with this new life comes a new blog name and look

Every Mile A Memory is now Set This Circus Down

Obsessed doesn't even begin to explain how I feel about this blog facelift of mine!
Design by: Messy Extras

I've been blogging for 2.5 years and those who have been following me for a while know how different my life was up until about 6 months ago. Bryan and I traveled consistently, together, for ours jobs and were away from home for months on end. Driving cross country, exploring different states and living in hotels was our norm... and we loved it! For us, every mile was truly a memory.... Hence my blog name: Every Mile A Memory.

Back in June, Bryan and I decided to hang up our hats, so to speak. We realized that our work experiences were getting to be a drag and that we weren't getting as much out of work or our free time as we always had. 

It was clear to us that we were entering into a different stage of life... Our 20s were defined by growth and exploration, but we were now in our 30s. And we were ready to enter into a more stable phase of life. 

We were ready to start a family. We were ready to set this crazy circus life of ours down.

With this change in lifestyle and priorities comes my blog name... Please take the time to listen to the above song, of which makes me cry every time I hear it. It just speaks to me. To us. And describes exactly what Bryan and I have been through together, how we feel about each other, where we feel we currently are in life and where we are heading. 

We are ready to Set This Circus Down. Or is the circus just beginning?

And best believe we will still travel. We traveled a lot this summer and a little this fall. The travel bug is in us. It's our passion. It's my passion. And that won't ever go away...

But this next adventure of ours is just as exciting, if not more, than everything we've done thus far. I hope you continue to follow us on our journey as we Set This Circus Down and start a family!

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Set This Circus Down lyrics

Sometimes this road, it just keeps winding
Round and round and back again
But you've always kept me smiling
Over every hill, round every bend
Baby you're the one smiling with me when the sun comes up
I got the wheel, you got the map and that's enough

And we go rolling down this highway
Chasing all our crazy dreams
I've gone your way and you've gone my way
And everywhere in between
One of these days we'll find a piece of ground
Just outside of some sleepy little town
And set this circus down

Sometimes I lie awake just thinking
Of all the horizons we have seen
And as another day is sinking
I thank God you're here with me
'Cause baby you're the one laughing with me when the sun goes down
Living on faith and holding on tight to the love we found

And we go rolling down this highway
Chasing all our crazy dreams
I've gone your way and you've gone my way
And everywhere in between
One of these days we'll find a piece of ground
Just outside of some sleepy little town
And set this circus down

And set this circus down

Maybe one of these days, gonna set this circus down
Set this circus down

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I must add the the ubber talented Orange County gal (like myself), Kelly, who blogs over at Messy Dirty Hair and Messy Extras deserves all the credit for the new look of my blog. She is extremely easy to work with and tolerated all of my last minute changes and nitpicky-ness to make my blog pure perfection! I highly recommend her for your next blog facelift. If you don't use her, you will regret it :)

bryan's birthday dinner in Uptown

January 12th, the night before Bryan's birthday we had dinner at Luce in Uptown followed by dessert at Crave. We all (my parents were here) had a nice night walking around the city, but our minds were really on 1 thing -- the fact that the following morning we were going to open up Bryan's birthday present, of which was going to reveal the gender of our child. Would it be pink or blue? Barbies or Legos? In just about 12 hours we would be able to visualize our future and know who our baby is...

Bryan's birthday was right around the corner... And I've never been so excited for anyone's birthday so much in my life!

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Come back on Friday for the big gender reveal... and if you haven't weighed in your opinion yet, go here and let me know if you think we're having a boy or a girl!

one wish

cabo fish taco in noda

A couple of weeks ago I went on a lunch date with my friend, Katelyn, to Cabo Fish Taco in NoDa. We hadn't seen each other in a while and had a lot to catch up on! 

After we ate we walked around a bit and had a mini-photo shoot with different walls... it made complete sense at the time!

boy or girl... what do you think i'm having?

via

What do we think?

Bryan: girl, never waivered

Me: girl for the 1st trimester, then switched to boy for the 2nd trimester and ended thinking it was a boy

My mom: girl, but had a few days of thinking it was a boy

My dad: boy, never waivered

Bryan's mom: thought boy once in 2nd tri (once I pressured her relentlessly for an opinion ;)

Bryan's dad: undecided

My aunt: girl

My cousin: girl

My best friend: girl

Old Wives Tales

1) If the heartbeat is high (over 140 beats per minute) then it's a girl. If it's lower, it's a boy.

