Growing Up

Some days don't you just feel all tangled up? This picture I love because it looks like she's in a straight jacket. I love the look on her face. It's as if she just doesn't care. Sometimes I wish life was that simple again. To be a kid where you don't have a care in the world. Your biggest choice is if you are going to play with the red hair Barbie or the one with brown hair. You get mad because you want hot dogs and not mac and cheese. You know that when it gets dark out it's night night time. Whatever happened to those days?

I remember well when the days of my carefree summers and days were over. It all happened on my 16th birthday. My mom had been snoring for as long as I could remember. My sister, dad, and I would always make fun of her. We named her snores. There was the cow snore, the whining snore, and the infamous silent snore of death. It was about this time when there was a lot of talk about the surgery to "fix your snorer" as we called it. My mom decided that it was time, and she was getting it done.

She went in for her pre-op stuff, and they realized that she really wasn't getting much sleep at night. She would stop breathing and it would wake her out of deep sleep. So, they did the tests and set up her surgery. Her and dad left, and they were to return in a few days. She was able to come home right after surgery.

They came home, and I don't even remember thinking anything was wrong. My Grams had come up to stay with us while they were away. I remember a friend of mine was over spending the night. A bit after they had come home, mom and dad sat us down and let us know that mom didn't really need the snoring surgery. It was a growth covering the back of her throat that was causing her to snore and to keep her from breathing right. I felt so bad for my friend because she was having to deal with all the emotions of the night, but I was so thankful she was there. It was nice to have someone around me at that time.

Just like that my life had changed forever. I didn't realize then how much things would change, but looking back...did they ever. I grew up really fast that summer. Right after school was over for the year we packed up and left for Houston. My sister and I stayed for a long time there. After a bit though, we were ready to be home. We left Houston and our parents and went back home. I think now that they were crazy. They sent a 16 and 15 year old home to live for themselves for 2 weeks.

They finally came back home, and I turned more into a caregiver. I spent a lot of time with mom. I'd clean her bucket, get her meds, and feed her too. For a long time I was mad that I gave up my summer to be such an adult. Now as an adult, I am glad I was able to be there to help her out. I remember that year all I wanted for Christmas was for my mom to live. It was the best Christmas gift I ever asked for.

I realized after that birthday life would never be the same. There would be no more carefree days of playing around. No more days of not a care in the world. We all have to grow up sometime. That was my time. I longed to go back for a long time. Go back and not have a care in the world. I never got that, and I learned to let go of wanting that. I could never get that back. I can't say that God did that to my mom, but I think he used it in so many ways. It's been almost 13 years now since that summer. 13 years!? Sometimes it seems like yesterday.

Time? Where Did it Go?

Sometimes I just wish life would slow down. I use to blog everyday, and over the Thanksgiving break and these past 2 days, I just haven't had any time. Where did it all go? On Monday I had 2 doctor's appointments, and yesterday, Genevieve had 2. I am happy to report that everything with Genevieve looks great. She is now 33 lbs and 36 inches (3 feet). I can't believe my baby is getting that tall. My husband says I'm just jealous that she will outgrow me in a year :p She also had an ultrasound to check on her recent Deflux surgery. Everything is in place and looks good. Here is a link about her surgery. We go back in a month to repeat the test that shows if there is still reflux or not. She had a blast playing with the jelly they use with the ultrasound machines. They had to pull out a wash cloth and towel to clean her with after she was done.

My appointments went well. I had another NST which (thank goodness) went fast. The baby is reacting like they want, and everything looks fine. I also had an OB appointment. I must have looked really bad, because my doctor went ahead and scheduled my induction. I was dead set against another one. I was induced with Genevieve, and it was a long, hard labor. It was worth it in every way, but if I don't have to do it that way again, I won't be hurt. She asked me when I wanted to have a baby. I told her I didn't care as long as it was before the end of the year. At that point in time she told me that since I've been measuring early (I'm now back at 1 week ahead of schedule), my thyroid, and all of that, she'd schedule me for an induction if I wanted it, and it would be before my original due date. I think I was in tears when I thanked her. I never felt this tired when I was pregnant with Genevieve. I think it has something to do with chasing a toddler around. So, if nothing happens between now and then, we will have a new baby on Dec 21st. We should be home in time for Christmas, and we look forward to it.

I guess I just have one question for you reading...Would anyone go Christmas shopping for me? I'm thinking about doing most of it online, and have picked out a few things. What I'm waiting for, I have no idea. So, if anyone wants to come up here and be my personal shopper (you will have a budget), let me know. I'm taking applications now :) With everything going on, I don't even know if I will have time to get Christmas cards out. I hope I do. If not, just know you will get "holiday" cards. They may be late, but you'll get them.

