It's The Most Wonderful Time

Elina gave us the most wonderful gift for Christmas.  She gave us two full nights of sleep.  I would like to give credit to the swing and the swaddle for soothing her and her sore gums all night.  Mason and I woke up on Christmas Eve feeling refreshed and cheerful.  A feeling neither of us had felt in a very long time.  On Christmas day, we had to get up a little earlier so we could make it to all of our events on time and still have a Christmas morning at our house, so we woke up to the alarm and got a few things done around the house before Lina woke up.  Our Christmas morning was more than I could have even hoped for with a 4 month old.  While wrapping all of her presents, I asked myself several times why I was even bothering.  It's not like she would even be able to open them.  But I was wrong.  I would place her fingers on an edge of the paper, she would grab hold and tear the paper.  I'll admit in the morning, she really didn't quite get it.  But by our third stop, she knew she was tearing the paper and would get all excited about it.  Even some of the toys were oh so exciting.  Here are some of her favorites so far

A Bounce & Giggle Elephant, which also seems to be the fuss stopper from Aunt Sarah.  If she starts to fuss or cry, I just have to put this elephant in her lap and press on the trunk.  Almost immediately she stops crying and plays with the elephant.  An activity table, and a driver toy with working headlights and wipers from my sister seemed to be a big hit with both Lina and Miss O.  But perhaps she was most distracted by the V Tech Count and Learn School Bus from my parents.  After she opened it, and I set it aside to open the next present, she stopped tearing the paper, craned her neck and just stared at the bus.  My personal favorite... the Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Jumperoo.  This has already provided us both with hours of entertainment.  But most important, it has given me a chance to do laundry, clean bottles, and put on make-up.  It's a miracle.

My Little Big Girl

She’s still little, only 4 months, but she thinks she is a big girl. She mastered rolling from her back to her stomach about three weeks ago. A week ago she freed her arms from her swaddle and rolled over to her stomach to sleep. Perhaps now that she can sleep on her stomach, she will start sleeping through the night again. Wouldn’t that be a lovely treat? And she tries with all her might to sit up. And if it wasn’t for that whole balance thing, I’m sure we would have that mastered as well.

We went to the doctor last Monday for her 4 month check-up. I mentioned that she was doing better on the new overly expensive formula, but spitting up more (and who can blame her, it tastes terrible). But since she doesn’t get very upset before she spits up, he didn’t think it was too big of a deal. But her waking up several thousand times a night just for a cuddle… something is up. Starting her on rice cereal might help her, but she doesn’t wake up hungry, so that isn’t the root of the problem. What is you ask? Oh, well, it turns out my 4 month old baby is teething. I had checked her gums a few weeks before when she started drooling, but I couldn’t feel anything. Her doctor looked and saw puffy gums, a sure sign of teeth getting ready to pop out. Now I think I can feel where they are coming in. Guess what, it isn’t the normal first two teeth. I mean, that would just be too normal for this girl. And I have no idea what I would do with a normal child.

Lina is finally taking an interest in books. Occasionally I could get her to look at a few pictures before, but mostly it wasn’t something that would hold her interest for long. In fact it made her mad because I was looking at the book and not her (I had to look so I could tell her was going on in the book). But last night, when we made it back from KC and she was craving some attention, we sat down and looked at a few of her new books. We read 4 books and had to touch each one. Two of the smaller ones which focused on patterns and textures, she actually held them in her lap and felt each of the pages. Since she has been into textures lately, these seemed to hold her attention for a long time. She didn’t even try to eat them, which lately is a major accomplishment.

Here are a few of the other books we purchased yesterday at Half Price Books:
Kisses – She liked the textures in this one two, especially the frog.
My Little Red Fire Truck – I’m especially excited about this one. While it may be a bit before she is old enough to really use it, I’m sure she will love it.
Telephone Book - I got this one because Pat the Bunny was one of my favorites. Lina probably liked the string on the phone the best.

Take 12,830

I have had so much to say, yet I haven’t been able to get the words from my brain in a way that would be interesting enough to share. I have had so many false starts it isn’t even funny. I’ll try a top ten list and see if that helps. Although I feel I should warn you, there is no top to this top ten list. It’s just a list of 10 random things I feel like sharing. So if you get bored by number 5, you should probably stop reading, it won’t get much better I’m sure.

10. Sleep. There isn’t much of it going on in our house. Unless your Mason and you can put your good ear into the pillow and not hear a dang thing. Elina has started crying every hour or so at night. I get up, go pick her up, and she is instantly asleep (usually). It’s pointless to wake up Mason for these moments, because it actually takes more energy to wake him up then it does for me to just get up. Plus, I would be awake the entire time he was up, so really what’s the point? Just don’t let me hear him say one word about him being tired.

9. It seems like there is less time with the holiday season this year. Our Christmas tree isn’t even up yet, and our 3 outside decorations are still in their boxes. And honestly, I don’t know when I will have time to do any of it. But the presents need somewhere to go. Stashed under the coffee table just doesn’t have the same feeling.

8. I’m pretty sure more than 90% of my Christmas shopping is done. I do need to get some new colors of duct tape so I can start making my bows.

7. There was talk of another cube decorating contest, but no one has even attempted to decorate. Only two cubes have a little bit done. My theory, how can I decorate my cube, but not my house?

6. I just gave away my blood and received two cookies and an orange juice in return. I usually like to wait until the afternoon to give blood, because it makes me a little ditzy.

7. Lina goes back to the doctor on Monday. I’m assuming that he will tell me to start feeding her rice so that she can start sleeping through the night again. I miss those days.

4. Proof of loss of blood to my brain… there are two #7’s in my top ten list.

3. During my donation, I mentioned how Miss O wanted a green present for Christmas, so the nurse gave me a green bandage. I’m supposed to tell Miss O about it, but it just doesn’t seem that exciting.

2. I’m afraid that out of all the gifts that Santa is bringing for Lina, the little blanket teether I gave her the other night might just be her favorite. Guess I should have saved that one.

1. I had great plans to work out and get some necessities from Target today, but since I gave blood and can’t work out, I might as well go home and take a nap. Or wrap presents. Whatever.

Chili Cook-off

Every year I enter the dessert contest for the Chili Cook-off here at work. Every year I focus on taste more the appearance, and the desserts are judged without being tasted. Every year I loose. This year, I focused only on appearance and not so much on taste. And I have to tell you, the outcome was phenomenal. I was even impressed. Although I can’t take all the credit, my sister had to help me quite a bit with the execution since I had a screaming child on my hands.


This year though, they actually tasted the desserts. Let’s face it, taste wise, my cupcakes tasted just like chocolate cupcakes. There was nothing special done to the flavor. The special was in the decorating. But even with average tasting cupcakes, I ask you one thing. How did this not win??

Baby Face

So I'm doing some mad rush photo taking for Snapfish's Buy 1 book get 2 Free deal, which of course ends today.  I had to rush to get the studio set up, give Elina a bath and pick out her outfits.  It didn't help that poor Elina was way over tired and wanted nothing to do with me changing her clothes, messing with her posture and flashing bright lights into her eyes.  In the end, I was able to capture a few goodies.  I can't seem to take my eyes off of this particular gem...

