2009, some of the special people

Its pretty obvious that 2009 was a big year for us. Big in ups and big in downs (though luckily, many more of the first!). We found out we were pregnant, found out we lost the baby, grieved for our angel baby, and got pregnant again! We spent months alternately enjoying my second pregnancy and being scared to death... then we heard the heartbeat! And found out we were having a girl!

We got our Daisy! GG was born! We swore in our first African American president. I was in Connecticut twice (Hannah got married!) and Cape Cod & Vegas (where I got to visit with my girl Babs! and see Cirque de Soliel!) & DC (my cousin got married!) once. Jan was diagnosed with cancer... then Jan beat cancer! My brother graduated high school then moved to DC and my Hoser, Lauren, graduated law school! Tally got married. My best friend, Babs, lost her grandfather... a wonderful man whom I will always remember fondly. Trav's SIL, Megan, is pregnant! Hannah is pregnant! We redid our office.

And through it all, there were some very important people. I would like to talk about a few of them. My people of 2009:

1. Random Waiter at the Red Lobster
   
   This one probably seems like a REALLY weird person to start off with, but this was something that just stuck with me and I would be remiss not to mention it.
   On the day that we found out we had lost the baby, we headed home post-Ultrasound, and didn't know what to do with ourselves. We were sad and lonely and feeling like normal was this far off thing that we would not get to enjoy again for a very long time. We were hungry, but didn't want to cook, so we decided to go out to get something to eat. I wanted comfort foods, I wanted chowder or alfredo, and we figured the Red Lobster would have both... so that's where we went. Of course our waiter had no idea what had happened to us, but that made his attitude even better. He was friendly and gentle (with two people who were clearly upset about something), attentive and humerous. He made me crack a smile when an hour earlier I didn't think I'd ever want to smile again. His service would have made me stop and take note on a normal day, but on that day, I couldn't even express how grateful I was for him. Trav and I got a wonderful meal, with plenty of time to talk and just be with each other. Before we left, as he returned our paid bill to us, I stopped him and said thank you... "We've had a horrible morning, with some really bad news, but I just wanted to tell you how much you brightened our day... even just for the hour we were hear eating lunch. Your upbeat attitude and friendly service was deserving of a special thank you." He might not have made everything better, even for the rest of the day, but he did help us to realize that we would get better and that normal would eventually be possible again. I wish I could remember his name, but much of that time is a blur now. However, I do remember him... and he was definitely worth noting.
   
   
2. My Hoser, Esq.
   
   There are many people that I love, who are my good friends... Babs & Ro are my two best girls always... but this year I feel so blessed to have gotten closer to Lauren, my hoser. I feel like this year was a big one for really sorting out those friendships (not consciously... but just in a, it sort of happened on its own, way). I can look back now and see who was a very good friend but maybe I've grown apart from, with no hard feelings, and those who I really would be lacking without. Lauren definitely falls into the latter category. After our loss, a lot of people didn't know what to say, or what to do. I really didn't want to talk a lot about it, especially not at first, but I also needed it to be acknowledged. Lauren struck that perfect balance... sending me daily text messages for the first week or two, just so I would know that she was thinking of me and that she loves me. She also sent me funny messages about melted chocolate and white pants to make me laugh. And on my dresser (still) is a card that she sent a few days after we found out, about the loss of a baby. She was 100% there for us, without being overwhelming or expecting anything in return. And for that I can never ever thank her enough.
   Although we don't get to see each other nearly as often as I would like, I know that Hoser will always be there for me if I need her. That when we do get together, we will always have a great time. And I love her so much for that.
   
   
3. Matthew
   
   I haven't talked about this on here yet, but a few weeks ago I met a homeless man named Matthew. He's young, about my age or just a little older, and he'd been someone that I had seen around for quite a while. He's a little scruffy, and I think some people find him a little scary... but one day I felt pulled to ask him if I could buy him lunch, and I was completely moved by how sweet and gentle he is. Since then I have tried to help him where I can. I got him some socks, and put out a call for warm clothes items (which my friends responded to amazingly!! I just gave him a huge bag of sweaters, and my dear sweet hoser and a friend from college Meghan, have chipped in to buy him a new coat). I've thrown him a few bucks here and there for some food, and for a prescription. Through it all, he constantly reminds me of what true gratitude is. The geniune thankfulness he expresses over something as simple (to me) as socks, is refreshing, and a reminder of how lucky I really am. When I think about him just doing what he can to stay warm, it makes me realize how petty a lot of my annoyances are... which is a good thing to remember, this time of year (where materialism can sometimes take over), and all year round.
   
