Monday, January 28, 2008

Winter '08 Bloggy Giveaway

I am so excited to be a part of my first give-away! I am joining the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival from Rocks In My Dryer and if you want to do your own little give away, you MUST check it out, and join in on the fun!

What many of you don't know is that before I got pregnant I worked with Arbonne International. It is an herbal botanical swiss skin care company and they offer a range or all natural products. I am passionate about the product, because I believe in living all natural! As I start to feel back to my "normal" self, I am investing more time in my business. So, this is also I guess a "re-launch" for me! I will post more about this later, but I have some pretty cool stuff to give away!

The first is this fantastic tinted moisturizer that has SPF 15. It is oil free and helps fight blemishes. This is so quick, and an awesome alternative to putting your full "face" on!

The second is a beautiful lip gloss in the "diva" color. This lip gloss is shaped so well that it goes on really smooth. It is very sheer and even tastes yummy!

Both these items equal a $28.00 value!

This giveaway is open to everyone! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to enter. If you don't have a blog, just make sure to leave your e-mail address!
The giveaway will end on Saturday, February the 2nd at 12:00 PM. I will pick a winner at random and announce it that day!

Good luck everyone! Oh, and if you would like to buy some of your own, you can check out my website at http://carrington.myarbonne.com
Also, if you decide there is something you like, email me: carrington@johnschulenburg.com and I will make sure you get a super special discount of 35% off!

XOXO

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Sunday, January 27, 2008

CENTA


*Wade's arm at a "Tiki party" this summer....his artistry done by Arianne.
With all the pregnant bloggers out there, I started thinking of a funny memory from my pregnancy. While Wade and I were driving out to Northwest Indiana from Arizona this past summer, we stopped at a Pizza Hut. I was really pregnant and getting a little crabby at times, and this Pizza Hut stop was no exception. Wade decided that my crabby needed a name. Well, I didn't like the sound of this, because to me it sounded like he was blaming the baby for my crabby nature. SO.. he said, well then I will blame the Placenta! While we were in Pizza Hut he kept shouting out "Plaaaacennnta" whenever I would "kindly" ask for him to shutup and pass the ranch. I was so embarrassed as WE got crazy looks from people at this tiny little Pizza Hut in a very small random town. I told him that it was not appropriate to yell "Placenta" at me, because people would get confused. Plus, it was gross, its just not a word you wanna yell. So, he compromised and said "Fine, I will call it Centa". I let him have his nickname and tried to ignore him the best I could.

Well, then when we arrived in Indiana, and he told my whole family. So ANYTHING I did, I mean anything I did, I heard someone in the background saying "Cennnnnntaaaa". What they all joke about now is that if I was actually having a "true" Centa moment, you could not even say it because then I would really just ....attack. So it was used only when I was being a little Centa like.

Hopefully all of you little preggo pops will enjoy this story!

Do you guys have any great pregnancy stories? Let me hear them! Mom-I wanna hear one from you too!

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Friday, January 25, 2008

6 Weeks Old

We had a great week! Wade found a new job (Praise the Lord!), and we had some special family bonding.

We took Capri to get some pictures taken at PicturePeople in the mall. It took us about three hours to get the good shots because we spent most of our time there rocking, bouncing, nursing, pooping, crying, sleeping ect... BUT we got some good ones! I love them so much! You can check them out on the website
HERE.

Here are a few of them....








We went and saw the midwife today, and everything looks good with mommy and baby!

I thought I would share some updates with what Capri is doing now....

  • She is "talking" all the time. She is gooing, and gawing, and making the most adorable noises. She likes to talk the most to Daddy when he is making funny noises at her.
  • She smiles all the time, and most of her awake time is filled with smiles. She really responds to things we say, and looks like she wants to laugh! I have the best time with her in the morning when she wakes up. She is always so happy, alert and just loves to lay next to us and talk!
  • She has just started to "track" us. If we have locked eyes with her, she will follow our voice with her little eyes, its adorable!
  • She sleeps through the night by only waking up to nurse and falling back to sleep. I have gotten better at sleeping through her feedings, and so we are all getting good sleep! The only sleep problems come during the day when she is not sleeping next to me. However, she is getting used to the sling and that is helping me get lots of stuff done.
We weighed her this morning and she weighs 9 and a half pounds! She is still a little one, but growing quite nicely. The only weird thing is that she measured at her birth height... 21 and a half inches! Not sure how that happened because I KNOW she is longer. I guess its just the difference in people measuring her? I don't know. My midwife seemed just as confused as I was. So the update- she is 9 and a half pounds and REALLY long (I just don't know how long!)

