52 Weeks of Alexander // Week 1

These all speak for themselves. (: He is absolutely adorable. I am so in love, it is absolutely crazy.

52 Weeks of Photos // Week 4

I've been running slow this past week since I'm still healing and adjusting to newborn life. I love it. These flowers are from my aunt in Cali, it was so sweet of her to send them to me.

52 Weeks of Alexander // Newborn

52 Weeks of Photos // Week 3

 1. Little did I know it was the last downward facing photo of my pregnancy. My stomach was so huge. // 2. What my view was every night because I wasn't feeling well. // 3. The book I've been trying to concentrate on.

Big News

It's extremely big news! 

Our sweet little baby was born on 1-18-2014 weighing in at 7 lbs 12 ounces at 5:29 pm. I'll share the labor story soon, but I am so excited for this little boy to be here. He is so loved.

Welcoming him to the world and the world to him...Alexander James Corley.

Cozy Kitty Cat // Update

My cat seems to be one of the most annoying creatures most of the time. I say that in over exaggeration, because I adore him when he isn't being sweet. I've probably been super irritable lately because I am 39 weeks pregnant with a crazy little boy that keeps doing summersaults in my tummy that I am just ready to meet. I've had some crazy pains and almost labor that just hasn't worked in my favor. It's depressing at times, but there isn't much I can do about it, obviously. I have a doctors appointment in the morning, so we will see what they say. ANYWAYS, kitty cat has been following me around everywhere and trying to cuddle all of the time and sometimes it drives me crazy because the last thing I want is more on my stomach, but I understand he is trying to be sweet. I love him for that. Being just shy of a year old he still is a crazy cat that is the size of a 6 month old kitten.. it's adorable. 

That's my sporadic update. Sorry if it is spacey, I haven't had a lot of time on my hands and I haven't been feeling well. I'll give a proper update soon.  

52 Weeks of Photos // Week 2

Week 2/52: 1. The top of my Chinese bookshelf. It's kind of where things go when I don't know what to do with them. And of course, the fish. // 2. The record player in our bedroom. It probably could use a could dusting and some new records to play on it. I'll have to go record shopping soon. // 3. Our bed. Not something I would normally share, but it is where I have been spending a lot of my time at, being overly exhausted and when the contractions get too intense. // 4. The view to our back patio where Mika spends most of her time at. She just loves sitting on the couch, soaking up the sun and people watching. She is a very interesting animal. // 5. I gifted myself a playstation controller so I could play with Cody. I've mainly been playing Minecraft. Have you ever played? // 6. I'm all packed and ready to go. Hopefully Alexander will be soon as well. // 7. The cute little cow creamer trinket I got, from Walmart surprisingly. I absolutely love it. Also, I can't wait to read these books as well.

It's been a long week that isn't even over yet full of hello and goodbyes. Cody's brother left for bootcamp the other day and his best friend Trevor came to visit again before he leaves for bootcamp. So needless to say this week has definitely been interesting. 

Also, we decided to start a jar where we save the dollar amount of the week it is. I'm really excited to do that. 1. Because it isn't too much each week and 2. Because we could do something nice for ourselves next year. You should definitely look into doing it. I can't exactly remember how much it is at the end of the year, but it is enough to make any one person happy. So, we are giving it a shot this year. 

Candlelight // My Favorite Thing

1. The mason jars were overly dirty and I realized that after the photo, so now they are being washed. But I love the look it gives, not everything is perfect. // 2. I bought this lovely espresso set at the thrift store, but I'm not much of an espresso drinker. BUT for 45 cents it makes an excellent tea light holder and bookend. // 3,4,5. There is something magical about candle light. I absolutely love it. 

Pregnancy Update // 37 Weeks 4 Days

 No more toes, well they've been gone since about 18 weeks, but this was a very impossible task to even try to get them involved (which I finally got a pedicure, which was all kinds of lovely).

 My belly is now measuring about 53" around. That's crazy. And last week when I got a sonogram while I was in the hospital they said he weighed about 6 lbs 1 ounce give or take 14 ounces. Now, that's crazy.

 An accidental photo, but I love it for some reason.

