SUZE

totally biased but....

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

I'm pretty sure I have the cutest kid in the world. she is just my favorite. laughing, rolling, playing, "talking" and growing like a weed. eating solid food now like a big girl. I couldn't be prouder, I have never made anything cooler than this in my whole life.

second date night

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:30:00 +0000

last weekend Ben and I had our coop babysitting night which means...free babysitting. I will never take that for granted again! we hit the town with our neighbors and ate lots and lots of terrible food. but it was oh so good. pizza, ice cream and playing in fun candy stores. maybe we should've brought our kiddos.

Free cone day

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:45:00 +0000

tuesday April 9 was free cone day. my best friend Stacy and I took our kids. 4 kids, two moms and dripping ice cream cones. I'll take it. summer here we come.

motherhood is treating me well. I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it.

date.night. #hallelujah!

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

last weekend we got a babysitter and went down to the city to celebrate a manly birthday. so. much. fun. such a great chance to play with friends and feel super adult and not change a diaper all night. crazy, huh? it's the little things: like sunglasses and lip stick that make us feel good inside!

on being a mom

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:30:00 +0000

it is so crazy that she used to be in my belly. I seriously did not believe people when they told me that I would love my baby more than my dog. which is funny to me now. I absolutely love my puppy but I definitely love her more. she is so delightful. the happiest being ever (aside from recently teething). I genuinely thought that having a baby would be like baby-sitting every day. sure there are days I want to be by myself or just with Ben, but I treasure my time with her. usually sundays are hard because she goes to our church kids class, naps all the way home and continues napping until we head out for a parenting class that we are taking until june. I hardly see her! and I would've thought (pre-baby) "oh a day to myself awesome!" but now I miss her sweet smiles and snuggles, the way she's exploring the whole world and putting everything in her mouth. she makes the most fun noises and now she's eating solid food, it's fun to see what she will like and not like. I love hearing her babble and talk and tell us about her day. I love when I make her giggle. understanding a parent's love is so deep. and I couldn't be happier. I can't imagine adding another child (someday - no I am not pregnant) and loving them the same amount! do I have that much love? I sure do hope so. holy smokes this motherhood thing is awesome.

5 things.

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:23:00 +0000

my friend Alexandra tagged me in this. 5 things. here goes.

1. I am a super mole-y person. I look like a taco chip. It's sort of insane. currently I have had two removed (see above picture). well, here's the glam side of pregnancy that you don't see: your moles/birthmarks/belly GROW when you're cooking a kid. #gross so the one above my lip that was never a problem became part of my PROFILE. off with it's head! Happy Easter ;] slash my father-in-law who is a surgeon cut it off for me. if I had to see a plastic surgeon, shoot even a dermatologist, I wouldn't have done it.

2. I met said friend, Alexandra, when we were in my best friend's (her brother's now wife) wedding. we were in Chicago during I think one of the craziest cold spells ever, it hurt to smile. and that weekend alone we probably spent $200-300 on cabs. we were so gossip girl it wasn't even funny. but I don't watch that show (anymore, TO MY SHAME! that show is so trashy). But we totally totally totally bonded. the wedding was at 10 am which meant we woke up at 5 am to get coffee.

3. I stopped drinking coffee two and half weeks ago. I know, it's crazy. but I sort of felt like I needed it to survive and I don't. I need God and that's about it, well, food and sleep. pretty much no one has congratulated me, I've just sort of gotten a lot of persecution. and temptation. but I feel really proud of myself! two days of headaches and then I was pretty good. I am hardly drinking anything but water now. don't worry, I'm not a total recluse, I occasionally have decaf coffI ee. occasionally.

4. I majored in spanish in college. spanish. I know! I totally don't use it. ever. there is a program at our local library that allows non-native speakers to go practice spanish. but I have never gone. 4 years ago I went to Mexico (and then once again for my honeymoon but let's be honest, the only person I spoke to was my husband) and I was AMAZED at how much I knew. AMAZED. 15 years of spanish did me right! I think I need to study abroad. I also think it's a little too late for that.

5. Ben, my husband thinks I am just the best cook in the world. even though I don't like crawfish and thus, never make it (he is from louisiana). also even though I make a majority weight watchers recipes, I just give him unhealthy portion sizes. can we all be mad that my husband has the best metabolism in the whole world and can eat whatever the heck he wants, but prefers carrots. I wish that described me. tangent. and I'm ending with my tangent. because my baby is crying and needs a friend. xoxo.

