BEN FOLDS, BEN FOLDS, BEN FOLDS!!!!

WOO HOOO!!! I can not even begin to count the number of times my husband and I have seen Ben Folds live in concert. I will say it is not more than 10, but he is probably one of our favorites and I have been to more of his concerts than anyone other musician. My relationship with Ben began when I was dating my husband...

Scott and I had just had a fun night out on the town, and on the way home he wanted me to listen to this song by Ben Folds called "The Luckiest". Little did I know that a few years later this would be the song we had our first dance to as a married couple. As soon as he played the song I just wanted to hear it again and again and again. I thought it was one of those really well written songs with a good melody and story.

Since that night I have become a pretty big fan. I know when Ben is performing in the area, and in 2009 we stood in the rain in our ponchos at Lollapalooza to see Ben perform.

Well last night was my ULTIMATE fan moment. Ben was playing at the Pageant and he had an opening group called the Street Corner Symphony- they were the runners up from the "Sing-Off", the TV show that Ben was a judge for. This group is from Nashville and they were REALLY good, they performed THIS SONG last night.

Before the concert we were meeting 2 other couples for "drinks" at the Halo bar, and the plan was to order pizza from Pi and get into the Pageant early enough to maybe get a seat. Well we got to Halo RIGHT when it opened and we were a little too far back in line to get a table, so instead we just decided to go over to Pi and eat there. We had a little wait to get a table and we were seated in the back room. Right when it was time to order who walks in the back door and sits at the table behind us!?! BEN FOLDS AND HIS BAND!!!!! Of course everyone at my table had a FREAK OUT CREEPY FAN moment, and we couldn't stop staring. It was so awesome. We keep a pretty close eye on them throughout our dinner and it was fun to see all the other fans walk in and geek out like we did :) There was really no good moment to ask for a picture or autograph but it was so much fun to STARE, and take creepy photos.


So here is my CREEPY FAN PHOTO!!! Taken by my friend across the table :) Me on the left, Ben in the middle, Root on the left.

The concert ended up being awesome and be broke out some oldies from his record Rockin' the Suburbs and of course "The Luckiest". I left that concert feeling so fullfilled. I hope that feeling will keep me warm these next couple of days!!

Pregnancy Stigma...it's exciting!

You don't want to find out if you are having a boy or girl!? Are you going to breastfeed? Are you going back to work full time? Really..COTTON DIAPERS?! You're thinking of MAKING your own baby food? Do you have names picked out? Do you want a boy or girl? What are you decorating with?

Those questions are full of personal decisions and commitment. Most of them will NEVER involve the person who is asking, but they are all SO controversial!!

So here are all my answers:

NO, we are not finding out what gender our baby will be.
It is a personal choice.



Breastfeeding...well....I MIGHT try to nurse, but I know that I will pump. I am still unsure of the skin on skin contact and being VERY sensitive in that area, but I would LOVE for my baby to be able to feed off of the food straight from the source which ever that may be. Pumping or nursing I will figure that out. Oh, and if I can not for some reason, or if my milk doesn't come in well than I will have to formula feed. Although that is not my first choice, it is ALWAYS a last resort.

Work...I could write an entire blog about this decision. However at this time it is undetermined. I am going to apply for a part time position and work 3 days a week, but if I am unable to get that position I may stay full time and try it out. I worked HARD for my Masters, and no I don't need to work...but I LOVE what I do, and I do well with structure. I may change my mind when I meet my little person, I believe everything will fall into place just as it should.



Yes, we are going to be using cotton diapers. I am determined and very excited about this. I have an awesome co-worker who LOVES her cotton diapers and RAVES about Cotton Babies. Did you know each child who wears disposable diapers produces 1 TON of waste in our landfills? Just an FYI :)


Yes, we are going to make our own baby food. There are many things in baby food that is not needed. I want my baby to enjoy the REAL taste of fruits and veges, not mixed with artificial flavors and sweeteners. Also, I think of timing, and babies only eat pureed food for a couple months, then they start eating what adults eat. In the scheme of things that is not very long.

