Brothers...

Here is Jasper with his new brother. They got along really well, and Jasper didn't even act weird. He does like to lick baby toes though! 

Our family..

This is Bob, Oliver and I a few hours after he was born. The only family member missing in this picture is Jasper. 

beautiful boy!!

Here are a few more pictures of the sweetest baby ever! The people he is with are Gramma Diane (middle right) then from right to left on the bottom is Aunt Rach-O, Pappy, and Nanny. Isn't he the most adorable baby you've ever seen? He's so well behaved too! He doesn't cry hardly ever, and he's eating like a madman! 

Welcome!

Oliver Lucian, just after he was born on 9-6-06
 

The show...

Ok so here's what happened. Saturday at work the store ordered KFC and I ate some. I knew I shouldn't have, it was greasy, but I was hungry. After work we went out with Kyle and Cindy to a Chinese buffet. I didn't eat anything odd there, so I don't blame them for what happened next. All that night I felt bloated, like I had gas or needed to go to the bathroom, but when I did nothing happened. Sunday I didn't have to work so Bob and I spent the day doing some stuff and lounging around the house. I still felt horrible. Monday I went to work, even though when I got up I felt worse than ever, and it was our 2 year wedding anniversary. Bob told me to call out, but I went in anyway. The day was pretty unbusy, so I just sat in a corner doing almost nothing and moving as little as possible. At about 1 my inlaws stopped by on their way back from WV and took us to lunch. We had a pretty good time with them, although the service at Ruby Tuesday was lacking. After I got back to work I still felt pretty bad so I did some busy work that I do for the manager every month. When I was finished I was going to hand out the finished product to the salespeople, but stopped by the bathroom first. To my dismay, I had a little bit of blood on the TP! I started to get nervous, so I called Bob and he told me to come on home. I talked to my mgr and she said it would be ok so off I went. I spent the rest of the night calling people and trying to figure out if this was something I needed to really worry about or not. I laid on the couch and drank lots of water. Bob made me some yummy spaghetti for dinner. We went to bed fairly early and I slept really well! I only got up 4 times. I didn't end up calling the birth center until Tuesday morning though. They very calmly told me that it was probably just the mucous plug and that I could go about life as usual. Well, that was a relief! I still felt miserable most of the morning, but after I took a nap I felt better. Not great, but better. So I've been reading up on the mucous plug and apparently I could go into labor ANYTIME! I'M NOT READY!!!
So, if anyone can help me out...I need to know what else I absolutely MUST have when the baby comes home. I have a bassinet and a crib, I have a car seat, i have plenty of clothes and blankets and diapers. What else do I need?!?!?

Asheville shower

Here is a group picture of everyone at the Asheville shower. From left to right: Rachael, Dave, Bob, me, Dale, Mom, Delilah, Sarah, Aunt Sandy, and Gramma
 

belly picture

Here is a picture of my belly, taken August 20th at the shower in Asheville.
 

houses...

we went yesterday with our real estate agent to look at some houses. We only looked at 3, but we eliminated 2 of them pretty quickly. The first one looked like it was from the 60's and looked haunted too. The second one was pretty good. Right now a little old couple lives there, and they smoke so it stinks. The carpet is teal. Other than that everything looked good. The rooms were decent sizes, there are 1.5 bathrooms, the kitchen had a fair amount of counter space. Plus it's a 3 bedroom which means that we won't have to put the computer in the bedroom! It had a big fenced in back yard for Jasper too. The third house we looked at was horrible. The carpet had holes in it, as did the walls. The pool (which we didn't really want) was NASTY. The master bath had a shower with no door. The rooms were huge though, and the kitchen was, too. If it wasn't so torn up we would have liked it a lot. So anyway, we like our realtor. He was really honest about the places we looked at. He even showed me how to make sure the bathrooms were ok (check the pipes, toilet, shower, etc). He gave us a list of other houses he thinks we might like so I'm going to try to check those out on listing book later today.

Our 2 year anniversary is coming up in a few days! I'm so excited!!! Since it's labor day this year I'll have to work! I think I have Tuesday off though, and so does Bob so we can just celebrate then for the whole entire day. I don't know what we're going to do, but I'm sure it will be fun.

getting ready

We had another dr's appt yesterday. Everything was normal, as usual. Blood pressure was excellent, raisin's heartbeat was strong, nothing out of the ordinary. They asked about our birth plan, which I have mostly together but have to put the finishing touches on. Next week I'll have my Group B Strep test so I'll know when I get the results if I have to go to the hospital or if I get to stay at the Birth Center. I've mostly packed my bag, the only thing it still needs are some snacks and a few other things.

