The belly totally trumps the butt.

And there it is. And I still have 8 1/2 weeks to go. How is this kind of growth even possible?

I know I've been a total slacker and haven't posted in forever, but... I'm just really tired, okay? Also, my sister in law, Shiloh, had her baby this past Sunday, giving her a true reason to celebrate Labor Day. Ha ha! Terrible jokes abound! Her baby is insanely adorable and has lots of hairs on his leetle head. So now I'm next in the family chain of birthing. Ugh, that sounds kind of creepy and gross. I'm not ready, but I'm trying to be. Oh, I'm ready to be holding my baby and loving on him, but I'm not ready for the rest of it, yet. Anyway, I wasn't kidding about being tired. I feel like I've been earning my dough working in the fields all day.

Sweet sweet success....and er, some failure, too

Have you met my niece, Karli? I made that little purple dress for her. And now you can see her in it. She is so freaking cute, I want to eat her cheeks. Nom, nom, nom! And check out those little chubby legs! And it appears that she loves the dress, too.


So I had yet another OB appointment today. Last week my dr did not like my levels of amniotic fluid that were measured by the sonographer, so she wanted to measure it herself. They appeared to be too low. So, she measured again today and he has plenty of water to swim in. Oh, you know, I just hated having another excuse to look at my kid.

I have to say that it is the coolest feeling to have him move around. None of his movements are painful yet, so it's still really enjoyable to me and Chris. If the baby is awake, he'll kick Chris' hand pretty quickly when he puts it on my belly. And it's so crazy watching my stomach move. It's like some creepy alien thing. But he's my creepy alien thing, and he's adorable already.

And uh, oh yeah. The failure. I failed my glucose screening by a couple of points. Which totally sucks because now I have to go take the three hour test. I'm not really looking forward to that. But here, have a look at my baby fats at 29 weeks.

When I went to bed after I posted my last entry, my left big toe came to life and exploded into a furious flaming devil of pain and destruction. And I got very little sleep because it did not feel good at all. It's weird because I don't remember my the surgery on my right toe last October being so traumatic to that particular phalange. I was able to sleep last night without waking up from the devil toe's prodding, but it's still a pretty sore looking fellow. I would take a picture, but it would gross too many of you out. And I'm limping around a lot. Everyone at work sees this giant pregnant woman who is waddling way before her time when really, I'm just limping from the injury.

Speaking of "The Injury", is anyone else so super psyched to for The Office to come back on? I love that show. I'm so happy to watch Michael, knowing that he's just on a tv show, and I don't have to work for him. That part about him makes me love him all the more.

My child is huge. My ultrasound yesterday revealed that he is 2 lbs, 15 oz. I realize that weight estimations based on ultrasounds are notoriously inaccurate, but his tummy measurement is also in the 75th or 85th percentile or something like that. Neither Chris nor I can remember the exact number, but it was big, yall. A cute squishable tummy just waiting for me to blow raspberries all over it. And his head is still miraculously in the 61st percentile, and I'm hoping it stays that way. Because given the track record on giant heads in both our families, this measurement could get pretty ugly really fast. He is also head down, and I am hoping that stays the same, too.

Side note: I actually saw a pink Mary Kay Caddy today. I didn't know they seriously existed in the general public. And it was really really ugly, too. But I guess I just don't really appreciate the design of new Cadillacs.

And now for something completely different.

I always have a bunch of stuff floating around in my head that I want to blog about, but I always forget by the time I sit down to actually do it.

I'm roasting in my house. It's not that it's hot in here. I'm SOOOOO grateful that our a/c works again because I know first hand just how bad it could be. It's just that I don't want to increase our electric bill more than I need to, and well, my husband is creating less body heat than I am right now. I'm pretty sure our tiny child is creating more body heat than Chris is, actually. So, as spoiled as I am to be able to regulate my home environment to a very nice 75 degrees, I am still hot. And I deal with it by sitting around in my underwear a lot. Which, while not attractive in the least, is actually pretty funny when I'm trying to turn around and get out of bed. I don't know how those mariners ever thought manatees could possibly be beautiful mermaids because holy ungainly! - that is what I am.