We also took her to the chiropractor and got her adjusted and it did wonders in helping with her gas and fussy times!

Oh, and it WAS our 6 week check up... and you all know what that means.... wish me luck!

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ROCK STAR

This is a video from a friend from Arizona. I thought it was too funny not to share with all of you blogger friends. You just MUST watch it, and laugh as hard as I did... he really needs his own show, or his own little bit on SNL.
This is Grant on being a rockstar...
Click to watch the video here.

(Thanks for the video Jordan)


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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Brand Spankin' New!

I AM SO EXCITED!!! Let me say it again... I am SO excited. I won a blog giveaway for a blog makeover with Jennisa. She was so easy to work with, and such a sweetheart. She got everything done fast, and worked really well with me (I had no idea what I wanted... "um girly things", I said?!) I thought I would be stuck with the blogger template forever, and she has saved me. If you are looking for a change with your blog, and want a makeover yourself, you need to check her out. You will be SHOCKED by her prices, and at the same time so excited because it is totally affordable. Thank you so much Jennisa, you rock my world!!

I haven't posted any pictures in awhile, I've been kind of lazy, so here are a BUNCH all at once!




Me and Capri

Wade and I TRYING to get a photo of us at the Museum of Science and Industry. This was our 5th try to get me with my eyes open! Even though we both look drugged, its the best we could do!

Going out in the frozen tundra!

Wade with a sleeping Capri in our new stroller (Thank you Nunie and Asa!) at the Planetarium in Chicago

This is Capri with what daddy calls "the snack shack" and a little bow sent from Aunt Chelsea!


Here are some silly pictures



She hates hats people.

This is her own little photo shoot with an outfit from Aunt Penny. She is wearing socks from Steph that look like little slippers that say "future heiress" on the bottom




This LOOKS like a smile but don't let it fool ya. This was when the photo shoot ended... when she had enough!

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Sunday, January 13, 2008

FUN?


Yesterday was such an awesome day, but the whole day I kept thinking, am I having fun?

I was feeling a little better, and up to do something fun for my birthday. Arianne, my mom and I decided we were up for going out, and we thought about going to the mall and then my sister threw in the idea of going shopping in Chicago. I think she mentioned it as a joke, and my mom and I were like "Okay!", and she had to go along with it then!

With all the kiddies being sick, and having a newborn we weren't able to make it out of the house until the late afternoon. Capri had a hard time in the car, falling asleep, waking back up, and falling back asleep. I almost broke my arm shaking the car seat back and forth trying to calm her down.

I am so inexperienced when it comes to all the logistics of traveling with a baby, much less two (Baby Jonah came with as well)! For a new mom, its pretty overwhelming to have to stop, pull over and change diapers, nurse, change outfits, burp, get them into the sling, and get going. By the time we had arrived and left the car to go shopping I said jokingly to my ladies "Are you ready to go home yet?"

It was SO windy outside that it felt like we were climbing our way to H&M, and when I walked in the door it was crazy busy. So many people. It was kinda funny trying to get through the tiny aisles with a big coat on, a diaper bag on my back and all the babies and people walking all around you. Not to mention it was about 100 degrees inside. My mom had Capri, and Arianne was with Jonah and they made their way upstairs to the baby stuff while I attempted to shop fast down stairs.