   
4. Of course, Travis
   
   Trav and I celebrated 9 years together this year, and I don't think I've ever appreciated him more. This year more then any other he's share joy with me, grieved when I grieved, and been my biggest supporter. We had stupid fights and disagreements, days when we annoyed the piss out of each other... but he has been understanding with the difficulties of this pregnancy, and forgiving on the day to day annoyances. I always knew he was a find, after all he cook, cleans, does dishes! But now I really know that any of the annoyances are worth it, I truly know how he will be there for me in a horrible situation, even when he is also hurting.
   This year more then any other has show me just how lucky I am to have a husband who isn't afraid to tell me how much he loves me, and shows me just that every day. And I cannot wait to see him as a father.

I absolutely cannot wait to see all the 2010 will bring. And who I will share it with.
Who are your people of 2009?

weekly review

Weekly Review
(Picture taken Christmas Eve, by Trav's Aunt Pat)

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +2 more as of this morning, so +16 total

Maternity clothes? Oh yes. Losing more and more of my pre-maternity sweaters each day.

Stretch marks? None so far. ::knocks on wood::

Sleep: Full of weird dreams, and lately at least two wake ups to use the bathroom. Last night was horrible though... kept half waking all night long and couldn't get comfortable.

Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat was awesome as always... and ringing in the new year is going to be fun!

Movement: Yes! Big rolls, with lots of grinding on my hip, and random appendages sticking out.

Food cravings: Oh man, I've eaten so much alfredo lately! I don't know why, but I just couldn't get enough of it.

Actual Gender: GIRL! :-)

Labor Signs: Nope.

Belly Button in or out? Flat, on a good day! Outtie the rest of the time.

What I miss: Not having heartburn. A nice glass of wine. Nights of uninterrupted sleep (lol, which I won't see again for a very, very, very long time!!).

What I am looking forward to: 2010 in just 3 days! The year our little girl will be born!

Weekly Wisdom: I feel rather short of wisdom at the moment.

Milestones: At my appointment today I made all the rest of my appointments for this pregnancy!!! Holy crap. Only two more bi-monthly appointments, then I start going weekly. ::gulp!::

holiday wrap up

Man is hard going back to work after such a wonderful, four-day, holiday weekend! But here is the wrap up, with a few pictures (man was I horrible about taking pictures this holiday!).

Thursday we headed to Willy's place around 3 to help him get things ready for the party. He always does a buffet type dinner with a Honey Baked Ham as the main dish. Joining us was Trav's Aunt Pat and her husband Brian, her two daughters Robyn and Donna, with their kids (three each), plus Robyn's husband. One of Willy's "boys" (Larry Joel) from the disabled Boy Scout Troop he leads also joins him every Christmas. So there were 15 of us, which is a nice amount. We all ate WAY too much!
After eating we exchange gifts. I think Trav and my favorite thing was this ornament from Robyn & Eric:

So cute.

After that it was home bed.

Christmas morning we woke up and had a relaxing morning with just us and the pup. We opened our gifts to each other, and our stockings. I got Trav some books for first time dads (his request!), a pair of footie PJs (like THESE :-) Lol), two more months of netflix, and a GC to Home Depot. He got me a blue ipod nano! And Season 7 of the X-files, the last one I needed. I also got a snoogie, which wasn't a requested gift... but frankly (though I was loath to admit at first), it is warm and soft! Lol. Daisy got some treats from her Nana and Pop (Trav's parent's). From us, she got to play with some wrapping paper. ;-)

After eating some breakfast and showering, we headed up to my parent's place. My brother was dying to get to the presents... even though he was the one who decided that they should all wait until we got there, so that was the first thing we did.
E & I (plus Trav) went in on gifts for my parents... my mom got the book and DVD of To Kill A Mockingbird, and THIS necklace (from The Vintage Pearl), which turned out so beautifully! We have it saying "Drew Maggie Megan Ethan Travis Gwenivere" around the outside. My dad got a gift certificate for his favorite music site, and a new dressy sports jacket. They got Trav a few smaller things he wanted from Home Depot, plus a gift card there as well. They also got him a movie he wanted. My gift was a docking station for my ipod!
My parents, Trav & I went in on a Hohner Chrometta 12 Harmonica for Ethan, which he was so excited for! We also got him some nice long sleeved shirts. He got Trav the cadillac of ice scrapers... lol, its what he wanted! This thing is about two feet long, with a sturdy, metal telescoping handle that extends to about five feet. Lol. He got me a book, which he says he really loves and he thinks I will greatly enjoy.

