Wednesday, August 31, 2011

So Much Sugar

Today was my glucose test at my doctor. I have one word for you: yuck.

I was dreading today and did not have high expectations going in that it would be an enjoyable experience. I really hope I pass this so I don't have to do the 3 hour version. I had to fast after midnight, which included water. I did sneak a cup of water this morning because I was expecting to have a regular OB appointment today as well. I woke up pretty hungry, (even with my snack before bed), but found the strength to not beg and plead on my hands and knees ask Phil for something to munch. We get to appointment where I'm greeted by a nurse, who has only been working there for 2 weeks. They are already in the middle of transitioning to a brand new computer system that the veterans are trying to get a handle on. Bottom line: she hands me the drink and tells me to drink it, then eat lots of protein. Confused, Phil and I go to the lab area where I ask the receptionist about it. She said no eating until after the test, which is what I thought in the first place. Here are my thoughts about that drink.

1) I love sweets so I didn't think it would be so bad. Um... try I'm not eating anything sweet for at least a week!
2) I heard the drink is better cold. My was a little cooler than room temperature. Yippee.
3) They apparently don't take your blood an hour after you start drinking, but after you finish. So I had to slowly chug 10 oz of that red stuff, (while trying not to throw up), before she could give me the papers to give to the lab.
4) After just two sips, I felt like my eyes looked like this:
{via - 10 cool points if you recognize this movie without clicking here}

And now that I'm coming down from that, I feel like they look like this:
{via - You know, the whole "is she awake or asleep? I can't tell by her eyes" thing}

Yeah. So after that, since I have an hour, I turn in our papers and money to register for 3 classes: birthing, taking care of baby, and infant CPR. Then I went to straighten out the appointment thing. I have to go back tomorrow for my regular appointment, but I'm already on the calendar for the next 2 appointments :) Finally, we go on a tour of the facility. It is such an awesome place! First of all, it's very small, but in a good way. There are 23 rooms that have a recliner, couch with a pull-out bed for dad, a large cabinet center with a TV/DVD player and a place to hang your clothes, a spacious bathroom and a place for baby to sleep. They do have a nursery with a level 2 NICU, but they encourage mothers to keep baby in the room for bonding. They also have waiting areas near the rooms since you get up to 3 people in the room when it's time to push. They do have an OR for C-sections as well. The mom gets free meals brought to her, but they don't mind having food brought in. There are no visiting hour limits - it's all up to mom and dad. Regular deliveries stay 1-2 days and C-section deliveries stay 3. My favorite part? Before being discharged, mom gets a 15 minute massage and baby gets a 10 minute massage ;) I was teasing Phil about that one! HAHA

After that we still have some time before I was finally called into the lab to get my blood drawn. My arm is butchered yet again. I don't see how someone can be so bad at this. This is what she does for a living for crying out loud!! Phil says I do have sensitive veins, but the technique is clearly a little off on her part. Ya think?! There's a blister forming where the needle was. I hate it when I see her in the lab because I know it's just gonna hurt so bad. Everyone else is so nice and helpful so I'm surprised by this lady. Oh well. This is the other reason I don't want to fail - no more needle pricks for a awhile!

After all that, Phil took me to IHOP for some savory breakfast foods! I scarfed my eggs, turkey bacon and hash browns! They were so yummy :) As we pulled into IHOP, I got a call from the doctor saying they registered us for the October birthing class we requested, but that the only classes available that we wanted are in November for the "taking care of baby" class and December for Infant CPR. They said infant CPR is not required before birth so I can always take it in January since the December class is the day before my due date. She was nice enough to put us on the waiting list in case anyone backs out for November. I'm glad people are taking the classes, but I think it's silly they are so small that they fill up that fast. Oh well. I'm just happy we're all registered! Now I'm at work for the rest of the day and hoping that I don't have a sugar crash.

In other news, I think I'll get the whole day off next Tuesday for my mom's visit!! That makes me so very happy :D I can't wait to see her! Plus, the highs will be in the 80's when she gets here. The last time we saw the low, which is in the 60's, was May 26th. It has not been cooler than 74 degrees since then. I'm so so ready for the cooler weather.

