finding a balance

Tuesday is May which means this is the last 1st of the month that I will be a working woman. My career life has been short lived for now but God apparently has bigger plans for my life. I am passionate about teaching. I love these kiddos that I get to spend my weekdays with more than I ever thought I would. I leave satisfied every day and never wake up dreading work. It has been a blessing to be put into this classroom but an even bigger blessing awaits me now...being a mama. I long for the days when I will be able to wake up and tend to my home, puppy, and come August, baby. I'll be home when my handsome husband walks through the door after a long day at work. I really can't wait. Here's some fun photos of our canine child.

Yes, we have THAT dog.

an afternoon cruise...

This weekend was a bittersweet one. As it was sunny and 90 here in Charleston, it was hard to focus on the weather while saying goodbye to two people that have become our close friends over the past few years...Blake and Erin and now their precious baby boy, Bennett. Blake was Matt's roommate when he first moved to Seattle. Matt was so grateful to have a place to move into when he arrived and it really all happened last minute and was very unplanned. Blake and Erin's relationship was fairly new when we first met them but progressed over time and Matt ended up moving out to marry me and to let Erin move in. They were married last March and welcomed Bennett into the world just two weeks ago. They moved to Charleston 9 months before we did. Saying goodbye to them in Seattle was sad of course but saying goodbye to them yesterday was a lot different. I feel like we have lived slightly parallel lives over the last 2 years and it makes it easy to have friendship. Erin has been my go-to woman both here in Charleston as well as back in Seattle. Blake has been a huge support to Matt in both his career and in life...we will miss them dearly! I didn't cry while they were still here but as we drove past their neighborhood on the way home after saying goodbye at a Greek restaurant, I couldn't help but cry. We will miss you both so much...thank you for a great 3 years of life together! 

Matt & Bennett

In baby news, I've recently been obsessed with all baby blogs that I come across...one in particular. This chick has already had her baby but I can't help but stalk and savor all baby suggestions/baby advice she has given. Throughout her pregnancy, she would give weekly updates on random details and I too think these would be fun to share just for this week....so here goes... tune in.

How far along? 23 weeks

Total weight gain: approximately 9 pounds...will know exact weight at Wednesday's appointment.
Maternity clothes? oh yea
Stretch marks? none yet!
Sleep: not terrible, except for when Raleigh breathes in my face so I'll let her up on the bed.
Best moment this week: evening walks with Matt and Belle.
Miss Anything? WINE, sushi, bending over without a belly in the way, running, eating spicy food and not getting heartburn.
Movement: oh yes! He loves kicking his mama...and I know this is only the beginning.
Food cravings: Lucky Charms, sweets (surprise!) but fruity sweets mostly. mangoes, smoothies, frozen yogurt.
Anything making you queasy or sick: meat, chicken (dependent on how it's prepared), Chik-Fil-A
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nope.
Symptoms: lower back pain, burning sensation while lying down (acid reflux?)
Wedding rings on or off? on.. no swelling yet.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy I think! I don't feel moody...maybe a little more emotional than pre-pregnancy
Looking forward to: D-Day! SO ready for his arrival!!!! :)

22 weeks

23 weeks & 1 day

grandma comes and babies are born

I know I pretty much start every post like this but I really can't believe how fast time flies. We are so busy all of the time that I do not even know where our weeks go. Life needs to slow down. I thought life would slow down when we left Seattle and it did for a while but then just picked right back up again. Update in photos goes like such...

20 weeks pregnant...before driving to Atlanta to pick my mom up!

Present from mom...she knows me too well :)

Dinner...we didn't take enough pictures, MOM!

Waiting to go into World Changers Church on Easter morning, the sole reason she flew into Atlanta :)

Rockin' the belly on the beach...it's a weird feeling.

The week with mom was great. I was on spring break from school and we made it a point to relax. Massages, dinner, registering for baby, shopping...that was about the entire itinerary. Needless to say, it was hard to go back to school on Monday morning. Only 6 more weeks of school! Not that I'm counting down...

I bought this book this week...