Since we were having the big Christmas dinner, we just had snacky, appetizer type things for lunch. We hung out and wrangled the pups, and watched some Christmas movies.

My mom took a picture of my belly:

And the boys took their annual walk in the snow:


My mom also had us pose for a family picture:

Trav and I headed home after dinner. We headed to bed not long after we got home, and the rest of the weekend was very lazy. Daisy was so worn out from all the running around on Friday that she took lots of naps on Saturday!

My parents went to see my grandparents, and took this cute shot:

Sunday we mostly just watched lots of episodes of the X-files! :-)

Travis has this week off (I have Thursday and Friday), and from the phone call I just got, he's already been using it to get stuff done. We had a few things to return to Macy's and Target (didn't fit, etc)... and I had a few things in mind for what I would pick up instead, well he did all the returning and picked up my things for me! One of the things I wanted was a bottle of the perfume I wear, since I was a few squirts from out... well he took much pleasure in telling me repeatedly how he got my "toilet spray!" (eau de toilette). Silly boy. Now he's on his way to Willy's to help him fix his door.

As for the rest of this week, well I can't believe that it will be ending in the New Year! Though parts of it were slow, 2009 really did fly by. Look for a post later this week (instead of doing a regular yearly roundup) about special people from 2009 and what I'm looking forward to in 2010. In the meantime, its back to work for me...

from our home to yours:

Hopefully your Christmas is bright and full of cheer. Hopefully you'll be surrounded by family, friends, and lots of happy times and good spirit.

I'll see you after the holidays. :-)

Text I just sent my SIL*:

Um, sorry that my voicemail to you last night included the words "crotch pain." That was probably unnecessary.

Ahh, pregnancy. How far the mighty have fallen.







*SIL = Sister-in-law

Just one quick Daisy snow pic, to show you how deep things got:

There is our girl, slogging through snow up to her belly!

And loving every minute of it, I might add!
(You might notice she isn't using the lovely path Trav created for her, chosing instead to forge her own!)

Anywho... at work for my short week (#1 of 2), and plenty to keep me busy and keep it moving. Yesterday flew by, and part of it was spent getting a pedicure since I wanted cute Christmas toes, and frankly, I'm not up to reaching them comfortably myself these days!

I think I actually pulled a muscle in my crotch... or its just a pregnancy ache that feels like I pulled a muscle in my crotch. Putting on my pants and socks and shoes has been a bit sore this past week, and yesterday/this morning its downright painful unless I do it completely sitting down, in which case its only twingy. I guess these are the fun things that happen towards the end.

So, today I am 31 weeks. Which means, single digit weeks left! I can't believe it. I got Trav to take a few belly pictures last night. I found them amusing. See sometimes I have one of those beautiful rounded bellies... the perfect half watermelon or half basketball. And sometimes Gwen decides she wants to push out and I get this:

Meet the torpedo belly!

It looks more normal from the front, or covered:


But I have to laugh at how "pointy" it is (was)!

Besides slogging along in my pregnancy, and keeping busy at work, I'm just counting down the days until Christmas! I can't believe its finally almost here, and I'm so excited for it! Since we decided to forgo porch lights this year, we are all ready! Everyone else ready?

Well, off to get to it.

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

So, seeing as I've become a "devote late night weather fan" in the past few months, I can give you multiple reports from the first night of the storm.

We had nothing happening when I hit the hay at 10:30 (friday night).

When I got up to pee... er, check the weather at 2am, there was a dusting only.

The same at 4:30am... maybe 1/2" - 1" stuck to the roads, but you could still see all the grass in our backyard, and it wasn't snowing at the time. (At this point I was starting to think the weatherman was full of it!)

