ultrasound with label

 

project...

This is my latest crochet project. It's a washcloth. It took me about 4 tries to get it right the first time, but I've made 2 now and the second one was so quick! At some point I might try making one that is more than one colour, but for now this is all I've got.
 

in response...

I do find it hard to drink water, but not because I feel full. Most of the time I'm either comfortable or ravenous. I don't like to drink the water because it doesn't have any flavor! It's just cold and wet and plain...and sometimes not even cold. I do try to drink as much as I can at work though Yesterday I drank 2.5 Liters, today I only drank 1.

Speaking of being ravenous though, I'm off to Wendy's for a salad and a frosty. Yeah, I know I'm bad...I shouldn't be eating fast food. Oh well, I'm hungry!

dr's appt.

it's Friday, and our appointment was on Tuesday. Yeah, I know I should have updated sooner, but the visit was so short! We went in and I did my chart work and then we met with the midwife. She basically said everything was fine according to the ultrasound, measured my belly (84cm around, 32cm from pelvic bone to top of uterus), and listened to the raisin's heartbeat. That part kind of freaked me out because when she caught him (he likes to run away from the monitor thingy) his heartbeat was really slow! She listened for a minute or so and it got faster again, like normal. I got really worried though, until she said that sometimes that happens when the baby grabs the umbilical cord. He kind of cuts off his blood supply. that's NORMAL?? If she says so, I just wish he wouldn't do it when I'm listening. Then she told us we should go ahead and schedule our ultrasound. We were like "what?" and then she realized that she wasn't paying very much attention and looked over the results again. Next time I will have a glucose screening, which sounds like no fun at all. I have to get up and eat a protien filled breakfast BEFORE 7:45. My appt is at 9:45 and after they make me drink a cup of glucose (flavored, thank goodness) they will wait an hour and then stab my finger to take blood. I hate the finger stabbing!

Anyway, before our appt we took Jasper to get groomed. We didn't take him back to Petco because he was depressed for a few days after the last time we took him there and the fact that the stupid groomer lady was talking on the phone while she was trying to clip his nails. We took him to PetSmart, where they made him all nice and shiny and good smelling, and they even let us pick what colour of bandana he wanted to wear. Of course, Jasper picked green because that's his favorite colour.

We went to see the new X-Men movie too. It was pretty good, but I didn't think it was as good as the first two. There were some really good scenes, and some that could have been much better if someone had put a little more effort into it. Overall though, it was worth seeing.

Bob brought up the fact that we are lazy and need to exercise more. He's so right! I got up early (ok so it was 9) and took the dog for a walk (about 15 minutes) and then did my Mommy exercise video. Ok, well I only did half, but it's more than I've done for a while. If I ever get my work schedule for June I'm going to make sure I schedule time to go to the gym and walk. It's too hot out to walk most of the time, and when it's not then it's raining.
I also need to try harder to drink the amount of water the midwife recommended. I didn't drink any yesterday until about 9pm. Shame on me! Of course, after I drank 3 glasses of water between 9 and 11, I was up all night running to the bathroom. I guess I learned my lesson.

tap dancing

For the past few nights right when I go to bed the raisin has decided it's time to be awake and active. I lay on my right side, and he just tap dances all over where my belly touches the mattress. He hit me so hard the other night that it startled me and woke up poor Bob!

We got some CD's to play to him, they say it stimulates him and makes him smarter. Our next appointment is tomorrow and hopefully they will let us know more from the ultrasound. Speaking of which, no one can seem to make out what those pictures are, so I will label them and repost them at some point.

We've also started saving money for him. We haven't decided where to put it or anything, but we have some money set aside. Better to start early, the longer you save the more interest you earn. Hopefully in 18 years he'll have enough for college.

I weighed myself yesterday and I've gained 3 more pounds for a grand total of 124!! Hooray!

my latest project...

Since so many people are having babies, I've decided to do something simple for gifts. This is a washcloth I made. It only took me 4 hours while I was at work. (which means I was squeezing in working on it in between phone calls and helping salespeople) I think it turned out rather nicely, and with all the other cute little bath things that will be with it, it will be a wonderful gift. Everyone loves a clean baby! 

everyone else...

Everyone else I know who is pregnant is having a girl. We're having a boy.
Everyone else I know who is pregnant has a belly. I'm just starting to get one.
Everyone else I know who is pregnant seems to have it together. I feel so scattered!
Everyone else I know who is pregnant doesn't have to work. I have a job I can't stand.
Everyone else I know who is pregnant didn't get morning sickness. I was sick for 1.5 months.

Why is it that I can never be like anyone else?! Not that I'm not thrilled about having a boy, because I am...and everyone says I'm lucky to still be able to wear my regular clothes at 5 months. But I want to buy maternity clothes! I want everyone to be able to tell that I'm pregnant! I want to be able to remember where I left my keys or if I locked the door or where i ate lunch. I want to be able to do anything I want all day because I don't have to go punch a clock for 8 hours and deal with people who, after working there for years, still don't know how to do their job. I want to have time for my craft projects and exercise and playing with my dog and my husband. I don't want to have to watch everything I eat because anything remotely spicy makes me sick. I want to go camping and fishing and hiking and do all those things without being out of breath or tired. I want to sleep all night without having to get up 5 times to go to the bathroom. I want to sleep laying on my stomach!

That's my rant, and I'm sticking to it.

it could be the raisin...

www.gerber300.com

random ranting

I forgot to mention that I had gained 2 more pounds! I also measured my belly again yesterday and it is 36 inches now! I guess it's growing even if it's so gradual that I can't tell since I look at it every day.

Last night we went to bed and I was laying there trying to go to sleep, but the raisin wanted to be awake and all active. He was punching me really hard! I had my hands over my belly and I could feel it. He did it a few times and finally I decided that if I could feel it then so could Bob, and if he hit me one more time I'd nudge Bob, Well, he did so I grabbed Bob's hand and put it on my belly. Almost as soon as I did he hit again, but Bob said he didn't feel it. I pointed to where the raisin was hitting, and the next his was so hard it made me jump! Bob definately felt that one! He left his hand there for a little while, all the time with the raisin punching away. Finally the raisin calmed down and Bob rolled over to go to sleep. He didn't act very excited, but I thought it was really cool that Bob can feel him now too.

Someone at work loaned us one of those monitor things that you can use to listen to and talk to the baby. I tried it a few times, but I haven't really heard anything yet. I think it will be a week or so before we can hear the heartbeat with it anyway.

Other than that, everything is ok. Work still sucks though. We are trying to hire 2 new people, which is going well. They sent the two I liked the best for background checks and drug tests. Hopefully, they will be able to start before Memorial Day. Otherwise we will only have 3 people working Memorial Day Saturday, which seems ridiculous to me. Also, the manager and the office manager and I had all discussed that we should put the new people on with one person so they don't hear 4 different ways to do the same thing and get confused. I offered to train them both because I have done most of the training in the past and the people I've trained have turned out to be really good. The manager changed the schedule for the last week of May to have two openers and one closer every day. What sense does that make!?!? Especially since 3 of those days I will be opening and if you add 2 new people to my schedule then that's 4 openers and one closer. DOESN'T ANYONE LISTEN TO ME!? Overall it's very frustrating. Also, the week they are starting (hopefully) is the week the office manager is on vacation. That would mean that training the new people should be my responsibility anyway since I'm the assistant office manager.

Oh well, only a few more months and I won't have to worry about it anymore!! YAY!!!

ultrasound...

