weekend recap.

we had a fun weekend here in the FoFandee household: a little relaxing, a little productiveness, and lots of sunshine and high temps. let's recap, shall we? 

on Friday morning, Mr. Ronin had his 9 month wellness check up. Sean left work for a bit to come with us to the appointment. little dude is super healthy and remaining steady in the 25th percentile for his age. he now weighs 18lbs 14oz and is 28 inches long - such a long and lanky boy! I didn't really have any questions for our pediatrician this month, so the appointment went pretty quickly. he did have to get one vaccine (hepB), which was NOT fun, obviously. he screamed bloody murder, but luckily, I had a nice big bottle ready for him afterward. 

oh, and I haven't even taken his 9 month photos yet, because this squirmy seal will NOT stay on his back. he screams bloody murder when I change his diaper or try to get him dressed, so laying on his back for photos is not really an option right now, haha. little punk.

since the weather was so nice, we spent the rest of the afternoon out on the patio. Sean came home from work and grilled some pork chops and after dinner, it was time to start the sleep learning. the program we're following noted that it would probably take an hour for him to fall asleep on the first night, and while it doesn't sound like a long time, hearing a baby cry for an hour is absolutely heartbreaking. I will elaborate more on our experience so far, but it's going surprisingly well! 

on Saturday, we spent a majority of the day doing typical cleaning around the house, and then we met up with Sean's parent's to enjoy some crabs & cold beer in Annapolis. the crabs were huge and heavy, but Ronin was kinda sick of being a highchair after a while, so we took turns holding him while the other ate. 

I hosted our monthly book club meeting at my house on Sunday. although there were only 6 of us, we had a great time just chatting (barely about the book, ha!) and enjoying some yummy food. after the ladies left, we headed out to Target to pick up a few a bunch of things, including another bathing suit for the mister and some paper goods for his birthday party. no pictures from Sunday, but it was a nice day. :) 

hope your weekend was fun! we've been having some great weather here in Maryland, albeit, a bit on the HOT side. that just means we get some early pool days! woohoo! 

baby Q bump watch - week 37 [FULL TERM!]

I have yet to take a bump photo today since I've been in bed with a headache for a few hours. I'll take one tomorrow. for now, here are two from last week:

heading out for a pool day with my BFF - 36 weeks, 2 days.

from Saturday - 36 weeks, 4 days.

how far along? 

37 weeks - full term! :D 

how big is the baby? 

he is about the size of a winter melon (The Bump) or a stalk of swiss chard (Baby Center) - meaning he's weighing in at over 6lbs and measuring a bit over 19 inches long. at 37 weeks, he is considered full term, meaning he's developed his most crucial functions; if he were to be born today, his lungs would likely be mature enough to full adjust to life outside the womb.

total weight gain: 

26lbs as of last Friday.

sleep: 

mostly sucky. 

best moment of the week: 

got lots of stuff done over the weekend, which I mentioned in this post. 

Sean & I also went out and celebrated our 3rd anniversary (okay, I just sobbed like a baby while watching that slideshow from our wedding. holy hormones.) over the weekend. we went to Mike's Crabhouse and enjoyed some Maryland Blue Crabs. I may or may not have treated myself to a sip of his Sam Adam's Summer Ale, too. ;)

we had an ultrasound at our appointment on Friday, which is always awesome. his hand was in front of his face (jerk), but we confirmed that he IS indeed head down. my OB said I'm measuring right on time, which is great to hear as well. oh, and since Sean was able to come to my appointment with me, I had him record Ronin's heartbeat on his phone so I can listen to it whenever I want. 

food cravings: 

this week, it's a toss up between fresh fruit and sweet carbs. I've been indulging in donuts, muffins, and bagels with strawberry preserves. yum!

food aversions: 

nothing really.

symptoms: 

believe it or not, for being so close to delivering, I feel pretty good. thanks to a prescription from my OB, the headaches have mostly subsided (with the exception of the bastard headache I have today). physical therapy is working wonders for my achy pelvis and Zantac has eliminated my heartburn (for the most part). my discomfort mainly just comes from being so large, haha. I find it difficult to get comfortable at night, and walking with this big ol belly is awkward, to say the least. 