This was my first time shopping since having Capri and I had NO idea what size I was. I had prepared myself for the size shock, but gimme a break people. REALLY? I've been having lots of conversations with God about surrendering what state my body is in post pregnancy, and I had come to the conclusion to praise God for my body, and thank His creation (my body) for creating a miracle... and blah blah blah. I had come to a great point, I really had. Then I went shopping. How can I go from a 0 or a 2, to an 8 or a 10. REALLY?? So, I went into the dressing room with a 6 in everything, went back and forth with new sizes and it just took forever. I thought, its okay, I am just so thankful I GET to shop, and I am here at one of my favorite stores, and I just had a baby a month ago, I AM OKAY. I had to wipe sweat off under my arms to try on clothes; it was just so hot it was gross. I found a few things and made my way up to my ladies. We found each other and it was this moment where I was so happy to find them and I wanted to fall into their arms and have them just calm my overstimulated mind down. However, as I looked up at them their faces had the same look as mine. They were sweaty, overstimulated, had crying babies and tons of clothes. We found a little bench in a corner of the store and all fell down, took off all our coats, bags, slings, babies and just stopped. It was really funny sitting there. Before I had Capri, I probably would have walked by and made fun of people like us. I felt like those moms that I would walk by at Disneyland that seemed so frazzled with kids everywhere, stuff everywhere and completely exhausted. We stayed there for awhile as we checked out one by one, nursed the babies one by one, and finally made our way out.

The plan was for my mom and sister to go back to the car, dump the bags, and I would go to Forever 21 and meet them back at the car to finish up our shopping at Macy's. Looking back at it, I laugh really hard at that moment when we left H&M. I had given all the bags and babies to the ladies and the wind was blowing SO HARD and they were trying to walk as fast as possible, it was just crazy.

Well, they went back to the car and I went around to find Forever 21. I had looked it up online before we left and knew it was RIGHT THERE. But, I walked all around for a few blocks in every direction and couldn't find it anywhere. It was freezing, the wind was blowing so hard, I was alone and I was thinking, AM I HAVING FUN? Is this how I wanted to spend my Birthday? It was a moment of deep reflection because I was so torn. Here I am in the coolest city in the world, surrounded by beautiful buildings and designer stores. I was with my mom (who leaves on Thursday and I don't know when I will see her again) my sister (one of my best friends) my daughter (I can't believe this angel is mine?!) and zen-baby-love-of-my-life (Jonah). I was healthy, and I had money to do one of my favorite things in life... shop! I was able to go to my favorite stores, and it was my Birthday. HOWEVER... here I am in Chicago with hurricane like FREEZING winds, crying and wining babies, my body temperature has drastically yo-yoed in the last few minutes (going from hotter then hell H&M to frozen tundra Chicago). And I thought, Am I having fun? The answer: yes. After I realized that I was just new to all of this, and a little overstimulated. The truth is that I was with people that mean the world to me. They were there to celebrate my birthday with me, and we were having fun. If it killed me I was going to create the best experience and enjoy everything, even the freezing wind! So, I DECIDED... this was fun.
You know what else helped? I made my way into Macy's and had them check how much was on an old gift card I had... $145 baby! That is like a FORTUNE to me right now, are you kidding me? I had her repeat it three times just to make sure. It was like God's way of blessing me for appreciating the valuable and awesome things in my life.

We ended the lovely night FINDING Forever 21 (which was inside the water tower for all of you people who know Chicago) and having a nice dinner at California Pizza Kitchen.

After resting all day and watching some football today (boo, my colts lost), tonight we had a very special moment at my Sisters houses. My nephews had made my favorite kind of cake (the kind with sprinkles inside it), and made birthday cards, and they sang happy birthday. It was a small, but sweet celebration. I got to blow out some candles and watch smiles on my nephews as they saw MY reaction when eating the cake they had made for me. It was a great birthday, and I had so much fun!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

"Birth" Day

So, today I turn 22. Just as I look back at this last year with crazy shock at all the things that have changed in my life, I did it again this morning. I still can't get over what a year I had, and I can't believe it all happened when I was 21! I would say the year could be summed up in "Firsts" starting with my birthday which was the first time I drank Alcohol. Well, I had tasted it before, but I mean... I really dove in head first on my birthday, and had a great time. I drank some that night, some at my bachelorette party, and some on my honeymoon... and then my margarita days were over, pregnancy got me, and no more drinking!

I didn't mean for this post to be about drinking, ha! Okay, moving on.... Actually this Birthday I am sitting here with so much more insight to what my mom went through on my Birthday, now that I have given birth. I told her shortly after Capri was born, "Why don't mom's give each other presents on their kids birthdays?" I mean, it is a celebration of the life of the child of course, but it should also be a celebration of the accomplishment, don't you think? Maybe you guys already do this and I am new to the mama world, but I think Mom's should receive major props on their kids birthdays.