This one is the hand, you can see it right in the middle there. The ultrasound tech said he has all the necessary parts. We saw his little beating heart with all 4 chambers. She checked out his spine and it looked good, and somehow she could tell he didn't have a cleft lip. She took a lot of measurements, we were in there for a little while. He waved at us (thus the hand picture) and we saw his little legs kicking around, too. He's laying sideways with his head to my left and his feet to my right. I guess that explains why I feel most of the movement on the right side. He was very active, he moved all over while she was scanning him. I guess I would too if someone was squishing my already cramped living space! Overall though he's healthy and that's one less thing to worry about. Now if I could just get rid of this darned indigestion! 

ultrasound...

This one is confirmation of a definite BOY. The ultrasound tech said he wasn't shy at all!!
 

ultrasound...

This is a picture of the baby's face, you can see his eyebrow ridge, nose, and chin. 

A Tribute to our family

In honor of our expanding family, my wonderful hubby bought this...a Mazda Tribute! It wasn't what he wanted (he wants a truck) but it was the most practical for now. It drives very nicely, and so far we like it a lot.

names...

Bob has suggested that we come up with 3 names for each sex. He says this is in case the raisin doesn't look like or act like the names we already picked out. Picked out with a lot of trouble! So I dragged out the baby name book and was looking at it at work. I made a pretty good list, but Bob rejected them all!! Why is it so hard to pick a name?!?!? Well anyway, I'm completely open to suggestions.

I think...

I forgot to post this, but on May 4th I felt the first unmistakable movement. I was sitting at work writing out a list of something and all of a sudden I felt this little “thump” on the right side of my belly. I thought it was rather odd, but then it happened again, twice right in a row. That’s when I knew that it was the raisin. It kept happening for about 4 or 5 more times, and then stopped. It was really exciting and weird. Exciting because, obviously, now I’ve felt the raisin moving around and I know for absolute sure there’s a baby in there. Weird because it just feels weird. It’s not really like anything else. The only thing I can think of that might describe it is the new Gatorade Rain commercials where the girl is in the volleyball and it breaks open, but not all the way. Then there’s this black layer of something; anyway the commercial shows an arm or something moving across underneath it. That’s the way I think it feels. Yep, it’s weird. Just like I said.
So last night we were laying around watching something about the Grand Canyon and I had my hand resting on the (left) side of my belly and I swear I felt it on the outside! I felt it a few times, but Bob said he didn’t feel anything. He said maybe I just thought I felt it on the outside but it was really just because I felt it inside and my hand was there. I don’t think so though.
I have this weekend off, and we have really no idea what we’re going to do yet. My birthday is Tuesday, but I have to work that day. I hate working on my birthday. I am glad I have the weekend off though. I would like to go fishing; it’s practically tradition now to go fishing on my birthday. I also want to go to one of those pick your own strawberry places. Other than that, just hanging out with my hubby will be great. Maybe we can pack a picnic and go look at the waterfalls again or something that will get us outside and moving.I got out my pedometer yesterday for the first time in a long time. I wore it all day at work and when I was done I had only taken about 1500 steps. True, I have an office job and I sit in a chair most of the day, but come on! I did end up walking a good bit after work, but not continuously. I walked up to the dog run to play with Bob and Jasper, but when I got there they were leaving so we just walked right back home. I did go paint pottery with Cindy yesterday, too. I painted a spoon rest, and I think it turned out fairly well. I wonder if one day I could open my own paint your own pottery studio. I think it might be fun.

cramps!

I woke up last night and stretched out my legs. As soon as I did I knew it was a mistake. My right leg cramped up like mad and I started yelling at it. Scared poor Bob half to death since he was really asleep. It stayed cramped for a really long time, and then it finally relaxed and I tried to stretch it out a little. It's sore today, though. I guess it could have been caused by my not drinking as much water yesterday as I should have (I only had 2 glasses)...or by the 4 doughnuts I had that was all I ate while I was at work. Shame on me, I know!
Before bed last night Bob read some more of "Around the World in Eighty Days" to me and the raisin. He said we are going to start going to bed earlier so we can read and have quiet time. We also talked about some stuff that in the end made us both feel a little better about the house, the car, and the raisin.
Hmmm, I don't know if I mentioned that before. Bob is looking for another car so he can get a second job. At least until the raisin is born, maybe for a while afterwards while I'm out of work. I was worried about the budget, but he's worked everything out, and even with the extra car payment we'll be able to save more money. When he gets the second job we'll be able to pay off one or the other car quickly so we'll only show one car payment when we go to get a house.
All in all, everything is looking pretty good.

let the dreams begin...

While trying to sleep between the 4 trips to the bathroom last night I had a very odd dream. I dreamed that I went into labor (although in the dream my belly was not any bigger than it is now, which is practically nonexsistant). I know I was in pain in the dream, but I couldn't feel it. I was wincing and stuff, but it didn't hurt. The baby was born and it was a boy! Then I realized that we hadn't picked out a middle name for him and I was frantically looking through a book of names (in the car) as we drove to the hospital to pick up the baby. (why the baby wasn't with us, I have no idea because I had JUST given birth). I remember looking at the clock in the car and it was 7:41...not sure why that's important, but I remember it. Then I realized that we didn't have a car seat and how were we going to get the baby home and WHERE WERE WE GOING TO GET A CAR SEAT THIS LATE?!?!!? (it was dark outside). I think I woke up then because I don't remember any more than that, but I was very freaked out in the dream about the lack of a middle name and the missing car seat. We have picked out a middle name for a boy though, that was settled before we even picked the first name. As far as the car seat, at this point I don't think we need it. Maybe I'm freaking out about not feeling prepared?

belly envy...

I like reading posts from the sites listed on babes in blogland. They recently updated the site and it's got a lot more stuff on it. They've also added a new site for people trying to conceive. Anyway, I was reading on of the blogs and they had a link to some belly pics. The pics are listed by number of weeks, and I was looking at the ones that are the same far along as I am. It's so not fair! Almost all of them have huge bellies! I practically have no belly at all. Ok I just measured my waist again and it's still 32 inches! A few of the people at work did comment yesterday that I was starting to get a belly. I guess I should just get over it. I'll get my huge belly, and I'll probably be terribly uncomfortable when I do. I suppose for now I will just enjoy still being able to wear my regular pants and not having to spend any money on new clothes.

i hate being sick!

I woke up last night feeling not very well. My stomach was hurting so bad! I got up and went to the bathroom and took a rolaid, but it didn't help at all. I tried going back to sleep, but that didn't work either. Finally, I threw up. That made me feel a little better for long enough to at least go to sleep. I feel ok today, but I will never eat vegetable soup again!
Our appointment on Friday went well. We were only there for about 20 minutes. My blood pressure was normal, and the baby's heartbeat was 158/min. Everything looked good. They did have to take some blood for some kind of test, which was no fun because they stab your finger to get it. She kept squeezing my finger like a ketchup packet to get more blood out. NO FUN!!

What a yucky day!

