A Good Top 10...For Becca

Apparently I am scaring my sister Becca out of having kids. This was not my intention with my Top 10 lists. And poor Becca, she wants to have something like, 25 kids so I guess I had better do as she requests, and give my Top 10 things I enjoy about being pregnant. (I am only doing this because Becca is hand-making the invitations to my baby shower. She is Martha Stewart-The Next Generation.)

The Excuses: You know what I really great about being pregnant? I have an excuse for EVERYTHING! It is great! I don’t look great one day…I am pregnant. I get extra cranky cause I stayed up too late watching television…I am pregnant. I ate McDonalds for dinner…I am pregnant.

The Excitement: Not only am I excited about this kid that cooking, but so is everyone else! It is great. Ryan is. My family is. His family is. Sera is. I love the feeling that surrounds this child. Peanut (That is the baby’s nickname.) will be one loved little baby!

Cute Baby Stuff: I get to buy adorable things for this baby and Ryan totally doesn’t care. I my nursery set is freaking cute! I will post a picture of what the blanket from the set looks like so that you may bask in its cuteness as I do often do.

The Fact That I Don’t Have Gestational Diabetes: This is pretty self explanatory but still, the fact that my blood sugar isn’t goofy during pregnancy is just one more thing that I haven’t had to deal with.

No Morning Sickness: So many women complain about being so sick during pregnancy and I have not been sick at all. I cannot even begin to tell how great it is that I have not had to spend my days with my head inside a toilet bowel. I mean, on top of toilets being full of germs no matter how much bleach I use, throwing up is just unpleasant.

Reading to My Unborn Child: I believe that the little baby in my abdomen can, in fact, hear me. And my friend from work named Janell gave me this great book by Dr Seuss called “Oh Baby! The Places You’ll Go” which is a rewrite of his classic “Oh the Places You’ll Go” but is specifically done to be read to babies in-utero. I love that even though it my words may not come across clear, that my baby can still hear my voice.

When People Can Tell I Am Pregnant: The first time someone looked at me and asked, “So when are you due?” was one of the most satisfying moments of my life. Yes, I am going to be a mother. Thank you for noticing and not just assuming that I am getting fatter.

The Kicks: I know that I have complained about these kicks waking me up on my list before, but they are also one of the coolest feelings that I have ever experienced. It is Peanut’s way of saying “Hello. I am still here.” I love it in a very special way.

The Naps: Finally, I can nap all I want and people don’t look at me like I am lazy. I simply tell them that I need extra sleep because I am making another human being!

All You Need Is Love: I know that being pregnant has made that statement even truer than it was before. I love Ryan more now than I did before. This baby makes my love for Sera stronger in that I realize now, how much of a miracle she is. It makes me love my Mom and Dad even more to know that they went through all of this to get me into this world. And my sibling for being so supportive. And more love to Ry’s family for how happy they are to have another little person joining the ranks. I there are more people I could list that I love even more now, but it would take way to much time to list you all. But you know who you are and why you are special to me. There is just so much love in the air and I couldn’t be happier.

So there you go Becca. Are you happy now? Will you please tell Spencer that you have changed you mind and someday you will let him have Spencer Jr.? I don’t want to be held responsible for him never getting an heir! And thanks to everyone who reads this and gets a laugh. Love to everyone!

P.S. I am going to say one thing that I hate…sorry Becca! The orange drink that I had to gag down to do my gestational diabetes test was AWFUL! I am glad my results came back normal but the prep was not pleasant.

My New Top 10

Sitting at my desk this morning I was re-reading my blog and saw my list of the top 10 things that were driving me crazy about being pregnant. As I predicted, that list has changed. And so now, I shall update you on my newest top 10. (Please note: some of these things will be the same because sometimes, the fun never ends!)

1. The Sweating: Have I mentioned how sweaty I have become? The hot flashes are causing me to sweat gallons upon gallons of sweat. IT IS GROSS! I don’t like being the sweaty person.