Now how can you not love that face?

Rough Week

It really has been a rough week. My second week back at work and I’ve been hit with nothing but issues. Sadly they aren’t even my issues, they have been escalated to me. Which I guess it’s nice that my customers think I’m higher up instead of equal to my coworkers. But still. I’ve been spending so much time working on these issues that my own work has been stacking up. Of course it doesn’t help that Mason, Elina and I are all sick, or that I came home yesterday to poop on the kitchen floor. Not cool Charlie, not cool. The last couple of nights I’ve woken up at 3:30am to blow my nose so I can breathe again. Mason snores through the night regardless of my jabbing and Elina has become good friends with the aspirator bulb. She’s the only baby I know who thinks it’s funny most of the time.

This morning after my shower, I snuggled Elina while Mason was making her bottle. She stopped crying, curled up to me and started to drift back to sleep as I rested my cheek on her head. If I moved my head away from her, she squirmed until I put it back. For that little moment, standing in her dark room with a ratty towel on my head, all was right with the world. The stuffy nose was forgotten. The issues at work didn’t exist. It was just the two of us. Nothing else mattered.

Monday

Today isn’t just any Monday, it’s the Monday that I haven’t been looking forward too at all. It’s the day that I am once again sitting in my cubicle. Did I miss it? Nope. I’m sure there are some things that I missed, like being able to talk to some of my coworkers on a daily basis. Having time to write and read blogs. Actually being productive on a computer, like creating the annual Christmas Shopping List spreadsheet. (It helps me make sure I don’t forget anyone and it helps me see how much I can expect to spend and how much I actually spend. I’ve spent $25 so far, but that isn’t counting what I have bought for Elina. But she would have gotten those items anyway, even without the approaching holiday). Well, that was a long tangent.


Anyway… I got to the office to discover 89 missed calls, 22 voicemails around 800 emails (I forgot to write down the exact number before I started attacking them with the delete button) and access to exactly NONE of my programs. Sounds like a fun morning, doesn’t it? But here I am stuck in the cube with a random tiny Christmas tree and my giant monitor. Which by the way, I had a dream about the other night. I dreamt that I came to work and my monitor was missing. I was very confused as to why it would be missing, but that was it. Great story, huh?

Now that I’m back at work, I really miss my gallbladder. Bathroom runs just aren’t the same when you don’t have a gallbladder or a magazine. I’m also wondering how long this particular symptom is going to last. The doctor said a few weeks, I’m hoping he didn’t really mean the rest of my life!

My Baby Has Blond Roots

I had a dream last night that my two and a half month old baby could walk.  And not just walk, but run.  She got up, took three steps and took off running. Running with her arms out wide and laughing the whole time.  My sister was there too and I was telling her how shocked I was that she could run when she couldn't even sit up.  And then the dog barked, or the baby cried, or the alarm went off and I woke up (not really sure which time it was that I woke up).

Excuse Me While I Brag A Little

Elina had her 2 month check up on Monday, and I couldn't wait for the opportunity to tell her doctor that she rolled onto her back already.  I knew it was a little early, but I wasn't sure just how early.  So when he asked if Elina liked tummy time I seized the opportunity.  "She loves tummy time... and she rolled onto her back a couple of times." 

"Really?"  He asked with his eyes a little wider, "that's a 4 month thing."  Once he was done with the exam, he laid her on her tummy to see for himself, and she did it.  I thought for sure that she wouldn't do it for him, but she is clearly a performer.

Before I laid her on the table for the exam he got in close and talked to Elina, she looked at him and smiled.  After I set her on the table, he did the same thing, she looked him in the eye and started crying.  The doctor said that looked like stranger anxiety, which is mentally a 6 month thing.  So I got in close, put my hand on her head and she looked at me for the rest of the exam and was perfectly content.  Well perfectly content until the shots came.

Unrelated, we also went to the pumpkin patch last weekend...

So Much To Say, So Little Time

So I thought this whole being home thing would leave me plenty of time to blog.  Not so.  Every time I sit down to blog, a cute little baby beckons me.  She was just passed out, drooling on my shirt, so I handed her to her daddy, and now she's awake.  So which story do I start with?  Let's start with the most traumatic.

Three weeks after Elina arrived I was back in the hospital.  That horrible pain I had experienced during the pregnancy came back.  And this time I couldn't blame it on the baby.  In total the pain happened 4 times while I was pregnant and 3 times after she arrived.  Some times the "episodes" would last only 30-45 min.  Other times they would last a couple of hours.  One night it lasted 4 hours and caused me to throw up twice before going away, Mason had to be on baby duty and feed her formula that night. 

The next day, September 1st we were over at my parents house to celebrate my Brother in Law's birthday, and the pain came again.  I ended up sending Mason home to feed our puppies and go to bed while I stayed there with Elina.  My sister stayed too and took care of her while I was in too much pain to move.  This time it lasted ALL night.  Finally at 5am it eased up enough for me to fall asleep, or I was exhausted enough to pass out. 

I was finally convinced to call my doctor, who happened to be out of the office for two weeks.  The other doctor in the office told me to call my internist (my what?).  If I didn't have an internist then I should go to the ER.  So my Dad and I hopped into my car and drove off to the hospital where Mason met up with us.  And we waited, and waited, and waited.  Finally it was my turn to go into the room and put on the gown, where we waited, and waited, and waited.  I was told I couldn't keep my bra on even though I was leaking like crazy.  Talk about embarrassing.  It became a game of mine to see how long it took each person who came into my room to look at the giant wet spots on my gown.  Finally, I was wheeled away to get an ultrasound to see if I had gall stones.  I was sure I didn't.  I'm not the type of person who gets stones.  Turns out, I had stones.

By the time I finally got to my room, and they brought me a pump, it had been more then 24 hours since I had fed Elina.  I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything the first day, not even ice chips, and I wasn't allowed to eat anything for the rest of my stay there.  There are a few things that you need in order to produce milk, food, water and a baby.  I had none of those.  My baby did come and visit me those three days, but I still missed her so.  Finally on Saturday I had my surgery.  They removed my gallbladder and gave me five new scars in it's place.  I went home that afternoon.  I tried to get my milk back, but it just didn't happen.  If I had to leave the house at all, it was a major set back in any progress that I had made.  Eventually I just had to give up.

I was prepared to not be able to nurse in the beginning.  I wasn't ready to be successful at it, only to have it taken away from me 3 short weeks later.  I still have a strong, healthy baby and no more severe abdominal and back pain.  Which makes it a whole lot easier to take care of that sweet baby.  Especially since her 8 week old self rolled over onto her back yesterday.  I'm going to have my hands full, aren't I?

A Much Belated Announcement

She's here!  Technically she's been here for just over a week, which is why this post is way belated.  I wanted to get her birth story down before I forget the details.

