Ask, and you shall receive

Remember this? The most fantastic cake pan EVER? The one my husband would have shot down had I asked because 1) I don't NEED it and 2) we don't have ANYWHERE to store it? Yup, that's right, my most wonderful in-laws got it for me for my birthday. I'm uber excited about it (oh yeah, and my husband went with his mother to get this, so he obviously wasn't COMPLETELY opposed to it). The funny part? He was right, we don't have anywhere to store it, so its still sitting on the counter. *giggle* I'll figure something out, I have no choice. Meanwhile, I might have to bake a cake this week just so I can use it. Woohoo!!!

This was just the icing on the cake though (bad joke, I know). When I got home Friday, my amazing husband had cleaned the house, bought me yellow roses, had some "Happy Birthday" balloons with the flowers, picked out not 1, but 2, perfect birthday cards, and presented me with my giftcard for a prenatal massage. The birthday gift from my dad was waiting for me too, which is a copy of "Atlas Shrugged" on CD, one of the books I've been wanting to read but haven't had time. We then went to dinner, did a little shopping, and spent the evening together. It was perfect. Saturday I pampered myself with a hair cut and highlights and then my mother in law took me out for manicures and pedicures, after which we all spent the evening napping. Sunday I woke to my husband flipping on the bedroom light at about 8am to show me he stopped at IHOP and picked up breakfast for us. This was COMPLETELY unexpected, but even better than it sounds since I've been drooling over the commercials for the Banana's Foster and Apple crisp pancakes they have right now - and he got an order of both. We sat and ate breakfast and then both laid back down to sleep. I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon just pretty much being lazy and doing a little laundry until it was time to meet his family for dinner. We all went out for Tex-Mex (of course) and back to his parents for cake. We caught the beginning of the Rangers game there and went home to watch the rest of it before my husband had to go to work. I was so nice being able to just cuddle on the couch and watch some baseball. All in all, it was a marvelous birthday weekend and I'm a little sad its over now. Maybe I'll just find a reason to celebrate for the whole month of August - it wouldn't be a first.

Dirty deleter

I deleted my previous blog because it was taken completely out of context, and I apologize for that.

That is all for now.

A stork's view of Pebbles

We finally went to Stork Vision to get some 3D images of Pebbles after a cancelled appointment and my irrational reaction to said cancelled appointment. READ: I was sobbing and in complete victim mode, my wonderful husband had to sort out all of the details to get the required paperwork and reschedule the appointment. Yes, he was annoyed with me, and I don't blame him, but he still did what it took to make me feel better. Like I've said on many occasions, I married the perfect man. ANYHOW ... the first appoint didn't go that well, as Pebbles was hiding in my hip and every attempt we made to get her to move instead lead to her burrowing her face even farther. The one thing that was good about the first appointment was that they confirmed it was in fact a girl - which is great since the night before I had a dream they told us it was a boy, which would have been fine except for the nursery is painted (pain-stakingly) and we have obtain lots of girlie items already. It would not have been the end of the world but I would have been disappointed about the whole nursery thing. Luckily, since the first group of images failed, we were able to reschedule for another day - which is where the pictures on here are from. The details are absolutely amazing, even though this time Pebbles was sleeping. We tried waking her up some to get some better video, and this is what we got:

I guess this means we are going to have a screamer on our hands, since to me, this looks like the face you get right before the little buggers start wailing. ***giggle*** Of course, we didn't get any screaming, she instead went back to sleep. We can only hope the same thing happens once she's here, but I'm not holding my breath.

Anyhow, Pebbles seems to be doing just fine right now. The doctor says I've had an easy pregnancy (not including the horrid morning sickness that I thought was going to kill me), my blood pressure has remained fairly low, I haven't seem to have had any other scares (knock on wood), its just been the whole being overly bloated and uncomfortable, but that's to be expected. Meanwhile, Pebbles seems to be quite active, she likes to bounce on my bladder and stick her butt in my side. She even woke me up with the hiccups last night about 4am and the proceeded to dance around for an hour. Yay for movements, boo for lack of sleep. No real complaints from me though. Now, if only these last 2 months would go by so we can 1) cuddle with pebbles OUTSIDE my belly and 2) I can start to begin feeling normal again, then all will be grand in the J household (or so I think). Until next time...

Its all a bunch of randomness!

TWO ITEMS I BOUGHT AND AM EXCITED TO HAVE

I'm extremely worried about the sleepless nights and having a colicky baby since I'm not a very pleasant person to be around when tired. My husband isn't as bad, but he falls asleep easily and is a bear to wake up, so while I know everyone will continue to tell us that things will be fine and we'll find a way to deal with it, I still want to prepare. Based on my fears and going off some recommendations from other new parents, I ordered THE miracle blanket and "The Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD. I figure if we happen to be one of the luckiest sets of parents and have a child who sleeps well and such from the start, then its only because I spent the money on these items to begin with, so it still wasn't a waste. Meanwhile, I'll be honest, watching the video on the miracle blanket website of them swaddling the baby is a little frightening, but I've heard so many people rave about this item that I'm willing to try it from the start. And for the DVD - I think we'll sit down and watch this in the next few weeks to try and prepare (since when pebbles is crying at 3am, I DOUBT we'll want to be watching it then!). Feel free to share any other opinions, tips, etc. that you have as well.



WHAT'S THAT, LIFE IS NORMAL AGAIN?

My husband and I spent all day Saturday cleaning the house and I also went grocery shopping Sunday morning so we could have dinner at home this week and my husband took care of the lawn. This is something we haven't done since BEFORE I found out I was pregnant. We have done cleaning here and there and made SEVERAL trips to the grocery store, but this felt like normal life again. For example, I put the chairs on the kitchen table and dining table when I clean the floors - it makes it easier. Well, I put them up to clean one day back in like April or something and they've been up there every since. Ummm yeah, obviously we don't eat at the table much (so China Sunday's are just a distant memory right now). Also, we've had a stack of books and mail on the entry table since probably the beginning of the year. Another one, we've had all our medications and vitamins sitting on our wine buffet as well - most of which neither of us have needed in months (vitamins not included). Soooo, not only did I want to get the house picked up (dishes, counters, floors, bathrooms, etc) but I also wanted to attack these other items that we have been ignoring. I have to admit, I'm embarrassed we ignored these items for as long as we did and I can't believe how much nicer / calmer / cleaner the house feels with some of this "clutter" taken care of. Next we have the grocery shopping. Previously, we'll figure out what we want and run to the store to pick up the items necessary for THAT one meal. I don't think we had a total over $30 at the grocery store yet this year. We also found that we were dining out ... A LOT. And it got BORING. I mean, we'd spend an hour trying to figure what and where we wanted to eat because we were just tired of the whole process from driving there, to eating at the same general places, to the fact that it basically took up our whole evening. After the whole cleaning frenzy, I put together a simple dinner menu for the week and made a grocery list. Add the wonderfully clean house to a stocked fridge and a manicured lawn and BAM! Life feels almost normal again. And what's even better? We're motivated to keep it up - I love having the clean floors, its great to wake up to an empty sink, the lawn looks great (of course, my husband has kept this up every week, so its not new), and we get to spend our evenings together, at home, instead of fussing over dinner. I know someone out there will tell me that we're starting the "nesting" process, but in our defense, this is something we WERE doing before but once I got pregnant and started feeling miserable, all bets were off. So maybe the "nesting" was the motivation to get it done, but the whole process isn't something new to us either. I just hope we do continue to keep this up, especially once Pebbles gets here since I have a feeling dining out will be way too much of a hassle for a while.

