Wednesday, November 26, 2008

First Prenatal Appointment & Frito Pie

I know - 2 posts in 2 days...what is the world coming to? :)

We got to see the baby again last night...he/she was beautiful! We got to see the flickering heart beat again which was just amazing. I will never get tired of seeing my baby's heart beating. I am a little spoiled because I was able to see the baby at my last u/s with a really high resolution u/s machine. This machine was just the portable one so it wasn't clear at all. I might post the picture of the baby later, but I don't have it on me here at work.

D and I waited almost 20 minutes after my appointment was scheduled (we got there about 10 minutes before my appointment - so 30 min total waiting time) before I was called back. It's nice to have afternoon appointments, but usually they're pretty backed up by then so you have to wait. Anyway, I was weighed (lost some, but I have it to lose), made a liquid contribution, then went back and waited for the doctor. She came in, introduced herself, then started a rundown of my history. She was very personable and knowledgable. She told us right away that she was on call and that there's a woman in labor right now about to give birth to her 5th child, so if she gets called out then she apologizes but that's why. So, sure enough about 10 minutes into our talk she was called out. The nurse came in and told us it could be 45 min to 1 hour and we could either reschedule or we could wait in that room. D and I chose to wait. I figured since it's her 5th child she probably won't push for very long, and the hospital was literally a couple of blocks away. I was right - the doctor came back after 42 minutes (D happened to look at the time) and we proceeded. The doctor told us that I'm actually due on July 2nd, not the 3rd. I need to change my ticker.

We had Frito Pie for dinner. Beans of some sort sounded good and Fritos sounded REALLY good, so that's what we ate. If you don't know what a Frito Pie is, it's Fritos, then you put chili on top of the Fritos (we use the Nalley "hot" chili), then you can put jalepenos and cheese on top of that, and then once that's all melted and hot (microwave) my Dad taught me to put mustard on it. It sounds gross, but it's SO GOOD. I even got D hooked! I can't remember the last time I made a good, rounded meal. I'm ashamed to admit that, but it's true. I'm very blessed to have an easy-going husband.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know we have a lot to be thankful for.

Sidenote:
David's credit card number was stolen and used in the amount of $1200 at Kaplan College. The good news is that the bank is taking care of the charge. The bad news is that they put a stop on the credit card and we won't have a new one for 7-10 business days which means we can't rack up miles by charging our BLack Friday purchases. Bummer.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

A non-post

I'm sorry I've been such a slacker at the blogging thing - both posting and commenting. Literally all I feel like doing these days is sleep, rest, and sleep. Last night I didn't get to bed until after 10:30pm. In my defense, I was ready for bed by a little after 10, but D & I like to go to bed at the same time if at all possible and he was still up and about getting things done. I woke up around 5am and debated on whether to get up and use the restroom or to stay in bed and sleep for another half hour when my alarm would wake me up anyway. I opted for the latter. It's not very easy to find a position in bed that's comfortable with a full bladder.

This afternoon is my first prenatal appointment. I'm hoping beyond hope that they give me another ultrasound, but somehow I doubt it. I'm excited to meet my doctor and I'm glad that D will be with me.

Tomorrow I'll make Pioneer Woman's Caramel Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake to refrigerate overnight in preparation for Thanksgiving. When I think of eating a gingersnap plain I want to vomit, but I'm hoping that it will serve well as the crust with other yummy sweetners and butter added.

We're spending Thanksgiving Day at D's parents house along with his sister, brother-in-law, and his brother-in-law's family.

I'm going to interrupt my own post to say that I think I should end it here. I'm so tired that I'm having a hard time staying awake while typing. As a matter of fact, I walked into the lunchroom a minute ago and thought I was going to fall asleep while walking. I don't even like Red Bull, but if I were allowed that much caffeine right now I'd have a hard time turning it down were it offered to me.

Ok, off to toast a bagel. Sorry for the boring non-update, but I feel boring today.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Just another baby blog

I'm sure you'll be sick and tired of hearing about my pregnancy by the time these next 8 months are done. But, until I get a pregnancy journal (which is likely to be never), I will be chronicling the in-utero life of my baby here.

People ask us if we have names picked out yet.

No.

Boy names are hard. Girls names are relatively easy but D nixes 90% of the names I suggest. There's one name in particular that I've been trying to warm him up to ever since we've been married, practically.

D, if you're reading this, please reconsider.

