Potluck Friday

Duck Cupcakes by Fedilyn

Our Breakfast Buffet

Fedilyn and her cupcakes

If I haven't said it before I'll say it now, I have some pretty awesome coworkers. I sometimes feel like they've been watching me grow up. I came into this office as an unexperienced LVN and through the last few years I moved up to RN, gotten married and pregnant. As Chip always says, this is the most fertile place I've ever worked at. It's interesting to look back and see how many changes I've gone through since starting at Accredited in 2007.

On Wednesday Janelle, Natalya and I were talking about the delicious breakfasts that Natalya always makes and decided to have a mini breakfast potluck. Being pregnant, there was no way I was gonna turn down an offer like that! We each decided on what we would bring and it was all set. I couldn't eat the lox for obvious reasons but I definitely dug into the bagels, cream cheese, omelet, fruits, and dessert that were there. It was a yummy beginning to the weekend. We should do this more often.

Just can't resist

Ever since I found out that Francis and I were going to have a baby, I would find a reason to pass by the baby section of Target with every chance I got. We kept thinking to ourselves, "When we find out the sex, then we'll go buy something for him/her." Then after passing through Disney stores it just made me want to buy everything in there!!! Thankfully, Francis was there to convince me not to buy out the whole store of baby clothes (not that I could afford it but I definitely wished that I could!).

Anyway, I thought to myself that this is probably what happens to every first time parent and that I'm doing pretty well without having any impulse buys for the baby just yet. Little did I know that everyone else was having the same temptations. As soon as we found out the sex and told everyone, this is what happened:

From the Serranos

From Grandma Tetet

From Charlene

They just couldn't resist!!! *To our family who bought clothes for our little princess, thank you!!! We can't wait until she gets to wear them!!!! When I get to my parents house I'll be sure to take a picture of the awesome baby blanket, booties, mittens and beanie that my mom crocheted and post it up. I'm a little afraid for my next trip to Disneyland because I think I'll be coming home with a trunk full of stuff for the baby. Maybe Francis should just hold my wallet next time we go there :) Aside from all the fun of cute clothes and pink everything, this little one can kick! When we went to our ultrasound, the tech said that it was pretty early for a first time mom to be feeling the kicks already and then attributed it to either a sensitive mom or a strong baby. Since I can sleep through almost anything (especially living in the busy Langdon house for the past 4 years), I really think she's been pumping some iron in there! At 21 weeks, she's already waking me up at night and kicking or punching everything within her reach. As weird as the feeling of her movement is, it's reassuring to know that she's inside there and healthy. If only she didn't have to kick my bladder all the time...

It's a...

GIRL!!!! Yesterday April 1, 2011 Francis and I had an appointment with CVS ultrasound and its 99% confirmed! It's a girl!!!!!!

Right now everything is so surreal. 2 days before Christmas Francis and I found out that we were pregnant, so we decided to move up the wedding. Last week we got married in Disneyland. (I haven't even had time to run through some of those pictures and write about that yet!) Yesterday we found out that we are having a girl! Everything is happening so quickly that sometimes I feel like I don't have enough time just to take it all in. Sometimes I just want to spend some quality time with Francis and appreciate the newlywed feeling, but we just don't have the time. There are "Thank you" cards to write, groceries to shop for, rooms to clean, businesses to run, work to do, time spend with family, Posse, and friends, and most importantly future planning for our baby girl. I can whine all I want but honestly bottom line is I life the life that I do because I choose to. I'd rather live a busy life filled with loved ones who need more of my time than a non-eventful life with nothing to look forward to. I love my life and wouldn't trade it for the world. Thank you everyone for making my busy life more than worth living. I can honestly say that at this point in my life I am HAPPY :)

Wedding pictures and stories to follow...

Only the beginning...

I woke up this morning to attend the last few days that I have with Kaplan to review for my upcoming NCLEX-RN test. As I drove to my class, it finally truly hit me, my life is about to begin. Everything is coming at me like a storm, and I'm not really sure how to take it all in.

I'm engaged and planning for my wedding. I've only been allowed to start planning for my wedding this past week. Francis and my parents made me promise that I wouldn't start to plan for our wedding until I graduated and since I just finished school, here I am. It's every girl's dream to get married and although it's exciting, it's stressful at the same time. Who will be my maid of honor? Bridesmaids? Will we have enough money? When am I supposed to send invitiations? Am I supposed to send out engagement announcements? What month can I choose without worrying about the weather? And the list of questions goes on. I'm only on my first week of truly planning so I'm sure that I will find the answers soon enough, but nonetheless I am stressed and will likely continue to be until the day I say "I do."

I'm about to be an RN. Yes I have already been an LVN for 5 years but the duties are so different. I'm responsible for everything that goes on with my patient whether it be going to the bathroom or catching warning signs of a worsening condition. I'm responsible for it all. Knowing that a person's life is in your hands is completely rewarding but at the same time a little scary. I've never trusted my nursing skills so much before but at the same time, I still have so much to learn. I'm sure I will look back on this and laugh at how unexperienced I once was.

I'm about to start a business. For the past few years a few of my friends and I have been in the process of starting a business and we are only a few weeks from D day. We're adding the final touches to our handbooks, tidying up the office, and so excited to take on this next obstacle. When I think about that day I start to get so nervous because I know that many of the questions they ask will eventually trickle down to me and I need to know the answers. Hopefully all of our hard work will soon pay off.

I'm getting married! Yes I know, I mentioned it already, but when I delve deeper into this I realize that Francis and I are ready. Not in the sense that we have everything planned out, or that we know exactly what we are getting ourselves into, but rather that we haven't rushed this moment. We've been friends for 10 years, 3 of those being in a relationship. We've fought like any normal couple out there and at the end of the day still choose to be with each other. I've questioned many things about our relationship but one thought remains throughout, I want to be with him for the rest of my life.

And this is where our story begins...

Annabelle