And, I mentioned to my husband that if we run into trouble keeping the house clean while spending time as a family, I'd like to think about getting a house keeper - even if it is just to clean the floors, toilets, tubs and other deep cleans every other week. I see no reason for us to stress out keeping the house clean INSTEAD of spending time with one another and enjoy Pebbles. I know he is against it right now, but we'll see where things lead.



I'M TURNING 3-0!

I always said I wanted to have kids before I was 30, and while Pebbles won't be here yet, I still think I'm ok. I am a little disappointed that we won't be having a big blow out in Vegas or something else equally insane, but I can say we'll just make up for it next year instead. I've decided I will be going to get a prenatal massage, a pedicure, and getting my hair cut and possibly doing some color treatment (it also helps that my best friends wedding is a week after, so I can be all primped and pretty for it). I haven't had my hair cut in a LONG time (like maybe since September?) and I've only had maybe 2-3 pedi's since then as well. AND, the only time I've ever had a profession massage was on our honeymoon. So, I figure after 30 years of becoming who I am and 7 months of growing Pebbles, I deserve a little pampering - even if it is going to make me gag at the total cost. Its a splurge!

Now, taking a step back and looking at my life, these past 30 years have been pretty good to me for the most part, so I really can't complain too much. I'm not rich, I'm not a celebrity, and my husband isn't a professional soccer player - but I really am happy with who I am, where I am, and I couldn't ask for a better husband. I mean lets take a quick look at things: I have a B.S. and M.S. in a field that directly lead to my job, which also allows me to make decent money both to enjoy now and to save for the future. I am married to an amazing man, we have two wonderful (but psycho) cats, we own a nice home on a private lake, we both drive good vehicles, we have a baby girl on the way, I get along great with my in-laws whom we don't live too far from, we are both healthy, we've taken some great vacations - I mean, the list really does go on and on! And to add to that, my husband just found out that he will be promoting in less than a month. I've moved from Michigan, to Oregon, to California, to Texas. I've been through my partying days and, while I had a blast and never ended up in jail, I'm glad to be past that point in my life (as is my husband). I get along with my family, even though we are spread across the US. When you take out some of the specifics (WHO my husband is, WHERE I live, WHAT I drive, etc), when asked in high school, this is pretty much where I wanted to be at this age. I really am proud of my accomplishments and actually, as great as it is to realize the goals I've met, I really enjoy most of the journey to get here! It was not nearly as smooth and linear as I thought it would be, but some of the bumps and bruises are the best parts. The road trip with my stepsister between California and Michigan and back, meeting my husband at a club in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, graduate school in San Diego, all the randomness in Texas with various people - I'll just end this by saying I can believe I am 30 since I have all the memories to show for it. You never get any younger, you can't turn back time, so enjoy who you are and what life hands you, because its all the little stuff that makes you and your life what it is.



POOR LUCY

I went out to my car yesterday after work and ... and ... and ... (are you getting anything here?) nothing. She wouldn't start. *pouts* Luckily, I was giving a friend a ride who helped - he called to get security's number then called them to come help out. We stood there and laughed about it since when we were both here together back in 2000, this sort of thing happened to us ALL THE TIME. So, rather than freaking out or getting upset, we just sort of rolled with it. The only thing that really sucked was the 102 degree weather. Luckily, security got there with 5-10 minutes and we were on our way within 15 minutes. (Of course, then I missed the exit to drop him off at, but so be it) I had my husband scrub the battery posts last night since the guy who jumped Lucy said it looked like they were a little corroded. She started fine 3 times last night and started this morning, although she hesitated a little - so I'm worried that when I go back to get in her, she's not going to start. Obviously we'll be going out to get a new battery for Lucy tonight, lets just hope I can GET home.



THE NEXT FEW MONTHS...

I am just over 30 weeks along and have about 10 weeks left until my due date. In the time left, I can't decide if I want it to hurry up and pass or if I want more time to prepare - it kinda depends on when you ask me. We have a lot going on over the next several weeks: doctor appointments every 2 weeks, doing our big night out to the horse races, my boss is leaving, my husband is promoting, I'm turning 30, Rangers - Yankees game, my best friend is getting married, I'm having a baby shower in Michigan, our Prepared Childbirth classes, picking out a pediatrician, finalizing childcare, discussing my return to work schedule, taking care of the insurance paperwork, finishing Pebbles' room ... and that's just the stuff I can think of right now! I know we're getting down to the home stretch and we don't really have much time to put things off, but I'm also just ready to have my daughter here to hold and snuggle - and to start getting my body back! I'm sure it is all going to be a crazy whirlwind, but day by day its slow.

And, to top it all off and show just how crazy I am, I keep worrying that we won't be able to decorate for Halloween. I think we'll be decorating in late September just so I can have the stuff out - because I have a feeling once Pebbles is here, I won't have the time or energy to do anything. Am I going to care about the decorations once Pebbles is here? Probably not, but right now I do. So shoot me. :-)

Nursery Pictures, finally!!!

Yay! While our PC internet is not fixed yet, I've found a sneak around by using a Cruzer drive - so I can finally upload so pictures. I will be uploading some belly pictures in the near future, but I don't have any recent ones and since I didn't shower today, I look all greasy so I refuse to take one from today. Hang in there though, I promise they will be coming! On to the nursery!

After several hours of painting white, a few hours of painting pink, and the 6-7 hours of taping, we were ready to paint the harlequin pattern:


I think it took us maybe 30-45 minutes to actually paint the diamonds. Did I ever tell you how much I LOVE painters tape?