He wants to be able to call our potential daughter by a shortened version of the name I love and I'm just not a fan. This makes it sound like I have it all figured out that we're having a girl. I don't. Just sayin'. Anyway, we've decided not to start considering names until we find out what we're having. Lord willing, that will be late January or early February. D has also said that he doesn't want to name our child until we've seen his or her face. That might change when he has to address baby in my tummy as "Girl baby" or "Boy baby". I support either way. I'd love to keep any potential names a secret, but I'm a horrible secret-keeper so if I cave easily on that, just want you to know ahead of time that "I told you so".

What are you contributing to Thanksgiving dinner?

I'm contributing a green bean casserole, Waldorf salad, and a pumpkin cake.

I'm a little concerned for my cooking/baking abilities right now. There's a good chance that I could lose my lunch at any given time while making food from scratch. I have faith that I will be able to pull off making said dishes.

At this point I do not make dinner at home - I went out and bought a lot of macaroni & cheese, Spaghetti-Os (yes, my 30-year-old husband still enjoys a bowl of Spaghetti-Os with meatballs), frozen pizza, and hot dogs. I'm such a lucky girl to have a husband who is so low-maintenance. I find that I can eat hot meals as long as someone else prepares them. Hey D, Mexican sounds good - when's our next date night?

My family always eats breakfast out on Black Friday then we hit the sales. This year we're hitting the mall first. Pray for us. I'm seriously considering breaking out some elbow pads for the occasion and using them to push my way through the crowds. I'm one for great bargains but not one for crowds. Maybe I'll get one of those motorized scooters. Or, maybe I'll leave those for the older people. I'll get through it - I always do. It never fails to feel funny to get home around 10:30am and marvel at how much of the day is actually left.

Question of the day: Milk, dark, or white chocolate?

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Happy Veteran's Day (late)

Oh, by the way, my twin sister is having a girl! We're so excited!

I wanted to do this post on Veteran's Day or on the Marine Corps Birthday (the day before Veteran's Day) but I didn't have this information at the time.

I asked my Grandad about his service in the Marines and he wrote a really great letter for me. I want to share it with you. The photo is of my Grandad - isn't he handsome?

Here is the letter - I know it's lengthy but it's worth a read.
-------------------------------------------
Hi Sweet Girl,

Hey, what prompted this? Did you notice that last Monday (11/10) was the Marine Corps Birthday? Most Marines are very "Gung Ho" and don't fail to remind anyone within reach of the auspicious occasion of the founding of the USMC on November 10, 1775 in Tun's Tavern in Philadelphia!

You are kind to ask -- I'll be glad to give you a brief (I sometimes redefine that word!) summary of my time in the Corps.
- - - - -
I finished high school in Delta, Colorado the same month I turned 17, May of 1953. I worked all that summer, (as I had the previous summer), in wheat harvest, starting in Texas and working our way to Montana. A rancher we worked for near Boulder, Colorado was killed by a train, and his widow offered me room and board in Boulder in exchange for ranch work, if I wanted to attend the university there, (she had a son about my age, and an older daughter).
So, I started college at the University of Colorado that fall, and worked as a cowboy for the Johnson ranch. My folks had no money to help with
college, and financial aid was practically nonexistent then. My brother Max was in the Army. We hatched a "plan" for him to send me money during my college years -- and then I would send him money when he got out of the Army and went to college. It turned out that he was having a lot of fun in Germany, and never got around to sending any money. I started to drop out at the end of the first semester for (almost total) lack of cash. But the coach at CU persuaded me to stay. He got me a full scholarship in football and wrestling, including housing in the "Jock" dorm, and even a job as a soda jerk in the student union for a little cash, (85 cents an hour!). But I didn't have many hours to work, and still had very little money. I confess that I wasn't a serious student either. So, in March of 1954 I quit college and joined the Marines. I figured I would do my military service, and then have the GI Bill for college, (and perhaps be a more serious student).

I was still 17 at the time, so my folks had to sign for me to join. Then I was off to boot camp in San Diego, (recruits from the western US go to San Diego; those from the east go to Camp LeJeune, NC). My starting pay was $78/month.