But by the time I got up for good at 8:45 (sat morning), we already had a few inches covering everything, and it was coming down heavily, in big puffy flakes that stuck to everything. With no signs of stopping! (The radar image is from 9:15am.)

Good thing I had canceled my only plans for Saturday (a hair appointment, which I rescheduled for after Christmas)... because I'm definitely not leaving this house, this weekend!

My aunt and uncle in DC sent this picture:

That's their puppy, Zoey, out in the snow they'd accumulated so far (as of Saturday morning)!

Daisy was in puppy heaven!




When we came inside, it was definitely nap time!!

Which was fine with Trav and I because we used the quiet to watch a few movies and drink lots of hot chocolate/tea.

As of Saturday night, I'd say we had almost a foot and a half... poor Daisy was struggling through snow up to her belly! And it was still coming down. Plus the wind was blowing it all over.



As of today (Sunday), we woke up to a sunny, though damn cold day. And about 20" on the ground. The drifts around the sides of the house are up to 2.5 feet in some places! Travis and I definitely planned another day of snuggling inside... though this morning there was some clearing of snow to do, to make work tomorrow a possibility! I cleaned off the tops of the cars, while Trav shoveled them out. One of our neighbors has a snowblower and was a huge help going up and down the sidewalk, and down the road side of our cars, so Trav had that much less to shovel. He's taking a nap with Daisy now to recover! :-)

We also did some laundry and dishes, but decided the snow gave us a nice excuse for lounging.

As for me, I'm snuggling up with some tea, a crossword puzzle book, and some episodes of the X-files. Not a bad way to spend Sunday afternoon.

updates from yesterdays post...

I'm sitting down with a steaming, hot mug of peppermint tea, and a yummy hashbrown... in the quietest office ever, just me and one other person so far. I thought I would use this quiet to update some stuff from yesterday:

So the trailer I posted has been disappearing and reappearing for me, and I'm not sure why. So, I found this one as well, and thought I would share it in case the other one goes kaput. Its slightly different too... with an intro from production people:




Also, I got a really sweet email last night from one of the reps at Maternitique... thanking me for my kind words yesterday! Thought that was really neat. She also complimented my playlist. ;-) So, hello Tara! ::waves::

Last night I buckled down and got the last of the Christmas presents wrapped and stuff into Trav's stocking. I think we're pretty much ready for Christmas now, which is good, since its only a week away! Wowza! I can't wait. I really do love this time of year.

Lastly, since I drool a bit over Dyson's (um, who doesn't?!), I'm throwing in a note about the contest that is being run over on Baby Rabies. Check it out HERE. Man would I love to win that vacumn! Wish me luck. :-)

Okay, have a great weekend all... I'm off to get some work done.

two videos and some other stuff

EEP!!!


Its still so far away, but I love the teaser. I can't wait!!!!!!!!

Also, things I forgot to add yesterday:

- When I came home Tuesday, Trav had pulled out all the Christmas stuff and decorated! The stockings are hung, our Christmas trinkets are out, half the ornaments are on the tree (he ran out of time to finish), and the only big thing left to do is the lights on the front porch. Go Trav!

- Gwen has apparently found my hip bone... and she occasionally rolls against it now. Which, um, ouch. And.plus.also, sciatica pain! Just every once in a while, but boy is that enough. I guess I can say that Gwen is already a pain in my ass, literally. ;-)

- I have to recommend a website, and specifically two products. I have been using Belli Acne Clearing Face Wash from Maternitique for a while... I love that its all natural and smells nice, plus the way it makes my face feel. So great. The nice thing about Maternitique is that they always send samples... they recently sent me this Angel Baby Lotion. Oh my, I just bought a bottle because baby is this stuff lovely. 95% organic, makes my skin super soft, and oh the smell... I wish I could capture that for online, because that is what I would want A New Day to smell like. So lovely. Check them out.


Lastly, I promised a second video... but turn away if you are afraid of bare bellies. I was trying to capture Gwen moving my belly around to send to my best girl Babs, and I thought I would share it here too. So, without further ado (or warning!), Baby Belly Dances:


It's not the best video ever... but if you watch closely, you can see my belly dance!

Okay, that's all for now. Back to work for me!

christmas cards! and an award!