My next appointment is the 8th, then it's once a week after that. We have a few more birth classes then we're done with that, too. Of course, that means we'll be that much closer to actually having the baby.

I've started getting swollen ankles...oh how I dreaded getting the cankles!...it's not pleasant. I can't sit in one position for very long without hurting when I move. My ankles and knees feel sore. Someone at work today told me that my face looks puffy. :(

We went yesterday and talked to a realtor. He's taking us to look inside some houses on Thursday. We are a little more excited now. I guess we need to get things moving though, we only have 6 weeks until the raisin is due, and only 5 until our lease is up here at the apartment. Of course, they did say we could extend it month to month if we need to, but they raise the rate by $100 if we do that!

Bob is still looking for another job. He got offered a job with FedEx, but they keep dragging their feet so I guess it's back to the drawing board. He said something about a night auditor position at Holiday Inn today. It might not be the greatest because it's third shift, but he already knows how to do it. I think he should go ahead and apply and keep his options open as well.

I've been looking into Medical Transcription. You can learn it in as little as 4 months, and you can work from home. I'm not sure how that works, but I'd like to work from home and I'm pretty sure that I'd learn it pretty quickly. They give you up to a year though. If I can make as much as they say that I can then Bob won't have to work two jobs for very long.

this weekend...

What a hectic weekend we had! I worked until 9 on Friday, then had to go to K-Mart to exchange the oil filter for the Galoot since I got the wrong size. We had to change the oil in the Galoot because we had a lot of driving planned for the next few days. Once we got home from that it was already late and Bob had to finish changing the oil and put on the new battery connecter thingy since the other one broke when he was trying to clean off all the corrosion. By the time we got to bed it was around midnight. I was exhausted, and wasn't feeling very well either. In fact, I was downright miserable and feeling like I might throw up. Luckily after a few Rolaids and some Popsicles I was able to get to sleep.
Morning came really early, and though we had planned to leave around 8 or 8:30 we ended up leaving around 9:45. We drove for 4 hours, with only 1 stop, I think...maybe 2. It wasn't a bad ride, and I didn't end up sleeping during any of it. When we got to WV we went straight to the WV state fair, which just so happens to be in Lewisburg. The first place we went was in the craft building. There are always so many neat things in there. Bob took a picture of a huge pumpkin on his phone; I'll try to post it later. There were quilts and clothes and things that people had made too. As we were walking around we were looking for the afghan that Mammaw made for Bob since she said she was going to enter it. We finally found it on the top tier of about the 3rd row we walked down. To our suprise there was a first place ribbon hanging from it!! We were very impressed, and Bob even got a little misty. Anyway, then we walked around looking at the animals and enjoying the general atmosphere of the fair. I got some cotton candy and we had a fabulous smoothie. Bob got me a charm for my necklace (a turtle made from multicoloured tiger's eye) Bob had a grape snowcone while I drank a delicious bottle of water. We hung around there for about 3 hours, which was really fun, but really hot! After we left there we went to the first shower of the weekend. We hung out with Cheryl, Kelsie, Jordyn, Angie, Ethan, Timothy, Mammaw, Bob Sr, Dolly, Ladona, Amaya, Morgan, Birch, Gretchen, Indigo, Chris, and Kate and Kerrigan (who came all the way from Montana!). There were some games and some fabulous food!! I can't wait to post pictures of the game the guys played. I didn't bring the camera so I don't have any, and the story isn't the same unless you can see it. Anyway, we had a fabulous time with all of them. By the time it was over I was so tired I could barely stand it. Since Kate was in town and he hardly ever gets to see her, Bob wanted to go to dinner with her and Chris. We went to a Mexican restaurant and ate until we were all stuffed...Chris even ordered some fried ice cream, which we all shared. After that Chris and Kate and Kerrigan went back to Chris's house, and Bob and I went to Birch's. We hung out with Gretchen and her sister, and I got to ask a lot of questions about pregnancy and labor. I was very excited to talk to Gretchen since she had a very similar birth to what I would like to have. She said I should definitely get the Group B Strep test, it was one of the few she actually had. That made up my mind even more than anything else probably would have. We talked about plans for after the baby and she gave me some tips...Indigo is about 6 months so I'm sure it's all very fresh in her mind. We went to bed at about 10:30...I could barely keep my eyes open.