It rained yesterday, and it's still raining today. We needed it though, the water levels were below normal. The only bad thing is that it gets cold when it rains, and when it's cold and wet my back starts to hurt. In fact, not just my back, but my back around to my hip, down to my knee and then down to my ankle. I was miserable at work yesterday! When I got home I put my jammies on, snuggled onto the sofa and stayed there until bedtime. Luckily for me Bob went out with Kyle and I got the whole evening to just relax and have quiet time. I should have worked on the flowers I'm making while I was laying there, but I just didn't want to get up and walk across the room to get it.
Other than the bad weather, everything is ok. Bob has been keeping everything nice and clean, and I've been trying to help out as much as I can. I don't know if it's what they call "nesting" but I went on a cleaning frenzy on Tuesday. I think I did more that day than I've ever cleaned in a day. I still have a lot to do, and it seems like things pile up when you aren't even doing anything. Progress is being made though! Hooray! When I made dinner last night I even cleaned up all the leftover food. I did forget the cutting board, though, but it still got done because Bob reminded me before we went to bed.
Nothing else to report for now, but we'll see how work goes today. I'm wearing my new balance to work today so my back doesn't start hurting again. I think the 1.5 inch heels I wear really don't help, even if they ARE wide and stable. hehehe

bowls

These are the bowls that Rachael and I painted when she visited me. Hers is the one with the pastel colours, mine is the darker one. They both turned out so well!! 

what's going on?

This past week we had two sets of visitors. Bob's sisters came down on Monday. We had fun visiting with them. The first day we ate at the Nascar cafe, where there were lots of interesting things on the walls but the food wasn't that great. After that we hung out at the mall for a while. Angie and I looked at preggie clothes, but I didn't buy anything. She got some really cute stuff though! After the mall we all retired back to the house for some conversation and relaxation. We went to bed kind of early, and Bob and I had to work on Tuesday. The crew, though, went to the zoo, where Bob met them after he finished work. I hear they had fun, but I still haven't seen pictures! They had lost of fun stories to tell when they got back. After they drove back up to Gso they went straight to Celebration Station. I'm sure the kids had fun, but the food was horrible! (at least, that's what they told me). Meanwhile, my sister came up around 3:30. I left work early and as I had given my house key to Cheryl we could not go back to the house. We ended up at Friendly Center where we shopped around for a while, then we went to Quizno's for lunch. After that we headed back to the house, where Bob met us to let us in. He then went out to Celebration Station to meet the crew. Rachael and I stayed at the house and caught up a bit, and played Donkey Konga 2. We had fun! Then everyone came home and we sat around and visited until bedtime. Rachael and I had a grand time giggling like girls at a sleepover when we went to bed! The next morning we had breakfast and then Cheryl, Angie, Tyler, Kelsie, Jordyn, and Ethan all headed out toward Raleigh. Rachael and I went shopping, even though it was cold and rainy and icky. Well, first we painted pottery at The Mad Platter. I can't wait to get it back so I can post a picture! We went a few other places, and ended up eating at Wendy's for lunch. We both had spicy chicken sandwiches, but I was miserable from eating it for the rest of the day! No more spicy food for me! We went to Michael's on the way home and got some yarn. I'm going to make some flowers for a little vase that Rachael got. (turns out I don't have the right size hook, after all. my bad) Then we headed back to the house (it was COLD) where we ran into Bob, who had just gotten home. He went to take a nap (it had been a busy week!) and Rachael and I played Donkey Konga some more, and just sat around talking. After that we watched Hitch, and then went to bed. I didn't have to be to work until one on thrusday so Rachael and I went and got presents for Uncle Greg and Kristen (whose baby is due next month) Dorks that we are, couldn't read the registry and so I bought something that had already been gotten and had to return it and get something else. What dummies! We shopped some more and then had lunch before I had to get to work. Overall both visits were fun and entertaining for Bob and I. I hope they were for everyone else. WE LOVE HAVING VISITORS!!
so anyway...I've lately become obsessed with the size of my belly. I'm always touching it and looking at it. I measured it the other day and then looked up the measurements from my wedding dress. It's grown 2 inches since Sept 2004. I don't know if that's because of the raisin, or if I just gained weight in between and didn't realize until i measured recently. Either way, my waist is 32 inches. It doesn't LOOK bigger to me, but people at work are beginning to say it's bigger. My pants still fit though. To me, when my pants don't fit anymore then I will think it's bigger.
I've been keeping up with the (extimated) growth of the baby on www.Americanpregnancy.com (thanks Angie!). At the end of this week, the raisin should be 6 inches long! It looks like a normal baby now, with eyes and ears in the right places. Also, the raisin's circulatory and urinary systems will be working. Yay, raisin!

i gained weight!!

Hooray! After loosing 9 pounds during the first 3 months, I have finally gained 1 and a half pounds back! That's without eating junk, too. I've been trying to make sure I eat whenever I'm hungry, which is most of the time. I've also been eating lots more fruits and veggies and meat. YAY!!

New things...

Well it's been a while since I posted, but I can't say that anything terribly exciting has happened. I've been working, of course, and Bob, too. Scroll down and you'll see my latest craft project. I've been trying to set aside time to do things like that. It's very relaxing and it's something you don't really have to concentrate very hard on. I finished that one in about 2 hours.
I was planning to go to Lexington today to visit my dad and sisters, but it turned out that I couldn't go due to various reasons. One of which is that lately I've been getting car sick pretty easily. We are expecting visitors next week though, and I am very excited! Bob's sisters are coming down on Monday and we are all going to the NC zoo in Asheboro, and then on Tuesday my older sister (Rachael) is coming down and she's staying until Thursday! Yay! I love having visitors! So far I haven't been terribly successful in thinking of things for us to do, but I'm sure we will have a great time anyway. We always do!
Bob and I went grocery shopping the other day and we bought lots of yummy food to make actual meals with! So far all I've made is beef stew, but it turned out really yummy. I'm sure I'll get home in time tonight to make something for us. I really like cooking for my hubby!
We've started looking at houses again. We're hoping to buy one in the next few months so that when the raisin is born we will already be settled in. Also, we're going to need a lot more room than we have here for all the baby stuff. A one bedroom apartment is definately not big enough for 3 people, a dog, and all their stuff.

Rachael...

I finally made my sister the potholder/trivet that I promised her 2 years ago for her birthday. It turned out nothing like the pattern, but it's done! It turned out reather cute, I think. I hope she likes it! 

Dr's appt

We had our first official appointment at the Carolina Birth Center yesterday. We met with a midwife (one of four) and she went over diet and exercise, etc etc. She told me to eat more protien and drink 4 liters of water a day! I've really been trying but I already have to go to the bathroom every 2 seconds, this isn't helping. We also got to hear the heartbeat again, for a longer time. She was trying to measure it but the baby kept swimming away from the pressure of the machine thingy. I thought it was very funny, but I was crying when we were listening to the heartbeat. She also measured my pelvic bones and made sure nothing was protruding anywhere to hinder the baby coming out. She said everything looks normal and that we meet the criteria for working with them. So that's our official place now. They gave me a little binder full of information and it has a calendar and some other stuff so I can keep track of what's going on. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, they let you take a very active roll in your prenatal care. When you come in for an appt you do your own urine sample and measure for protien and such, and weigh yourself and keep track of weight gained/lost since your original weight (before you were pregnant). I feel so useful!

On a completely different subject, we have a visitor this weekend! Chris, who was the best man in our wedding, has come to spend some time with us. I was very excited when he confirmed he was coming and when he got here (earlier than I expected) I was very suprised! Of course, I was at work but I did take a break and we went out to lunch (Bob, too). So far we're having a good time. I will hopefully have some pictures to put up on Monday, but we'll see. We're having dinner with Kyle and Cindy tonite and the guests they have from out of town. This should be interesting!

We love nature!