gender sex: 

BOY! :D 

most looking forward to: 

just making more preparations (I have daily to-do lists) and enjoying my last few weeks of pre-motherhood. I'm taking lots of naps and soaking up my alone time while it lasts. I have to say, I'm really going to miss being pregnant. I love feeling Ronin move inside my belly and although I am more than ready to meet his cute face, I know that the end of pregnancy will leave me feeling bittersweet.

what I miss right now: 

I was really pining for an over easy egg this morning.

next appointment: 

Thursday morning.

baby Q bump watch - week 36

are those crickets I hear? so sorry for the absence around here - I've been spending a lot of time resting at home and getting the house ready for Ronin, so I haven't had much time to blog. I do plan on working on the Thirty Thangs challenge this week, though.

how far along? 

36 weeks/9 freaking MONTHS.

how big is the baby? 

Ronin weighs in at about 6lbs and measures about 18.5 inches long. he is shedding the downy covering of hair that covers his body, as well as the vernix caseosa (the waxy substance that has protected his skin during his time in the womb), both of which he will ingest. those, along with other substances, will make up the meconium that he will pass during his first bowel movements.

total weight gain: 

25lbs so far.

sleep: 

sleep? what sleep?

best moment of the week: 

we finally did maternity photos over the weekend with the fabulous Jen Lowe, who was also our wedding photographer. last night, I packed our hospital bag (minus items used everyday like toothbrushes and phone chargers), and I also separated all his NB and 0-3 month clothing to be washed today. our friend Jessica visited last week and further spoiled Ronin with lots of awesome gifts and clothes.

 

food cravings: 

lots of fresh fruit.

food aversions: 

nothing really.

symptoms: 

I've got it all (sleeplessness, headaches, pelvic pain, swollen feet, leaky breasts, heartburn/acid reflux, carpal tunnel, constipation, etc). I've even been having some Braxton Hicks contractions over the last week. I'm breathing a little easier though, so I think he may have dropped since last week.

gender sex: 

BOY! :D 

most looking forward to: 

we didn't do shit in the nursery last weekend, so this weekend will consist of that. we will also have an ultrasound at my appointment on Friday, so it will be awesome to see the little nugget. OH, and we'll be celebrating our 3rd anniversary this weekend (actual anniversary is next Wednesday)!

what I miss right now: 

being able to go an hour without peeing.

next appointment: 

Friday.

 

Friday loves

this video. 

a man took video of his daughter every single week from birth until she turned 12 years old. 

how inspiring! that's what I call dedication. 

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these free downloadable state/country prints. 

betta believe I've got Maryland saved to my computer. 

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ridiculously cute crib sheets at PB Kids. 

and they're $19 compared to the $40 I was going to pay for the ones on Etsy. 

guess my bedding design is going to change a little bit.
PS - it's changed... I'll post next week about the new shit.

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Bohemian Rhapsody on the way to school. 

Sean WILL be this dad, I can promise you.

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MODG is pregnant! again!

you have to watch the video. 

I got chills, you guys. 

like, all the hair on my arms (and it's a LOT... thank you Ronin) stood straight up. 

if you have no idea who I'm talking about, you can just go back to living under your rock. 

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use old candles as storage jars. 
love this idea - since I'm a devoted Scentsy user, I have tons of candles laying around that don't get used.

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Erinn's precious baby girl arrived 5 weeks early. 

she is absolutely gorgeous, and despite her preemie status, she is quite the healthy babe! 

congrats again, E!

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Insurgent has been released (finally). 

I read Divergent last fall, so I'm re-reading it now before diving into the second installment. 

I've already read some reviews, and it looks as though it'll turn out to be just as great as the first!

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Happy Friday, y'all! :)

10 things that make me happy lately

1. the weather in Maryland has been fantastic. 

it's 75 degrees outside, but you can still feel that crisp chill of fall on the horizon. 