Early Wednesday morning I got out of bed with the incredible urge to use the restroom.  As soon as I sat down it was as if I had lost control of my bladder.  Two thoughts crossed my mind and I'm not sure exactly which one came first.  1. There was a child in there putting a ton of pressure on my bladder.  2. My water just broke.  I was pretty sure I knew which one it was, but since it was 2:30 in the morning and Mason tends to be a worrier, I thought I would make sure.  So I walked to my dresser to grab my pregnancy books and then dashed back to the bathroom with my knees together.  Okay, so by this point I was 90% sure it was my water.  But again, this was a completely new feeling for me so I wanted to be 100% sure.  By the time I was able to get up and walk back to the bedroom it was 3am.  When I told a very groggy Mason why I was waking him up he shot out of bed and went into high speed mode.  Gathering all that we needed that hadn't made it into the car yet and getting food ready for the dogs.  Off we went to the hospital making our phone calls along the way.  I was most looking forward to waking up my sister since I'm quite sure I owe her a few years worth of being woken up. 

By the time we got into our first room to confirm that it was indeed my water breaking and then moved into labor and delivery, it was almost 5am.  Since I wasn't having contractions, they wasted no time in inducing them.  A couple hours later I was informed that I was having contractions every four min, but I couldn't feel them at all.  So they upped the dosage and when they became two min apart, I could feel them.  Each hour they became more intense.  By the time I got the epidural they weren't seriously painful, they were just seriously annoying.  Leaving virtually no time to relax in between.  Not to mention I had a room full of people.  Finally after 18 hours of labor with very little progression and a baby that was refusing to drop, they took me in for the c-section.

Apparently my legs are immune to the epidural.  While I couldn't feel anything, I could still lift them.  So they added more and more.  The strong epidural made it near impossible to keep my eyes open which was so very frustrating because I wanted to be awake for this moment.  I spent the majority of the surgery fighting the sleepiness that overcame me and the shakes that were taking over.  Every part of me that wasn't numb was shaking uncontrollably as if I were freezing cold, and trust me I was trying to control them.  That's the part that bothered Mason the most.  He told me later that he was used to seeing me as a strong woman, and seeing me with no control over my body really shook him.  But anyway, back to the birth of my little peanut.

Since I was in and out of consciousness, this part might be a little discombobulated.  I do remember the first time I heard her cry, and Dr. B told her she wasn't allowed to cry because she hadn't been born yet.  Mason told me that her head was out and they had just suctioned out her mouth and nose, which she apparently didn't care for at all.  Moments later, at 11:50pm Elina was here.  I forced my eyes open as they walked her past me to get cleaned up.  She had hair!  Dark hair!  Where did that come from?  Mason and I were both bald and blond.  I was sure she would be the same.  I mean I would have bet money on the fact that she would be bald and blond.  There is nothing about this little girl that hasn't been a surprise.  Including the dimples I saw from across the room.  Eventually Mason brought her over to me and laid her on my shoulder so I could look at her beautiful little face.  At one point I'm sure Elina and I took a nap together while I was being stitched up.  But then I had to make Mason take her away because I was about to throw up.  Dr. B was sewing up the inner lining of my stomach, and when he finished, I went ahead and emptied the contents of my stomach.  Which was pretty much nothing.  But then my baby appeared on my shoulder again, and all was right with the world. 

Fortunately my shakes and my lethargy ended while I was in the recovery room and the lady in there was way impressed with my ability to move my legs.  This is also when they took my baby away to be cleaned up and measured and my husband ran off after her to watch.  Shortly after the shakes stopped I was wheeled off to my room with a short little pit stop to see my baby.  This is where it starts to get a little fuzzy, because I had been up for more then 24 hours, but eventually they wheeled in my baby and all of my visitors followed.  Or the visitors came in and the baby followed.  All I know is that by this point, I was exhausted.  I'm pretty sure it was 5am before I finally feel asleep. 

But there she was.  All 7 lbs 5 oz, and 19 3/4 inches of her.  With her beautiful brown hair and her sweet little dimples.

Thanks to my sister for this great picture.

So Close, Yet So Far

Since my doctor wants to keep a close eye on my blood pressure, I've been seeing him twice a week for the last few weeks.  So far there has been nothing to report on that front.  All my extra fluid makes it look like I am going to have a giant baby though.  Anyway, at our last appointment my blood pressure was up, still in the normal range, but it was a high normal.  And since my normal is on the low end, this raised a little flag.  So Dr. B took my blood pressure two more times, each time the numbers were lower then the last.  I was then sent to the lab for some blood work done "stat," although the paper work lady in the lab didn't seem to know what stat meant as she took her time entering me into the computer. 

Off to work I went, patiently waiting for my phone to ring with the test results.  Would I have to leave work and head back to the hospital?  Or would I be able to finish out my week and enjoy what may be the last weekend of so called freedom?  The phone rang while I was in a meeting so I stepped out with a racing heart so they could tell me that my test results were negative.  I had mixed feelings while returning to the never ending meeting.  It would have been so nice to not have gone back to that meeting.  But I wasn't quite ready to check into Labor and Delivery either.

Here I sit, three days later with a watermelon for a stomach, 20 pounds of extra fluid and sore hips.  While I don't know if our next appointment on Monday will be the day or not, I can at least find comfort in the fact that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  I will be able to meet my little girl very soon.  Meanwhile I have been doing everything I can to help her hurry up.  On Thursday, we ate at a Mexican restaurant where the owner swears that pregnant women go into labor a few days after eating there.  And I'm hoping I can convince Mason to get Chinese for dinner tomorrow.  But most importantly, I made plans for next weekend.  Plans that involve tickets.  What better way to have a baby then to make plans and get tickets to go do something fun with your neighbors?  Thankfully they were free tickets, so I won't have to feel too bad if I have to give them away.

Let's Get Messy!

Well, it finally happened. My little blog is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Just the other day I received my very first comment from a complete stranger (hope to see you around here again Tracy). You know what that means? I’m FAMOUS!


Okay, so not really. But that’s okay, a girl can dream. Can’t she?

Anyway, in light of my new fame I thought I would share with you some kid friendly recipes for play time. And although I’m all kinds of awesome, I didn’t come up with these recipes myself. They were photocopied from a book and given to me. So without further ado…

Let’s Get Messy!!!

Finger Paint
3 Tbl sugar
½ Cup corn starch
2 Cups cold water
Food coloring
Mix all ingredients and allow child to use fingers to make a picture.

Kool-Aid Finger Paint
2 Cups flour
2 Packs Kool-Aid
½ Cup salt
3 Cups boiling water
3 Tbl oil
Mix wet into dry ingredients.
Then finger paint.

Jell-O Finger Paint
Jell-O mix
Boiling water
Add water slowly to Jell-O to make goo consistency.
Allow child to use like finger paint.
Make sure your child understands this is play time, not eating time.

Simple Clay
3 Cups flour
¼ Cup salt
1 Cup water
1 Tbl oil
Mix flour and salt. Add water and oil.
Add more water if it’s too stiff.
Add more flour if it’s too sticky.
Can add ½ tsp alum for a preservative

Nutty Butter Play Dough
1 Cup peanut butter
1 Cup powdered milk
1 Cup honey
1 Cup oatmeal (optional)
Mix together and use like regular play dough

Oatmeal Dough
1 Cup flour
2 Cups oatmeal
1 Cup water
Gradually add water to flour and oatmeal.
Use like regular play dough.