And It's Begun

The holidays are now upon us. As it is known in our house, "The Season of the Ham." Ever since my husband and I got married, the holiday has been known as this. It all started with me being goofy one holiday season. I started singing Christmas Carols and every word would be ham. I love his mom's ham a lot, and I wait all year for it. Forget the turkey, I want the ham. After many rounds of Oh Ham Ham Ham (Oh Christmas Tree), we just stuck with "The Season of the Ham."

This time of the year is one of many feelings for me. I love this time of the year. I love how family seems to come together and have a lot of fun. We spend a lot of time with each other, and we eat a lot of food. It seems to be a time of year that we all just sit back and remember things from the past and where things are headed the next year.

We don't do much in the way of gifts, so that isn't ever anything that is big on our list. That whole thing started right after we were married too. We didn't have much money at all. My husband was still in school, and we worked 4 jobs between us to make it. When you have to work that many jobs, you don't usually take what little money you have to spend on things you maybe think you want.

I remember our first Christmas after we were married. I really wanted a down blanket. There was one at Target that was about 10 dollars. It was a Christmas print one, but that didn't matter. I loved the way it felt. My husband and I talked about money that year, and we both agreed that it would better benefit us not to buy gifts for each other.

Christmas Eve came, and we did gifts at our house with his parents. We had taken what little money we had left and spent it on gifts for our families. I don't remember anything I got or gave that year...except one thing. After all the gifts were opened at our house, and we had been sitting for a few mins, my husband left the room. He came back in the living room with a down throw from Target. I almost cried when he gave it to me. I felt so bad that I hadn't got him anything. I told him that I don't know how many times. I still have that throw. In fact, I'm using it right now as I sit typing this. I have used it so much in the past 5 years, and I don't see that ending anytime soon. He keeps telling me to get rid of the throw, but I refuse.

This year has been crazy. There have been a lot of ups and downs recently, and until last week, we weren't even sure that my husband was going to be around. Not only have we wondered about that, but also many other things. Life is just crazy in our house right now. it seems like things just keep going faster and faster. Does anyone else seem to think it is strange that when you were a kid things moved so slow. Now it seems like you can't keep up with it. I remember thinking as a kid how long it was until Christmas. Now it seems like it was just yesterday Christmas was here, and I just put away the decorations.

Here's to another great holiday season and a wonderful time of the year! I hope your holidays are filled with laughter, fun, joy, and love.

No TV and A Cranky Toddler

Since it is Thanksgiving weekend, my husband will have some time off. There is a policy that every Friday the company does PT together in OKC. I have talked about him being TDY before, and how much I enjoy the alone time. Anyway, since they will be off on Friday this week, they moved it to this morning. He came home last night, packed, said good night to Genevieve, and off he went.

My night last night went just about the same that EVERY TDY night goes. It's like a check list almost...

1. Get Genevieve to bed
2. Put my feet up
3. Watch TV and surf the net
4. Put the dogs out, bring them in, and get my water for night
5. Take a hot bath
6. Snuggle down in the MIDDLE of our king size bed, watch TV, and drift off to sleep

That's how it goes just about every week. There isn't much of a change in that at all. I don't even *gasp* put up Genevieve's toys for the day. I think I should have last night though because we have company coming in, and I need to run the Roomba and all that fun stuff. Oh well.

Anyway, this morning we wake up, and I go get Genevieve. I just wanted to lay in bed with her and let her watch cartoons. I wasn't really ready to get up. I push power and it says, Channel Not Purchased. Okay? I turned to a local, same thing. By this time Genevieve was getting cranky.

I got up, found the number to the company, and gave them a call. Come to find out (we don't get a paper bill...so I didn't realize) we have a past due amount that has been there since July. So because of that, they suspended our service. After the very nice lady on the phone looked all the way back in my bill history to find this out, she took the payment, and restored service.

This poor woman had to deal with me in the morning. I'm not at my best in the morning. :) I think I might have asked the same questions 20 times. Thank goodness there are people out there that can deal with people like me.

I am happy to report, the error has been fixed. I paid the past due. We will now get a paper bill. And most important, my toddler is not cranky because she can watch her cartoons :) If nothing else, this woman deserves a big pat on the back for keeping Genevieve happy.

I Better Enjoy It

The weather here has been wonderful. It's been in the low 80s for a few weeks now. I love it when it is mild out. It makes my day feel a lot nicer. Days like these make it easy to do lots of outdoor activities. We love to play outside in the yard, Genevieve loves sidewalk chalk, and we like going to the park. As you can see here, she loves it outdoors. In this picture she is running her Dad's remote control tank.