Our little one has a nice strong heartbeat -- At 12 weeks it was 168 bpm, at 15 weeks it was 155 bpm and 16 weeks it was 164. According to the Old Wives Tale... It's a girl.

2) If you're craving sweet things, its a girl. If you're dying for salty or sour things, then its a boy.

I am not craving either, but I do love both. I've always been one to choose salty foods over sweets, so I'll stick with that... It's a boy.

3) Chinese Birth Chart - This method uses the Lunar calendar to determine your babies gender by taking note of the mothers age at time of conception along with the month of conception. 

Although this calendar sounds so absurd, its results have been found to be incredibly accurate... It's a girl.

4) Legend says that if you're having a girl, she'll steal your beauty and your skin will break out. If you don't experience any acne, it's a boy.

I have always been one to believe in this tale and I can assure you, since I found out I was pregnant my skin has broken out more than ever before. It's worse now at 31 years of age than it was at 14... It's a girl.

5) If you find yourself clumsier with pregnancy, you're having a boy. If you remain grounded and still in control of your body, it's a girl.

I do not feel a loss of control with my body, nor do I feel clumsy... It's a girl.

6) If dad gains weight, it's a girl. If his weight stays the same, it's a boy.

Considering how Bryan has lost weight while I've been gaining... It's a boy.

7) Morning Sickness? If you're stricken with a queasy stomach during your first trimester, think ribbons and bows. If you sail through your pregnancy with nary an upset stomach, it's blue all the way. 
I experienced morning sickness for many months... It's a girl.

8) If you are carrying the baby low and in front then it means you're having a boy.  If you're carrying high and expand horizontally, then it means you're having a girl.

I'm not showing enough to be able to really tell, but feel like I'm "showing" low, so I guess that means I'm carrying low... It's a boy.

I'm planning on sharing the gender with you next week. In the meantime...

What's your guess:

bump update: week 16

Due Date: June 28, 2013

Gender: We know what we're having, but we're not telling "the world" until we're positive that all of our friends and family have been informed by us personally. I'd never forgive myself if those close to us found out through a social media outlet...

Movement: I'm trying so hard to "try" to feel something moving inside me, but nothing to date

Feeling: More excited than ever, now that we know the babies gender!

Food Cravings: I still haven't experienced the "I need to have it and I need to have it NOW" feeling, nor have I sent Bryan out to get me anything on the drop of a dime or thought that I would die if I couldn't eat what I wanted in that moment

Food Aversions: Fortunately I'm able to eat most foods again, although I'm still staying away from juice, vegetable soup and salmon... they all did quite a number on me in the 1st trimester and I still can't stand the thought of them

Clothes: I'm in all regular clothes, although they're definitely fitting more and more snug each day. Some of my jeans I'm having to do the rubber band trick, whereas others button just fine -- depends on the cut and style. I tried on a few maternity shirts and a pair of jeans (but didn't buy them) and loved the way they felt on... I can't wait to wear maternity clothes eventually! Weird, I know :)

Stretch Marks: Thankfully they don't run in my family, but I'm still lathering on cocoa butter to keep nice and moisturized

Sleep: I have been lucky thus far to have had no sleep issues

Symptoms: Vomiting still :(

What I Miss: Sunny side up eggs, salami

Best Moment: There are so many wonderful things that have already happened throughout my pregnancy, but I must say, finding out the gender of Baby G and being able to envision our future with this little peanut is just an amazing, astounding feeling. Bryan and I keep talking about all of the things that we want our child to experience in life, big and small... and everything that we're hoping to experience with them. To put it bluntly, sh!t becomes real when you find out the gender... and it couldn't be more of a thrilling feeling!

Memorable Moment: I won't see my mom much during my pregnancy, maybe 3 more times before the baby comes, so being able to shop for my little one with her was a definite highlight. I had so much energy that day and felt like I was floating around the racks of clothes knowing that we were buying clothes that my baby will one day wear. All I wanted to do was shriek and squeal, but I did my best to keep my cool around my mom by just "oohing and awing", as I think she would have thought I was nuts... I'll save the goofy giddiness for when I shop with Bry, haha! Thanks to my mom, this kid's got a lot of clothes already... and we've only known the gender for a week!

rewind to 1st trimester

not sure why I look so tan because I hadn't see the sun since August

Due Date: June 28, 2013

Gender: ???