Pud
Mix cornstarch and water together slowly at a 2:1 ratio
Consistency should allow a ball that melts quickly
Can add food coloring

Silly Putty
2 parts white glue
1 part Sta-Flo liquid starch
Mix together well

Clown Paint
1/8 Cup baby lotion
¼ tea tempera paint powder
1 squirt liquid soap
Mix together and finger or face paint

Bubbles
1 Cup water
2 Tbl light caro syrup
4 Tbl dish washing liquid soap
Combine ingredients and blow bubbles using a wand or string tied in a circle.

Soap Crayons
1 ¾ Cups soap flakes
50 Drops food coloring
¼ Cup water
Place in ice cube tray and allow to harden, then use to color.

Soap Slime
Bucket
Soap flakes
Water
Mix together and allow to sit overnight in the bucket.
Then play with the slime that formed.

Have fun!

Crab Apple

That's me today.  Just one big swollen pile of crabby.  I'm pretty sure there are people out to get me.  They are playing this silly little game called "Let's see how much work and stress we can pile on the lady who is 9 months pregnant until we send her into labor."  Won't they be sorry if I go before I finish all of their "tasks." 

And no, Sister, you did not add to that stress by forcing me to help you decorate a cake last night.  That was actually a welcome break from the ever growing To Do list.  Plus, Mason got to have Rich & Charlies for dinner and I get his left overs for lunch.  Works out well, don't you think?

So since I am such a crabby patty today and was planning on venting on this here blog, I thought it might be best to remind myself of all the things that don't make me crabby.  Umm.  Hmm.  Gray skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face!  That's a little better. 

Watching Miss O play in her little pool, that does not make me crabby at all.  Even when you get hit with water from the hose she is flinging around.

Sometimes I have to sing the up song to my baby, because she can't make up her mind if she wants to kick my ribs or sit on my bladder.  When you're up, you're up.  When you're down, you're down.  But when your only half way up, you're neither up or down.

Mason went to dinner with his parents last night and gave me his wonderful left overs for lunch today.  That is WAY nicer then I am.  I would have saved my left overs for my lunch.  Well I guess that answers that question, I am the mean one.

My friend Christie had her baby on Tuesday.  Every time I see her beautiful little face posted on Facebook, it makes me so happy.  Congrats Christie!

The first 30 seconds of this gum is a delightful flavor explosion.  Unfortunately after that, it's just blah.

My IT guy thinks I would make a good IT person, cause I'm smart (even though we just had a conversation about how another IT guy was confusing me because he didn't dumb it down for me).  I'm sooo not an IT person, but if it comes with a big FAT raise, I could definitely become one.

I only have about 4 weeks left.  I can't wait to finally hold my little one in my arms.  And wear my real wedding ring again.  And have ankles and normal shaped feet.  I'm also really excited about being able to roll over in bed like a normal person.  And lift things that weigh more the 25 pounds, besides my enormous belly. 

Most importantly, it's almost time to go home.  And that makes me very happy.

The Baby Dream

Saturday night, well actually Sunday morning, as I slept in listening to the rain I had a dream about having my baby.  I was in the delivery room with my Mom, my doctor and a nurse, and I had just delivered the baby.  Except, I didn't remember anything about it.  I didn't remember pushing or having contractions or even them placing the baby on my chest afterwards.  Try as I might, I just couldn't remember any of this happening.  Then the doctor said, "Okay, as soon as the nurse comes back with your baby, you are free to go."  This is when I looked at my Mom, and she looked equally confused.  I mean, wasn't I supposed to stay there for a few days so they could make sure everything was working properly?  My baby was less then an hour old and they were ready to send me out the door.  This is about the time that I realized Mason wasn't there.  He was out flying his RC Airplanes (which is actually where he was that morning).  I'm not sure why it didn't bother me at this point that he missed the birth of our child.  Perhaps because I missed it too, which I still don't understand, how I of all people missed it.

But more then anything, I just wanted to see my baby.  So Mom and I made our way to the nursery window, where my sister joined us.  There were about 6 huge windows, each window had about 25-30 babies.  They were all marked with the baby's first name.  Which was confusing to me, because I didn't remember officially deciding on any name.  So I quickly changed it and started looking for Stockwell.  Then I thought about Mason still not being there, and I thought about how upset he would be that he missed it.  My sister asked which one was my baby, I told her I didn't know I was still trying to find her. 

I woke up shortly after I started searching the third window.  I never did find her and I was never able to remember the delivery.  I couldn't even tell you if it was a c-section or not.  This dream was perhaps more disturbing then the one where I thought I was single and pregnant, I was upset that no one wanted to date a pregnant girl.

Only 5 Weeks Left (Give or Take)

Seriously? 5 weeks? That just doesn’t seem right. There is so much that needs to be done before these 5 weeks are up. Like cleaning the house top to bottom (because I won’t have time once she’s here) and reorganizing under the bathroom sink and the medicine closet so her stuff can fit too. Ahhh! Just too much to do and no time to do it. I’m glad Mason has decided to take a semester off. I was a little against it at first, except for the fact that he will actually have time to spend with his brand new baby. But now that the to do list is growing, and the available time is shrinking, I’m relieved. Plus running on an average of 5 hours of sleep a night, I’m not very motivated to do actual physical work once I get home. No wonder I was able to crank out those thank you cards so quickly, I just didn’t want to get up and do laundry or sweep the kitchen floor.


So the other day while I was waiting to get my programs reinstalled from the laptop upgrade Monday night, I started to create a to do list of everything that needs to be done before baby gets here. I fully expected this to both stress me out even more, and to provide a little bit of relief. Because making a list that is sooooo long is stressful. But crossing things off that list, rejuvenating. And having an actual list to look at instead of a jumbled mess in my head is much easier to access.

A lot of people are saying that they think this little baby will be coming into this world early. My Mother in Law being the most adamant about it. Mason also thinks she will be here early, but his definition of early is a day or two before the due date, which really isn’t early at all. I want one of those crazy babies who get here on the due date just to prove everyone wrong. I think IF she comes early it will be by a week at most. Besides I feel like I need all the time I can get just to get everything 100% ready for her arrival. Anyway, the car seat base is getting installed this weekend, and the hospital bag is getting packed as well. And since I just received my 10% off coupon from Target, that registry will be padded with everything I might want to buy (you know, like Wii games), after my last official shower next weekend. After the work shower, which I only know it will be on a Friday, I plan on doing the same with the Babies r’ Us registry.

In other news, I officially had to move the driver’s seat back. I could still fit, but it’s a little weird to have your stomach touching things. We must have just gone through a growth spurt because I’m touching more and more things with my belly without meaning too. The gate into the kitchen, the counter, my desk at work, Mason, anything I’m walking up to… The list goes on and on. It’s also amazing what I can’t reach because I just can’t get close enough. And if my belly is just resting against the desk, someone feels the need to push back. Ornery little girl. I wonder where she gets that from.