Marine boot camp is everything you’ve heard, and more. (Of course everyone says it was rougher in “their” days, but it actually was at that time. It still is now, but some things happened over the years that made them ease up just a bit.) It was only 12 weeks, but extremely tough. Absolutely NO liberty, not even on-base liberty (to go to a movie, the exchange – not even to a candy machine or a walk around a block). We were blasted out our bunks at 4:30 and driven non-stop until evening; then we might have an hour or so at our barracks to do our laundry (by hand), and shine our boots and brass. We even marched in formation to meals at the mess hall, and returned to formation to stand at ease until everyone was present. If the DI felt generous we might get to have a smoke in formation while waiting for the rest to get there. We were only allowed to smoke a few times a day; and you never “sat” unless you were in class learning something such as rapidly disassembling, cleaning, and assembling various weapons. The training was purely military. Of course marching, drilling, and military rules, etc., was part of it; but much of it concerned fighting and the use of various weapons, (rifles; bayonets; grenades; etc.; etc.). Two of the 12 weeks are spent at the weapons range in the hills 20 miles from San Diego, (of course you get there by marching with a full pack and weapons). The Marine DI stresses that you’re not there to learn how to die for your country – you’re there to learn how to help the other poor bastard die for his county. And, of paramount importance for Marines –
DISCIPLINE! You can’t imagine the discipline. One of the interesting things you get to do with your buddies is to take off your gas mask in a chamber full of tear gas, and all sing the entire Marine Corps Hymn.

After boot camp, if you did well, you advance in rank from Private to Private First Class, (PFC). ALL Marines go to another base, most to Camp Pendleton in California, for advanced infantry training. Regardless of what your specialty may be later, and the particular training for it, – everyone gets complete training in infantry combat. If I remember correctly, that was another 6-8 weeks at that time.

I did not go on to Camp Pendleton with my class immediately after boot camp. I had scored high on the General Classification Test, (essentially an IQ test), during boot camp; and was screened for officer programs. The one I opted for was NavCad, which is pilots training at Pensacola, Florida. This is also where graduates of the US Naval Academy, if selected, go for pilots training to become Navy or Marine pilots. It sounded like fun to me! However, in addition to the GCT score required, you also had to have a 4-year college degree. I didn’t, of course, but USAFI (US Armed Forces Institute), did offer equivalency exams for various levels of education, (high school and college). I took the 4-year college equivalency exam, and had to wait in San Diego for the results after boot camp, (and also while they did extensive background checks). To my surprise, I passed all 4 sections of the exam, (I had “coasted’ through high school – especially through the 11th grade in Geary, Oklahoma, without taking much serious coursework). So, next they sent me to a Marine Corps Air Station in El Torro, California for a flight physical, (pretty demanding; they even fixed every slightest tooth cavity, etc.). During the extensive vision tests, they discovered a astigmatism on one eye – something I was not even aware of. But they said it would go away within a few months. So they returned the now thick folder of stuff to my file, and told me to tell my commanding officer, (C.O.), wherever I might be in a few months to re-do the flight physical and send me to Pensacola.

I went to Camp Pendleton for advanced infantry training, and then was shipped to Korea in the fall of 1954.

The trip to Korea was something else. We were on a modest-sized troop transport ship; it crried 2,000 Marines and the ship’s crew. It was slow compared to many larger ships. It took us 21 days to go from San Diego to Kobe, Japan, where we stopped for one evening’s liberty before going on to Inchon, Korea. That was 3 weeks seeing nothing but ocean in every direction. Most of the Marines had never been aboard a ship. Many were getting seasick the first night, and we were still tied up at the San Diego dock! And regrettably we had rough weather for the first 10 days at sea. I thought I must have been practically the only Marine on board who wasn’t seasick, (but of course there were probably a few others). It was so bad that they would send us all below-decks FIVE times a day to hose off the decks, (you can’t believe how bad it smelled – to say nothing of the slippery hazard). We would try to lean over the rail as far forward as possible to breathe fresh air – but some sucker would run to the rail even farther forward and fill the blowing air with barf to fly back onto you. Our “racks,” (bunks), were pipe-like frames with canvas flats which folded down from the bulkheads (walls). Bulkheads were only 5-6 feet apart, with racks stacked 5 high on each side and a foot or two of passageway between the stacks. Happily I had grabbed a top rack when we boarded. Guess what happened at night in the rough seas? The ship would rock, and many of the guys on the upper racks would hang over the edge of their rack to barf into the passageway. However, while the ship was tilted, that stuff would just go into the racks of the guys below, (and the first night or two, many guys didn’t know better than to leave their boots in the passageway between the racks – guess what they would stick their foot into the next morning?). Plus, the ship rocked so badly those first days that we even had to stand to eat in the mess hall, (the benches folded under the tables). And while you tried to eat, (terrible food, by the way – these were merchant ships, not Navy), a tray would come sliding down the table and stop in front of you – and it would have more “stuff” (barf, of course) on it than had been loaded at the chow line. As I said, the really bad weather only lasted about 10 days, and they troops mostly had their sea legs by then as well. So the rest of the trip wasn’t too bad – but it was really boring. Paperback books were like gold – even if some clown had torn off the last several pages!