These are some of the turtles we saw when we went for our picnic a few weeks ago. We had a great day! I wasn't sick so after we ate our delicious bread, cheese, grapes, and juice we walked around the lake. It was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time. By the time we were done I was so tired out and thirsty! But we did get to see lots of turtles sunning themselves. Even a few tiny ones! 

My new mom-do

I went and got my hair cut yesterday! I didn't go as short as I normally do, but I like how it turned out! It was a lot of fun and Babs (my hair stylist) was very entertaining. Cindy got her hair cut too, but I don't have a picture. We both looked super cute when we were done. Too bad it was too late to go out on the town. 

Nothing really...

I haven't posted in a while and I'm starting to feel guilty. I still feel sick sometimes in the evening, and I still get tired very early. I've been trying to take a nap when I get home just so I can stay up to a normal hour, but that doesn't always work.
We've got so much to do, and I realized today that we only have 6 more months to get ready for this baby. That seems like a long time and a very short time. There should be some kind of checklist for getting ready for this like there is for weddings! We finally settled on a girl's name, I think. We registered at Babies R Us. I've been keeping a baby journal and this blog, as well as a calendar of events (dr appts, visitors, etc). Bob's been keeping a blog as well, for those of you who did not know. It's www.bobandmaggiewalkup.blogspot.com
We're still looking around to see about buying a house. If we can we're going to do that, if not we'll upgrade to a two bedroom apartment for a year while we get settled and ready to buy.
We went to church with Kyle and Cindy tonight. It was fun, Kyle read the scripture passage and Cindy did the message. Then she sang! I didn't know Cindy could sing! She did very well! Afterward we went to dinner at Tex and Shirleys and it was very nice and the food was yummy. I got apple pancakes, but I think I ate too much because now I feel icky.
I think I'm starting to get a little bit of a belly. My regular pooch seems to me like it's bigger and sticks out more. I wish I'd hurry up and start to show more, sometimes it still doesn't feel real to me.
We watched The Butterfly Effect the other day, and it freaked me out. After we watched it was the first time I started thinking that something could be wrong with our baby. What if our baby is a scary little freak like the kids in that movie!?!?! I was awake most of the night worrying about it. Stupid movies.

baby games

reading another blog, I found this site: www.expectnet.com

It lets you create a game that keeps track of everyone's guess as to when your baby will be born and weight and length and all that. I set one up because I thought it would be fun! The name of the game is bobandmaggiebaby.

babies in blogland

So I read the comment on my last post, and at first I thought "That's cute, but I want nothing to do with it." Then I went to the site and scrolled down to around our date (oct 8) and started reading some of the other sites. Apparently I'm the only person who isn't worried about miscarriage. I was happy to see that most everyone had the same symptoms as I did, most worse than I had. I guess it's just nice to know that I'm not the only one going through all this stuff. So, for the moment, I'll let my name and due date stay there.

I've been probed!!!

We had our first ultrasound today, and here's the picture. It was an internal ultrasound, which I must say is probably much more uncomfortable than an external one! But we got to see the baby, which is positioned in the top corner and upside down (yep, our baby is a bat!). We also got to hear the heartbeat for a few seconds. It's a good thing it wasn't longer because it almost made me cry. We got two pictures, but the scanner is being difficult so I could only scan one. I don't know if you can tell but it is labelled head and body. Maybe I'll blow it up a little and put another one on here later. Since my last visit I lost 5 pounds! The doctor said not to worry though, that was normal during the first trimester and that I will gain it all back and then some. Overall, everything checked out ok! One more thing, they changed our due date to October 8th.

REAL FOOD!!

For about 3 weeks all I could stomach was chex and crackers. Thankfully, I can now eat real food again!! I've had pasta and chicken and sandwiches and all kinds of delicious food! Everything tastes so good!!!!
I still feel like sleeping most of the time, but when I don't I have a lot of energy. (I took the dog for a walk today! Washed the dishes too!) Bob has been such a great help. He's taken care of all the housework and made me anything I wanted to eat while I was sick. He's the greatest hubby ever!
We've decided to transfer to the Carolina Birth Center, one of only two freestanding birth clinics in NC, to have our baby. They promote natural labor and birth with little intervention from modern medicine. We'll be working with a midwife and an RN. We had our first visit and a tour yesterday and it's so much friendlier and homier than the hospital. If you want to find out more about it, here's the link: http://www.birthcenters.org/fabc/featuredbc/nc-cbc.php
There's lots of good information on there.
Bob is looking for another job so we can make sure everything is taken care of while I'm out of work. At this point we are planning that I only go back part time after the 12 week FMLA leave. It's better to have less income and full time care than to spend all your salary on day care. Besides, who wants to leave their little tiny 3 month old baby in day care with strangers all day!??! NOT ME!!
We go Monday to get our first ultrasound and hear our baby's heartbeat (hopefully!). That will be our last visit to Green Valley OB/Gyn. If we get a picture I will be sure to post it here.

Jammie time!

I've been saying for a few weeks that I'd like a nice nightgown. I dont' really have any jammies to wear to bed, and now that I spend A LOT of time in bed I thought I needed some. We went to the mall to Motherhood (maternity store) and all they had were shirts and pants. I can't stand wearing pants to bed!! Anyway, I went in to work yesterday and there was a box on the counter. We don't usually get packages so I went over to check it out. It had my name on it so I opened it up and inside was a really pretty box! I opened up the box and there was a pair of slippers! I picked them up and kicked off my shoes and put them right on. Underneath the slippers was a very soft purple with white dots nightgown. I picked it up to get a better look and saw something else under it! I picked that up and it was a matching robe! I'm so excited! I'm washing them today so I can wear them tonite, I can hardly wait! So anyway, there was a card at the bottom from bob. He's such a sweetie! I love my hubby and I love my new jammies!

Seabands!

For anyone who has ever been nauseous because of motion sickness or morning sickness, listen up! I have been sick for the past two weeks, I've not been able to eat or even smell food. But no more!! Today we went to CVS and in the motion sickness section there are these miracle wristbands called SEABANDS! They work by stimulating an acupressure point on your wrist that makes you less queasy. I was sceptical at first because of all the things I've tried already.(ginger tea, ginger cookies, ginger ale, crackers, eating, not eating, cereal, rolaids, you name it, I tried it) This actually worked! I don't feel "normal" but I felt well enough to do a few things around the house. I don't feel like I'm going to throw up every minute! So to all upset tummies, try this! HOOOOOOOOOOOOOORAY!!!!!!!!!!

Cowgirl Canoe

 

Christmas breakfast

This is what bob made for breakfast Christmas morning. I asked for pancakes because he makes the absolute best pancakes I've ever eaten! I was pleasantly suprised, though, with Bob's creativity in the making of the pancakes. They were very cute, and of course they were delicious! He even made a fire hydrant shaped one for Jasper. 

wasn;t expecting this....

Ok, maybe I was expecting it after being sick all week, but we weren't PLANNING it. We're both very excited!!! 

the holidays are over!

Hooray! We made it through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the way into the new year! Not that it was very hard. I could have sat here and done nothing and still made it. As it was though, we travelled, had fun, and spent time with friends and family.

Christmas day was spent lounging about the house. We got up kind of early (8:30) and Bob made breakfast. I'll have a picture of it to put on later, so I won't tell you what it was right now. Then we opened presents, which was fun. Then we built a fire, snuggled down on the couch and watched The Incredibles. (great movie, by the way) Most of the rest of the day was spent snuggling and playing games. It was the greatest Christmas ever!!