This book reminds me of Isabelle and Caroline, the two little girls that I nannied for in Seattle. We read it many times and I'm proud to say I still have it memorized! I'm already getting so anxious to meet this baby boy and I've barely made it past the halfway mark...hopefully these next few months will go by quickly (I'm sure they will as always!)

21 weeks...he's popped right out!

 Another very exciting part of the past few weeks is that Erin finally brought their sweet baby boy, Bennett, into this world! We were so lucky to be able to go to the hospital on Saturday afternoon to meet him and he really is the perfect little baby. Matt was slightly hesitant to hold him at first but after a bit of encouraging, he did. Here is Bennett's grumpy face in Matt's arms but he never cried. Matt's big accomplishment for the day! I'm in denial about the fact that they are moving back to Montana in just a few short weeks...

 

 

 

How sweet is he?!

Lastly, Raleigh Belle has decided it's fun to find one treasure on each walk we have and carry it all the way home. Here's Monday's treasure...

Ha, I love this stinker.

It's a BOY!

Last Wednesday, we had an amazingly surreal afternoon as we went to the doctor to find out there is a sweet baby boy inside of me. I was completely shocked as I thought it was a girl (and so it seemed that everyone else did as well) but I could not be more excited. Now that we know it is a boy, I feel like I know him a little better and love calling him "a him" rather than "he" or "she". It was so neat to see him on the ultrasound. I am happy to report he has all 10 toes and fingers, all his bones, and was even sucking his little thumb. His little button nose just melts my heart. The ultrasound tech finally made me go to the bathroom towards the end so that he would stretch out his legs for her to see but I loved seeing them all curled up beneath him. He is breech and I can feel his tiny kicks in my lower abdomen. He is always moving around! I love feeling him.

Here are a few photos of our baby cub...

Look at that nose and those lips!

So, yay for baby boys!

Besides that, we had a wonderful weekend with the Briedes (as usual). They drove down on Thursday and watched RB on Friday as well as cooking dinner for us as Matt and I went to Columbia on a field trip with my kiddos to the zoo! Here is the precious cargo that Matt and I carried in our van...

 

On Friday night, after a wonderful meal prepared by Amy, we went to get some frozen yogurt and then went to bed. Saturday morning, we all got up early to watch Matt, Paul, and Blake run the 10K Cooper River Bridge Run. We met the Rasmussens at their house as it was at the starting line. Then, Amy and  I went downtown to catch the end while Erin kept us updated from the starting line. Here is a video as Matt and Paul passed by us...don't mind Amy's dirty mouth or my annoying laugh :)

After the race, we enjoyed an afternoon at a Fly Fishing Film Tour and then some late night sushi takeout for dinner. Sunday, we went to 17 North's BBQ & Beer Festival and then toured Boone Hall.

 

 

All in all, it was an amazing last couple of weeks. The weather is getting hot...it hit 90 on Monday! This week is my last week of school before spring break and Mama comes on Saturday, can't wait :)

Loving Spring in Charleston

It's only Sunday, but I've (we've) already had the best weekend. For the past few weeks, we've either been traveling or hosting guests...which has been amazing...but it's always nice to be home with no set plans. On Friday, a friend of mine turned 30. To celebrate, we stayed at a beach condo that was generously lent to us for the night. The condo was on Folly Beach which is a popular beach here in Charleston but the farthest from our house so we rarely visit. It was nice to be reminded of how amazing it was! The weather has been incredible...mid 70's-low 80's and sunny. After a long week of teaching 9-year-olds, it was great to relax with the girls...

crazy friends!

all the girls...

our view from the deck...I still can't believe we live here.

Yesterday morning, I woke up early to go home to my puppy and husband...I was greeted by our recently groomed doodle who now looks like a completely different dog! For those of you who have never seen our poochie, she has got some fur on her! In an ideal world, you'd never have to cut her beautiful mane but when you live in the south, it's a recipe for a dog to have a heat stroke with the fur that this girl was carrying around. On Thursday, I dropped her off at the groomer/daycare, went to work, and walked out of the groomer after work in tears. I definitely mourned this haircut as I barely recognized my own dog but I know that she feels so much better! After googling forums about how others are often traumatized by their goodendoodles' first haircut, and reading many comments about how it would grow back within a month, I was comforted and realized that it was the right thing to do. Still miss my Don King dog though! I'll update you in a month when she's cute again!...haha kidding, but seriously.

