Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Over the river and through the woods...

We're off to Amarillo to visit my family for a few days. I'm a little bummed that we'll be on the road tonight during candlelight service time, but I've got some Christmas cd's loaded and ready to play during the trip to remind me why Christmas is so important. I may even strike up a lighter and we'll have our own service on the road. Merry Christmas everyone!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Pour Some Sugar on Me

Last Friday I had to go to a lab to get a three hour gestational diabetes test done. Because I failed the one hour test I took the week before. The same thing happened when I was pregnant with Jake. It seems that my body needs more than one hour to correctly process sugars. Which is surprising to me seeing as how I've made it one of my life's missions to eat as much sugar as possible. You'd think I'd be good at metabolizing the stuff.

Anyway, I went in to take the test at 10:30am after fasting since 10pm the night before. Let me just say there are a few things in life that preggos should not do. Fasting being at the top of that list and wearing thong underwear being also at the top of that list. I wasn't able to eat my regular 2am bowl of cereal the night before or have any breakfast other than water. They say water fills you up, but they lie. I was hungry. And to add insult to injury I had to sit there and drink the most awful tasting orange flavored sugar water concoction to get things started. And they want you to drink it as quickly as possible. I hate the taste of orange soda so this was really hard to swallow. I mean seriously, why don't they make the stuff taste like a chocolate milkshake? Then I would have no problem with it. As it was, I nearly tossed my cookies after drinking the stuff and was rewarded with having my blood drawn four times for the next three hours.

When the sweet lady taking my blood asked me what I was going to do when I left there that day I did not hesitate about saying that I was going straight to McDonald's. I didn't care that I was in there for a possible diabetes diagnosis. I just wanted good old fashioned greasy junk food. Possibly followed by a plateful of brownies or sugar cookies. Unfortunately, my body was not on the same page as my mind. I was only able to eat half of my Quarterpounder meal before I started feeling really sick and had to go lay down for two hours and I really have not been able to eat much since. Is it possible that a 16 hour period of no eating could have shrunk my stomach that much? Or is baby Emma just getting so huge that there is no room in me for food anymore? Either way, I'll be seriously bummed if those test results come back positive and the doctor tries to put me on a restrictive diet two days before Christmas. That just won't work for me. Because room or no room, I plan to ingest several pieces of my mama's chocolate pie, cheerio pie and whatever other kind of pie might be available to me over the next few days. Move over Emma, there's pie on the way.

Monday, December 22, 2008

I get excited just thinking what it might be like

Thanks to a comment a fellow Rick Springfield lover left on my blog awhile back, I have learned the most interesting and exciting news EVER. Drum roll please...
Next November marks the date of the second annual Rick Springfield cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. Do you hear what I'm saying? There is a cruise to Mexico that involves Rick Springfield. Apparently, he is on the ship with you the entire time and gives concerts on board. And you have the opportunity to meet him, get pictures with him and maybe even have a conversation with him if you remember how to speak in his presence.

There are so many things about this trip that appeal to me. First, did I mention that Rick Springfield would be on board? Second, I would get to be on a boat again. Okay, it's actually a ship. I know it wouldn't be the same as being on the RV Sea Explorer with the waves crashing over the bow, the wind whipping through my hair and the dolphins riding the bow wake. But, still I would be on the water again! In the ocean! The ocean.

I wouldn't have to cook anything for five days. It seems that on cruises the meals are all inclusive and I've heard they never run out of food. I love food.

I think we would actually get to get off the ship in Cozumel. Which means if time permitted, I would be snorkeling before you could say "lady, you really should not be wearing that bikini."

Lastly, I would be among kindred spirits. I've lived a lot of my life having to try to explain my love for/obsession with Rick. But on board an actual Rick Springfield cruise I don't think I would have to explain myself. I would just be surrounded by people who also feel the same joy listening to him and looking at him that I do.

So, I'm in need of fundraising opportunities. How can I go about raising the money it would cost to go on this dream vacation? And how do I convince my husband that it would be fair for me to take a vacation without him when we've never even had a honeymoon?

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

My Little Man!

Hello Ya'll!!! (I've been in Texas to long) Big Daddy here guest blogging for a bit.

Football season is coming to a close, and for me its been kind of a disappointing year. See I'm a big Chiefs fan. They are currently 2-12. No that's not a typo...2 wins and 12 losses for the season. Granted I also am a Cowboys fan by marriage and they might make it to the playoffs. I'm also a big fan of Peyton and the Colts. But my heart is with the Chiefs. I'm almost ashamed of to admit it. Almost.