Yes, we have some names picked out. I am pretty much settled on the first names, it is the middle ones that may change. I LOVE the girls name Allyson, and the boys name Adam. But LOTS can change in 23 weeks!


I do not have a preference if I want a boy or girl...I want a tiny human being who is perfect no matter what gender.

I am going to decorate with OWLS!!! I am so excited about it! My mom is making the window treatments, bed skirt, and a little blanket with an owl fabric I found at Joann's Fabrics. Yes, I bought ALL of the owl fabric they had in my pattern. Not because I don't want anyone else to have it, but because I needed all of it for my mom to make my bedroom set :) Because the owl pattern is fairly busy the rest of the nursery will be decorated with solid colored accents.

I LOVE owls, but you could go over board with decorating with them, and I am more of a simple decorator with solids and a little design. I can't wait to see how it all turns out!

So friends, those are my answers, and my PERSONAL choices. I wouldn't have choices if there were not options, but there are, and we are each entitled to our own choices :) I personally do not care if you cloth diaper, make your own baby food, beast feed, or find out the gender of your baby. But if you do I would LOVE some advice/tips/hints!!

THIRSTY THURSDAY!!!

Wow...Thirsty Thursday...those were the days :) College was a ton of fun, but I am at a different spot in my life now where I will not be partaking in any Thirsty Thursday's for quite a while. But I don't mind, I have chosen this life for myself and I am soaking it up.

Instead of beer tonight on a double date I had a Fitz's Root Beer (did you know it does not have caffeine in it?) MMM...root beer and pizza, while everyone else shared a pitcher of Amber Bock.

Well this week has flown by and I can not believe tomorrow will be my 5th day of working IN A ROW!!! I'm not used to this, the past few weeks and snow days have ruined me. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and spring break is right around the corner. All the perks of working in a school :)

Well before this week gets away from me I have my belly picture to share!!! This is me at 16 weeks 5 days. Most of my co-workers can not tell yet that I am growing a baby, but I CAN!! It is only a matter of time until I "POP".

Have a great weekend and stay safe!!! I will be enjoying some Ben Folds and time with good friends.

Lazy Sunday!

Here is a glimpse inside my life on this snowy Sunday.





Root is upstairs playing on his electric drum kit :) All I can hear from the living room is the thumping of the bass "drum" and his occasional "oops".








Rose is lying on the bed...getting her beauty sleep and resting up for her busy day of...sleeping...hmmm...she's a good kitty :)








And here is my update on my ZOYA nail poslish! This is it in the color Isla, and we are at 3 days and going strong! I think there is only one little tiny chip on my ring finger, and then on my right hand (which is not shown) my first finger (pointer) has 2 little chips, but I will be keeping it on for a few more days I am sure!!











Well off to enjoy the rest of the day! A 5 day weekend doesn't seem likely...so I must prepare for the work week!!

Saturday night dinner date!!

Last night Scott and I had an AWESOME dinner over at our friends house. Scott and Steve enjoyed sharing their Scotch's, Whiskey's, Run, and Sherry- all 16 of them! While Jen and I talked about having babies (she has 4 year old twin boys), I snacked on brownies, and she drank some wine (JEALOUS!).







For dinner Jen made the most amazing home-made mac and cheese- a Barefoot Contessa recipe. The secret ingredient is probably the Gruyere cheese...mmm....It was SO good!

Here is the RECIPE. You will NOT be disappointed!

Ingredients

nocoupons

• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
• 1 quart milk
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
• 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Steve made home-made fried fish using tilapia. It too was SO YUMMY!!!

Thanks so much for having us over! It is always great to see you and get hit on by 4 year old little boys :) I always preferred the name Vermonica.

Product RAVE!!!

I am a nail polish freak, I LOVE IT! Well on some random website about a month ago I saw that this brand Zoya was giving away 3 bottles of nail polish because they had reached 20,000 friends on Facebook. I could NOT pass that up! All I had to do was choose through their 300+ colors and pay $6.95 S&H. TOTALLY WORTH IT!!