This One Might Get Me Into A Little Bit Of Trouble

Apparently when you get pregnant, you automatically give up the right to any kind of privacy. Everything is out on the table. Isn't it enough that a whole room full of strangers are about to see me naked? Do I have to divulge every little detail too? I mean, I totally get it when a nurse asks my weight. They have to know for medical reasons. Or maybe they leave the room and talk about it with their little nurse friends, but at least they lead me to believe it's for medical reasons. But it really is none of your business how much weight I've gained. Just look at my lack of chin and swollen ankles and know that it's a lot.

And men, you should not under any circumstance ask any question even remotely related to my boobs. So whether or not I'm going to be breast feeding is none of your business. It's not like you won't eventually find out anyway when I either leave the room to feed the baby or mix up a bottle of formula. And if you even try to offer your opinion at any given point, my sleep deprived self might throw something at you. No boobs, no opinion. (Dad, you do not fit into this category, cause you are MY Dad, the one that used to change my diapers and stay up all night rocking me when I had an ear infection. That being said, these are not questions you would ask anyway).

Also, I'm perfectly fine with people touching my belly. I knew I gave up that right a long time ago, especially once I started showing and even more so once she started moving. I actually like to share the feeling of her moving with other people. But when I JUST announced that I'm 5 weeks pregnant, there really is no reason to feel the still squishy belly. Also, touching the belly is okay. Standing there holding the belly while talking to me and asking me if everyone touches my belly is just a little awkward (I was really tempted to say, "Only you." In fact, if I didn't like her, I probably would have).

I won't go into the unwanted advice. Mostly because I've done it. I only do it when the said person is complaining about something, I figure that is their way of asking. And then I make sure to say, "This worked for so and so, so it might work for you too. Or it might not." The thing is, every kid, relationship, financial challenge, whatever is different. But really, let's not offer silly opinions and advice when the issue isn't brought up by the person who will be receiving the advice.

Also, since I was really excited to get 5 1/2 hours of sleep Saturday night, only waking up a few times, and then getting less the 4 hours last night, I might be a little sleep deprived crabby. Which Mason in his fully rested slap happy state experienced yesterday. But this also means your questions, actions and unwanted advice might lead to some interesting reactions that I know my sister will find oh, so funny. That being said, comments are still welcome. I can't attack you through the comment section. Or can I? Muah-ha-ha-ha!

Oh and as a side note, this did not all happen at the shower this past weekend. This has been happening since I announced the pregnancy. No wonder people wait until after the 1st trimester to announce it.

34 Weeks! When Did That Happen?

And now we are a Honeydew. No wonder I can't reach my feet, even if it is just to scratch the bug bites. Dirty rotten bug bites. I was really good about not getting eaten alive by mosquitoes at Mason's Family Vacation. And then I came back home and within seconds I had a mosquito bite. But on the 4th, I came armed with baby safe bug spray and citronella candles. Guess what happened. CHIGGERS! My first experience with chiggers led to knowing way to much about them. Someone told me that they lay their eggs under your skin and your body attacking them is what causes the itch. This concept grossed me out completely. A little research led me to find that isn't true. While only baby chiggers bite you, their saliva dissolves your skin cells! No wonder they itch like crazy. And we won't even talk about what they look like.


Anyway, back to baby. So there are two new things that have happened since I last talked about her.
1. I felt her hic-up for the first time while I was laying awake in bed one night. Fortunately Mason wasn't asleep yet either so he got to feel it too.
2. She found my ribs. Sometimes when she stretches really big, she hits my ribs. I'm not gonna lie, that's just a little bit uncomfortable. And when you get that high, my spine gets nervous.

But what's even more exciting then all her new movements (which usually fascinates me, especially when it makes my belly move), I get to see her again in just over a week! I've been dying to see her again for what seems like years!  I can't wait to see exactly what those legs and arms are doing instead of just feeling them. 

Just A Little Jealous

While it the kitchen heating up my Lean Cuisine I run into another girl who is pregnant with her second child. She's one of those naturally skinny people who always look like they just stepped out of a salon. She looked as if she were in her second trimester. Just barely showing, not even a little bit swollen, still wearing cute shoes. But no, she only has ten weeks left.


I only have eight weeks left, and I'm hitting things with my belly because it sticks out so dang far. I have swollen shrek legs, my face is no longer one that I recognize, even my arms have suffered. I waddle, I struggle to get up, and I get all kinds of gross acid reflux if I bend over to pick anything up. I bet she can still wear her wedding ring too.

I know, I know. Every pregnancy is different, and everybody is different too. Blah, blah, blah. Tell that to my ankles, if you can find them. Grr. At least my shirt is a nice sun-shiny yellow. And I bet she doesn't have a mailbox painted with flames. Ha! Eat that you, you cute skinny pregnant girl!

Quicksand

I've been wanting to post a new blog for sometime now. The only problem is that I've been super busy, both at work and at home. Add to that the only thing I can even think about blogging isn't something I'm comfortable blogging about. I just can't bring myself to publicly denounce someone for making me angry. Even though they are an adult and should have the ability to see how their actions affect others. But moving on, or at least trying to...

Work has been insane this week. Wednesday was my day at home, and I had planned on cleaning during my lunch break since we have company coming in town this weekend and my kitchen is all torn apart (I had to hide things in the dishwasher last night just so I could cook dinner). I also prayed for a slow day so I could spend 5 min. here and there on cleaning and laundry and things like that. None of that happened. I managed to find just enough time to start the dishwasher. Then I ended up working through lunch and even working late. So yesterday I made sure to leave as close to on time as possible since I still have a ton of cleaning to do and we had plans to meet up for dinner with a friend from out of town. A friend I hadn't actually seen in person in about eight years. It was good to catch up, possibly even worth only getting 4 hours.

After work, while I was trying to clean everything and put it away in it's new china hutch, that dear sweet child of mine decided to play on the monkey bars again. No where near as painful as last time, just bad enough to make sure I stopped doing the work that I was trying so hard to get done. Meanwhile, Mason was working in overdrive outside. He mowed the yard, cleaned off the patio, deck and outdoor furniture. He also skimmed the pool (broke the skimmer while he was at it) finished the ladder that I left undone (he stole all my screwdrivers) and put up our new Tiki Torches. So, the outside of our house is ready for company. Now I just need to get the inside ready and go to bed early.

In other news, when that baby girl of mine isn't dangling from the monkey bars, I really do love to feel and see her moving around in there. It makes me laugh.

(Yes, I know I'm behind in posting my pictures, but I promise to have it updated soon).

A Long, Scary Story

Sunday I woke up to a stiff back, nothing unusual for me, just annoying. When Mason and I went to the grocery store that evening, my back was really starting to bother me, and my stomach was getting increasingly uncomfortable. My back was hurting so much, that I was one of those pregnant women walking around with a hand pressed to their back. But still it really measured just above the uncomfortable level for me. Perhaps if I wasn't so used to back pain it would have been a different story. After we got home from the store, I was really feeling the pain. I had an ice cream bar on the way home to try to comfort and sooth, plus it sounded good. And it was.

By 10, I was in serious pain. I couldn't get comfortable, I couldn't even get a tinniest bit of relief. So around 10:30, I had had enough of trying to get comfortable on the couch and went to bed while Mason stayed up working on homework. I tossed and turned, trying to find enough relief to sleep, but every position I tried hurt just as much, if not more. I tried distracting myself with a book, I couldn't even get through a paragraph. The whole time begging for the pain to stop, and trying to convince myself that I was not having contractions in my back. Because those would be intense for a few moments, and then go away. This was steady non-relenting serious pain for 2 solid hours. Finally I gave up on the whole falling asleep in bed thing around 11.

