Be Still

My goodness. I just listened to this song. What beautiful words. Makes me think of this

Psalm 46:10

¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

And reminds me who to turn to when I am afraid.

Having a little baby really brings me back to this verse very often.

I know it by heart now :)

And brings me joy that my bird has found peace in these words as well. She lost her best friend in a tragic event that should have brought joy not sadness. I'm sure it was a very tough week for her and there will be moments in the future that will seem impossible to get through.

I'm so very thankful and blessed to have had a weekend to spend with her, comforting her in what ever way I could.

Look at how beautiful she is and how much baby girl loves her voice.

We miss you auntie poody. Come visit Chicago again soon.

Oh and bring me some more of these awesome booties you made me.

Our Little Love Monkey

It's late, I'm tired, and I'm going to bed in 5 minutes....or right after I finish this.

We are blessed. God gave Mr B and I a precious gift from heaven. Her name is Penny Rene. She was born on January 28 (grampa's bday) 2012. She weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 20 inches long. We adored her the second we saw her face. Can you believe we adore her even more today than we did the day she was born?

She is growing everyday and just amazes me all the time. Here big bright blue eyes are discovering more and everyday. About 2 weeks ago she started smiling at me when I talked to her. She is too cute for words when she smiles at her mama and papa. The other day I noticed her staring at her little hands...moving them around and following them with her big eyes. I think she will be grabbing things very soon!

She is by far the most sweetest little girl I've ever known. Such a a good little girl for mama, never fusses, eats like a champ(my baby hippo), sleeps 4-5 hours at night waking gently to eat and then dozes right back off into a peaceful slumber. She is just an angel from heaven. We are so blessed with such a healthy strong baby. I thank Jesus every day for bringing her to Scott and me.

Just a little encouragement goes a long way

So thankful for morning texts with my mom. She gave me some simple encouragement on how to go about my day with purpose and without anxiety.

I actually have lots to do! But i have found myself for the past week spending a little too much time on the couch watching the boobtube while simultaneously wondering if this baby will ever come. It's truly amazing how miserable too much TV can make you feel....well maybe not that amazing, more like truly obvious.
Today, I limited myself to one show at a time, then I HAVE to get up and do something.....I've been up forrrrrrrrrrr 9 hours now....and have watched 2 tv shows.
I'd say that's an accomplishment in itself....considering my recent history of 4-5 hour marathon viewings of Tabatha Takes Over....even if I really only did one chore today.

I even kept a list of what I did so that I would be encouraged to keep it up. I know. I may be a little pathetic...but it can honestly get a bit boring being pregnant in Chicago in the middle of winter with no job, no family, no friends, only a dog and a daunting list of things I still need to do before baby gets here. Yes, I have a to do list and a done list.
I showered today...keeping up with the daily hygeine ritual of bathing sometimes slips my mind. Before I know it, it's bedtime and I figure "I'll just get it done tomorrow."
AND....That shower I took this morning sparked an interest to clean my bathroom in an effort to get things ready for my houseguests coming next week.
Conveniently enough, our black toilet hardly reveals any dirt or grime....however our black bathtub is not as concealing as the toilet and cannot hide shower scum. It practically glows in the dark. I know...nasty...but don't worry, it's clean now :)
Yup, that was my one chore I accomplished. I did vacuum too, but we have one single rug in our home and it takes about 1 minute to clean.
Besides, I enjoy vacuuming. So that makes it NOT a chore.
Since I had a freshly vacuumed rug, I got inspired to do yoga on it. I have definitely been slacking off on stretching and I feel the aching results in my legs and back. Not a very joyous pregnancy side affect.
Soooooo, now I'm being computer productive. Ordered stuff online for baby, googled what SOPA is, updated birth plan, call list, and hospital bag packing list, budgeted the money and now blogging.
It's very cold out and was snowing earlier. Addi got a special hour's worth of playtime with some friends in the snow....which she thoroughly enjoyed while my toes froze. So worth it though! She took a nice long 3 1/2  hour nap when we got home.
I think I will navigate around Pinterest for awhile before figuring out dinner plans.
All in all, a day to be thankful for. And definitely a special shout out to my mom for her simple words of encouragement. Love you Mom.

Little post

Decided I would do a  "little post", cuz I do have some pictures to share, maybe a few words, and it's a better idea than tv.

My friend Acacia took some beautiful photos of me and my fam recently. It's my "official" documentation of me pregnant.

Isn't my hubby so cute? I just love him to death!



Acacia did an amazing job at quickly snapping some memories for Scott and I to keep forever. Her sweet little girl Fiona did an equally amazing job at occupying Addi during our session.

Thankfully we live in a picture perfect backdrop neighborhood and we didn't have to travel far to get some good shots.
I take several walks around our neighborhood every day and never get tired of it.
This little girl, Maebe, is also from Ca and loves Chicago as much as I do.