2. The Hunger: I am always hungry! I can eat a meal and literally like an hour later I am starting to feel a little hungry. And by 2 hours later, look out! I will eat anything I can that isn’t labeled toxic.

3. The Hip Pain: As most pregnant women can tell you, the bones in our bodies start to get softer as they prepare to have a baby. And my hips, HOLY CRAP! They are getting so sore and after some of my longer days at work, I can barely walk that night.

4. The Heartburn: I have heard of pregnant women having awful heartburn and I get to join that club. I am eating so many Tums that I should just consider taking stock in the company.

5. The Hair Growth: As I was warned by other mothers, the rate of hair growth during pregnancy can change. And it has! OH JOY! Not to mention I had to pluck a hair off my chin this morning that was almost an inch long. How embarrassing is that?

6. The Bathroom Urgency: Does this really require an explanation? I am sure that this urgency is only going to get worse as the baby grows and puts more weight on my bladder.

7. The Hormones: I am cranky…A LOT! The end.

8. The Planning: Having a baby requires a lot of planning that I wasn’t prepared for. Sure the picking out of cute baby items is great, but do I really have to have a “Birth Plan”? I mean, isn’t the plan that is comes out after a certain point and then give you hell for the next 18 years? Doesn’t that sum it up?

9. The Rude Awakenings: This kid likes to move quite a bit and I am totally okay with that. I would rather have the baby be moving than not moving. I am totally fine with it except for the times I get a swift kick to my insides at 5 am and it wakes me up from sleep. But, I guess I should just get used to being woken up at all hours of the night since soon, it will be cries, and not kicks that sound the call.

10. The Sleeping Habits: I can no longer sleep comfortably. That is all there is to it and there is nothing I can do for the next 12 weeks. I have accepted that I will never sleep “normally” again.

So that is my latest list and undoubtedly it will change again before the next 12 weeks is done. But I am getting very excited to meet this kid who gives me so much grief sometimes. Every time I see a baby now, I get antsy. I want one and luckily, I won’t have to wait too much longer. Much love!

P.S. I am going to finally post my ultra-sound picture of my baby since many of you have asked. Sorry I have been a slacker!

A Not So Quick Update

Hello to everyone! Another week down and another week closer to everything changing…for the better of course. J I will be 28 weeks pregnant on Sunday and I could not be happier that things have still continued to go well for me. I will admit that certain things are getting harder to do, like vacuuming my stairs or carrying heavy bags of litter for the ferrets. But for the most part, I am still managing just fine on my own. Don’t misunderstand, however, I still miss Ryan like crazy and wish with all my heart he could just come home.

Ryan, as always, does everything he can for me even though he is a few hundred miles away. He calls every night and we talk. Sometimes it is only for a few minutes and other times it for an hour or so. We have also taken to using MSN video chat so that we can talk and play UNO or Poker at the same time. It has helped in me missing him quite a bit.

The baby is still doing well. I am getting used to feeling all the movement, which is a weird, but great feeling. My next doctor’s appointment is this next Tuesday. Hopefully I will not have gained 10 pounds, which what I feel like has happened. So far my weight gain has been perfect! Not gaining too much and not gaining too little. It is still strange to see how big I am starting to get and how tight my abdomen is. And the hot flashes….OH THE HOT FLASHES! I will literally have sweat SOAKING my hair at random times during the day. And all of this effects my sleeping and makes me very tired during the day. Pregnancy is supposed to be this beautiful thing, IT AIN’T! See that? I used the word ain’t folks…can you see the seriousness of this situation?

My step-daughter Sera was telling me the other night that I should put another baby in my tummy now so that it can start growing while the other baby is in there. That way, when the first baby comes out, I will already have another cooking. I wasn’t about to explain to her how having babies works…I’ll leave that conversation for a later date. But I do appreciate her enthusiasm at Ryan and I having babies and that she wants us to have many. I wanted to tell her that once I was able to swim to shore through the lake of sweat I am currently producing, I might be in a state of mind where I would consider doing this again. (Also as a side note, Sera is convinced that we are having a boy this time around. I shudder to think what happens if this one comes out with a vagina.)