Easter Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 22:07:00 +0000

this weekend Ben, Eleanor & I road tripped to Louisiana. isn't it lovely?

the baby girl with her mom & pop on Easter morning. she's so presh.

this kid on Easter morning alert and awake for presents presents presents. and crashed at Easter church. uh oh.

in a yoda hat from uncle john. oh jeez, this kid.

totally winning over grandpa and glammie :]

recovery day: momma and baby.

how was your Easter? it's so refreshing, Easter. the whole concept of a new start! Thanks, God!

daily stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:38:00 +0000

these two are a little older, but they are some of my favorites, and thus some of your favorites. I'm sure.

day in the life. this kid and my semi-daily breakfast of baked oatmeal, TONS of berries and because we had coolwhip, I took advantage of it.

documenting springtime and cool guitars on the wall at my favorite coffee shop everrrr.

my mom's anniversary card to us cracked me up!

after a run! because I'm running! I've shed 20 lbs since christmas.

a day out includes chipotle, bottles, stroller, balloons and some company from mackenzie & baby amerson.

Have a great Easter, we are headed to Louisiana tonight. xoxo

opportunity abounds

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:43:00 +0000

remember this? my friend Claire, momma and entreprenuer is having a huge giveaway. I mean huge! read about this bad boy on her facebook page but you should totally check out her site. her company August Anthology is super inspiring and has been one of the best experiences and treasures of my life! Not overexaggerating, here.

in other news

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:31:00 +0000

not even sure what to do with this kid anymore. she's completely stolen my heart. and at nearly 7 months she's eating solids, on a pretty sweet nap routine and sleeps through the night! I will take it! she's also popping some teefers. any suggestions? she doesn't like to hold cold things. so all of those, "pop a wet wash cloth in the freezer" people, I have tried it. I also realized I don't like to hold cold things either, though I would do it for her.

celebrated 3 years yesterday. it was a little hard for me, missing my pop and all. I have a series of saved voicemails from him and yesterday started them off. he left me the sweetest happy anniversary voicemail. I wish I could've chatted with him. but ben and I tried making a new tradition and went to a local mexican restaurant (anamia's anyone) and I sort of threw weight watchers out the window for an evening. though we split an appetizer. we ended our crazy night by looking at all the sale racks at target. we are so wild, I know.

so sorry I have been so sporadic. I know people like their baby updates. and pretty pictures are so hot right now. xoxo happy easter friends.

accessories diva

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:00:00 +0000

I love her so much.

Birch Box. I typed Birth box first. oops and gross.

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 04:20:00 +0000

In November 2012, I signed up to hopefully receive a Birch Box. It's a box of beauty samples (sometimes big honkin' full sized "samples") that you pay $10 a month to receive. I LOVE MAIL. So naturally I wanted in. They basically tell you that they can't give you one yet. Their so popular, you'll have to sign up to be on a waiting list. Then they'll send you an email when you can get one and when you get the email you must respond in 48 hours.

I did.

Then on January 22 I got my box! Woohoo. MLK day was a torturous day without mail.

This month I got a Rose Water Spray, Facial Moisturizer, Perfume, Lip Gloss (my full sizer) and a snack bar that Ben ate before I snapped a photo.

I'm in love with this concept. And I'm pretty sure that them rejecting me at first made me want it more.

Who agrees?

you-er than you

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:30:00 +0000

Friday night, Ben and I had a wild evening to ourselves. Wild means hanging with our campus ministry, splitting a burrito bowl at chipotle and watching an episode of ugly betty on netflix before picking up baby girl. I know. I know.

Also, I must thank you for your encouragement the other day. You know, to blog again. It made me re-vamp my budget and have a big talk with ben (well, he initiated) about how much money to put away a month for baby girl's college education and wedding. She's so little, it makes me feel sad that we are thinking about these things already. But I want to plan ahead and have great things for her and not be financially locked up when college and marriage roll around.

In other good news we are not moving, for right now. Our landlord had put our house on the market and then, took it off. and we are delighted. I mean, who likes moving? no one, especially after we painted and sweated our nursery into perfection....so for now, I will not be collecting boxes at wal-mart. But I will keep you posted.

Here's to hoping you had a most delightful day off for MLK day. and here's a sweet picture of my precious baby. she's starting to grow some serious body control. And rolled over all the way today. next thing you know, she'll be driving. Happy Tuesday!

a little resolutioning.

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 22:43:00 +0000

Well, I have never ever been a fan of/stuck to/really ever made new years resolutions. But this year, since my whole life is new, I figured, why the heck not.