We took walks together every day for 2 weeks, and then I left on maternity leave.
I wonder if she misses me.
I don't enjoy not working. I miss my pups. I miss being outdoors for a good few hours of the day, getting some fresh air and relieving the puppies from being cooped up all day.
I guess I just wish little Penny would arrive sooner than later. I'm too bored and anxious to have so much free time.
While I am enjoying my freedom and quiet time, I would much prefer to be in excruciating pain, pushing a baby out of me, and getting no sleep for the next...what...2, 3...18 years??
All in due time. As for now, (yawn) I will be making my way over to the couch for the evening while contemplating every hour or so what to eat next.
Goodnight.

Penny's Moves

"What's your favorite thing about being pregnant?"
I get asked this quite often actually.
My answer has been the same since week 17 of my pregnancy.
I felt the baby move at 17 weeks on the dot...(my sis Kris said she felt the same at 17 weeks with her first:)
It was nothing short of AWESOME!! I became a little obsessed actually, and the obsession with anticipating more movement only grew stronger.
I'm 32 weeks today...WooHoo!!!! Quite a feat, right?! I'm proud.
Now that we know it's a girl, "the baby" is now Penny.
Penny moves ALL THE TIME. Lucky me, I say to myself.
It's my favorite thing about being pregnant. Penny loves to showoff. She sticks her booty out, karate chops, and has already learned how to cartwheel. Yep, she's amazing...already :) LoL
I'm one of those pregnant moms who appreciates a good belly rub from others.
I know just how tempting it is to reach out and rub a nice BIG pregnant belly! And Penny is almost always ready to perform a gymnastics tumble on cue.
I've even been keeping track of who has felt her move already. The most memorable and sweetest connection was when my nephew, Desi, felt her. He is just the cutest little 3 year old Cuban in the world!
He asked  me if he could feel her. So I put his little hand on my belly...she moved instantly and he looked up at me with big eyes and a huge smile, "I felt her!!"
Ahhhhhh, it was so freakin cute. After that, it seemed like everytime he asked to feel her move, she responded. I just loved how excited a 3 year old could get over feeling a baby move inside a mama's tummy.
I'm so thankful for such a healthy baby.
I anticipate meeting her face to face more and more after every movement.
My little Munchkin.
I'm fullterm in less than 4 weeks from now!
Totally crazy. I Can't wait for LABOR!!
I really am so anxious to experience the whole thing...the first notion of labor, where I will be, what I will say to let Scott know it's finally happening, whether my mom will be by my side or not, what the weather will be, how I will deal with the pain, what it really feels like, is it sharp?, crampy?, will I still feel Penny move?, how long until I actually make it to the hospital...those words "any day now" will be on my mind every second of the day in about 4 weeks time.
Scott is excited too.
He love feeling Penny move.
It seems he is already very much connected to her as a papa would be to his newborn baby girl.
So sweet.
He's gonna be so amazing with her and with me.
So amazing to see my husband become what he has always desired.
God is good.

Where did July go?

So my last post was on June 9th. Over an entire month has gone by with no attention to my dear sweet blog.
To be quite honest, I feel like I don't ever have anything interesting to blog about. No really, that's what I tell myself when I think about how long it's been since I've written anything. (I'm thinking it right now)
I'm ALWAYS on the computer. Lately it's pinterest 24/7. But occasionally I drift over to some interesting blogs.
Tonight I was pinning and repinning and blog surfing. I found a tutorial on how to make cute kinky curls in your hair without the use of heat, or really any effort at all. Right up my alley!!!
***Noel's daily hair regime: day one: wash hair, comb...or don't(sometimes I'm too lazy for that), style wet hair, or don't & just leave it to God to decide what it will look like by the afternoon. day two: check out my hair in the mirror to see if it looks decent enough to just leave alone. If not, grab a ponytail holder, barrette, or claw and proceed to style, pin back the bangs...voila! day three: (see day two). day four: (see day two), or spritz a little homemade sea salt spray and scrunch. day five: (see day two or day one). day six: convince myself it's time to repeat day one. My hair NEVER gets greasy, no one can tell I only wash my hair every four or five, sometimes 6 days. Hahaha!!
Okay, back to my original point. So this hair tutorial was on this girl's blog called papermama. After watching the tutorial and repinning it, I quickly scanned her blog for other interesting stuff. I glanced over a photo of a cute newborn baby. Her newborn.
I'm pregnant. And I'm a sucker for newborn baby pictures. So I read her post about her delivery experience. Heartwrenching and heartwarming. Anywho...I started thinking about my own blog and how it was just floating around in blog land, not getting any attention, slowly wasting away day by day.
So, I began a guilt trip on myself.
Conscience: it's been forever since you've visited your own blog.
Self: I know. who cares though. go away guilt.
Conscience: you always start things and don't finish them.
Self: I know. but I seriously have nothing to write about.
Conscience: that's what you think.
Self: uggggghhhhhh. I have writer's block.
Conscience: stop making excuses. You started this blog, initially, to simply write. soooo, write.
Self: alriiiiiiiiiight, jeeze. but it will be boring.

