Welcome Baby Boyle (4 months late)

Well Baby Boyle is here....actually Baby Boyle has been here for 4 months already...but I've been adjusting to being a new mom so there hasn't been time to blog...but now that I'm starting to feel like I'm getting some of this under control I feel like I can blog again!! (YAY!!!!)

Introducing.....

hBw

July 11, 2015

3:06 am

8 lbs 6 oz

21 3/4 in

Having him has changed my life immensely. I look at everything differently now that I'm a mom...and I'll definitely be writing all about it here!

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Creating the registry

A couple weeks ago J and I decided to go ahead and start the registry for the baby. It was just a normal saturday and since we had nothing to do, and since my mother-in-law had been bugging me about starting a registry, I asked J if he wanted to head over to babies r us and create one. "Sure, he said.  So before we left I put out a post on facebook and asked some of my mommy friends for recommendations. Almost immediately I got plenty of responses. I was so excited and thankful for my helpful friends. However, one thing I didn't realize I was, was nieve! Oh My God, how stupid I was for thinking that registering would be easy peasy and quick! I was SO WRONG!!!! It was not easy, and definitely not quick! J and I were in babies r us for 3 HOURS!!!!! 

Now if you are a mom to be and haven't registered yet, don't let me scare you. It wasn't THAT bad...but it was bad only because I wasn't prepared. I thought that printing out a list from the internet and having the list they give you at babies r us would be enough! Well...I was wrong for so many reasons! 

Having those 2 lists were helpful for sure, but there was just a lot to find in the store. I honestly didn't realize how much stuff a baby needs.  Don't get me wrong, I wasn't that stupid and thought that I only needed like 2 things. I knew a baby required a lot, but I didn't know just how much. Plus there are just soo many choices for one object. For example, a baby carrier. There are like 10 different types and brands of baby carriers and if you go in blindly like me, you have no idea what to get and you beg your husband to read the boxes and make a decision. 

So if I had any tips for you moms to be who are going to create a registry:

• Do your research! 
• This is my biggest regret! If I had done by research, I wouldn't have felt so overwhelmed by all the different choices. I recommend narrowing each item you need down to a couple that you really want to see in store and then make your decision.

• Ask other mom friends!
• I can't tell you how helpful my facebook post was! If I had never posted my question and asked my friends who were moms for recommendations, I would have been up a creek! Seriously! They helped me tremendously, especially with strollers!

• Get comfy!
• I wore comfy clothes and toms and I was still dead tired by the end of 3 hours! I literally sat down in the middle of the aisle looking at swaddles and telling my husband which ones to scan! LOL it was a sad sight, but I was an exhausted pregnant woman and didn't care. But in all seriousness, wear comfy clothes and shoes. I don't know how I would have survived if I wore heels and a dress!

• Don't feel pressured to get it all done in one day!
• I honestly thought that I would get everything registered and done by the end of our times at babies r us. WRONG! Once I realized how long it was taking, I quickly talked myself into just getting the "big" things done. By "big", I mean things that I felt I needed to see in store such as stroller, car seat, high chair, pack and play, swing, etc. Smaller things like bibs and pacifiers can be picked out on the store's website.

• Do register at more than one place.
• If you told me that before I registered I would have told you no way! But the next day after the babies r us fiasco, I created another registry at Target. We didn't go to target, I just did it online. So much easier! But the reason I think people should register at more than one place is because of options. At babies r us for example, I didn't see many bibs I liked. But on target.com I saw a ton! So it's basically to have a variety!

Creating a registry can be a fun thing...I promise! I have since checked out and edited our registries several times since we created them. Plus think of all the fun things your friends and family will get you for the baby!

Vacation Over...

So I'm sure you've noticed that I've been gone for some time, but I'm back now and with some pretty awesome news!

J and I are expecting a BABY!!!!!

That is kind of why I took the break to begin with. Let me explain. See this past summer we decided we wanted to start trying to conceive. After about 2 months of trying I got discouraged and pretty down about life and ultimately decided to stop writing. It probably wasn't the best thing because I think writing through my frustration would have helped. But you live and learn right?

I have been keeping track of my pregnancy in a personal way, but now i'm ready to share with the world!