It doesn't help tonight that I have to keep my socks on as I sit around the house. I had my left big toe cut up today to remove yet another ingrown toenail. I can't remove the dressing until tomorrow, and I don't want to get dog hair all over it. So I have to keep my socks on. I know, I know. Wah wah wah, I'm such a baby. I'm just trying to keep writing to give you something new to read, gosh. So, having your big toe completely numbed is so weird. It's like a dead thing on your foot, although my foot doctor preferred that I not use such dreadful terminology to describe it. So I said it was kind of like my toe was detached from my foot, like an out of body experience, not so much like it was cut off or something. Ew.

My gestational diabetes screen is tomorrow. Hurrah! I really hope I pass it without any problems.

Also, holy crap, did you see the men's swimming 400m relay last night? Oh my gosh, it was so good. And now Chris and I are addicted to Olympic swimming. And also bursting with patriotic pride. At least, I am. Go America! Yay!

Totally Hawt

Today I told my husband I felt like a giant lumbering manatee...


He told me that ancient mariners used to mistake manatees for beautiful mermaids. Sometimes having a husband who is an endless font of random trivia proves to be a good thing.

Wilted

Ugh. Have you ever lived in a trailer with no air conditioning? (Well, I know Shiloh and Michael have) Our a/c stopped blowing cool air on Saturday afternoon. So Saturday in our house was warm, but not completely unbearable. Sunday, however, I wanted to die. It was SO hot! It was over 90 inside (and it felt cooler outside all day). We tried using fans to pull in cool air from outside. We tried using our little roll around swamp cooler I still have from when I lived in Caldwell. And we ended up living in a bayou trapped in a tin can for the day.

Oh my gosh, it was awful. I actually cried, I was so upset because I didn't know how we were possibly going to fix it. Broken a/c = lots and lots of money. We actually slept in the bed of Chris' truck (it has a cover on it) because it felt so much better outside than it did inside. And we also still have our old bed in the back of it, so we were fairly comfortable. It got a little chilly, but it was better than being sweltering hot all night and waking up in puddles of our own heat.
So, this morning I called the first number on my list for heating and air, and they said they could actually send someone in the next few hours. Needless to say, I went ahead and scheduled. Their diagnostic fee just to come out was within range with other places I've heard of, so I was hoping the rest of their fees would be reasonable as well. The guy got here right on time, and found our problem almost immediately. It didn't take him long to fix it, and besides the diagnostic fee, he only had us pay for the part he replaced. So we ended up only paying $155 in all. !!!! And the cool air is so so sweet! I couldn't be happier at this moment, actually.
I've also almost finished that little dress for my niece. I just have to sew the rest of the little flowers on, but I'll show you a picture anyway.


This is what the finished front looks like. I just have to sew flowers onto the back. I can't wait to see her chubby little legs poking out underneath.

Worries...

I have a confession to make. I'm a huge worrier. I know, big shock, right? Anyway, I've been so worried lately about all the junk that's happening with our jobs right now. As you already know, my job is being outsourced. I still don't agree with the company's decision, but I've made my peace. Nothing is set in stone, but I think I'll have roughly until April or May before I'm severanced. If you read my husband's blog at all, you'll have seen that his job is also being affected by the current economy. Needless to say, it has been very stressful on both of us. I have never before been so grateful for a husband who doesn't want to fight about money. That's one thing we have going for us, I guess.
So, of course I'm worried about how we'll make ends meet when we have our baby. I'm worried because I know I'll probably have to work full time (well, I definitely will at least until I'm laid off), and it'll be so hard to take my little guy to day care every day. But I know I can do it because I have to. Besides, I know so many other mothers who have done the same thing and have just as much devotion to their children as I know I will have to mine. So I know it's possible, and I will live through it.
I'm worried the most about my husband, actually. I'm worried about all the pressure that is being placed on him to make more money. I hate it. I don't want him to have to get a job he doesn't like. I don't want him to be unhappy. That, in itself, stresses me to no end. I know that he'll do what he has to do for our family, but I hate the stress that comes with making those decisions. We make big decisions together, but this is about a job that I wouldn't have to go to every day and he would. And he would probably hate it. So I would feel guilty if I encouraged him to take a job he hated, but I would also feel guilty for forcing him to make the decision alone. And I would feel guilty if I discouraged him from taking the job, and then nothing else came along. Am I not ridiculous? Yes, I tend to be that way from time to time.