I was assigned to Communications Company, Headquarters Battalion of the 1st Marine Division, about 40 miles northeast of Seoul, South Korea. The Korean War truce had been signed in 1953, so the “hot” war had ended. However, things were still very tense, the country was an unbelievably devastated shambles, and a fair amount of guerrilla warfare was still going on. We lived in 6-man tents, which weren’t too bad, (although that 1-ply canvas wall didn’t keep winter cold out well, and we weren’t allowed to keep little pot-bellied stoves on at night). We each had a cot to lay our sleeping bag on. We had no running water at all, and would march to shower tents once every 2 weeks. We wore only combat uniforms, and were always fully armed. We didn’t even take any “dress” uniforms to the base there. All towns and cities, (even Seoul), were simply piles of debris; so there was no conventional liberty. Some of us did get to visit some burial grounds with some interesting tombs near our compound. If we left the base for any reason we were armed and never alone. Even the base wasn’t safe. For example, one morning all 6 men in a nearby tent had their throats cut. It was unpleasant to watch even an enemy guerrilla soldier lying at your feet dying of a bullet wound. And sometimes it would be simply a poor hungry South Korean who crept into our area at night to steal food – but failed to stop when we saw him and yelled “Siga!” (stop). The plight and poverty of those people was more terrible than most Americans would imagine.

In December of 1954 my brother-in-law, Harvey Haigler, (Nancy’s husband), was killed. He was an Air Force pilot, and flew jet fighter-bombers out of Japan. Harvey was a great guy. He and I had really bonded the Christmas before in Colorado doing some mountain climbing in the snow above my parents’ home in Cedaredge. Nancy was devastated, of course. Their only child, Kay, was less than a year old. It was a great shock to the family; we had been fortunate to have had very few early deaths in the family. It was to affect my own plans to become a pilot, because my mother became absolutely terrified of the idea.

During that winter in Korea, I remembered the flight surgeon’s instructions about my flight physical. I checked with my C.O. and he sent me to Marine Air Group in South Korea. The flight surgeon verified that my eye problem was in fact gone, so I was technically ready to go to flight school. However, my C.O. said he was not going to cut orders to send one person from Korea to Florida. He said he would put the folder back into my file, and I should notify my C.O. when I got back to the states, and I would be sent to the next class in Pensacola.

The entire 1st Marine Division was returned to the United States in the spring of 1955. I was assigned to MCTU #1, (Marine Corps Test Unit #1), at Camp Pendleton, California. Our function was to test new equipment and tactics for the entire Marine Corps. For example, we spent a lot of time testing of the use of helicopters to land Marines in various assault situations – this was to largely replace the use of landing craft to “storm” the beaches.

I was putting off my decision to go to Pensacola for the Naval Cadet flight program, hoping with time my mother would get over her significant fear of it. It is hard to express my love, admiration, and appreciation of my mother. She did not have an easy life, and loved and served her family more deeply than I can describe. I did not at all want to cause her pain and worry just to satisfy a personal ambition, although I really wanted to go. I think it was in 1956 that my C.O. called me in and said I needed to make a decision. Mother never pressured me about not going – she was not at all selfish, but she could not conceal her terror of the idea. So I decided to decline the program.

Some other factors made it not too tough to pass it up. By this time I had been made a Corporal, (rank is not fast in the Marines), and received some advanced NCO, (Non-Commissioned Officer), leadership training. So, I had it fairly soft. Also, there was this sweet young thing I had met while visiting my older brother in the Los Angeles area on liberty, and we were having a great time falling in love. Plus, I now had only about a year or less to complete my 3-year
enlistment. If I had gone into the NavCad program, I would have been required to start a new 4-year obligation, (1-1/2 years of training, then commission as an officer, then 2-1/2 years of additional service).

So I finished my enlistment, and was honorably discharged in March of 1957. I had been aarded these medals: Expert Marksman; National Defense; Korean Expeditionary Force; and Good Conduct. I am currently a Life Member of the Marine Corps League; and a Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

It does not even compare with my love and loyalty to God, and then to my family, but I will be a dedicated Marine all my life. I believe it is clearly the finest military organization in the world, and a great fraternity. Indeed: The Few, The Proud, The Marines! Semper Fidelis!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

What a day!