Dec 31st: I had to work until 3 so when Bob finished work he went home and relaxed a little then picked me up. We went up to his dad's new house to hang out and have dinner. Their house is NICE! I especially like the sunroom, it was so open and bright. The whole house was very pretty and big too! We had some very yummy Mexican food for dinner and then headed home to change and run up to Kyle and Cindy's. We stayed there until about 3:30am playing Star Wars Monopoly (which they had gotten us for Christmas). It was so fun!

Jan 1st: I had to work...what a bummer!

Jan 3rd: Bob's birthday! Hooray for Bob, he's 32!!! We both had to work this day so we celebrated the day before. We did however go out to PieWorks with Kyle and Cindy and have a pizza buffet that was absolutely fabulous! Then Cindy and I ran off to pottery painting class where we were LATE and the teacher had already left. We still painted though, and I made something special for Bob's birthday. I'm so excited!

So now everything is back to normal. Blah!

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat

Christmas is almost here and I'm very unprepared for it. I've not finished my shopping and I've barely had time to rest. My inlaws came to visit on Saturday, our first visitors in our new cottage. We spent the entire week before cleaning and preparing for them to come. We're short staffed at work so I worked every day but one last week and it's looking like the same this week. Extra hours means extra money, but honestly I'd trade the money for being home and not having to work. I'm still waiting and hoping for snow. We had some ice but it went away quickly and nothing else has happened since. As a matter of fact it's been quite nice out, with no wind. That makes it nice for walking and such, but I want snow for Christmas!

Bob and Maggie at RTG Party

Here we are at the Rooms to Go Holiday Celebration! We had a great time! Don't we look spiffy!?!? 

snowman

I've been taking a painting class on Tuesday evenings and this is one of the many things I've painted. The other things involve more technique, this one was just for fun! 

Is it November?

I think it is, but from the weather outside I really can't tell. The sun is shining and it's 72 degrees! Bob and I went to Qdoba for lunch, substandard experience. Then we went to the Bakery and got a yummy loaf of bread. We're home now but we are about to go fishing in the pond behind our house. After that Jasper has a playdate..hehehe, that's so cute!

I've been working on my current crochet project a lot lately. I have to get it finished by December 10th. I only have 2 more rows on the main part of it, I'm not sure how long the second phase will take. It's 25 inches now though! Sorry, Rachael, I'm not putting a picture up because I'm not sure if Birch and Gretchen have the address to this site and it is supposed to be a suprise. I might still take one and email it to you though.

Aleve

I just saw a commercial for Aleve. I have never used Aleve, nor do I plan to, but I just wanted to point out how silly this commercial was (and most others for that matter). Ok, the mother (old) and the daughter (middle age) were gardening or something...they were outside. Anyway, the mother winces and looks like she's in pain. The daughter looks over and says "You've got to try my Aleve" and pulls a BOX of Aleve out of her pocket. Yes, that's right folks, everyone who uses Aleve, no matter what activity they are currently involved in, carries a BOX of Aleve in their pocket. A BOX!!! I could maybe understand a bottle, but not really because you are GARDENING. What on earth would you need a bottle of Aleve for while you are GARDENING? Do they really expect us to believe this or is it just product recognition? I'm hoping it is, they can't think we're that stupid.

Hooray for Centrum!!

I'm been taking Viactive vitamins, and they're kind of icky and they take forever to chew. They are chocolate flavor though, so that was something they had going for them. Anyway, I ran out so we were at Wal Mart (eeeewwww, walmart!) last night and looking at all the multivitamins. I, as most everyone knows, cannot swallow pills...so I was looking for a CHEWABLE adult vitamin. These are usually very rare and not very tasty. So anyway I found a chewable orange flavored Centrum. I got the bottle and had one last night and one when I got up today and they are yummy! They taste orange-y...there is a slight bit of vitamin-ness about them, it's kind of like eating a Rolaid...dry and crumbly. But the flavor was good...and it has all the vitamins I need every day! (Mom says I should take Calcium and Magnesium, plus it has 100% of the folic acid recommended) Well, and a lot of other things too. So there, Bob, I'll take my stinking vitamin every day!

I'm sick!!!

I got a cold somehow and now i'm miserable! For the last two days I haven't been able to talk like a normal human and now I'm blowing my nose every two seconds! I hate being sick!

Poor Bob hurt himself last night when he was out playing with the dog. He stepped in a hole and hurt his back. I feel so bad that I was at work and not here to help him up off the ground and back to the house. He layed on the sofa with a heating pad all the rest of the day after I got home. Poor honey!

He bought me a suprise...teehee. I now own Hitch and Rodgers adn Hammerstein's Cinderella on DVD. YAY Bob, great present.

Halloween is over

Well, Bob and I had big plans for Halloween day, but then i got sick and ruined everything. I started feeling better later in the day so I drew a jack 'o' lantern on the window with some window paints and above it i put a bunch of bats (their wings were on right side up, thank you very much bob).
We had dinner at Tex and Shirley's ( a place I highly recommend) and then hung out at Friendly Center. They have a nifty toy store there that I really like to go to. Then we went to ACMoore and looked at some stuff there. Didn't buy anything though. After that we went to EarthFare and got a fire log that is made out of recycled coffee grounds. It burned really well and had a slightly sweet smell to it. We sat the rest of the evening in front of the fire sipping tea. How delightful!

neat effects

I just figured out how to do this and I thought it looked really neat. 

The Indian museum

This is a few of the things we saw in the Indian museum in DC. 

DC

Here are some more pictures of things we saw in DC. 

American History Museum

We saw these things at the American History Museum in DC. The ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz, Kermit the Frog, Oscar the Grouch, and Mr. Rogers' sweater. 

Visit with Chris

These are pictures from when we were visiting Chris in WV. He took us down to the river (not sure which one, there was a park there I think) Anyway, we had fun leaping from rock to rock and the waterfalls were absolutely beautiful. Good thing we didn't fall in, though. I'm sure the water was freezing and the currents looked really strong!! 

This is the deer I shot!!!

Nice "shot", huh? 

Jasper in the wilderness

Jasper liked being outside. He even got in the river!! He didn't seem to be too bothered when we were shooting either. He really enjoyed running free through the woods, and he looked so handsome!! 

Lost World Caves

It was very interesting to go into this cave. I'd never been in one before so I was very amazed at all the formations coming from the walls, floor and ceiling! It was also very cold. They told us the cave stays at 52 degrees! 

Christmas list...

I'm not sure what happened to the list I put up before but here's a list. I'll be adding more as I think of it.

Maggie:

hair clips/ponytails, etc
Drawer organizer
gift certificate to old navy
crochet books (easy/beginner)
Smartware muffin pan
Plastic serving spoons
word puzzle books

things I don't want:

anything that will sit around and collect dust (statues/figurines/decorative)
anything edible (candy/cake/sausage/cheese)

Bob:

Audubon Society books
belt buckles
flashlights
gift certificate to lowe's or home depot

Jasper:

Rawhide chews (non dyed only)
rubber/latex toys (I can't chew these up into tiny pieces)
Bill & Jack treats (i like lamb flavor)

Things I can't have:

Anything soft or stuffed
anything edible that has dye
anything with a squeeker (I tend to chew them out and try to choke on them)

Race to Lose

Starting today Rachael and I are starting a race to see who can lose 10 pounds the fastest. I am definately planning to do this the healthy way...no pills, no starving. I've started keeping a food/exercise log and I will be recording my weight every day. Luckily the apartment complex we just moved into has a gym and I can go anytime I want! So anyway, my starting weight is 120 lbs. I also hope to lose a few inches from my waste and hips. Goodbye tummy!!!

moving...