And so August 24th, 2011 post is born.
I'm 17 weeks pregnant now.

I felt the baby move for the first time yesterday :) I was(am) ecstatic! And a little obsessed now. I've lied down on the bed a couple times tonight to see if I feel anything. That's the only position I've been able to feel baby B. It feels like he is doing somersaults and bumping my hand with his little body. I've been so anxious to feel something. To connect in some way the baby to my body. I love watching my belly grow and anticipating all the changes to my body.
At 6 weeks, I was anxious to hear the heartbeat. At 11 weeks, I was anxious to see the baby. At 12 weeks, I was anxious to feel the baby. At 13, 14, 15, and 16 weeks, I was anxious to hear the baby's heartbeat again. Now I'm at 17 weeks. And I'm anxious to see the baby again :) I am anxious to know the sex. But all I really care about is seeing, hearing, and feeling the movement of what's alive inside me. Besides, I'm convinced it's a boy anyways. hehe

Baby,

You are almost 6 weeks developed.
I don't personally feel you yet, but my body sure does. You"ll be happy to know your future feeding vessels are growing each day [it's quite uncomfortable, but well worth it].
I'm also doing my absolute best to make sure I am getting the proper nutrition to help you grow nice and strong. Tonight your papa made us orange chicken and rice with sweet potato fries [it's one of our favorite meals].
I had a pretty long and hard day at work today, so your papa, being the sweetest guy around, offered to give me the night off from cooking. He's the best, I can't wait for you guys to meet.
This weekend we'll be at the start of getting our office transformed into your new room. It will be so sweet, I can just about guarantee it.
Even though we know you are growing into a strong healthy human being, right now you're looking more alien like than human and we're still not sure whether you're a boy or girl. Which is totally fine!
Your papa and I LOVE animals. So without asking his approval, I'm just about certain he's gonna go for my animal themed nursery idea. Which is good in your case, considering animals are appropriate for either gender.

Like, here's one adorable crib bedding I found and Love...

And just look at how adorable these sheets are!!



Now, don't get too excited and come out too soon!! I've had to hold back my own extreme excitement so that everything stays nice n snug inside my belly.

So, as you can see, I've begun virtual window shopping already.

You should see the list I have prepared for you!!

Well, next Tuesday is my first appointment with the doc, you'll meet her in about 8 months.

I haven't even met her yet! So say a little prayer that all goes well with our first meet n greet.

And get growing!! I want to hear your little heartbeat so I know all is well with my little angel.

May God watch over you little blessing.

Muah.

pondering while shopping

20 minutes ago I contemplated writing a new post. I told myself I didn't have any inspiring or thoughtful words. So I let myself off the hook.

And yet, here I am, blogging away. We'll see if any inspiration comes of this.

At times when I'm alone with my thoughts, I think of my husband, and what an incredible person he is. One of things that most attracted me to him was how he flooded me with affection. I fell in love with him so quickly, partly because of this special trait. It's one of the ways we both feel loved. So thankfully, since we both need this constant affection, 4 years since we started dating, we still love to cuddle eachother, kiss, hug, nudge, poke, pinch, and yes...we spoon...pretty much every night.

Too sappy for ya?? I'm getting to something, don't worry. Mr B has a lot of other traits that I love and appreciate. And tonight, while sitting at the computer, I was reminded of how amazing he is at budgeting our money. Now, he may not think I feel this way. Because I know I sometimes nag(bitch) about our spending habits and that he doesn't keep me in the loop about how much money we have to spend on a weekly basis.
But I looked down onto his desk, and there lies a huge ledger. The kind an accountant would use when budgeting over like 100 expenses. He uses this humongous ledger book because it keeps him organized, up to date, and confident. I cannot say that I completely understand all the numbers lying about in different columns that do not ever seem to add up correctly. But I know he has a system, one that he's tried teaching me through failed efforts(teaching is not one of his strong points, his logic is sometimes way beyond mine). He has successfully kept us almost nearly out of debt(we're getting there) and up to date on all our bills, while still managing to take his wife out for breakfast or dinner every once in awhile.
I'm so thankful for my money conscience man!! Only I, and God, know how much of a relief it is to me to not have to worry about expenses. I love you Scottie B

Speaking of money, I get the sinking feeling we will have none come Jan 30, give or take a few days. We've got a bun in the oven! It's been cookin' for 4 weeks now. We are soooooo super de duper excited to have a baby!! But I do have a small fear growing inside me that this baby is going to put a halt in our path to becoming debt free. But that is life. Something always seems to get in the way of saving money these days. I know we're not alone. Thankfully I have a budget conscience husband.