We had plans to leave there around 10, but that didn't work out. Bob woke me up and said that he and the guys were going to go for a walk, so I stayed in bed for a little longer. When I went down Gretchen and her sister (Tracy?) were starting to make breakfast. I hung out in the kitchen with them for a while, then I started to feel not very well. I went back up to the bedroom and laid down...the next thing I knew Bob was waking me up telling me that we needed to get moving! I felt a little better, so I got up and packed up our stuff. Bob decided that even though it was almost 10 that we should have breakfast before we left. I was very glad he decided that. There were apple pancakes, sausage, bacon, and a frittata. I only had 1 pancake and 3 sausages, but it was so good! I did try a little bit of the frittata (which was egg with tomato, onion, mushrooms). Everything tasted so good, and the conversation was fabulous. Pretty soon we realized that it was 11:30!!!! We grabbed the last of our stuff and headed out the door.
Bob had his laptop so we mapped our route to Rachael's house with it and off we headed down the mountains. It rained a lot and we had to make a few more pit stops than we anticipated, but we were only a little bit late for the Asheville shower. It was supposed to be at 4:30, we got there at almost 5. (sorry, Rach) Anyway, when we got there Bob and Dave went off to do guy things while us girls (Rachael, Mama, Sarah, Gramma, and Aunt Sandy) got down to eating some delicious stuff. Mama had made mini chicken enchiladas (my recipe), and there were frozen chocolate covered strawberries and bananas, chips and salsa, cocktail weenies, caramel apples, cookies shaped like baby carriages, and a big cake. Oh yeah, and some delicious punch. Anyway we ate and chatted and stuff, then we played some games. Rachael had come up with some seriously funny games, and great prizes! I'll have to describe them later because I'm getting tired and this post is really long! Anyway, after a while we finished the games and food and Bob and Dave came back. We hung out for a little while longer, but then it was time to go. We drove the 3 hours back to Greensboro, getting home at just about midnight. I was so tired that I just went straight to bed. I slept until almost 11, which was pure bliss. I haven't slept like that for so long.
Monday we spent the day driving around and looking at houses. We started with a list of 18 and got it down to 2. Of course, that's just the ones in Greensboro...we still have Winston, High Point, Eden, King, Reidsville, etc etc...but at least we narrowed it down some. When we got home we just layed around like bums for a while, then we packed some boxes. That's right, even though we don't have to move for another month and a half we started packing. We figure it's a good idea to get ahead that way if the raisin comes early or something then we won't have to panic and rush and exhaust ourselves.

Group B strep test

Most of this post is copied and pasted from other places. I've put all my comments in italics. I'm still undecided whether I will have the test or not.

About 40% of adults are carriers of Group B Streptococcum (GBS) in their genital or intestinal tracts. Usually, GBS doesn't cause problems. In fact, in most healthy adults it is considered a "normal" organism, and treatment with antibiotics is not given. It does have significance for the pregnant woman, however. GBS, which can be passed from mother to baby during childbirth, is the leading cause of newborn sepsis--serious infection throughout the baby's body soon after birth.
A specific combination of factors seems to be at work in babies who develop GBS disease. It is most likely to develop in babies whose mothers are carriers of GBS and who have one or more clinical risk factors. In these babies, who are at the highest possible risk for GBS disease, about five out of 100 will develop it. Babies whose mothers are GBS carriers but have no clinical risk factors are less likely to develop GBS disease: about one in 200 babies will get GBS disease. Those whose mothers have clinical risk factors but test negative for GBS are even less likely to develop GBS disease--about 1 in 1000--and those whose mothers have neither risk factors nor a positive GBS culture have a very small chance of getting GBS disease--about 1 in 3000.
Clinical Risk Factors for Developing GBS Disease:Prenatal risk factors: Previous baby with GBS disease; urinary tract infection with GBS at any time during this pregnancyLabor-related risk factors: Onset of labor before 37 weeks, rupture of membranes before 37 weeks; rupture of membranes more than 18 hours before birth; fever over 100.4 degrees during labor.
Researchers conducted a review of infants who had early-onset group B streptococcal (EOGBS) infections and were born in Southern California Kaiser Permanente Hospitals from 1988 through 1996. To summarize:
*319 infants with EOGBS sepsis, bacteremia, or clinically suspected infection were identified from a population of 277,912 live births (approximately 1 in every 870 births).*Of the 172 term infants with culture-positive infection who had clinical signs of infection, 95% exhibited them in the first 24 hours of life.*All of the infants exposed to antibiotics during birth became ill within the first 24 hours of life.
Researchers concluded that "exposure to antibiotics during labor did not change the clinical spectrum of disease or the onset of clinical signs of infection within 24 hours of birth for term infants with EOGBS infection."
(from http://www.midwiferytoday.com/enews/enews0337.asp )