We signed our lease yesterday and finally got the keys to our new apartment! We call it our "married house" because it's the first place we've gotten since we've been married. (heehee) Anyway, we went in and looked around and it's very nice. It's going to take some serious adjustment to go from a 3 bedrooms to one. We started moving stuff in today and so far we've gotten the kitchen mostly set, and everything else is still in boxes stacked in the bedroom. We haven't moved any big stuff yet (bed, sofa, tables, etc) but we are going to do that on Monday.

When we first went in and were looking around we found a welcome bag! It had a bunch of nifty stuff like coupons, magnets, a pen, a roll of paper towels, some candy bars, a bag of chips...and in the fridge was a 6 pack of assorted sodas. There was also a magnet on the fridge that had a part with all those words you break up and can make your own sentences/poetry.

Anyway, we were moving in...VERY hot work, and wwe turned off the air and opened the window (yes, there's only one, it's in the bedroom) and the screen door (that leads to the porch) and it still stayed very cool in there. Yay! One more way to save on the electric bill!

We took two carloads over then went to home depot and got some shelf liners and went back. We forgot the scissors so we didn't put the liners in yet but next time we go we will. After we unpacked a bunch of stuff we had a little picnic in the living room of pizza (cold because we didn't bring the microwave) and blue gatorade. Very yummy!

Oh, I think I forgot to mention...since this is our "married house" the first time we went into it Bob carried me over the threshold...teehee! He's such a sweetie!

on a lighter note...

we get our new computers at work this week! They have flat panel monitors and a windows based program. Hopefully it won't be too hard for the salespeople to figure out...point and click guys! point and CLICK! All the printers are being changed to laser printers too...easier to refill with paper. silly salespeople are always letting the printers run out because they either can't figure out how to put more paper, or are too lazy. Training class will be on Wednesday so woohoo for us...can hardly wait!

Also, as time for moving draws closer and closer I can't find anything! Ok, really though, there's nothing that I've packed that I can't live without for a week. I've thrown away a lot and given more to goodwill. I wonder how much stuff I can fit in the new closet we'll have...going from 3 bedrooms to one is so hard! I can't wait to move though! Our new place is going to be so great. It's bright and open, it has a pantry, and a sprayer, and a dishwasher! There's 2 pools and 4 tennis courts, 2 fishing lakes (one of which we have a view), a gym-room, a dog run, and it's right accross from a park! www.lincolngreen.com if you look at floorplans, we got the cypress. (if you click on it, it brings up the birch though) We get to sign the lease on Friday!

September 4

September 4th was our first anniversary! Well, Bob and I called it our 12 month-a-versary. We celebrated every month a versary since the first one and it was exciting to finally be at one year! I had to beg to get the day off for it, but i finally persuaded my boss that I didn't need to work. Bob and I went up to hanging rock and had a very nice little picnic at the top of a path that I'm not sure anyone else knew about. (we had bread and cheese and grapes) Then we went walking down another path that lead us around a looooong way and we ended up at the road. We probably walked about a mile straight uphill to get back to where the car was, but it was a very nice day so it wasn't too bad. Then we went over to the swimming area, but it was closed so we left and went home. Then we went to Macaroni Grill for dinner and it was very yummy. Overall a very nice day!

I am VERY happy being married to Bob. He is my other half...my BETTER half even. I'm glad we're together and I'm glad he can put up with me! I've enjoyed our one year together more than any other year I can remember, even with the 3 months we spent apart and all the little stupid fights we've had. Bob, if you are reading this, I love you more than I could ever express in words and you make me happier than I could ever have imagined.

So as our first year passed and our second has started, I can only hope that this one will be as good, if not better, than the last.

new entry...

ok i'm adding, are you happy now?

dance dance yeah!

We went to a "practice party" tonight with Kyle and Cindy (friends from work) and saw what they'd been learning in their dance class. The instructors danced with the guests and taught us the basic steps just so we could get around the dance floor. It was so much fun that we decided to take some lessons ourselves! After all, there are lots of places you need to know how to dance and also, for $15 a person we couldn't pass it up! We start next week so wish us luck and steady feet!

smartware

I finally got my smartware after waiting for 2 weeks after I ordered it. I haven't used it yet because we badly need to go grocery shopping, but I did use the baking sheet to make fries and they turned out better than the first batch I made without it. (the first batch was burned) I can't wait to get something really gooey and messy like meatloaf and see if it really doesn't stick!
In case you don't know what I'm talking about www.buysmartware.com

oh and another christmas idea now that I'm talking about this...I'd like the smartware muffin pan.

well, no pictures yet

I haven't been able to put pictures from vacation on here because for some reason the computer won't recognize the camera. Which also means that for the time being I won't be able to put up a picture of the baby booties that I crocheted. They're cute and fuzzy though! (even if they ARE too big for a newborn...oh well, I'll do better next time) I have started on another pair, but we went to look at apartments today so didn't get very far. Maybe I can finish the set tonite though. With this yarn it probably won't take me very long.
We're also thinking about getting a new camera, so hopefully I'll be able to put some pictures up soon.

Vacation Day 1

We got to the beach before anyone else so the house was not unlocked. We got out our swimsuits and went down to the beach to check the place out. It was so pretty and the water was very warm. We were walking along in the waves but then decided to go in. The water was rough and I got dunked a few times, but once we got past the break it was great! Everyone else started to show up at the house about an hour later and we all hung out the rest of the day.

Vacation Day 2

We got up early because we were in the loft and the sun was shining in from all directions. Bob went on a bike ride with his dad and some others, I hung out at the house and ate breakfast and watched TV with the kids. When Bob got back we went to the beach again and this time Bob got on the boogie board, but I wasn't brave enough yet. We stayed out there until about 2 when we met everyone back at the house for lunch. After we finished lunch we went shopping at all the little beach stores. We didn't buy anything but it was fun to look. We got back late and just relaxed and stuff till we went to bed.

Vacation Day 3

We got up early again and headed down to the beach until about 12. We ordered pizza for lunch then headed out to Wilmington to spend the day shopping there. We had a good time and by the time we had been in all the shops we were tired and starving! We went to a resaurant called "Front Street Restaurant" and what a nice place it was! Bob had a burger and I had a salmon sandwich. The waiter (Colin, who looked just like Bill) was very nice and made sure we had everything we needed. We were seated in a "secret booth". It was kind of back in the corner around the side so that it was very secluded. I don't think they meant for it to be that way, but that's what we named it. When we got back Sara dyed my hair back to natural colour and then we went to bed.

Vacation Day 4

We got up and went to the beach again! This time I got on a boogie board too and Bob taught me how to do it. We swam around a bit, then Angie and I fortified the "family sand castle" (which lasted until we left, i think we might have done this day 3, not sure) We didn't eat lunch until about 4:30 because Brenda spent all day making delicious mexican food. We stuffed ourselves silly and then Katelyn put blondish red highlights in my hair while I looked at pictures from Brenda's vacation to Washington (to visit her son) and Las Vegas (to visit a friend)

Vacation Day 5

We got up and went for a bike ride. We rode 8.2 miles!!! After that we got on the boat and tried out the kneeboard. I got up on it and rode for a little way but that uses EVERY muscle in your body!! Bob tried to get up on it but he is too tall and so it didn't work. We tried the tube after that and it was fun too. When we were done we packed up and headed back home.