A small amount of time to let the paint dry a little, we peeled the tape off to examine our work. We left the edges since we were not sure if we were going to do the whole room or just a single wall - after we saw it, we felt doing all 4 walls would be a little too busy (and time consuming), so we decided on just the one.

Now that the painting (and chair rail) were complete, it was time for the flooring.

All the big things are done! Paint - check! Chair rail - check! Flooring - check!

A better shot of the whole floor, we love it!

We set up the crib, replaced the mini-blinds, hung the curtain, and set the bedding in. Everything is really coming together so much better than I expected - these pictures don't even do it justice.

A better picture to include the rug we bought as well.

This is on the opposite wall - the bookcase we are using as a dresser, the canvas drawers (which we are planning on getting 4 more), the top will be the changing table and is perfect height, and the picture we got from Ikea which (as hard as it is to tell) matches perfectly. Again, I am so happy with how it has all turned out so far, I just wish the pictures could actually capture just how great it all looks - or maybe I need to work on my photography skills - either way, the room is still perfect!

Now, we have the glider my husband's parents gave us and I plan on recovering it, although we are still trying to figure out whether it will be going in the nursery or not. I'm thinking it may start in there for night feedings, but end up in the living room so I can use it more often - I'm such a sucker for the rocking motion.

So, with that, stay tuned for future posts with actual pictures!

Let's talk food!

I remember a time when all I talked about on here was recipes and other food or wine related items - then I saw 2 lines and everything changed. Food quickly became the enemy and I had more exciting things to post about - mainly Baby J's and anything involving Baby J's! And while things have been moving fairly quickly with her, right now is a calm, no new update time where I can talk about food. Oh how I miss thee! So, here's the plan to incorporate both Baby J's and food into this single site for all that are interested:

I will begin posting about local restaurants we enjoy, including information like atmosphere, dishes we love, and other little tidbits that may help a person decide yay or nay on a place. This will also help us when we have our "I don't know what I want" nights, so it is dual purpose. However, before I begin those posts - which will be one post per restaurant to make it easier - lets look at what my recent diet has been so you can see why there has been such a lack of recipes or otherwise food-related entries.

Normal breakfast options:
Cold cereal and milk (Cocoa Krispies has been my favorite)

Oatmeal
Weekend special - pancakes, eggs, and an english muffin with cream cheese

Sounds exciting, right?

Normal lunches:
Chicken salad sandwich (this is like 80% of the time)

The other 20% is spread out over salads, pastas, fruit, and maybe the occasional fast food item.

Anything you want a recipe for yet? *giggle*

Dinner includes:

Salads, pastas, pizza, chicken salad sandwich (doesn't matter if I had it at lunch), and throw in the occasional chili dog, bratwurst, or taco salad.

I then follow the day up with some sort of dessert, maybe ice cream, maybe a fudgesicle, or maybe watermelon.

Needless to say, both my husband and I are sort of bored with the menu and end up going out to eat more often than not - partly because I want pasta and he, well, he doesn't. And I can't blame him either. I still do NOT want much in the way of meat - steak, chicken breast, fish - forget it! I told him that once Baby J's is here, we're going to take a trip to Truluck's, have a nice steak and seafood meal along with a great bottle of red wine. I actually miss WANTING these things. Who knew?

Anyhow, I can list my chicken salad recipe, although nothing is measured so its nothing fancy!

Chicken Salad Sandwich

1 can chicken in water
Miracle Whip

Granny Smith Apple (or whatever type you like)
Cavendar's Greek Seasoning

Sandwich rolls (we use the Kroger one's, so yummy!)

Drain the chicken, dice the apple (minus core) and mix the first 4 ingredients. Place on sandwich roll and eat.

My big thing has been wanting light, cold foods - and this is perfect. I get the protein from the chicken and crispy, refreshing taste of the apple. And of course the carbs, gotta have my carbs. My DH doesn't do the chicken salad, instead he's found a tuna fish that comes packed in oil with some sort of garlic and herbs and makes it the same way. He says its the best tuna sandwich he's ever had - so if anyone is interested, give it a try.

Meanwhile, watch for a mix of restaurant reviews and Baby J updates in the future!

Jeep jeep!!!

My husband loves his Jeep (we've lovingly name him Bugsy). I love his Jeep. Several of his coworkers apparently love his Jeep since so many of them have gone out and purchased their own as well. However, since we do love his Jeep, we have started looking at some of the other stuff you can get for Bugsy (my dear husband has found bumpers, bikini tops, tire covers, seat covers, you name it) that he wants to get to "dress up" Bugsy. Women buy shoes to accessorize, Jeep lovers apparently by Jeep accessories. I still am amazed when I see what all is out there for Jeeps.
Now on to Baby J's. My husband and I were walking through a baby store at one point in time and saw a Jeep stroller and he stops, looks at, looks at me, and states THAT is the stroller we would be registering for. Well, that particular stroller is not on the registry since it was expensive and not good for infants (so we picked a travel system style one instead, although we may eventually purchase it ourselves if needed - so we'll see). We did however find a Jeep umbrella style stroller that we registered for. It's pink. And what did I do? I found diaper bags that MATCH it (as you can see them above). So, while we have not yet obtained the stroller, I did order the diaper bags.
Speaking of diaper bags - holy crap! I can NOT believe how much people are willing to spend on these things (although I am the owner of several Kohl's and Target specials when it comes to purses and handbags, and the one Gucci purse I own was purchased in the Bahama's in a tent for like $12, so you can see how my purse/bag obsession is). However, looking at various options online (one popular brand being Petunia Pickle Bottom), the average cost seems to be about $200. $200!!! For an item you'll stuff bottles and diapers and snacks and wipes in. An item you'll be toting along with a child who poops and pees and spits-up and in general is a big mess most of the time. Each to their own I guess, instead I am getting BOTH the larger and smaller version for a TOTAL of about $35. I figure at that price, if we decide we want more for some reason, we won't feel bad about it since we didn't sink a ton of money into it anyhow. My husband even said he has no problems carrying a pink diaper bag ... although I think its only because it says "Jeep" on it.

What, no pictures?

Farking home PC! Somehow at sometime, the internet stopped functioning on our home PC, which totally SUCKS since thats the only way I have to upload pictures, whether it is to this blog, to myspace, to snapfish, or to email. So, while we pout a little while longer since our attempts to fix it have not yet worked, I'll post an update but have none of the wonderfully fancy pictures I had hoped to add.

1) Our trip to Seattle to visit my family (and completely surprise my mom) went wonderfully well, aside from the chilly weather we weren't ready for. It was great to see my sister and mom and have some real vacation time to spend with them, instead of fitting things into a "holiday weekend". We went to a Mariner's game, Mt. Rainier, and wandered around at Pike's Place market. It was an action packed couple of days, but so well worth it.