Feeling: I felt absolutely horrible throughout the entire 1st trimester. I was nauseous every second of the day and threw-up the majority of most, sometimes 5 times a day. My ob prescribed me Zolfran, but I experienced a painful side affect to it, that had me crying to my phone nurse more than once, so I only took it twice/week. I experienced a lack of energy on top of the nausea, which turned me into a miserable, whiney complainer. I had no energy to cook dinner, to spend time with friends or to go out on date nights with Bryan... Plus I was sick morning, noon, night and even when I would roll over in bed in the middle of the night... sick! I would equate it to constant car sickness OR a constant hangover for 2 months straight. Saltines were my best friend -- I even had a pack of them on my nightstand to snack on in the middle of the night or before I got out of bed in the morning. Trust me, there was no "bliss" or "glow" during my 1st trimester experience :)

Food Cravings: None. I could only stomach bland and salty carbs (saltines, pasta w/ butter, english muffins, cinnamon raison toast, rice, etc.), greek yogurt, red apples, pizza, carbonated flavored water, ginger ale and peanut butter

Food Aversions: Meat, juice (orange, apple, mango), water, sweets, anything from a restaurant, chicken tenders, soup, garlic, citrus, coffee, salad, vegetables, ranch dressing, green apples, cheese, anything strong smelling or spicy... and the list goes on and on

Random: I didn't miss red wine at all. I really thought I would, but the thought of alcohol made my stomach turn. And funny enough, just days before I found out I was pregnant I opened a bottle of wine, one of which I drink often... I threw the whole thing down the drain, something I never do... because I thought it was a "bad" bottle. Turns out that was my first obvious clue that I was pregnant...

Clothes: All of my clothes fit and although everyone told me I looked the same, I could see my body filling out and feel my clothes fitting more snug around my wasteline. I was always feeling so nauseous and sluggish that I spent most of my free time in sweats, yoga pants and loose tops/sweatshirts. I essentially, looked like death all fall and Bryan was such a trooper about it!

Weight Gain: I've thought this through many times and have decided that, for many reasons, I don't plan to document my weight gain. I don't think it's appropriate for me to do so publicly, as I feel gaining weight while pregnant is a beautiful thing... you're housing and growing a human being... and it shouldn't be compared to others, gawked at, commended or frowned down upon. But for curious minds I will share that I gained 3 lbs. throughout the 1st trimester, all of which went straight to my lower belly.

Sleep: Sleep came easy... I was always exhausted! I never woke up throughout the night and I had very vivid dreams around weeks 5-8... I loved those crazy dreams!

Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, bloating, fatigue, breat tenderness, enhanced smell, acne and food aversions

Best Moments: Finding out I was pregnant. Telling Bryan we were expecting. Seeing our tiny baby at 6 weeks. Telling our parents that we were expecting. Confirming at 12 weeks that we were in the safe zone by seeing our little one for a beautiful 40 minutes

Memorable Moments: Cali resting with me daily and instictually laying on my belly. Driving home from Thanksgiving in PA (vomiting out the car door on the shoulder of the interstate). Deciding on names. Researching maternity clothes. Christmas with both sets of "grandparents to be" (they didn't come out because I was pregnant, it just worked out best for them to come here instead of us flying to CA this year)

Final Thoughts: Although my 1st trimester experience wasn't a blissful one, knowing that my baby was healthy and safe inside me made it all worth it! I'd go through it all again in a heartbeat... Just my 1st of many sacrafices for my precious little one!

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*** I want to quickly touch upon my last post -- I feel as if I mistakenly mislead some of you to believe that Bryan and I struggled with infertility. That was not the case at all and I don't want to take anything away from those who have/do. Bryan and I were very lucky and didn't "try" as long as some of you seem to worry we did. Thank you for your kind thoughts, comments and personal e-mails on the subject though :)

the day we found out & how I told bryan

I want to start by thanking everyone for their kind words on my last post. You sure know how to warm a gals heart! I read every comment multiple times, as did Bryan. I don't know how to properly convey how Bryan and I feel. We've had several months for the news of our upcoming arrival to sink in and know in our heart of hearts that our child will always know what it feels like to be loved, will never question their self worth and will be told many times how much they were so very wanted. We are ready for this next step in life and hope that you follow along on this new adventure of mine...

How we found out we were expecting:

This was the one month, since we had started to try, that I didn't pay any attention to my body, nor did I run to the nearest pregnancy test to take it as soon as I could. I knew I wasn't pregnant. Bryan knew I wasn't pregnant. It was impossible that month... so we thought.