I'm actually doing this DIY one line a day calendar, I mean I wish mine looked this awesome. Mine is definitely homemade. But I like it. It is tough to decide what to write each day. Such exciting events happen over here like, "went to campus" or "went to grocery" how about this thriller? "tried new recipe" or the showstopper "learning how to let baby soothe herself to sleep." and is it ever ok to write things like, "today was awful." because sometimes I feel that way. Eh, I guess it's for my records only. So there. I'm sure I have exciting days ahead of me! Can't wait!

Keep the house tidy. There is something to be said about a tidy house. It makes you feel better, it's easier to relax in and mmmmm, it's tidy. Plus, currently our rental home is on the market, so we have to show it a lot...that makes you keep it tidy.

Take pictures more often. I mean like real pictures, family pictures, not just funny pictures of my dog. But those are allowed too.

And, take vitamins.

Gosh I know my resolutions aren't that exciting. But, I'll tell you what is exciting? Tonight marks the first night of our baby-sitting coop!!!! 3 friends of ours (well, including ourselves) who all have kiddies are taking one night a month to watch everyone else's kids. Tonight is a night off for us. Our awesome and amazing friends Steve and Kristen are watching an eye popping 5 kids 3 and under. mostly under. Good luck to them!! bringing those awesome people dinner.
What are you doing tonight?

a thousand years

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 03:28:00 +0000

so sorry that I have been gone for a thousand years. being a new mom, working, having a wild home life, the HOLIDAYS and now being in the process of moving....again...I think justifies these things. but really, it doesn't.

sometimes ben asks me why I haven't blogged in a while and it feels like this:

you know when someone calls you and you mean to call them back but then you forget and by the time you remember it's been 3 weeks and you'd really like to talk to them but now you're a little embarrassed? well, yes that is how I feel. Plus, we haven't been doing the most awesome job on our budget and well, I have no down time. which is the pits. but, I do have an adorable little monster who is learning to put herself to sleep (like a champ! no tears!) and is rolling over and falling in love with toys and getting close to sitting up and she is my down time. but I still want to blog. is it ok if I make a comeback? or is it just over now?

hope your holidays were splendiferous! xoxo

(wait, what am I thinking?! it's almost valentines day...jeez)

Life Update.

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I was going to write all of these captions and explain these photos. But I feel like it's better left up to the imagination. All of these are campus pictures, except the second one. That is my LONGEST time friend, Talia, we're talking 1st grade here, I've known her for 20 years now. She came to hold the baby and left her baby to do it. Much needed trip.

Anyway, enjoy letting your mind wander with the other photos, especially the donuts on a string. That was my idea too. And the awkward smiling face mask photo. Keepers.

happy friday!

Things, since being a mom

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 10:30:00 +0000

I hoard sleep: I'm like a kid who doesn't know where their next meal is coming from...but with sleep. As soon as she crashes, I try to go to sleep as soon as possible. I think it's starting to bother Ben, so I made an effort to stay up and watch some TV with him and snuggle last night. I fell asleep. Oops.
Poop doesn't really bother you. I used to think, "that is DISGUSTING!" and yea, sometimes it makes me gag, but it really doesn't bother me that much. Amazing.
I really really really hate all of the baby stuff all over our house (bouncer, swing, boppy, playmat...the list is endless) but I also could tell you that each one of these items has saved my life...so what are you going to do?
Everyone thinks Eleanor is a boy. And it's annoying to me that people say it so confidently. But I also got a green carseat and stroller, so what are they supposed to think?
Mama. Bear. Instinct. Yes, man at Walmart, I'm talking to you - Back off!
Everyone says you feel bad for your baby when they get shots. And I stressed so hard about someone hurting my sweet girl while I held her helplessly. Too bad neither Eleanor or I noticed when our ninja nurse gave her a shot. Bam! No tears. Can you tip nurses?
Baby monitors are terrifying. Every horror movie has taught me that I will hear voices, aliens, ghosts, my baby sitting upright and talking, etc. And so every squeak from her fan and moment of static strikes fear deep in my heart.
What did I do with all of my time before? I must have lazily enjoyed hours in the morning drinking coffee and curling my hair....I guess.
She is the best, most wonderful-est thing I have ever seen. Her semi-bald (newborn hair falls out!!!!), stinky self is just perfect. Every smile and coo is like hot cocoa for my soul. I love her more than I could've ever imagined. And that makes every dirty diaper, 2 am feeding and tearful lap around the living room totally worth it.
And now, it's hard to find other things to talk about besides babies. But I'll try.