I hope you're having a great Wednesday!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Tuesday?

Oh me on my. Did Tuesday not get the memo that it's no longer Monday? It hasn't for me at least. Here's just a quick look at what's happened the last 36 hours...

- Monday was a bit crazy at the office, then it got so quiet in the afternoon I had about 5 phone calls after lunch. It's hard getting used to being alone most of the time.
- Phil threw away our broken nightstand since it was coolish yesterday. He ended up pulling his hamstring and I nursed him back to health
- I woke up late this morning
- Someone brought a life-sized, cardboard cut-out of Mr. Spock and he's hanging out by the front door of our building. It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't make me jump 3 times a day because I think he's a real person.
- My shirt was inside out when I got to work. After I fixed that problem, I noticed all the deodorant streaks on the side of my shirt.
- My nose had a small bleed this morning
- I can't get my boss on the phone today :(
- Every time I come up with a career idea, I love it and get excited, then I start to doubt everything and talk myself out of it by the end of the day. It's pretty exhausting and I wish I would stop.

Of course, a few good things have happened too...

- I got the headband I ordered for Jill's going home outfit! (It's the "Julia" under Bowbands) Picture to follow :)
- We finally threw away the broken nightstand
- My mom is coming to visit and will be here in less than a week!
- We have money in the bank and we're healthy which is good any day
- Jill kicks every day and I love it. It like she reminds me she's here, loves me and is growing!

To leave on a good note, I read this post yesterday from Shannon at Life After I "Dew" and I just loved it! I hope you enjoy it too.

Happy Tuesday!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Bébé Week 25 Update


Today's date: August 27, 2011

How far along: 25 weeks

Total weight gain: I only gained .5 pounds this week and I feel like I'm always eating. I get full faster, but I get the urge to eat about every 90 minutes. I read a tip that, if I'm not hungry, I should try smoothies so I can get Jill the calories she needs to grow. I'm up for that ;)

Size and growth of the baby: 
Jill is now the size of a eggplant - 13 1/2 inches and between 1 1/2 to 2 pounds! She is starting to learn the difference between right side up and upside down. She is also starting to show a preference between her left and right hand! If she were to be born this week, (don't get any ideas baby girl!), she would have a chance of surviving thanks to modern medicine and NICU advances.  {per}

Sex: It's a girl!

Maternity clothes: Almost everything is maternity. I wear non-maternity shirts and shorts when I'm lounging at home though.

Sleep: I'm getting sleepy at the end of the day again. It's nowhere near my fatigue in the 1st trimester, but I have been taking more naps lately. I still have cleaning energy though!

Best moment(s) of the week: Being able to see her kicks and Phil finally seeing them as well! I think she had the hiccups this morning.

Movement: I feel movement every single day and it's wonderful. Some days she a little more quiet, but I always feel something. She has gotten very sneaky about when she does it. It's almost as if she's learned the words "look", "come here" and "feel" because she stops almost immediately. The little booger ;) For my friends that have asked, it doesn't hurt at all. In fact, it feels more like muscle spasm, but you know it's for a cooler reason.

Food cravings/aversions: My aversions haven't changed too much since I've been taking my medicine. I did try tacos again this week and it went over well! That made me happy. I have been craving pecan pie, pumpkin bread, banana and chocolate chip bread, tomatoes, and peanut butter (in small doses). I try not to give in to my cravings too much just so I can keep my weight gain under control. 

Morning sickness: I still take Zofran everyday at lunch just to be safe. I get queasy from time to time, but overall it's much better than before.

Symptoms: Obvious baby bump, peeing a lot, stretch marks, uterus/lower abdomen feels heavy, baby kicks, lower back pain in the morning, heartburn/acid, gassy, and pretty emotional.

Labor signs: None

Belly button in or out: In

What I miss: Not a thing :)

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing my mom next month, my doctor's appointment on the 31st (minus the glucose test part), and finding out if my placenta has fixed itself.

