Remember how I mentioned the sun?

Well, I was right!  The sun definitely came out after the rain for us. :)

I am still waiting on my car, but it's a 99.9% yes.  It has been secured, and now I am waiting on a call that she is sitting on the dealer's lot waiting for me.  Then they will draw up the paperwork and drive her home to me! *sigh*  I just cannot wait for this to be done!

Another little happy-news nugget we have received - Michael was offered the Assistant Branch Manager position at the O'Neal branch of Regions!  This is the one he has been waiting (and hoping) for!  He is very happy, and we're so excited for this new opportunity.  Patience definitely pays! :)  He will transfer to the new branch within the next couple of weeks.  In the meantime, he still has a new trainee to focus on.  The new guy should finish with Michael right around the time he'll move.  I'm so proud of him!

The only other thing I wanted to share was another bump milestone. :)  I have been feeling the baby move for several days now!  I didn't want to jump the gun, but I had been feeling these flutters - almost like butterflies in your stomach.  Then, the other night, I was trying to find the baby's heartbeat.  I would push down on one side and get it, then the baby would move and I'd lose it.  At one point, I had it very loud and clear.  At the same time that happened, the baby moved away and I felt the same flutters!  I realized that I truly had been feeling the baby move!  It was awesome!  I feel it at least once or twice every day.  I must have an active little booger inside of me!  Our next ultrasound is in less than a week away.  I can't wait to see how much he or she has grown! :)

So, even though it's been an annoying couple of weeks, sometimes....it's worth it. ;)

When it rains, it pours...

But, then out comes the sun!

So, I have been waiting to post again until after the car fiasco had been settled.  To be honest, it has not been yet.  It looks like I will be getting the car, but when is another story.  The dealership in Mississippi that screwed everything up to begin with is trying to fix the situation.  The problem is that "my car" is at another dealership and they are trying to negotiate it over to them for me to purchase.  It's been a pain in the padded ass, to say the least.  My car note is due today, so it would be lovely to have a final answer this afternoon.  I have a week before they ding me, and I would hate to pay my note only to trade it off.

So, this past weekend, Michael and I drove to Austin to visit my older brother.  I don't like long drives, but this was really nice.  Michael and I had great conversations the whole way there and back.  Much of that stemmed from only being able to talk about the car for over a week at that point.  We had a lot of catching up to do on our thoughts that did not include the car. :)  We talked about the baby and our future plans.  Everything has been wonderful, and we are so grateful and blessed right now.  The trip itself was awesome.  We stopped in Lake Charles and stayed with my Gamma on Friday night.  She and my aunt/godmother, Janet, were able to hear the baby's heartbeat before we left.  It is so special to me to be able to share that with the people that I love.  We arrived in Austin Saturday afternoon, and Billy became our unofficial tour guide for the weekend.  I love how excited he gets to do that for other people.  He has such a wealth of information, and I was surprised at how much he knew about Austin.  We visited downtown, Johnson City (LBJ house and ranch), Fredericksburg (Circle E candle factory - OMG), San Antonio (the Missions and Riverwalk), and the state cemetery.  We ate at some awesome local places and met one of Billy's friends, Jim.  He's a great guy and was gracious enough to be our driver for the majority of the trip.  I'll post some pics tonight (hopefully).  I also got to see some of my friends from April's bachelorette cruise - Kimberly and Clay!  They are also expecting a baby, just a week or 2 after us.  It was really nice to catch up and introduce them to Michael, Billy and Jim.  And, the yogurt place we met at has got to be THE BEST in the world!  OMG - Yummilicious is the shiznit.