I had my identity stolen yesterday. VISA alerted me that someone charged almost $500 on my Visa at a 7-11 store. How do you charge $500 at a convenient store unless you're an employee or you're friends with an employee? Thankfully I have an awesome credit union who will take care of everything. One thing they don't take care of is reporting it to the police so D and I will do that alone. The thief also spent money at a restaurant and a high school which leads me to believe it's a high school kid doing this. All charges were in Tacoma - D and I don't go to Tacoma!

Oh, and yesterday morning my car battery died. I park on one side of our 2 car garage and the other side has misc items in it and is used as D's shop. Unfortunately my car has a safety feature that doesn't allow the car to be put in Neutral when the car isn't on, so D and I had to move the stuff out of the other side of the garage and he pulled his car in to jump my car.

Then last night I was up late waiting for D to get home from a city meeting and when he got home he threw a pair of workout shorts in the doorway of our bedroom. He never throws his clothes on the floor and my subconscience said "Don't step on the shorts" and at the same moment I was walking into our room I was turning around to ask D something and I hit the last three toes on my door post hard. The second to last toe on my right foot hurt so badly last night that I didn't sleep well. Today it's turning blue (bruised) and it's swollen. I can't even put weight on my heel because the pain to my toe is too much. I think it might be broken. D says I should go to the doctor but I don't think they can do anything for a broken toe and I cringe at the thought of anyone touching it!

Top those stories off with me burning my finger on the oven when I was roasting pumpkin seeds and I'd say that yesterday was an eventful day!

Today my twin sister finds out if she's having a boy or a girl! :)

Monday, November 17, 2008

Giving Back

Go to Raising Peanuts to enter to win an awesome nursing cover!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how little I "give back" to society. We donate clothes and other items to Goodwill and to the blind, but those acts are pretty passive.

This year I'm going to bake some cookies and give them to some of the elderly people at the nursing home where D's grandma lives. Since some may be diabetic, I might just do gingerbread cookies and pipe on smiley faces.

Every year we have a holiday party for D's friends. Usually they bring a white elephant gift and we laugh at the ridiculous junk that people bring to exchange. This year, I told David I'd like to have everyone also bring canned food & non-perishable items that we can take to Northwest Harvest, a local food bank.

I want to be in the practice of doing charitable things so that when the baby comes, we just naturally teach the child to be charitable also. I already invision going through my child's room full of the toys he/she will inevitibly have and boxing up things he/she doesn't use anymore to give to children who aren't as fortunate. I also think visiting a children's hospital and sitting with a sick child will be beneficial to both children, right?

We should set aside money (other than contribution money) for those on missions in other countries that our local congregation supports. Right? I mean, yes the congregation supports them but why stop there? I'm sure $20 means more to them than it does to us.

What do you do to give back?

If you have children, how do you teach them to "give back"?

Friday, November 14, 2008

Ultrasound Day!

I'm not going to write much just because right now I feel like my eyelids are made of steel, but I wanted to share with you how our ultrasound went today.

God is SO good! We got to see our baby and got to see his/her little heartbeat beating away! 141 bpm! On the top picture you can see the heartbeat rhythm at the bottom of the picture and you can see two lines on Baby where the Tech marked the heart!

When we first saw our baby, I giggled and the tech said "Oh, no giggling - when you move, the baby moves even this early". So I couldn't giggle but I could cry! It was really fascinating...I'm now hooked and would like an ultrasound to see my baby every single day, please!

She said that I looked to be about 7 weeks along which is closer to what I expected, so my due date is now July 3rd!

We went to Cheesecake Factory after the ultrasound for celebratory appetizers and cheesecake!

Have a wonderful weekend - I know we will! Praise God, He is amazing.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

God is Good

It might be the hormones, or it might just be that I'm a lunatic, but I took a walk around the building just now so that I could avoid listening to the guy across the aisle from me chomp, chomp, chomping on his chips. I really have a hard time understanding why it's not common sense to actually close your mouth before you start chewing. But, I digress.

I guess there's a storm here now. Many people say that Seattle is only sunny July through September, but as I've told many people, October really is a beautiful month. Last month had some really amazing autumnesque days. Now begins the rainy season in Seattle. That's not to say we never get a sunny day from now until June - we get quite a few. But, most days are rainy. These are the days I wish I could ditch the 40+ minute commute and stay home. Especially now that I'm tired all of the time. Oh, to sleep in until 8am, or even 7am!

I have to show you this ultrasound picture that my younger sister, Lindsay, just sent. She's only 13 weeks, 6 days but the baby is measuring 14 weeks, 4 days because he/she is so tall! She sent several pictures (all of which made me cry like an idiot at work) but this one is my favorite. Doesn't it look like Baby is waving? That's my sweet niece or nephew!


