33 weeks

Remember this shirt?
This was way back in January...sidenote-can my hair PLEASE get this long again? I'm hairexic and always chop it and then immediately regret it.
Ha! BIG difference between 11 weeks and 33 weeks....

*How far along?: 33 weeks
*How big is your baby?: a honeydew melon...a little over 4lbs!
*Total weight gain?:2 more pounds the past 2 weeks....15lbs total
*Sex: BOY! Grayson Benjamin:)
*Maternity clothes: I hate all my maternity clothes. That is all there is to it.
*Stretch marks: Because of the 'stretchmark-on-upper-leg scare' I am now lathering my tummy rub ALL over. I'm paranoid.

*Movement: Grayson is a mover & a shaker...I think he is still flipping around!
*Sleep: Eh...when I'm sleeping, I am sleeping well. My sides start hurting though in the middle of the night and I have to change positions all. night. long.
*Best moment this week: SOCK MONKEY ARRIVED!!! We also toured the L&D part of the hospital today...pretty cool!
*Food cravings: anything cold!! Still love popsicles & lately I have been wanting milk...weird.
*Labor signs: still just generally uncomfortable because he is sitting so dang high in my stomach...not BH contractions that I know of!
Belly button in or out: my belly button officially came out of the closet.

*What I miss: not having back/rib pain & wearing normal clothes
*What I'm looking forward to: our last baby shower in 2 weeks!

the search is over...

I finally found the perfect sock monkey!!!

I just ordered Rufus...I kid you not, that is his legit name. He should be here in about a week! Isn't little Rufus cute?!

loving right now..

These are a few things that I am currently loving...

NEW coffee table! We finally found one we liked and it came in 2 days ago. I love it! We now have a 'grown-up' table instead of my cheapo Ikea table from college.

Rain. Rain=me not having to water my poor burnt-to-a-crisp flowers in the 98 degree heat. Therefore, I love that it rained today.

A bed of CLEAN baby clothes! I am putting them all away today...how is it that they already smell like a fresh newborn? Yum. Love new baby smell. Huddy insisted on being in my pictures today. Poor guy has an eye infection and feels yucky...meaning that I have had a shadow all day!

That this is what you see when you walk into our bedroom! Okay baby, hurry up!

I absolutely love this show. Polygamy is fascinating to me (I'm weird, I know) and this is SUCH a good drama! I recently got Ben hooked and we just finished Season 3 last night:)

These girls. We start school next week (wah!!) but I love having these people around to discuss school, set up our rooms together, and shop for school stuff! I am really looking forward to this year & a large part of that is my fun friends. I'm a lucky girl!!

Get your fists ready, your hair gel out, and your bumpit...it's GTL time!! Yep, the Jersey Shore crew is back on tonight. Pure happiness in the May household.

This big guy has been making me smile. He has his "lovies" like a real baby does...this orange bone and a stretchy dog named Slink. Hudson is also such a daddy's boy that he snuggles with Ben's boxers...seriously. Ridiculous. This is how he was laying when I walked out of the bathroom this morning.

Bethenny Frankel. Favorite 'housewife' by far...and I have been loving her new show this summer! She is the funniest pregnant person I have ever seen.

weekend wrap-up

This weekend was so much fun! It dawned on me when we got back from Jackson that this was our last "Ben and Laura Only" getaway...when the rest of Ben's friends get married, we will have a baby to bring!

It was so great to see people that we have not seen in a long time...really made me want to live closer to some of our friends!

I only took pictures at the wedding...I know, I'm getting slack. Look at my handsome boy in a tux!
I love weddings...everything about them. Isn't Marty's cake pretty??

We like Ole Miss. Matt may be the biggest Rebel fan I have ever met. Everyone made jokes at the rehearsal dinner that he was now going to have to put Marty first, and the Rebels second. :)

Ben and his other half, Collin. Soon-to-be Uncle Co. Love this guy. He told me to try my hardest to have Grayson on a Wednesday, that way it will not interfere with any fall sports. Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays are just totally out of the question. Duh.

The couple of the hour! The new Mr. and Mrs. Kelly! Marty looked gorgeous, of course!

This group kept me entertained all weekend long. Never a dull moment!

...on their way to the Bahamas! Wedding weekend was a complete success...congrats Matt & Marty!

32 weeks

*How far along?: 32 weeks and 1 days = 8 months = ohmygosh. How can I possibly be 8 months pregnant? That is crazy.