It always seems to stay unseasonably warm in the winter when I'm pregnant. When I was pregnant with Genevieve it was in the mid to upper 80s until I went into the hospital. After I had her, it really didn't take long to cool off, but it was warm until. It seems to be the same story this go around as well. I realized today after having to turn back on the air, that I hadn't seen the weather for a long time. I am a weather nut. I like to know what is going on, and what they say it will be. It's just a thing. I love the news station here that has the weather at the same time every night. 10:17 pm the weather is on. It makes it easy to just flip on around the weather and flip back to another show when it's over. It makes life easier :)

Because I hadn't seen the weather for a long time, I thought I'd log onto the news station and see what the weather would be like the next few days. Boy was I in shock when it finally loaded. It said today and tomorrow would be 80. After that it will be in the 40s. I wouldn't mind a cool down, but that just seems like it is going to be downright cold. I might have to break out the winter clothes. Only bad thing, I don't have any maternity clothes for winter. I guess I better find some. Anyone know of a great place to buy some :)

Needless to say...I think our days of fun in the sun outside are coming to an end tomorrow.

FRG, NST, and Growth Scans

It has been a busy couple of days. It has been one of lots of time on the road, and no naps (for both Genevieve and I). No nap makes for a long day. She does fine until it gets close to bed time. Then it seems like all heck breaks loose. At least that's how it has felt the last couple of days.

Friday was a long day at the hospital. It started in the morning for a growth scan. At my last OB appointment I was measuring 3 weeks ahead of time. The doctor wanted to make sure that it wasn't the baby, but something else that was causing me to be so big. As they had the ultrasound wand on my belly looking around, Genevieve would play with the jelly. She kept looking at the screen pointing and saying "baby." She would then touch my belly again and rub the jelly around. I had that gunk all over me by the end of the scan. Everything looked great. The baby is now 5 lbs and 10 oz. I asked if that was "normal," and he told me he thought that was pretty normal for how far along I was. So good news is I'm not ahead, and I don't have a 10 lb baby right now. :)

After the test I went to a friend's home. She was nice enough to order some shoes for me in a co-op. I was lazy when putting the order in, and I didn't measure Genevieve's feet. Needless to say, the shoes I got were too big. Good news, she can grow into them. Bad news, they are so cute, I am sad she can't wear them. They are not a bad price retail, so I will probably buy a pair anyway just so she can wear a pair now. I love them because they squeak when she walks. She loves them because they make noise :)

Leaving there an hour or so later, I went back to the hospital for my NST. They said it would take an hour, and that it could take longer if the baby didn't do what they needed it to. Great! Just what I want...to be strapped to a bed and a toddler with me. They told me to eat right before I came. I zipped through the drive thru and got a burger. I ate about half of it before I ran into the hospital. They explained what all I needed to do every time I came, and what they were going to do. About 20 mins of being on the monitor, the nurse told me I was done, and she would go call the doctor. I think I need to eat a cheeseburger EVERY time. If that is all it takes, I'm sold.

Today was another day back in the city. We had an FRG meeting. The meeting went well. It was nice to see women working together for the good of the whole group. We set up a time for a "Christmas" party, family events, and our future meetings. I put Christmas in quotes because it actually is well after Christmas. I think it is the start to a good group of women who want to do what they can for the good of the group.

After our meeting we went and did a little shopping. We found enough to buy. We also went to dinner at my favorite place, Buffalo Wild Wings. I love wings! I never liked them before. I hated them actually. When I was pregnant with Genevieve they smelled really good. I loved it when my husband ordered them so I could smell them. Finally one day late in my pregnancy with her, I asked to try one. I was in love :) I couldn't get enough. It was something I enjoyed even after having her. That has carried on to this pregnancy. If we go up to the city and are able to eat, we eat there 9 time out of 10. Service was a little slow tonight, but the wings were still great.

After the crazy weekend and all the time on the road, I think we are looking forward to the time home tomorrow. Sunday's are our lazy days. I am guessing tomorrow will be no different. There is a Chiefs game on, the couch will be calling my name, and I'm sure I'll take a nice nap. Gotta love upcoming lazy days :)

How Many Cookies Can a Pregnant Woman Eat?

If you were to walk into my home right now, you'd smell cookies. It's taking all I have in me not to eat them. I really want to dig into them and eat every last one of them (there are over 90). I don't think my doctor would think that would be a great idea. What does she know?! She's just a doctor :)

My quest for cookie making started about 2 weeks ago. The secretary/FRG leader called me and told me of the new FRG fund raiser. We would make a meal for company training day, and we would sale it to the soldiers. They have to eat anyway when they are there, so why not pay less, and donate to the FRG? She said that she was going to make chili, rice, hot dogs, and things like that. I asked her if she needed any help. She let me know that there would be an FRG meeting the next day, and she hated that I would have to drive into the city two days in a row. I then asked if I could send anything with my husband for the meal. She told me if I wanted to go buy some cookies or something for desert for 40 people. I agreed and wrote it down.