First off, since our Christmas cards should have arrived to people by now, I thought I would share them here as well. We got them from vista print, and I think they turned out great!


(Click to make larger.)

Happy Hannukkah and Merry Christmas to all. :-)


Secondly, I got my first ever blog award! Yay!

Stumbull at My Life in Black and White has given me the Happy 101 award.
:-)


Rules for the
Happy 101 Award
List 10 things that make you happy, try to do at least one of them today, and tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day. For those 10 bloggers who get the award, you then link back to my blog and create your makes you happy list.


My 10 Things:

1. Being surrounded by my family and friends.
2. Snuggling with Trav and Daisy.
3. Feeling Gwen moving all around. Especially when Trav has his hand on my belly so he can feel her too!
4. Eating yummy food... my mom's cooking is always top of that list! ;-)
5. Getting comments on my blog! Lol. What can I say, I love having the feedback.
6. Getting emails from friends I haven't seen in a while. Its always good to play catch up.
7. Checking things off my "To Do" lists. Whether its getting ready for Gwen stuff, or just the day to day things that have to get done, I love the feeling that comes with accomplishing a task.
8. Capturing a really great moment on camera. I haven't been breaking out the camera nearly as much lately, but there is nothing better then getting a really great memory on "film."
9. Rainy weekend days when you don't have to leave the house, and can just stay snuggled inside in your PJs all day.
10. Sunny, just right, warm weekend days when Ro & I can meet for walks in the state park (guess I'll have to wait a few months for more of those, huh?!).
    

And my 10 bloggers I'm sending this to are:

1. Sebz at My Thoughts Unraveling
2. Blair at Heir to Blair
3. Karianne at Baby Brown Blog
4. mommie2b at Our Growing Family
5. S at Farmer Femme
6. Wishing at Wishinghopingpraying
7. Bill at Poop and Boogies
8. Thalia at Expiration Date
9. Stacy at He Will Carry Me
10. S, S, & E at Darwin has 2 Mommies

Can't wait to read what you all are grateful for!! And thanks again to Stumbull! :-)

seven months

Weekly Review

How far along? 30 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: +2lbs, so that's 14 total.

Maternity clothes? oh yeah.

Stretch marks? not yet. ::knocks on wood::

Sleep: so when I was thinking about this over the weekend, I was going to write: "well, this cold is certainly not making it easier... and I'm back to waking up twice a night to pee, plus half-waking a few times to roll over... but its not too bad yet" and then I slept like I was dead, without waking once Sunday night and last night! So, yay for that!

Best moment this week: my awesome baby shower!

Movement: yup. big ones and small ones... pointy elbows and feet poking out.

Food cravings: not much lately.

Actual Gender: GIRL! :-)

Labor Signs: none so far, thankfully!

Belly Button in or out? Um, flat... verging on outtie!

What I miss: being able to easily put on socks and shoes, seeing my whole stomach! Lol.

What I am looking forward to: Christmas, though that's not really baby related. But I look forward to every appointment, just love hearing that heartbeat (140s again yesterday).

Weekly Wisdom: i have nothing.

Milestones: after this, we're in the single digit weeks!

weekend review, in pictures

(well, some words too... because when do I shut up, really?!)

Playing under the futon...


We went out on Friday night and got this:


Our first tree (with a green velvet tree skirt)! :-)
(... sort of ironic, considering what I wrote on Friday, but yay! I love it!)

Sunday I got to add this to it:

Gwen's first Christmas ornament... a beautiful, handmade gift from my shower. It also came with this:

Which is now on the back of the futon in the nursery.
The shower was great, we are so lucky and were really blessed by everyone:

We got our stroller, car seat, baby tub, space saver high chair, crib mattress, diaper bag, mai tai baby carrier, tons of clothes, bottles, diapers, wipes, misc bath and diapering items, and baby books.

We played a game where they had to guess my waist size (38 7/8"!), and one where they cut up printed out pictures of Trav and I as babies, and paste them together to show what our baby would look like. The results were entertaining:

This was one of the funnier ones:

Trav liked it because he thought it made our baby look like a ninja turtle. Lol.
Then I did some of these:

And we sorted through gifts and got most stuff put away. We still have to wash everything, but we at least have it all in the room!

Ro, my mom, and Kerry did an amazing job and I'm so grateful to all of them for doing this for me (and Gwen!). I feel so lucky.

