holy doppelganger!

Carter

Carter has the big blue eyes and bent ears of the boy from Mary Poppins, Matthew Garber. I was curious to see what Matthew looks like today, because I thought future Carter might look similar ... and didja know? He's dead! He died when he was 21 from Hepatitis.

I know, it bummed me out a little, too.

No, I don't think this is a mean comparison at all. Yoda's adorable. If you put him in Carter's crib at night, I'd be utterly confused about which one I'm supposed wake up and feed waffles the next morning.

Meghann

Trishelle Cannatella from the Real World. I haven't been compared to her in a couple years, but back during her fifteen minutes of fame, I got You look just like Trishelle! directed at me from across the store all. the. time.

I think she went on to do Playboy. Here's to hoping I have a future just as bright.

Also hoping? You have a top notch radar for internet sarcasm.

Matt

My hubs doesn't see it, but Steve on Blue's Clues totally reminds me of him. I used to love that Carter was into that show because it made me feel like Matt was home with us. Curious why I used the past tense? We're working on Operation No TV this week. He was getting way too addicted.

And although I've never seen it because, well, I'm a girl and I only devote wee minutes of my free time to girlie things, Matt looks exactly like Damien Lewis from the WWII TV miniseries, Band of Brothers.

Bonus family member!

My brother

Jim (John Krasinski) from The Office. They're even the same height.

I'm secretly hoping the similarities aren't too exact here, because I have a mini crush on Jim.

Vote for my blog if you have suspicions that Yoda was our mailman ...

(thank you guys for these votes!)

we bought a house!

Except it doesn't technically exist. Yet. We're building it, and today we gave them a kidney non-refundable deposit and signed piles of paperwork in blood. Oh, and Carter threw ridiculous, embarrassing tantrums in the realtor's office and smeared poop all over his shirt. Another story, another day.

(Quite a first for me, starting a post about a house with visions of blood and poop.)

Here's the floor plan (sorry about the blurry letters):

I want to use the 'Library' as Carter's playroom.

Relief surges through my veins just looking at the upstairs laundry room. I also love the Jack & Jill bathroom for kids (dead giveaway we're going to try for another ... sometime) and the guest room with its own bathroom, since 99% of our family is out of town.

The neighborhood has an elementary school across the street, sidewalks and walking trails, a pool, clubhouse and playground. And I'm hoping? Tons of little families hiding in their houses, peeking out their windows, just waiting on the edges of their seats for Carter to move to the neighborhood and befriend their children.

The model home we've been looking at every weekend for the past - I dunno - forty trillion months is an exact replica of what we're building. We're even planning on the same granite, cabinets, lighting, appliances and similar floors ... so this weekend I'm going to stop by with my good camera and get some pictures to post. In the meantime, I have a blurry iPhone picture of the kitchen to tide you over.

How does it feel to tie yourself to something this solid? Scary. I'm so nervous. It's like I just had a wedding with a building ( ... err ... piece of land?). I'm mostly worried that the neighborhood won't be perfect enough for Carter. Matt and I just chose his future - the children he'll meet and be influenced by, the places he'll play, the memories he'll develop and hopefully cherish. I hope the entire situation is one he'll be able to look back on and be proud of some day.

Tonight, I keep swallowing back my nerves with reminders to myself that I'm going to love the house. And then Matt said it. We're going to get to have Carter's next birthday in this house. That was all I needed to hear. I'm so happy.

Construction will be finished at the end of July; I'm betting the next four months are going to feel just as long as the last week of pregnancy.

Earlier today, Carter, Grandma and I went to a crazyoutofourpricerange house to get decor ideas.

Ok, and maybe I just wanted to pretend I lived there for a few minutes. This apartment is getting all kinds of grimey.

Vote for my blog if the last week of pregnancy was the longest week of your life!

(your votes totally work! we're creeping up the page)

day 14: style

(Otherwise known as Steppin' Out Saturday!)

My husband took tons of pictures this time around.

Ok. So I made him.

Completely baffled about which pose was the cutest, I decided to just make triplets out of myself. This skirt is actually shorts. So before your jaw hits the ground - no, I haven't quite become a little mommy stripper.

Auditions are next week.

Romper - Urban Outfitters (in stores right now!)

Wedges - Kenneth Cole

Miss Carter? Me too. He's at his Grandma's this weekend.

But he did remind me a time or two before he left to tell you that he loves boats.

... or was it votes?