As I have been thinking about it over the past 2 weeks, I just couldn't stand the idea of buying Oreo's, Chips Ahoy, etc to send. I just didn't think it was right. I thought about some "nicer" cookies but when I looked at the price and how many I got, I decided that it wasn't worth the money. So, I set out on the quest this morning to get stuff to bake (and no bake) cookies. I got stuff for chocolate chip and no bake cookies. Genevieve and I left the house and ran to WalMart and the local grocery store.

You should have seen the look at the store I got. I had apples, peanut butter, chocolate chip cookie stuff, butter, pizza bites, a donut, and paper plates. I'm sure they thought it was some weird pregnant craving in the making. The guy checking me out even commented about the weird verity of things.

We made it home in one piece. I put Genevieve down for a nap, and started on the quest to make these cookies. It didn't take long, and now I want to eat them all. I should have realized this, and made more, but I didn't. I guess it's good for me. I just wonder how many of these cookies I'd eat if I could. Boy, my husband is going to have a hard time not eating these tonight in his hotel room. Lesson learned...Next time I say I will make desert, I better plan to make extra.

Fun Night at the Hospital...NOT

LOL...I tend to say that a lot. "NOT" How old is that?! Oh well. Shows my age I guess. It's like those emails you get. You might be from the 80s if... I always tend to shake my head at more than a few of the things on that list. I guess I'm just getting to that time in my life where I can say, "back in the day." I use to think that 30 was old. Not anymore :p Although on days like today, I feel old.

Yesterday Genevieve and I got up early, and we headed to the grocery store. There were several things we were out of. As I was walking around the store, I started to have contractions. No big deal. I have them when I'm out walking like that. I didn't even think twice about it. We got the cart loaded, paid for, and put in the van. We made it home and unloaded. I put the stuff that needed to be cold away and left the rest.

I put Genevieve down for a nap shortly after. I sat down on the couch with my feet up. I usually do that when she's asleep so I get some down time. As I was sitting on the couch, I started to notice that I was still having contractions. I noticed that there was pressure with them. After I had about 7 of them (in the span of about 3 or so hours), I called the doctor. They had me take Tylenol, drink a bunch of water, and lay down. If after an hour they hadn't gone away, I needed to call back. I had one in that hour at the end, and they had me come in.

We went in and they hooked me up. Of course when you go in everything stops. After an hour on the monitor, nothing had happened. They said they were going to call the doc. A couple of mins later I had one. The nurse came in and I said that I felt the pain I had before. She looked at the paper, and sure enough it was a contraction. At least I know I wasn't loosing it. :p After that, they did the test, checked me, and sent me home.

It was a long night, but I'm glad that everything checked out okay. The baby looks great (heart rate wise and such). Today has been slow. I have a lot of hip pain, but I think it is where the baby is sitting. We have a NST and growth scan on Friday so that will be fun :) We are just glad that everything is okay.

Running Child and Pig Tails

Today I sat down and tried to see if I could get pig tails in Genevieve's hair. I had attempted once, and failed. She was all over the place, and she kept running away. It was a mess. You know what they say though...If at first you don't succeeded, try, try again. Well that is just what we did.

I planed out my attack for about 20 mins. I realized that a show she loved would be coming on, and she'd probably sit still long enough for me to put them in. (I was wrong by the way) She sat sort of still while I combed her hair. I spent the rest of the time following her around with the band in one hand, and her hair in the other. She didn't like it when I put it on. Her hair is still so thin that it took many times around to make it stay. Even then it wasn't very tight.

After about 15 mins, I had got both done. I had got her hair taken care of. I hurried up and took pictures. I knew they wouldn't stay in long. Sure enough, before I had a chance to get them all put on the computer, they were out. At least I got the pictures though :) Here are a couple just so you can see how little hair she has, and how cute they were.

Have you ever

Have you ever thanked a Veteran? You know, as sad as it is, I never had until my husband joined the Army. I have a lot of military in my family. I guess I just never really sat down and thought about it. I never really thought about the sacrifice that these men and women make for us. Even in peace time, they gave of their time and served too.

I remember when the first Gulf War started. I came home from school, and my dad was sitting in the living room. He then told me that we were at war. I started to cry, and I remember thinking that I was hoping we'd never see a war in my lifetime. Even with that, I really didn't think twice about war and what these soldiers were giving up. It was just something that was mentioned on TV, and something we talked about at school.

I also remember very vividly everything about Sept 11. I then remember thinking that if they had a draft anyone and everyone could be called up. I wondered if the people I loved would have to serve. I wondered if I would have to serve. I remember having dreams of them calling up my husband (we were engaged at the time) to go off to war. I dreamed of him telling me that he had been drafted, and he was leaving soon to go to war. I woke every time with tears in my eyes. I just knew that I was not strong enough to deal with that.

