July 13, 2017 by Stephanie

Bachelorette Rachel Week 7

I felt a little lost on my Monday night last week!

Here are my thoughts on the week before hometowns.

They are getting way too much into their heads. They are all freaking out about Bryan getting a one on one when they don’t even know if they have one later on in the week.
She is smitten with Bryan, but is it just physical?
Come on Dean.
Ok so what is this family dynamic that Dean is withholding?
Do you believe in the toothfairy? Dean, she is putting on the pressure. Cut out the wisecracks.
I feel like Rachel is in an adult role right now, and Dean is a 5 year old asking the most random questions about nonsense.
I think the one on ones were obvious picks.
Yes Dean! Thank you for opening up. I thought it was a lot worse than that. I am a little nervous about he reacted with what is your favorite dinosaur.
I think Peter is one of the final two.
There is so much pressure on the group date.
I don’t understand why she is kissing Matt as she is sending him home. This goodbye makes no sense. I am so confused by her emotions.
I don’t really have much to say on tonight’s episode.
I am not surprised by Adam. I don’t think he or Matt really stood out until this episode.

Favorites: Dean and Peter

Here are some great breakdown videos.

With the first one, I actually really like Ashley I.’s commentary.

Are you watching? Who do like for the final two? What are your thoughts?

July 11, 2017 by Stephanie

Daphne’s Nursery

With everything going on this summer, it has been hard to put together posts about the house. My goal is to do so before I go back to work in August. Four weeks is enough time to get pictures hung and document everything right?

Daphne’s room is the only one I feel confident saying is complete. And of course it’s for the roommate that doesn’t really care what her room looks like.

I had picked this theme and color scheme long before we were even pregnant. I love the combination of navy and kelly green, and with the gray undertones-Perfection. I also loved the idea of sea creatures, so that is where the sea life came in.

Here is the grand tour of her room.

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The dogs love this room because the windows have the best view of the entire yard and street. This is the view from the doorway.

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My sister-in-law made this bow rack to hold all the hair accessories for Daphne. All the bows were handed down from my niece too, so I love that. Someday she will have enough hair to actually wear them, but for now George likes to wear them. We need to add some more hooks to hold all her headbands.

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This is the same set we had for George, but with the new colors I feel like it looks so different. I love the cubbies to hide away all the things I need quickly during bedtime routines and diaper changes. There are onsies, sleepers, diapers, and more there. I got the green boxes from Amazon, and my in-laws found the blue whale bins at Home Goods. The one by the crib holds blankets. I got the stuffed octopus that is on the crib at Target.

The two pieces on the wall are from Hobby Lobby. They were having a wood sale, and we basically stole these for how cheap we got them.

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I love this sign. Such a good reminder.

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This whale bins and laundry basket I got on Amazon. The stuffed whale is from Target. The oars are from the Hobby Lobby steal. The little lighthouse was given to me by my grandpa, and I enjoy those little personal touches. And we have no shortage of books around here.

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This rocking chair was in George’s nursery as well. This time around, I did not make the chair cover. I got an outdoor chair cushion from Target. The seahorses are from Hobby Lobby as well.

The stool Tom made so I could feel more comfortable with my feet propped. We will be able to use this much past breastfeeding days too.

I got the curtains from Target when they were having a sale. I felt like I had really hit adult status because we have never had actual curtains before.

This is my favorite room in the house right now, and not just because it is done. I love the colors of the decor and the paint, and I especially love that we used the same furniture with George but it looks vastly different.

Now to just finish the rest of the house. And how do you decorate bathrooms?

July 1, 2017 by Stephanie

Bachelorette Rachel Week 5

The showdown continues. Two nights this week-so much drama to analyze.

