Baby Showers

I went to a baby shower today. I realized after I came home that my pictures would have me wearing the same dress as before. Ugh.. how annoying. I really do have more than this outfit. Really!

Anyway, the shower was fun. It was for my cousin JJ. She's as excited as I am, which is fun. She's a doula-in-training, so I might be asking her to assist me in my birth if I can get her. She will have a two-month-old when mine is born, so I don't know how available she will be.

We have over thirty outfits for our little Sam. I've only bought a few of them myself. Most of them I got for Christmas. Looks like we're good for the first 3 months, but I wouldn't mind taking more stuff. Clothes for tots are FUN!


My Cousin and Me (She's due before me..next month!) 

Recent Photo Of Our Progress 

This photo is for Karlie. I hope you can "tell better" on here. Love ya!

Connections

Okay, so I just found out that the first person I met at the school I graduated from is living with a friend that lived VERY close to my hometown and as far as I knew, they didn't even know each other. I swear. I've felt this twilight-zoneish only a few times in my life. So to Sherida and Ruth, HI FRIENDS!

GREAT site you have to go to:
http://www.iusedtobelieve.com

So, today's been good. Greg worked a sub job today. He did okay. I think he's ready for real-estate, though.

I tried to get some laundry done, but our washer has this rather odd habit of moving around when it's in spin-cycle and acts like it wants to go on a mini-break to Big Bear or something. Today it was in such an odd place that my husband had to move it. I felt that if I pushed it back in place I'd push Sam out and that would not be pretty.

Valentines

Yay! My husband got me an orchid for valentines! I think this one was appropriately colored. =)

Right now Greg is working on building a shed for our back yard so we don't have quite so many boxes in storage. He's doing the foundation. Poor guy has already made 4 trips to True Value and Ace today. It's going to rain, too, which stinks, because he's been putting down cement.

I love Trolli Mini Burgers. I eat them like, well, candy.

My Dad and Mom are off to Grandpa's funeral today. I'm hoping it is a good time for them.. a good chance to get closure and say goodbye.

Something I've noticed recently: When looking at other blogs that name "Pregnancy" as an interest, I have seen so many that have "Christianity" as well. I wonder if there is a connection there.


Another Angle 

My New Orchid 

Grandpa died today. He had just turned 90 years old about two weeks ago. What an amazing man of God. We loved him so much. He had a heart full of many convictions and yet still managed a balance of gentleness and kindness and love for all who knew him. I particularly remember his love for my grandma, whom he met and married close to 60 years ago. I am so excited to know that he is with God right now.. finding out things that most of us have to wait a long time to find out.

Greg is feeling better today. The baby is kicking again... big phew. I don't know if this was from God or just a coincidence, but everytime I found myself thinking about Grandpa's passing today, I would feel the baby moving inside me. It was really amazing realizing how Grandpa was being given a brand new life and a brand new life is growing in me.

Root Canals and Boredom

You know how it is when you start your day out expecting one thing and end up with something completely different? My poor husband started out today going to the dentist for a simple cavity filling and ended up needing a full on root canal. I guess that's what we get for not going to the dentist since we met. Poor guy. I will go to the store and get him soft foods to eat tonight and tomorrow.

I cannot believe it's already Friday.

The baby has been so quiet the past couple of days. It's starting to worry me. But I feel fine.. no contractions or anything, so things are probably okay.

Heard from my old college roommate, Mandi. That was nice. I miss her. She sounds like she's having a pretty successful life right now, though, which is really good. It's funny. I am doing exactly what I expected to do with my life. Is that "achieving goals"? I think it is. I never wanted anything different than what I am now. Can a mom dress weird without people looking at her strangely? that's seriously the only thing I wish I had done differently...been a more extreme dresser.

I wish I were sleeping...

Our pup, Skittle 

Hi. Well, joy.. it's 2:00a.m. and I'm wide awake. Maybe this is God's way of preparing me for motherhood--getting up every 2 hours to feed the baby. I think Sam's waking me up now with his kicking, too. Poor Greg. This is the third day in a row that I've had to go sleep on the couch due to sleeplessness. It probably doesn't help to have as much overactive imagination as I have.

I'm doing better as far as not being terrified of childbirth today. Who knows, maybe it'll be a breeze in comparison to what I'm expecting it to be. What frustrates me is the simple fact that you can't ever be prepared for anything, no matter how much you try to psych yourself up for it; nor can you anticipate how difficult something will, or will not be. I guess it seriously just comes down to trusting God that he's going to get me through this. Sooo.. hard sometimes.