Sunday, we headed back home.  We were so excited and happy to see our little Koopa again!  I hate leaving him.  However, the joy of coming home was short-lived.  We walked into the house only to find that our refrigerator's freezer was all screwed up.  We weren't sure what the problem was, but it was leaking, freezing, leaking, freezing and had just become one huge mess.  There was water puddling up, but thankfully had not gone past a foot.  Michael's dad came over and we pulled the thing out.  We're not 100% sure on the problem, but we're pretty sure the compressor burnt up.  There were scorch marks on the wall behind the refrigerator, and you could hear sizzling as the ice was leaking and dripping.  By the way, NEVER buy a Samsung refrigerator.  We found out the hard way that NO ONE in Baton Rouge or DS will work on one.  So, even if the problem could have been fixed, we could only rely on Best Buy's Geek Squad to tell us.  They charge $130 just to come look at it, and it would take a day or 2 before they could.  So, what then?  You either tell me it's a bust or you charge me out of my ass to come back and fix it.  In the meantime, I have nothing to keep food cold?  Um, hell no.  Plus, we had bought a floor model at a GREAT discount, and had to sacrifice a warranty of any sort on it.  So, yesterday we bought a new refrigerator.  I guess it sucks, but I am glad it happened before the baby was here.  Plus, it was on sale and we're getting a $250 cash rebate through this Louisiana program for energy efficient appliances.  Maybe I'm just dulled to bullshit now, because this didn't phase me at all. lol  I did a little shopping today to help perk me up.  New face care and make-up always helps me feel better. ;)

So, now I'm just waiting to hear back from the dealership about my car.  The price was right, so now it's just a matter of them not screwing it up again!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day indeed!  Today is an exceptional day.  Michael and I have a very low-key tradition when it comes to this holiday, but this year is a little different.  We ordered a fetal heart rate doppler last week, and it arrives today.  Now we will be able to hear the baby's heartbeat whenever we want, AND share with family and friends!  We are so excited!  On top of that, we ordered Moulin Rouge from Netflix (Michael has never seen it), and will have Italian take out for dinner.  I absolutely hate crowded restaurants and venues, and I always look forward to our little, quiet celebration together. :)

Now, nothing in the above may sound "exceptional", but I am not done!  Before our night starts, I will be saying "buh-bye" to my sweet GiGi.  She has been very faithful to me, and I will always cherish our fond memories.  GiGi is my 2004 Mazda3, btw!  She was the first car that I owned all by myself - picked out and paid for.  That really meant something to me.  I had just been promoted at work, and she helped represent a new period in my life.  So, she has been very special.  Shortly after I bought her, we took my birthday trip to Destin.  It felt AMAZING to drive MY car, with her sporty exterior and sweet sunroof.  Ahh...  She was great!  But, now our time has come to an end.  We have reached a new period in life, and GiGi is ready to be retired.

Meet the new Baby Buggy!



On Wednesday, my 2010 Prius III will arrive and usher in the dawn of "Babies & Family" in the Hathcox household!  This sweet girl averages 50MPG and hosts a voice-activated touch-screen navigation system with backup camera.  The funny thing is that she will also take an out-of-town maiden voyage very soon!  We are going to visit my older brother in Austin this weekend and will test out her skills on the open road.  We are very excited!
So, tonight, I will turn GiGi in and drive a temp Prius for a day and a half before I get to meet my new sweetheart.

Ahh.. Love.  *sigh*

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ETA: Turns out the Baby Buggy will be making her entrance a day early!  When we signed the papers last night, they informed us that she had hit the ground in Jackson already and would be delivered on Tuesday instead!  So, GiGi is around for an extra 24 hours, but it's bittersweet!

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2nd ETA: Sike!  No car today. :(  It's in Jackson with plastic covers still on, waiting in line for inspection.  They said it could be tomorrow night or Thursday morning.  I'm okay with waiting.  I want everything to be working and fabulous, so no rush!  It just kind of sucks since I had worked myself up for this afternoon.  *sigh*

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3rd ETA: I'm going to burn down Supreme Toyota unless they pull a gold rabbit out of their asses TODAY.  I received a call this morning that my car had been sold to a dealer in Arkansas, and that dealer had already sold it to someone else.  I was told to pick another color.  Michael told them to shove it up their asses and find me another blue one with everything I wanted.  We shall see...

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4th ETA: Went searching online and found my car at a dealership in Mississippi (matching VIN # to my paperwork).  Called them only to find out it was their big boo-boo with my car, and that it was indeed sold to a dealer in Arkansas by mistake.  Now they're trying to sell me an upgraded version of my car.  If the price is right, we'll go there!