Lee is acting like he doesn’t know why Kenny is confronting him. No one is buying your crap.
I cannot watch Bryan and Rachel kiss. It’s gross. I like him, but how they kiss is just too much.
Lee is trying to provoke Kenny. He is so slimy. You can tell he is just trying to aggravate him.
I wonder if the transitions are as awkward in real life as they make it out with what the produce.
Lee is admitted that he is just there to mess with everybody.
Jack Stone..Jack Stone. He just seems silly awkward.
Oh Shagging! One of my regrets from grad school is not taking Shag lessons.
She is going to dump Jack. And he doesn’t have a clue…
Lee is really ignorant. He is playing a game, and it is sickening.
Jack seems like a guy who is living in rainbows and sunshine, who is always happy and doesn’t see the bad side of life. Which I find interesting since he is a lawyer.
Holy Moly that black dress is stunning on her. I just can’t get over how beautiful she is.
They didn’t show the men’s reaction to Jack leaving like they normally do when someone leaves on a date. That means that he was not really entwined in the house dynamics.
Lee, you don’t like conflict? You are stirring the pot and making comments about you being there to mess with people. How is playing this game not conflict?
Sparks are going to fly on this date with Bryan.
I wonder if people notice them when they are in other countries. I mean there are cameras, but are they celebrities like they are here in the states?
They are obviously going to grow closer doing this repelling thing.
She is going to scare herself out of liking Bryan.
Anthony is very insightful with his conversation with Eric. It is about the trust.
Wow Bryan is throwing the L word out there. They have been there for only a month and spent maybe an hour together? Super fast!
Why is Dean wearing a cup on the outside of his outfit? And why are they in wrestler uniforms when the professional hand-ballers were in short sleeve shirts?
So do they allow the parents to talk to their kids? I don’t feel like we have seen that before that much. I thought they couldn’t have phones.
Lee is a douche. Lifting weights and writing toasts? Toasts for what? I don’t imagine you are invited to very many parties.
Josiah seems like another smooth talker. He doesn’t even let her finish a sentence before butter is coming out of his mouth.
How is her hair perfect after being in the hot tub with Peter. I would look like a frizzball!
Peter don’t worry and get in your head! Group date roses generally go to poeple who need validation. She was just making out with you in the hot tub, and after your conversation obviously she is into you.
What is Lee talking about? Unless there is a lot that the show is withholding, he is making up stories about Kenny’s dark side. Why doesn’t Rachel just ask the producers what happened?
Josiah-“No one in this house saw me leaving.” Rachel-“I did.”
NOOOO! I liked Anthony!
I like that Eric asked real questions. They don’t show that enough that they are actually talking about real life. He is super nerdy though, trying to act all cool. I don’t feel like he really went in depth about his past. It all seemed buszzwordy and surface level.
Tom and Morton. I love them.
I feel like a lot of these guys are just saying what they think she wants to hear.
I think Matt is in the friendzone.
Kenny needed to go home. Bye boo.
Why are the leads always surprised how emotional this process is?
Oh Will…this date is painfully awkward.
If you can’t be romantic at a castle, where can you?
I am sad to see Will go, but you could tell there was nothing happening between them.
Either Matt or Adam are going home at the end of the rose ceremony.
Huh. I did not think that Alex was in jeopardy at all.
On to another week!

My favorites: Peter and Dean.

And for those of you who follow the Bach in Paradise story:

June 23, 2017 by Stephanie

Bachelorette Rachel Week 4

My Monday night last week was so empty! Here are my thoughts after the hiatus.

I mean I get Eric being mad, but I also think that he is being a little dramatic about how he is confronting the other men.
Lee is definitely an instigator! He just seems to be a little slimy.
Oh no Dean…don’t get pulled into the Lee drama.
Bryan is charming.
Chris Harrison- “I can facilitate anything.” He really has a fun job where he doesn’t really do much but does everything at the same time.
When Rachel walks out to hand out roses, they all look like they have their tails between their legs.
Tickle monster stays???
Diggy is out and Lee is in? Is this part of the producer magic? Just why? And she is putting him on blast on social media, so there has got to be something coming.
Yes South Carolina!
I predict, Kenny and Lee will be on a 2 on one.
Riding in a blimp would be pretty cool. They were super cute up there.
Why are they all clapping for Jack getting the 1:1? Then Lee’s comments about the one one one. Why would he say that?
I miss the south and their trees!
Why is 25 too young to get married? Tom and I met at 22, and got married at 26.
Whew, I am glad the age didn’t get in her way. I am glad Dean opened up.
It would be so awkward to dance in front everyone like they did at that concert. I felt a little weird dancing at our wedding with all those eyes on you.
Look at all those phones recording them dancing. Nothing is sacred any more.
Nothing says trouble like a group of men vying for one girl all stuck on a boat.
A push-up contest? Josiah seems to be really full of himself. I am liking him a little less after this date.
BHAHAHAHA. They all look terrified to do the spelling bee. This seems like a horrible dream.
I love that they picked out three young ladies to “judge” the spelling bee. #girlpower
Eric went way off with facade. That was awful! That was the worst one.
Ok Josiah, just because you could spell a couple words doesn’t mean that you are the smartest one. And this conversation with the trophy is weird.
Peter seems to be hesitant about moving to Texas, and she seems more open to moving to Wisconsin.
Iggy do you have a good relationship with anyone? You and Lee both like to stir the pot.
WHAT? Iggy you are making stuff up, unless they are not showing parts of Rachel’s words. She did not ask specifically about tension with Josiah.
Eric handled that well talking about the energy of the room shifting. Amen.
Oh my goodness. These men are horrible gossipers. Lee is gross and an instigator.
Lee, why are you surprised that Kenny is confronting you with your ridiculousness?

