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.