I'll have to wait to share pictures from the actual shower, since I didn't bring my camera, and I haven't received pictues from others yet. But it was a great weekend.

As for sickness, well my cold is still going... but I'm feeling a little better. I'm still stuffy, but my nose isn't hurting anymore and other then the not breathing well because of stuffiness thing, I feel fine! So hopefully we're almost done with this.

Oh friday, how do I love thee. I'm very happy that this week is over, and that there is only one more full week to get through before Christmas. Although we haven't even taken out the Christmas decorations... and honestly, other then the stockings which will be stuffed, I'm not really feeling the energy for putting anything else out. Eh, we'll see what happens.

So I'm still here, and still sick with a cold. I'm not feeling any worse (which is good), but also not really feeling any better. Just about the same with the heady feeling and the sore, red nose. At least my nose has changed from "running like a faucet" to "stopped like a drain." Means less nose blowing, which is good since my nose is now so dry its peeling, but annoying since I can't breathe through it at all. I wish there was a way to just suck all the snot out at the beginning of the cold. I'm a little bummed that I'm going to have to sniff my way through my shower tomorrow, but I bet I'll be having so much fun that I'll completely forget about it.

Speaking of babyshower, I got my present from Ro early (since it was large, and she didn't know how long it would take to arrive).... our stroller! Trav put it together last night and its great. But holy crap, we have a stroller! In our dining room! This just keeps getting more and more real.

Today should be quiet. My boss and the "head honcho" are both out for vacation days, so its a slow day of catch up. Just counting down the hours until the weekend starts.

And on that note, I'm going to wish you a good one!

a cold, but not really complaining!

Busy.

Work has been going by quickly this week, since I have plenty to do. And I've had plenty to do besides work as well... doing all our Christmas cards, baking THESE brownies last night, preparing and sending out two packages with Christmas stuff for two of my girls (which involved two trips to the post office... always fun this time of year, though not as bad as I thought it would be, I have to say), returning a shirt I bought online which was too big, and taking a new pair of pants to the seamstress to have them taken up about an inch (so annoying when the regulars are too long and the petites are too short!). But, now I can cross Christmas cards off our list (mailed them this morning), and with those two gifts sent, the only shopping I have left to do is for Trav's stocking.

Of course I have to do these things with my newly acquired cold... which sucks. But besides looking very festive with my bright red Rudolph nose, and having an annoying stuffy/runny nose, its not so bad. I just hope its a little better by this weekend (and my baby shower! eep!).

On that note, I'm heading out to the store to pick up some cold medicine so that I can actually get something done today, since I'm already acquiring that slightly heady feeling that comes with a cold. And possibly some green tinted concealer, so that I don't look quite so ridiculous.

Hasta Manana!

(Picture from my parent's... my dad took it this weekend.)

I'm sitting here feeling hiccups going on inside my belly, which is a little weird... and honestly is starting to make my tummy feel a little jostled! But its neat, nonetheless, and means that our little girl is practicing her breathing. Good Gwen! Next week I'll be seven months, which is just insane.

This weekend was nice. I cashed in my birthday present from Ro, for a girls "date night" to go see New Moon and have a late lunch at the Bahama Breeze. It was a lot of fun all around. I'm a little embarassed by how much I enjoyed seeing New Moon, and a little creeped out with myself by how swoony Jacob made me feel (he's 17, in real life, for goodness sake! but those abs... oh those abs), but it was fun, especially since I got to see it with Ro. We also got to briefly see some other friends from college who were in the area visiting family... they wanted to meet with me to give me some baby clothes (they have two girls, so she had plenty of now too small baby clothes to pass on), and to lend me her Snoogle pregnancy pillow. I've been using it since and its pretty nice. The thing is huge! And I wish it were a little easier to turn over with, but its nice to have the support on my back/belly. Trav calls it my candy cane because the pillow hooks like a candy cane.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the movie... it follows the book pretty well, though I always find that their are a few things that are missing which I think should have been included, but you can't fit everything. The one part that bugged me was Edward's inability to look anything but broody. We get it, you are so burdened, but smile once in a blue moon for pete's sake.
:-) I'm such a teenage girl.

Trav took the opportunity to head to Willy's and have a little visit, and to do some shopping/present wrapping.