Since I last updated, Ryan and I also celebrated our 2 year anniversary. It was a blessed event where I splurged and ordered take-out steak from Texas Roadhouse and chatted online with Ryan while playing UNO. Fabulous! Not exactly the dream evening that we would have liked but it was nice. And Ryan sent me roses, of course, which were gorgeous and perfect. I am one of those women who LOVES getting flowers and Ryan totally plays into that. I married one smart cookie! And he also does it because he loves me unconditionally and always tries to show me that. Such a great guy!

Also, for those of you who are in the loop, my most wonderful Grandma Diane is doing well. Her thyroid cancer is a stage 2 cancer which means she has to do radium therapy. The last I heard was that when the doctor removed her thyroid he got all of the cancer and that once she finishes her radium therapy, she should be good to go. Of course, this my Grandma’s second cancer so I’m sure she’ll have lots of follow up tests in the future to make sure she is still doing well. I am glad that her prognosis is so great and that she has such a positive outlook. I think a positive attitude makes a big difference in recovery.

That is going to be it for this update. I want to send love to all my friends that have been keeping in touch with me. And of course to my family, including my in-laws, who are always so supportive and caring! Love to you all until next time!

Let's go to "The Goon"

So last Memorial Day my parents had this plan to go to Lagoon. I am not a fan of Lagoon on any normal day because it is so expensive just to get into the park-$41.95 plus tax just to get into the darn place! And then, on top of that, unless you bring your own food and drinks you have to pay like $3.50 for just a drink. It is crazy! My family always packs a cooler for food and drinks so we don’t have to pay for all that, but still, there are other fun things to do there that you have to pay for. Like the go-carts, for example, are about $7.00 a person. It is pretty ridiculous.

But on top of all that, I am six and a half months pregnant. So I totally wasn’t going to go. Like I would have fun just watching everyone go on rides? But then I talked to my brother Byron and he really wanted me to go so that it was he, my parents, and I. And then my mom offered to pay for my entrance into the park. So I agreed. Besides, there had to be something I could do right?

For all other pregnant women who are convinced to go to Lagoon by their loved ones, please be aware these are the rides that you can go:

Sky Ride-the one that goes from one end of the park to the other.
Ferris Wheel
Train
Flying Aces
Merry-Go-Round
Dracula’s Castle-Please note that there are 2 haunted houses in Lagoon. Dracula’s Castle and then the Terroride, which is across from the merry-go-round. Only Dracula’s Castle was approved for pregnant women.

Six rides that I found in the entire park! I was actually impressed that there was even six. Now, I didn’t go on all of the rides I listed. There wasn’t time to do all that and for my family to go on the rides that they wanted to go on. I went on the train, flying aces, and, because my brother forced me to go with him, Dracula’s Castle. But on top of that, I had fun with my family. My parents are fun to be around and my brother always makes me laugh. Byron and my mom were even good enough sports to go on The Cliffhanger because I asked them to. It was such a fun day even though I couldn’t go on all my favorite rides. So I just wanted to say thanks to my family for making it such a fun day!

WHAT THE H@#$?!?!?

On Monday night I was driving home from work and saw perhaps one of the weirdest things I think I have ever seen. I have seen some pretty random things, like a man playing a trumpet while driving down I-15. (No I am not kidding.) This however, was in a class all it’s own.

On the side of the road I could see a cop car parked with its lights on. There were no other cars pulled over nor were there any motorcycles or even a bicycle. But the cop was obviously talking to someone…I just couldn’t see who that was.

As the traffic inched closer I could see people looking. So naturally, when traffic came to a stop, I looked too. What I saw…oh boy! There was a tall skinny man who appeared to be in his 60’s. He was very pale and his gray hair was obviously thinning. He was wearing over-sized sunglasses on his face. You would think the following would all be normal right? WRONG!