2. Dexter. 

this season is going to be amazing. I think Colin Hanks is a great addition to the cast, and I can't wait to see how he stirs things up. 

3. my hair is growing SO fast. 

I've been growing it out for a long time, and it's finally starting to get some length and I'm absolutely LOVING it. it's to the point now where I can pull it back without strays everywhere and it doesn't take TOO long to style. 

4. My Dear Watson Scentsy. 

mmmmm. smells like a well dressed man... I ended up buying TWO bars of it at the last party I attended because I knew I'd be burning it all the time. 

5. friends. 

we have a lot going on in the next few weekends and thankfully, they are all friend-related events. I've been feeling sooooo burned out with school and work, and spending time with good friends is such an outstanding break from the hustle and bustle. 

6. HOCKEY SEASON IS HERE. 

and yes, the caps are totally necessary.

[taken at the Caps home opener against the Hurricanes this past weekend]

7. these jeans from Old Navy that I talked about buying a few weeks ago. 

I have seriously been wearing them out! they are so comfortable and look great with everything - tee shirt & flip flops, sweater & boots, or a dressy blouse and heels. 

8. the countdown to Christmas. 

I know the holidays often stress people out but I love it. I'm the type of person who strives to give the perfect gifts, and this year will be no exception... only I'm taking the homemade gift route this season. I already have some ideas and supplies together, so I'll be sure to share that journey once I get started. 

9. listening to old CDs. 

and yes, I still listen to CDs. 

Kaley made me a bunch of mixed CDs to listen to on our way to Baltimore in the limo for my bachelorette party, and I've been reminiscing by giving them some time in the CD player in my car. let me just say... there have been entirely way too many solo dance parties in my car lately. 

10. Bvlgari Man. 

I got this in a sample size with my last Sephora order. I decided to choose it because Sean never really wears cologne, but I want him to, haha. it smells SO FUCKING AMAZING that I want him to bathe in it. and then I want to rape him. mmmmm yum, husband rape. 

Happy Monday! 

booshit, booshit, booshit!

for the record, I'd like to state that Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one of my favorite movies ever... and a lot of that reasoning goes to the fact that we actually stayed at Turtle Bay during a portion of our honeymoon.

if you're not wearing green today, you're going to burn in the fiery pits of Irish hell, which will inevitably be overrun by potatoes. just sayin. St. Patrick's Day used to be one of my favorite holidays growing up - I loved getting all decked out in green and celebrating my Irish heritage with a healthy dose of green eggs and ham. now the green eggs are substituted with green beer, but I'm still celebrating none the less.

I have a couple more substantial posts in the works, but I haven't had the time to upload pictures and actually fully write them out. in order to avoid going a couple days without posting (again), I figured I'd post one of those little "interesting fact" tidbit posts that are going around the blogosphere as of late - compliments of the lovely Erinn (Go Bragh!) of Strawberry Swing and other Things.

so here we go - a bunch of random threes of MandeeFoFandee:

Three names I go by:
1. Mandee
2. Mandee Ree
3. MandeeFoFandee (compliments of my Nesties)


Three jobs I have held:
1. Hostess @ Chili's (this was my very first job, and I was fired due to my "bad attitude")
2. Sales Associate at various retail stores
3. Construction Estimator

Three places I have lived:
1. Lothian, Maryland
2. Davidsonville, Maryland
3. Shady Side, Maryland


Three favorite drinks:
1. Dr. Pepper
2. Pineapple & Malibu
3. Relax Riesling


Three TV shows I watch:
1. Bad Girls Club (I haven't watched the reunion yet, but it's on my DVR waiting for me!)
2. The Office
3. Criminal Minds


Three places I have been:
1. St. Thomas
2. Mexico
3. Hawaii


Three places I would like to visit:
1. Greece
2. Ireland
3. Australia


Three people who text me regularly:
1. Sean
2. Laura
3. Renee


Three favorite old TV shows:
1. Boy Meets World
2. 90210 (the original, obviously)
3. Fraggle Rock


Three favorite dishes:
1. Grilled salmon with a loaded baked potato and sugar snap peas with almonds (from the Original Steakhouse)
2. Grilled cheese
3. Cheesecake


Three makeup/beauty products I cannot live without:
1. Primer Potion by Urban Decay
2. BadGal mascara by Benefit
3. Oso Shimmer Smoothing Solution by Cibu


Three things I'm looking forward to:
1. warmer weather
2. getting our tax refund and working on the house
3. Maryland blue crabs



Happy St. Patty's Day, everyone!