After taking a morning walk on the beach, we went to the driving range to hit some balls. Bending over to tee up my ball is getting a bit trickier I noticed. At 18 weeks, I know this is only the beginning. We then decided to grab some Mexican for lunch and were caught in the middle of a spring thunderstorm. I've never seen rain like it rains here. I'm grateful that it only lasts for maybe 20 minutes when it rains because it is intense! If you know me at all, you know that I'm not too keen on storms...especially ones that may produce tornadoes (which we seem to have a lot of watches/warnings for). I guess that's something that I must live with as long as we are down here so I better get used to it! After lunch, we braved the storm and headed over to Trader Joe's. Shopping at Joe's with Matt is one of my favorite things to do. I know that sounds funny but I think it might have something to do with how it reminds me of our Seattle days. Oftentimes after church at Mars Hill in Seattle, we'd walk across the street to TD's and shop around before going home to make a Sunday brunch with Jeff. I miss those days. Also, Blake and Erin have introduced us to the joys of their dark chocolate...also to be appreciated on a daily basis after dinner. 

Anyways...we ended the day with some Seacoast Church and Menchie's for frozen yogurt. It really doesn't get much better! Today, Matt is golfing and I am home attempting to get rid of a migraine (the joys of not being able to take any medicine while pregnant :))

I'm so excited for the next few weeks...on Wednesday, we get to find out whether we have been blessed with a son or daughter! On Thursday, the Briedes come to visit. Then, one more week of school before spring break and Mama (or should I say Grandma) Denise comes!

Bump Update...

18 weeks...not much to view yet...feeling a lot bigger than this picture looks.

Winter is over...

Or did it ever start? The weather has been warm these past couple of weeks...70-80's...I constantly have to remind myself that we are in normal seasons now unlike the constant rain of Seattle or constant winter of Montana. This is normal...but it's strange. 

Just last night, I was chatting with my friend, Kristin, telling her how I was missing rainy, lazy days. It seems like the sun shines every day in Charleston and while that is nothing to complain about, I feel guilty staying inside in such beautiful weather. This makes it difficult to make time for cleaning, laundry, and getting work done. Well, today was the day! We are getting the tail end of that storm system that has been producing all of those tornadoes...but none for us so it's ok with me! Matt unfortunately had to work but Raleigh and I had lots of time to lounge around the house. I felt guilt free in my stretch pants and walking around with my rubber gloves on :) Sadly, I enjoy cleaning but rarely have the time (or energy) to spend an entire day doing it.

Our lives have been really busy lately. I feel like I'm always saying this but time flies. I feel like we were just in Europe and now it is March! Speaking of Europe, I am JUST uploading our photos to the computer and will give you the link shortly. People have been asking for them but our lovely doggie, RB, decided that she wanted to enjoy our camera cord as an afternoon snack a while ago. Hence, the delay. We now have a new one.

Work has been super busy. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job but it takes up so much of my time during the weeknights and evenings. This is what makes my time go so fast. I do love it though...my students are amazing. I love the culture here and love being called "maam". I don't know where we will raise our children at but I do know that they will have southern manners.  I feel so blessed by my work...these little kiddos have lots to teach me too. Matt is still busy at Boeing...nothing new there. He's losing a co-worker as Blake and Erin are moving back to Montana here in a few months :( That's a little sad, I would love for them to stay here so our little ones could be friends but I know this is where their heart is! We will sure miss them!

 

 

14 Weeks

Growing a little one has been going well :) My nausea that I experienced for about a month has now passed (thank goodness) and my energy is back which is a huge relief! I'm 15 weeks today and we get to find out what the sex of this nugget is on March 28th. I would love to wait but I just do not have the patience! I'm so anxious to know! Other than some lightheadedness, I've been feeling really well...

Here are a couple of photos just from my phone...the quality is terrible because I can't get the good ones off the camera...but the bump is definitely showing. I'm in that stage where I was always wonder about other people "is she fat or pregnant?" Haha...horrible but true. 

