Get Real

OK, after my last post, which was a bit of a downer, I just had to share this.

I was looking at some pregnancy website stuff, and was looking at the exercise related stuff. Because while I am quite certain I won't overdo it, a girl's gotta be sure, right?

Well, one little "tip" said to weigh yourself before and after you work out and to drink 2 glasses of water for every pound they lost during their workout.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

HA! I say.

I'm pretty darn sure that I have never lost a pound of sweat during a workout. Ever. Much less during pregnancy. I mean, I'm all about the AC and fans. And if I start sweating buckets...well, it's time for the cool down.

Of course, this could be why my maternity clothes are large and extra-large rather than medium, but...oh well. I'm not going to sweat away POUNDS of fluid. Not voluntarily anyway.

Have a cool weekend!

So much for feeling better...

Thursday I thought I might die. OK, not really. But if I hadn't been able to sleep most of the day, I'd probably have wished at least a temporary, non-harmful coma.

Headache doesn't even describe what I felt. It wasn't a migraine, although most people who haven't had a real migraine would say it was. This morning it was much better, only to begin throwing up. Great. Luckily, that didn't last too long, and I think I'm on my way to feeling kinda-sorta good. Hope so, we've got a visit to my family scheduled for tomorrow!

I feel sort of petty even complaining about my minor ailments, though.

I have a friend that I work with that needs everyone's thoughts and prayers.

She just turned 30 this spring, which makes all these health problems even more troubling. She was first diagnosed with heart disease, then it was later determined she also has kidney disease. She's been in the hospital all week and will be there a good bit longer, it seems as they run more tests. I'm sure that she will be fine in the long run, it's just so scary for anyone, especially someone as young as her to have all these problems. And all the waiting is so hard, because you can't really deal with anything until you know what exactly you're up against.

I have another friend who's 32 who's just had her second chemo treatment...

It's so easy to get discouraged, but I will stay positive.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Could it be?

Dare I hope? Could it be?

This is day number two of feeling good. REALLY GOOD. I mean, I still get tired and winded more easily and all that fun stuff, but no headache (knock on wood). No sickness or anything. Well, brushing my teeth is a little tricky still, but otherwise, all is well.

I felt so good yesterday...get this: I worked out. This is something I did regularly before getting pregnant, but I haven't been able to even think about it for about, oh...3 months! I plan on working out again tonight, too. Look out world! ; )

So could this all mean that my all-day-long-think-you're-gonna-die sickness might be coming to an end? I sure hope so. I hate feeling like crap. I have stuff to do. Like clean out an entire room and closet to make room for the little one causing all the changes. And try to get my daughter to crawl into her toddler bed and fall alseep on her own and stay there all night long. Then work on potty training again. Because this first go around just hasn't worked AT ALL!

Sweet Baby Girl

First off, let me say that my daughter is normally dressed! But I decided to let her have some ketchup with her french fries and really didn't want another ruined shirt!




She loves to color these days! This particular session, however, she decided she'd rather color herself...then as always happens when she gets bored, she starts to eat them!! I hate it when she does that and take them away as soon as I realize what she's done, but I'm pretty sure eating crayons hasn't killed a child yet!



Ashleigh got a special treat a couple of weeks ago when her Mamaw took her to McDonald's for a Happy Meal. Doesn't she look like a little heathen in her do-rag?


Several weeks ago, I got Caiden's toddler bed from Rachel. Ashleigh hasn't slept in it nearly enough, but she sure loves to play in it!! If she ever gets quiet and I have to go looking for her, I almost always find her with some of her stuffed animals in her bed.

Shamu

OK, I finally decided I wasn't going to get any better, LOL!

Just keep in mind this was taken about 7:30pm, after a long day during which I felt particularly crummy...



And I weigh 3 pounds LESS than when I got pregnant!!! This is what I looked like at about 6 months with Ashleigh.

Where Did My Baby Go?

Seriously. I mean, I know where Ashleigh is, but what happened to my baby?

I've lost count of how many words she knows. It's unreal. And she's speaking in short little sentences. Here are some examples:
::Look Mama?
::Where did {insert whatever here} go?
::What was that?
::I'm sleepy.
::I'm OK!
::I want {juice, milk, cookie, nana, grape, etc.}
::Help me! (This one cracks me up every time)
::Bye-bye, miss you!
::Bye-bye, see you later!
::That's my chair.
::Get me down.