After we had been married about 3 or 4 months, I remember my husband telling me he really wanted to serve in the military, and he set up an appointment to talk with an Army recruiter. I asked him why he wanted to do such a thing. He simply said he was too young to be a teacher, and he just wanted to blow stuff up for awhile. He also said he felt it was something he just needed to do. I remember laying in bed next to him bawling because I didn't want any part of it. Hadn't he watched the news? We were about to be at war with Iraq, and that surely meant that he'd be leaving to go over soon. I also remember thinking that I didn't want to do that to my family. Why would I want to move my kids around all the time? I had spent my life moving from place to place, and why would I do that to my kids? I told my mom this very point, and she then asked me to recall the one thing I was always glad about my dad being a pastor. At that time I recalled my answer. It was the fact that we moved around as kids, and it helped me to not be afraid to move off to school, try new things, and to get out there. After the shock of what my husband had decided to do, I supported him 100%. I knew and still know that if the roles were reversed, he'd do the same for me.

It seems like people these days are very thankful for service members. There have been many times people have told my husband thank you for his service. People have even told me thank you for my contribution to the country for supporting my husband. I don't agree with that. I am a wife who loves her husband. That's what I do. I deserve no thanks for that. I recall one time we were out eating lunch. He was in uniform because we had just come from training. A very nice lady came up to our table with her two grandsons. She told my husband that she was so thankful for men and women like him who would serve our country at times like these. She commented on our daughter, and then her grandsons both said thank you too. My husband told her that he appreciated her thanks, and that he was just doing something he felt he needed to do. We took another 15 mins or so and finished our lunch. When the waitress came to take our plates, she let us know that the lady had paid for our lunch and taken care of everything. How amazing that someone would do this. Her kindness touched us that day.

Ever since then, I have made it a point to thank people who have served or are serving. I think that the troops today are more likely to hear it. Someone once said that she saw a Vet in a store. He was wearing a hat that said he had served in a war (the exact one escapes me at the moment). She walked up to him and simply said, "Thank you." He then asked her for what. She told him that she noticed his hat, and she thanked him for his service to our country. She said tears came to his eyes, and he let her know that no one had ever thanked him for his service.

How many times have I passed someone and not thanked them? I have no idea. After seeing what these men and women give up to serve selflessly, I feel like it is the least we can do to say thank you to these men and women. They give up time at home, time with their families, and time with loved ones. These men and women have signed up to serve our country knowing they could be put in harms way at any time. They know the risks when they take on the job of keeping our country and its people free. That freedom we enjoy every day in our life does not and has not come free. So many have given so much for our freedoms. They give away their life for as many as 15 months to go to war. Could you give up that much time to do the things these people do? Could you server your country selflessly? Would you give up your life for the freedoms we enjoy without even thinking about them? Just a thought.

I guess the point of my blog today, Veteran's Day, is if you see a Vet, thank them. They deserve it. They earned a thank you from every one of us. They did something that most of us today wouldn't even dream of doing. They have given so much to make this country what it is today, and we owe them for that.

Late Night with Guitar Hero

Have any of you played this game? I have attempted. I can play about 2 songs on easy. That's it. I have never been much of a video game person. I can play Mario Party until the cows come home. I can play Mario Kart too. Other than that...I'm pretty much a bust when it comes to games.

When my husband bought his Xbox 360, he wondered if he needed to buy another controller. After giving him a look, I think he realized what he had actually asked. I have looked at games that have come out for the Xbox, and none have really appealed to me. I have tried a few, and I just am not great at it. However, the new Xbox has a wonderful thing called the arcade. They have games like Uno, Texas Hold 'Em, and things like that. These games I can play. :) I do play sometimes but not enough to warrant spending the cash on the controller. I'm kind of cheap that way.

Back to Guitar Hero. If you have played or seen the game, you know that you take a "guitar" controller, and play the notes as they come across the TV. I have done all the tutorials and things you can do, but I just don't get better. I easily got one of the "achievements" when starting the game. This one was to fail a song on easy. It didn't take more than one time to get that winning achievement on my Gamertag. My husband, however, hadn't got that achievement at all. He tried, and I almost thought I was going to have to play for him so he'd get it. It took him most of the song to "fail" so he could get that one. I'm just not coordinated enough to play games like this. I never have been. I'm one of those people who do great with games where you just push buttons (hints being great at Mario Party).

One thing I do love about this game though, is when he plays it when Genevieve is awake. She loves to dance. There are a couple of songs that she just loves to boogie to. We often have to watch her, or she will get going and pull the plug out of the Xbox. We then have to stop the game, reconnect, and go on. Today she was in rare form. She'd boogie down and had a blast. It was so much fun to watch her and her Daddy having fun together. It's a memory I will cherish forever :)

Crazy Cartoons

I cannot seem to get the cartoon songs out of my head today. I have run around town picking up stuff, and I have been singing all the morning songs. There is Dora, Diego, Blue's Clues, and all the morning favorites on Nick and Noggin. This morning's song in my head was from none other than Genevieve's most favoritiest cartoon, Backyardigans. This morning was the episode that makes me think of my dad. It was Samurai Pie on today. They start off the show with the song Samurai Pie. It goes something like....