Because women who carry GBS but do not develop any of these three complications have a relatively low risk of delivering an infant with GBS disease, the decision to take antibiotics during labor should balance risks and benefits. Penicillin is very effective at preventing GBS disease in the newborn and is generally safe. A GBS carrier with none of the conditions above has the following risks:
* 1 in 200 chance of delivering a baby with GBS disease if antibiotics are not given
* 1 in 4000 chance of delivering a baby with GBS disease if antibiotics are given
* 1 in 10 chance, or lower, of experiencing a mild allergic reaction to penicillin (such as rash)
* 1 in 10, 000 chance of developing a severe allergic reaction--anaphylaxis--to penicillin. Anaphylaxis requires emergency treatment and can be life-threatening.

the bacteria can come and go, so the test isn't always a reliable indicator of who will have GBS on delivery day. And since results aren't available for a few days, testing during labor isn't possible. (*Why do it if you are not sure if the results will still be acurate?)
Some doctors only screen patients who have a history of urinary tract infections, a fever near delivery time, or who have had a GBS baby. (*I have none of these things*)
GBS is easily treated with antibiotics, so call your doctor if your baby has symptoms such as uncontrollable crying, poor feeding, fever, grunting, or blue skin. (Late-onset GBS, which develops after the first week, may also cause vomiting.)

Apparently you can test positive, but then do it again later and be negative. I don't think the test is very reliable. However, I don't want anything to happen to the poor innocent raisin either.

If I get nervous

I have found that when I start feeling nervous about labor or taking care of the new baby that all I have to do is read some blogs. That's right! Read blogs. I have a few favorites at Babes in Blogland that I read regularly, and some that I read periodically. Seems like everyone has the same fears/concerns/worries that I do. That makes me feel better!

We had another appointment today at the Birth Center. She measured me and took my blood pressure and such, the usual things. Everything was normal. The raisin's heartbeat was normal. She felt around and found out that he is in the head down position now, with his back along my left side. That explains why almost all the movement is on my right...he's got arms and legs flailing over there! The midwife (who was very nice and informative, as I will discuss later) said that is the best position for him to be in for the easiest birth. Hooray! The raisin is already smart!

I asked the (very helpful, informative) midwife about the achy/crampy feeling I've been having lately. First let me tell you, it is very hard to explain what it feels like...it's not like "the cramps" but it's like the feeling I get the few days before my period starts, like pre-cramps...anyway, it happened every night for a few days so I was worried. She said that as long as it isn't intermitent cramps then I should be ok. So as long as it stays a constant ache then it's normal. Also, I do some labwork every appointment. I have to pee in a cup and swish this little paper sticky thing around in it and then record the results. Anyway, for the last 3 appointments I've had elevated leukocytes. I asked about this, because it doesn't seem normal to me. She asked if I had any pain or burning when I pee, to which I answered (honestly) that no I didn't. She then said that sometimes the elevated leukocytes are a sign of a bladder infection, but if there were no symptoms then it was probably just a contaminated sample or some such thing and not to worry.

She said that sometime in the next 2 weeks I need to decide if I want to have the Strep B test. She said that it will find out if there are nasty little bacteria waiting to attack the raisin when he comes out. If you do have it then they give you antibiotics while you are in labor, which SHOULD prevent anything happening to the baby. She also said that if the test is positive then I won't be able to have the baby at the birth center. It isn't a required test, so I'm not sure if I will do it yet. Apparently the results of the infection if the baby does pick it up are quite serious, but only a few women carry it (10 - 30%), and only .5% of them have babies who get the infection. It sounds like a super small percentage to me, but I'm going to do plenty of research before I decide one way or the other.

getting motivated...

