Random Little Things

One thing I have learned over the past couple of weeks is that functioning on very little sleep isn't conducive to productivity. I literally feel like I accomplish nothing all day...whenever I have a spare minute it's like my mind goes blank and I can't think of a thing I need to get done. For someone who thrives on list making and planning and always working on some type of project, this is a strange thing to be going through.

But I'm trying to embrace this crazy little period in my life by enjoying zoning out in front of reality TV marathons for a large portion of my day. This is something I normally would never do because I would constantly be thinking about all the time I'm wasting, but now...it's like my brain just needs to take a break. I highly recommend Million Dollar Listing and House Hunters to anyone with a little down time. Things I haven't enjoyed so much? The Real Housewives of Orange County and Married to Medicine. Good Lord, the drama. Also, Dr. Phil is hit or miss. See what my life has come to? It's insanity!

But I do have a few things I actually need to accomplish over the next few days. Number one being thank you notes....I STILL haven't done this, and my showers were almost two months ago. It's awful. I'm embarrassed. But yet I still can't let that motivate me to pick up a pen and get it done. Also, birth announcements. We had Grayson's newborn photos done last week, and I need to pick out my announcement and get things done ASAP. But that's yet another thing that I keep putting off. I'd rather lay on the couch with little Grayson on my chest and Addie on my feet and watch reruns of How I Met Your Mother.

Mommies of the world, PLEASE tell me that I'll find my long lost motivation before too long. I'm hoping it wasn't sucked out of me right along with the baby somehow. Seems possible.

I did accomplish something last night though. I made this recipe for Nutella cookies that I've had pinned forever. I have to confess something: I'm not a Nutella fan. I just don't get what all the fuss is about. I've had this jar of Nutella sitting in my cabinet for months and I just don't ever have the urge to use it, so I decided I might as well give these cookies a try and see. And they are pretty phenomenal I must say. I made a few adjustments to the recipe because it was super duper dry, like adding a bit of peanut butter and a few teaspoons of water. But yeah, I'm definitely a fan. Highly recommend.

And that's pretty much that. No rhyme or reason to this post, just like there is no rhyme or reason to anything going on in my brain. Until I have my wits about me this is probably what you'll be getting around here....honest ramblings from a brand new mommy. What more could you ask for? And because no post is complete without photos, feast your eyes on my beautiful child.

A Different Kind of Mother's Day

I have always loved Mother's Day, simply because I love my mom and I like having a day to recognize her and all she's done for me. Arsen was also blessed with a wonderful mama, and our little guy is super lucky to have these two amazing women in his life. Last year I wrote a post honoring the important moms in my life, and the feelings I wrote about then still stand true. But this year I feel a little different now that I'm a new mama myself.

It's crazy how the instant you find out you're expecting you feel this connection to all other mothers. I can actually remember walking into Target a couple of days after I found out I was pregnant, passing a very pregnant woman with a little one at her side, and thinking "Now I get it." Even though I was barely pregnant, I already felt the incredible love in my heart that you always hear moms talk about. It's truly something that can't be explained, and I love that I'm part of the club now.

This is how I spent a large portion of my Mother's Day (thanks to my sweet husband)

Earlier this morning Grayson was being fussy and Arsen was trying to calm him down while I did my makeup. He was talking to him and I heard him say "I don't know how your mom does this little man. She must be way more patient than I am." And I said "I think it's the mom thing". I am not a patient person naturally. And add in exhaustion and hormones, and I would think I would be less patient than ever. But it's like I suddenly have this superhuman amount of patience that I have no idea where it came from.

Last night I finally got Grayson to sleep at midnight after about two hours of fussing and just being restless and fighting sleep. He typically wakes up every two to two and a half hours for a diaper change and to eat, so I knew I would be up around two. Normally he goes right back to sleep after about 30-45 minutes of eating and rocking. Right on cue, he woke me up a couple minutes after two. And then he stayed awake until about 4:15. In the middle of the night when you are more tired than you've ever been and your husband and little dog are snoring beside you, it's a real struggle to stay awake with a fussy baby for more than two hours. But somehow, I'm fine. I'm exhausted, sure, but I'm so incredibly happy. Anytime I start to get frustrated I just look at his little face and I know that I need to cherish every single exhausting moment because they will pass so quickly.

My babies!

So now, almost three weeks in, I feel like I'm starting to grasp what motherhood really is. It's everything I ever dreamed it would be, and so much more. It's much more tiring than I ever thought, and somehow my days slip away in what feels like minutes without me accomplishing a thing, but every day is wonderful in its monotony.

In true new-mother fashion, I had every intention of writing this post yesterday on what was actually Mother's Day, but I ran out of time and energy. But I got it done! So Happy (Belated) Mother's Day to all of you mama's out there. We are all so lucky to have this title of "Mom" and I hope your families made you feel appreciated for all that you do for them.