I woke up the morning of October 19th with no signs of aunt flow. Hmmm. At this point I'm two days late and I'm never late. I was experiencing the same pre-period symptoms/pains that I always had and believed that aunt flow was just around the corner. Just 'cause, I decided to take a pregnancy test anyway. After the test, I walked away from it, knowing it was negative for what felt like the gazillionth month. But, much to my amazement... It. Was. Positive!

What did I do?

I stood there staring at it. Just staring. In complete disbelief. I was in shock. I was talking aloud to myself and just entirely stunned. Then I took another pregnancy test from another brand. Of which confirmed I. Was. Pregnant!

Who did I tell first?

Cali, of course. I mean, she was the only one around! Bryan had left for work and I made a quick decision not to tell him over the phone. I had always assumed he'd be with me when we found out I was pregnant, so I had no cute way of telling him planned out. Waiting for him to come home felt like the longest day of my life. I had the most indescribably exciting news bottled up for 8 long hours. And I had to come up with a cute way of telling him!

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Flash back to April 2009 - Bryan proposed to me while picnicing on a vineyard in Napa Valley. He had surprised me with a set up of a green checked blanket, picnic basket, wine, cheese... and a sparkly diamond ring! I've said this before and I'll say it again, picnicing is our thing.

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Bryan was on his way home from work when he called to ask me a quick question. Having him on the phone was perfect because I was able to tell him that Cali and I were on our way to her swimming spot at the lake, so I asked him to meet us there.

He arrived to a surprise picnic that I had set up on the shoreline.

There were high winds that day, so all of the wind surfers and kite boarders were out. I think he thought that I surprised him with a lakeside picnic because he had a stressful week and it was a beautiful Friday evening.

Little did he know I had another surprise in mind...

I used the same green checked blanket and picnic basket that he had used when proposing to me 3.5 years earlier. I had brought our Swarovski champagne flutes, of which are only used on special occasions, and some champagne... er... lemonade. 

He opened the picnic basket to pour us a drink and immediately had a look of extreme confusion on his face. He was processing what he was looking at inside our picnic basket. 

his look of confusion. hidden camera with 10 second timer went off like 50 times, haha!

After a few seconds he asked "But is it true?" Then we had a good laugh. Because that's what we do in life altering moments. We laugh hysterically!

In that moment, I don't think we had ever felt closer or more fulfilled. It was an evening of pure bliss. 

when Bry opened the picnic basket, this 8x10 photograph is what was staring him in the face

The picture above is one of my all time favorites. After the initial shock wore off and the happy tears dried up, we sat on the shoreline watching the wind surfers as the sun set behind them. It was a life altering day, one of which we will forever hold in our memories as the best. 

We had created a miracle... Our little miracle. Pink or Blue? Pink or Blue? We found out our baby's gender this past Sunday and couldn't be more thrilled!

* This post was written before I knew I was pregnant. I now know why I was so over the nightlife scene. Haha!!

* This post was written the morning I found out I was pregnant. I had no one to talk to and was bursting at the seems with utter joy!

** the most special announcement of my life **

2012 Christmas card

I'd like to introduce you to the person who has been excitedly consuming my every waking thought and action since October...

I mean, have you ever seen a more perfect spine or darling little legs? We're madly in love.

* For those who are curious, today I'm 16 weeks 3 days

our new years celebration

Bryan and I spent New Years working the Chick fil A Bowl in Atlanta for the 2nd year in a row, so our celebration was identical to last years and we loved every second of it!

That's me........ in a recycling bin!

A successful event feels so good!

After working 12 hours on our feet, we picked up some phenominal Italian take out and cuddled with Cali all night!

Cali's so happy when she's in a hotel room... just like her mama!

christmas day

This Christmas was different from all the rest.

We were able to spend Christmas morning in our pajamas opening presents and eating a formal breakfast with both sets of our parents.

It was nice for us to have everyone under one roof!

Toward the end of the night some of my favorite little girls (and next door neighbors) came over in their pj's to show me their new American Girl dolls, Julie and Caroline, that Santa brought them.

Santa had informed me in advance they were getting them this year, so my mom brought my American Girl doll, Kirsten, from California so that we could all play together.

I feel like I blinked and Christmas day was over.

And to be honest, although we had a very nice holiday, everything about it exhausted me this year.

christmas eve

Both my parents and Bryan's came from California to spend Christmas with us!

My mom made the delicious traditional Polish Christmas Eve meal, Wigilia.

It was so nice to spend Christmas Eve in our home for the 2nd year in a row!