Pie-ya Pie-ya
I make pies like a Samurai

As the show goes on, he has a young apprentice who wants to learn to make pie. They then break into song singing....

Do you wanna make pie? Yes I wanna make pie.
Let me see it in your eyes. Yes I wanna make pie.
Then try this exercise...

As I say, this episode makes me think of my Dad. When he was here one time, he was watching Genevieve while I was showering. The whole day he'd sing it to Genevieve. Now every time we see it, we call Dad. We chuckle and Dad sings the song. We didn't call today because the same show was on yesterday afternoon. We called last night, and she jabbered at Dad for about 15 mins. Every now and then I'd catch a real word. There was a Sammy, Bo Bo, Pablo, and Hey. I guess she knows what she is saying and that is all that matters.

We were so worried about her speaking. She was a "late" walker. She didn't even start to try until she was a year old. We found out among all the other issues she has, she had so much fluid in her ears that she really couldn't hear much if any at all. They determined this is why she didn't start to try and walk before a year. After her 1 year appointment when we discovered this, she went on meds to help dry up her ears. It didn't seem like very much time had gone by and she was running everywhere. Because of the fluid in her ears, she had/has some speech delay. We did an initial evaluation, a hearing test, and a full evaluation. Each time they showed slight delay in speech but not enough to enroll her in the free program for therapy. They also let me know that she was very advanced in gross and fine motor skills. Now we get a lot of comments on how much she talks for her age. It's funny how you worry about your kids and if they are behind or not. You think they may be, and then all of a sudden they surprise you and jump ahead of the game. Because of this, I have tried not to worry as much. Her doc is on top of it. She does really good with Genevieve and checking on things if she is worried. So that has been my new goal....Not to worry about milestones as much. I guess you can believe it when you see it :)

After 8...

I heard the perfect saying this week on TV. It was "After 8 (pm) life is great." Some days that is just so true. Don't get me wrong...I love my daughter. I love being a mom. I love taking care of her. I also love time alone. I love time to not have someone hanging all over me. I love having time with no whining. I know I'm not the only mom out there that feels this way, so I don't feel too bad saying this.

Today has been a mess. I am really working hard to potty train Genevieve before the new little one gets here. I don't care about naps and bedtime, I just want her to use the potty in the day. If I don't have to have two in diapers all day, my life will be great. I don't want to push her and make life harder on both of us, but I do believe she has shown signs of being ready. She HATES it when her panties get wet. If she poops in her panties, she will run back to the bathroom and stand at the potty. She was dry all day today (even in the nap) until we went out. She did have an accident in her diaper, and then when I put back on her panties, she had an explosive issue. Why couldn't she have done that in the diaper? I guess that's just how it goes. We did move from the potty chair today to the potty ring on the big potty. I guess that is a step in the right direction. Now if she will just tell me when she has to potty.

As I type this, I have the TV on, and there is no other noise. I use to hate being alone or the quiet. Now I really can't wait until I can get some of it. I don't mind being alone, and I love quiet time. I guess not really quiet since I have a TV on, but I think you all get what I mean. It's nice to have nothing to have to worry about, and just to relax for a bit. I have no husband home to fix dinner for. I have no baby up to have to watch. It is just me, and two dogs who are asleep. Life really is great after 8. I hope all you mom and dad's out there have the same great feeling after your day is "done." For the next 10 hours, life will be good.

Menu Rut

Have you ever seen someone on TV and wanted to meet them really bad? Every time I see Gordon Ramsay on a program, I wish I could just spend a week with him. I want to learn anything I could from him. His food looks so good, and he just knows what he's doing.

Now I don't think I'm a bad cook by far. I know my way around the kitchen, and I can make a decent meal. I wish I could learn to make much more though. I wish I could do more. I don't mind trying new things, but I get in a rut. In our Mom's group, we have started a recipe share. Each time we bring a recipe based on the theme. Last time was soups and breads. This next meeting is crock pot meals. Maybe by getting some of these, I will try something new.

What's on the menu tonight? Good 'ol easy to cook ham. :p If I am tired, and I really don't want to do a darn thing, I cook ham. I can buy it already sliced, add brown sugar, and heat until hot. Sides are easy for it. On a really lazy night, I can just pop veggies in the microwave. How easy is that :p

I can't wait for my mom to come see me :) I am ready for her to make and freeze me a lot of Chicken Spaghetti. With winter coming, soups are good too. I have several soups I like, but some that I just haven't attempted to make yet. I'm trying to decide what else I would like for my mom to help me put back in the freezer. Is that sad that I want someone to help me cook meals?