Our New Life

Today Grayson is two weeks old, and I cannot believe how quickly time is flying by. The past two weeks have gone by in a blur of smiles, lack of sleep, cute baby noises, and tears (happy and sad/stressed). The tears have been both mine and Grayson's.

I remember reading once that every day as a mother you will feel like you've failed. And let me tell you, with the hormones and the few hours of sleep and the tiny baby that I am completely responsible for keeping healthy and happy and safe, I feel that fear of failure creeping up on me almost daily. Even though I know I'm learning and it's all going to take some time to figure out, sometimes I feel like I'm doing a terrible job. But I'm doing the best I can, and for a first time mama with very little previous experience, I think I'm doing okay.

One thing I know I'm succeeding in is loving this little fella. My heart is so full of love for him that sometimes I feel like it could explode. I never doubted that I would love him, but I did wonder if it would take awhile to feel that mother-son connection. It didn't. Every time I look at him, I feel a connection with him unlike anything I've ever experienced. It's like I've known him forever. It's official: I'm obsessed.

I'm also already doing that typical "mom" thing, where I think he's the smartest, most adorable, most advanced baby in the world. He's been holding his head up for several seconds since pretty much day one, but now he's pushing off of us when we hold him and looking around. He holds eye contact so well...it's like he's looking deep into your soul. He furrows his brow all the time, and it makes it seem like he's deep in thought. He also has started smiling all of the time, which is the absolute most precious thing I've ever seen in my entire life. Sometimes in his sleep he will get the biggest grin on his face, where all his top gums show, and give a little giggle. Be still my heart. So sweet I can hardly stand it.

Overall, life is pretty much bliss at this point. Of course we are sleep deprived, I feel like I'm making all kinds of rookie mistakes, I worry about every single thing that happens...but it's amazing. Arsen is literally the very BEST husband and father I could have ever hoped he would be. Even though he has to get up and work every single day, he will still get up in the middle of the night to change a diaper or help me out if I need it. He is constantly telling Grayson how much he loves him, and he is making me feel like I'm the most amazing mother around. He's always reassuring me that I'm doing a wonderful job and that Grayson is so lucky to have me. He's also been great about telling me how good I look. Anyone who has had a baby know how incredibly needed those words can be.

Thank you again to everyone for all the sweet comments...I truly intend to respond to every one of them, but by the time I've fed the baby, changed him, put him to sleep and done one or two things around the house....it's time to start it all over again! Eventually I hope to be back to blogging regularly. Surely we'll get some kind of routine down before too long.

Introducing Our Little Guy

He's finally here! After what felt like the longest 39 weeks of anticipation and excitement of my life, we finally have our gorgeous little man here with us. I'd like to introduce you all to 

Grayson Cash Aslanyants

We are absolutely head-over-heels in love with this little man, and every day I wake up feeling overwhelmed with feelings of being blessed beyond all belief. 

Everyone tells you that you can't imagine what it will be like to be a parent until it happens to you, and they are so spot on. I knew I would love him, I loved him from the moment I knew I was carrying him, and the closer I got to my due date the more love and anticipation I felt. But the moment I laid eyes on him I felt something deep within me that I wasn't expecting. The pure, unconditional, unexplainable love is....unreal. 

I'm planning on coming back soon to share his birth story. I make no promises on how soon that will be. Every day I wake up with goals of things I hope to accomplish....and every day I spend the majority of my time rocking my sweet baby, soaking up every single moment that I can with him. Time already seems to be flying by so incredibly fast, and I don't want to miss a second. Thank you all for the sweet comments and support along the way. It's everything I imagined it would be and so much more. 

38 Weeks

Well, here we are. 38 Weeks. In my last update I said hopefully we wouldn't be doing this 38 week post, but oh well :) He's obviously not done cooking in there, so he can stay as long as he would like....although I'm more than ready for him to be here in the outside world with me!

Due Date

May 1st...but finding out Tuesday if I'll be induced before that

This Week Baby A...

is just getting bigger and bigger. According to Baby Center he's 6.8 pounds and over 19 1/2 inches long....but at our 35 week sonogram they were saying he was well over 6 pounds, so we shall see on Tuesday how big he really is. He has a firm grasp and his organs have matured and are all ready for life on the outside. Sounds like he's pretty much ready to go! 

Symptoms

Nothing new really. Some swelling, some soreness, some indigestion...same old thing! 

Weight Gain

At my appointment last week I was up 33. But this week I have gone alllllll out on the splurging, so we'll see this week what kind of damage I've done.

Gender

Baby Boy

Food Cravings/Aversions

OMG I have seriously eaten so poorly this last week or two. The snow cone stands in town finally opened up and I have had to try and stop myself from getting one every single day....I've been semi-successful. I also made brownies, have been eating coco puffs non-stop, got chocolate pie at lunch today, made waffles for dinner....it is really unbelievable. I think I know that in just a couple short weeks I'm gonna have to start thinking about losing the weight, so I'm really letting myself go nuts for the last little bit. Let's hope I don't regret it! 