On a lighter note, let's talk about something else my dear, sweet husband did this weekend. He peed in my shower. I was minding my own business, shaving my legs in the shower, and here's Chris, just popping in for a pee! Okay, well, he did tease me that he was going to do it before hand, but I didn't think he actually would!! And thank goodness none of it got on me, because, oh! that would have definitely been tragic. But it's a good thing (for him) I was so grossed out because I later thought that I should have splashed his pee back on him. But blech. I couldn't have touched it.

And I know you've been waiting for it: My fat at 26 weeks.


Please forgive the super crappy picture. I didn't notice just how bad it was until I had already taken it off the memory card, and I'm way too lazy to do a retake. But feel free to compare to same shirt at 19 weeks.

My chest appears to be getting smaller and smaller in comparison...


Now my belly is balancing out my butt, at least. And I also look like a weird crazy zebra in this shirt. Luckily, I wore another shirt over it today.

I don't really have a lot going on right now. I just thought I'd show you some more of my fatness because people seem to like that. I know I do. I'm also finishing a super cute knitted dress for my niece Karli (FINALLY!!). I'll post a picture when I'm done.

Stank butt

I've been thinking about cutting costs lately. Babies are super expensive, as I think everyone who reads this blog already knows. So, I've been thinking about how to make the most of our income when Ben is born. Yeah, I really should have probably been thinking about this four months ago, but I'm pretty slow like that. I'm seriously looking into full time cloth diapering. There's a kind made by bumGenius that has expandable snaps enabling them to fit your child from newborn through potty training. There was a kid at a friend's baby shower recently who was wearing one, and his mom told us about them. She's due with another kid right before me, and she plans on diapering them with the same diapers. That is awesome.

Um, okay, they're pretty expensive, but even if I spent $400 on a buttload of them (no pun intended) and they would not only last through Ben but also through our next kid (and hopefully at least another one after), that would definitely be worth it, wouldn't it? I know it's extra laundry and everything, but even though time will be a precious commodity with a little one, money will be even less available when I'm on FMLA. Walmart has some clothies that are similar and about half as expensive. But I also read in the reviews that some people have had to buy twice as many because washing them wears them out so quickly. I like the bumGenius better. From the reviews, they seem to be more durable, and you get more for your money. Like I said, I know the extra laundry will be a pain, but cloth diapering these days is nothing like it used to be. I mean, if my brother can do it even part time, anyone can. He's lazy. Hehe, just kidding, Michael. I know Velvet takes care of all that. ;)

I wish I could be all noble and say I'm just doing it for the environment and all that, but I'm a penny pincher. I've got to save us some money. So, what do yall think?

Next step: convincing my husband that we should spend $400 on cloth diapers...

This has made my life complete

Well, for today, anyway. I've been cooking dinner every night, and reserving leftovers for lunches the next day to save some money (which has definitely been working). Because I only have a few recipes in my repertoire that I know by heart, I've had to seek out uncomplicated, healthful, delicious meals to cook every night. The healthful was added in the past week because I've gained way too much weight since my last doctor's visit (which my doctor was very nice about). Anyway, I found this recipe for Mediterranean Beef Stew with Rosemary over at Kalyn's Kitchen. I'm trying to do one at least crockpot meal a week, and this was it this week. Holy crap. It is so good. It would be even better with the mushrooms it calls for, but Chris isn't really a fan. I kind of like him, so I'm willing to sacrifice the mushrooms every once in a while. And if you don't like olives, you may not even notice them very much. Their taste is really toned down from cooking for 10 hours. Or you could just leave them out. (*cry) Anyway, Mom, you should really cook this because it'll be good for you. Very low carb, very diabetic mama friendly. And so very very easy and cheap. I also recommend that website for other recipes, too. Especially her low carb pancakes. They're so good.

I saw my OB today. Everything is good. I've gained weight, but I'm resolving to be better about my snacks (why do I always have to be SO HUNGRY?!). The baby is good and is measuring perfectly. Nothing eventful happened at this visit. Next visit, however, will be my gestational diabetes screening. Also, I get another ultrasound. Yay! On the ultrasound at my last visit, the doctor who did my review (my doc was on vacation) said he wanted me to have another u/s to make sure Ben's kidneys are working properly. They had some fluid in them, which could just mean Ben was making pee and it hadn't come out yet, but the dr said we should look again just in case. I'm really not worried about it, my doctor's really not worried about it, but hey, I get another Level 2 u/s my insurance will pay for because my doctor says it's medically necessary. Woot! I suppose it's also time to show you a picture of my belly. You also get to see my maternity pants that cover my belly. Chris calls them "my stretchy butt pants" because I have another pair of these that has the stretch panel going practically halfway down my butt. Don't worry, I wasn't seen in public like this. I only dress like this for the internet.