His top was a bright red sports bra. I blinked a couple times to be sure I was seeing things correctly. His bottoms were just as weird being that they were a pair of some of the shortest denim cutoff shorts I think I have EVER seen! And I believe he finished his outfit off with a pair of strappy red heels. I am not 100% sure about this because he was standing in grass.

Oh wait! I also forgot to mention that across his exposed abdomen, written in red paint or red lipstick or some sort of red substance was the word “SLUT.” I am sure that this is what encouraged the police officer to pull over. The man must have been on foot because like I said, the cop car was the only vehicle pulled over. I wish I knew what had been going on with guy! Was he crazy? Did he lose a bet? Or perhaps was he advertising? And that poor cop just looked so confused.

I wish I could have taken a picture with my camera phone but as soon as could take the image in, traffic started moving again and so I continued on my way home. I have, however, used my paint shop feature on my laptop to give you a CRUDE artist’s rendition. I hope that this amazes all of you as much as it did me. ENJOY!

P.S. Notice how happy my picture looks! I am sure that no matter what, this man was a very happy man!

So Much...

I haven’t been blogging for the last couple months. Period. Life has been crazy and I have had many other things to do. I am however going to take a moment now to update.

Yes, Ryan is gone. I drove to Mississippi with him April 1st to April 5th and then with many tears and much sadness, left him there. Saying goodbye is never easy. But saying goodbye for six months to the father of your unborn child is much harder than I expected. I cried my whole flight from Gulfport Mississippi to Denver Colorado. I was sitting on the very last row with my hood up on my black jacket, sunglasses on, quietly sniffling and wiping away my tears. People probably thought I was a terrorist. I am sure the flight attendant with nervous about asking me if I wanted anything to drink because who knows what chain of events he might set off. Instead, I ordered water with extra napkins. He kindly brought me extra tissues instead.

Since that day, things have been okay. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss Ryan. He is my better half and it sucks not having him here. But I survive and so does he and we both know that what he is doing is important for the future of our family.

Right around my birthday, Ryan was very sweet and got me a new dog. Her name is Freya and we got her from the Utah Humane Society. We aren’t 100% sure what kind of dog she is. She must have some beagle in her and who knows what else. We have heard everything from Collie to Pit Bull to Jack Russell terrier. All I know is that I love her. She is a great dog. Well…she is a great dog with the exception that she is Houdini Dog. And when she escapes from her kennel, she makes a mess. A VERY BIG MESS! HUGE!

At first Ryan and I had her in a smaller wire kennel. Her escape from this was partly our fault. She was too big for this kennel and simply pushed on the back of it and popped the side open. From there she got into the garbage and used our hallway as a restroom. I think she also ate a pair of my socks.

So we upgraded. We bought a larger enclosed plastic kennel. She did fine in this kennel for almost 3 months. That is, she did until a couple weeks ago. I get home from a long day of work to be greeted at the door by my little escapee. I am also greeted my a massive mess including with little was left in my garbage can since I had taken it out the day before as well as a box of cereal that she had gotten out of my cupboard.

Upon inspection I discovered that she escaped by chewing a hole in the side of her kennel. No, I am not kidding. When I left for work, there was no hole. When I came home there was a hole, a dog on the loose, and very large mess. Don’t believe me? I have a picture. In one day, this dog chewed a hole in her kennel!

So now I am mad…mad at myself for being out-smarted by my dog. So I go to Petsmart and buy another wire kennel, but this one is much bigger. While there I tell a couple members of the Petsmart staff what my dog has done and they are amazed. Amazed by my escape-artist dog. I would go so far as to say they were impressed by her breakout skills.

But I can’t just leave it at the wire kennel now. She has already proven that she can pop the side open with these so I enlist the help on my Dad who uses nylon zip-ties to secure the kennel. Now I am sure she can’t get out.

