}

Size of Baby: a whole foot long and weighing in at over a pound and a half!

Gender: Boy, boy boy!

Weight Gain: 6 pounds total. Finally getting somewhere!


Stretch Marks: No, thank goodness. But my belly is starting to get a little itchy if I forget to lotion up when I get out of the shower. I'm trying to make sure I never let that happen.

Maternity Clothes: Yep! Slowly but surely I'm getting a pretty good collection going. Still in search of the perfect work pants and jeans.

Nursery: Getting better every day! We completely finished painting, Nick installed the new light fixture {which promptly blew up. Not a user error, just a crappy fixture so we will have to try again with that one}, child safe outlets, and dimmer switch. Next up,  new carpets and baseboards, the project is scheduled and I'm totally dreading it but I can't wait for it to be done.


Purchases: Yeaaa... I may have gone a little crazy with the monogrammed layettes on Etsy this week.

Movement: Yes, and absolutely loving every minute of it. I felt him get the hiccups the other night for the first time which was such a funny feeling. I could see every little hiccup move my whole belly. So precious. Lots of direct kicks to my ever shrinking bladder.

Symptoms: Acid reflux and heart burn. There's no way to avoid it. It's not even caused by certain foods. Basically if I eat anything or drink water, I'm paying for it.  I've been drinking so much milk with every meal. Like 3 glasses with dinner. It's the worst when I get in bed. Tums are pretty much the only thing that keeps the reflux under control. I'm thankful for the delicious berry flavors.

Sleep: So all over the place. Some nights are great. Others are terrible. Mostly terrible.

Cravings: All things dessert. Smoothies, vanilla yogurt, cheese cake.


Food Aversions & Morning Sickness: Still avoiding most meats but trying to make up for the loss of proteins with lots of nuts and trail mix and things like that.

What I Miss: Nothing, I love this so much.

Best Moment of This Week: A few family members were able to feel him move at a family birthday party last week. That was pretty special. Starting to feel him moving more consistently throughout the day, and definitely those awesome hiccups. Listening to his heart beat at our last doctors appointment and scheduling all of my doctors appointments from here on out. That definitely made this all feel so real. Our little anniversary weekend was so special. It's crazy to think this is the last one we will have without a little one!

Looking Forward To: More nursery progress! Even with the room completely empty I love going in there a few times a day. I've been imagining how it's going to look when everything is done and I am just so excited.


Workout: I was able to get in a few yoga videos and walks with the dog.

Interview with the Husband

Major throw back to our engagement photos. I just love how happy he looks.

In honor of our second year anniversary this week I did a fun little interview with Nick. Because, who doesn't want to hear from the husband who puts up with all 'o this? I had him trapped in the car on the way to Tahoe over the weekend and he couldn't escape. Ha!


So, here we go.


What was your favorite part of our wedding?
Hubs: It hard to choose just one. I think walking back down the aisle after the ceremony was over. The relief... Like yes.. We're married!


What is a Fall clothing trend?
Hubs: Ummm.... Boots and scarves?


What does PSL stand for?
Hubs: Laughs. I have no idea. Is that the ice bucket challenge thing?


What are two things I do really well?
Hubs: You are very good at organizing things. And... You are very good at calming me down. At least attempting to.


What is your first memory of me?
Hubs: I remember thinking.. She's a cute little blonde and wondering if you would think I was too short for you.


Where do you see us 5 years from now?
Hubs: 2 kids... Maybe another on the way? Loving our family life but pretty much doing the same thing we're doing now.


What is one chore you absolutely despise?
Hubs: Picking up your shoes off the floor. {For the record I'm fairly certain this almost NEVER happens) Also, putting away dishes. Folding clothes... That's pretty much it.


When is the last time you were nervous?
Hubs: Everyday. We have a newborn on the way. Touché husband.


What memory are you excited to create with our kids?
Hubs: Christmas traditions.


If we could drop everything we were doing right now and go do something, what would it be?
Hubs: Mmm... Go back to our honeymoon. Or really just go anywhere for two weeks.


If money wasn't an object what would change about our house?
Hubs: A new one?


If you could hang out with any actor for a day, who would it be?
Hubs: Paul Rudd. He's a pretty funny guy. We'll drink some beers.


What is your favorite part about Fall?
Hubs: It's cozy, not having to be so busy all the time and eating good fall food.


If you could have named yourself, what name would you have chosen?
Hubs: I like my middle name. {Gavin}


If you went on America's Got Talent what would your act be?
Hubs: I'm pretty good at cooking... Do they even do cooking on that show? I don't know I've never watched it....How long is this interview going to be?


If fat, cholesterol and calories were nothing to worry about, what two foods would you live off of?
Hubs: For sure pizza... and I can eat a lot of potato salad.. With barbecue chips.


What is your love language?
Hubs: You always say its the one where you do chores.  But I like all of them. 


What is my love language?
 Hubs: The nice words one.


What is your ideal way to relax?
Hubs: Some nice music, a bottle of wine, and a good view, with you.

So there he is. Such a cutie. I just love this guy to pieces and I'm so thankful that he puts up with these ridiculous things that I make him do.

Cotton Anniversary - 2 Years!

We are celebrating 2 wonderful years of marriage today! How are we celebrating? We'll... I'm home sick, we were both up all night with a sick Cubby dog, and it's Monday. So, there's that.
We have an appointment today to hear the baby's heartbeat with a quick dinner date afterwards and that absolutely makes this a happy day.

We really spoiled ourselves last year with our trip to Napa and we decided to keep this year's anniversary trip low key in the interest of saving money, especially with all of the nursery furniture we have to buy in the next few weeks. We made use of our A's season tickets on Friday night and went out to a fireworks game. It was Star Wars night and Nick was stoked.

 

Pretty much we just spent the entire weekend eating.

Saturday morning we woke up early, stopped for coffee and bagels and headed to Tahoe for the  night. There is a really bad forest fire burning in the Tahoe area right now and it was incredibly smoky the entire drive, and worse once we actually got there.

SO much smoke.

We arrived right around lunch time and found a cute little pub downtown to eat at for lunch. We checked into the hotel and rested for a few hours and then went out for dinner. Such a delicious dinner. It was so smoky that night that smoke was actually coming through the vents into the restaurant and you could see the haze hanging around the lighting.

Sunday morning was glorious. We slept in, had bagels and coffee in bed, dozed, and watched the first football game of the day. After we checked out of the hotel we went to eat, eat, eat some more. This time, brunch at a place that was featured on the Food Network, and then drove out to the lake to take our 2 year photo.

We were pretty ready to get out of the terrible smoke and headed back home. I'm pretty sure my terrible sore throat could be a result of breathing in all of that yucky air. So, I'm on the couch today with a big cup of tea and honey.