My favorites: Will, Peter, and Dean.

June 18, 2017 by Stephanie

Daphne-1 Month

Weight: She is 9 lbs. She is gaining weight much faster than her brother.

Health: We had some issues with her digestion these past couple weeks. She has had some projectile vomit. So much that I am not sure how she was gaining weight. She also was constipated and wasn’t pooping for a couple days. She has some serious gas, and she looks like she is in pain when she is trying to pass it. I am not convinced that she is allergic to something I am eating. I don’t have the same diet every day, and her symptoms are not consistent with similar food items. We took her to our chiropractor before calling our pediatrician to see if an adjustment would help clear her out. I wasn’t sure if there was anything our ped could give her since she was so little, so I figured we would try this non-med way first. I am not even joking when I say it was less than 5 seconds after she was adjusted that she let out a huge poop. She also gave us some stretches that we can do with her to keep her immune system up, so I was thankful that we went this route.

Diet: She is exclusively breastfed. She does really well, but she does like to comfort feed in the afternoon/evening time. So that makes it really hard because she will just cry until I give her the boob. She is a little better these past couple days after getting her poop clear, but it’s still every hour or two hours during the day. She will eat for 15-30 minutes each time, so you can imagine how my day goes when she wants to comfort feed.

Clothes: She is in newborn clothes and diapers. She can’t fit into any of her shoes right now.

Sleeping: I really cannot complain about our days of comfort feeding because she is an awesome newborn sleeper at night. She will sleep anywhere between 4-7 hours over night. I know, I know, we are super lucky. During the day she won’t nap for more than 45 minutes at a time, unless I have her in the wrap carrier. I do wonder if she just sleeps better flat because she is in the pack and play in our room at night and the rock and play during the day which is at an incline.

Likes: Feeding. The wrap carrier. Riding in the car.

Dislikes: She does not like pacifiers. We tried to get this to work so I wasn’t feeding her constantly, but to no avail she has not taken to it. She hates the hours between 5-10pm. Dinner to bedtime is a struggle in our house right now.

Nicknames: Sister Friend, Girlfriend, Sweet Cheeks, DC, Daphie, Daph, and Daphne June.

Quirks: She looks at you with only one eye open. She has started squeaking/humming in her sleep. It is super cute.

We parents are: doing pretty good. I have my check-up this week, so I hope I get the go ahead to exercise fully again. I am getting antsy. I have been walking a lot with Daphne, but I want to start adding some weight workouts to build my strength up again. Working out really helps me feel more like myself. I am back in my pre-pregnancy pants, but I still have some stuff I would like to lose around the middle to feel more comfortable. Tom went back to work this week. I know he was so ready to get back at it, but it has been really nice to have him home this past month. I have successfully taken the two of them out solo to and from our sitter, but I have yet to try a place where we all have to get out of the car as a threesome where it wasn’t someone else’s house. I was going to attempt church today on my own with them, but it was down-pouring and that shook my confidence. Baby steps. Our house is just about done. We just have a few minor things left from the contractor, but we are fully living in the new wing. I want to do tours of the rooms here on the blog as soon we get all the decor up on the walls. It has been a huge stress relief to get settled into the new part of the house.

George is: doing amazing. I have been so proud of him this past month. He has had minimal issues with our newest addition. We have had to work on being gentle and not so crazy around her. He just has so much energy sometimes and has a hard time containing it when he is near her.

The dogs are: doing ok. They are actually the two that have had the hardest adjustment this past month. Between the house changes, having strangers in our house daily, and Daphne coming home, it has been a lot for the dogs. We have had some behavior issues, but it is getting better with lots of outside time. Our vet also found a cancerous tumor on Crosby’s hip this week, so he will be having surgery here soon.