I never thought that I would complain so much during my pregnancy, but a few weeks back I had reached the point of complete uncomfortable-ness. Or so I thought. But, since I got out of the hospital last week I have been having steady contractions that are anywhere from 4 to 6 minutes apart, but are completely bearable and the doctor isn't concerned about. I've done everything that the old wives tales say to do to make them get stronger. It  works for maybe 30 minutes and then it goes back to normal. It is driving me batty. I want to meet this little man, so incredibly bad. I also want to be a bit more comfortable, especially since I am having such a hard time. Laying on the floor is an impossible task, sitting too long hurts and the thought of standing makes my feet swell. But, on the plus side, since he has dropped I am able to eat more comfortably and breathe easier, which is an A plus in my book.

A lot of times, they say babies aren't as active toward the end of the pregnancy because they have run out of room, well, my son decided that that was the perfect opportunity to roll around and kick and have a party. Needless to say, he is more active now then he was before. And I absolutely love it. I know I will miss the belly a little bit, but I will really miss his movements that love to keep me up at night. 

I hear motherhood is delightful and I am really looking forward to it. I know my mom is too, especially since she texts me 2 to 3 times a day asking how I'm doing. I love it. 

52 Weeks of Photos // Week One

New blog goal! Last year, I tried to do the 365 days of photos, that just didn't work out for me. I couldn't keep up with it, ended up forgetting and eventually was disappointed in myself. So, this year I decided that I am going to do 52 weeks of photos, whether it be just one photo a week or more. I have a feeling that I will actually be able to keep up with this goal. It isn't too hard to manage, which is extremely important. 

Also, once Alexander is born I am wanting to do 52 weeks of Alexander, which I am really looking forward to. Babies change so much in a year and I would absolutely love to look back on that. 

Anyways, here is my photo for this week:

Week 1/52: A photo of Julius Caesar. He has been an absolute cuddly pain in my butt lately. Sometimes his constant begging tends to bother me, but I am slowly learning to enjoy his odd quirks and not let them bother me. He is such a gentle heart (as long as your feet aren't near him) that I am extremely glad we rescued him from the pound. 

He loves his ball so much, and I think it is absolutely adorable when he knows which one is his in a huge bucket of balls. He also sleeps a ton and gets hair everywhere. He is such a sweet cuddly bear and I love him a ton.

Book #1 of 2014 // An Object of Beauty

As I stated in my 2014 Goals, I want to start reading more. At most, one book a month so that my goal is actually attainable for me. So, here is the book that I'm going to start reading. When I finish this book, I'll share a little bit about it.

Have you ever read this book? I'm really looking forward to meeting this goal this year. 

2014 Goals

The beginning of a New Year always face us with the question, "What do we want to change about ourselves this year?" Well, I always ask myself that question, at least. I spend the last month of December reflecting on the past year, the good and the bad and what I want to do to change it. Some things are minuscule and some things are important for my well being. I like to have a list of 5 to 10 things that I will work on. Here is my list for 2014, and I really look forward to updating you on how I do.

1. Stress Less. This is the most important one to me, for my well being. I've had a very hard time this last year, the year before and the year before that coping with almost anything that would rub me the wrong way. Things like the house being slightly messy, the laundry needing to be done, the trash needing to be taken out, the dogs being slightly smelly, little things in life that shouldn't bother me but do. I'm going to have to do this in steps, obviously, especially with starting a family and learning how to take care of a newborn. Therefore, I'm going to learn to remain calm in stressful situations, learn to control when I get angry and to remember that I do not control everything. I can't, it isn't humanly possible. So, I think remembering that, it will help me to stress less, argue less, and get angry less. 

2. Read More Books. When looking back at this past year, I had purchased several books with the intent of reading them and I started them, but never ended up even getting past the first page because I would end up too distracted. So, my goal is to, at most, read a book a month and discover new authors. 

3. Write More. I used to have such a passion for writing and I definitely want to bring some of that back. I really miss sitting and writing short stories, so I'm hoping to have written at least one by the end of the year.

4. Cook More. Cook Healthy. I have to admit, I don't cook much. I normally resort to fast food or ordering in because it is the easy way out and I normally feel like taking that. Well, always. So, this year, at least 3 to 5 nights a week I want to cook at home and I want to cook healthy food. I definitely plan on sharing new recipe's and meals that I find that I like. 

5. Run a 5k. I used to run so much and then I moved out and I took a decline in my health and didn't take care of myself as well as I should. Then, right before I had found out I was pregnant, I had decided to completely change my lifestyle, but I found out I was pregnant and that went completely out the window for me, for some reason. So, by the end of this year I want to be able to run a 5k, especially after having a baby this month. It'll be a fantastic accomplishment for me, and I can't wait to share about it.

What are some of your goals for 2014?