So...here is to my mom. I celebrate you and all the hard work you went through to bring me into this world, and how you have loved me, supported me and taken care of me for 22 years.
Happy "Birth" Day mom, I love you!

(P.S. I apologize for the randomness of this post. :))

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Tag-I'm it!

Steph at Adventures in Babywearing tagged me to talk about 7 things that you don't know about me. So... here it goes....

1. I wanted to be a fashion designer growing up.. I even went to FIDM in Los Angeles. I loved school but decided that I didn't love the industry, and I cared more about having a family then working my butt off for a long time for no money. However, I still enjoy me some Project Runway (which is currently on right now)

2. I was 15 when I met Wade at a football game and immediately fell for him. However, I had made a promise with God to not date anyone for a whole year. I kept my crush a secret and became really good friends with him. When the year was up, I told him how I felt, and we have been together ever since!

3.When I was growing up my whole family called me "Tootie". It was a nickname I got when I was really young, and it stuck with me until I got a little older and loathed it. When my first nephew was born my sister decided to bring back the nickname so her kids didn't have the challenge of "Aunt Carrington" and could call me their "Tootie". My best friends calls me Tootie sometimes, and all my nephews do. I enjoy being their Tootie, and I love the nickname now.

4. I LOVE television. I know its not cool to admit it, but I really enjoy many shows. I know I should be outside walking, reading a book or calling a friend...but screw it, I love TV. And TIVO is the best invention.

5.I hate all kinds of seafood, even clam chowder. I very much dislike popcorn too. What's funny is my parents cannot remember this. They love to eat fish and offer to take me out to seafood restaurants all the time, and EVERYTIME we are in a movie, my dad will lean over and say "do you want some popcorn?" Each time I give him crap about it, and he still does not remember... just weird.

6. I am a Jesus lover. I can't claim to know Him all that well, but I am workin' on it. My identity as a Woman is defined by Him, and what He calls me.

7. I am a major girly girl. Pink was always my favorite color, I played with Barbies until 4th grade, and prefer wearing dresses and skirts over pants. I hope my daughter loves girly things too, but my Sister has another, more punk-awesome-rock-star agenda for her. I would actually love to see a blend of both!

8.My husband and I saved ourselves for marriage and our first time was (ahem) VERY productive. :)

9.When I was 16, after having my license for 1 month I was an extremely bad car accident. It was like out of a movie, and I can tell the story later. It involved many cars, was my fault and one of the scariest things I have ever been through. Someone that pulled over to help, ended up getting hurt (the only person who was severely injured) is now in an ongoing lawsuit with myself, the state of Arizona and another driver that was involved. The trial was supposed to be this month, and will be with the Supreme Court of AZ and will change law in AZ no matter what happens (unless it is settled out of court). My parents will forever mourn their beautiful Camero that was lost....oops.


Oh my gosh, I kept going after 7, and just NOW realized it. I guess I was thinking 10 things...well I will keep the 9 things and just give you a little more then you expected!
You're welcome!


Oh, and I tag Jordan to share 7 (9) things we don't know about you!

It's time

My beautiful friend Tara has gone through a lot this year, many of the same things as me. She got married last year, pregnant, and had a baby who is now a few months old. They moved to a new state where she knows no one and she is do an amazing job at figuring it all out.

Tomorrow morning her husband is being deployed. She hasn't been able to talk about the date of when he is leaving until now, and she needs lots of love and support.

Please take the time and stop by her blog and thank her little family for their sacrifice for our country and send her lots of love. She is the strongest, most courageous woman I know. My mom is leaving this next week, and I am FREAKING about having a newborn with just my hubby and I, and I can't imagine doing it alone, with no friends or family near by.

So, send some love her way.

Thanks guys

XOXO

Saturday, January 5, 2008

This calls for some participation people....

My good friend Jordan sent me this personality test, and I end up taking ALL of these. I think I enjoy learning about other peoples analysis of me... whether it be a quiz from Cosmo, or a psych class in college, I enjoy them!

Well I took this one, and I came out as an ENFJ which stands for Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging. Which also translates into the "Teacher". My Hubby took the quiz too and he is an ISFJ which translated into an Intuitive, Sensing, Feeling and Judging which translates into the Guardian/ Protector. His reaction to the quiz was "You're really cool... and I'm not!" I don't think that was the purpose of the quiz, but I think he is just jealous that Peyton Manning and Oprah are in my category, and he gets the Queen of England and George Bush Senior.