Vacation Day 6

I got up and was going to finish unpacking and clean up the house a little but Rachael called and wanted me to come up to Asheville for a few days. Off I went leaving my poor husband to fend for himself. I hung out with Sarah some when I got there because Rachael was working, then I hopped over to Rachaels and we played Empire Earth for a while, (before or after?) we ate dinner.

Vacatoin Day 7

We got up early and met Mom and Dale at Cracker Barrel (and sarah and delilah) where we all ate drank and were merry. Then Rachael and I went shopping in two very sorry malls (although i did run into two people I knew a few years ago that remembered me!!) Then we went back to the house and I played Dave at Empire Earth (he kicked my butt too) then it was back home.

Misc stuff that I can't remember when it happened

Brenda, Sara, Katelyn and I played Senior Moments twice. I won the first one and Brenda won the second one.

Sunday I was supposed to go back to work but I went in and they didn't need me so I left again! Hooray for an extra day of vacation!

home again!

I'm back from vacation, but I am exhausted! I had a great time though, and I have 2 days to catch up on rest. More to follow tomorrow, plus pictures!!

Vacation!!!

I officially started my vacation today! So far I have watched a few cartoons, eaten a bowl of fruit loops and washed the dishes. Ok that last thing isn't very vacationy, but it had to be done today because tomorrow we leave for the beach! I've been looking forward to this sooooo much! I don't have to worry about crazy customer calls, terrible delivery drivers, demanding salespeople...hurray!
I have a few more not fun things to do before we leave, but I suppose it won't be that bad. I have to get my car inspected and go trip shopping.
I still haven't finished my bag so maybe I will finish it tonite...I suppose I'll have to unless i want to do it tomorrow when we are driving. I don't think that would be very fun so I better get to work (thanks Rach, was counting on you to keep me motivated and working on that...by the way, how's the sweater coming?)
Hmmmm, I'm not sure what else to put in here right now. I won't be posting again until we get back, but hopefully I'll have some pictures to put up when we do. (get back that is)

i'm 25 now

I turned 25 in May, which seems like so long ago now. Since then I've been camping twice (once with the dog, once without), I got a (small) promotion, I started a new crochet project, and pretty much all the normal stuff too.
We went camping on my birthday weekend and we had a lot of fun. We put Jasper up in a doggie hotel (he had a great time, didn't even miss us) and we went up to Lake Kerr, which is right at the VA/NC border. We fished a lot and hung out at the campsite which is RIGHT on the lake. I didn't catch any fish, but Bob caught a catfish. It was ugly so we didn't eat it. We did have some really superb camp food though. We went swimming...if you can call it that. The water was so cold that we got in and got out quick! We spent some time on the boat with Bob and Dolly and had a picnic out on the lake. When we got back to shore I locked ALL the keys in the car and with a little luck and some hard work (and because Bob left the window open just a crack) Bob Sr. and Bob finally got the door unlocked and open.
We went camping again this past weekend and this time we took Jasper with us. He was very well behaved, and even went in the water. He was afraid at first, but he eventually followed us in until he was chest deep. Maybe next time he'll actually swim, but he didn't like the waves! We caught 7 fish this time (Bob 4 and me 3) but none were big enough to eat. There was one very large fish (I think about a foot long and maybe 6 inches around...maybe more?) that kept swimming really close to where we were standing. I really wanted to catch him, he would have been delicious!
My new crochet project is a beach bag. I've had to restart twice, so I suppose I'm having a bit of trouble. I only have a week to finish it before we go to the beach, so I need to get moving on it!!
We're still looking for a house. Looks like someone else is buying the one we liked. Oh well, there's plenty of houses out there, maybe we'll find one that's even better.
As for my promotion, it's title only. I'm now the assistant office manager at Rooms To Go in Gso. Hooray for me...now if I can just get rid of that pesky OM then I can really be in charge. That is unless I win the lottery first, then I'll quit and just live a life of luxury.

Hurray!

My birthday is in 9 more days!! I'm very excited because we are going to go camping and fishing and fun stuff. We've decided not to go to West Virginia this year, but we may go on up to Virginia where Bob's dad has a campsite and just stay there. It's right on a lake so we'll have lots of things to do and it's very secluded so we could probably take the dog and not bother anyone. My boss is getting us a tent as a wedding present (yeah i know, it's kinda late, but you know how it is sometimes.) Hopefully it will be warm enough to go because it hasn't been very spring-like lately.
I have a job interview on Monday! It's for a receptionist position at a temp agency. If I get it then I would work Monday through Friday 8-5 and no holidays!! Also, they are offering me a little bit of a raise (about a dollar, which is actually pretty good...I'll make more than Bob then. tee hee) I suppose that means that I would have to get my resume ready before then, so that will give me something to do tonight after I get home from work. If I start now then I should have some vacation time by then and can take off the week of my wedding anniversary (unlike at Rooms) Hooray!

Jasper!

Yesterday was Jasper's birthday! We took him to Petco to get groomed and he looked so good afterwards! While he was getting groomed we went to Mi Pueblo for dinner, which is my very favorite Mexican restaurant. I had my usual, two taquitos, and nacho toppings with a cherry Pepsi and Bob had his usual Enchiladas Rancheras(i'm not sure what it is except that it has enchiladas) and a Pepsi. When we were done we went to Sports Authority where we looked at camping equipment for our upcoming adventure. There were some things that I really liked, but didn't buy because it's almost my birthday! At about 8 we went back to Petco to get Jasper and then we let him pick out some birthday treats. He ended up getting a pork bone covered with meaty fatty stuff, a trout made out of really tough fire hose stuff, and a special dinner of Venison rice, potatoes, and carrots. After he ate we played with the fish for a while and then he settled down to gnaw on his pig bone. He ate both of the big knobby ends off before we took it away and sent him off to bed. Overall I think he had a pretty good birthday.
My computer's been acting up and something caught on fire. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but Bob showed it to me. So we are now using our old computer which, while slow, is still a computer so I'm grateful to have anything at all.

disgruntled...

I'm not liking my job so much anymore. It is the same crap every day. Customer is mad, customer yells, i help customer, customer is not grateful at all and hangs up on me. We finally did hire some newbies though. The OM did use the schedule I made with a few minor changes. That made me a little happy.
At home...we're still looking for a house to buy. We've been driving by some of them and peeking in the windows (if no one lives there). some are good, and some not so much. I really liked one we saw the other day. It had a really big bright kitchen. That is pretty much my only requirement in a house. I'll let Bob figure out the rest of it.
I found out the other day that we actually get our taxes back! Hooray! We were a little worried for a while that they would be automatically applied to Bob's student loans, but they aren't going to be! Yay for us! That just means we'll have more money to go on my birthday trip! Maybe I can get some new clothes before that too.
I've been working on the same afghan since i guess just before Christmas. I had to pull out two rows on Tuesday because I missed a stitch on both of them (same stitch just didn't catch it on the second row) That was very frustrating because I had started a new roll of yarn and I had to wrap it all back up. Maybe one of these days I will finish it. I've also been trying to decide what to do with it when I'm done. It started out as a birthday present for my niece, but her birthday passed and I SO wasn't done with it. Bob said he really likes the colours and that I should make it big enough for us. I don't know how much yarn that would take, but it will probably take me forever to make it that big. It's only 28 inches right now. I wonder how big it would have to be for us to use it. I'm thinking for Bob that it would have to be at least 5 feet. If that's the case then i only have 32 more inches to go! If I keep going at the pace I've been going it will take me the rest of the year to finish it. So much for Christmas presents! Speaking of which, I need to find out what everyone wants.
I wish our scanner worked, I have some pictures and stuff that I'd like to put on here. I don't know why it doesn't work, but it's very frustrating.
I've done a lot of housework today. I like having a clean house, but I hate cleaning. I wish I didn't have to spend my whole day off cleaning my dumb house. I suppose I could just get paper plates and napkins and cups, but then I'd have to take the trash out way more often and that can't be good for the environment, landfills, etc. I hope our next house has a dishwasher.
Tonight is date night and I have no idea what we are going to do. We were talking about seeing a movie but I can't remember which one and I don't like that to be our date because there's no interation. Maybe if it stops raining we can go play mini golf or something.
I don't guess I have anything exciting to report, so I'm done here.