The big deal with Zoya nail polish is that it is a formaldehyde, toluene dibutyl phthalate, and camphor free VEGAN formula. Well, I never knew finger nail polish had that stuff in it, but less "bad" ingredients can't be a bad thing right? Especially when you are expecting :)

Here are the colors I choose (in order of appearance) : Isla, Trixie, and Kelly

Now I did not have to put on a top coat (and I don't think the pictures have top coats either- it is so nice!), I will have to update you in a few days about the wearability of the polish. The polish is so shiny and it went on like silk. Nice and smooth, with no silly lines, it evened itself out really well also. I did put on 2 coats and the color is ever even, I supposed I could have gotten away with 1 thick coat, but I feel like 2 coats always dry better.

If you feel so inclined to check out the polish it will not be a waste of your time OR money!
http://www.zoya.com/

Happy Polishing!!!

Music!

Let's talk about music...well I'll talk and you can listen ;)

Let's start with mine and my husbands wedding song: "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jqifl2wW7c&feature=related

The rest of the songs are in a random order:

"Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd, (and really anything else Pink Floyd but this is my favorite)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkJNyQfAprY

"Wake Up" by Coheed and Cambria
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqXKPQ5lT-k

"If I Die Young" by The Band Perry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NJqUN9TClM&ob=av2nm

Anything Carrie Underwood
Anything Sara Bareillis

So this is short...my attention span is not that long tonight...enjoy the links!! And share your favorite songs with me! I need to update my play-lists!!!

Let's CELEBRATE!!

NO...not my birthday again...but good news!!

I had my 4 month OB visit today and my husband came along. I had a list of questions ranging from vaccinations, ultrasound questions, and my newest symptom (CRAZY sensitive ears...I can not wear earrings because my ears will swell up!). Well unfortunately the NP (nurse practitioner) was unable to show me pictures from my previous ultrasounds she did tell me that I have a Septate uterus. Which, after researching this a little a few weeks ago, this is the "best" type of abnormality to have. This means there is a little septum in the middle of my uterus that hangs down. She reassured me that if there were any concerns about how sever this was, or where the baby had attached I would have been sent to another doctor for further testing/ultrasounds. WHEW!! That made me feel so much better! The NP also told me a story about a women she followed with a sever septate uterus who delivered at 30 weeks...early...but all were well :)

Oh yea, I also got a little instruction on how to use a doppler to look for the baby's heart beat vs. the placenta (I didn't know they both had individual heartbeats!) Baby L had a heart beat of 160BPM.

Here is a picture of me today, 15 weeks 2 days. It looks as though I ate too much, but really my baby is the size of an apple today and growing strong!!!


I also wanted to share 2 things I came across while waiting at the OB's office:
1) Kush- www.kushsupport.com :That's right...a little piece of plastic placed between your breasts to keep them supported and from flopping on top of each other. I'm not going to lie this looks like a GREAT idea. It might make sleeping more comfortable.

2) Lullabelly Prenatal Music Belt- http://www.lullabelly.com/:WOW...that's all I have to say. I dunno how any baby survived and thrived without their mommy putting on a music belt....

Well off to enjoy my extra episode of Jersey Shore...It's no music belt...but I am guessing Jersey Shore is the next best thing. :)

Sharing...

Do you ever step back and take a look at the things in your life that you share? Sharing is a common courtesy learned as a toddler, but still to this day there are things I may share that I get pretty selfish about. For instance I do not mind sharing my broccoli or carrots, but I do mind sharing my chocolate or ice cream ;)

Some times I feel like I share all day long. The students I work with do not really know what know what personal space is. Multiple times a day I will get coughed on (in the face), stepped on my toes, and fallen on by the students that want a little extra sensory input. I do not mind loving on my students, but I do mind sharing my personal space with their coughing, runny noses, and dirty little fingers :)

Recently I have been thinking about the things that I share at home with my husband. Some are weird, some are regular. I'd like to think we share common household chores...i.e. dishes (Scott may think otherwise), vacuuming, and weed picking. However chores we do not share doing laundry, mowing the grass, dusting, and cleaning the bathroom. I personally have 3 of those 4 chores :(

Ok, lets move past chores and talk about personal items that most significant others share. We share the same bathroom (because we only have 1) however we do not share toothpaste, soap, shampoo, conditioner, towels, toothbrushes, or towels. We share a bed, but not covers. And we share a dresser and closet, but not the same clothes.