You can look at more analysis of results here.
Take the quiz and post a comment letting me know what your result was so I can go read all about you! :)

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Happy New Year!

Two nights ago my husband and I were talking and he said, "If God would have told me all that we would have gone through this year, I would not have believed Him!" This year was a year of many challenges but also a year of amazing blessings.

Last year at this time I was planning a wedding, living in Arizona and just about to celebrate my 21st birthday! I was working at a restaurant looking for a "real job" and Wade was so excited about his new job and the opportunity that was there for him.

It was a crazy year because ALL of my closest friends got married. This year I was a Bride, a Bridesmaid, and a Matron of honor twice! When does that happen? Especially when all your friends are young like you? Well, one of my girlfriends was getting married 2 weeks before me so we had a whirlwind of showers one after the other!

On March 17 Wade and I got married in Long Beach, CA. It was the best day, I thought perfect weddings were fairy tales. Well, not any more, because we had one! It was amazing!

We honeymooned in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a week at an all inclusive resort. Our first vacation together, it was amazing and so much fun! (Little did we know ALL that we had accomplished that trip :))

When we got home we were hit with a lot of change! The day we got home we moved into our new apartment, Wade got laid off from his job and a few weeks later we found out we were pregnant!

Wowie! We had not planned on having children for at least 5 years, and struggled with the whole "our plans" vs. "God's plan" thing. This was the biggest lesson we learned this year. Even though we might think we have it all "planned out", God has other plans, better plans, perfect plans.

I soon started a new job and was thrown into severe nausea every day (Yes people, EVERY DAY... throwing up, for 6 months!) and started a new job. Wade found various work and we began to settle into our home. I soon became VERY blue about not being near family. Oh my gosh I am pregnant, what? Oh my gosh I don't live anywhere near my mom, or my sister, how am I going to survive pregnancy much less a baby without them?! We also knew that we needed a lower cost of living and God started leading us to move out to Indiana. It was CRAZY to everyone we knew. We were leaving Scottsdale for Chesterton? No one really understood, and we didn't really either! But we knew we wanted to be by family and NWI was the cheapest place we could do that!

So, we moved to Chesterton, lived with my sister and her family for awhile until we found the perfect little place... about 4 houses down from them! As hard as it all has been (my hubby is still trying to find a "real" job out here), it has all seemed to cultivate to one event, everything this year has led up to this one day... the day Capri was born.

I have to be honest, I cried when I found out I was pregnant. I screamed "I'm sorry" to my husband because I felt like I did something wrong, somehow I messed up and I threw both our dreams out the window. What I didn't realize is that God wanted to bless us with a joy that can't be described, an unconditional love never known and our own little family!
You know what also happened? We were united once again with family (who are also our closest friends), and we have made amazing new friends, got connected into an amazing church and have truly grown up (in an awesome way, not a depressing "my life is over" kind of way).

I feel like I got to experience two of the most amazing creations all in one year... marriage and a baby! I have LOVED being married to this man, and seeing how we go through everything together, and watching him do WHATEVER it takes to take care of me, provide for us and love me every day. Watching him become a father, and love our daughter is the greatest gift. I love that he loves her as much as I do!
Then came the baby... the perfect little angel. I miss her even when she has been asleep for an hour! She has only been here less then three weeks, and already I can't imagine my life without her. I THOUGHT this year would be filled with job advancement in Arizona, entertaining friends in our new home, and enjoying alone time with my new hubby.... man, my plans were SO lame compared to all God had in store for us!

So, looking to 2008, its really hard to even say what I think it will look like, because 2007 taught me that I HAVE NO IDEA! What are my goals? I plan on overcoming personal fears of failure to pursue my business with 100% commitment and create some financial peace for my family. I plan on getting to know Jesus so closely that 2008 is a year I look back on in the future for when my spiritual life changed. It will be like takin' me and Jesus to the next level, me and Jesus 2.0 baby. And I plan on being present in every moment of my families life, enjoying every moment of it so I can be the best wife and mother I can be.

I pray that you all get to know Jesus a little more this year, and experience the fullness of the love, joy and peace He has to offer you.

Happy New Year!