I Have A Plan

I want to send out Christmas cards this year.

Don't laugh.  I'm serious.

TRUE, we've never sent a legitimate Christmas card in our married lives.

TRUE, we didn't even get around to a DIGITAL card last year.

And last year I wasn't pregnant and sick as a dog.

But we are DOING IT this year.  

REAL PAPER CARDS!

So if you want to test my resolve, this is all you have to do 

(because heaven forbid I plan ahead and save last year's cards for addresses)

Send me an email with your mailing address. 
melaniewhess at gmail

We are taking a picture this weekend 

(thank heaven Nolan's nanny is also a photographer)

I am ordering cards.

I WILL mail them.

If you want to be on our list, I want you to be on our list.

Even if it's just to see if I'll actually follow through.

Give Back

 Design Mom had a fantastic post today on Giveback.org

PEOPLE, this is amazing.  AMAZING.

This is a site through which you set up a "foundation".  You can donate your own money directly through your foundation, or, OR you can follow links to merchants (places you ALREADY SHOP ONLINE!) and the merchant will donate a portion of your purchase to your foundation!  It's the most AMAZINGLY SIMPLE, but also TOTALLY BRILLIANT idea!  It will take you 30 seconds longer to get to Gap.com or BabiesRUs.com.. . but then the money you spend goes to a good cause!

I love it.  I will be using it for all of my holiday shopping.

The list of charities you can choose from to donate to is HUGE.  And why WOULDN'T YOU?

PLUS, they send you ONE RECEIPT, come tax time, to deduct your donations from your taxes.

Seriously.  

BRILLIANT.

My current choice of charities. . .  and if you know me OR my mom, you know why. . .

Migraine Research Foundation Inc.

 

Do it.  

It's free. You have NOTHING to lose.

It's a. . .

I have many many things to post relating to Nolan's birthday and a late Halloween party. . .  And I might get to those things, eventually.  If I can stop throwing up long enough to be productive for longer than an hour.  An hour which is inevitably filled with something like stupid WORK, and not blogging.. .

BUT, I had to return to post some news.

Yesterday, November 10th, we had a gender ultrasound for this newest Hess baby. . .  Mostly because mama couldn't take it any more and needed SOMETHING to get her through the next 22 weeks of pregnant "bliss" (this little one will be born via c-section about a week early, so I AM counting my blessings that I'll be pregnant 2 weeks LESS than I was with Nolan.  That's something, right?)

Anyway, the point is.. .

IT'S A GIRL!!

And I have to admit, I'm thrilled!  I have been secretly (or not so secretly) hoping that this one was a girl for weeks not.  It makes me feel a little bit better about how much WORSE this pregnancy is than the last. . .

And now I can start nesting and planning and filling my brain up with how the heck we're going to fit another being and her things into our already crowded space without killing each other.   And it's totally possible.  I just need a few more of those non-puking productive hours each day. . .  LUCKILY, we have a room already painted a beautiful shade of red that we will use for this new little one.  We'll have a little touching up to do, but no real PAINTING (Hooray!)  Just some decorating and shifting and storing. . .  And I'm a little bit excited about that part!

Wish us luck!

Halloween

Well, Halloween was SLIGHTLY more successful this year than last.  But only slightly.

Nolan LOVED his costume, and wore it constantly the week before Halloween.  But it went downhill from there.  I took him to get his Halloween photo taken on the 28th. . .  and while he let me put on the costume, he refused to wear the mustache.  (but aren't they cute anyway?  Ashley is a pretty amazing photographer)

Obviously, he chose to be Mario this year.  I looked and looked for a Harry Potter costume that would fit him, but they don't make them for his age group. 

The day of Halloween. . .  he wanted nothing to do with the costume either.  We got to Tamera's house for our trick or treating, and he let me put the costume on in the car.  Only to have it start pouring and HAILING on us 5 minutes later.  We went to 2 houses.  One of which required wading through giant puddles of water and hail.

In the end, our Halloween consisted of handing out candy to other brave kids. . . And I think we were both pretty OK with that.  We'll try again on the costume thing next year. . .