*How big is your baby?: still a head of lettuce this week...getting closer to 4lbs!

*Total weight gain?:13lbs

*Sex: BOY! Grayson Benjamin:)

*Maternity clothes: I hate all my maternity clothes. My bra is now painful to wear because this little boy thinks it's cool to sit practically in my rib cage. Oh, and wedding fashion at 8 months pregnant? Don't even get me started.

*Stretch marks: Because of the 'stretchmark-on-upper-leg scare' I am now lathering my tummy rub ALL over. I'm paranoid.

*Sleep: Eh...when I'm sleeping, I am sleeping well. My sides start hurting though in the middle of the night and I have to change positions all. night. long.

*Best moment this week: Washed ALL the clothes & blankets, ordered some really cute art for the empty nursery wall, and watched Matt & Marty get married!

*Food cravings: anything cold! I am loving Purity Sweet Lemon popsicles and FroYo:)

*Labor signs: not yet...I'm generally just uncomfortable about 65% of the time now--he is getting bigger and is hurting my ribs!

Belly button in or out: I refuse to discuss. See picture above.

*What I miss: wearing regular clothes!!

*What I'm looking forward to: our shower coming up in a couple weeks!

I'm goin to Jackson...

Tomorrow, I will be here:

And nope, doesn't so much feel like 'coming home.' You are probably wondering if I am going to Starkville to find/befriend Jemmye from the Real World. Sadly, there will be no time for that on this trip.

We are driving to Jackson because Matt (blonde boy/one of Ben's besties) is getting hitched! With this crew of boys attending a wedding together, I am surely going to be amused.

Is it bad that when I go back to places..particularly college places..all I can think about are the places that I used to love to eat at? I mean, I want to plan my whole weekend around restaurants. Newk's (omg...yum), El Potrillo, Beagle Bagle, Two Sisters, Keifer's, Julep. Somehow, I don't think it would be humanly possible to squeeze all that food into my already crowded stomach during a 48 hour stay.

my little furry loves

...is it bad that my heart kind of hurts when I think about the fact that my first 3 babies little pup world is about to be rocked? I just love these 3.

my first born. my first I'm-outta-high school-and-on-my-own big purchase. well worth emptying my bank account at age 19. I get major anxiety when I realize he won't be my little sidekick my entire life.
my girl. my only girl. Ellie and I are a team...a team who is about to be way outnumbered. adopted on a whim...makes Hudson SO happy & completed our little family when it comes to animals.

Huddy is my big lap dog. our former abused/homeless/skinny Mississippi stray turned into spoiled rotten daddy's boy. he walked into my life and I just couldn't let him leave. I have a feeling that he and Grayson will be best friends.

Please note Mert in the background. Mert is Jack's bff. He is a pink pig that has been with Jack his whole entire life--almost 6 years! We would be lost without ol' Mert.

They know something is about to happen, but I don't think they realize just how big of a change it will be. Hudson, Ellie, and Jack love sniffing all of the new baby gear...Jack even hopped in the infant seat by himself a couple of weeks ago! Will they love sniffing the actual baby? Should be interesting to say the least!

2 years

2 years ago today was the best day of my life. I married my best friend!! It is still hard to believe that we have been married for 2 years and together for over 5 1/2...that seems crazy!

It's so much fun living with the person that you love. It's also amazing the things that you learn about one another that you didn't know while you were dating. I've learned that there will be clothes on Ben's side of the bed and there will also be atleast one coke can on the coffee table. I'm pretty sure that Ben has realized I am a terrible organizer and I have little stations around the house of "Laura's Junk She Doesn't Know What to do With." (Don't worry, they are usually contained to cute little containers..ha!) I have realized just how obsessed with sports he really is & that he will always talk to his "bestie" on the phone atleast 3 times a week. Shout out to Collin! I think Ben has realized that I absolutely despise ironing & am pretty anal about my color coordinated side of the closet.
Year #2 was great! Lots of things happened: Ben became a pharmacy manager and opened the new store in Spring Hill, we learned to survive with 3 dogs after Ellie came into the mix, we turned our house into more of a home, Ben had his first Louisana Christmas, we traded the 4Runner in for a big ol' truck, I survived my 2nd year of teaching, we went to Jamaica, Ben's job moved him to Green Hills-yay!, found a church home at Clearview Baptist and joined a really fun small group, oh...and we found out we are having a baby. I guess that is a pretty big deal!
I can't wait to see what the future holds for us and our little family...but for right now, I am soaking up all the time I have with just my hubby before Grayson gets here! Happy 2 years...here's to 60+ more!!

