The blog turns two

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My blog is now entering the "terrible twos," but I'm hoping that doesn't mean my writing falls by the wayside. In these last weeks of my pregnancy, finding the motivation to write has been difficult, but I know when Preston gets here he'll provide excellent blogging material.

In celebration of my blog's birthday, here are this year's three most read posts. Enjoy the walk down memory lane!

1. It's almost here!: This post about what to wear to Razorback games got more than 1,000 hits thanks to Pinterest.

2. Off the bookshelf: The Girl Who Played With Fire: While I'm sure my book review was a fascinating read, I really think this post's main draw was other people looking for the book's cover art. 

3. Drum roll please!: And last but certainly not least, the post where we announced we were expecting! Now here we are, nearly seven months later, waiting for our little guy to make his appearance! 

P.S. Last year's blogiversary post!

The Pottery Barn kid

All my life, I was Jennifer H. in school. Having the most popular name of 1985 will do that to you. I didn't find it obnoxious, nor did I blame my parents for all the times someone shouted "Jennifer!" and I turned around only to discover that (like usual) I wasn't the Jennifer being called.

When it came to naming Preston, we wanted something different that few children would have (and that also didn't come with past baggage of people who we knew named whatever who we didn't like) but not weird, like Doorknob or Pickles. Preston fit the bill perfectly.

Last month I found this blog post that made me laugh. She said that, if you want to make sure your child won't be Emma B. or Owen W. in school, go to Pottery Barn Kids and see what names they monogram on the sample items. Then you know what is about to be the next big name.

Well, look what Scott brought to my attention today:

This is the Pottery Barn Kids personalization shop for boys, and every single thing has Preston on it.

Every. Single. Thing.

Looks like I'm going to have to prepare Preston for a life attached to his last initial and get "Preston H." monogramed on everything. At least I know how cute it looks — especially on that little navy chair.

Apologies and catching up

A little maternity picture bribery to keep you interested? [Cassie Jones Photography]

Sometimes I feel like Matthew Broderick at the end of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." You're still here?

While I'd hate it if you left, I haven't really been the most hospitable hostess, posting less frequently as the big day approaches.

Lately, so much has been spinning around and happening that I haven't really had a moment to sit and contemplate it all. At the beginning of March, Scott started his new job as an Admission recruiter here at the University. His territory is Southwest Texas and Pulaski county in Arkansas. He's really loving the change, and I'm loving having him working just downstairs from me.

So that combined with the end of the semester and grad school projects coming due (Oh, hi, term paper. No, I haven't researched for you yet. Maybe in the middle of contractions in a couple of weeks? OK, see you then.) and getting loose ends tied up at work for my three-month hiatus has left me little room for this. And I apologize.

Luckily, we're pretty ready for Preston to get here. I mean, we have all the things we need for him, but I'm still at a loss for what to do when a baby is here and figuring him all out. In the car the other day, I was asking Scott, "How do you know when he's cold? How do you know if he's too hot?" And he (so helpfully) replied, "Well, I think sweat would be your cue if he's too hot."

His nursery is close to completion; we just lack a few frames on the walls and hanging the curtains. Plus we need to figure out how to put that carseat into the car. Otherwise, the hospital won't let us go home with him. They seem a little particular about that.

So, please, don't heed Bueller's words and go home (unless that's where you read this, then by all means stay). I promise I'll be a better hostess and at least set out a cheese plate or something to make you feel more welcome.

Puff Daddy

A lot of things have happened lately that I've failed to blog, so this week is spring cleaning where I will do my best to clear out the drafted posts in my blogging queue.


Since Scott and I entered the professional world four years ago, he has needed to get his wisdom teeth removed. Several hundred headaches, backaches, and mouth aches later, he decided it was time to finally do something about them. As luck would have it, he had a two-day period between his last day at Regions and his first day at Harding to tackle this problem (more on that later). Since he was getting squeezed in, though, his appointment wasn't until 1 p.m., which meant he couldn't eat all day leading up to the procedure. I left him this little reminder when I went to work.

Once we got to the doctor's and Scott was taken back to get started, I started panicking and realized that eight months pregnant women do not handle slightly stressful situations well. They had had Scott sign a waiver saying that he knew anesthesia could possibly kill you, and that lead me to think about raising my son in this cold, cruel world alone. And then they called me back to get my droopy-eyed, puffy-faced husband not a moment too soon because I was about to be a blubbering mess all because of my overactive imagination.

Once we got Scott into the car, with a lot of giggling from him and a lot of walking assistance from the nurse, it was time to go get the pain meds ASAP. He was singing and laughing the whole way. He wasn't so far gone though to keep from critiquing my driving. That's how I knew he was OK.