PS - I'm definitely the only one in my office wearing green today. WIN.

thirty-five...

... days until my motherfuckin' BIRTHDAY!

I'm so stoked for my birthday, and I don't even have any plans yet. in case you can't do math really well, my birthday is March 23rd. I had my golden birthday last year (I turned 23 on the 23rd if you don't know the term), so I'll be blowing out 24 candles this year.

I get a little nervous as I approach my mid-20s. I guess it's because it's THAT much closer to 30, and I'm not ready to be 30 yet, damnit. I don't know, I just feel weird about it. next year I'll be turning 25, and that means I'm really a grown up, since I'll finally be able to rent a car and my car insurance will drop it's rates. I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Toys R Us kid. I feel like I will no longer be able to get away with doing anything irresponsible, and that scares the shit out of me... not that I'm an irresponsible person to begin with... but the fact that I don't even have the option of doing something AND getting away with it makes me mad. I want people to take me seriously and respect me, but I don't want to have to be 24 or 25 for it to happen. Catch 22 I suppose.

I don't usually ask for much for my birthday. usually I just want some peace, quiet, and relaxation... and maybe something I can't afford to buy for myself. ;) just maybe. normally, I just get a few friends together for dinner out and then drinks back at my house. for my 21st birthday, I celebrated with a few of my best friends in the one and only MIAMI. it was, by far, the best birthday I've ever encountered. I'm hoping to do it up big again for my 25th... Vegas maybe? whatever. let's just concentrate on this year for now.

this was the night of my 21st in Miami - right after my first legal drink... which just happened to be an Irish Car Bomb. FML.

the hubs has already bought me tickets to see Chelsea Handler the weekend after my birthday in Washington DC. supah stoked about that - I love Miss Handler and I own both of her books, My Horizontal Life, and Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea and they were equally hilarious reads. since I didn't really ASK for the tickets though, I asked if I could trade them in to be my V-Day gift instead... and that I could ask for something different as my birthday gift. nope, I'm not spoiled or bratty at all. promise.

I would totes go lez for Chelsea. she's hilarious, AND has a smokin' body.

so, he obliged, and the ONLY thing I can really think of that I want right NOW (but I don't want to pay for) is to finish my ongoing tattoo sleeve. I hate having unfinished ink on my skin, for I feel like I have to explain it more since there's not much dimension to it. since most of you are unaware of my what my sleeve is, and what it represents, I'll share. just for you. and you too there in the back.

when I first decided I wanted to start a sleeve (yeaaars ago, and totally against my then boyfriend's wishes... but he's my husband now, so what's he gunna do? divorce me? I don't think so), I knew I wanted it to be cohesive. this isn't meant to offend anyone, but I just really didn't want it to be a bunch of random pieces put together, and I'm not saying that it's a bad idea to go that route, but it's just not ME. I'm far too OCD for that shit. so I contemplated different ideas until I came to the final decision - Maryland. "that's it," I thought... "I'll just get a sleeve to represent my state, my hometown." and so I searched and searched and Googled til I couldn't Google anymore, for the perfect photos to use to represent my home state on my left arm.


I came up with a design I thought would work well on a section like an arm - I would collect a bunch of smaller images of things that represent Maryland as a state (or what people think of when they think of "Maryland") and then have my tattooist place them all in a way to show them off individually, even though they're really all grouped together. I hope that made sense. I took an Ambien a little while ago, and I think it's starting to kick in a little bit.