I'm having trouble keeping my house clean and getting things done. I just feel so tired all the time and when I get home from work I just want to go to sleep. On top of that we've been driving all over looking at houses. We've also been collecting boxes so we can start packing up stuff we don't need, but so far all the boxes are just stacked up with nothing in them. I made myself a to-do list, and I've done a few things on it, but it seems like there's never enough time to get anything done. Today, for example. Bob set the alarm for me to get up at 9. I hit the snooze until 9:30 because I didn't sleep very well last night. I have to be at work at 11, so that leaves me, from now, 45 minutes to get ready. Getting ready will take ALL that time. I still have to make myself a lunch and shower and get dressed and take the dog out, none of which are on my list. When I get home, shortly after 7, we are going to look at some houses before it gets dark, and then possibly have a date. By the time we get home it will be time for bed and then I have to get up tomorrow and do it all over again. I wish some of these things were things I could do from work.

I'm so lucky!!

I've been reading a lot of blogs and such lately, and I'm realizing more and more just how lucky I am.
For one thing, I got pregnant easily. By easily I mean "oops! We weren't planning this!!" I don't think I was ever really aware of how hard some people TRY to get pregnant. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't...sometimes it just takes a really long time and a lot of struggles. I kind of just walked into it when I wasn't expecting it or (GASP) wanting it. I knew we'd have kids one day, I just didn't think it'd be so soon.
The other thing is that my husband is so supportive and understanding, and he's AROUND. He didn't get scared and run off when we found out. (not that I expected him to) He's been involved in every step, been to every doctors appointment. He reads to the raisin, and makes sure I eat right and take my vitamins. We exercise together at the pool, even though he HATES the pool. He makes me feel better when I'm sad or worried or sick. I think he even likes shopping for baby stuff as much as I do.
Also, we have a healthy baby. He's got all his parts, he's active, he's not too small, and he's caused me almost no trouble. (unless you count heartburn ALL THE TIME). We've had no worries of miscarriage or premature birth, no diabetes, no bleeding or cramping.
Another thing, we have lots of friends and family who have given us baby gifts and offered to stay with us once the raisin is born. They keep in touch so they know how we are all doing. They come to see us, even though it's a long drive and gas is expensive and they have to work the next day.
All together, I would have to say that I'm pretty much the luckiest pregnant woman ever.

birth plan...

I've been trying to work on my birth plan, in addition to trying to find a house and take care of the hubby and the puppy. So far, I've done pretty well with it, I think. I made a basic outline with some help from http://www.childbirth.org/interactive/ibirthplan.html
We have 5 more weeks of birth class before we HAVE to turn it in, so hopefully I can fill in some of the smaller details with the information I get from there. The first class was kind of fun. We learned some relaxation techniques, and watched a video of a birth. EW! I don't recommend watching those if you don't have to!
Bob said today that we need to start packing my bag, too. I have a list of what to put in it, but I can't imagine actually having it packed. It's only about 10 weeks away though, so I guess I need to be ready.

oh no!

I was in the shower, enjoying the nice warm water running down my back when I happened to look down and realized...I CAN'T SEE MY FEET! That's right, I look down and all that's there is a big giant round belly. I was very suprised at first, even though I figured this would happen at some point...then I was excited. I have a big belly! I've been reading some other blogs, and people talk about the moment they realized they were pregnant. Well, I suppose that was it for me. Yeah, I know it's weird.

get it together!

After baby shower #1, the house has been invaded by baby things. They are everywhere!! I made an attempt to get things organized yesterday. I took the tags off all the clothes and put them in the very cute hamper we got so I could wash them all. I also took most everything else out of the packaging and put it in a big tupperware container. I'm planning to start packing up stuff we don't need pretty soon so that when it comes time to move I won't be in a rush. We have an appointment tomorrow to go look at the house we like the best. We are planning to drive by a few others today to see if they are in decent shape outside and in not scary neighborhoods. We only have until the end of September before our lease is up, so we're trying to move before then.

soccer

yep, soccer. That's what the rasin will be playing when he gets older. He's so active! Sometimes I just sit and watch my belly twitch and move around. Sometimes he hits me so hard that it feels like his little arm or leg is going to come right through my belly! I can tell the difference between a kick and a roll, too. When he rolls it feels really weird.