And I'm sure there are more. She'll be 20 months old Tuesday. I don't think we've got a baby genius, but I do believe she's ahead in the verbal skills area. Oh, and I'm sure you can imagine these aren't all pronounced perfectly, BUT you don't have to live with her to know what she's saying either. Everybody can understand her!

In other news (LOL)::
::I'd also like to thank the aliens for returning my car & house key. The sneaky suckers put them underneath my truck seat. But they sent me some sort of subliminal message to get me to look there, so I can't be too mad, I suppose.

::I'd also like help coming to terms with how quickly my waist has disappeared. I'm 3 months pregnant today I promise, this is how I looked at 6 months with Ashleigh!!! I'm going to try to take a "belly pic" today, even though I think I look a total mess. I plan on posting my monthly "belly pics" of course, and I think I'll also post my Ashleigh-pregnancy pics so you can compare. It's CRAZY!!!

Oh, how I love thee...

Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips. All I can say is YUM!

I think this qualifies as my first true craving this go around. I craved them with Ashleigh too, but not this early. With her, my first craving was refried beans. I still love those too. That was a much healthier craving than this chip business. I buy the fat free kind, and they're loaded with all sorts of things good for me. S&V Chips? Probably one of the worst things I could want. All that sodium? Don't need it. All those calories? Don't need them. All that fat? Don't need it. So I'm indulging myself very sparingly.

Of course, I've tried to get myself fixated on something much more beneficial...like cucumbers. But I only like those in large quantities when they've been turned in to yummy dill pickles!

I really need to not think about food at all, but it's hard some days. Last night, Kenneth and I watched a Travel Channel show about the Top 10 Places To Pig Out. Oh, that reminds me Kelley, have you ever eaten a pizza from Pointers in St. Louis? I can't imagine ever ordering the Pointersaurus (28" pizza that weighs 11 lbs. I think) but man, it sure did look good!! The steaks in Texas looked good, as well as the burgers that were in Boston, maybe? Of course, NOT at those gigantic proportions! I just don't see why anyone would even want to TRY to eat a 3 lb. burger and 5 lb.s of fries! OR a 72 oz. steak and all the sides. Ugh. There were some gross things on there too, like raw oysters (BLAH!!!), 12 egg omlets (ICK!!), really, really hot chicken wings (WHY??) and believe it or not, some HUGE bucket o' ice cream and topping of Ben and Jerry's. I, the sugar fanatic, thought that was just WAY too much.

Then today at work I had to type recipes for a project.

Then I decided to blog about the one thing I'm trying NOT to think of....

I think I'll go get a snack...

Bad Day/Good Night

Isn't funny how a bad day can morph seamlessly into a good night?

Nothing bad happened to me on Friday; I just felt...blah. I just didn't have the energy or inclination to do anything. Of course, I had to get up, go to work and do my job anyway--that's just what being an adult is about.

But when I got home, an almost magical transformation occurred! Kenneth had come home early and he'd done a little housework which is always welcomed and appreciated. But that's not what really did it. When I came in, he and Ashleigh were playing "Horsey." Which means he gets to be the horse while she bounces around and yells giddyup horsey! So fun to watch. I made a real quick dinner and then the three of us just hung out and played. It was WONDERFUL. The things she comes up with are just hilarious. Like right now, one of her big things is rubbing our back--and we have to rub hers. Well, she started rubbing Kenneth's back and he said "rub my foot." She started to, then said "Foot dirty!" Hilarious, to say the least. But to be fair, she said my feet, her feet and even her Pooh Bear's feet were dirty.

Speaking of dirty feet, she is a little TRAITOR! My dear sweet hubby has taught her a terrible thing. Each night, she decides her Daddy's boots and socks must come off and she helps. About a week ago, after each sock, he told her to go throw it on Mama. AND SHE DID. With great joy and glee, I might add. Now he doesn't even have to tell her. Last night she asked him if she could!!

I wish I'd had a video camera set up just to record our time together last night, so I could replay it when I'm feeling down. I started to get out the camera, but I was afraid the spell might be broken. So I guess other than sharing it here, it will just have to be our little memory to replay in our minds when the mood strikes us.

Pole Counter???

You'll never guess what I saw recently.