I went to join Mason in the living room since he didn't seem to hear my silent pleas for him to come to the bedroom. Apparently we need to work on that whole telepathy thing. I was already crying a little bit when I gave up on sleeping. Mostly because I was frustrated that the intense pain wouldn't go away for even a moment. So I walked to the living room, laid down on the couch and simply said "it hurts" when Mason asked what was wrong. And as everyone knows, when you are barely in control of your emotions, the last thing you need is sympathy. Mason got up, came over to my couch and asked me something along the lines of are you okay? Really I can't tell you what the actual question was, but I can tell you my answer. "It just hurts so bad!" (sobbing, I mean, real sobbing) "And now I can't stop crying!"

Mason tried to massage out the pain, encouraging me to take deep breaths.  But it wasn't helping, it wasn't really making it any worse either. And then the pressure on my stomach started. Which I really don't think would have been so bad if it weren't on top of the back pain. Mason kept asking me if I wanted him to call the doctor, to which I replied no, and stubbornly added, "I'm not calling the doctor for a back ache." And then, and then I thought I was going to throw up. So I ran to the bathroom and apparently gave up all my rights to decide how we resolved this issue. While I was hovering over the toilet, waiting for the inevitable, Mason called his Mom, who told him to call the doctor, who told us to head to Labor and Delivery.

What?! I'm not even wearing my CUTE pajamas! "Call my Mom." Seriously? I'm not ready for this! "I don't know which underwear to wear."
"Just pick a pair."
"But someone might see them!" No one saw them, in case you were wondering. "Call my Mom."
"Oh, yeah." ... "She didn't answer."
"Sometimes her ringer isn't turned up, try Dad."
I'm not sure if he tried Dad or not, but he called my sister who just happened to be over there delivering their dogs and explained the situation and we headed to the hospital.  Me in agony, Mason in barely controlled panic.

I'm not ready for this! I don't have my bag packed, I don't even have a car seat. Oh, wait. Mason's parents got that for us for a shower present. I'm sure we can get that early. They can bring it to the hospital if they need to. I'm not ready for this! I didn't even bring my PJ's. How am I ever going to tell Mason exactly what I need him to bring and where it is? I don't even have a mattress for this baby. Oh, wait, I have a bassinet. But I don't have a car seat, how are we going to get her home. Oh, wait, we went over that one already. Uh oh. I hope I don't have to make Mason pull over.
"Um, you might have to pull over soon."
Mason starts to get over into the outside lane. "Now?"
"Yeah" Too late. It's a good thing I hadn't just eaten since I had to catch it all in my hand.

Fortunately, I happen to have 3 half empty bottles of water, and 1 full one. Which helped for rinsing off my hands and face, but then I was dripping wet. Tank top! There were 2 on my back seat that I had planned on changing into the day before. What luck. Okay, I feel better now. I mean a lot better. My back hardly hurts anymore. Maybe we should just call the doctor and head home. Get at least a few hours of sleep before work tomorrow. No, we'd better go anyway. It might come back. Where is the dang hospital entrance anyway. It's not like I've never been here before for crying out loud. I know where it is, I'll know it when I see it. I can't see anything in this darkness. I'll call my sister. She knows things like where we parked the car and which entrance to go to.

Okay, I'm just going to relax. I'm only 30 weeks. They are going to do everything possible to make sure this baby stays in there. Now to check in and explain that my back no longer hurts, ow. Okay, now we are up to a 5 on the pain scale. Oh, 7. Oh, good here is our room. Holy crap, 10! I hate being a 10 on the pain scale! Wait, I have to pee in a cup? I can barely move and you want me to pee in a cup. Damn, I missed. The cups at the doctors office are so much more forgiving. Great, and now I'm incredibly hot. I'm sweating, in pain and have pee on my hand. Ugh!

Okay, I'm just going to lie down and wait for someone to give me some drugs. Oh, you want me to lie on my back so you can tie straps around my belly? The most uncomfortable position at the moment? Ow, does it have to be so tight? Oh, I don't like you. My goodness there are a lot of questions you people are asking me. Oww, oh it's a 7 again. That's nice, she is going to stop asking me questions while she feels my belly. Okay, that's better, the pain seems to have gone away.  And I didn't even have to puke this time!  Seriously, how many people are going to ask me how many weeks I am?  Do you people not write this down? 

A couple hours later, they released me.  Apparently they just wanted to make sure there wasn't an issue with my kidneys and observe me for awhile.  If someone would have told me that before we left the house, I would have been a whole lot calmer.  Which Dr. B may have explained that over the phone.  If he did, Mason never heard it.  He probably stopped hearing after they said go straight to Labor and Delivery.  No one at the hospital could even tell me what caused the pain and nausea, so here is my diagnosis. 

There once was a baby, who thought it would be fun to swing on the monkey bars (my ribs).  But then her little arms grew tired, so she used her feet to brace herself on the pole (my spine).  Then, she found a nice cushion to sit on while she hung there (my stomach).  All of the sudden, the cushion started to move and then lost it's great squish and the sweet little girl fell off the monkey bars.  Not to be discouraged, she climbed up them again and got in the same position, but the cushion was no longer there.  She dangled there for a little while before dropping to rest and trying again.  Eventually she grew tired and settled in to sleep.

A Hunting We Will Go

Good news!  As of today, Project 365 is up to date!  Unfortunately, I posted today before the mole hunt began...

First, you have to watch for the ground to move.

Then you have to stalk it.

And then start digging.

And before you know it, out pops the mole.

I'll spare you the details of what happens next.  Let's just say that this mole is no longer an issue.

Stop Poking Me!

Soooo, if you've been keeping up with 365, then you will know that I have not been. Sorry! I had planned on getting them uploaded this weekend, and then all of the sudden it was Monday. Then I tried to get them uploaded Monday night, but I updated my registries instead. It really did need to be done. With all of the things that I'm borrowing or have been handed down, and everything else being on two separate registries, I had no idea what I had and what I was missing. With the first round of shower invitations going out, I figured I better get on it. I can't believe it's almost time for the showers to start. And then I'm going to have to figure out where to put everything. And since Mason will be getting her dressed in the mornings after I go back to work, it needs to be man friendly. Any ideas??

Right now I have dresses and shirts that will wrinkle easily hanging in the closet, their diaper covers are in a drawer and in my opinion, easy to match. But I'm a girl and I know what is pink and what is purple. There may or may not be a debate going on about the color of the sheets that are currently on the bed. They are light green (not white) in case you were wondering.

And yesterday, yesterday I had my second glucose test.  The three hour test.  The one where they take your blood 4 freaking times.  The one where they make you not eat or drink anything before the test, ensuring that your veins are nice and deflated.  On top of that, my doctor confirmed that I could not blame 20 pounds on the fluid in my ankles. 