2) My GD (sugar) test came and went - and I cried, but woohoo, I passed the 1 hr! Yay! So glad I don't need to give up the ice cream and fruit I've so come to love. It sure helps keep me a much happier pregnant lady. Luckily for DH, he doesn't have to worry about weight gain either, since he indulges almost as much as I do (thinking about our sundaes from tonight, ice cream by the pool, and so on).

3) We registered, which is so overwhelming! What's even better is that half of what we picked has already been changed on the registries, but so be it. I'm a little nervous about it all to be honest, a) because I know how much of a pain the return policy is at Target and Babies R Us - basically it boils down to no receipt, no return (well, maybe 1 or 2 items a year and even then there are TONS of restrictions) - and they don't seem to care if its on your registry or not and b) I've tried to add lots of stuff for lots of options, but as of now, the only shower I'm aware of is the one in Michigan (which means flying, so how much can I REALLY bring home with me?). I know we do get completion coupons though so even if we don't have a local shower, its still nice to have a place to keep track of what we want and the option to get a discount on it.

Another annoying factor of the registry is the patterns offered at different places. We started at Babies R Us, but then I found the stroller, car seat, pack n play, high chair, bouncer, etc. that I liked SO MUCH more at LoneStar Baby and Kids - which of course is not in Michigan. So, I've added items at both places and then got thinking (and had some people mention) that a place like Target would be nice as well, since some people don't have either of the other places local. Ok, so I added some stuff at Target too. And what the heck, its another completion coupon, right? Meanwhile, I know I need to add more that I have - like bottles - but I'm' so overwhelmed on what else I'll need! Bottles - I know we want BPA-free, but what sizes? And I've been told that kids can be picky about the nipples, so don't register for a bunch of one brand. What about sizes? And what if I breast feed - do I still need bottles, and how many? Argh!!! I'm at the point where I want someone else to just register for me and tell me what I need. (((giggle)))

4) Baby J's room - it is really coming together and I couldn't be happier! I've been very unsure of what to do about a dresser / changing table since I loved the matching dresser but hated the price, and didn't want to buy a piece of furniture specifically for changing her diaper and then have nothing to do with it in a few years. I mean, thats part of why we went with a convertible crib as well (and I know everyone says no one converts them, but dang it, I sure plan on it!). So today, since DH and I still are able to enjoy Saturdays together, we decided to look for a dresser. After viewing a variety of options online (several not much cheaper than the matching piece), we thought about doing something different - which lead us to Ikea. We found a bookcase, with square shelves, in a 4x2 pattern that matches the coloring of the crib. We are actually putting it on its side since all sides are finished and it is the right height for a changing table - AND we found canvas cubes that fit PERFECTLY into the shelves. It looks so much better than I first thought it would, I actually like it better than the matching dresser, who knew!?!? Along with that, we replaced the mini-blinds, hung the valence, and found this great piece of art as well - which matches with the color scheme and is modern enough to grow with Baby J's (or be moved into another room if she decides she eventually HATES pink). We were a wee-bit hesitant at first but as soon as we hung it, we were both pleased and felt it was exactly what we wanted.

So, with today's work, the nursery is probably 80% or so complete, and it feels GREAT. We know we still want some more shelving and such, but those are things we can get as time goes one, even if it IS after Baby J's arrives. My DH's parents have talked to us about giving us the glider they have, which I would recover in some sort of matching fabric (its currently blue). I think that is the ONLY big thing we have left to do - and we still have ~3 months left (or exactly 3 months if she was to arrive ON her due date, but that's doubtful!). No matter what, its nice having so much done and actually feeling more and more prepared for her arrival as far as the house goes, since I know when it comes to the whole sleeping, feeding, bathing, burping, changing, laundry, cooking, cleaning, and such, we have NO IDEA how its going to be. I guess we'll prepare what we CAN control since there is so much we CAN'T control. :-)

In a nutshell, that's where we're at. Time has really started to fly by, and I can't be more excited! The second trimester has gone by a lot faster than the first trimester (although I lump the first month of the second trimester in with the first since I still felt like I was dying on a daily basis!). I'm hoping the 3rd trimester continues to sail on and I can hold little Baby J's before I know it. I think I switch from ever 4 week Dr appts to every 2 weeks at my next appointment, which will help make things feel like they are progressing fast too. DH wants to do those 3d / 4d ultrasound images, which everyone says we should plan to do in the next week or 2 (around 28 weeks), plus I might have a coupon for a free maternity photo which could be fun. Our child birth classes start in about a month as well. I've also had a variety of strangers ask me about being pregnant, as far as when I'm due and if its a boy or girl, which I love. I'm actually at the point of enjoying this (not including the heartburn, hard time sleeping, constantly peeing, and other random aches and pains - but its all minor compared to what I've been through). I even got to park in "Expectant Mothers" parking today. Now, if only they had that at the local Marble Slab...

Great things

My husband. He's a great thing. There has not been a single moment where I've second guessed our marriage, our commitment, his love for me, or our life together. He may not be perfect, but his is perfect for me. (He even hangs his towel up after the shower!) Sometimes I fear I take him for granted, and take us for granted, but other times I realize that comfort feeling is why we work so well. Friday, when I got home from work, he had the nursery painted with white (3-4 coats) and had the bottom in pink almost complete. He HATES painting, HATES it. Yet, he did this on his own without me asking. I had originally planned to help him with it, HELP since I know I shouldn't be around a ton of fumes, but at the same time I actually enjoy painting. Back to my point, as I walk in Friday and see how much he's accomplished, I get overwhelmed with that feeling of "I'm the luckiest, most loved wife on Earth and I truly married the best man in the world". Now, the other part of that story is that Friday was a very bad, horribly stressful day. I cried all the way home from work and was actually sobbing as I walked into the house, partially due to some drama with the nursery floors, partially due to the whole daycare issue, but mainly due to work. As soon as my husband saw me, he put his arms around me and hugged me, and then we proceeded to talk some about the daycare issue and the flooring issues. Between this and all the work he had done, my mood did a complete 180 (thankfully) and I was able to change my clothes and help him finish up in the nursery. He seems to be so good at picking the right times to do these things that just make me melt and I can't thank him enough for just being him.