Have you ever thought about how much of your time you share with others? OR how much of your space? And is it really your space? Is everything made to be shared? Do we just get a little greedy and claim ownership because we worked hard and earned the money or personal success to get where we are?

So here is so sharing...a good laugh, a great time, a personal moment, or a toothbrush.
Image from: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.offthemarkcartoons.com/cartoons/1992-10-28.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.offthemark.com/search-results/key/scuba&usg=__nOfHKE2B3h61UVBKLR_BEk_5y-A=&h=320&w=240&sz=16&hl=en&start=11&zoom=1&tbnid=VpkAuq4XRm-_WM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=89&ei=rCozTciaIs6cgQejj4mdCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsharing%2Bcartoon%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D579%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1

1-11-11!!!

Whew...this week flew by! I had a WONDERFUL birthday it was a SNOW DAY!!! No working around here! I watched 7 episodes of Nip/Tuck and laid on the couch all day!! Oh and I updated my music library on my computer. And my cat dropped my iPod into a glass of water...perfect timing. Then my husband brought me home Chinese food for dinner...mmmm...yummy! It might not sound like a busy awesome day, but the relaxing and TV watching was much appreciated, especially when it was an unexpected snow day!

On Wednesday I went grocery shopping, made dinner, and cleaned up after dinner. I NEVER do that! I hate grocery shopping, Scott usually cooks dinner, and I rarely clean up the kitchen :/ I think Scott appreciated it. I made little sliders (but they ended up looking more like meatballs) not very flat...lol.

Thursday I went shopping with my mom and I got 3 new pairs of pants and 10 new tops for my new growing belly. We went to Destination Maternity and their assistance was AMAZING! I rave about how helpful all the workers are there. I just show up and tell them what size I wear...and bam they fill up the dressing room with clothes! It is very nice, and I am sure I bought more things because of their service.

Off to enjoy the weekend!!! Hope to have a new belly picture soon!!!

Oh yea....

I forgot to mention some of the things I have been excited about this week/weekend!

One, my co-worker brought me an at home doppler to use, so whenever I want I can listen to Baby Lampley's heart beat! I have only used it 2 times, and the first time it took me a few minutes to find the heart beat, but the second time I put the doppler right at the exact point to heart a great heart beat. I can hear the heart beat move a little so I suppose that means the baby is Be-bopping around, however I can not feel that yet.

Two, all I need to say is JERSEY SHORE TIME!!!! OK, after watching the first episode I am totally hooked! Especially after they showed the previews for the entire season!!! Can't wait for next week!!!

Three, a new obsession on my Netflix, live stream through the Wii...Nip/Tuck!!! I am on episode 10 of season 1. Each episode leaves you with a cliff hanger!! It is so hard not to watch the next episode right after the last!

Four, swimming...I LOVE swimming. I went a couple times this week, and it was awesome!!! I did notice that maybe I need a new swim suit because my top has gotten pretty big already. And this Speedo does not give me the side coverage that I once had....any suggestions?

Off to watch trash TV and get ready for a new week!!!

BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!! 1-11-11!!!

Hi friends!! It's that time again!! My BIRTHDAY WEEK!! That's right I celebrate for an entire week...not only a day. I like the celebrations to linger on, and contain many fun times. Since my birthday is on a Tuesday this year my husband took me out to dinner on Saturday. He had plans on taking me to Trattoria Marcella, but forgot to make reservations early. And since I am pregnant, I have a hard time waiting to eat until 8pm. The place has awesome reviews and an amazing menu: http://www.trattoriamarcella.com/home.html

Therefore we went with option 2, Cafe Napoli in Clayton. And I must say this was some of the BEST service we have had in a LONG time! The wait staff was incredible and observant of our every need. Our server was Quinton and he even noticed the birthday card on the table and gave me a free dessert with a little birthday candle! I had Linguine Bolognese (yes folks that's right...an adult version of spaghetti and meatballs). Scott had a Linguine Con Vongole Veraci with clams, shrimp, and mushrooms in a white wine/olive oil/garlic sauce. Here is the link if you would like to check it out yourself: http://www.cafenapoli.com/home.html

Scott got me a birthday gift also, a Betsey Johnson watch which is SUPER CUTE!