Movements

Definitely moving less often, but when he does move it feels like....well, like there's a full grown baby in my belly. I love it. I think this will be the number one thing I miss about pregnancy, just feeling him move around inside me. 

Sleep

It's been better this week. I'm not sure if the exhaustion just finally caught up with me or if I got used to my size haha....but I have been having pretty good like 4-5 hour stretches of sleep. It's been amaaaazing.

Daddy's Thoughts

He's been having many heart-to-hearts with little man about the fact that we are ready for him to come out and see us. I think he's almost as ready as I am for him to finally be here. We neither one are really all that patient unfortunately....

Fun Moments

Well, I've pretty much finished up every single thing on my to-do list, so I've spent a lot of time relaxing. Normally I'm not big on laying around doing nothing, but lately....lately it feels pretty nice, I must say. We've got his nursery all ready to go (other than putting his name up on the wall, Arsen just won't give in on that), got the hospital bags all packed, carseat is installed, birth plan and playlist ready to go....now it's just a waiting game. Come on Baby A, we're ready!

Looking Forward To... 

Meeting our little one. That's pretty much all I can think about. Seriously. All day, every day, I'm waiting waiting waiting to see his cute little face. I'm excited to go in on Tuesday and see him on the sonogram and find out what the plan is. As much as I don't want to be induced, I'm just ready for something to happen. So we shall see!

Oops :)

So Arsen has informed me that my blog posts lately have been a whole lot of complaining about being pregnant. He said it in a very funny and cute way so as not to offend the angry pregnant woman, but he got the point across. My bad, friends.

I can tell the last few weeks that I've reached that point where things aren't so lovely and I'll be doing a whole lot of telling it like it is, so I'll try to spare you guys the torture. Needless to say things may be a bit quite around these parts until Baby A decides to make his entrance ;)

I'm 38 weeks today, so if my doc hadn't already mentioned inducing I could potentially be looking at another month...which blows my freaking mind. I can't fathom another month of this, so I'm starting to be thankful she brought up inducing even though I wanted to avoid it.

I was talking to one of my best friends yesterday, and we ventured onto a topic that we do pretty often when she and I chat....the best show of all time, Friends. We were obsessed with the show all through middle school/high school/college, and literally compare almost everything that happens to something that happened on an episode. There's a whole lot of "Ha, remember that episode of Friends where....".

Yesterday when we were chatting about my misery and she was remembering the last few weeks of her pregnancy with her daughter, she said "It's like that episode of Friends where Rachel is like 'Get out, get out, get out!'".

Umm, yes. That's exactly what it's like. So today I decided to hop on over to YouTube to watch that scene, and some genius has put together a compilation of the funniest moments of the episode The One Where Rachel is Late. I must say, it's been hilarious the hundred times I've seen it in the past, and it's even more so now that I can relate to everysinglething that happens. Although I have to ask, what real life pregnant woman looks as beautiful and stunning and slim as Jennifer Aniston when she's 8 days past due? No one, that's who.

source

Of course, just to anger me further, for some reason it won't allow me to embed the video here. But venture over to YouTube and check it out. Hopefully the link above works for you, because it is over 8 minutes of pure hilarity.

 And do tell, when you were in your final weeks, did you get to a point where you felt this desperate to get them OUT? I'm hoping I'm not alone here.

That One Time I Was in a Music Video (and didn't know it)

So I'm going to give you all a glimpse into the life of Celeste many, many moons ago. I've talked before about the fact that I lived in L.A. and wanted to be an actress, but I don't think I've ever mentioned the horror movie that I was in.

After I moved back to Oklahoma I continued acting when I could. I went on auditions whenever they were available, and I actually ended up getting a part as one of the main characters in a feature length horror film that was filmed in Tulsa. It was actually a super fun experience that took several months of filming and resulted in a film that actually got distribution (you could even order it on Netflix at one point) and had a "premiere". I am a pro at downplaying anything important that happens in my life but it was actually something that I know I'll look back on and be glad that I did...even if it didn't exactly lead to fame and fortune ;)

A little while ago one of the guys who was in the film that I'm still friends with on Facebook posted a link to a music video that I had absolutely no idea existed. A local band had several songs in the movie, and apparently someone made a music video for one of them. And that is how I discovered I'm in a music video that I knew nothing about.

For a long time I tried to hide all of the "acting" I had done from people, and would never, ever consider mentioning it on my blog...but the older I get the more I see it as an incredibly fun and slightly hilarious period in my life. So why not?

What's really fun is to watch this video of myself in a tiny bikini as I sit on the couch superduper pregnant...it's wonderful for the self esteem, I tell you. Motivation to lose the baby weight, perhaps? I'll take it.

Oh, by the way....sometimes it's hard to distinguish which blonde I am. I will tell you this much: I'm not the one running around in my bra.