Then we had professional pictures of baby taken

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 01:09:00 +0000

One of my awesome campus students, Jessica, came a few weeks ago to take pictures of our sweet baby girl. What do you think?

We LOVE them.

Baby Ellie's Birth Story

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Here we go!

[forgive me for not taking pictures while I was in labor, it was not a pretty sight...believe me, I spared you]

If you have been following our blog you'd know that we were dying to have a natural birth (no meds!). We educated ourselves greatly and took a Bradley Birth Method Class and hired our teacher as a doula (omg we love her best money ever spent).

I passed my due date on Friday...Saturday crawled by and on Sunday morning at 2 am I woke unable to sleep and watched an episode of HGTV's For Rent, my favorite pregnancy insomnia guilty pleasure. I was having mild contractions, but two weeks before that I had a labor scare that basically made me think I would never have a baby. At 3 am I was tired again so I crawled back in bed and began having more painful contractions. I woke up my husband and asked him to time them, they were so far apart we tried to ignore them. Um, un-ignorable. ouch.

A little bit later I realized that the rhythmic pain I was feeling was no Braxton Hicks, it was the real deal. I asked Ben to sleep and I showered and moaned my way through painful contractions. At 6:30 am we called our doula and she declared me in labor after hearing me in the background. But alas, she would stay home until we requested her arrival and I felt things were still too far apart and I was a normal person between contractions. At 10 am, Stacy (doula), came to our rescue. I REALLY wanted to get labor going so Stacy said she would take me for a walk. I asked Ben to sleep...again and Stacy and I headed out.

She had me do the craziest things. For example, I was to walk with one foot on the curb, one foot in the street to rock my pelvis back and forth. After a while I asked what else we could do, she suggested sucking my thumb. Embarrassing!! But Sunday morning was not popular in our neighborhood and I was already in labor and walking around so whatever. Sucking your thumb stimulates an acupressure point on the roof of your mouth that sends more oxytocin into your body. Those were painful contractions that happened after sucking my thumb. I had to stop and hang on mailboxes. We walked about a mile and turned in as it was beginning to get hot.

When we got home I was working! Things quickly escalated and from about 11-2 I was just making it one contraction at a time. ouch! Pain like I have never experienced before. But Ben and Stacy were so helpful. Giving me drinks and snacks in between, mentally preparing me for each contraction and getting in my face demanding me to breath when I started to panic. I think labor is a mind game. You have to get above it. I kept telling myself, "this time tomorrow, I will not feel this way, it is only one day." Then sometimes I would look at Stacy and say, "I'm going to have this baby today, right?" Yes, yes I was. A little while later I moved to our big bath tub and labored while Stacy and Ben poured water on me. And we all worked together, contractions were so close at this point. As I "hopped" out of the tub, I kept having the urge to push and Stacy quickly said, "Ben, start the car." Everything was all packed up and I began slowly making my way to the car, not before chugging an applesauce because food would be impossible once we hit the hospital.

I have never walked as slow as I did on the way to the car and moaned and hung on to Stacy during contractions. And then, the car ride, oh the car ride! It was the worst experience of my life. The stop lights, the bumps, everything drove me into deeper pain. Once we got to the hospital we had to check-in. I would like to state that it is absolutely ridiculous for them to sit there calmly and ask you what your social security number and birthday are as you hang over the counter, head down and yell through contractions. I guess they are used to that? They are not used to women refusing wheelchairs and walking into their labor and delivery at NINE CENTIMETERS (yesss!!!!). I was so encouraged that this would soon be over.

They quickly called the doctor on call (not my doctor, it was Sunday) and she came in quickly when she heard how far along I was. While I worked through contractions the nurses asked me funny questions like, "What's your pain on a scale of 1-10?" I asked them for some sort of landmark and the nurse said, "5 is crying." I looked at her in my crazy birthing stupor and sharply replied, "I'M NOT CRYING, AM I?" Our doula said that was one of her favorite moments of labor. If I could have enjoyed it, I would've, but I'm not usually like that.

Bam! Enter Doctor. I will not tell you that we had a delightful doctor experience, lady was not very kind, rather abrasive and demanding and got frustrated with me several times and left once. She kept offering medicine if I "couldn't handle the pain," it was rather disappointing. But, she wasn't my doctor and who knows what was going on in her life. And, oh well. I WILL tell you that it took me 2 hours to push. 2 hours, people. Pushing is hard, it's indescribable, and when the nurses finally said, "Yes! That's it, do that again!" I wasn't sure if it was reproduce-able. It was. And, when they say, "ring of fire" as the baby's head is crowning, they aren't joking. Don't stop pushing there, like me. Because it hurts more than helps.