ANYWHOOZITS - I chose the following images for my sleeve:
-the Maryland Blue Crab (duh)
-crab knockers
-Old Bay Seasoning (which isn't JUST Maryland, but you can't find it north of here or south of NC and it's the main ingredient used when cooking Maryland Blue Crabs)
-Black Eyed Susans (state flower)
-checkerspot butterfly (state insect)
-Baltimore Oriole (even though they suck, they're still the state bird)
-a banner with the words "Maryland, my Maryland" displayed (state song)
-the white oak leaf (state tree)
-the outline of the state, which would also feature the flag on the inside
-the one and only Edgar Allen Poe, who was actually born north of here (I wanna say Philly or Boston?), but he died, and more importantly, WENT CRAZY, right here in Murrland.

so whatever - that's what I came up with, and I have to say, it's probably the best idea I've ever had and it ended up being exactly what I had in my head - something cohesive, meaningful, and beautiful.



so far, I only have the outline done, which took about 3 1/2 hours to complete. I've been putting off getting the shading and color done due to finances, but since I have a freebie gift coming up, that's what I'm asking for. I want it done before summer so I can actually enjoy the sunshine without having to cover it up to avoid sunlight. enough talking, here are a couple pictures of what's been done so far. I apologize in advance for the first few - they were taken with my cell phone. apparently I couldn't find my camera and I had to take these pictures rightthefucknow.

and now a better picture, taken by my lovely best friend, Laura:

please keep in mind that it is NO WHERE near being finished yet! I still have both shading and color sessions left, as well as filling in the background with traditional stars and dots. I cannot wait to have a finished masterpiece.

happy birthday to meeeeee sometime in early April!

Wedding Wednesday - V. II

If you're interested in seeing the first installment of WW, click here.

Since it's pretty much been snowing here non-stop all month (and maybe because Valentine's Day is right around the corner), I thought I'd share pictures of our flowers used in the wedding. For those of you that see flowers all the time... I may or may not hate you considering all I see when I look out my window is WHITE DEATH. I am aching for spring time, so I figured flowers would be appropriate. :D

So. Here are some pictures of my bouquet, my bridesmaids' bouquets, boys' bouts, our ceremony arrangements, and reception centerpieces. As always, all photos are credited to the lovely and talented Jen, from JLowe Photos. If you'd like to see more of her work, feel free to visit her blog here. If you're curious, a company called Floral Accents based in Calvert County, Maryland did our flowers.

my bouquet:
white dahlia, white ranunculus, cream roses, stock, white lisianthus, and stephanotis.

bridesmaids' bouquets:
jade roses, green hydrangea, and green cymbidium orchids.



groom's boutonniere:
3 single stephanotis



groomsmens' boutonnieres:
green cymbidium orchid
hope our best man doesn't mind me using his picture! haha



ceremony flowers:
altar - white daisies, yellow roses, white lilies, and other greenery
aisle - green mum pomanders
we also placed a bouquet of yellow roses on my mother's empty chair in the front row






reception centerpieces:
#1 - green hydrangea
#2 - green cymbidium orchids
the second centerpiece picture is a non-pro picture, but the best one I have...



We also had flowers at our cake table, but I figured I'd save those photos for a cake post.
___________________________________________

Also, if you're wondering just how much snow we have for me to be constantly bitching about it, here's the proof. I took this with my cell phone (pardon for the quality) and it's looking out our back door which normally leads out to the deck. in this case, it leads to waist deep snow.



and about 3 feet to the right of that door is a window... and here's the snow outside there. again, waist deep. I confess that most of it is due to the crucial winds and snow drift, but it's still crazy that there's just SO MUCH of it.

I hope everyone is enjoying their week! If you're in the Mid-Atlantic region, I hope you're not coming down with a serious case of cabin fever. Luckily, I make the trek to work Monday & Tuesday, so this has been my first real snow day since the weekend, but I'm taking tomorrow off as well to give the road crews time to work on our roads.

In other news, I'm super excited for Valentine's Day. I got Mr. MandeeFoFandee an awesome gift, and I can't wait to give it to him. I would share what it is on here, but sometimes he reads up on my life via this blog. haha.