Day 1. I have a three month old and already I'm thinking, I'm going to miss him at this age. Have you felt that way, and what age do you miss the most?
Day 2. What makes you uniquely you?
Day 3. A photo that makes you happy
Day 4. Style 31. Post a pic of you in your favorite outfit.
Day 5. A YouTube video
Day 6. Your most embarrassing moment
Day 7. Do you believe in the "cry until he sleeps" method?
Day 8. Have a beauty secret (e.g. hair tip, make up tip)? Share, please!
Day 9. What virtues do you value in yourself?
Day 10. What are some of your favorite MAC products, and what foundation/powder do you wear?
Day 11. Post a recipe.
Day 12. Write about what wears you out as a woman.
Day 14. Style 31. Post an outfit pic!
Day 15. What do you wish for?
Day 16. Your day, in great detail
Day 17. Write about 3 things that make you happy.
Day 18. If you could, what would you tell yourself before you had your baby?
Day 19. Write about your significant other
Day 20. Write about your job and why you love it or hate it.
Day 21. Write about your most vivid childhood memory. Post a picture of you taken over 10 years ago.
Day 22. What did you do today?
Day 23. Who's your celebrity look alike?
Day 24. What is God teaching you presently?
Day 25. Style 31. Post a pic of your favorite comfy clothes.
Day 26. What do you hope your grandchildren will say about you someday when you are gone?
Day 27. Who are your favorite bloggers?
Day 28. Write about your insecurities as a woman.
Day 29. Your day, in great detail
Day 30. What do you think is going to happen to you after you die?
Day 31. Your favorite quote

babyKAMP giveaway winner!

Winner, winner, chicken (nugget) dinner!

And the winner of her very own babyKAMP personalized pail is ...

Aimee

from Snowbaby Blessings!

Congratulations Aimee!

Email me at rMeghann@hotmail.com so we can get your info to Maria and you can pick & personalize your pail.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

here, play with this.

Ahem. I had no idea he could get it open.

Bourjois "Clubbing" Liquid Eyeliner.

Their promise? Smudge free, 8 hour wear, no matter how sweaty you get at the club.

It dripped right off before I even had a chance to scrub him in that tub.

Vote if you HATE taking away fun things ...

wordless wednesday

I know, we should be out house hunting instead of throwing a ball in the parking lot behind our apartment.

Vote if it's a little sad that we're playing in a parking lot!

she wore what?!

Note my ear in this picture.

Doesn't it look somewhat Carter-esque?

You guys, I can't fit into my jeans anymore. It hurts my stomach to button them.

If you haven't noticed, I've been sporting leggings and loose babydoll tanks lately. Leggings make me feel like I haven't given up my style, hide my stomach, and - paired with running shoes - make me look like a cute exercising mom instead of what I am ... a mom who just moved south and is eating way too much fried chicken.

And also? I really just don't care what people who look at my butt in leggings think.

Wha? Project 31 who? errmm ...

Vote for my blog if you like self-taken, style pics!

little gym

My ideas for entertainment and teaching start to run a little dry, being home with Carter all day long. Poor Steve on Blue's Clues is working overtime; he's getting tired of hunting for clues in our house. Maybe we should give him a Christmas bonus?

My sister-in-law and nephew got us into Little Gym. It's great for getting out of the house and exposing Carter to babies his age and structured, developmental activity. Every Monday night, Matt rushes home from work a little early so he can come with us.

The most fun part for me? Watching everyone else's kids. The difference in personalities has me gawking at the little cuties, stalker-style. There are some who do every single thing they're told. Some think just touching our toes is hilarious. There are others (ok, one) who cry and panic whenever a new activity is introduced.

I love these kids.

What's Carter's personality? Lately he just runs back and forth across the floor, then little friends start following and copying him. (Ok, so mostly just the crier follows). It's hard to talk him into doing anything else.

Parents bring in their cameras all the time, but I guess I didn't notice that nobody else sits and clicks hundreds of times in a row the way I do. I have a blog to post, people! Everyone kept pulling their bobbling kids out of my camera's shot and apologizing. I must have reassured, No, he's fine! more times than I clicked with the camera.

Ok, now that I've told you I'm a super rude, picture-taking, kid-analyzing gawker ... pictures!

Carter loves his teacher, Miss Lisa. He lets her pick him up and flip him around. (I think all the daddies love her, too.)

Voting is just as fun as Little Gym!

Maybe not, but I love your votes.

babyKAMP loves you! [giveaway now closed]

Brace yourself. You're about to behold the first ever giveaway on Bringing up Bumble. SQUEE!

Me? I never win anything. But I so want you to!

Our newest sponsor, Maria, from BabyKAMP is offering a small personalized pail ($25 value) of your choice! There are so many adorable designs to choose from. Here are some of my favs:

My house has little baby things strewn everywhere. I have some small baskets for little junky toys, but as for the rest of the stuff - there just aren't enough drawers for cramming. I can appreciate any feasible container devoted to organization. And a cute, personalized one, at that? Yes, please.

