Onion volcanoes, photo shoots & shopping...Distractions from the 2WW

Busy bee-ing it up as much as possible lately. I need to take my mind off the fact that there are only a few days left until I test. So far, no symptoms that make me "feel pregnant" in the least, and I had cravings for sweets last night, which is never a good sign a few days before AF is supposed to show. I am chalking it up to the fact that I haven't eaten any sugar in almost a month and trying not to read into pre-AF symptoms.

The second week of waiting is always the time when I start to get impatient and kind of moody/depressed. The fear of things not working becomes more real with each day that passes, and there is a small black cloud of fear that follows me around like a pesky gnat. This period of waiting just blows!

Trying to focus on all the fun things happening instead though. Hubby returned from San Fran at 1:00 AM on Valentine's Day. I was so happy to have him home, that I actually managed to wait up for him. Later in the day, he surprised me with floor seats to Alicia Keys in March! We took advantage of the newly opened Shogun Japanese Steakhouse down the street for dinner. We have become quite addicted already. I just looooove when they throw that huge pile of fresh veggies on the hibachi.

Who doesn't love a good onion volcano for entertainment? However, I could feel myself slipping into the "poor me" mentality as we were seated right next to a family with two kids and across from another family. This place is crawling with families. I always feel like we are the ONLY people in the world without kids when we go there, but the food is so damn good it's hard to stay away. I really hate that I let stuff like this get me down, and I fight those feelings with all of my might, but sometimes it is just HARD when you look around and you are literally the only party of two. Again, I try to tell myself that we live in a small town in Texas. What do I expect when going out? I stuffed my feelings down as best I could and put on a happy face for the sake of the evening. In the end, it ended up being a great dinner, because I had my adorable husband next to me.

Saturday I was part of a photoshoot for the Nike LIVESTRONG 2013 Fall Campaign, which was fun. It was shot outdoors on a perfectly sunny and 75 degree day. They gave away the wardrobe at the end of the shoot (which never happens), and I scored some nice stuff. I didn't realize until I got home that everything I chose was black. Oops! I won't bore you with a pic of a pile of black clothes on my bed. At least black doesn't go out of style, which is good since Nike stuff lasts me years! I will share a pic once the campaign is published online.

Speaking of style, we went toodling around town yesterday. We hit Nordstrom Rack, DSW, and Marhsall's. It is already getting to be bathing suit weather here in Austin, and I was dreading searching for a bathing suit. I used to have a tiny little size 0/2 body where I could just order an XS from Victoria's Secret's online catalog of suits and it would be guaranteed to fit. Well, unfortunately those days are long gone (at least while we TTC).

Along with 15-20 pounds of fertility friendly fat comes a much more challenging shopping experience. I still work very hard at embracing a softer appearance, and I've got to tell you that some days it's harder than others. Bathing suit shopping during the 2WW was probably not the smartest endeavor for my mental sanity, but I got super lucky and found one at Marshall's for only $30 that actually worked! This is the first strapless bathing suit I have ever owned in my life, and it actually stays up! I guess there is one good thing about gaining a few lbs. and I'll take what I can get!

Now, I just need to get some color on these pork chops of mine before I step out into public in this number. I also need to find a good sunless tanning cream that doesn't contain phthlates, parabens, or any other bad stuff. If anyone knows of one, please feel free to share!  I am so ready for 100 degree heat and sunshine. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. I love the Texas heat, and I am ready for spring! Bring it!!

I am also in love with all the cute little sleep sets and babydolls that Betsey Johnson is making these days. The cotton she uses is the extra soft jersey variety. I will be honest....I am not a big fan of much lingerie. I do make an attempt on occasion, but I feel like it's such a waste of money! My husband just rips it off in like two seconds anyways (which he's pointed out to me himself when I've brought up the topic of lingerie). I mean, he doesn't stop to say "Turn around so I can see that tiny 1 inch bow detail on the back of your panties, which is what you just paid all the extra $$ for."

Lingerie is one of those things you can wear once or twice and it's served it's purpose. You may as well have wiped your ass with the money you spent on it, because it's not like it's comfortable and it's just getting shoved to the back of the closet after a couple times of wearing.  Also, am I the only one who feels like a total cheeseball wearing lingerie specifically around ovulation time? I get making an effort for the sake of keeping things exciting, but I seriously want to roll my eyes at myself sometimes. It just feels so rehearsed. Personally, I'd rather wear something to bed I'm actually comfortable in and that won't give me a rash from all the synthetic fibers. This is much more my style of sleepwear...

I had just seen the exact same sleepset at Nordstrom for $50, yet I found it at Marshall's on the clearance rack for $12.99. Needless to say Betsey came home with me!

And because every woman just needs a great new pair of jeans to feel good every once in a while, I couldn't pass up this pair from Michael Kors that hopped into my cart. They were the only ones in the store, they happened to be my size and didn't require any hemming for my shorty 5'3" frame. Fate? Where else can you find Michael Kors jeans for $40? These were just too good to pass up...

I modeled them all for hubby and Triscuit when we got home, but I don't think Triscuit was impressed...

He looked so content that we joined him, and the four of us (two humans + two fur people) rounded out the evening on the couch. Hubby is back out the door traveling to San Diego for 3 days this week. As much as he travels, we both feel really lucky it just worked out he was home for the most important days of this cycle. I am continuing to focus on that, along with all the other positive things we have in our lives. We have an amazing marriage, a beautiful home, the ability to do nice things for ourselves, we enjoy life together, and we know we will be amazing parents someday. If only we are fortunate enough to be blessed with the opportunity to do so.

Pregnancy blood test is scheduled for Thursday. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we learn the outcome. Thank you ALL for your support. It's such a help to know positive vibes are being sent our way!