I just have a couple of thoughts that were rattling around in my head at work today. Why do people ask you constantly how you are feeling when you're pregnant? I'm not ill, I'm fat with baby. And I'm not going to complain about my aches and pains to someone who sees me in passing and asks, "Oh! How are you feeling?" and then rushes away. It's just so weird. It's only people who don't know me very well or hardly ever see me. Don't you think a more appropriate question would be, "How are you doing?" like every other non-gestating member of the population hears? I'm always so tempted to ask them how they are feeling, but I know it will come out sounding snotty and without concern. Because that's how I feel.

Also, on a completely unrelated note. Sometimes I question my state of consciousness, say, when I have just starting peeing. Actually, it's the only time I do it. I have to ask myself, "Am I asleep?" because I want to make sure I'm really awake and peeing in a toilet instead asleep and only peeing in a toilet in my dream. Please tell me someone else does this even once a year. Anyone?

What's in a name?

I've been lazy and eating too many cherries, so I haven't gotten around to this post yet. An update on the cherries: Chris and I have consumed about 4 1/2 lbs in about 3 days. Oh, the deliciousness.

Chris and I have had our official baby names picked out for at least a year, probably longer. The benefit to having so long to think about it is that we actually came to an agreement pretty far in advance of actually needing one. Well, we came to an agreement on two boy names and one girl name. Most of you know that Chris has a love for comic books, and he has for way longer than I've known him. So it's fitting that we give our kid a comic book name, isn't it?

We're naming him Benjamin Grimm after Chris' all time favorite super hero The Thing from the Fantastic Four. Believe it or not, it took me a little while to warm up to the idea. I love the name Benjamin, but I wasn't completely sold on Grimm being a middle name. I didn't want our kid to be traumatized by having a weird name. But then I recalled my childhood nickname, given to me by my sister Eve and brother Michael: Bekah big banana booty bottom with a big banana bulging belly, buck tooth bug eyes Bekah. It wasn't just a name, mind you. It was a gleeful song, chanted by the two of them all the way down our seemingly endless driveway to the bus stop. Needless to say, I didn't appreciate it then, but now it really blows me away at how creative they were. I mean, really. How do kids come up with that kind of stuff? It's hilarious. So, if my kid is going to have a terrible nickname, having a normal middle name isn't going to stop anyone from making something up. So I relented, and now I really love the name. And Mom, please make sure you're at the hospital with me, so Chris doesn't change our baby's name to Hulk Hogan on the birth certificate papers without me knowing. Thanks. :)

I should also add that Ben's initials are BGR. Ha! Booger. It makes me laugh.

Can you die from eating a pound of cherries?

I'm pretty sure I've eaten close to that many today. It's one of the best perks of living in Idaho in the summer. Bing cherries are the most delicious wonderful fruit. They make me so happy. There's an orchard in Emmett that takes orders in my office and delivers it to us in Boise. So that's nice. They also have the best cherries I've had from Emmett (there are a lot of orchards there). In a couple of months, they'll do the same with apples. I always get a 20 lb box and spend about a week making and freezing pie filling. Mmmmmm.......

Not much has been happening around here. Well, Chris got a sweet new ride. He's pretty excited about it. I'm okay with it because he's pretty much the safest driver I know. And I know he'll wear all of his protective gear every time he rides around on it. Right, honey?

All's well in baby growing land. He's been turned around and kicking me in the intestines for the past couple of days. It's really weird because it really feels like gas. I know they say that fetal movements tend to feel a lot like gas bubbles, but this is the first that it has felt like that. Before he felt like butterflies from being on a roller coaster. But man, my stomach is getting bigger. I feel like a house. I can only imagine what I'll feel like in two months. A Russian mosque maybe?

Things have been pretty boring around here, though. We've been getting our house ready for the baby, slowly but surely. I've been drinking my weight in water everyday to combat the relentless heat. Well, maybe not my weight, but 2 or 3 liters (67.6 to 101.4 oz). And I still wake up thirsty in the middle of the night. I'm lucky I like water so much, actually. Also, I'm so glad the last part of my pregnancy is in the fall. I already feel like I'm going to die in this heat, and I'm still in the "pleasant" trimester.