I'm officially 26 weeks pregnant and due July 2, 2015! So far things have been great! I will say I was one of the lucky women who didn't get morning sickness at all! I literally had 1 day where I felt queasy but other than that I've been fine!

I've been trying my best to take pictures often...some weeks I remember and then I skip a couple. But for the most part I have a nice collection of the growing bump and I will definitely do a post with all the pictures!

I hope that with me actively keeping track of my pregnancy on here I will record things that I may not have remembered if I didn't write about it here!

Anyway, here's to being back from "vacation" and our baby in July!!

Let me introduce myself...

Well I figured I should probably introduce myself for anyone who reads my blog :)

Hi! I'm Amanda! I'm just a normal 30 year old trying to figure out life, one day at a time.

I'm originally from New York...and yes I'm one of those people who LOVE NY and always brags about how wonderful it is and how nothing can compare to it. I know this is obnoxious, my husband tells me all the time. haha

Love that skyline

After 18 years living in NY, I moved to Florida for college. This is where I met my awesome husband, J!

We got married in 2010 in St. Augustine Florida. It really was the best day of my life. J makes fun of me all the time because he says I accomplished a life goal when I got married...but it's true. I'm not gonna lie, I always wanted to be married.

We moved up to Maryland, where J is originally from, in 2011. Now, I love NY, but I also really love Maryland. I never really enjoyed living in Florida...I really like the change of seasons, and you don't have that in Florida. It's Hot all year long. I feel like Maryland is where I was supposed to live all long. 

I'm a teacher for the local school district. I teach Pre-K! I know what you're thinking...how the hell do you do that? LOL Honestly, I love it. Teaching is my passion. It is not an easy job, however, it is the most rewarding thing I've ever done. 

Best part of teaching besides knowing that I am making a difference in my students lives is having the SUMMER OFF!

I am a big Baltimore Oriole's fan! J and I love going to O's games...it's one of our favorite things to do in the spring and summer. He goes for the baseball...I go for the HOT guys :)

Do we have anything in common?

High 5 for Friday!!

Oh Friday...you are my favorite day! Even when it's the summer and I haven't worked all week, I still love you. Let's look back on my favs this week...

One: 
Now that Jinxie is groomed he gets cold easy, which means he likes to cuddle! This rarely happens to me, as he loves his Daddy way more, but you bet I savored every single minute of this! I love this little lion so much!

Two:
We had a girls night at a local winery! Every Thursday they have "Good Life Thursdays". It's basically a free event with live music, wine, food and good friends! I really wanted to go for a long time, but something always came up. So glad it worked out this week...I had a blast! Even though I had wisdom teeth surgery next Friday, I'm still gonna go to Good Life Thursdays! LOL

Three:
We have curtains in our bedroom! We finally decided on some, and I love them! I will admit, I didn't like the color at first, but they go really well with our wall color. They are from Ikea, one of my favs place! Anyway, they were too long, so I hemmed them. So proud that I actually threaded the machine all by myself!

Four:
Since summer is almost over and I go back to school in a little over 1 week, I am trying to savor every bit of relaxation! That usually involves sunshine! I've been trying to lay out a little bit each day...you know to keep my awesome tan going! Until winter comes...

Five:

These 2 are sooo cute! Jinxie loves his Daddy and needed some cuddles before he left for work!

Bring sexy back....

I totally have that JT song stuck in my head...and I'm sure you will to. I apologize :)

Anyway, Jinx got a haircut and is bringing sexy back! Every year we try to get Mr. Jinx groomed. Since he is long haired his fur mats easily and it's not comfortable for him. We wouldn't have to groom him if he likes to be brushed, but he doesn't. He will growl and bite, so it's just easier to have him shaved.

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Myrtle Beach 2014

Every year J's family goes on a family vacation to Myrtle Beach and this year did not disappoint! For the past 2 years we have been staying in North Myrtle Beach...called Cherry Grove and it is heaven! It is really quiet where we stay, but still only 30 minutes from all the fun Myrtle Beach has to offer.

We pretty much spend the week enjoying the beach for hours, having a great dinner and then spending family time at night! I got an awesome tan this year and didn't burn! I think it was all that reapplying I did :)

I'm so sad that our vacation is over. I miss the beach and so no ready to go back to work in a couple weeks!