There is however one brightspot on my team....Tony Gonzalez. He has set many records this season (career yards, recptions, and touchdowns for a tightend) and is going to be in the hall of fame some day.

Good old #88







I couldn't be more more proud to root them on with my little man!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

It's all about me...

If you're not completely sick and tired of hearing about my pregnancy click on over to Mommy2baustin where Eliana graciously offerred to let me be her featured mommy of the month! If you are sick and tired of hearing about this pregnancy then by all means do not click over. I will make a couple of corrections here. I sent her my info a few weeks ago so I'm actually 26 weeks pregnant and the last sentence where it says "trust your guy" was supposed to be "trust your gut" but if you have a husband or partner as wonderful as mine you can go ahead and trust him too.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Number Two!




Jake officially turned two years old yesterday at about 7:30 in the morning. We had his birthday party on Saturday. Here are the highs and lows. He liked getting presents but really didn't understand what it was all about at first. I had to unwrap most of them which means I'm in all the pictures as are my bare arms. Clearly, I'll be trying out for a defensive lineman spot with the Cowboys next year.

He loved, loved, loved his birthday cake and being sung to, and he was able to blow out his birthday candle all by himself. He wanted us to keep singing Happy Birthday indefinately. And he enjoyed eating his cake too.

We had family come in to celebrate with him which was really nice. My parents, sister and her family, and Mike's brother and his family all came. And this is where Jake's low point of the day came along. His cousin Alia who is about four months younger than him was here for the party. Let's just say that Jake had a hard time sharing his day with her. It got to the point where he would reach out to hit her if she was just walking in his vicinity. Clearly we have some work to do before baby Emma gets here.

All in all I think Jake had a good day and we can't believe we have an official two year old on our hands now. He is really coming along with his vocabulary and is a little chatterbox most of the time. He loves to play with his trucks and has the cutest laugh when the tickle monster comes out to get him. He loves to play and can keep up with older kids most of the time. The most recent development for him is his love of movies. I'm not sure if this is good or bad. He's really into Finding Nemo, Ice Age, and Veggie Tales. He talks about the characters all day long letting us know if they are awake or going night-night. We love having him in our lives and can't wait to see what this year brings for him.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Baby Bump Week 25



Okay, I realize it's more than a bump now. I've gained 22 pounds so far. But I can't think of any catchy alliterations that would make a better title than baby bump. Wait a sec...Mama's Mountain? Baby Boulder? I'm not sure. What should I call the belly now that it's big enough to have it's own zip code?

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

And the winner is...ME!

I enter so many contests on line and never actually win a thing. I'm just not one of those lucky people. But last week I entered a contest for a handmade baby blanket at Mommy2baustin and actually won! The blanket is really pretty not to mention it's my favorite color. Kristy Perkins from The Nursing Room did a wonderful job and hand delivered it to my doorstep. Thanks! Emma will love it when she gets here.

Monday, December 8, 2008

All I want for Christmas is to meet Rick Springfield

I don't usually use my blog to endorse products, but here we go. You may know of my obsession with Rick Springfield. If not, you haven't been coming here very long. Let's just say I'm crazy about him and his music. So when my friend Mel informed me that he had a new Christmas CD out this year I went bonkers. Before I could get over to Target to get my own copy, Mel said she would send me one for Christmas. Needless to say I was thrilled. There's nothing like having a friend who knows you well enough to seize upon the opportunity to send you the perfect gift. Unless it's having a husband who senses the same opportunity. Friday after having some much needed alone time out shopping with all the crazies here in town, I came home to an early wrapped Christmas present from Mike and Jake. There he was, Rick Springfield, staring at me while sitting in front of a Christmas tree on the beach. I couldn't wait to listen to it. Although I have to say there was a part of me that worried that it might suck. Because I just couldn't picture him singing Christmas songs for some reason. But let me tell you this CD did not disappoint me one bit. In fact, I'm in love with it. Most of the songs are very mellow with just his pure voice resonating love and I might add oozing a little sexiness too. I had a moment of conflict when I realized I was listening to Silent Night and thinking "man, he sounds sexy." There's something not quite right about equating sexy with a song about the baby Jesus being born. I asked for forgiveness and then felt better. After all, I'm guessing God knows what a good thing he did when he made Rick.