Today is also a special day for Phil and I. 7 years ago, I went on my last first date :) Since Phil never officially asked me to be his girlfriend, (he said he didn't do stuff like that), we use our first date as a reference for how long we've been a couple. For fun, we are recreating our first date by going to a Chinese buffet and a movie! Even though our first date was in Tulsa, we can still do the same things :) I can't believe it's been 7 years. If you had told me then that we'd be married in 4 years and then expecting our first child 3 years later, I would have laughed my head off! I really liked Phil, but I had just started college and had no idea how my future would unfold. I am so blessed and thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with Phil. He has been wonderful as a boyfriend, husband, and now future father. He is my best friend and my prince charming. 

{Our first photo together - Christmas 2004 after my choir concert}


I love you Phil :)


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Mid-Week Rundown

This week has been a little off-kilter for me.

- My week started with a surprise Monday morning. My boss is going to be doing some personal business for the next 3 months so I will be working alone in the office about 90% of the time. And my other boss is still on maternity leave officially. She's come in for about 2 hours here and there to get the baby used to the office environment. However, most of the time she's still not here. So until she's back full time, I'm manning the ship. It's kinda scary, but I know I can do it. I just get overwhelmed a little faster than normal.

- I don't know why Target decided to change their website, but I don't like it. First of all, it's harder to read light typing on a dark background and they have white on a red background as their banner. Secondly, the graphics and such are kinda cheesy and weird - especially on the baby registry. And that's not all, my account is suddenly gone. I created an account years ago when Phil and I registered for our wedding. It was under my old email with my maiden name. After we were married, I changed the email to my new email address. Since then, I've made multiple purchases, made a wish list and now our baby registry is there as well. I can't sign in with my current email address and it never sends me a password reminder like it says it is. For the past 36 hours, it has been frustrating me. So this morning, I tried using my old email address. Lo and behold it worked! Then I noticed it didn't have my latest purchase listed in my account. Then I tried to manage our baby registry and it didn't have that listed either!! I looked it up and our registry is up and running, but I have no access to it!! So I finally broke down and emailed Target's registry help center. Hopefully they can help me with this. I just want to know why. Why would you change the site anyways? Why would revamping a site mess up my account like this? I just want my old site back, my account to work, and for Target to still be my favorite. I love Target and all, but this could be a deal breaker. If this doesn't get resolved, I'll have to just transfer all our registry to Babies R Us. I don't want to, but it may be necessary.

- I have a confession to make: because of how I grew up, I don't like asking for gifts. It makes me feel selfish and it's always a struggle for me to list out all the things I want for birthdays, Christmas, etc. That's why I love online lists. It's the things I like that I can buy myself when we have money, (HAHAHA like that ever really happens), yet people can view the lists and see what I would like. Now I understand that the baby registry is for Jill. These are things she needs and things we have to have to keep her safe, fed, and happy. I really do get that. However, I just feel guilty. Our most expensive item is her crib and it's only $200. That killed me. I just wish I can put this in perspective and not feel greedy/grubby about it. I want Jill to have everything she needs as well as a few things she wants without being spoiled.

- I'm having dinner with a girl tomorrow that I've known for about 2 years. We're not particularly close, but she's going through some stuff that I have a little experience dealing with. I just hope whatever I say will be helpful and comforting :)

- Phil was up for an upgrade with his cell phone and ended up getting the phone he's been wanting for a year now. The best part? Since it's a generation behind, it was $0.01. That's right, a single penny! And, thanks to Amazon Prime, he got free shipping. He has had it for about 24 hours now and just loves it. I just hope he remembers his wife and child need attention too! HAHA

- My mom gets to visit in just over 2 weeks!! I'm really sad my dad can't come, but I'm happy to see her for sure!

- Even though I have been happy ever since I took over the family finances, I find that it's been stressing me out. I want to crunch the numbers about 30 times every day just to make sure it's all going to work out. Plus, with all these extra expenses that keep coming up, (tag renewal, birthing classes, vision insurance, etc), we don't have much extra money. We have birthdays and anniversaries and a baby coming and I want to get nice things for. Don't even get me started on Christmas! Plus, with me wanting to stop working in mid-November to get ready for Miss Jill, I just don't know how we'll pull it off. Phil will have to get a job before or shortly after Jill is here in order for us to pay bills/get her health insurance. It's all I can think about. Will someone hug me and tell me it's ok?!