This whole "being pregnant at the same time as my sisters" thing is so emotional! You're emotional enough when you're pregnant (see above paragraph about the guy chewing chips), but then when your sisters have their ultrasounds and stuff, it just puts you over the top. It does me, anyway. I can't believe that we'll be able to see our baby that well in just about 7 more weeks!

I shouldn't be listening to Staind, Creed, Embrace, and especially "The Riddle" by Five For Fighting (on Pandora) when I'm this crazy emotional. Have you heard "The Riddle" by Five For Fighting? It won't let me embed the video, but please watch the video here. It's such a sweet song. I don't understand the lyrics completely so I can't say I believe in the message of the song.

7 weeks today! Actually, according to me, I'm only 6 weeks, 4 days pregnant. Did you know that my chart says I'm actually due on the 4th of July? Patriotic Baby!

I feel yucky every morning. I'm dead tired no matter how much sleep I get and I'm a little queasy until I eat but nothing sounds good so it takes me a long time to get motivated to eat something. But, usually when I do I feel better until the next time I need to eat and then I feel queasy again. Like right now I don't feel great but it's because I haven't eaten in a couple of hours. I'm trying to eat an apple a day because they say it's really good for Baby.

I've rambled enough!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Starbucks cards, good friends, and baby's first picture

I wish I was (were?) one of those people that (who?) carried their camera around with them everywhere. Oh, wait, I am. Because D is still a Boy Scout at heart, his motto truly is "Always Be Prepared". Unfortunately, that means my purse usually weighs somewhere around 8-10 pounds. I wish I was joking.

I won't blame it entirely on my husband - it's my fault that I feel the need to carry around my collection of Starbucks gift cards. I really do have a collection. Before I knew I was a collector, when my balance on my gift card would run out I would always let the barista throw away my card. Now, I keep it. I love getting a new one and I'm always excited to see what design they will have available when the seasons change.

Here's a picture to prove my insanity (including a picture of a gift card I received from a friend who lived in Hawaii for a couple of years. Never mind that it had a $0 balance on it when he gave it to me!) :
See? These pictures are courtesy of my camera that I keep in my purse at all times. I brought up the weight of my purse because, when I can, I leave my purse in the car. Because of this, I wasn't able to capture our two fun-filled evenings with friends on camera.

Wait a minute, I just realized I carried my purse into your house, Melissa, but I set it by the couch and forgot about it until we left. I'm out of excuses. If I would have remembered that my camera was with me, I would have taken a photo of the really yummy food (and, of course, the super sweet couples that shared the meal with us!).

I'm still dreaming about that broccoli salad.

Saturday night we went to a birthday party for one of our friends who turned 30. D and I played some pool and ate a lot of Mexican food. We got home around 10;30, at which point I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and went to bed.

Seahawks and Huskies lost this weekend. It's a sad year for Seattle sports, let me tell ya.

Baby's first picture is on Friday and I'm so excited (and a little nervous!). D talked to my belly last night even though I'm sure he's aware that our kid doesn't have ears yet. I still thought it was really sweet. We're going to get one of those baby books after our u/s on Friday. And I think after the ultrasound we're going to head over to The Cheesecake Factory to use the gift card D's parents gave us for our anniversary! Some pre-dinner cheesecake! Mmmm!

What I brought for lunch doesn't really sound appealing but I'm sure once I start stuffing my face I'll be fine.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Ode to Husband

If I were at all poetic, I would write my wonderful husband a poem. My grandad is an excellent poet - he even wrote a very sweet poem that he read on our wedding day. We just asked him to pick something to read and left it up to him what he was going to say. We had no idea until after the wedding that he had penned the beautiful words he had spoken! He's always told us that he's going to write a book - I hope he does because he definitely has a way with words! He's also a Marine veteran. Semper Fi, Grandad!

On to my husband. I have to brag on him for a minute. So, I get up and start my day around 5:30am. Generally speaking, D gets up around 5:05 or 5:15. I get home between 4:30 and 5:00 and D usually walks in the door around 5:15. Our schedules are pretty similar, although it takes me a lot longer to get to work so he is actually at work longer than I am. He gets every other Friday off as part of a "Flex Day" program. I don't know why I'm going off on a tangent about his schedule since I'm sure you have better things to do than to read about the logistics of our day. My point is this: Yesterday, after getting home at 5pm, I crashed on the couch and virtually didn't move. I've been tired. Real tired. D went to Microsoft after work for a Playtest study and didn't get home until after 10pm. He "tucked me in", then went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of things I thought would come in handy over the next couple of weeks. Things like ginger snaps, hard cheese, chicken soup, saltines, grapes, apples, green olives (oh I've been craving these!), etc. I was asleep before he returned home.