In honor of the snowpocalypse (aka snoverload and snowdiculous) and Valentine's Day, tell me, what's your favorite flower?

First Entry, Fo Fentry.

Hi! I'm Mandee (FoFandee). I'm totally new to the blogging world, but I feel like I have a lot to say, so why not say it to the whole wide Interwebz? I'm still working on making my space funky and personal and offensive, so bare with me (or Bear with me, whichever you choose).

Some interesting things (or not so much) about me:
I married my soul mate (awww, mush) on August 8, 2009. Here's a picture of us being all cute and shit at our wedding.




He's pretty cool, I guess. We had a kickass wedding and and even more fabulous honeymoon in Hawaii. If I were smart, like my friend Erinn, I would have documented our trip, but instead, I got drunk at the pool everyday and ate too much. And had a little sex in between. Oh yeah, I cage dived (dove? what tense would that be?) with sharks too.

I'd also like to note here that the husband laughs at my ideas for a blog, and therefore will NOT be told about my little space here on the Web... unless he cooks me a really awesome meal... because then it might just slip out (that's what she said) due to taste bud euphoria.

I've lived in Maryland my entire life, and I love it here. So much, that I've dedicated my left arm to a Maryland tribute sleeve. Oh yeah, I guess I should mention that I'm one of those crazy REBELS who has tattoos that show in public. I grew up in a family with two younger brothers, and acquired two more brothers after my parents split up and hooked up with other people. My mom died when I was 16. It's been 7 years, and it still feels like it happened yesterday.

I didn't go to college. Let me rephrase that - I went to community college for entirely too long, pursuing an interior design degree. All of a sudden, adulthood smacked me in the face and I realized I had to either finish the classes required to get my associate's degree (which, let's face it, won't get you a job anywhere these days), or get a big girl job and join the real world. I chose the latter. Now I've been at the same big girl job for 5 years, and I love it, even if I don't make a million dollar salary.

Blah blah blah. There's a good chunk of my life story for you. Since buying our first home together, I've become ridiculously addicted to everything that is home decor. Pier 1 Imports, Pottery Barn, Ikea, Home Goods, Bed Bath & Beyond = 5 stores I spend entirely too much money in. I'll frequently be blogging about our home, what I've done to it, and my great deal finds on home decor.

So, you're probably wondering why I spelled "Bare" wrong in the title, huh? That's because you're smart, and you catch onto things quickly. You probably correct everyone's spelling on their Facebook statuses, don't you? Don't worry, I'm guilty of it, too.

Anywhoozits - I'm a cat lady. I wouldn't necessarily call myself crazy (I can't guarantee that my husband would say the same), but I am a cat lady nonetheless. I have four cats: Lily, Pheobe, Mama Cat (also known as Pearl), and Bear. I guarantee you will see countless photos of them throughout my blog-venture. Here's a picture of all them on our bed - from left to right - Pheobe, Lily, Mama Cat, and Bear.



See, Bear was a special case. We rescued him when he was two weeks old. We had to bottle feed him and teach him how to poo (details in a later post, I promise), and we still noticed he was a little... off. Turns out, he had some kind of weird imbalance in his equilibrium, and therefore kept his head tilted to the left and walked in circles. It was great entertainment, trust me, but we wanted him to live a normal kitty life, where he could play and run and NOT run into walls and step in his food bowl. So, long story short, my amazing vet came up with some insane concoction of medicine for little Bear, and day by day, he got better. Now, he's still a little funny in that he walks like a snake (weaving left and right after attempting to walk straight), but he's learned to live with his disability. And damnit, he is the most lovable freaking cat I've ever encountered.

So there - that's the story of Bear, and the name for my blog (courtesy of my favorite non-guidette from Jersey, Jess).

Now. I promise that my blogs won't ever be this long winded EVER again. I just feel like I had a lot to catch you up on, yaknowwhatimean? So, now that we're friends and all... or followers? or blog buddies? (I don't know the politically correct terms for this place)... tell me... how did you get the name for your blog?