- I have been waking up starving lately. I think that's what I'm most nervous about for my glucose test next Wednesday: the fasting part. I can't even drink that much water either. Hopefully I'll make it through :)

- I can feel Jill most days and it's probably the coolest thing ever! Sometimes she's towards the back and I don't get to see her move. Other times, I can watch as she kicks or pushes on my belly. It's so strange to think of a human being in there, but I'm just in awe of her and the miracle God has blessed me with!

- My friend just started nursing school and came over to take my vital signs at work yesterday. For fun, she took her stethoscope to see if she could hear Jill's heartbeat. It took a second to find her, but she said she could faintly hear it! My blood pressure was a little high, (128/88), but I'm not too concerned. I had a rough morning at work so I'll blame it on that.

I hope y'all are having a good week :)

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Bébé Week 24 Update



Today's date: August 20, 2011

How far along: 24 weeks

Total weight gain: I actually maintained my weight this week. I am still my pre-pregnancy weight :)

Size and growth of the baby: 
Jill is now the size of a standard letter - 8 1/2 inches and 1 1/2 pounds! Her face is fully formed, she is starting to gain her cute baby fat, and kicking away! {per}

Sex: It's a girl!

Maternity clothes: Pants are maternity unless they are my gauchos from 5 summers ago. I wear a mix of regular and maternity shirts, but it's usually maternity.

Sleep: I'm starting to get the hang of sleeping on my side, but when I wake up on my back, my lower back usually hurts a little.

Best moment(s) of the week: Finishing registering, having Phil feel a good kick and just being one week closer to seeing her beautiful face.

Movement: I feel kicks every single day. She did have a quiet day on Thursday, but she picked back up on Friday. I don't always see the movement outside, but feeling it makes me feel happy :)

Food cravings/aversions: Same aversions as before. Not many new cravings either. I would love some caramel apples, but that will have to wait until the fair next month.

Morning sickness: I still take Zofran everyday at lunch just to be safe. I get queasy from time to time, but overall it's much better than before.

Symptoms: Obvious baby bump, peeing a lot, stretch marks, uterus/lower abdomen feels heavy, baby kicks, lower back pain in the morning, heartburn/acid, gassy, and pretty emotional.

Labor signs: None

Belly button in or out: In

What I miss: Nothing really :)

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing my mom next month, my doctor's appointment on the 31st (minus the glucose test part), and finding out if my placenta has fixed itself.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Friday Lessons

{found here, but could be from here as well}
So ready for this...

I don't know about you, but I feel like I end up learning things the hard way. Sometimes it's just a goofy situation, while other times it's disheartening. Aside from not having to work, I really look forward to the weekends because it's one week closer to Jill's arrival :) However, I feel like I can only relax and enjoy the weekend if I let some of the things that happened to me during the week go. So I'm typing them out and letting it go.

This week, I learned the hard way:

  • that even if you take a shower the night before, if you don't allow time in the morning to fix your hair, your hair will be a big ball of frizzy, wavy hot messiness.
  • that even a ponytail will not help with said ball of hot mess known as your hair.
  • that some mornings you have to choose between fixing your hair and putting on makeup. If you choose your hair, at least put on some mascara. If someone comes by your office to visit your boss, you don't want to look like a ghost.
  • that even if you drive home takes 8 minutes at most, you will still run into at least 2 jerks that not only tailgate you, but they live in your apartment complex and you will want to hunt them down, (but don't for legal reasons).
  • that people are rude enough to let their dog poop on the sidewalk you use every time you leave your apartment.
  • that even when you go by two mornings in a row to your complex office to ask them to please pick it up, even the apartment people will not do this. In fact, they may just brush it into the grassy area.
  • that no matter how much I want to clean thanks to my nesting kick, I still need to take it easy. When my back starts to ache, I need to sit down and relax
  • that even the days that he makes me mad, my husband is still my biggest fan, my constant support, and my best friend :)

Happy Friday!!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

These Dreams...