Today I celebrated my birthday with my family at my parents house. We had a lunch full of Bellacino's subs and pizza, it was SO good! We also had cookie cake for dessert....funny story, my mom went to pick up the cookie cake and they had forgotten to make it...so we got 2!! And a discount! You can't beat that! I got lots of good gifts and am going shopping for some maternity clothes later this week (my mom and sister in law told me that they think I have a bump!).

Well that's all for now....looking forward to an awesome week!!! Take care everyone!!!

GREAT REVIEW!!!

Today I got my review back from my supervisor. She came to see me work with 2 students a few weeks ago and observed me working at my new school this year. The very last sentence she wrote on my review was this:

"These sessions observed today are an example of a superior performance in therapeutic planning and implementation of an occupational therapy program for young students with autism."

Wow....I was speechless. I know that I LOVE my job and the kids I work with, I am now feeling like it might be showing through and others can see just how much I appreciate being able to work with students with Autism.

Speaking of Autism...I am sure you have all heard the news that came out today regarding vaccines and their link to Autism. An article in the British Medical Journal- The Lancet- a doctor named Andrew Wakefield claimed that there was a strong link to children who developed with Autism and getting vaccines as a child. Well this was ALL FALSE information. Can you imagine putting out that kind of information and knowing it was false! The people's lives this has affected, and laws that have changed in MANY countries because of this information.
Unbelievable....

However, I do believe that we needed to clean up the vaccines and get some of the preservatives out...so that is good...but what a ruckus this doctor has caused.

Whew...what a week...can't wait until tomorrow!! FRIDAY!!!!!

I LOVE my job...

I work in a couple of elementary schools with all different types of students. Today one of my favorite students (well I say this every time I talk about a student, because they are all my favorite) told me, "Mrs. Lampley, I can make you a baby, a little person that will look just like you. It will only take me about a minute." Now at this point I am cracking up inside, but I continue to question this student to see exactly what he is talking about. He then proceeds to tell me that he can put information into a computer he made and he can make anything happen. Great Imagination!!! Unfortunately, I am not sure that he knew how bad his first comment was.

This student is a first grader, and he is so freaking cute and smart! He does not know that I am pregnant, so his comment was out of the blue, but right on track. He always talks about how much he likes OT, and how he needs extra help to learn how to slow down and pay attention to what he is writing.....(well do it then! haha!)

Another student of mine, a 2nd grader. Told me a few weeks ago that his dad took him to the local Thanksgiving Day parade and some cheerleaders came out to perform. His dad commented to the student how cold the cheerleaders must be, because they were wearing such little skirts outside. My student's reply, "No way dad, their HOT!" And my student thought it was important to let me know that conversation took place :) again...another reason why I LOVE my job.

I think I need to practice not laughing out loud when students say inappropriate things...man I am so bad at that....all in good time. Happy Tuesday!

It's TV time!!!

So ever since I got the DVR, just about 2 1/2 years ago, I have found more and more TV shows that I like to watch. I am not going to lie...most nights we have 2 TV shows being recorded at the same time, and for no good reason besides the fact that "I can."

I think my favorite TV shows right now are: 90210, The Soup, and Grey's Anatomy.

My MTV obsession is stocked full: Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant, True Life, World of Jenks, and Jersey Shore.

E! and TLC- waste of timers: Kendra, Intervention, Hoarders, The Little Couple, What Not to Wear, Sister Wives, Keeping up with the Kardashians, My Strange Addiction, and Bridalplasty.

Extra's and just for fun- America's Funniest Home Video's, Biggest Looser, and Wipeout.