A "Pole Counter Contractor." At least that's what the magnetic signs said on the door of the SUV. And there was a lady, probably early 50's, in shorts, t-shirt and reflective vest who appeared to be counting poles. Hmm....

Wonder what that pays?

And who needs to know exactly how many there are? I'd think the phone company knows how many poles they have installed over the years, just as the electric company would know how many they have installed as well. Maybe someone thinks that there is a pole bandit out running amok placing poles willy-nilly all over the place?

If anyone knows the purpose of this person's job, please let me know!

It Must Be Aliens (and other random thoughts)

Yesterday when preparing to leave the house for work, I couldn't find my keys. Now understand, I have NEVER lost my keys before. EVER. I'm a "always keep them in my purse" kind of girl. I looked and looked to no avail. So I grabbed the spare out of the magnetic box on the bottom of my truck and off to work I went. Then during the day I thought I must have put them in my pocket when going in the house the afternoon before. Nope! More searching last night. Nothing. I even looked through the trash because when pregnant with Ashleigh I threw away Kenneth's cell phone! I wasnt' sure whether to be disappointed or relieved they weren't in the trash either. SO........aliens obviously stole my keys!

You know your taste in music is weird when you can't even understand it yourself! For example, I really can't stand Rihanna's song "Unfaithful!" I mean, come on. Stop your whining. Either dump your man, or stop being a ho! But I LOVE her song "SOS." BUT, I really like the Pussycat Dolls song "Don't Cha." Which, if you don't know...well, here's a line from the song, "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?" How can this be? I'll just say it's because "Don't Cha" is a fast "fun" song.

I got unreasonably upset this morning when the convenience store didn't have small containers of milk. Just plain old milk. Not chocolate milk, but milk. Why can they have about a quarter million containers of BEER but no milk. I was all upset, but didn't have time to make a second stop before work. So I bought Dr. Pepper. That's almost the same, right? And as I left, guess what was outside? A BEER TRUCK MAKING A DELIVERY! The new Texaco is obviously catering to the alcoholic crowd....

Hope you all have a good weekend. I plan to see if I can find where the aliens stashed my keys...

25%!

This is what Peanut looks like about now. Cool, huh? Weird to know that my little one could have the hiccups right now, or jump at a loud noise, and he/she is so small I wouldn't even feel it!

Today officially puts me 25% through my pregnancy.

Only 210 days left to go....

Oh wait!!! Dr. Otey said we'd do the C-section a week early, so that's 203 days, right?

Update on Life

Haven't posted for awhile, so here's a little recap:

Saturday
Felt great! Had one cranky child though. Did manage to get loads of housework done, in spite of that inconvenience.

Sunday
Didn't feel nearly as good, but my Mom came to visit which is always a treat. Especially this time, since she brought me TWO MORE maternity shirts. I still can't believe I actually NEED them this early. But I weighed again this morning, still 3 lbs. down from my prepregnancy weight. I'm beginning to get my appetite back, though. When I fully enter the "Hungry Cow" phase of pregnancy, that weight thing will change, I know.

Monday
Ashleigh's hospital testing. OH MY GOD IT WAS HORRIBLE! The first test involved inserting a catheter, filling her bladder with dye, then X-raying her when she peed. Well, it was bad enough when I was in the room with her, but I had to leave before the X-rays started due to my pregnancy. She was yelling "Mama, help!" and "I'm sorry!" over and over. I think I cried as much as she did! She calmed down quicker than I did though. When I went back in there to her, she was still crying, but said, "Mama, I on TV." Talking about the X-ray monitor. The ultrasound wasn't nearly as bad. As of now (Wednesday night) still haven't heard anything from the doctor's office. Beginning to lose patience. But the ultrasound tech said that everything looked good, so I'm not too worried about it.

Tuesday
Pretty easy day at work, felt kinda blah. No particular reason...just blah. Ashleigh slept in her toddler bed until about 3am. I couldn't sleep well until about 3am, when she was in bed with us. How much does THAT suck? I want her out of our bed, she needs to be out of our bed, but I couldn't sleep well when she wasn't there!

Wednesday
Felt not quite so blah, very tired though because I didn't sleep well. Made a squash casserole for dinner, it was pretty good. A little too runny, but good.

Ready for the weekend already!