{via}

Boy do I wish I was just referencing this song. Unfortunately, I had a horrible night of sleep due to some super creepy dreams.

Have you ever woken up from getting the goosebumps? That's what happened to me... twice. I don't remember the dream I had before my first bathroom run at 1 a.m., nor do I really remember the beginning of my first dream. However, it was horrible none the less.

The dream took a scary turn when a girl I was with and I had to go to our church to make sure it was locked up. I do know this girl in real life, but haven't spoken to her in several years. When we got to the church, it was the inside of the church my dad served in Arkansas. We get inside and a light is on in the hallway. We figure out the janitor must have come because the light is on near the janitor's closet, a stain on the carpet shows that it's wet, and a mop is leaning against an open door. My partner tries to work the water fountain as I stare down the long, dark hallway. My eyes start to play tricks on me and I think I notice little black cats crossing the hallway. I offer to buy her a drink in a vending machine in the fellowship hall next door. We walk into the large, empty room, (empty besides this random vending machine), and I take out 3 $1 bills. I put one in and the machine doesn't like it. As I attempt to put it in again, we hear the organ in the sanctuary start playing. My partner asks if the janitor is practicing for Sunday and I explain the janitor doesn't know how to play the organ. The music stops as we enter the sanctuary. We get about halfway down the aisle before I turn around towards my partner and suggest that we go back. At that precise moment, the organ starts to build a chord. Then it lets out this really creepy minor chord that includes the sound of a full choir singing notes within the chord. I start to slowly turn around and get goosebumps. The worse the goosebumps get, the more I can feel them in real life. It gets to the point where I wake up wide-eyed, covered in goosebumps. I look at the clock at it's 4 a.m. I shake Phil awake enough to request a cuddle. He puts his arm around me, kisses my forehead and falls back asleep. I figured he'd forget if I told him about the dream, so I wait. It takes me a while, but I finally follow suit and go back to sleep.

My next dream started with Phil and I in a water park with a little boy named Fisher. It's clear in my dream that we are just watching him while his parents are off somewhere and that the parents are friends of ours. It starts off harmless enough, but then I decide to tell Phil about my previous dream in this new one. We start climbing through this haunted house attraction at the water park, (I can only assume they had a slide at the top), as I tell him the whole story. We get to a spot near the top and I get to the part about the organ playing. Phil points out there's an organ in the room, clearly beyond repair and full of cobwebs. I ask if we can move back down as I finish my story and he agrees. As we start moving down, I continue. I get to the end where we are in the sanctuary and Phil stops in a specific room to look out the window. There is a rocking chair in between the door we entered in and the door to get out. Fisher moves to the other side of the chair and even though I notice a weird cloth in the chair, I ignore it for the sake of the story. When I get to the end, Phil agrees that the dream was creepy, but neither he nor Fisher turn to face me. At that moment, the cloth turned into a lady skeleton ghost with a robe on, holding what I assume to be a wrapped up baby. She looks straight at me and I run down a few rooms - calling out to Phil and Fisher to follow. As I'm running, I can hear the skeleton talking. In hindsight, I don't remember the exact words she used, but it was something along the lines of "It's not worth it to be fishers of men. You cannot take it with you when you're gone." At this point, I stopped running and put my back against the wall of another room. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the hooded skeleton coming around the corner right at me saying "I should know..." That's when I opened my eyes to wake myself up, covered again in goosebumps. I look at the clock at see that it is 5 a.m. I am now exhausted by these ridiculous dreams. As I turn towards Phil in our bed for another cuddle request, I see a flash and hear thunder. I'm pretty sure I said "You have GOT to be kidding me" out loud. Luckily, I somehow fell asleep, but I've been cranky/it's been a rough morning for me.

The funny thing is? I love scary things. I love Halloween. I love ghost hunting and things like that. I will admit that I would probably need a fresh pair of pants if I ever saw a ghost in real life, but the thrill would be worth it to me. So why all the scary dreams? I'm sure it has something to do with all my extract hormones, but still...