The one part I didn't enjoy was driving home in our first snow of the season! It was coming down pretty had at some points, and by the time Ro & I finished eating, the ground was completely covered. Luckily because it had been a bit warmer earlier in the day, and because I was taking all big roads home, there wasn't any accumulation on the roads themselves... but they were wet and slick, and the big snowflakes were coming down hard enough that it was difficult to see at points. What was cute, was taking Daisy out that evening and watching her chomp on snow.

Sadly for Daisy, by Sunday morning all the snow was gone! It didn't stick around at all... which I'm okay with, because despite it being December, I'm not ready for snow yet!! I should hurry up and get ready, since I'm sure there will be more sooner rather then later... but I am just not ready to admit that winter is officially only two weeks away (and Christmas is less then three!).

Now its Monday and I'm back to work... so I should get to it!

just for fun

There is a baby chat board that I frequent... its nice to be around other women experiencing what I'm experiencing, and at the same time. But sometimes, oh sometimes the questions that get asked are interesting. There have been plenty, many worse then this one... but I just had to share this with you (italics is my own):

Baby doesn't move while I sleep.

I am 35 weeks, and I have noticed lately that I can not feel the baby move while I am sleeping. But when I wake up and sit up, baby will move. It is a little scary but almost feels as though baby is sleeping when I am. Has anyone else noticed this???

When a few of us suggested that perhaps the baby was moving, and she just didn't notice it because, you know, she was asleep... she was honestly caught off guard. Hadn't considered the idea. Lets stop and ponder this one for a second people.

The fact is, one is not always aware of what is going on around them, or even in them, when they are asleep. I can attest to this, and not just in a baby-way, after numerous conversations with my husband about nocturnal farts.

Questions like this one people, are why I think there should be a test to take before you are allowed to get pregnant. And one of the first questions can apparently be, "do you understand the fundamental differences between being awake and asleep?" Because that one people, is a good one to know, just in general.

::hiss::

I'm sorry, and I apologize in advance if this isn't the most level headed blog post, but THIS article makes me so angry I could spit!! So angry I can't see straight.

Some of the highlights:

And those people, says Greg Mueller, a veteran anti-abortion political operative and former spokesman for Pat Buchanan, are getting a powerful message. “She’s going out there as a pro-life woman to say that there’s great joy in special needs kids — and that we shouldn’t be aborting them.”

and

“You just can’t escape it — she really is cut from a completely different cloth than most men, but also women, in politics,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which supports anti-abortion candidates. “She had the audacity in the eyes of the abortion rights world to actually have this child, and then has the audacity to bring him along with her and feature him as a centrally valued person in their family.”

HOW DARE THEY! How dare those twisted, self-righteous assholes, imply that just because I'm pro-choice, I think that disabled children aren't valuable members of the family. How dare they imply that I think disabled children should be aborted.

I believe in a woman's right to decide what happens to her own body.
I also believe that people with disabilities are people just like the rest of us... unique, special, and either great or horrible people as decided by the individual, not the disability.
And those two beliefs, are seperate matters, not contingent on each other.

Travis and I would not have aborted if we found out our little girl had Downs. Nor if she had a miriad of other disabilities. If we found out she had horrible chromosonal abnormalities that made her prognosis one of pain, suffering, and inevitable death... then Yes, there is a chance we would have, to spare her the pain.

I spent most of my first 18 years around those with disabilities, assisting in the IU classroom at my middle school, visiting a friend of my dad's at Good Shepherd, etc. I have met there, some of the best people I know. Of the quadruplets, one is partially deaf, and one has a sever vision impairment. Both are the most amazing, wonderful, loving kids. You don't see me parading them out to the press to get attention for my pro-choice stance.

I'm sorry to end the week on such an angry note, but I just had to get that out. I'm livid.

nicer

I took a dose of Zantac and brought two extra pillows to bed with me last night (bringing my total to four, three behind/under me, one supporting the back or belly as needed), and while it wasn't perfect and I definitely had some of that searing, burning pain.... it was so so much better! I think I'll take the Zantac a little earlier tonight, to give it more time to kick in before I lay down.

So this morning was my midwife appointment. After a little scare in which I determined that my boots weigh a pound each, I figured out that I've gained 2lbs in the past two weeks... just right. So that brings my total to +12... which brings me to 130, a weight I've never seen before, which is a little weird. Its fine, my weight gain is going well, but its just weird to see.