31 weeks

The picture below is dedicated to Mary. She lurves her some veggie/fruit pics. I don't have a head of lettuce on hand, Mary, so a box of "mixed greens" will have to do! Ha!
*How far along?: 31 weeks and 1 day
*How big is your baby?: a head of lettuce..about 3.4-3.5lbs
*Total weight gain?:13lbs
*Sex: BOY! Grayson Benjamin:)
*Maternity clothes: boo hiss. that's all I have to say about that.
*Stretch marks: Because of the 'stretchmark-on-upper-leg scare' I am now lathering my tummy rub ALL over. I'm paranoid.
*Sleep: Eh...when I'm sleeping, I am sleeping well. My sides start hurting though in the middle of the night and I have to change positions all. night. long.
*Best moment this week: I am starting to really organize his things in the nursery...bought a few baskets to hold these gazillion tiny things that babies require! Also got my diaper bag...love it! Oh, and wanna give a shout out to my hubby who saved all 11,000 pictures from my dying computer last night. 11,000 pictures...take a minute and let that sink in. I can't imagine how many I will have next year.
*Food cravings: anything cold! I am loving Purity Sweet Lemon popsicles and FroYo:)
*Labor signs: not yet...I think he is sitting lower because it all of a sudden feels much heavier!
*Belly button in or out: ew...it is out AND in. Totally grosses me out.
*What I miss: wearing regular clothes!!
*What I'm looking forward to: scheduling a tour of L & D at the hospital...calling this week!

just wanted to say...

Happy 26th Birthday to my most favorite hubby in the whole world!!

when am i too old for mtv?

I've been hooked on MTV since I was in 4th grade. I vividly remember being at a friend's house and watching The Real World:San Francisco which aired in 1994. 1994! Holy cow...that was a long time ago. You know, the season with Puck? He was pretty unforgettable.

Anyone watching the new Real World season? They went back to New Orleans...just in time for Mardi Gras. Clever little MTV producers...

The past few seasons have been terrible, but this cast is ha-larious. It's the perfect storm: 8 off-the-wall personalities during the craziest time of the year in one of the craziest cities...makes for great television. The best part? Jemmye. The southern girl with the voice that sounds a bit like nails on a chalkboard. Covered in tats...one being..um, unseen. When I realized she was from Mississippi I cringed. Why they gotta make the Mississippi girl look like trash?? THEN I realized she lives in Starkville...and I laughed. Please watch this season if for no other reason than to laugh your tail off at Jemmye. I promise...she is worth it.
I was SO excited about the Hills finale this week...I was all caught up in the frama...ya know, fake drama...and was so hoping to see Speidi in all their craziness. EPIC FAIL. The finale was t e r r i b l e. oh, and Heidi looks like catwoman these days. Creeptastic!

...and I never got a final glance as this whacko! Crystal-bearing Spencer, how I love you. You are like a terrible trainwreck that I can't keep my eyes off of.

Anyone else have a guilty pleasure on mtv?

a diaper bag + random Loma thoughts

I finally settled on a diaper bag:

Allow me to introduce you to my trusty ol' pal, SkipHop. I am in love. Mary tried to get me to go into the Michael Kors store in Atlanta and I firmly said "no!" Let's face it, I have a deep love for my friend Michael and that could have been a disaster to my wallet. Your welcome, hubby! I love the SkipHop bag and the price is actually pretty affordable.

I went to my OB this morning. I am starting to feel as if these appointments are a waste of my time...other than hearing that sweet 'thump thump' sound. I literally saw the doctor for 3 minutes. Oh, and I gained 4lbs. Sweet! ...Atlanta, I blame you.

I am on an organizing rampage in Grayson's room. That is all fine & dandy except for one thing...I don't know how to be organized. So all you mamas/mamas-to-be/super organized people: how in the world do you organize all these tiny baby things? We have one dresser with 3 drawers and 2 cabinets that are currently holding 4 empty baskets. I don't know how to organize all these teeny socks, burp cloths, bibs, peepee teepees (ha!), etc. Any tips?

Hudson has started kissing my stomach. It makes me happy.