Bits & Pieces

Well, here are two more things I said last night that struck me as terribly funny. I was talking to Ashleigh in both cases, just in case you wonder...

::Baby, don't rub your face in my crotch!

::Stop sticking noodles in your nose. No ma'am! STOP IT!! ACK!! Not in your ears either!!!

OK, in retrospect, the noodle thing isn't nearly as funny as the first one. But she was so darn INTENT on getting those noodles into her nose.

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Just found out that Ashleigh's tests are Monday morning at 8:00. Joy. A renal ultrasound and some other test referred to by letters. VCU or something like that? All I know is she freaks out when the doctors try to look in her ears. She might have a heart attack over this. NOT looking forward to it all ALL!

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Last night as I was trying to go to sleep, I realized I needed to adjust my attitude a little. I've been really caught up in worrying about money, bills, etc. Wondering where we're going to put all our "stuff" to make room for the little one on the way. I realized that while that stuff does have to be dealt with, I need to refocus my energy on the joy of bringing a new life into the world. I had such a great pregnancy and actually enjoyed it with Ashleigh; with the knowledge that she might be our only child. I had to remind myself how neat it's going to be when I can feel the baby moving. How exciting it will be to find out if we'll have a boy and girl or two girls. The anticipation of meeting our child for the first time. The joy of seeing Ashleigh with her sibling and knowing that she'll have someone to share her life with that grew up in the same house as her and all that involves.

And on a less "meaningful" note, I had to remind myself that hopefully feeling crappy will end in a few more weeks. Of course, stopping to throw up on the side of the highway this morning didn't really help that pep talk any...I'll spare you those details!

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Totally unrelated to anything really, but just feel the need to share: Shakira really bothers me. I've never been a huge fan, but her song came on the radio the other day and I almost hurt myself changing the station! That voice, UGH! Worse than nails on a chalkboard to me. I'm sure she's a nice person but if I NEVER hear her sing again I'll be truly happy. Sorry if I've offended any Shakira fans; I'll just blame it on pregnancy hormones run amuk!

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Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I have all sorts of ideas about cleaning out closets, etc. But lets be honest; I'll do well to keep the regular housework done. That and hang out with my family...

Due Date: February 15

Here's a look at our little peanut, about an inch long right now. Everything about our little one (and my inner workings) looks great, and we even got to hear the heartbeat yesterday. A heartrate of 176 seems awfully fast, but that's normal.

My doctor was really happy for us and answered all my questions. I don't know what came over me, but I didn't even ask him everything I intended to. I think it's because Kenneth was sitting there, I don't know... But I can now safely take certain sinus medicines which is a great relief!

He said he wanted me to come back to see him in 3-4 weeks, but my appointment is actually 5 weeks away, August 18. I'll have another ultrasound at that time (YAY!) just as a precaution since I was on the pill (Ortho Tri-Cyclen, just in case you're wondering) when I got pregnant. I think he's going to want to see me more often this time, for whatever reason. When I asked when we'd find out the sex of the baby, he said about 18 weeks-three visits from yesterday's visit. Well, that'd be 3 visits in 10 weeks (really closer to 9 weeks) and that's alot more than once a month by my calculations! But I don't mind, whatever they think is best. I don't care if I get ultrasounds at every visit! Hearing the heartbeat is nice, but actually seeing your little one is very exciting!

Ashleigh has been sick, with another urinary tract infection. Now they want her to have some tests to make sure there aren't any underlying problems. : ( I don't think there are. I think that it's the first one rearing it's ugly head because giving Ms. Priss her medicine is, well...really, really difficult. Do you know how hard it can be to force an uncooperative toddler to swallow? If not, you are truly blessed!

Fun Weekend

Ashleigh and I went to my parent's house for a few days over the holiday (Kenneth couldn't-he had to work Monday) and Ashleigh had lots of fun in their swimming pool. We didn't get any photos the first time we got in, but here are a few from the second time. Didn't my Daddy do a good job as photographer?

I think this expression is priceless! Wonder how many times I'll get that look as she grows up?


Love how joyful she looks in this one:


She LOVES to splash! I like the way the water drops look in this shot.

Better Late Than Never

I know this is a little late, but here are the Father's Day gifts I made. The one with the handprint is Kenneth's, and the one with the baby carriage is my Daddy's. That's how I told my parent's another grandbaby was on the way!