This is the first time I've ever been so scared because of a dream that I woke up to goosebumps all over my body. It was really weird to feel them coming on in my half awake/half dreaming state. I sincerely hope none of you ever have to experience that for sure!

If you read all of that, thank you! HAHA I know it was long and it may even seem a bit weird and pointless. However, I really wanted to remember this because it really creeped me out.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

My Vocal Recital

I have been putting this off for quite awhile because I was hoping to edit the video somehow since there's several minutes of nothing at the beginning. However, since it has been almost 8 months to the day, I decided to just upload it anyways.

I want to be clear: I am not fishing for compliments and I'm not showing off. I just have some people, like my friend Carrie, who were unable to go to my recital that wanted to see what we taped. It's hard to see some of my facial expressions and such because I didn't want to sing to the camera at the time and I apologize if some parts are hard to hear. I will warn you to be careful about turning up the volume - when I get to the loud/high parts, it'll be loud! I will delete any negative comments about it, just because I don't need that kind of negativity. However, I'm not too worried about your guys :) Since I was a vocal performance major when I first started college, I would have done a senior recital in order to graduate. Even though I changed my major, I still took private lessons because I love to sing. This recital was not a requirement, but I wanted to celebrate the end of my collegiate journey by showcasing what I've worked so hard on for a few years.

If you want to jump to where I come in, it will be at 6:53. Since it is a formal vocal recital, I will sing sets of songs, (sometimes the set is just 1 song), then leave and come back. The first song is the song I sang in church this morning. If you only want to hear one song, go to 24:24. It is the song "Donde lieta" from La Boheme and I'm very proud of it. I do sing 3 songs in German and 1 in Italian. The rest are in English. If you want any of the translations for the songs, let me know and I'll edit the post later. The last song was a surprise and a different style completely. I'm no musical theater performer, so ignore some of my attempts ;) Anyways, I hope you enjoy!



Saturday, August 13, 2011

Bébé Week 23 Update

{I personally don't see much difference from last week, but you can be the judge}

Today's date: August 13, 2011

How far along: 23 weeks

Total weight gain: I'm at my pre-pregnancy weight this week! I think I'll be more mindful of my eating habits so I don't gain too much too fast :)

Size and growth of the baby: 
Jill is now the size of a small doll - 8 inches and 1 pound! Her face is fully formed, she is starting to gain her cute baby fat, and her skin will no longer be see-through in the next month or so! {per}


Sex: It's a girl!

Maternity clothes: Pants are maternity unless they are my gauchos from 5 summers ago. I wear a mix of regular and maternity shirts, but it's usually maternity.

Sleep: I'm starting to get the hang of sleeping on my side, but when I wake up on my back, my lower back usually hurts a little.

Best moment(s) of the week: Feeling and seeing small movements every single day! Plus, my nesting gene has kicked in so it feels like nice to start organizing/cleaning.

Movement: See above

Food cravings/aversions: Same aversions as before. Not many new cravings either. I guess fudge-sicles were the biggest craving I had this week.

Morning sickness: I still take Zofran everyday at lunch just to be safe. I felt nauseous a few times, but it could have been when I didn't pay attention to the grease content of the food I was eating.

Symptoms: Obvious baby bump, peeing a lot, a few stretch marks (but I don't mind!), uterus feels heavy, baby kicks, lower back pain in the morning, heartburn/acid, gassy, and pretty emotional.

Labor signs: None

Belly button in or out: In

What I miss: Nothing really :)

What I'm looking forward to: Registering, seeing my mom next month, and finding out if my placenta has fixed itself.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

My Phil






Here is a post all about my wonderful hubby :) I don't mean to brag, but he's pretty awesome. I tried to come up with some questions that aren't too typical for y'all to get to know him! Also, anything in parentheses are my commentary. Enjoy!

How big is your immediate family? How big is your extended family?
2 parents and 1 younger brother. 2 living grandparents, 2 deceased grandparents, 8 sets of aunts and uncles, and more cousins than I care to count for now.

How many places have you lived?
3 towns, 1 state; Tulsa, Norman, and Oklahoma City.