Saw a fantabulous movie today. Greg and I don't have t.v. anymore, so we hadn't seen anything on Napoleon Dynamite. We LOVED it. One of the coolest things, though, was two of our bestest loved songs were on there. I'm hoping it wasn't because of their "cheese" factor, because we actually take them seriously and call them "our songs." They are "Forever Young" by Alphaville and "I Promise" by Modern English. When both of them were played, we both started yelling things like "Hey!" and "Holy Toledo!" The best part of the movie itself, for me, was that the characters were extreme, but not so extreme that I couldn't relate to them or say to myself, "That reminds me and people I know, somehow" I really liked the main girl, Deb. She was someone I probably would have been friends with in high school. Was she the little kid from "Water World?" Or was I just halucinating? Yay for fun movies!

I love my niece. What a cutie. We have so much fun with her. I can't wait 'till we can have 'real' conversations, but she is getting more verbose by the day. Oh! Sam just jumped! Did I tell you, we're thinking of naming our son Samuel Paul? =)


My niece and I at the aquarium last year 

Belly Pants

I've moved into belly-pants-mode. Anyone who isn't pregnant has only had the opporitunity to see these if their mother was wearing them at some point that they can remember. The things are hideous! It's basically just plain old elastic waist jeans with a u-shaped "stomach" cut out and patched with softer fabric to allow for your tummy to grow comfortably and stick out unabashedly. My tummy sure is unabashed. Every day I look at it and think, "What did I look like before all this?"

He (our Sam) has been super quiet today--not encouraging to the lady who was so freaked out last night about all things pregnancy-related. I still have been today, but thank goodness for people like my old friend Raquelita who is living very far away from me, but still encourages my heart on a regular basis, and for my mom who always is willing to listen, no matter how absurd I might sound.

Hooray for my husband who is such a wonderful-head! I was taking a nap today because I was up 'till 3:00 a.m. last night. He came into the room in the middle of his Halo II game to give me a kiss and tell me he loved me. What a sweet caring and perfect guy for me! I lovehim so much. He's my hero and a half. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to marry him. Ha, to anyone who said he was too old for me and said I wouldn't like being married. He truly is my bliss. Thanks God, for giving him to me.

The Fear Creeps In Once-In-A-While

When we got pregnant it seemed so far away, the birth of our child, that its imminence didn't even matter--nine months is way too long of a time to anticipate anything but the now and just beyond. I'm starting to feel freaked out. It's not so much labor and delivery as how much I will be able to handle. I feel as though so much is unknown, so much is intangible. I can say "I want this and this and that for myself and our child," but aren't my wishes the wishes of every other woman out there? Who really says, "Oh please, give me an episiotomy. I've been hoping for one since day one."? I just feel like my well-meaning but squeamish husband, and my highly supportive but timid of offending mother are going to be no more capable of making my voice clear when I am unable to. I picture myself gasping in agony in a horrible smelling, noisy delivery room, in pain beyond all human comprehension, unable to breathe (let alone talk), scared, emotional, alone in what I'm feeling. I will look like E.T., dying all alone on that hospital gurney. Ugh. All I want is to know that I will be told that I am strong, that I can do this, that I'm not going to be forgotten amidst all the monitering and craziness. Will Greg be able to hold my hand? Will I be coherent when our son is finally put into my arms? Will I be able to say, "I don't want a c-section or episiotomy unless absolutely necessary." And then have someone actually listen to me? I feel like it's a lost cause right now. Someone give me hope for hospital delivery. I hate the sterility of a dentist office. I can't even imagine how a delivery room is going to feel to me.

A Bun In The Oven

A Bun In The Oven 

Here's Sam and me, cooperating in making me huge! =) I am very excited. Can't you see by the look on my face?

The Second 

The first 

Greg's Turtles!

I LOVE MY HUSBAND!

Oh my gosh! Look at these awesome turtles he painted in Sam's room!

Our baby sucking his thumb 

Real estate

My husband is applying for his real estate license. He thinks he's done teaching forever. What a weird thought. I am going to miss him in that job.. it's the kids that I'll miss, though. But we're going to be having our own soon, so I guess that's fine.

I am 21 weeks pregnant tomorrow. More than half-way there! Good grief I'm getting big. We did some closet cleaning today and I am no longer fitting into anything but maternity clothes. Everything I used to wear looks so tiny. How did I ever fit into it?

My sister doesn't have menengitis! Thank you, God! She was recently in contact with this guy who had it and died, so the doctors were very concerned. Turns out it was only the flu. She was still pretty miserable though, even if her life wasn't really being threatened.

Random thought for the day: Ichthus, ich, ichthyologists.. they all are ichy.

Greg, me, and other people's butts in Calais, France.