Because I pushed for so long they "had" to give me some saline solution and oxygen between contractions. And they had NICU come in and so the baby was taken from me as soon as she popped out. The moment I saw her was crazy, all covered in birth goo and crying and red. She was mine! It was nuts, and finally the worst was over! Everyone quickly left me and went to see the baby, except my doula, she fed me orange juice as the doctor stitched me up...ouch again. And shortly there after I got to hold our little baby Eleanor. Her, with her red hair and pursed lips. She is just too much. It did take a while for me to feel like a mom and it was hard to recover from pushing so long and then trying to hold baby and feel all of those emotions right away. But they came. I promise.

The rest of the hospital stay was SHORT! We declined everything they tried to give the baby: Vitamin K, eye drops, etc. And we kept her in our room, which was fun to bond as a family that evening. And we left the following evening. After what seemed like an endless stream of nurses and techs in and out the whole night (restful, right?). It was great to take her home, sleep in our own beds and have lots of baby snuggles. And we are adjusting well.

Eleanor Lee Borland

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 11:00:00 +0000

We are so excited to announce the birth of our sweet baby girl.

Eleanor Lee Borland

born on Sunday September 9, 2012 at 4:56 PM

7 lbs 13 oz and 20 3/4 inches long

And yes, it's taken me this long to upload a photo and put this on here! Have mercy on me, being a mom is hard work!! More pictures and stories to come.

Guest Post: Monika on the Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (SUZE) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:42:00 +0000

This is my largely undiscovered friend, Monika, whom I love and who texts me the most hysterical things on days when I felt like I couldn't get any more pregnant or just had a dark moment in general. She's so fun and funky. And she just got new bangs :) Love her, hope you enjoy her tips too. --Suze

As you all know, Susan is out doing her baby thang, and I am simply thrilled to realize a

subconscious dream of mine to take over Susan’s blog for a post. Thanks, Eleanor! Since I know

you miss her, here is my favorite picture of her:

She’s lovely. Oops and she’s pre-eleanor…….but she’s lovely so I guess it’s still my fave.

I’ve got some faves in the money-saving area, too. Here are two:

Out with the old

I am a bit embarrassed to say this, but 3 weeks ago I went through my closet and came up with

literally 3 trash bags filled with clothes I hadn’t worn in years (facepalm). I took them to two

thrift store heavens and got a whooping $82 for them. That may not be a ton of money to some

people out there (mainly the crazies) but I was glad to get rid of that space-hacking, 4 seasons

ago stuff. I highly recommend this as we allllll (ladies) have clothes we are way too emotionally

attached to. They should go make someone else happy… The money made me VERY happy.

30 day rule (no but seriously).

You see a miscellaneous something you like? Wait 30 days to get it. I’m 21 and bummed to

find out that my debit card has no brain. Oh and my emotions don’t either. So I’ve adopted

the “mullet” (HA) plan. Mull. Et. Over. Think about it. Give it some time. Something may

come up, and you’ll need that money, you may snap out of it and realize it wasn’t true love, OR

something better comes along and, as fate shall have it, at a better price. 30 day rule, people.

Hope this helps! I am a college student and practically predisposed to be financially reckless. My

friends don’t care and if it wasn’t for starbucks, I’d have a 401K. But I sell old stuff and I have a

mullet…. plan. So I’m okay for now ;)

Tumblr: http://treelimbsofmyheart.tumblr.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Coronado_Monika

Guest Post: Good Girl Style's Natalie my baking friend.

noreply@blogger.com (SUZE) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:26:00 +0000

NATALIE! Thanks for filling in while I'm bouncing the baby. L-O-V-E your necklace. --Suze

Hey everyone!! Suze is off doing that whole, "Having a baby" thing (all good wishes, darlin'!), so I'm here to fill in. Good Girl Style is my game (and also my blog name ;-))--that's modest fashion on a budget. Suze and I have a lot of the same interests!

I thought I'd share my favorite new color combination with you: ballet pink, champagne, and mustard.

Paired with black, the colors look sophisticated and mellow...perfect for late-summer.

It even matched my Vera Bradley daily planner perfectly :-)

Here's a better view of the colors...