Back to baby news. The shopping has begun! Well, atleast the virtual shopping has begun.
Here you can see my baby must have list grow from what it is now into something that may be just a tad bit overwhelmingly ridiculous. But I don't care, it's so much fun! And so harmless, afterall, it is just a wishlist...[wink].

'Round Here

Things have been a little more crazy than normal around here lately. I say that because usually our home is pretty quiet and mellow. The way Mr B and I like it.
But we have a 7 month old puppy now and she really takes up a lot of our energy...in a good way.

When we moved here, one thing I couldn't wait to do was get a dog. And mostly just because I wanted somebody to walk with everywhere.We walk everyday!! Sometimes 3 walks in one day. It's wonderful, and I haven't got tired of the scenery yet.

We live in the Lakeview neighborhood, just a few miles north of downtown Chicago. Another name for it is the Southport Corridor. It's a very desirable place to live. Everyday moms are out walking with their kids, people are jogging, and dogs are exploring. It's a busy street, not because of all the car traffic, but because of the people traffic. Addi and I do a lot of people watching. Just yesterday we sat down at Leo's Coney Island for a $2 beer on the patio. It's been quite chilly out this month and yesterday was the exception. I think the temperature got up to 90 degrees!!

I brought a book along to read, but was too distracted by all the people and dogs walking by. Many of which drooled over my girl, Addi. She is quite the attention getter. She loves the attention from people....and other dogs of course. We met a big girl named Bella. She is a Spinoti(who knows if I spelled that correctly). Her breed comes from Italy. She was very lovely, a sweet calm disposition. Her owner, Mary, was friendly as well, considering she decided to sit down and have a beer with us...haha!

Addi makes friends very easily. She is quite popular already at the Dogaholics dog park on Southport. It's maybe her most favorite place to be in the world. She starts galloping when she senses we are getting near. She gets along great with everyone, Molly the bulldog, Blanche the American bulldog, Riley the lab, D Rose the shepherd puppy...just to name a few(FYI, they're not all pictured). It's a blast watching them all play together.

My niece, Emilee, just went home yesterday after visiting for a week. She wanted to take Addi to the dog park everyday just so she could pet the other dogs. It was really cute. We had a great time together, shopping, walking, going to Starbucks, we saw a play, and a movie, and I took her to her first Cubs game at Wrigley Field. I miss my girl already.

So our house is a little quieter since she's left. But tomorrow my mom gets here. I'm so excited to see her! It's been since November that we've seen eachother when she drove with Mr B and I out to Minnesota for our big move to the midwest. I am really looking forward to her seeing our home and life here in Chicago. I just know she is going to love this area. It will be only her second time to Chicago. Hopefully we can make it to a Cubs game this weekend, they are playing the Giants. She'll be here just in time for some great weather.

It's been beautiful these past couple days. It's about 80 out today. Although, there is rain in the forecast...hopefully not too much.

Mr B has been working so much lately.

Trader Joe's had their grand opening on Friday. They have been very busy. The store is beautiful. It's very bright and airy with windows all along 2 sides of the building looking out onto Diversey. Addi and I like to take walks to go visit him. Monday he finally got a day off and went golfing with a friend from work. Since he's off on Sunday, I'm hoping we can make it to a Cubs game together with my mom.

 Speaking of the Cubs...it's time to step it up!! It's no fun watching them lose so often. Let's hope for a great series against the Giants!! GO CUBS GO!!!!

Addi Girl

So we've been a little busy these past few days. Its been almost a week since we brought "baby girl" home from PAWS Chicago.
She is as sweet as can be. Such a lover, and just as lazy.
She is doing great! We are helping her along with some potty training issues, but she seems to catch on pretty quickly.
I can't say the same for separation. She really is having a hard time when we leave her alone for more than an hour.
She is only 7 months, so I'm hoping this is something she will grow out of once she builds up some confidence. She is still just a pup and after a stressful ordeal of a vet visit, exploratory surgery, abandonment by her owners, and a couple weeks spent at a kennel waiting for an adoption I'm sure it's pretty understandable that she have some separation anxiety.
We're gonna try a daycare where she can socialize and get used to being away from us for a few hours.
It's really like having a child. They need constant supervision, a food and potty schedule, and lots of love and attention. It's so rewarding though. She loves to snuggle. Aside from the little issues we are working on with her, it is comforting to know we have a pretty well behaved dog. (Compared to our last beast. Poor Wrigs.)
Well, here she is....

adoption day at PAWS

on our way to aunt Robin's

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papa's girl

our baby girl

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at the vet for a checkup-everyone loved her, she loved everyone

We can't wait for you all to meet her!