I had a dream the other night that my belly was silver, kind of like mercury. I was looking down at it and I could see the raisin's open hand come out (still covered up with mercury belly) and then it closed. How weird is that?

the raisin's shower

Here are some pictures from the raisin's shower. The theme was duckies, in case you couldn't tell. We had lots of fun playing games and decorating onsies. I'm glad everyone could come (even if they had to leave early, or came late). I had a wonderful time and I hope everyone else did, too!

 

onsie...

This is the onsie that Jason made...I put it by itself because I wanted to show the front and back.
 

onsies...

These are the onsies that were decorated for the raisin at the shower. From top left they were made by: Kyle and Cindy, Karie, Brenda, Dolly, me, my mom, Jaimee, and Rachael. (Kyle and Cindy's got duplicated) I think we all had fun...I know I did.
 

changing...

I'd like to change the look of my blog, but i can't figure out how to do it. Can anyone help me out with that?

We have a visitor! Jason got here last night (LATE), and he's staying until Monday or Tuesday. (hopefully Tuesday) I'm not sure what Bob is planning to do with him for all that time, but I'm sure they will have a grand time...maybe they'll let me join them when I'm not working. Anyway, we are both very excited to have him visit. (In case you don't remember/know who Jason is, he was in our wedding...he's the science teacher)

Dr's appt

I had another dr's appt today. Everything was normal. my belly is 92cm now. From now on my appts will be 2 weeks apart instead of 4.

My baby shower is in a few days (3 to be exact).

oh my!!

I don't remember what I was doing today when I realized that I only have 11 more weeks until my due date! I'm not sure what to do! I mean, I suppose there's nothing special I need to do. We're still looking at houses, and until we get one I can't really stockpile baby stuff. My shower (the first one) is this Sunday. I did do some extra exercise today...we went to the pool for about an hour. I have another appointment on Thursday, and I start my birth classes in August. I guess I've done everything I can. 11 weeks, though! That's not long at all!!!

Bob Sr's surgery

Everything went well with the operation and he is now recovering. The first day we visited him he was very groggy, but he looked pretty good for a guy who just had heart surgery. The second visit was better - he was more alert and looked more like himself. In fact, when we first saw him he was walking down the hallway! Anyway, he should be going home on Thursday. Bob took a picture of him that I may or may not add to this post later...it depends on how Sr feels about it.

Our trip...

I posted a few pictures below, but that doesn't even begin to cover our trip to the beach. We spent a day in Wilmington doing some shopping, and another day at the aquarium. We spent a lot of time at the beach, and hanging out with family. One of the guys caught a flounder, and someone caught a shark! Hopefully I'll get the picture of that emailed to me so I can post it. I have more pictures to post, but at the moment they are on Bob's phone and I have to email them to myself before I can post them. For now, enjoy these.

I wish I were an...

We stopped at Wal Mart in Wilmington and this was parked out front. Apparently they were having a contest for who couled sing the Oscar Meyer song the best and the prize was that you get to be in the commercial. We didn't do it, and didn't see anyone else do it either. It was fun to see the Weinermobile though. 

The beach...

This is me and Bob on the beach on about our 3rd day there, I think. We walked down to the beach to get a picture of the HUGE moon, and that's when I remembered that we have a timer on the camera. I didn't get the moon in the picture, but it turned out cute anyway. I look huge!! 

The latest news...

It's been a while since I posted because, after a huge storm and power outage, my internet service refused to work. The internet people kept saying it was the computer, but the computer worked fine for everything else. Finally Bob gave up trying to fix it and off we went to Best Buy to get a new one. After waiting around for about 15 minutes for someone to help us we decided that the one they had in our price range was not as good as the one at Circuit City. Down the road we went, and we were in Circuit City for just a few minutes when a guy asked if we needed help. We pointed and he rang it up. So here we are with a new computer that, technically, we needed anyway. When Bob hooked it up the next day the internet STILL didn't work! He called Road Runner back and they were still insisting that it was a hardware issue. So Bob called the help desk for the computer. They insisted that it was an issue with Road Runner. After being on the phone for about an hour and a half, he called Chris (hooray for Chris!!) who told him that we probably needed a new modem. Bob went down to Time Warner and got the new modem. So now we have a new computer, and internet that works...no thanks to Time Warner.
On June 26th I had my glucose screen, and it was normal...as was my iron. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, and we were on our way pretty quick. Well, if you consider an hour and a half quick. We had a regular appointment too, but they didn't give me my measurements. I'm only a pound away from my start weight though, and all my usual "tests" were normal. The raisin's heartbeat was strong and normal. My blood pressure was normal. I have 1 more 4 week appt, then they go to 2 weeks.
I am hoping at some point before vacation to take pictures of the stuff we've gotten for the raisin, and pictures of me in my preggy clothes. The end of this week we will be heading to the beach...I can hardly wait!!