Once the bottom pink was done, we grabbed something to eat and began on the top pattern - I wanted a pink and white harlequin pattern to go all the way around. Three hours later, lots of taping, cutting, measuring, and quite a bit of frustration, and about 2/3's of the first wall was complete. My husband was slightly annoyed at the whole process (and I think even annoyed with me some since, after all, this was MY idea), but I still looked at him with nothing but love and appreciation. And I knew he loved me enough to do this, regardless of how crazy, time consuming, and frustrating the whole process was. How can I not be the luckiest person on Earth? We did finish the wall Saturday and decided not to do the rest of them since we thought it would be too busy. We also started putting up the chair rail and set up an appointment to have the floors done (tomorrow) for those of you wondering, but my point here is just how lucky I am to have found such a wonderful man. I've heard from several new mom's who tell me I'll love him even more after I give birth, and I just don't know how that is even possible. Anyhow, he is by far my great thing number 1. He is the reason I get up in the morning. I feel my best when I do things for him. I enjoy every moment we spend together and miss him when we're not. I love watching him with our kitties and I'm sure it will be even better to watch him with our daughter, as I know he'll be a great father. I guess I'll have to soak up as much time with just us as I can in the next few months, since I doubt we'll get a whole lot once baby J's is born!

On to great thing #2. Today, or a Monday, he not been TOO bad. No school zones on my way to work. I've felt better than I do on most work mornings. And then there is the lady in the cafeteria - she made my WHOLE day, possibly even more. I have purchased several maternity dresses since they are much more comfortable than pants. I am also warmer than usual so I can wear them to work and not be too hot or cold. I have also grabbed lunch from our cafeteria a lot lately since work has been so crazy I can't go out. I was standing there today, waiting for my order, when the lady calls to me and tells me I have such cute dresses (she's seen several apparently). She then proceeds to tell me I make a very pretty pregnant lady. (((grin))) Wow, I'm not sure anyone has said anything since I've found out that has made me feel that great. Sure my husband tells me all the time and I am thankful, but there is just something about a stranger making such a comment that feels different and great. So yay, what a wonderful way to chase away any signs of the "Mundays".

Great thing #3 - I'm 24 weeks along. 24 weeks is that one milestone pregnant women get really excited about since its the point where the baby is considered viable. I know nothing is guaranteed, but it still feels good and helps relieve some of the worry. Its nice to know that IF something happen and I had to have this baby now, they would do everything they could to save her and its possible she would grow up to be a normal person.

And, some other great things I want to share, some of which I already touched on. The nursery walls and flooring. The walls are done, except for the chair rail - which we are planning to finish tonight. It looks great, it actually looks better than I thought it was going to, which really excites me - and once we get our Internet fixed on our home computer, I'll be able to upload some pictures! Six and a half hours of taping (no exaggeration) and the harlequin pattern came out WONDERFUL. My husband said he was even surprised at just how good it looks. Next come the floors. We had originally got a quote from Lowe's about putting in some laminate or engineered wood floors - but yeah, they quoted way more than we wanted to spend. Back to square one - we'd try the laminate ourselves. We went and priced out what we wanted, checked both Lowe's and Home Depot, then got a recommendation for one more flooring place. After talking with them, we learned they could install the flooring and all the extra's for about $100-200 more than it would cost us to do it ourselves. Bonus! I'm willing to spend that to avoid the headache of doing it ourselves - plus I like the flooring we picked out BETTER than any of the options we had at Lowe's or Home Depot. AND - they are doing it tomorrow. I was expecting it to be 2 or more weeks! This means that not only will the painting be complete before we go out of town, but the flooring will be done and we may even have the crib assembled. Woohoo! It feels so good to have things come together so quickly. Now its on to finding a dresser, a book shelf, and all the rest of the final touches. Its great not to feel like you're in a time crunch. :-)

While I rambled and rambled about the good things in my life, I hope you are able to step back and see all the wonderful things going on in your own. Take the time to be thankful for what you have and make sure those close to you are told how much they mean to you. Life is short and there is so much truth in the whole "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans", try not to miss out on the little things. Since today is tomorrow's memory, make the most of those memories. I know we all look forward to the weekend, our next vacation, that big movie coming out, visiting family and friends, or other such planned events, but don't completely overlook today. Take a moment to kiss your spouse, to hug your kids, to tell your parents how much you love them, to play with your pets, to enjoy the fresh air - basically take some time to realize how much you'd miss out on if there wasn't a today. I'm working on embracing the small things, it really does make life more enjoyable. (Notice I said "working" - I still complain more than I like and wish for time to pass all too quickly! One step at a time ... one step at a time.)

Evil email advertisers!

I open my email, and I see this:





Bam! I now want cupcakes. But oh wait, what's that? Its NOT a cupcake? I start reading the advertisement I got from Williams-Sonoma (yes I signed up for the emails, yes I choose to open it, yes I should know better, but come on, give a pregnant girl a break!) and I soon learn its a CAKE made to look like a cupcake, and they are selling the pan so I myself can make such wonderful looking concoctions.

So now, I have to have this pan. I MUST be able to make these, the most awesome looking cakes, with such little work. I think about all the combinations I can create - chocolate and vanilla, chocolate and chocolate chip, chocolate and some sort of swirl - well, basically anything with chocolate is currently on my list. Go figure. I can already hear people swooning over "those cute cakes she makes" as I bring them to various events. I think I even have a carrier I could use to transport this without the top getting all smooshed.

But wait. I need to store the cake pan. And right now all my cake pans are stored int he drawer of my oven. Its full. Like, full to the max. What about a cabinet? Hmmm, those are all pretty full as well. I mean, my china platter is sitting on my table because I cannot fit it into any of the cabinets. My husband will frown when I tell him I want ANOTHER piece of bake ware. I'm sure his very first question will be "Where are you going to put it?" and I don't have an answer for that. But, but, but (in a rather voice I'm sure) its soooooo cute! That won't work. The second question comes. (((slumps in chair))) "Do you NEED it?" and I think we all know the answer is, of course, no. But, but, but ... but how much would Baby J's love these cakes? Again, my husband will just look at me, probably shake his head a little, and say "Well, if you REALLY want it..." and at that point, feeling slightly guilty for bringing it up, I'll know that he is right and I'll forgo the trip to W-S, I'll avoid their website, and we'll continue on as normal ... and the cake pan will miss me.

There's always my birthday and Christmas, right?

Progress, progress, progress...

