Highs and Lows of the last few weeks

It feels like ages since I’ve posted highs and lows, but since I’ve found the time to blog today and it happens to be Friday, I figured I’d revisit the weekly tradition. Since it's been awhile, these highs and lows will cover the last 3 weeks or so. 

Lows: 
1) Feeling overwhelmed as I start my baby product research and purchases. Babies are expensive, y’all. And high maintenance.  Luckily, I have some remarkable friends who have shared their mommy wisdom with me. My friend Jill even wrote out a review of every single item they bought for their now 4 month old baby girl. 

It helps so much to hear first-hand accounts from people whose judgment I wholeheartedly trust.  Otherwise, I’m just cruising the Babies R Us website, looking at 50 strollers that, for all intents and purposes, appear exactly the same. 

Also, purchasing most of our big ticket items from the States is another challenge. Our shipment will take 3 months to get to the UK and clear customs, so ideally, it needs to be ready to ship by mid-July. Depending on shipping times, that means I have to order several things (like furniture) without ever seeing them firsthand. 

Also, several people mentioned wanting to buy us gifts. Knowing that we have to be super selective about what goes in our baby shipment, we decided to register for a few things so that if people want to buy something for Baby, they know what’s high on our priority list.

We’re so grateful for all the help and support, but again, registering via a website can be challenging. You have to put a lot of trust in picture quality and product descriptions.  

I feel like I’m complaining. I’m not, I swear. My low is just that I feel overwhelmed and stressed at all the big decisions that need to be made in such a small amount of time. Plus all the chunks of money that have to be spent. I’m not normally the ‘frugal’ type, but gee golly I’m watching my ‘baby budget’ dwindle pretty quickly and it’s quite disorienting. 

2) Having my first parental argument with Jonathan. He asked how much I wanted to save for college. I said $400,000 should cover 4 years at Harvard. He said that was insane and he’d rather pay for his kid to go to BAMA than Harvard. It got pretty heated after that. Thems fightin’ words. 

Highs:  
1) The number one most awesome high ever is that my sister announced this week that she is also expecting a baby. 

Her due date is Nov 22, just 4 short weeks after mine. I’m so happy that our baby will have a first cousin so close in age, and I’m excited to go through this pregnancy journey with my big sis. 

2) Feeling so much better. Everyday I have more energy and more appetite. I’ve been staying on top of my domestic responsibilities, managing regular work out sessions, and maintaining a social life. Jonathan and I have even planned a big hike for the weekend, so I’m excited to see how I do with a long trek. 

3) I started a new Beth Moore bible study with a group of women in Aberdeen. I’ve been doing studies on my own for years now, but this is the first one I’ve done in a group. It is so much fun, and the content of Stepping Up hits the bullseye of what I need to hear right now. 

I’m up to host at my house next week, so I’m a little bit nervous about squeezing 12 ladies into my itty bitty living space, but I’m sure it will be fine. I’m also a little nervous about making lunch for them since my appetite right now is similar to that of a 6 year old. I hope they are okay with chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese! 

4) Getting my run on. This week I was able to get my mileage up to about 3.7 without stopping. I was starting to lose hope that I’d be able to run while pregnant, but Bailey and I have really been enjoying our shorter, more leisurely jogs. 

Love running alongside this!

I just feel much less guilty now that I’m able to get out with the dogs on a regular basis. Samson’s on a 7-days-in-a-row walking streak. I’ve gotta pat myself on the back for that one. 

4)Tash’s birthday celebration. Our token Welsh friend had her 27^th birthday on Wednesday, so us girls went out for a fancy dinner at Moonfish Café. 

I am so thankful that my morning sickness has waned enough to allow me to patron restaurants again! I’ve been missing out on so many social gatherings with my friends because they were always meeting for dinner, and food was a pretty contentious matter for me for a while. 

Scallop Starter.

Now I’m much less hesistant to RSVP 'yes', though my aversion to Thai and Indian food is still going strong. If you’ve ever lived in the UK, you know what a bummer this is. Thai and Indian food here is like the Mexican food of Texas. So yummy. 

Of course, I’m craving Mexican like the dickens and there isn’t a decent Mexican place in the whole country. Two more weeks until I can satisfy my craving in the USA!!! 

5) Scottish sunshine and Spring weather…finally. It’s still pretty cold out, but the snow has melted, the flowers are blooming, and the sun is a frequent visitor. 

We’ve been able to get some good forest walks in with the pups, which is still my favorite thing about this country.