On the plus side, he did approve my upcoming trip at the end of the month for Mason's Family Reunion/Vacation.  He said he has patients that live that far away, so I should be fine.  Plus I plan on spending ample time floating around in the pool.  My trip to KC was also approved, pending unforeseen huge issues of course. For someone who just likes to know things, this is getting difficult.

Good Cop/Bad Cop

Well, the good news is my pre-eclamsia test came back negative.  So far, I'm just caring 20 pound ankle weights made of water.  Which by the way, makes for exhausting stair climbing.  I went to the mall with my sister the other day in search of a non-existent perfect yellow dress, and after a few hours I was ready to be carried to my car.  I was worn out.  My back hurt, the muscle I irritated almost a week ago grew angry, my feet were done and even my hips hurt.  Mason blamed it on my lack of working out (how he came out of that discussion alive, I'm still not sure).  I blamed it on the watermelon strapped to my stomach.  He's seen how easily I get winded these days, and how it is a struggle just to get up from the couch, so why he thought working out would be the reason I don't know.  I mean, I knew some things would be more difficult, but this is just absurd.  It seems the only thing that still moves correctly are my arms.  Plus, you know you look bad when everyone tells you to sit down at a BBQ (when that's you've been doing all day) and your boss gives you her chair at a meeting.  If my ankles weren't actually hurting and the meeting hadn't already started, I would have turned her down.

The bad news though... I failed my glucose test.  Which means I have to take ANOTHER three hour version of this don't eat or drink anything except this yucky syrup like substance for almost 12 HOURS.  Cruel and unusual punishment.  Plus last time, it made me burp, which brought back the oh so delightful flavor.  Not looking forward to that part.  I'm trying to think positively about this though.  If I fail the second test, then I get to be on a very restricted diet, which means the cookies I'll be craving won't stick to my thighs.  The baby and I will also be eating healthier and there is nothing wrong with that.  I'm just really glad that our team BBQ at work was today and not next Friday.

Which brings me back to Good Cop.  I now officially have two recipes for my future cookbook.  Cookie Apple Crisp and French Vanilla Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies.  Hmm, I see a trend here.  I wonder if this is going to turn in to a cookie cookbook.

And in case you were wondering, it feels really weird when your toes are swollen.  I mean, really weird.  And I am quite sure you were all wondering about that.

Really Wanting a Pool Instead of a Yard

Hello 3rd trimester. Good bye sleep. It seems like the universe is against me getting a good nights sleep before I have to give up on sleep all together.  "What? You're exhausted?  Here, let me make it difficult to find a comfortable position.  Wait, how did you fall asleep?  Let me bring a super loud thunderstorm with hail to your window, that ought to wake you up.  Or better yet, let me put something outside on the deck so Koby will feel the need to bark his head off and wake up the whole house.  Okay, now what... I know, lets see how many places we can put Mason's elbow to annoy you, and we can make him snore too!  Won't that be fun!"  For the record, no it isn't fun.  It isn't fun at all.

Our baby is the size of a squash, even though it looks like there is a watermelon in there. I am measuring at 31 weeks, while my baby is only 28 weeks old. There is so much fluid in me that my doctor seems concerned about pre-eclamsia. Not that I have it, but that I am perhaps walking a fine line. Not that there is anything I can do about it. If I get it, there is only one thing to do, deliver the baby. Did I mention that I am only 28 weeks along? The blood test will show what my current levels are and allow Dr. B to monitor them more closely. Because even though my blood pressure and protein levels are fine, the swelling is outrageous.

Personally I'm not that worried. First of all, judging by the drum playing gymnast inside of me, I'm sure she is a fighter. Second, my feet have swelled before when I wasn't even pregnant. The first time I was about 12 or so and I forgot to put sunscreen on my feet at a car show. I may have gotten a little sun poisoning that year, and my feet got nice and fat. When I flew to Europe which was about a 16 hour flight, I had NO swelling. But when I flew to Hawaii, which was only a 10 hour flight, while sitting down to dinner that evening, I actually felt them inflate. FUN. Then a year or so after that, at another car show (with sun screen this time, you don't make that mistake twice) my feet magically grew. In other words, maybe my bladder isn't as big as I think it is. I just carry the fluid in my feet instead of processing it like a normal person. Except this time, the swelling isn't confined to my feet. It has moved on to my entire body. My arms, wrists, legs, chin, and perhaps worst of all, my butt. Seriously, wasn't that already big enough?

In other news, it's finally here!  Project 365 is up and running. Please come and join me there as well, I'm sure I could use the motivation.

Ahhhh!

Am I 28 already? How did that get here so quick? All week I've had to keep reminding myself that this week is birthday week, not next week. And now, there is a HUGE birthday sign hanging in my cube blocking my view of the calendar so I can't verify the actual day. You know, cause the signs, balloons, streamers, cookie cake, lunch outing, text messages and Facebook comments aren't enough to actually convince me what today is. I must be getting old or something.

I did treat myself to some birthday shoes yesterday, since my flip flops are getting small and I was having a ginormous foot day. I found a pair of sandals that are adjustable! Thank you Addis for making my summer a little less scary. So in honor of my birthday, I'm going to show some of the shoes that I would love to own, but my feet wouldn't even be able to look at...

I don't know why I need these, I just do.

The perfect everyday pump.

But these are a good back-up plan.

I don't know when, I don't know where, but I will find an excuse to wear these.

Don't these just scream my name??


And these. I need these. If only you weren't Coach, then maybe I could afford you.

What is more practical then a red shoe??

My jeans want me to own these.

Whoops. How did that get in there.

See I can be reasonable too.

I'd probably NEVER wear these, but aren't they fun?

But these, these are a must.

Project 365

I'm starting a new project. It's the 365 project, some of you may have heard of it before. The goal is to take at least one picture every single day and post it for an entire year. It doesn't matter what the subject of these photos is. But I'm thinking I might throw in an occasional weekly theme, like landscapes or green. I realize this might be a difficult time to try this, especially in August and September, but is there ever really going to be a perfect year to do this? Nope. Never. Besides I will have a great subject in August. So why wait? Plus, I have the perfect day to start this project, this Friday, May 21st. Which should give me plenty of time to find the right site to host this project and it should also distract me from being yet another year older. I'm hoping this will also help to push me to further develop my technique and push my creativity. Not to mention get me back into the habit of taking pictures and finding inspiration instead of just waiting for it. Which means, (in theory) I'm going to take pictures of almost EVERYTHING, because you never know what is going to turn out awesome.

Oh, and in case you were wondering... I have seen some of our bunnies grazing in the yard and tempting fate in the back yard. You will be happy to know, not only are they nice and big (almost full grown) but they are also now fast enough to not get caught by Koby.

I Normally Don't Like Eggplants

We are now 26 weeks (27 tomorrow), the size of an eggplant, and a VERY strong kicker. Every now and then, out of the corner of my eye, I can see my whole stomach move. Mason got to feel the first one of these belly shakers last Friday. He thought he had felt it and argued with me when I moved his hand. Until she punched again. Let's just say he was in shock. I read a blog not that long ago where her son had kicked her so hard he had broken her rib. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that happened to me. She clearly is going to be a soccer player like her Dad. Which is my least favorite sport by the way. Way too much running involved if you ask me.