Anyway, happy Fourth, yall. May you have a good long weekend with copious amounts of everything you love.

Oops...

I really should have posted before now, and I feel pretty bad that I haven’t. Did I mention I was having my “big” ultrasound on Thursday? You didn’t remember that, right? Because if you love me (and I know you do), the anticipation just might be killing you. That is, if you weren’t one of those that Chris text messaged from the waiting room immediately afterwards and I was in the bathroom. He’s pretty excited. So, I’ll go ahead and show you some pics.

This is a side view of our kid in mid kick to my uterus. Check out that giant foot.

This is a profile face shot.

And this is the money shot.

We’re having a boy! I love it when my intuition works with me instead not working at all (which is what happens most of the time). I totally knew I was having a boy.

So, I also wanted to add how incredible it was to watch our little guy wiggling and moving all around on the ultrasound. It was also really cool to feel him move while seeing the movement simultaneously. I’m so glad this is happening. I’m sure I’ll post more about it later, but I knew I needed to at least get the news out.

Invasion of the Job Snatchers

If you live close to Idaho, chances are you've heard about the lay offs happening in the company that employs me. There are about 80 people being laid off in Boise and forty in Minneapolis. And lucky me, it's pretty much my whole department. I am lucky that we weren't just given pink slips and escorted out of the building. They've just given us fair warning and individualized timelines so far. The first wave goes sometime in the third quarter. We've just started our second quarter today, so they've got about 3 to 6 months left. Another wave will go in the fourth quarter. I'm lucky enough to be in the first quarter of next fiscal year (which runs from the end of Feb. through the beginning of June), so at least I'll still have my maternity leave. I was planning on taking the full 12 weeks of FMLA, but I don't want to get laid off while I'm gone. So I'm not sure what will happen, but at least I have a little time. There are a lot of people that don't have that luxury.

We all kind of expected to get laid off eventually when our company was purchased by another company. But we thought our jobs would be moved to their headquarters in Minneapolis. I certainly didn't expect this. If you didn't catch it in the news, all our jobs are being outsourced to India. Which is great for India, but it really sucks for our economy, you know? Our CEO just kind of shrugged it off as "well, everyone is doing it". It disappoints me, quite frankly. I can understand the company trying to cut costs, but obviously "cost" to them is only calculated in dollars.

I do want to say that the company has treated me very well thus far. If it weren't for their totally rockin' health coverage, I wouldn't be getting fat with baby right now. I will always thank them for that. But I will also always be disappointed at the loss American jobs to try and save an extra buck (or a few mill, whatever). It's also disappointing that they've taken so many jobs out of the valley. This company was built here. Granted, new company is not the one who ran it into the ground, but a lot of people shop there as part of a kind of local pride. And now a lot of people won't be shopping there because so many people know people who have been affected by this new occurrence.

Anyway, enough of that mess. I have to think about it all day at work every day. Let's talk about this baby, shall we? I forget how big I've gotten until I lay down in the bed at night. Then I feel huge. Of course, I realize I'm nowhere near how big I will become in the coming months. It's just kind of a shock to look in the mirror because, well, my belly is a lot bigger than it was a few months ago, or even a few weeks ago. Check it out. I don't think it's much bigger than last time, but this is at 19 weeks.


My knockas look smaller now, though. I had to give up my fancy Victoria's Secret bra that made them look fantastic. Now I wear a nursing bra that's a little too big (you know, room to grow. please?). Ah, so glamorous! This baby has been moving around like kuurazy. I feel flutters and bumps all the time now. It's pretty awesome. Sprout's activities still can't be felt from the outside, though. And they're still sooooo unpredictable. But it makes me happy to feel them. Everything about this pregnancy has made me happy. I don't even care that I peed on myself a couple of times when I got really sick last week (note to self: you should really do those kegel exercises for more than just labor preparation...). Luckily, I was at home or on my way home, so a shower and a change of underwear were quickly forthcoming.