So much progress in the past few days, I love it! Our bedding arrived on Friday and its absolutely adorable. It of course is all packed in a single package, so I need to spread it out and possible iron a few pieces - but I don't want to put the bedding on the floor or somewhere my curious kitties can lay on it, so I'll wait until we get the crib set up. Now, speaking of cribs, we bought it on Saturday and we're both super excited! What's even better is that 1) it was in stock so its sitting in the hallway in the box and 2) it was on sale - and we all love sales. We are going to wait to set the crib up until after the floor in the nursery is re-done, which we won't do until the room is painted - which we were waiting on the bedding for. The paint colors have been picked and my husband's mother (who works with paint) will be picking them up this week. I am hoping we can get the first color done next weekend (maybe even Thursday or Friday while my husband is off) so that I can start taping up the pattern - which I'm sure will take HOURS but be so worth it. I really want to get the painting done before we take our short vacation in mid-June, but I might be a little overzealous so we'll see.

Now that we have the theme taken care of, I know we need to start registering as well. That should begin once we get back from vacation, although I'm not sure where we are going to register. Target seems to have horrible return policies and are known for NOT keeping the registries up to date - which means double items, no receipt, and the inability to return all items. I've heard that Babies R Us are going to be switching to a return policy that rivals Targets as far as suckiness, and that worries me as well. Baby Depot, but I haven't heard great things about them either. We can go with Lone Star Baby, but there are not THAT many locations, so its far from convenient for people. That leaves us with Wal-Mart (I don't LIKE Wal-Mart), boutique-y places, or online. I like online, but I know many people like to go IN somewhere and take the items HOME with them. Ughh. Stupid return policies ruin it all. I guess I'll do some more research and talk to my husband to get his thoughts. I know we still have a lot of research to do before registering anyhow - what car seat is best, what stroller, do we want a pack-N-play, what about diaper pail, and on and on and on. I can tell you the wedding registry sure was a lot easier!

Next, I signed us up for Prepared Childbirth classes starting in August and going on for 4 weeks. I got lucky since with my husbands work schedule, only one set of the classes they had before my due date were on a night that would work for us and there was enough room for us to get in. I'm thinking I might go back and sign up for the breastfeeding class that is being offer the week after out last childbirth class, since its the same schedule.

Even with all the progress we've made, I know we still have a lot of big decisions to work out - from daycare to a pediatrician to how much time I'm taking before going back. These are going to be a little more stressful for me so I keep putting them off, but I know we are running out of time. I guess they are something we'll start discussing after our vacation, tears and all.

On a less baby-related note, this month is going to be CRAZY BUSY! We have tickets for at least 3 Rangers games, 2 weddings, and our vacation. I have my sugar test this month as well (yuck!). Add this to what we'll be doing around the house and finding some pool time and you'll see we are running out of spare time. I'm not complaining though since while it is going to be busy, I'm excited about MOST of it - summer is finally here!

Now, I'm off to get ready for Ranger game number 1 this month! Go Rangers!

My latest craving...

And I WILL be getting one tonight. Yummm!!!

I can't do this!

I can't do this! I can't put my baby girl in daycare while I spend 9+ hours a day, 5 days a week working and leave SOMEONE ELSE to raise her! That puts me home about 6pm and gives me just a couple hours a day to really be her mother, I don't want to be a part time parent. I don't want to hear about her first time rolling over, crawling, pulling herself up, walking, words, etc. from a STRANGER, I want her family to be the ones to see these things! I want her daddy to hear her first giggle, her grandparents to see when she discovers her feet, I want to be there as she sits up on her own!

My husband and I for some crazy, unknown, and not-so-smart reason got into a discussion about child care as I was driving to work - and I ended up in tears thinking about these things. What do I want? I want to be able to stay at home with my daughter for her first year, I want to be the mother that MY mother was, to be the one who gets to experience these things that PARENTS should experience. In a perfect world I would be able to stay home, but we don't live in a perfect world and there is no way we can afford for me not to go back to work. And it sucks. Sucks big time. I hadn't realized until this morning just how much our situation upset me. Day care is just that, child care provided during the day. While I'm working. While my husband is sleeping (peacefully I might add). While my daughter will be awake and learning to live. The evenings will be spent as a family and the nights will be my husband working, and my daughter and I sleeping and dealing with whatever comes with that. Me and her. Her and I. Alone. And I'm scared. Scared about being able to soothe her, scared about getting enough sleep to be functional, scared about all the noises that go on in a house at night and how I will be the only protector. Then comes morning, where I need to not only get myself ready, but also prepare my daughter to take to daycare where the cycle starts all over. I don't know how people do it, I don't know how I can do it, and it really makes me sad. I guess its time for my husband and I to sit down and really work out all the details on just how we are going to do this. I know from a retirement standpoint, I could go part-time for a few years and we'd still be on track for our goals - but can WE afford this with our normal expenses? Is this something my job would allow me to do? Can we find childcare with people we trust on a part time schedule? These are all things we don't know. I have a feeling this is going to turn into an emotional time for me and the time is getting such that we can't put it off any longer. Stay tuned for updates.

Well...

She's a perfectly healthy baby girl!!! Our doctor told us we couldn't have asked for the big ultrasound to go any better - and we are THRILLED! We agreed on a name as we waited to talk to the doctor, but as of now are still trying to keep it a secret. I have to admit though, that the name seems so perfect that I'm beginning to think I might be "over" what anyone else thinks - so depending on how things go, we may spill the beans early. I go back and forth from moment to moment and while I do WANT to tell, I know its something we can't take back once we do, so we continue to keep our lips closed. No matter what, everyone will know in about 4 months anyhow - eeek!!!

On another excitement note, we purchased bedding (as you can see above). I want to paint the nursery and I need to pinks to match, so the sooner we get the bedding, the sooner we can start painting. I can hardly wait to start bringing all the baby items into the house and I know painting is the first step, replacing the floor is the second step, and then onto everything else. What REALLY made me tear up a little was my husband is the one who started the nesting. We spent yesterday moving items out of the "nursery" and cleaning out the closet. We have a few things to put in bins and load up into the attic left, but thats what the plan for today is. It's nice to know that we are actually STARTING the process since up until yesterday, we had done NOTHING to get the house prepared and now we have almost an empty room. I know that the next ~18 weeks are going to fly by as we pick out the crib, dresser, changing station, diaper bag, car seat, stroller, books, toys, bottles, and on and on and on! We do have some general ideas on what items we want as far as the BIG stuff (strollers, etc) so that should help, but I know how overwhelmed I felt when we walked into Babies-R-Us and saw ALL the items we are going to need.

The biggest issue we are having right now is the crib. We found a crib and dresser we love and its even a convertible, but is it really worth spending the money on it verses getting something that serves the same purpose but cost significantly less? There is SO MUCH to spend money on for our daughter, where do you splurge and where do you save? As of right now, I am leaning towards getting the set we like, since both times we entered this store we picked out the same set. We'll see what my husband says when he wakes up today - of course I might change my mind by then. Giggle!!!