Date night!

As you may or may not know, every Friday is date night. I was sick today and so didn't eat much of anything all day. When Bob got home we took a nap and when I woke up I was ravenous. We ended up going to Golden Corral, and I ate way too much. Really all I had was some roast with baby carrots and potatoes, rice, mac and cheese, chocolate cake and ice cream. Anyway, after we stuffed ourselves at the buffet we ran over to Target to look for a movie to get. We ended up getting Chicken Run, which I intended to see when it first came out, but forgot about and therefore never saw.

Last night we finished watching The Great Escape which, even though it was about a war and it was based on a true story, grabbed my attention and really got me attatched to the characters. The end is really sad, but there are parts that are funny, too. Anyway, if you like historical movies then this is a good one, and if you don't ...well it's still good, kind of an adventure-ish movie too.

monday monday...

I'm sitting here in front of the computer blogging when I should be catching up on housework or exercising or walking the dog or finishing my crochet project. I finally got Joe to take Bob out for the evening so I'll be all by myself for a while. I should use the time to do something constructive, but I just feel so lazy. It's really warm and nice out, the kind of weather that makes you want popsicles. If I had any patio furniture I'd be on the porch right now even though it's dark out. Although if I was out there I'd probably get eaten alive by mosquitos. I guess that's the way of things...the sweet with the sour as bob always says.
The house we looked at yesterday that I really liked didn't work out. They don't allow pets and they were a little (ok a lot) out of our price range. I hope we find one soon because I'm ready to get out of this place. The bees are back and the complex still isn't doing anything about them. Also, ants have started to come in the kitchen. I don't know why, they just come in and crawl all over my clean dishes until i squish them or spray them or wash them down the sink.
I like to go from blog to blog and see what's going on in other people's lives. Yeah, I'm nozy, so what? They put it there. Anyway, I posted on one today (anonymous as always) and apparently he liked it so much that he pasted it to a new post and commented on it. Wow...it's odd to know that you can make an impact on someone you've never met.
Work is the same, but I'm tired of it. I'm tired of doing it, I'm tired of talking about it. It's the same thing every day. Deal with ignorant customers, deal with ignorant salespeople. If there's one thing I can't tolerate it's stupidity. Not even just stupidity, because some people are just stupid and can't help it. It's when someone is stupid and they know they're stupid but they just wallow in their stupidity and don't try to learn or grow or become anything besides more stupid. That's what I don't like.
I've been reading lots of blogs and some really sound so cliche or like they are scripted. That makes me start to wonder if mine does, too. Do I sound like a Lifetime movie? Something off Pax? Something really cheezy where the teen runs out of the house in a fit and the mom or dad or aunt or whoever goes running after them trying to appologize and make things right but then they stop and just stand there with that hopeless look on their face and then we fade to commercial. I try not to sound like that. I hope I don't.
I've decided that my calling is to be a teacher/trainer. I don't think I'm supposed to teach kids because I really don't like kids. When I've had to train someone at work, that's when I've been happiest. In any job really that's my favorite part. I'm good at it, too. The guy I trained at work is doing much better than the girl the OM trained and he's been there a lot less time. The manager of the store told the OM that the new people need to work my schedule so that I can train them. I guess that means that my ability and talent is being recognized. He also said he was going to try to create an Asst. Office Manager position for me so that I could start training to be an OM.
I had a Quizno's kid's meal for dinner. It's a six inch sub, a pack of goldfish crackers (the multicoloured ones!), a cookie, a small drink and a toy for only $2.99!!!! You can't even get a small sub there for 2.99!! The small sub is 6" on the regular adult menu, the cheapest one is $3, but they go up in price for the better ones, and that's without a drink. A cookie is $1.99! A bag of chips is about $1.49 I think. The kids meal only comes in three types of sandwiches, but for $3 I'll take a turkey sub every time! Yum yum!!!

Just the same old stuff

Mostly nothing new has been going on. We are still looking for a house to rent. We drove around after I got off work today and found 2 places that were really nice. I'm not sure if they are in our price range yet, but hopefully one of them will work out. We've been looking at houses from the list we got but most of them are ghetto! A few were nice, but farther from work than I'd like. Especially with the price of gas going up up up!

Bob went to the eye doctor and they told him he's weird! Actually that's not exactly what they said but they did say he has a condition that they don't see very often. Anyway they prescribed him some glasses to help him see better (especially at night) and he let me pick out frames for them. Good thing too, the last time he got glasses he picked out his own frames and they were UGLY! Anyway, he went to pick them up a few days later and it turns out they are Harley Davidson frames. He said since he has the glasses he needs a motorcycle to match. Of course, I said "NO WAY!!"

Work has been hectic, we've still only got 4 office employees. They tried to hire some more but out of the 3 candidates only one got hired. The others just didn't work out. That's fine with me because that means overtime for a while longer, but it sucks because...well, it means overtime for a little while longer.

I've been so tired lately. Bob says it is because my metabolism is slowing down but I don't think so. I think it's because I work all the time. I suppose if I exercised more and ate better food I would probably feel better, but I don't have the energy to cook or do anything when I get home from work. My days off are usually spent catching up on housework or packing or shopping or looking for a house. I can't wait til we move!!

My birthday is next month and I'm getting a little excited. Bob said he has a special birthday trip planned but he won't exactly tell me what it is. He did say we would be camping and doing something like we did last year (which included a camping trip, a canoe ride with fishing (I caught two fish, bob caught none AND tipped over the canoe) and riding a horse) I can't wait til my birthday!

Chain Story #3

The sun came streaming in the window, brushing away the night. She yawned and stretched. Her golden hair flowed over her soft shoulders. Her skin almost glowing in the new sunlight. She lay back against the pillows and snuggled back down into the blankets. It was so early to be awake, and yet she could not go back to sleep. Excitement was building, today was the day! She threw off the blankets and quickly slipped into her robe and slippers. "Mayla!" she called as she filled the wash basin, "Mayla, where are you?" In a few moments her maidservant appeared, carrying fresh towels and soap. "Here I am, ma'am. Shall I draw you a bath?" She asked. "No, that would take too much time. She washed her face and hands in the basin all the while thinking of what she should wear. Mayla left the room, but returned shortly carrying a new dress. "Your father thought you might like to have this for today, " she said as she presented it to Andara. It was perfect! The soft lines and light lace, and the colour would compliment her softly tanned skin and bright green eyes.