Uuugh, I got reeeeeally sick. Well, really sick for me anyway. It was just a cold, but it totally kicked my butt. See, I usually take a lot of medication for colds because I hate feeling so crappy. My "safe" drug list from my OB gave me a good idea of what I could take. It gave me a list of safe active ingredients, as well as a list of safe OTC brand names. All of the OTC drugs had phenylephrine in them, which is not on the safe active ingredient list. So I looked it up online, and decided not to take anything with that in it. I felt crappy for several days before I realized I could take Mucinex, and I even had some in the house already. It didn't matter because it didn't help anyway. So I drank a mug of warm water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and my congestion finally started breaking up. I'm still not completely better yet, though. But at least I don't feel so crappy anymore. Poor Chris. I gave it to him, and he's getting sick now. :(

I love Weezer

And after this video, my husband will love Rivers Cuomo with all his heart. Chris has respect and admiration for a good mustache.

A Very Baby Post

Hahahaha! I'm actually crouching in this picture, trying to get my face into it. See that grin? I'm trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of how I must look! Self timers feel like they take FOREVER when you're standing in that position, trying not to die and ruin the picture. But look at mah belleh! It's fo' reals, folks. Oh, and Chris is back from AT, but now he's at work, and I'll be asleep when he gets home. But really, this picture would not be nearly as entertaining to me if I hadn't taken it myself. And that is a cell phone in my pocket, people. Just so you know...

So I had another Dr appt today, and my weight is good. I did gain this time, but I already knew that. So I'm feeling pretty good about that. I did ask her to tell me what Sprout's heart rate is this time, and it's about 150 bpm. So according to that wive's tale, we're having a girl. I do realize that it's only a wive's tale and according to the accumulation that I've read, I still have a 50/50 chance of having either sex, lol. But we're excited either way! And if the baby cooperates, we'll be finding out in just TWO weeks! Woot!

I know this is going to sound silly, but lately I've had this feeling that something is probably going to be wrong with this baby. Like he/she will have some kind of physical or mental handicap. I know, I know. 9 out of 10 mothers worry about this. But I'm not anxious about it like it's a bad thing. Chris and I have even talked about "what if we have a handicapped kid" before, and it's not a fear for me. I think I have this feeling because in my head I'm thinking that there's no way we could be so lucky to have a normally healthy baby. I mean, we are SO very lucky to be having a baby at all, you know? Like I said, it's probably silly, but the thought is there and it won't go away.

I also wanted to mention the best pregnancy symptom so far (well, except for the 'child in the womb' symptom- that pretty much trumps anything else). So earlier on, I did notice that I lost less hair in the shower, just like the pregnancy books told me. But I didn't notice how much hair actually stayed in my head until today. My hair almost feels thick! I have very fine hair, so while I have always had a lot of hair, it has always felt thin because the strands are so thin. Even with my newfound bounty of hair, I still have the wimpiest ponytail you've ever seen. But it is glorious and shiny and wavy, and I love it.

I don't have anything else to talk about really. I've been so tired lately. I could take a couple of naps a day. And I think it's bed time now...

You had a glimmer of hope that I would post more regularly now, huh? Ha Ha! (Nelson laugh)

Every time I thought about posting, I was thinking about food and how delicious it is. And since my last real post was a food post, I thought I'd spare you. Although, it was really tempting to write about the fried okra I had for lunch the other day. Mmmmm....delicacy in Idaho... Anyway, enough about food. I'm not hungry right now. And according my scale I'm still not gaining much. I've just been yo-yoing with water weight. But I've been eating. No more morning sickness here. And about the only thing I can't stand is yogurt. Oh, and I have totally been eating sweets like there's no tomorrow. Okay, I lie. I won't eat more than, like, four cookies in a day. But still, every one counts for something, right?

And at Eve's request, I finally have a belly shot. This was taken today with the self timer on the camera. I had to sit the camera on Chris' desk, so it cut off my head. So this is me at almost 17 weeks. I was looking more pregnant than usual, so I decided I should hurry and take a picture before my tummy deflated again.


I wonder how small my butt will look when my stomach is finally the biggest thing on my body. Heh, I find that thought to be hilarious. Don't ask me why I do, it just makes me laugh to think about.

So Chris has been gone for the past week for National Guard annual training. Holy crap, it sucks. Yes, that's why I had to take my belly picture myself and cut off my own sweet pretty head. Aside from the obvious annoyance of not having my husband around to do my bidding (another thought that makes me chuckle), and well I'm pretty attached to the guy and I hate it when he's away, my main complaint at his absence is that his dog is driving me COMPLETELY INSANE. Buddy has always had the occasional bout of managing to get out of the back yard while we're not paying attention and wreaking havoc (read: sniffing butts) around the general vicinity, but he usually stops doing it after a couple of days of us keeping a super tight watch on him and taking some sort of measure to find and close up wherever he has escaped. Right now, however, he has gotten out pretty much every day that Chris has been gone.