Wow...that's a lot of wasted time :)

Bump time?

So, like any newly pregnant girl I am waiting on my bump! My jeans still fit, but I noticed when I got home from Fast Eddies that I either have "the bloat" or a little tiny "bump"! Just thought I would share my picture- 13 weeks and 1 day along.

The story of me and my Root...

Let's talk about how I met my husband...that should be fun! It was fall of 2005 and I was a single and ready to mingle. I was 21 and ready to bring it. I had a personal list of what I wanted in "the right guy" it included:
1) to have their own car
2) have a job or source of money- so I wouldn't have to pay for dates :)
3) have a degree or be going to school to get a degree
4) have a good attitude/personality

On my soon to be husbands list:
1) be of legal drinking age (because he was almost 30 :)
2) have a girlie figure
That's probably all.... :P

We met at a local bar; Mangia Italiano, where we had mutual friends playing in a band that night. Scott's pick up line was "I make wine."....my reply was "so....my dad does that." Needless to say neither one of us probably made a good first impression, however that night progressed with drinking, shots, and didn't end until 3am.

I blew him off for about a month, until I came around and thought...this guy has every quality on my "list" and then more. He had a degree, job, a house, and he was a nice guy. On November 5, 2005 we began dating. Scott was awesome at finding all the places I have never been and taking me out to dinner and drinks. I was courted very well!

Our first Valentines day was at Monarch- and dinner ended up being about $175 (and we had only been dating for 4 months). Our first "trip" together was to Chicago to meet his best girl friend and old next door neighbor Liz. Basically I had to pass the Liz test to be official :) I think I did alright. Scott surprised me with a graduation trip to Seattle when I was done with grad school in 2007.

Around that time I had moved back in with my parents and got my first big girl job. On October 25, 2007 Scott asked me out on a date. A limo showed up to take us to Mangia for dinner, and then the Grand Basin in Forest Park where he proposed. We finished up that night with a few stops at different bars (Lucas Park, and the Famous Bar).

I moved in right before we got married and the rest is history! We were married September 27, 2008, and went to Maui, Hawaii for our honeymoon. We enjoy traveling, although neither one of us really likes flying we know it is the quickest way to get from point A to point B. This year we have lots of changes to come, we will not be traveling as much because we are expecting our first addition to our family. Time to focus on nesting, and rearranging our home to fit this new little person. Can't wait to see what else life has to bring.

OMG...

I don't know how I didn't know about this website before...but it is amazing. I have tears running down my face while reading it: http://damnyouautocorrect.com/

ENJOY!

2011

Well I made it!!! I stayed up until 1:30am on 12/31/2010!! I rang in the new year at a friends house with about 20 of our closest friends. I think besides the children I was the only adult not drinking alcohol...very strange indeed. We had a good time swapping holiday stories and talking about what is to come...a great new year full of exciting moves, hopes for new jobs, and an addition to the Lampley household :) We were able to Skype with some of our friends who were home sick in TN :( And we had in impromptu countdown to the new year because no one was paying attention to the time (although there was a TON of rock band going on). My husband and I stayed out at his parents house and they made us a yummy breakfast in the morning before we headed home to do some cleaning. And of course take a nap (one of the things I have been pretty good at lately)

Along with the new year comes the "New Years Resolution". This year I am not going to make a list, or try to be a better person, I like who I am. However, I do have one thing I would like to try to work on: No more worrying about things I have no control over, and to just go with the flow. Now this may require some mediation classes or even therapy, but I am determined. (We will see how determined I am in about 4 weeks :)

On another note, I decided after searching online that I was not going to find a cheaper or cuter fabric for my nursery, so my mom and I went ahead and purchased all the owl fabric as well as a coordinating yellow. I absolutely LOVE IT! My mom is going to make me 2 window treatments (because the babies room has 2 windows), a bed skirt, and a baby comforter/quilt using this fabric.


The rest of the nursery will be done in solid colors, to avoid making it look too busy. I am thinking a cool contemporary orange lamp maybe like this: (as long as the orange is dark enough)


Well, I am off to enjoy napping in 2011!