These shabby-chic, whimsical pails can be used for so many things ...

♥ as gift packaging for baby showers or birthday parties

♥ to organize and stockpile burp cloths, wash cloths, rattles, blocks, hair bows or pacifiers

♥ as your own personal decor to display items on your makeup table, shelf or bathroom counter. That's right, I think we should skip the baby and just get our own names on them!

Entering is easy peasy: Go to BabyKAMP's Facebook page and click Like. Then backtrack a click or two to this blog and leave a comment about the cuteness you saw over there. That's it.

One entry's not enough for you? You can get bonus entries. Leave another comment for each:

Follow me on Twitter

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Follow this blog

Follow Maria's blog

Follow Maria on Twitter

(If you're already a devoted subscriber to these, leave a comment for each one you already follow. And PS, I love you, too!)

The winner will be picked with Random.org on Friday, 3/25. If I can't get in touch with the winner by 3/28 at 5 p.m. EST, someone new will be picked. Buena suerte!

Phew! Got any clicks left in your mouse?

I appreciate you.

day 12: what wears me out

It's easy to list out and explain the typical exhaustions of any mommy.

... cooking for a toddler, then scraping it all into the trash two bites later

... running loads of laundry all day but avoiding the tedious folding/putting away for weeks at a time

... telling your child No when all you really want to do is hand him everything in the entire world that would spark even the littlest smile -- or at least stop the cries.

But when I think of being actually, physically and mentally worn out, I don't think of my life with Carter at all. Because taking care of him is a type of exhaustion I enjoy, kinda like exercise. It's tough work, but all in all, it's so satisfying. And, if I don't want to, I don't always have to tell him No or get all the laundry folded. That's the beauty of being home.

What really wears me out? What gets me flustered, uncomfortable, tired and grumpy?

Traveling. I hate it.

Since my husband and I are originally from different states, we've always traveled multiple times a year up and down the east coast to visit our families for holidays.

A huge part of growing up for me happened in my early twenties, when I sat in the car for seven to eleven hour stretches, thinking about the purpose of this hassle and then realizing the importance of seeing and just being around family. I went on to further realize the true meaning of these trips after I had my own baby and experienced the obsessive love a parent feels for her child. I hope Carter will travel, just to be with me, some day.

There are people who aspire to travel and see the world. Retirees use travel as a form of relaxation. Me? I don't get it. Give me my safe, clean house, a computer and a good book - that's a vacation.

Travel has its purpose for me, and that's why I do it. (If you could see the tears in my dad's eyes when I walk through his door, you'd do it, too.)

But man, do I dread all that comes with it.

What part of stuffing yourself into a car cluttered with drinks, gums, suitcases, napkins, CDs and DVD players blasting Yo Gabba Gabba is relaxing? Try as I may, whatever new, no-fail organization system I have plotted flies out the window and splats onto another car's windshield.

Then there are the parts where nothing you give the baby will stop the crying, and you have to pull over STAT before his head explodes. Those are the best parts.

And we actually make stops at gas stations and pay money to keep going with this madness?

Upon arrival to our destination, I guzzle water against my tremendous awayfromhomeness thirst; I plead with Carter to just give the pack n' play a try; I lay awake for hours because I'm not used to the bed. The next morning my makeup doesn't go on quite right. My hair's flat, my body aches. Did I mention I'm still thirsty? Schedules are off. No idea which bag has the wipes, and the confused look on the baby's face isn't because we're not home. He just pooped.

This summer we're flying to France for a week for my brother-in-law's wedding. I know the trip will be gorgeous, I've never been to Europe. One of my top priorities is to give my camera a workout like it's never seen.

We're leaving Carter with my mom; it will be the first time we've had this kind of entirely different country separation from him. I'm truly terrified. But not from being away from him or having him stay with my mom. Just like anyone, I appreciate little breaks from my job, and my mom probably takes better care of him than I do.

I'm scared something will happen to our plane, and it'll be the last time I ever see him. I'm having serious anxiety over this, and I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about it.

Why and how could a person who's hoped and prayed for her baby for so long launch herself thousands of feet into the air, over an ocean in a plane built and flown by complete strangers for six entire hours? (And then do it again a week later?) The gamble isn't sitting well with me. It feels - for lack of a better word - irresponsible (wow, now there's a mom word for you). Carter was sent through such great measures into my arms. What a risk, to ask him to live in a world without me, should something go wrong.

Here's to hoping he has an interest in YouTube videos and blog reading. Someone, please point him in the Bringing up Bumble direction to get his read on.

For travel. I am worn out.

Vote for my blog if you love staring at your baby sunken into a good car seat slumber!