Anyway, as I finish this up tonight, my timer is going off. It's time to put the good 'ol ham in the oven. I hope your menus aren't as bad as mine :) Seeing as it's already 8:27, I hope most of you have already eaten. We eat late in our home. Can ya tell?!

Uh Oh...Hold on Baby

I had an OB appointment today. As you have read, I haven't been feeling too well recently. I went in to my appointment just thinking everything would be fine. Last appointment (2 weeks ago) I was measuring 1 week ahead of schedule. They did my BP, weight, baby's heart rate, and then the doc came in to check how I was measuring. Come to find out...I'm measuring 3 weeks ahead this time. Hold on baby!! They are going to schedule an ultrasound this week or next to check if the baby is big or what is going on. Good news, I'll get to see my lil one again. Bad news, I have to resist asking what the sex is again :p I'm too far along now though. From the sounds of it, the day will be here before I know it. Next visit will be the start of my weekly appointments. It's hard to believe I'm already at the end. I can't really remember a lot of the first of my pregnancy, but it really doesn't seem that long ago. I guess time really does fly. Last time I was pregnant it seemed like it took forever. Maybe chasing that toddler of mine around has kept me busy. Just pray this baby holds on until it is safe for him or her to enter the world. I can take being fat, uncomfy, and sick just as long as my baby is safe.

You Know It's Sad When...

I guess I'm making up for lost time on blogging :p I have been pretty sick again the past couple of days. I always worry when I'm home alone with Genevieve and sick because it scares her. If me in the morning isn't scary enough, she has to see her momma arfing. :p I guess she has gotten use to it though. This afternoon I got her up from her nap, and I started to do the normal things we do after the nap. As I was getting ready to get her diaper changed, I had an overwhelming urge to visit the bathroom. I left her in her room, and ran to the bathroom. I then heard her come into my bedroom. She shut the door, and then came to the bathroom with me. She then patted my back the whole time. What a sweet baby girl. She's looking after her momma. How sad is it though when your toddler comes in to pat your back?

My Husband is on FIRE!

It's about time he has a little good luck come his way :) On Friday, he went to the casino with some buddies. He went in and won like 64 bucks. The next day he had a kid go up to MEPS (where you go to inprocess when you join the military). This kid only wanted one job. The job doesn't come up very often. My husband was worried because this kid only wanted that job. Well somehow, it just happen to be available. I told him when he called, that he was very lucky right now. I guess he took it to heart. As he was on his way home, he went into another casino and walked out with winning another 15 dollars. I told him my tummy must be lucky, and he can rub it anytime he wants to :) I just wish I had luck like that. Even just some of the time :)

An All Around Ranting Day

Okay so today is just one of those days. If you don't want to hear a pregnant woman complain, it's best to not read this blog post. It's just one of those days, and I need to vent. There was your warning. If you read on, you know what you are getting into. :p

So it all started on Saturday morning. I get up, take care of a few things around the house, open the computer...and nothing. No internet. I waddled down the hall to the office, and sure enough, the internet is out. Thinking it is just a problem with the company, I don't think much about it. Besides, I can get more done without having the internet anyway. By the end of the day I called the company. It hadn't come on, blinked or anything. It was more annoying to not have our home phone than to not have the internet. Well, the company said nothing was wrong on their end, and they would have to send someone out on Monday.

Well, today the guy comes out. He hooks up the cable line in the house, and sure enough no connection. He thinks (like I thought) that the line had been cut. It's happened before, and there are people building a house next door, so there is a good chance that this is the case. He goes out, and comes back in pretty quick. He then explains that someone had stolen our box cable box. I guess it is the box on the outside where they filter the channels that you can and cannot see. If you take someone's box, I guess you can get free cable by hooking it up to your house. (The ironic note on this part is that we don't have cable tv, so that part was off, and when they went to hook it up at their home, they will see nothing.) I guess they were kind enough to take the cable box and didn't plug back in the cable line. It was that easy of a fix, and at least that is some good news.

I don't understand people these days. If you can't afford cable or internet why take someone else's? I have heard of people who will drive around town with their laptops to find someone who has an unsecured wireless internet. Isn't easier to just find a hot spot somewhere. We live in a small town, and I know there are a few places in town that offer that. Why do you have to steal something from someone else?

Okay, that rant over, and onto a new one...

So, someone was asking what people thought about a book. Several people had said that they loved the book, and all that. I stated that the book saved me. I had a girl who would take more than a mile if you gave her an inch, and this book gave me some ideas on how to fix that. I also stated that the book gave me some great advice for getting her to sleep the night and take naps and scheduling. I then put that as parents we have to use what we see useful in the book and disregard the rest.