Meanwhile, Happy Memorial Day to everyone! Make sure to take a moment to thank all those who have served our country, its something I don't think gets done as often as it should.

T minus 1 day and counting

Hi-YAAA!

Yup, you got it right - I am feeling the kicking now and its CRAZY! I was once told that the movement will feel like bubbles. I hear bubbles and think little, tickling movements like soda bubbles. WRONG. It's like a balloon popping in my abdomen, and it can be quite startling. I've been feeling it for about a week now and finally my husband was able to feel it last night, I was so excited! The look on his face was PRICELESS and I'm actually a little sad I was not able to get a picture - it was one of those surprise, shock, amazement, a little freaked out looks. I can only image its a face I'll get to see more and more as this pregnancy progresses and once we have our little on in our arms and I can't wait. Meanwhile, I have to admit that while the movement is a little unsettling at times and the thought of this human being growing INSIDE me is still a little freaky, its nice to have the daily reassurance that our little kick boxer is in there and active. I was too busy the first trimester being sick that I didn't have the chance to worry about something going wrong, but now that I'm feeling better for the most part, I am definitely worrying more about what-ifs. Having access to SO MUCH information isn't always as great as it seems!

Now for the even more exciting part! Our BIG ultrasound is scheduled for Thursday - as in 2 days from now! I can hardly wait to 1) hear that everything looks great and we have a healthy baby on the way and 2) whether we are having a boy or a girl! I'm so ready to start shopping and getting the nursery ready so keep your fingers crossed our little one gives us the money shot! My husband insists its a boy because he wants a son (although if you ask him what he thinks it is, he says he has no idea) and with all the name trouble we've had coming up with ideas for a boy, I'm leaning towards thinking its a boy. Everyone else I talk to thinks its a girl. Even the random lady working at the maternity store. We'll obviously be happy either way, I just have to admit the thought of having a teenage daughter scares the CRAP out of me. Girls are HORRIBLE at that age (I know, I was one!). I also know that if we have a girl, as much as I pray she turns out like Rory from Gilmore Girls, the chances are slim. Oh well, we'll do the best we can and hope no matter what we raise a healthy, happy child. I believe the chances of that happening are MUCH better. (((wink wink)))

I want...

As I was walking back to my desk from my hourly trip to the restroom, I spy a coworker walking down the hall with a plate. A plate of what? It looks like cake. And now I have completely lost interest in the person's plate (and whatever may actually have been on it) and am instead infatuated with the idea of cake. I want it. I want CHOCOLATE cake. Mmmmm. With CHOCOLATE frosting. Could this be a craving? One of those pregnancy symptoms I hear about so often but until now only had the one for cottage cheese? Does it matter? No, I guess it doesn't really matter, all that matters is I WANT CAKE! I'm thinking it is going to be the perfect night to make my beloved chocolate pudding cake, after of course a meal consisting of watermelon. (Leave me alone, I've been sick with this miserable cold for far too long now, if I want watermelon and cake for dinner - so be it!)

Now let's just hope I have all the necessary ingredients at home!

Wahhhhhhhh!

I apologize for the lack of updates, especially since I hit the 20 week (AKA: HALF WAY THERE) point on Friday. What did I do to celebrate you ask? I stayed home from work and laid on the couch all day due to this nasty cold I've caught. 3 days with a sore throat 4 days with my head all congested and a very sore nose, and now it is onto the chest cold and lung-hacking cough. Lozenges and Zyrtec-D have been in my system and have only had a minimal affect. I feel bad taking any more time off work since I was out twice last week, but I also feel guilty being here since I pray no one else gets this misery - so what do you do? I have tried very hard to stay away from others and concentrate on breathing to stifle my coughing, hopefully it works. As for everyone else: please take your vitamins and wash your hands!

It's all puppies and rainbows

It seems that my post yesterday made a few people wonder what is GOOD about pregnancy, and while I've had a really REALLY hard time until recently, I definitely have some good things to comment on. Meanwhile, remember that every pregnancy is different and while I've spent way too much time feeling like I was dying, there are LOTS of other women out there who really do LOVE being pregnant! Here are several things you can enjoy and look forward to:

1) The most obvious is at the end, you'll get to enjoy the fruit of your labors with a brand new human life. I'm not there yet, but I've been told by pretty much every mom other there that this alone makes it all worth it - however that one doesn't really help along the way, so I'll move on.

2) Men LOVE pregnant women. This one still shocks me a little, but its true. It amazes me how men, whether you know them or not, react to a pregnant lady - it is almost like you can see the little twinkle in their eye and you know they are being sincere when they tell you how wonderful you look. In my mind, they are able to embrace the miracle of growing a baby more than any woman can.

3) Food. Ice cream, cookies, chips, pasta, fruit - you name it. You now have a reason to eat all those yummy items that most "diets" tell you not to and you don't have to feel guilty about it. Oh! And your wonderful husband is usually eager to run out whenever you say and pick up said sinful delights - hooray! Ok, ok, ok - you can't eat whatever you want whenever you want and you still need to aim for healthy foods, but cravings are expected and you have a lot more leeway in what you gobble.

4) You are expected to gain weight and its actually healthy. This ties in with #3 since in order to gain weight, you need to eat calories (not just celery!). My doctor told me she was excited about my weight gain at my last appointment - thats music to a woman's ears!

5) New wardrobe. Once again, you have an excuse to go shopping and buy a whole new wardrobe. How can you're husband possibly get upset with you for shopping if every item you own shows your stomach? And whats even better than new clothes? Comfy clothes and shoes! No more zippers, no more buttons, no more heals - elastic is your friend, EMBRACE IT!

6) Everything baby - baby clothes, baby bedding, baby furniture, baby showers. Baby stuff is absolutely ADORABLE and so exciting to shop for.

7) Mommy boobs - need I say more? I never knew what cleavage was, but HELLO NURSE!

8) Maternity leave. FMLA states that (most) companies are required to hold your job for upto 12 weeks of time off. Many companies will even offer a portion, if not all, of this time as paid. I'm sure its a wonderful time to bond with your new baby, your husband, parents, whomever. It also provides a nice break which helps many women realize just how much they LIKE the break their job provides from home life.

9) No more kitty litter duty! There are suddenly all sorts of things that a pregnant woman should no longer do, many of which are things we don't LIKE to do anyhow. Its a great reason (or excuse) not to do these things and instead have someone else help. I've also learned with how much faster I get tired, my wonderful, amazing, prince charming of a husband has been forced to help around the house more because I am physically not able to. It's a little disappointing at times and it makes me feel lazy, but I also know its great "training" for once the little kiddo comes since there will be SO MUCH MORE to do.