Anyhow, I highly recommend this CD. It's mainly traditional Christmas songs telling the story of Jesus' birth. It is the perfect way to unwind at the end of the day. Oh, Rick. It seems that after all these years, I just can't quit you. Well done, my friend, well done. Now, if only you would come to my house and sit and play guitar or piano while singing for me and a small group of friends.

I was thinking I would list my top ten favorite Christmas songs now. I'd love to hear your favorites too!

1.) O, Holy Night
2.) What Child is This?
3.) Do You Hear What I Hear?
4.) Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
5.) I'll Be Home For Christmas
6.) Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
7.) Winter Wonderland
8.) Silent Night
9.) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
10.) Frosty the Snowman

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Things no one tells you about pregnancy

I've been up since 5:30am trying to get my nose to stop bleeding. This is one of the little known "side effects" of being with child. Did you know it's possible to go through an entire roll of toilet paper in fifteen minutes while trying to stop a nose bleed? Maybe I was getting delirious from losing so much blood, but at one point I started thinking the white toilet paper with bright red stains on it would make a lovely garland for our Christmas tree this year. I had never experienced a nose bleed until I got pregnant with Jake. This is the first I've had with Emma and I think I might have to go in for a blood transfusion later. Let me just go ahead and advise you to go straight for the ice pack instead of just applying direct pressure if this happens to you.

Let's talk about leg cramps. I'm not saying I condone torture for terrorists or anything, but I am saying that if there was a way to impose the leg cramps of a pregnant woman on bad guys, even Osama Bin Laden would crack. These cramps hit in the middle of the night when I'm rolling over trying to get comfortable and they make me scream. And they make me cuss. And they make me cry a little. They shoot up from the foot, wrap around to the back of the calf and camp out there for as long as possible. The only way to get rid of them is to reach down, grab your foot, and straighten your leg out which is torture in and of itself. The experts say to eat bananas to lessen your chances of having leg cramps and my mama says to sleep with a bar of Dove soap under your sheets.

Pregnancy glow? Yeah, that's just sweat. You will sweat more during pregnancy than if you went to a spa and got wrapped up in Saran Wrap to lose a little water weight.

There is something called a mucus plug.

I knew there would be back pain, but I didn't know there would be constant tailbone pain. It feels like my tailbone is trying to escape from my body. So pretty much sitting, standing, and lying down are all uncomfortable.

Just go ahead and embrace your gas.

Constipation? Check.

Your feet will swell to monumental proportions. By the time I had Jake, I could no longer fit into any of my regular shoes. I opted instead for some stylish fleece lined slippers to get me through the last month.

Lastly, I'm going to share with you the one thing NO ONE will tell you about being pregnant. Not all women enjoy it. And that doesn't mean you're going to be a bad mama. The one thing I do enjoy about it is feeling that little baby roll around in my belly. Last night I looked down and my stomach was jiggling around so much it looked like a bowl of jello. Which makes my trip to the ER for some extra blood later this morning totally worth it.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Peaceful Blue Friday

I thought about going shopping the morning of Black Friday, but then I came to my senses. Why would anyone venture out of the house on a day named Black? Maybe if it was named Happy Yellow Friday or Perfectly Purple Friday I would have left the house. But for Black Friday I chose to stay in all day and watch Finding Nemo four times. Okay, Jake is the one who chose to watch Finding Nemo four times, but I played along. I'm not sure if he was under the weather or just feeling blue from the whole Black Friday thing, but whatever the case, my little bundle of energy just felt like being mellow all day. Praise God! Mama needed a day of silence and reflection. I can't remember what I reflected about but I'm sure it was good.

Since I've been having trouble sleeping at night, I decided to forego my afternoon nap. So after putting Jake down for his nap and listening to him cry hysterically while screaming "NO, NO, NO WAAAYYYY!" for exactly five minutes before he gave it up and fell asleep for 2 1/2 hours, I chose to relax and get a jump start on Christmas from the comfort of my own home. That's right. I'm talking online shopping people. So much better than facing crowds at the mall. I managed to get about half of our shopping done. Then I went downstairs, got a cookie and some milk, put some Christmas music on and started addressing Christmas cards. It was truly one of the best afternoons I've had in years. Aside from the fact that I was faced once again with the fact that my handwriting has turned to complete chicken scratch over the years. I blame it on the computer age. Why practice penmanship when you can just type an email?

Anyway, I'm happy to report that I'm feeling all in the Christmas spirit now afer my two hours of quiet and solitude. I'm certain I wouldn't be in this happy place had I gone out to Target where I surely would have had to lay the smackdown on some unsuspecting lady buying the last latest edition Elmo toy in the store.