today

I spent a lot of time in bed today. I didn't wake up until 11:20, and that was only because Bob text messaged me and asked if I was up yet. I had a huge to do list, and I did manage to finish most of it (with a little help from bob). I did all the dishes, swept the kitchen, cleaned off the tables, and folded the clean laundry. I also found time to make the cookies that someone gave me about 3 weeks ago. They were oatmeal chocolate chip cranberry. They turned out perfect and they tasted so good that after my delicious and nutritious lunch I had 4...with a big glass of milk, which is good for me! We went out to the goodwill store to try to find some super cheap shorts for me to wear to the beach, but instead we got some shorts for Bob (which he really needs, he only has 2 pairs) and a new shirt for Bob (which he really needs because some of his shirts are old and ragged, but he insists on keeping them around...I figure if he has something nice to wear then he won't wear the old stuff), and a bike for Kyle. Ok, the bike was only $15 and it was in pretty good condition except the tires. After that we went to another thrift store where I did find a cute jumper that was only $4!!! At some point I will post pictures of me in FATernity clothes, but I'll have to find a time when Bob wants to take the pics and I want to change clothes about 3 zillion times.

I'm still working on my water for the day. I have had 2 glasses of water, 1.5 glasses of milk, and 1 glass of juice. I'm not sure if the juice counts for water, but if it does then I am halfway to my goal. I just looked this up:

"Many fruits and vegetables — such as watermelon and cucumbers — are nearly 100 percent water by weight. Beverages such as milk and juice are also comprised mostly of water. Even beer, wine and caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea or soda can contribute, but these should not be a major portion of your daily total fluid intake. Water is one of your best bets because it's calorie-free, inexpensive and readily available."

I have also read though, that soda and things like that cause you to urinate more often therefore losing more fluid than you would gain from it. However, I like that you can count some foods as fluid intake. So when I ate that big salad that was made with iceburg lettuce, even though it had to nutritional value, the lettuce counted toward my water for the day. That makes life easier.

"If you drink water from a bottle, thoroughly clean or replace the bottle often. Refill only bottles that are designed for reuse."

So don't reuse those Aquafina bottles! (the plastic actually breaks down and releases chemicals into your water!)

July 30th...

Cindy, Bob and I got together one evening to make my baby shower invitations. We stamped and stickered and wrote, and Bob made some very lovely bows. I addressed all the envelopes and off they went, into the mail. I took one to work and posted it for everyone that works there. Almost as soon as I did one of the saleswomen came into the office and told me that I cannot have my baby shower on the same day as her birthday party. How was I supposed to know that she was having a party? First of all, I don't know her that well so I certainly don't know when her birthday is. Second, she didn't invite me, nor did she post an invitation. It's not that I don't care if she comes, I don't...It's just the fact that she TOLD me that I can't have a party that day because she already was. Hmph! So anyway, the place is booked, the deposit is paid and I'm having my darn party whether she likes it or not!

I've been exercising more regularly lately, and eating like a mad person too. We spent about an hour down at the pool yesterday swimming around and having a grand time. We've also been trying to walk in the evenings. I have been eating more, but it's all good stuff, I promise. Ok, so maybe not ALL good stuff, but I only have a few little tiny scoops of ice cream every night. It helps get the icky vitamin taste out of my mouth before I have to go to bed. I still need to work on drinking more water, but I've worked out a plan for that. I'm taking two bottles of water to work with me every day (1 liter each) and I will drink 2 liters while I'm at home. I usually don't have a problem with drinking it at work, but carrying a cup around the house is a bother. I've switched to a sports bottle for home.