Little girl is measuring well, with a HB still at 140, and I passed the glucose test. So that's all good! Oh, and I got another Rhogam shot in my butt. Fun. But I'm done with those now until post-birth, and then only if she is Rh+.

Hmm... now I'm at work and plodding through my to-do list. I'm working on creating a document that lays out all of the things I do on a regular basis, with step-by-step instructions on how to do them, so that there will be no problems when I'm gone. I wanted to start working on it early, because its a bit time consuming to type everything out, so I wanted to give myself lots of time. Plus this way I can slowly add to the document as I am actually doing the projects, and make sure I'm not missing any steps, or any big items that I take care of. Its crazy to think that in only 12 weeks (give or take), someone else will be taking care of all this stuff! Yipes.

Well, I should get back to it. Have a great Wednesday!

rough night

I had a bit of a rough night last night... I kept feeling like I had to pee, and when I finally fell asleep, I only stayed asleep for about an hour before I woke up horribly nauseous. I made it to the bathroom just in time, but it was not the way I wanted to spent the witching hour! Luckily after that I was able to fall back asleep and stay that way until the morning.

Sleep has been funny the past week or so... I'm either out right away, or I'm laying there forever completely uncomfortable. I've been having more and more heartburn, which makes it hard to find a good position... especially since my only options are left side or right side. Unless I wanted to sleep sitting up, which I'm not good at! I just added a pregnancy pillow to my registry (any recommendations? or advice on which ones to stay away from?), so hopefully that will offer some relief, or at least expand those two options a little. Hopefully it also won't make life too difficult for Trav as those things can be rather bulky.

I'm feeling better today, though still "shaky" in the stomach. I'm just going to treat my belly extra gently today... had tea and oatmeal for breakfast, fruit for a mid-morning snack, I'll have some soup and gateraide for lunch... we'll see after that. Not sure what caused the sick, but hopefully it was just a fluke. Wish me luck.

Oh! And happy December all... can you believe its here already?!

full

I feel so lovely and full after this long weekend. Not just full, as in "I ate too much"... though I am certainly that type of full too! But full, as in full of contentment and love and all that sappy stuff. It was so great to see my family, and have a house filled with conversation, crazy playing puppies, and laughter.

My parents brought their camera tripod with them, and my mom snapped some shots of Trav, the pup and I for Christmas card use... and just to have. I am using two for Christmas cards (which I don't want to break out yet), but here are some of the outtakes (they were all a bit bright, but I was able to color adjust for the cards, I didn't bother with these):



She also snapped some of just Trav & I, while she was at it:





Thanksgiving dinner was great. We had so much food! Trav actually did a lot of the cooking, with my mom as sous chef... so I got to relax and just handle one or two things. Afterward we observed one of my family traditions and watched Miracle on 34th St. Every year that would be the first Christmas movie we watched... and we would do it after Thanksgiving, so as to respect the turkey. ;-) It was always that movie, since MoTFS starts with the Thanksgiving day parade, and ends with Christmas... so it seemed fitting. We also watched much football, of course.

Friday we had breakfast and relaxed for a bit before my parents got on the road. Then Trav, Ethan, and I went food shopping to stock the boy up for the rest of the semester. He went home with a lot of food! I rode into the city with him again, then came home to relax. Trav harassed the puppy:


Saturday we cleaned up some more from Thanksgiving, then used the extra space we finally had to set up the nursery furniture! We're leaving the futon in there, but it will be upright unless someone is coming over and needs to use it.

The changing table:
The crib:
A close-up of the pattern on both:

They were actually pretty easy to put together, and now its really starting to look like a babies room in there!!

After that we both wrapped the Christmas presents we had accumulated so far... we both had gifts for each other that we wanted wrapped, and I also wrapped stuff for my parents and for Ro. It makes Christmas seem right around the corner to see wrapped presents sitting in my closet!

Sunday (today) we were pretty lazy... watched more football, and Monk episodes (there was an all-day marathon since the series is ending on Friday), played with the puppy and just relaxed. It was the perfect end to the weekend. Now I have to get ready to go back to work... but hopefully this nice, full feeling will carry on for a while!