 

 

 Well, we have a lot to look forward to in these next couple of months! Visits from the Ramages, my aunt & uncle, the Briedes, and my Mama! Hope you have a great weekend!

15 Weeks

Baby Waller!!

Yes, you read that right...our little family of 3 will soon be a family of 4! This includes Belle obviously :) We found out almost two months ago now that we'll be expecting a little nugget on our around August 25th. What a blessing!

Basically the story goes like this...we'd been praying, we decided that we wanted to have a baby and then two weeks later, we were pregnant! Matt went for a run with Raleigh one night and while he was gone, I decided to take a test. I know that it had only been 2 weeks but I just had this feeling that it would be positive. The three minutes that you are supposed to wait felt like the longest three minutes of my life. Sure enough, that second pink line was there. It was faint, but it was definitely there! I just stood there in shock and then raced around the house trying to find my camera to take a picture of it (I wasn't sure if the 2nd line would go away)...I found the camera, took a picture, put the test into a sandwich bag and waited patiently for Matt to get home. As I was waiting, I started playing out all of these scenarios in my head about how I was going to tell him and started to get really nervous, I mean, we had only decided that we wanted a baby 2 weeks before this! I was so giddy and then when he walked in the door, I didn't know how to tell him! I actually finished making dinner, we ate dinner, and then I did the dishes without saying anything. His birthday was that coming Friday and this was Wednesday so after we got done eating, I told him I wanted to give him an early birthday present. Matt doesn't get too excited about his birthday so of course he wanted to wait. I finally convinced him and then he opened up the test that I had wrapped in a Christmas gift bag that had a dog on the front. Only thing I could find...don't judge.

Well, this was his reaction...

Here is the proof...yes...I took another test a couple of days later to see if it was still real...

And here is our tiny bean! This was at 6.5 weeks...I'm now 12!

So glad to finally be able to talk about this with you!

Miss Belle

Before we ever brought Raleigh home, I had been wanting a puppy for a long time. I was fortunate to live with many roommates in college who had chosen to get puppies while I lived with them so I feel like I had a pretty realistic viewpoint of what it takes to raise a puppy. I did pick up a free puppy from Costco once, along with Maria, when I was a junior at MSU. I had Briley for about a month before I gave her up for adoption. I definitely was not ready to have a dog at that time. Ever since then, I have been gun shy about making the commitment. Once we decided to get Raleigh although, I knew it was just the right time to bring this bundle of joy (and energy) into our lives.

When we brought her home in October, I was lucky to be able to stay home with her for her first month as a Waller puppy. We walked on the beach everyday, snuggled, and bonded. She was potty trained in no time. When I was hired for my job in November, I had the hardest time leaving her at home. Yes, I cried on the first day. She had become my little sidekick and I felt like I just abandoned her.

That is when Kellie came into our lives. Kellie is RB's dog walker and they have lots of fun together during the day. Kellie is great and I feel blessed knowing that I don't need to worry about Belle when I'm at work. The best part is coming home from a stressful day at work to a puppy that couldn't be happier to  see you.

Now 21 weeks (or 5 months) old, I can't believe how big our Raleigh is getting...I don't realize it until I look at photos from a few months ago. While we were gone in Europe, she spent two weeks with our good friends, Paul & Amy, and their puppy, Brewski. I definitely think she had fallen in love with her new life and therefore, was not too happy to come home. She missed Brew so much the first few days she was home and sometimes, she still cries for him. I'm convinced that she is crying for Brewski because she never randomly cried before or would pout around the house. Well, now she does. Her time with them was so special...you can read about it HERE.

Here are some photos of Belle throughout her 5 months... (thanks Paul for the last few :))

Thank you, daddy, for giving me so many baths.

RB & Boyfriend Brewski.

When she swims, she looks like a rat dog!

Belle & Brewski, her boyfriend!

I realized that I'm bad at taking recent photos...I need to have my camera out more. Anyways, we are so glad to have Raleigh....although frustrating at times, I can't imagine my life without this munchkin!