After this, someone chimes in with the book ruins breastfeeding, and it causes parents to use corporal punishment and shouldn't be used. I then stated that I nursed for a year, had no problems, and still found the book useful. Again you take what works for you in the book, and you just don't use the rest. The same girl responded again with she does attachment parenting and her baby gets whatever her baby wants and has no issues. Okay...Not everything works the same for everyone. COME ON PEOPLE! I know that not everyone does the same thing. That is why I said use common sense. I guess I'm just being hormonal today. Forgive me, and move on now :p

Fun Times at Movie Gallery

We use to have Netflix, and we just never got back on it when we moved. We thought about it a lot, but just never got around to signing back up. On a lot of weekends, we go to the local Movie Gallery to rent movies for the weekend. I usually try to go in the middle of the week because it seems like if you don't, the "good" movies are always gone. I put the word good in quotes because my husband and I like to watch scary movies, and most don't think they are that good at all. I don't know what it is about them, but we really like them. I like suspense too. I guess every other college kid in town likes those type of movies too. It seems like if you go after Wednesday, and you don't go when they open, you aren't going to get anything good for the weekend.

Anyway, my husband called me this morning from the road. He was gone last night on TDY (it's where you can go to wherever the event is and stay the night, the govt pays for it). He had to be up in the city early, so he went up so he wouldn't have to get up as early. Anyway, he called from the road to let me know that he had won 60 some bucks at their team building this morning. I guess their team building was at a casino. He got lucky playing Texas Hold 'em this morning. Sounds good to me. Back to the point. He called and said he should be home early today, and I should go get a couple of movies. Sure thing!

We show up, and of course most of the movies we wanted to see are gone. I did find one, and I was looking around to see if there were more. I had Genevieve by the arm, and we were walking through the store. All of a sudden she gets away and runs off. She kept going in circles, and running away from me. I'm 7 months pregnant and look like I'm about 20 months along. I am a house. I was waddling all around the store trying to catch her. All of a sudden she runs into one of the movie racks, and it knocks down just about every movie on it! I was so embarrassed. I think I said, "I'm sorry," about a billion times. I tried to pick up all I could, and one of the people working kept telling me that I didn't need to do that at all. I felt I needed to. As I was paying and getting ready to leave, I again told them all that I was very sorry. The lady behind the desk again said it wasn't a big deal. She added that it was nothing her kids hadn't done. At least I don't have the only crazy loose in the Movie Gallery.

It was at that time that I wish I had a monkey leash for her. I have often thought of buying one, but just never have. After today, I don't think I want to make another trip there without one. I don't know as though a monkey lease will keep her under wraps anyway. She can still get to stuff with her arms. Oh do they grow out of the phase? Someday I will do something, and she will feel the same about me. I will have to kindly remind her that she did the same to me when she was little :p

Maybe it IS the flu?!

Ever since I got home from ATC I have been sick. The first day home I couldn't keep anything down. The OB called me in some meds to help, and they seem to work. However, I am still sick and a LOT. I am not spending hours in the bathroom by any means but boy, I'm just not feeling up to par. I have no fever, no aching muscles, and nothing else that would say flu to me. It just seems like "normal" morning sickness. I did look at my ticker, and I am under 8 weeks away from my due date. Maybe it is just that dreaded 3rd trimester sickness. Does anyone really know?

I type all this, and yet I am very grateful. My cousin has really touched my life with her story of her losses. I can't even begin to imagine how this must effect her life. I have never felt the loss of a child, and I hope I never have to. Even in my first pregnancy when I was so ill I lost 15 lbs, I was still thankful every day for the life that I could carry. I always tell myself if this 9 months of throwing up is the worst I have to deal with in my life, I will count my blessings. I pray every day for my babies and that I will be a good mom to them. I pray that I am not already scaring them for life with the things I do (Although Mandi, I think if we show them Fiber Food it will do the trick).

I worry about typing this out because I really hurt for my cousin and my friends that have experienced loss in this way. It hurts to know that they are hurting and I don't understand it. I try and act normal, and I only talk about it when something is brought up. It doesn't mean that I don't think about them or pray for them. I pray often for them and pray for God's healing and strength. I often think to ask them how they are doing and to send them a card, but I wonder if that is even a good idea. I wonder if by doing so, I will make them hurt more by bringing it back up. The last thing I want to do is cause more pain and hurt.

I guess maybe I just wanted to let you know that I love you, and I really do think about you a lot. I do care how you feel, and I hurt for you too. I just may not ask because I worry I will hurt you more. I don't want to cause you more pain when I know there is still so much there. Just know that if you ever need anything, I am here no matter what. I will do anything I can to help you in any way you need. i guess I just wanted to say even though I don't ask, I still pray and hope you are doing okay. You have done so much and taught me so much in my life. I just pray that I can do the same for someone some day. I love you :)