A little photo entry...

It's been awhile since I've posted any photos, so I figured I'd overdo it today!

Last weekend, we visited some family and here Ashleigh is, playing with her cousin Jayden, who's just a few days younger:



Ashleigh got lots of presents from the grandparents last week:



Some photos we took during my Mom's last visit:



Ashleigh's first time in the pool:


These are two of my favorite photos of Ashleigh from the past month or so:



In pregnancy news:
I'm six weeks along and feel about 4 months. Seriously. I haven't gained ANY weight, don't feel like eating half the time...BUT MAN, my clothes are sure getting tighter. Especially pants. I've already outgrown all the stuff that fit, and fear I'll quickly outgrow the things that were too big a month ago. I think before long I'll just have to switch to maternity stuff so people will know I'm pregnant, not just getting fatter at a frightening pace. You might think I'm exagerating, but I was looking through my little pregnancy scrapbook last night, I I think I look about like I did when I was 4 months along with Ashleigh. YIKES!! I know they say you show quicker with the second baby, but I'm beginning to worry all those twin predictions might be true.

Have a great weekend!

Things I've Realized

Today while working on a very tedious project, I had lots of time to think and I've realized a few things about myself:

-I really like alone time on occasion. Usually I can't get it when I want it.
-When I have alone time, it really ticks me off when I can't enjoy it; for whatever reason.
-My music tastes are very fickle. What I love today, I might HATE tomorrow.
-Even though I've done this "pregnancy thing" before, I've forgotten alot! I feel compelled to read every pregnancy book I can get my hands on. (Still skipping all the scary parts, of course!)
-I have been blessed with the most adorable, loving wonderful daughter. Can I be so blessed the second time? (OF COURSE!)
-I'm really hung up on the pregnancy stuff. Obsessed, really. Even though now I KNOW that things get infinetly harder AFTER birth.
-Will this be a boy or girl? Will he or she look just like Kenneth? Or will there be a little bit of me in there?

-I thought of a few other things, but I've forgotten them. (Yes, that little forgetfulness thing you've heard about pregnancy? Very true!)

Top 8 Mom Sayings

These are things that remind you that you're a Mom the second they come out of your mouth. Be sure to read to number 1, it's a doosey!
9. Don't grab other people's pee-pees. (Ashleigh walked up to me, grabbed my crotch and yelled pee-pee. Thank GOD we were at home.)
8. Don't eat the cat food!
7. Get your finger out of your nose. (At least, I HOPE you're talking to a child on this one.)
6. Stop chewing your toe.
5. Don't drink your bath water.
4. You can't eat that, it's been on your bootie! (Food out of high chair seat before I get it cleaned out.)
3. Don't stick your tongue in my nose!!! (Yeah, that was my reaction too!)
2. Don't try to look under someone's butt when they're on the toilet. (too hard to explain, trust me.
1. Sweetie, you're going to be a big sister because Mommy has a baby growing in her belly.

Yep, that's right. We found out last week that Ashleigh will have a brother or sister sometime in February, probably. I go to the doctor on July 11, I'll have an exact due date then.

And yes, it was a surprise.

And yes, after the shock wore off, we're very, very happy.

We don't care if it's a boy or girl, we just want a healthy child.

Yes, we'll find out if it's a boy or girl as soon as they'll do a sonogram! Not caring does NOT equal not wanting to know.

Just trying to answer all the obvious questions. ; )

OH, and for those of you out there on Ortho-Tricyclen...be careful. That's all I'm going to say...

12 Years Ago Tomorrow...

Kenneth and I will have been married for 12 years! Man, where has the time gone?

In 12 years we've:
::Had 10 (?) vehicles
::Bought a house
::Had 8 jobs
::Had one lay-off
::Had one broken leg
::Had one totalled car (that still makes me sad...)
::Had 2 hospitalizations (not related to broken leg OR totalled car)
::Lost 3 grandparents
::Worked through the possibility we might not have children
::Experienced the joy of having a daughter
::Realized we probably won't ever have any money, but that's OK
::Learned about ourselves and eachother

Best things about our marriage
::We're best friends
::We trust eachother completely
::We give eachother plenty of room and time to ourselves
::We can admit we get on eachother's nerves; and that's OK
::When we're upset with eachother and don't even like to be in the same room together, our love and committment is never in question!