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5th ETA: Looks like my butt is going to Mississippi tomorrow!  I am not excited about it whatsoever.  The dealership out there is convinced that they can match or beat the price I was given on the III and still upgrade me to the IV in blue with everything I had before.  The only problem is that they need to have their guys evaluate my trade.  UGH!  My concern with the maintenance was eased though.  I can take it to the Toyota dealership of my choice and still receive my free 2-year package.  I swear on everything holy that I will burn the building down if I do not ride away from that lot happy and in my beautiful blue 2010 Prius IV.

Krackerjaq (RECORD YOUR "KRACKERJAQ" FOR THE REMIX!)

This video has nothing to do with babies, but is UH-MAZING. ;) Pass it along to your family and friends!

Baby Girl Names

So, here's the deal.  When we started discussing girl names, we both liked Aubrey and Camille.  However, Michael got a little superstitious and suggested that instead of trying to figure out two girl options, let's just combine them!  Well, I had really liked the idea of having family names with each of our children - Ethan Michael (duh).  When we think of our "first" daughter, we call her Aubrey - we love the name.  So, I figured up several other options with family names from my side.  If you click the picture above, you can vote on them.  Below are the names and explanations of where the family name came from:

Aubrey Camille - our original option and still in the running
Aubrey Mae - from Gladys Mae, my great aunt on my dad's side - she lived with us until she passed away when I was 12, and was a second grandmother to me
Aubrey Lea - pronounced "Lee", from my paternal grandmother, Hilda Lea - she passed when I was a baby, but I know she was an amazing woman
Aubrey Clara* - from my great grandmother on my mom's side, who I know nothing about.  I just kind of liked Clara and wanted another option :)

So, anyway, please vote and comment your thoughts!  I like to hear other people's thoughts. :)

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*ETA: I was just informed by my mother that her grandmother, Clara, was a crazy bitch.  Sooooo, definitely no Aubrey Clara. :)
We have added Aubrey Kristen to the mix.  My middle name is my Mom's name, and her middle name was her mother's name.

And...I'm one of those Preggernauts.

Yesterday, my interest was caught by a discussion of fetal dopplers.  I could hear our baby's heartbeat whenever I want!  Sounded like a great idea and I researched them a little.  Today, we had another prenatal appointment, and were able to hear the heartbeat again in his office.  Well, that did it!  I ordered one as soon as I got back to the office! lol  I'm a sucker.

Our next appointment will also have an ultrasound.  They'll ask us if we want to know the gender, and I'll have to rely on Michael to keep us strong! Haha!!  It will be SO TEMPTING when they ask.  I mean, all they have to do is move the wand a little and *POOF!* there it is!  Pink or blue!  However, I know that it will be worth the wait if we can just hold out. :)  I say "we"...but, what I really mean is "I"!

I think that we have pretty much picked out our pediatrician, so that's exciting!  I need to call soon to set up an interview, but he comes highly recommended (by friends and Perniciaro).  Granted he is taking new patients and there are no unforeseen problems when we speak, then we shall commit!

This weekend we are planning to purchase the paint for the nursery.  I have looked at the swatches over and over again, and I have not had any reservations about the colors.  By March 1st we should have the room painted, steam cleaned and set up the new crib, changing table and little bit of deco we've ordered.

AHHH!!!! Exciting!!! :)

It's a lemon!

So, I have a ticker on the baby website that uses fruit and vegetables to give you an idea of how big the baby is.  Well, I decided last week to start buying one of whatever the baby is supposed to be each week.  This week has been a lemon.  We will upgrade to a navel orange on Wednesday!  I think it's kind of neat.  We have something to hold and feel.  Michael was surprised at the lemon size.  I guess I was, too!  Especially when I realized that the length of the lemon did not include the legs!

Such a sweet little ball of tangy sunshine! :)

Moving on, we picked up the crib this past weekend.  Michael gave Babies R Us one more shot at this whole voucher and coupon fiasco.  They failed, but not as miserably as last time.  The manager on duty at least spoke to us, and explained that it's a Babies R Us policy.  She did not apologize for the miscommunication from last time (we explained to her what happened), and was unapologetic about how stupid the policy was.  Then we were made to wait 20 minutes before some kid finally wheeled the crib out.  They had to call back there 3 or 4 times.  I was prepared to buy my Bella Band there since we had already left the mall, but decided to poop on that idea.  I'll just go back to the mall.

Prenatal Pole Dancing DVD

This cracks me up!!!