What happened next is all my fault. I underestimated my dog. I should have known. The new kennel made it one day with no jail breaks. By day two, she had formulated a plan. At some point during the day, my dog got the bottom lock on the kennel door open and was able to then push the door open enough to squeeze through the bottom. And the reward for my mistake? The biggest mess she had yet to create. Not only did she crap on my floor, shred every bit of garbage she could get her teeth on, empty the bottom to shelves of my bookcase onto the floor, and tear open a box of potato flakes and bag of flour, but she also destroyed the plastic blinds in my kitchen and chewed 2 of the slats of my wood blinds in my living room. She wasn’t just upset she was in the kennel, she must have been furious and I paid the price for my ignorance and over-confidence. I once again was out-smarted by a 25 pound dog!

So now she is back in the kennel and I am having to padlock the door shut. It has held up for three days but I am no longer going to be arrogant about it. She has gotten the best of me three times now and I am not going to let that happen again. Hopefully this one will hold, but I am not going to hold my breath. My dog should be in a circus freak show. This is why she ended up at the Humane Society…she got the best of her last owners. But not me! I am determined to win this war!

Other than all of that, things are going just fine. The baby seems to be doing well and developing great. I am now about 23 weeks pregnant. And I am feeling all 23 weeks now. My first trimester was so easy that my second has been much harder. My OBGYN says this should be my “honeymoon period” but I am not feeling it. I didn’t have a hellish first trimester so all the changes I am experiencing now seem much worse than they may have for other women.

I have hip pain, bloating, fatigue, heartburn, and hunger. LOTS OF HUNGER! I can eat a meal and 60 minutes later, I am feeling hungry again. It is nuts! And my pants….I am wearing pants that have a stretchy panel in the front to accommodate my ever-growing belly. I feel like a damn Chia pet! All I can do the water myself and watch me grow. My weight gain has been perfectly normal but still, I feel like I have gained 20 pounds in this last month instead of only 4.

But I am happy with my development. Things are normal and I could not be any more grateful. I know life with my new baby will not always be this easy or normal but I can only count my blessing and continue to pray that things continue in this direction for the rest of my pregnancy.

Thanks to everyone who has kept in touch. I am always thankful for your love and support. I will keep you updated and hopefully my next blog won’t take so long that it’s title will be “IT’S A BOY!”

My Top 10

It seems like now that I am pregnant, I have much more to say which equals much more blogging. (What this really means is I have more to be sarcastic and whiney about.) So I have compiled a list of the current things that are annoying me about being pregnant.

My stuffy nose-a fun and unexpected side effect caused by the changes my body is going through.

My fatigue-apparently when your body is using all its energy to create someone else’s body, you become exhausted!

Constantly being thirsty-I am drinking water all the time now which makes me need to use the bathroom frequently.

People telling me what is good for because I am pregnant-Thank you, I know I should be eating more veggies, getting lots of rest, stopping the cocaine use…ect ect.

Sneezing-any woman who has been pregnant knows what I mean here!

Hormones-I am already bitchy enough as it is, I don’t need any help.

People scolding me for not finding out what the sex of my baby will be ahead of time-my uterus, my baby, MY CHOICE!

Putting baby furniture together-Luckily Ryan does 99.9% of the work. But the .1% that I help with is annoying.

How sensitive I am to smells-I am constantly fighting back my gag reflex.

Buying new clothes-it is expensive and I am not going to be wearing them long.

I know that things are only going to get worse from here. Please, don’t send me emails telling me that is “best” is yet to come. I understand all of that. I am just complaining because I can. And it isn’t all bad...some parts are great.

Also, just a quick update. Ryan and I leave for our 4 days drive to Mississippi on Wednesday. I am going to drive down with him and then will fly back Sunday afternoon. The trip is going to be very bittersweet for me. But I will take my camera and hopefully get some pictures posted when I get back. Love to you all!