This little dog may seem like he's a sleepy, droopy eyed, and laid back basset hound, but he has a secret side of neurotic thrown in there. Any kind of change completely flips him out. Like when we moved the dogs' kennels from the living room to the back bed room, he started peeing in the house randomly. Um, what? And he completely adores Chris. If I wake up before him on the weekend and I come into the living room, Buddy will go and wait for Chris in the hallway and scratch at the baby gate that we put there to keep him from scratching on our bedroom door. If Chris takes too long to get up, Buddy will whine. So I'm pretty sure he's breaking out because Chris isn't here, and he's a nervous freak. Well, my single consolation is that he hasn't been eating his poop lately. So at least I have that.

Anyway, you should see the mess of scrap wooden boards I screwed and nailed all of the whole at the bottom of our porch (where he was getting out this time). He's a crafty little butt and kept finding flaws in my defenses, so I'd have to add another board or two every time. Ha! Man, is it ghetto. But I think I've finally defeated him... hopefully. Every time I think I have, he gets out again.

So that's my news. I'm ready for my husband to come home because he's pretty entertaining and fun to be around. Oh, and also, a friend of mine at work told me her daughter is getting her maternity clothes together and is going to give them to me. How awesome is that?! And yes, I am wearing some maternity tops, and yes, it is only so people will think I'm actually pregnant and not just chubbing out. I'm still roomy in all my pre-pregnancy pants and I'm still comfy in all my old tops, too. I'm really interested in knowing how I'm going to be carrying this baby, and if it will be anything like what I imagined. Oh well, I guess we'll find out soon. This baby is definitely wiggling and growing and will make his/her presence known to the public soon.

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Mmmmmm, hot red breading...

Let's talk about food, yes? More specifically, foods that are bad for you. Even more specifically, one food that is bad for you. There are some times in your life when you need to eat spicy chicken sandwiches with cheese, no mayo, and drizzled with ranch every day for every meal OR YOU WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES. I guess I would like to call that time of my life the pregnant time.* Yes, I just ate one, and I am happy. Anyway, I don't really need to regale you with the loveliness that is a spicy chicken sandwiches with cheese, no mayo, and drizzled with ranch, do I? Doesn't the juicy chicken breast breaded with that hot red breading speak for itself? Of course it does! I'm mostly speaking of THE CONSEQUENCES YOU WILL SUFFER, ahem, well, the consequences I will suffer if I don't eat them more often in this pregnant time of my life.
I had my OB visit yesterday. I found it humorous that I've seen her several times in the past year or so, and this is the first time I didn't have to take off my pants. Score one for me! Anyway, I mentioned it to her, and she laughed. Heh, I'm glad she didn't think it was creepy. So, OB visit, right. Baby is fine. I heard that little "whoosh whoosh" heartbeat for the first time. That was pretty cool. She found it really quickly, which made me happy. Everything else was fine, well, except that I lost 4 pounds in the past 4 weeks. Um, what? That's kind of freaks me out a little. I know many people will tell me it's fine and all, but let me tell you why it freaks me out. My morning sickness was negligible, people! As in, puked less than once a week! Also, I GORGED myself on pizza, pizza, pizza! Well, not all of the time, but more than I felt I should. My doctor wasn't necessarily worried a lot, but she was surprised and told me not to lose anymore weight. So I've decided to allow myself some more of my favorite cravings, even though I was trying to avoid them for the health of my little one. Maybe this kid is taking after me. Maybe the baby wants a spicy chicken sandwich, too. *sniff sniff* So much like your mama! Now let's go to McDonald's and get 2 Big Macs for $3. *kiss kiss*



*I would also like to call it every other time in my life. If you were to, hypothetically, try to win my undying love and affection with said regimen of food, I would be undoubtedly yours. However, be warned: If your offering is missing either cheese or ranch, it will be for naught. Oh, I'll still eat it, but I'll glare at you with pure hatred while licking the morsels from my fingers. But if you forget both cheese and ranch, I will behead you. And then I will eat your sandwich.