As the day went on, I learned that while a pregnant lady isn't the best person to have waiting in the waiting room, we do make excellent caregivers. When he napped (which was a lot, thanks to the meds), so did I (glorious!). He was hungry? A milkshake for him and a little off the top for me (delicious!). It was a great partnership. Plus I didn't have to share my Girl Scout cookies (obesity!).

After four days of ice packs, milkshakes, soup and pain killers, Scott was finally ready to rejoin the living four wisdom teeth lighter and a little puffier around the mouth.

The moral of the story was spoken by his nurse, "Get your son in here when he's 16, not almost 26." Deal. Then it can be Scott's turn to sit in the waiting room.

Waiting on Preston

A lot of things have happened lately that I've failed to blog, so this week is spring cleaning where I will do my best to clear out the drafted posts in my blogging queue.

In September when Scott and I announced we were expecting, my friend Cassie was quick to jump up and say, "Hey! Let's schedule your maternity pictures now!" When I marked March 3 on my calendar, it felt like decades away — like how far Christmas seems when you're five and it's July.

And then, all the sudden, it was time for pictures. I had found the perfect Pin-spiration for what I'd like the photos to look like, and Cassie jumped on board with her usual, extreme enthusiasm. I've done several blog posts about photo sessions with my friend Cassie, and this one is no different. The photos she captured were just what I wanted them to be.

The only downside was that Scott was looking like the fourth member of Alvin and the Chipmunks due to his wisdom teeth extraction two days earlier, but that only means that we get another awesome Cassie Jones photo shoot!

Here are just some of my favorites.

If you'd like, you can see more on Cassie's blog. Thanks, Cassie, for your amazing work!

Fill in the blanks Friday

Imagine my surprise this morning when I was scrolling through my Google Reader, a bowl of Cocoa Puffs balanced on my belly, when I saw my blog banner and a picture of my boots on The Little Things We Do. I had submitted some of my own Friday blanks to help Lauren along after the birth of her precious daughter, Fern.

Lauren has been one of my favorite blogs for a long time. She was a few months ahead of me in her pregnancy, so when Scott and I first found out we were expecting, I emailed her a bunch of questions. It was nice to talk to someone about what was to come when we weren't openly telling others about it yet.

So, I think it's only fitting that I fill in my own blanks now!

1. My favorite room in my home is our living room because I'm a huge fan of our couch, and that's where it's located. Plus it's where all of our friends hang out when they're over, movie watching takes place, and Sunday afternoon napping occurs.

2. My current decor style is modern rustic (?). but I wish it were more focused. I would love to fully embrace this concept — wooden planked ceilings, cozy knit pillows, the works. I guess that's all something for the dream home.

 3. I wish I could redecorate the office in my house to make it more purposeful. Right now we have a wall of bookcases, a couch, computer desk, an ironing board, and drying rack in our office. It just looks cluttered. I'd love to have an office straight out of Architectural Digest.

 4. My dream house absolutely has to have an awesome master bathroom. I'd love a giant tub separate from the shower and a sink far away from Scott's so he can't complain about my makeup, hair spray, and contact solution making a mess.

 5. One house item I am willing to splurge on is good furniture. I think this is sort of obvious, but when we moved into our home three years ago, we had a Target coffee table and Walmart kitchen table — not to mention no bedroom furniture to speak of. When we started shopping for new stuff, we decided to spend now and have the pieces for the rest of our lives.

6. A decor trend that I just don't "get" is all white everything. This usually includes some type of fuzzy white rug, and I just picture hairballs getting trapped in that.

7. Bath and Body Works' lavender chamomile-scented candles are a little touch that makes my house feel like home.

Thanks for using my blanks, Lauren!

March photo a day: Days 1-9

I don't think just because I have an Instagram app on my iPod that I am now the world's best photographer, but I have enjoyed these monthly photo "challenges" as a way to stretch how I see what is around me and to help me grow in my creativity. Here's what I've captured so far.

1. Up: I guess it could also work as "down," depending on your destination.

2. Fruit: While taking this picture, I was still less awkward than that singing stock girl who's always in produce. You know the one.

3. My neighborhood

4. My bedside: My favorite part is the frog figurine from my 12-year-old cousin. When she gave it to me at Christmas 2010, she said, "The pink one is you, the blue one is Scotty, and the dragonfly is the baby that you still don't have yet." She was ready for a baby to play with. Like they say, be careful what you wish for.

5. Smile

6. 5 p.m.(-ish): On my way home

7. Something you wore: House shoes and yoga pants. Few things feel better than that.

8. Window: Rain drops on a dreary day

9. Red

I hope you have a great weekend! Scott and I are going to celebrate his return to solid foods post wisdom teeth removal. Poor guy has been living off of milkshakes and soup for the past week (not that the milkshake part is all that bad).

Find me on Instagram, username jmhannigan.