I had planned to go to the store that evening while he was away, but after I got home and started a fire in the fireplace and plopped myself on the couch, I just didn't. It was raining hard outside and I drifted in and out of sleep. I just wanted to say that I think I have the best husband and that what he did for me by running to the store last night really meant a lot.

I'm going to go enjoy a Gala apple purchased by my loving husband last night.

On a side note, someone commented on my Facebook page telling me that D and I would be great parents and that our baby is going to be "SO cute" and I cried. These hormones are really something.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Cravings Already?

When are cravings supposed to start? Because at this point I'm pretty sure it's just my excuse to eat what I want and blame it on my pregnancy.

I currently have at least 3 apples sitting in my fruit bowl at home that are mushy and need to be thrown out. That is why we don't buy much fresh fruit...it goes bad before I can eat it. However, today, if those apples were still crunchy and good, I would have eaten all of them in one sitting. Tonight I'm going to the store so I can buy healthy snacks that will help me fulfill the dreadful 5 or more servings a day requirement for fruits and veggies. I don't even know where to begin to get 5 servings of vegetables short of drinking two V8s a day. I've never tried V8 - anyone want to tell me what it tastes like before I dive in?

Here's another reason I can tell that I'm pregnant and have food preferences:

I chose fruit flavored candy.

Last night, D & I stopped at Target after Wednesday night Bible study to get him some more cough medicine (Target "tussin" was less than $2 for a HUGE bottle! Score!) and to get me some eyeliner. Remember the wicked sideburns from the Halloween photos? Oh, I never showed them to you? Let me remedy that, courtesty of my "espresso" eyeliner...


If you don't recognize the guy next to D, that's Mugatu from "Zoolander". D's friend, Oliver, made the costume himself, completing it by cutting a patch of hair from the wig and glueing it to his chin!

Anyway, so we were at Target in our quest for eyeliner and cough medicine. By the way, if you ever need Mucinex, be sure to have your ID on you because they're required to card you. Sad state this country is in! So D walked up to me as I threw a 2 pack of Burt's Bees chapstick into the cart and asked if I cared about their Halloween Clearance items. I still wonder why he felt like he needed to ask! So we walked back and there's not much left in the way of decorations but wow there was a LOT of candy left over! We also got a really funny costume for Tess next year, but don't tell her or she'll be mad at us.

Huge, unhuman size bags of candy. I'm a chocolate girl. I love chocolate and usually need at least a small piece after dinner to "balance the flavors". Last night I chose two bags of fruit-flavored candy. Fruit-flavored. In an aisle full of chocolate!

My sister tells me that it's totally normal to crave fruit in the beginning. I think it must be your body's way of saying "Hey! I'm not getting what I need so feed me some of the good-for-you stuff!"

Right now I'm reading The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy on recommendation. The biggest peeve I have with this book is that not once does the author mention God. She says "nature this" and "nature that" but not once does she say "God" in place of "nature". Drives me to Tuesday. If it weren't for the helpful information I would put that book down right now.

Note to baby:
Hi baby! This week you're the size of a grain of rice, although another website told me you were the size of a Sweet Pea - you're 6 weeks old. Your dad kisses my belly at night and I always remember to tell you goodnight. We pray for you every day and can't wait to meet you. A week from tomorrow we get to hear your heartbeat and hopefully get a picture of you! You're going to have cousins very close in age - you might get a taste of what it was like for your mom to be a twin! You are so loved already. Grow healthy and strong and I'll see you in July! Love, Mom

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

First Award!

Thank you for all your insightful comments on yesterday's post. I know it was heavy - but rest assured that today's post is very non-heavy!

Liz over at Mainly A Midwife gave me this award!

Thank you, Liz! Liz is pregnant, too, and turns out she's due just a few days before I am! It's going to be a really fun 2009 with all the babies!

I was pretty happy to receive my first award. Mainly because I don't write as often as some people do, but I'm thinking that's changing now that I've got a baby cooking. Nothing much is happening right now that I can tell. I really don't feel pregnant! I keep thinking that I'm going to go for my first ultrasound appointment and they're going to look at me and say "There's nothing in there".

