PVS

Happy Thursday!

Mind Blown Tuesday

I hate it when my husband is stressed out. Thankfully I have only seen him at capacity twice.

Once when he was working this horrific job that essentially had him working 24/7 - I mean, we are talking getting calls during CHURCH! The role was challenging and not in his wheel house, the clients had ridiculous expectations and the company suspect. It didn't help that Cruz was only 3 months old and I was a hormonal mess. The second time? Now.

We are adjusting to life with two children which includes sleepless nights, our main living space is totally unfinished and he is experiencing some major change at work. One that requires some pretty heavy travel. Oh and because being a stay at home mom right now is really hard I've practically been begging for a good review from my boss (Nick). Someone to give me a pat on the back and say, "Wow, Ashley! You deserve a promotion for being so amazing. Let's talk more about it in our bed. Under the covers." I know, I am so annoying. No wonder he is stressed out.

In an effort to hold off medical intervention for my poor hubby's stress I decide to Craigslist a contractor to finish our wood floors for us. Can I first say that God has been good to me?! This is our third Craigslist hire and all three have been out of this world amazing. I will admit that after getting off the phone with this guy I did have a flash of serial killer but standing in our living room during the initial consult we became instant besties. He was slinging deals, I was slinging over the top compliments which naturally made him sling more deals... It was glorious.

Anyway, I hired him. He started yesterday.

Not bad, huh?

So while Double R is currently making magic at my house and this hottie is in New York City for the week, me and my hooligans are bach'n it. Eating out, napping at Mimi and Papa's and counting down the seconds till Dad returns. 

PS. Hey Nick, thanks for that hot pic this morning. If you showed up at my office in New York City, I'd stop everything to show you my special presentation. In the storage room. 

Speaking of eating out....welcome to mind blown Tuesday. 

On our way to Mimi and Papa's for nap time today, I stopped through McDonalds for a quick snack. I approached the first window, pulled out my debit card and handed it to the sweet girl clearly smack dab in the middle of the lunch time rush. 

"Just a fish fillet for you?" She says. 

"Ummm, no." I say, holding back a solid gag, totally caught off guard.

"Of course not." She says. 

"Let me ask, do you seriously have people come through and order just one fish sandwich?" Of course,  I'm honestly wondering.

"You have no idea." She answered with a look on her face which confirmed she felt the exact same way about the fish fillet as I do. 

People really do that? Lots of people? Mind blown. 

If you or someone you know thinks - I am hungry....ohhh yummmm, one crispy, fried fish patty from McDonalds sounds amazing right now - then we need to meet. Like, I really want to meet you and know about you. Probably ask you a million questions including why you love the fish fillet.

Maybe...just maybe you can unblow my mind. 

Happy Tuesday.

Pepper's Birth Story - Part 1

Hello again.
Pepper's arrival sure changed my little life.
I promise I am coming back...having your life changed the way mine has is definitely a catalyst for some amazing blog posts. In the meantime here is part one of what was promised a month ago.
xo

*******

The best part of being induced is knowing exactly when life will change. We didn't get that luxery with Cruz. He came early, causing complete hysterics due to the fact NOTHING was ready - not my house, my dogs, my bags, my fridge, and most importantly my nails. I mean, thank goodness my designer delivery gown was in the dryer or off the cliff I would have gone. Not this time, I told myself, so by 36 weeks I was ready just in case she was ready. Of course she wasn't and wouldn't be until the Doctor felt best, due to her size, to take her one week prior to her due date.

I had done everything shy of drinking castor oil to kickstart labor on its own. I ate spicy food. Em and I went on long LONG walks. I did wall squats. I dehydrated myself. I drank a full box of Raspberry leaf tea. I had sex - well as much sex as you can have at 37 and 38 weeks pregnant. I don't even think Nick had any fun. It got so bad I seriously considered looking up how to check a pregnant woman's cervix on You Tube so that Nick could check me three times a day. I mean THAT clearly would have done it, right?!

The two days before my induction date were some of the happiest and saddest of my life. I made it my mission to spend as much time with Cruz and Nick as I could. Especially Cruz, who in just two sleeps, would wake up to a different world. One in which would take his best friend and split her into two. Meals were a little longer, hugs a little tighter, kisses a little more frequent. The time spent as mom, dad and Cruz cherished a little more sweeter. All the in between moments were spent cleaning the house, running last minute errands, and wrapping presents.

To Cruz: I love you already. 

Love P

Have you ever had a moment-to-be lay in front of you seated perfectly on the horizon? It is a type of big moment you can see no matter what's happening around you. A moment you replay a million times in your mind. Anticipating emotions. Creating expectations. I have had many. None as big as leaving Cruz with my mom and dad to go have a baby. 

Pulling up to the house, Cruz was excited. He knew exactly where we were and was waving his hands in anticipation, just as he always does, for when Mimi and Papa greet him at the door. 

"Cruzzzzzz!" She yells. 

"Hey Cruz!" He yells. 

"Mimi, Papaaaa!" 

I grabbed the bags out of the back, followed Nick and Cruz into the house to say goodbye which promptly sent a signal to my brain that said - THIS IS IT. This is the time you freak out. And I didn't disappoint. In fact I cried as I gave instructions, I cried as I was reassured, I cried as I said goodbye, I cried as I reached the car door handle and I cried in the passenger side of the Suburban all the way home. The tears weren't out of frustration, pain, or even the unknown. They were from knowing. Knowing fully and completely the gift he was and knowing that no matter what I did or said each day leading up to this day, the next time he saw me it would all be different. 

We had set our alarms for 4:45am. I woke with butterflies at 4:30. It was hard to sleep in a quiet house. No dogs and no Cruz. We quietly shuffled around, throwing on the clothes set out the night before, filling up our mugs full of hot coffee and running through the check-list of things most often forgotten. 

5:12am. Time to go.

The hospital was a quick drive. It was calm. Much different than the first time. We talked about making the drive 2 years earlier and if either of us thought it would be like this. We parked the car a few minutes later and walked in. Confident. Calm.

We got to the desk to check-in. "We are the Salzwedels. Here to be induced." I said.

The nurse looked at me and smiled, "January 14th. What a good day to have a baby."