I've gained 3 more pounds! I think 3...I weight 127.5 now. I definitely have a noticeable belly, and I've started wearing a few of the maternity things I've acquired. I'm still too small for some, but I've been wearing maternity shirts with my RTG vests to work instead of the regular ugly shirts. It's very exciting!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

To my wonderful husband, who will be the best father ever! The raisin and I love you so much!

blocks!

I made this without a pattern, which of course is not that hard. I intend to make more, in different colours. This one wasn't quite finished because it's not stuffed, and I ran out of pink yarn to finish stitching it closed. I think they're fun! Oh, disregard the MESS on my desk.
 

This weekend...

We went to WV this weekend. We had a good time visiting Bob's sisters and their families. We made a quick visit to his grandparents. What I did not enjoy was seeing someone take advantage of, manipulate, and then turn their back on their family. Not because I feel bad for that person, she made her choice with full knowledge of the consequences. I feel bad for those who got hurt...again.
I did realize, though, how lucky I am to have the family that I have. My mother and my sisters have always been there, helping each other through rough times and celebrating the good times. Even the extended family has always had the best intentions, even if they were not communicated in a loving, understanding manner. It's good to know that there's always someone there to look out for you.

On a lighter note, the raisin has been moving around so much. It feels like he's jumping up and down! Before it's been little jabs, but now it feels like he's ramming his whole body into me. My belly's getting bigger, too. At least, I think it is. I haven't measured but it feels heavier when I walk and it's round.
I finished all my flower washcloths and started on a new project. I'm not telling what it is yet, but hopefully I will have pictures tomorrow. I almost finished the first one yesterday, but I need a few more things to complete it.

my dream...

I was in the kitchen and I was really hungry. I thought “I should have made those cookies from that jar” that would have taken too long at that point, so I opened the cupboard and found some little square Ghirardelli chocolates. They were in a red wrapper. I took one out, but there was something written on the back. I can’t remember what it said. Someone then told me that I couldn’t eat it because they were someone else’s. I threw the half opened chocolate back into the canister and went into the living room. My mom was in there. I looked out the window and saw a tornado coming toward the house. As it got closer it was 2, and then 4. They all came around the house to the front, and I shut the front door and was leaning with my back against it, trying to hold it closed. My mom came and sat on the sofa next to the door. The door started being sucked outward, so I stepped away from it. At that point the door opened and my mom got sucked out into the tornado.

When I woke up, I almost called my mom to make sure she was ok, but it was 3am. I'm not sure she would have appreciated it. Since then I went to www.dreammoods.com to see what the important parts of the dream meant. Here's what I found out:

To dream that you are hungry signifies a feeling of unfulfilment in some area of your life. You may be starving for recognition, power, sex, wealth, or fame. You are longing to achieve something that you have desired for awhile.

To dream that you are baking cookies signifies feelings of optimism or an increase in productivity. You may also experience a rise in status (perhaps I should have been more optimistic??)

To see chocolate in your dream signifies self-reward. It also denotes that you may be indulging in too many excesses and need to practice some restraint.

To see several tornadoes in your dream, represent people around you who are prone to violent outbursts and shifting mood swings. It may also symbolize a volatile situation or relationship

To see your mother in your dream represents the nurturing aspect of your own character.


So in applying this to my life:

I feel as though the nuturing aspect of myself is being sucked out by the volitile relationships I have at work. I also feel as though all my hard work should be recognized, but has not been.
I also feel that I'm overindulging myself, and that my attitude is not as positive as it should be.

In conclusion:

I need to start exercising more and taking responsibility for things that need to be done.
I need to stop worrying about work since I won't be there much longer.



I had the last two days off and I have to say that i've started applying this conclusion. On Wednesday I, with the help of my sister (online), folded all the laundry (about 4 loads that had been laying around), cleaned the shower, made the bed, put away the clean dishes, organized the baby stuff that was EVERYWHERE, cleaned the stove and counters, and finished making my baby shower invitations. On Thursday I finished the baby sling I made for our friend whose baby was born in December, washed the dishes, made dinner, and started on another flower washcloth. I think I've done a lot in the last few days. I also made time to go out with our friends and take a nap. We also went to the grocery store and picked up a few things we'd been out of for a while (like milk). Today I have a very small to do list because I have to go to work at 1, but I've already done one of those things. Maybe if I can keep this up I won't have any more weird disturbing dreams.

ultrasound with label

 

ultrasound with label

 

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.