What's your favorite gift you've given to Courtney? What's the favorite gift you've received from Courtney?
Favorite gift I have given was the aquamarine bracelet I gave her for Christmas two years ago. Aquamarine jewelry is pretty rare, so I knew this would be a perfect gift for her. Favorite gift I have received would be when Courtney named a star after me for our first Christmas. She even took it to the next level by making sure the star was in the Taurus constellation, which is my astrological sign.


Was the University of Tulsa your first choice for college?
Not at first. My junior year, I thought I would go to Oklahoma Christian and major in biblical studies. It wasn't until my senior year that I started thinking about a career in chemical engineering. At that point, I felt TU would be a better fit for me.


If you could go back and do one thing in college that you never did, what would it be?
Sadly, I would probably have gone with a double major I contemplated doing during my freshman year. It would have given me the opportunity to get in a few extra classes that would have better prepared me for grad school.


Did you have a recurring dream/nightmare when you were younger?
Never a specific dream, but a common theme would be falling or drowning. Definitely two ways I don't want to die!


Do you have any scars? If so, what's the story behind them?
There is my appendectomy scar from when I had my surgery in Ukraine (that's right). I also have scars on my knees from a bad fall during my second grade jog-a-thon. Aside from that, it's mostly random little cuts and scratches.


What is your favorite brand of toothpaste?
I know this is going to sound really uppity, but I really like Rembrandt even though it's horribly expensive. I guess I've always seen toothpaste as something I should splurge on.


If you had the choice between a lifetime supply of your favorite coffee or having the natural energy to get through the day for the rest of your life, which would you choose? Why?
Definitely the coffee! Even with the energy, I think I'd miss the taste. Plus, I wouldn't know what to do with myself in the morning if I didn't have my coffee to drink.


What is your dream car?
It used to be a 3000 GT VR4, (I don't know either!), but now that I'm older, I'd actually prefer something practical like a VW Jetta TDI.


What goals do you have for Jill?
I guess I want Jill to be happy in whatever life choices she makes. I want to give her everything I can so that she can be successful. Whether that's academics, athletics, or just life in general. I also hope I can be a good example of a good person and a Godly man.


How do you envision meeting Jill for the first time?
I imagine I'll be pretty shocked at first, and maybe it won't even wear off right away. It'll just be amazing looking at her and thinking "I helped to create this tiny life".


What are your hopes for parenthood? What are your fears?
My hopes would be just being a good example and helping her to understand that there's so much more to life than what everyone thinks of you. My fears are her bringing home guys and me having to explain to them how much trouble they'll be in if they treat her poorly (he may need to buy a shotgun for that!).


Cake or death?
Cake? It's tastier.


Do you have any words that make you cringe?
Not really, but I cringe at sounds. Unwrapping plastic spoons from Sonic drives me insane!


If you had the choice of doing the dishes and taking out the garbage, which would you rather do?
I would rather do the dishes because when I finish, I won't have to walk back inside. Plus I don't mind having prune-y hands.

And that's just the beginnin' folks :)

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

So What! Wednesday


{This is my first So What Wednesday!} 

Today I'm saying SO WHAT! if...

  • I wanted to be late to work this morning because the temperature was 75* and overcast, but the high for today is 102*. I just wanted to bask in the glow of a cool temperature.
  • I had a major major meltdown about finances and my credit score Monday that resulted in me falling off the face of social media earth while Phil and I figured out our finances.
  • Said conversation about finances resulted in me taking over. To be honest, I'm liking it :)
  • We were supposed to go to the grocery store last night, but I had a headache so we're going tonight.
  • I sometimes lay a certain way, or mess with my belly so Miss Jill will move. I love feeling her move around and it makes me so very happy :)
  • I have been dreaming so much about fall that all I want is a turtleneck sweater, a caramel apple spice, a cool breeze, leaves everywhere, and a park swing to take it all in!
  • I have already read 2 out of the 3 library books I checked out on Saturday. Two were very fast reads so I may need the rest of my time to finish the last one.
  • Phil is really really enjoying The Hunger Games book and I don't know if I'll ever get into it. I always get to chapter 3 before something distracts me and I just don't have the motivation to pick it up again. He promises it gets better, but I don't know...
  • I really liked Adele 3 months before she became huge and now I skip to a new station because they're overplaying "Rolling in the Deep"
  • Somehow managed to straighten/flip out my hair this morning in 7 minutes flat! How on earth did I do it? I honestly have no idea and I'm kinda sad I didn't have this down in high school! (It took over an hour and it still fizzed out - thanks marching band practice.)
  • I still haven't checked out Pinterest... and just might not ever