These are just a few of the things to enjoy from a pregnancy, I know there are so many more that I'm missing (like feeling the baby move - I'm still waiting!). With anything, there are going to be ups and downs to deal with and you just have to hope you have more ups. My post yesterday was more about all the things people do or say and don't even realize how rude they are being or how uncomfortable they are making people. I know I was guilty of committing a few of those offenses before getting pregnant because I just didn't know any better. Its similar to asking people when they are going to have kids - which seems harmless enough, but for the couple who is going through infertility problems, the question is HEARTBREAKING. The big lesson is to focus on the positive, there is enough negative in the world as it is!

Now onto some ME updates! These past few days have been AMAZING. While I still fight the shower gag and need to make sure I eat, my mood has been better than I remember it EVER being - just call me Pollyanna! We were out last night and I mentioned to my husband that I needed to pick up some more clothes (I have 3 pairs of pants I can wear to work) so we stopped by the local Motherhood shop. We were in there for a few hours I'm sure, but the one thing I remember most is the lady working in there told me I was a HAPPY PREGNANT LADY. Who me? The girl who was so miserable and sometimes wondered if this whole thing was a mistake? Thats when it hit me that yes, I AM happy - finally - and it feels GOOD! I have the most amazing husband, a wonderful home, a great job, financial security, a marvelous family, two sweet kitties, I'm in good health, and I'm going to be a MOTHER - what do I have to complain about? Now that I can actually function and enjoy life, I don't think I could be much happier. Sure, I could live near all my family or have the opportunity to be a stay at home mom, but when I compare where I'm at with all the places I COULD be, I'm so thankful.

Today is week 19 and the little bean is now the size of a MANGO - holy crap! And while I don't think I've felt movement yet, its just a matter of time from what everyone says. I think I'm more excited about Matt being able to feel it than I am about feeling it myself. Eeek!

STOP ... and think first!

It happened yesterday, the first time, and sadly I know it won't be the only time, and I didn't even see it coming. The ever-feared unsolicited belly rub. Ughh!!! Why? Why do people feel that as soon as someone is pregnant, all bets are off and limits no longer exist? It's annoying and extremely rude. I don't run up to you and touch you! I don't rub your bald spot or pat your beer belly - so HANDS OFF! I don't LIKE people touching my belly, even my husband gives me the "Pleeeeeeeeease" look before he touches my belly - and sometimes I even tell HIM no! So, in an effort to try and rid the world (at least my world) of people doing and saying inappropriate things to pregnant woman, here is my list. Please take note:

1. It is NEVER acceptable to rub someone's belly - unless they specifically ask you to. If a pregnant lady feels movement and wants to show someone, they will ask if you want to feel the baby move. If however they just say "Ooooh!" and hold their belly, assume its gas, at which point you shouldn't want to feel it anyhow. Remember, pregnant women are still people and there should still be the same normal boundaries, if not more. In the end, if you stray and she stabs you with a fork, don't say I didn't warn you!

2. Never, ever, EVER talk about a pregnant woman's weight. Ever. Whether you tell her she looks small for 8 months or huge for 5 months, either way it is an insult and will most likely cause her to worry. The same goes for asking if she's "sure it isn't twins". She is a woman. Under any other circumstances would it be okay to talk about a lady's weight? I think not. Oh, and this rule not only applies to friends, but to family members as well - whether it be her husband, mother, aunt, whomever. Leave the weight comments to the doctor.

3. Don't share your horror stories! This is one I'll never understand either. It seems that people LOVE to tell how their epidural went wrong or they got stuck in an elevator or some other thing that we are already secretly scared of. We all know unpleasant things happen and do our best to not freak out about it happening to us, so just shut it.

4. The dreaded "Just wait..." reply. This one seems to be around every corner - "I didn't sleep well last night", "Just wait until ..." or "My back is sore", "Just wait...". Ya' know what world? I KNOW my body is going to get even more sore, I know I'm going to be the size of a house and have trouble getting off the couch, I know there will be very little sleep after the birth, but RIGHT NOW I'm still not perfect and if I'm tired, I'm still tired and I don't care how much worse its going to be, it still sucks RIGHT NOW!

5. "Was it planned?" Seriously??? Are you REALLY asking me about my sex life? Now I have to admit that this particular one does not bother me (yes, it was planned actually), but I know a TON of women who feel this is the numero uno in tacky questions. If you really stop for a moment and realize what you are ultimately asking, it makes sense why people don't like it.

6. Telling a parent they should or should not find out the sex before the birth. This seems to be more common with family members and I've read several stories about grandparents being disappointed because the child is a girl / boy or because the parents either want to find out or don't want to find out the sex before the birth. If it is a healthy baby, who freaking cares whether it is a boy or girl, and why should ANYONE other than the parents being able to choose if they find out early?

7. Commenting on the unborn child's name. This is another one where people seem to LOVE to refer to their own stories - "Oh, I had a dog named that" or "I went to high school with a kid named that and he's now in prison". Choosing a name is usually an extremely difficult decision, especially when you add in all the comments everyone makes. But even worse then that, people will badger you to tell them the name if you have chosen to keep it a secret (for above reasons). One this subject, we have not picked names yet, but have discussed them and I'm sure once we have the big ultrasound and (hopefully) know whether its a boy or girl, I DO NOT plan on sharing the names for the simple reason that I am easily influenced by the comments of others. I know for me all it will take is one person not reacting how I want them to and I will second guess myself. Silly, yes, but its the way it is, accept it. Don't worry, you will all know the name in due time.

8. Do not tell a pregnant woman (or any woman) how you think she should birth the kid. This is a VERY personal choice that the mother-to-be ALONE should be making. This is one of the few areas where I don't believe the father-to-be has much say, since it isn't his body and he won't be going through the experience and pain. I won't tell you to get a root canal without Novocaine, so leave me my choice of how I'm shooting this thing out alone.

9. Unsolicited advice. This is aimed at everyone and people seem to think they know best. I have had people tell me all sorts of things I should not be eating or drinking or doing - and most of them have never BEEN pregnant and are not in the medical field. I know caffeine is bad. I know I need to take my vitamins. I know I need to eat fruits and vegetables. Seriously, I've talked to my doctor and I follow her rules, I don't need YOU telling me what you've HEARD is best / bad / etc. Now, if you see me smoking crack or chugging down some Tequila, then I give you my permission to smack me.

That is my list for now, feel free to add your own!

PS - I WILL be carrying a fork with me at all times.