Here are a few reasons I actually feel pregnant:

1. I was in bed by 9pm last night
2. I have been having the most horrific, very realistic dreams
3. I'm bloated (one woman even said to me yesterday "Oh, you look like you're showing a little bit already!" to which I replied, "Nope, I'm just fat")
4. I'm tired all of the time.
5. The only thing that has really sounded good lately is Ramen (although last night I would have walked to Dairy Queen barefoot in the rain to get their chicken strips basket)

I don't feel sick yet which I'm thankful for, but I realize it could still hit at any moment.

Okay, along with the award there are rules. So, to those I give this award to, you can follow the rules or not, but here they are!

1. Name 5 things that you love.

2. Pass along the award to the blogs you love.

3. Please link back to my blog.

I love: My Savior, my husband, my family (both sides!), my freedom, and my pup.

I'm going to give this award to:

Becky over at Smile, It's Becky. Her posts are always so funny and I just love to read her "Not Me Mondays" and her experiences as a little person teacher!

Brie over at My Home, My Life. She's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, and she was so patient with me while I created a header for her cute blog. Especially now that neither one of us can figure out how to get that crummy border to stop messing with the header!

Bev over at A Baby? Maybe... because she makes me laugh. She's a really great writer and although I wish she would post more often, I really can't complain since she's busy preparing for her baby girl!

Whitney over at My Journey Toward: The Glamorous Life of a Housewife. I have to give her one - she posts almost every day and they're all equally entertaining. Plus, she's a preggo too and right now I have a soft spot for Mamas-to-be. Especially preggos in their first trimester - it's so nerve-racking.

So, there you have it. Happy Award Day!

Sidenote from a non-political person: I'm saddened by the results of the election, but I trust God's will has been done and I will submit to the leadership as the Scriptures instruct me to do.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

It's Election Day.

First, please take a minute to read Brie's post today. I have to warn you that it's pretty graphic, but it's a must-read!

Sometimes I get discouraged and feel alone in my beliefs and principles especially here at work. I work in Seattle where people feel free to bash conservatives and put Obama on a pedestal because they assume that everyone supports him. I do not. Brie's post today is one of the primary reasons why I do not support Obama, although there are other issues as well.

I'm not a very political person - I find that I have enough opinions on many other things and if I got into understanding the ins and outs of politics I would never shut up. However, there are moral issues that are very, very close to my heart.

I have a child growing inside of me right now that is only 6 weeks gestation. I am doing what I can to drink a lot of water, eat right, take my vitamins, and hopefully give this baby everything it needs to thrive because it's my responsibility and this child is completely reliant on me. I can't wait to hear its heartbeat (which started around 4 weeks), to see it move, and later to feel it roll and kick. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that someone would be so heartless, so selfish as to murder a child at any point in the gestation process. How do you do that! How do you justify causing so much pain and agony to your own child?!

There are so many couples who would give everything they have to welcome a child into their home. Couples who, for whatever reason, are not able to conceive children of their own. Why would you murder a child if you have the choice to put them in a loving home?

I just can't support a man who said that he doesn't want his daughters "punished with a baby" if they accidentally get pregnant. If your daughters are old enough to decide to have sex, they should be old enough to be responsible for the consequences of having sex. An unborn child should not have to pay for irresponsibility and utter selfishness. Shame on you, Obama.

I don't want to hear "Pro Choice". Talk all you want about the mother's choice, but there's a baby who can't speak for itself who does NOT want to die. I'm for the choice of the baby.

I am NOT for Obama.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Darth

This was the first year we've been able to see Caleb in his Halloween costume on Halloween and it was really fun. He was Darth Vader, complete with a device that, when a button was pushed, simulated Darth's breathing. Here's a video if you'd like to watch him in action.

No, I'll never learn not to turn the camera sideways for a long shot. I'll never learn that you can't flip the video the correct way before posting it on YouTube.


And now for some still shots:



In case you're wondering how Tess reacted to the baby news, this picture should tell you:


She's not going to be the baby anymore!

Bev's shower was really fun - it was neat to see a few girls from high school, too. Little Lucy should be here within the next couple of months!

I'm feeling fine if not a little tired. A lot tired. But who isn't on a Monday morning? Sometimes I feel like this pregnancy thing is a fluke because I really don't feel much yet. Like when I go in for my ultrasound the tech will just look at me and say "You're not really pregnant...what made you think you were?" To which I'll say "The home pregnancy tests and the blood tests that this office did!" and she'll say "Oh, well, those are almost always wrong."

I've already had nightmares about it. But, God is in charge. We pray every day that He gives us a healthy baby. David is already so excited. He's sent an email out to his friends, both sides of his family, and his coworkers. :)

That's about all I've got today. I'll be posting more now that I don't have to keep a secret!