Be sure to link up with Shannon at Life After I "Dew" and tell us what you're saying SO WHAT! to :)

Monday, August 8, 2011

And Now For Something Completely Different

{via}

Even though I am the "author" of this blog, it is designed to be about my family. With that in mind, I decided to do something fun this week...

I'm going to do a post on Thursday that's all about Phil :) I may talk about him on here, but knowing the real guy is pretty awesome too! So, I thought I would give you guys an opportunity to give me some questions you would like him to answer. I, (with Phil), do reserve the right to refuse a question if it's too personal, or not appropriate, but I'm not too worried about my main followers. If I don't get many, or any, questions, I'll just come up with my own.

Please leave your questions in a comment and I'll be sure to include it!

In a quick Jill update, I felt 3 kicks at lunch today that I could actually see!! It was the neatest thing and made me wish Phil was there to witness it too. Though, she is definitely earning a new nickname - Karate Kid. Even with 3 kicks, when she does kick, it's just once. One kick and I'm sure a faint "high-ya!" It's almost as if Miss Jill wants me to continue guessing if it's her or indigestion. I'm on to you sister! ;)

Happy Monday!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Bébé Week 22 Update


{I did two this week since I feel like I look more "round" :)}

Today's date: August 6, 2011

How far along: 22 weeks

Total weight gain: I'm at a loss of 3ish pounds to date. I'm slowly getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but luckily not too fast!

Size and growth of the baby: 
Jill is now the size of a papaya! She's settling into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop. (Seems we have a morning bird on our hands!) {per}


Sex: It's a girl! My Jillybean

Maternity clothes: Pants are maternity unless they are my gauchos from 5 summers ago. I wear a mix of regular and maternity shirts. No matter what I wear, it's quite obvious I'm with child :)

Sleep: I'm starting to get the hang of sleeping on my side, but when I wake up on my back, my lower back usually hurts a little.

Best moment(s) of the week: Feeling a real kick on Thursday :) There was no mistaking that one, but of course Miss Sass did it just once and not again. I have a feeling she has my stubbornness HAHA

Movement: I don't feel her everyday, but I feel her moving more than I have. She's more of a somersault/rolling baby.

Food cravings/aversions: Same aversions as before. Hot chocolate, black bean & lemon soup, crescent rolls, oatmeal, tomatoes, and anything cold are my biggest cravings and seem to stay.

Morning sickness: I still take Zofran everyday at lunch just to be safe. I felt nauseous a few times, but it could have been from all my allergy drainage. Otherwise, my appetite is much better than before :)

Symptoms: Obvious baby bump, peeing a lot, a few stretch marks (but I don't mind!), lower back pain in the morning, heartburn/acid, gassy, and pretty emotional.

Labor signs: None

Belly button in or out: In

What I miss: Nothing really :)

What I'm looking forward to: Registering, seeing my mom next month, and finding out if my placenta has fixed itself.

Something extra: Jill gets to meet her godmother Carrie today! She's visiting from San Diego and I just know Jilly will love her! Plus, I started on this project and ended up finishing it this afternoon. It's a hair bow holder and it's painted in her nursery colors. I will probably reveal a few more projects I'm planning for the nursery before revealing what the theme is. Again, we won't get to do a full nursery until we move out of our current apartment so I don't want to say what it is before we can do it :)



p.s. When we went to Michael's today for the material for the bow holder, I noticed all the Halloween/Fall stuff out and it made me SO happy! And the pumpkin spice potpourri? Heavenly :)

But I Know What It Feels Like

This post is going to be awfully vulnerable and hard for me, but I really want to finally say it out loud. I got permission for my daughter ...