We also only have 3 more fruit sizes to go before she's here! I can't wait to meet her, to see her sweet face and dress her up in the cute little turtle outfit I bought her last night. I can't wait to take a thousand pictures of her in her white little tutu outfit from Grandma with Miss O's giant flower head band. And I can't wait to get my artsy groove on with that teeny tiny little baby. This hat would work perfectly for a color tint picture, but I have absolutely no outfits that it matches. But, the picture would be great, and that's all that matters.

Top 10 Signs Your Scale Isn't Lying

10. Your feet look like they belong on a cabbage patch kid instead of your body.

9. You can't even see those feet unless you lean forward.

8. When you do finally see your toes, you sigh because they need to be painted and you can't even reach them anymore.

7. There are new stretch marks to be found every time you dare to look.

6. You have to buy new underwear, because the love handles created by your old pairs can no longer be ignored.

5. You have a hard time not getting food on yourself when you eat because you just can't get close enough to the table anymore.

4. Your laptop now sits precariously close to the edge of the desk, because your belly stops your chair from being pushed in any further.

3. You look at a the spot your husband has left open for you on the couch and your pretty sure you can only fit one cheek in there.

2. Even a pair of flip flops get rejected because they painfully don't fit.

And the number 1 sign your scale isn't lying...

1. Your niece goes to hug the back of your leg and instead her face bounces off your butt and sends her flying to the floor.

I Can't Even Watch The ASPCA Commercials

Maybe it's because we are expecting our own child, or maybe it's just because we have bleeding hearts when it comes to poor, sweet, defenseless creatures. But we have become very attached to the little bunnies in our yard. And very heart broken over the two we had to rescue from the death trap of Koby's mouth.

The first one was harder to witness. We watched as the bunny hopped toward the fence practically right into Koby's mouth. I yelled for him to drop it as I heard the little bunny scream, knowing it was already too late. I cried when he finally released the lifeless body from his jaws. And I'm not gonna lie, I still cry when I hear that little bunny's scream replaying in my head.

The second one, we didn't see it happen. We just saw another lifeless bunny dangling from Koby's mouth. Slightly more mangled then the first, but still just a toy to be caught and carried around. And I know what my dad would say, how that's just the facts of life and all that. But these were my baby bunnies. Sure I didn't feed them or produce them, but I made sure they were safe and getting fed. I ushered them to a safe bush so Mason could mow the lawn without giving them a hair cut. I cared for them the best I could without interfering with their own mothers duties. So yes, that is part of nature, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Dear Bunnies,
Please stay away from the fence. Do not try to go through the fence into the back yard. That is certain death. There is a big red monster who would like nothing more then to make you his new toy. The front yard and the side yard are yours to use as you please. Again, do not go near the fence.
Love,
The Giant Creatures Who Keep Bugging You.

Yet Another Baby Blog

Except, it's not about my baby. It's about the babies living in a little hole in my front yard. Mason found them just over a week ago while he was doing some yard work. (Sorry for the black & white, someone changed the settings on my camera and I didn't notice until it was too late).

When we first saw them, we couldn't really tell what they were. Squirrels? Bunnies? Mice? I'm sure you can guess which one we preferred. Based on the nest, we guessed bunnies.

We hoped that our disturbing of the nest would not make the mother abandon her babies. So we checked up on them every few days to make sure they were okay.

Today, there is no doubt as to what these little babies are.

I might have scared this one out of the nest, but the rest totally didn't mind my presence.

Death to Electronics!

As you all know, I killed Mason's work phone on Sunday. On Tuesday I tried to kill my work laptop. I dumped a cup full of soda right onto the keyboard. I quickly flipped it over to drain while I ran to get more napkins and then used my air can to blow it as dry as I possibly could. Then I watched as it powered itself down and started to reboot. I quickly shut it down and continued to dry it out before restarting. All the while stressing about how much time I'm loosing to actually get through the pile of work waiting for me. Oh, and that my laptop might be forever broken. I am happy to report that aside from some sticky keys, my laptop is still working as good as it ever did. Plus my fingers are getting quite the workout.

Yesterday morning, Mason took his book bag out of his car and threw it in the garage on the way out the door. Since he gets home before I do, I didn't bother to remember that the bag was in my way. Little did I know, Mason hadn't been inside yet, he was talking to a neighbor across the street. Fortunately I didn't completely run over the bag, just about half way. But Mason's scientific calculator was in that bag. And while I didn't kill it completely, there are two nice black spots where I the screen felt a little too much pressure. Whoops.

Oh and then I dumped an almost FULL glass of lemonade onto the floor last night. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that means I need a vacation.

Feeling a Little Tropical

Why? Because this month, we are a papaya.

I do like papayas, such a fun fruit. Plus our little papaya is developing taste buds so she can taste all those sweets that Grandpa will eventually be sneaking her. Cause that's what he does. Personally, I think he does it so she will go to him any time she wants the good stuff. Hmm, what does Grandpa have? That looks like a cookie... maybe if I climb up there I can steal it from him.

In other news, it was quite a hectic morning to compliment a tough evening. Yesterday, while in a mad rush to get some laundry done, I missed a very important pocket. You will all be happy to know that Mason's work phone is now clean (and broken). We agreed during the ink pen war that it was not my responsibility to check all of his pockets, and that he is lucky I wash any of his clothes at all. However, how is it that I caught a small key, but missed a heavy cell phone? I'm totally going to blame the pregnancy brain. And in case you were wondering, it took one of his good pairs of jeans getting ruined before the ink pens stopped appearing in the wash. We won't talk about all of my clothes that were ruined by them.

When putting on a fresh pair of pajama pants last night, I found the devastating truth. The new stretch marks on my butt were not lying. Oh how I wish they were. My butt has grown right along with my chin, my love handles and of course my stomach and boobs. I only agreed to two of these things getting bigger when I signed up for this whole pregnancy thing. Seriously, wasn't my booty big enough to begin with? Which in light of the whole cell phone thing, I didn't get much sympathy for my lack of pj's.

Because last night wasn't enough drama, this morning, we woke to sick puppy mess all over the kitchen floor. Good morning stinky house, how are you today? Sorry, I'm late boss, disaster on the home front. It's truly amazing that I was only 15 min late and that no one noticed. Well no one who cares noticed. I did have to park under the sappy tree once I finally got here, so perhaps a car wash is in my near future. Right after I violently scrub the entire kitchen of course. Wish me luck that the sickness is over and that there is no fresh mess waiting for me at home...

The Lower 40

If you like roughing it in the woods then this is the place for you.

If you enjoy needing 4-wheel drive to conquer the steep hills, this is the place for you.

If you get a kick out of looking down and seeing sparkly rocks while exploring Dry Creek then you'll be in for a real treat here.

If you enjoy the idea of taking pictures from a moving 4-wheeler, even if it means getting a blurry picture, then this is where you need to be.

If you have a big goofy dog who likes to run around with the 4-wheeler and then abandon you to return back to camp for a nap once you've worn him out, this is the place to take him.

If you enjoy watching the sunset through a bunch of trees on the top of a massive hill, then you need to spend your evenings here.