I went to the Parent-Teacher Store today and realized 2 things: 1) summer is almost over--eek! and 2) buying fun things for your classroom is not fun when you are actually spending your own money. ew. However, I am really excited about my dog themed room...seriously, why am I just now doing this theme? You know I love me so pups!

Okay, I'm boring today. I apologize. Happy Thursday!

30 weeks...a little late:)

*How far along?: 30 weeks & 3 days
*How big is your baby?: butternut squash...about 3.3lbs!

*Total weight gain?: I would guess about 10lbs...we will find out on Thursday!

*Sex: BOY! Grayson Benjamin:)
*Maternity clothes: boo hiss. that's all I have to say about that.

*Stretch marks: saw a teeny one at the top of my leg...none on my belly though!
*Sleep: Just depends...some nights I am really sore and other nights I am fine!

*Best moment this week: my Atlanta trip with my fun friends!

*Food cravings: anything cold! I am loving Purity Sweet Lemon popsicles and FroYo:)
*Labor signs: not yet...back & ribs start hurting randomly throughout the day
*Belly button in or out: ew...it is out AND in. Totally grosses me out.

*What I miss: shopping for regular clothes!!

*What I'm looking forward to: meeting this baby...I am getting anxious!

georgia on my mind.

I am back from Atlanta...and I can't wait to road trip with these girls again!! We had a great time shopping, exploring, laughing, chatting, and of course...eating. :) Why is it that most trips center around meals? Not that I am complaining!! Sadly, I don't have many pictures to share. Not too terribly fond of seeing myself in them lately!

Kristy, me, Mary, and Katie before we went to Provino's! Picture old italian decor, amazing italian salads, yummy pastas, AND homemade garlic rolls swimming in garlic butter. Is your mouth watering yet?! Mine is! I could eat there just as often as I eat mexican food...and that says alot!
Shout out Jimmy Choo pose!

This weekend started off at the Dawsonville outlets. We pretty much shopped til we dropped! On Saturday we spent THREE hours in Ikea...Katie was like a kid in a candy store. Sorry, Josh! You have many Ikea visits in your future!! We walked around Atlantic Station and shopped some more after our Ikea adventure. We ate lunch at Doc Green's, met a fabulous pagaent director--I still have hopes for finding a gay best friend!, and went to H&M. Hello, amazing people watching. Guidos, tweens, gangstas...you name it, we saw it. All in one store.

Sunday was our day of rest...ha! We started off at the Flying Biscuit. If you live in Atlanta and you have not been here, please go now! SO yummy! We also went to Lenox...also, amazing people watching. I drooled over Urban Outfitters clothes and longed for the day when I can once again shop at my favorite stores. All in all, it was a great long weekend with some of my favorite girls!! Can't wait to do it again!!

where my girls at?

Where my girls at? From the front to back..well is you feelin' that?

Shout out to 702...bonus points if you remember that girl group!!

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it! This time tomorrow I will be in my favorite city...
HOTLANTA!...and I will be with these girls! Well, minus that cute now-mobile little girl. Sorry, Ellie Kate!

That's right, folks. Tomorrow my friends and I will be venturing down to the dirty dirty to do what we do best: shop, eat, talk, laugh, repeat. If you don't take trips with your girl friends, I highly recommend you change that. These trips are good for the soul! :) Get ready, ATL!

a nursery in progress

Putting together a nursery is a lot of work. Every time I think we are almost finished, I look at the changing table/dresser and see a pile of things that are unorganized...driving me nuts!! Here are a couple of new things we added recently to little guy's room:

...and he has a name! I knew I wanted his name over the crib, but I wanted it to look a little bit different than what everyone else seems to be doing lately. Ben was also clear on one thing: no ribbon in his room!!! Haha...seriously...he insisted that ribbons are too girly for a little boy. We bought the circular pieces of wood & the letters at Michael's. Oh, and those circles? They came from 3 stores in 2 different states. Little suckers were hard to come by! I just painted them with the leftover nursery paint and think they turned out cute!
I had said that my mom came up after our baby shower to hang out AND make curtains. Here they are!! I am in love with them. Seriously, I love love love them!! They are even lined with blackout fabric...we want this baby to sleep!!

Mom & Robyn found the perfect ribbon to tie in the blue from the room and the dark furniture.

They turned out great! Thanks Mom! :) I told her she should start a sewing business...don't think she was a fan of that idea!

Woohoo--I love making progress! Now, if you could see the room from the opposite angle you would probably have a panic attack from the lack of organization. Perhaps I will tackle that next week...