Jeans: F21

Tank: Thrifted

Lace Vest: Thrifted

Cardigan: F21

Necklace: H&M

Flats: Thrifted, Jeffrey Campbell

Can't wait to meet Eleanor, Suze! Much love!

See you all soon!

Tuesday Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 13:36:00 +0000

Good morning! I am sitting in my pajamas having just read my bible and eaten some breakfast. Ben just woke up and made the bed (fingers crossed) and I keep yelling at my dog to stop scratching at bug bites. I'm thinking he sat in a red ant pile and I am THIS close to taking him to the vet. He is driving me crazy. The above picture is from this weekend. Ben and I went to a classy casino night, where someone offered me a margarita and when I replied, "no thank you" they inquisitively asked why. which made me laugh. I do have quite the belly on me, guess he just forgot. Anyway, Ben and I felt pretty classy and Ben almost took everyone for all they were worth ($10 buy in!) until I casually mentioned I needed to go to bed. And boy am I glad I did that night because I woke up with some awesome Braxton Hicks that were staying at 4 minutes apart because, yes, we downloaded a fancy contraction timer.

Yesterday school started around these parts and the elementary school down the street from us was a parking lot (the street in front of it) with a police officer directing traffic. And thus I have decided, barring rain on the first day of school, I will walk my child. Let's promote healthy lifestyles and gas-saving techniques, people.

And last but not least Ben & I created a tri-fold board for an event we are having on campus today. To help inform freshmen of all of the groups on campus they have a "mean green fling" and our organization has a table. I felt like a 4th grade mom gluing photos, using sticky letters and writing out a mission statement. All in all our board looks pretty awesome, and if all else fails, we are handing out popsicles! Because it will be 90 degrees today!

Last minute thoughts: I am dying for one of these necklaces. Look, I know everyone has one and I know they are insanely expensive at Jcrew, so I'm hoping for a knock off, maybe a push present? You know, like from Ben, a "thank-you-for-pushing-our-baby-out-of-your-body" gift. My mom got a ring with each of our birth stones, for each child! But I'm thinking that maybe out of our budget.

Also thinking and praying for those on the Gulf Coast this morning. This hurricane is looking like no joke.

starting to feel useless.

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Borland) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 17:37:00 +0000

Today Baby has decided to push as hard as possible on both sides of my belly, stretching and causing extreme pain. Awesome. And I am becoming more and more wary of being pregnant. Each day feels like a marathon. I think that God designed us so that we were ready to push the little booger out and not feel scared of pain anymore, by making it wildly uncomfy at the end. I am sure it will all be worth it so soon. And I love how all of my neighbors look at me and say, "still??"

Good news is my doctor is back from maternity leave, though I still don't believe she will be in the delivery room with me. So I've met a handful of other doctors who could possibly deliver. Other good news, I got my toe nails done and I'm loving the sea foam green color. It feels like I'm on vacation every day.

And in other news Ben and I are in charge of planning a huge retreat for our college students in October. We are hopefully having over 150 college students come to our area and stay at a swanky camp for a weekend. We had a long meeting this morning to finalize the cost, meals, facility rentals, etc. It is a lot of work. We have to get registration up and running, and in general have much to do! Decisions, decisions. I'm glad that we have some administrative work to be had because I'm not really in any shape to help people move in to their dorms today (which is what a majority of our students are doing!). Maybe if my feet weren't swelling and people weren't offended when I try to help them. But having an almost done pregnant lady help you move in would make for an interesting story, right? right?

Happy Thursday, friends. Ben thinks we will have a baby Saturday September 1st, 6 days pre-due date. I'm taking bets now.

creepy

noreply@blogger.com (SUZE) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 19:35:00 +0000

Lately I have had a creepy overwhelming burning desire for oatmeal. So strange because I've never really desired oatmeal before, I guess it's little baby inside me craving it.

Today I have a doctor appointment (actually I need to leave now) and I'm hoping that my doctor says, "oh boy! you can't even go home, go have your baby now!" ha! Sans contractions. Wish me luck. And you can click on my oatmeal and go have some baked oatmeal of your own. But honestly I'll eat it any way...baked, in a cookie, regular old oatmeal. whatever it is, if it has oatmeal and maybe some cinnamon I will eat it. Happy Tuesday! I'm lining up some guest posts for while I'm having a baby. I think you guys should really enjoy them. Let me know if you're interested in guest posting by emailing me at suzetheblog@gmail.com Ok....Doctor. now.

Hearts!